An interesting thought on the anti-vaccine movement

[bossy22]

I think the success of our vaccination programs has actually enabled much of the anti-vaccine movement. We live in a world now where the horrors of many of these diseases are not well known. We live in a world where we don't have to worry about things like smallpox, measles, polio, etc... We don't see people dying of diseases in the street, we don't have massive hospital wings that house thousands of chronically sick people anymore. I think many of these people if they lived back in the 19th century would feel very differently.

And even if everything the anti-vaccine movement says is true (which all good evidence suggest it is not)- that they cause autism and other disorders- the benefits still out way the risks. Every medical procedure, every medication, has its risks. Patients have died due to antibiotic allergies- does that mean we should not prescribe antibiotics anymore? not a chance

[Aristus]

1. It's a kind of backwards thinking that leads to mindsets like:

"What do we need vaccines for? Nobody gets those diseases anymore!"

[RKP5637]

4. In the land of "Idiocracy," it apparently makes perfect sense. n/t

[SidDithers]

2. Exactly. The success of vaccines means we no longer live in a time...

... when losing a child to disease was fairly commonplace.

Sid

[bossy22]

3. Infectious diseases were at one point

the number 1 cause of early childhood deaths. Now it represents less than 10% (and many of those deaths are compounded by usually some other congenital issue that made them more susceptible)

On Edit: that is a great youtube clip. I'm definitely going to borrow it

[madrchsod]

5. i agree....

i`ll be 67 in a few days and i always wonder how my parents thought when i was born in 47. the childhood diseases that i faced when born must have really worried them.

oh ya..i have`t got my shingles shot...!