Anti-Vax or Anti-Facts?

Imagine the time when you could step outside and catch whooping cough. When the infant mortality rate would be extremely high. When people would turn to religion as a form of medicine. Well - that time is upon us now. Here is why anti-vaxxers are a bigger problem than you think.

Cause:

In 1998, The Lancet, a British journal, published research by Dr. Wakefield that reported that vaccines cause autism in some children. The report spread like wildfire and was even cited by celebrities like Jenny McCarthy, influencing parents to not vaccinate their kids.

However the report was found to be completely ridiculous because it relied on false data and no other scientist could replicate the results. No other study has shown a link between vaccines and mental illnesses. Wakefield's medical license was even revoked and his paper retracted. But, none of this was plastered all over the media. Where is Jenny McCarthy now?

"God made these perfect bodies, they can heal themselves." - Yikes. Parents rely on prayer to get their children through sicknesses. This kind of mindset goes back to the times of the plague. Why isn't vaccines God's way of preventing diseases?

& Effect:

- Unvaccinated children aren't the only victims. We all are. Say,

1. We are vaccinated for Polio, for example.

2. Another child is not.

3. The child contracts Polio.

4. The disease mutates in their body and becomes different from what we were vaccinated for, rendering our vaccine useless.

5. Vaccinated children contract Polio.

- The World Health Organisation has identified anti-vaccination as a top global health threat this year.

- Since the introduction of vaccines, serious diseases in children, have decreased by over 99% in the US. Anti-vaccination is undoing this. (Centers for Disease Control Prevention, 2002)

- "Since California banned non-medical vaccine waivers three years ago, the number of children with medical exemptions in the state has tripled." - Beth Mole, ars Technica (2019)

What Can Be Done:

Well, "once anti-vax parents saw how terrible diseases like measles are in real life, vaccination rates in Washington jumped 500% in just 1 month." - Health Officials (Patheos, 2018)

This means that we can stop anti-vaccination through education.

So share this short video: https://www.instagram.com/tv/BuhBdJ2lL-L/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=vd86lhg7q627

If you think you can continue to ignore this fast-growing issue, a rude awakening is scheduled for you. So remember to stay educated. Be open-minded - just not so much that your brains fall out.

- Siya

sources:

• https://www.healthline.com/health-news/children-anti-vaccination-movement-leads-to-disease-outbreaks-120312#1

• https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/one-map-sums-damage-caused-anti-vaccination-movement/

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine_hesitancy#cite_note-65

• https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/02/anti-vaxxers-undermine-tougher-vaccination-laws-as-measles-outbreaks-roar/