"Ridiculous", I said.
It was a foolish statement then, and it's proving itself to be even more costly now. One of many hot topics nowadays is whether to vaccinate or not. I'm not certain how there is even a question. I found a comment on the internet/facebook by a particularly intelligent parent who said -
" I am the
parent of two autistic children. Yes, 100% of my children are on the autism
spectrum. I do not think that vaccines cause autism. In fact, I know for certain
they did not. Both of my children exhibited signs of autism well before they
received vaccines. Further, my husband's grandmother has Aspergers Syndrome.
She was born in the 1920s, well before childhood vaccines were available. So,
if we believe that vaccines cause autism then how do we explain people with
autism who never had these vaccines? We can't. And that's the point."
When I was a child, I received some shots, smallpox I believe. I know this because I bear the mark of something akin to a branding on my arms. Would I have wanted it any other way? No, of course not. I also have other scars...on my face, arms and regions I don't care to disclose. Why? Measles, chicken pox, rubella...childhood diseases which were the norm until the development of the MMR vaccine in the 60's and its eventual widespread use. Would I have wanted it any other way? Absolutely. If someone had offered the option, given me a choice, given my parents a choice, of course we would have taken the vaccination.
People who "choose" not to vaccinate their children are posing a risk to their own children, as well as those with compromised immune systems. Why is something that was once compulsory, now considered a choice? Who is best qualified to make that choice...an uninformed parent who relies solely on the info given by a second rate actress? Perhaps they've been using Dr. Google as a dependable source. I have news. It isn't.
I could go on ad infinitum, but instead, I'll share this youtube video. Funny? Yes. Crude? Slightly. The message, however is clear. There is absolutely no logical reason and no need for the recurrence of childhood diseases which had been eradicated during the last few decades.
Great blog, Hilde. I couldn't agree more with you or Jimmy. It is possible that this stupidity is rampant because I did read recently that humankind reached the apex of its intelligence at the turn of the 20th century so perhaps it's all downhill from here.
ReplyDeleteAnd now, I've suffered from shingles. Why? Because I had chicken pox as a child and this is a potential adult consequence when one has had them. I don't wish shingles on my worst enemy. I don't even wish them on the foolish people who won't immunize their children so that we might eradicate this agonizing disease, and others, once and for all.
ReplyDelete