I am a fan of public health. I mean who isn’t right? Who doesn’t want each and every one of us to live long healthy happy lives? So
it irks me when there is blatant disregard for public health under the guise of
individual freedom. Now I’m talking about parents who choose not to have their
children vaccinated. Despite pediatric immunizations preventing 3 million
deaths in children each year worldwide, some parents continue to refuse
immunizations for their children.
I am drawing at straws here as to why someone would put
their children at risk but maybe the parents of these helpless children are at
an age where they didn’t have any personal exposure to the devastating effects
of polio or measles. This then leads to a lack of appreciation for their
importance.
From what I’ve read Measles
is like an immune system amnesia and can wipe out someone’s immune system(for
example if someone has chicken pox they usually are immune to repeated
exposure, but immunity seems to be erased if the child has Measles). And I am
all for choosing how you parent your children but there are rules in places to
prevent physical child abuse like spanking so why not for an even larger health
concern. Still not buying it?
A part of me wants to respond by saying: Well don’t bring your kids to school then. There
are some kiddos who for medical reasons cannot get immunized and they rely on
all their peers to get immunized so they don’t get sick. You choosing not to
immunize your child because of poor information jeopardizes their health as
well as your own child’s. And certainly don’t expect tax payers to take care of
your sick child who will most than likely grow up into a sick adult.
That’s right. Not vaccinating your child can result in
life-long effects. The immune system
response in children who have had measles is delayed into adulthood. Furthermore,
the Adverse Childhood Experience study has looked at childhood exposure to
chronic stress and found it can predict everything from developing diabetes and
heart disease to depression and suicide. Think that nearly dying from a
preventable disease is stressful? Yep. Life-long impact.
Unfortunately, I don’t think I have ever swayed a passionate
argument by being critical of others as this will typically result in doubling
down and hunkering in their ideological corner. Far better to expose parents to
the research and information available out there and have them make the
decision for themselves. One study concluded that “Many commonly held beliefs about
the risks of immunization are not supported by available data, and they
frequently originate from the unsupported claims of organizations that are
critical of immunization.” We as health care providers and consumers certainly
could stand to do a better job providing a non-judgmental argument for why not
vaccinating your child not only impacts her health but that of her classmates
and the public in general.
But it may not be your choice much longer anyway. Compulsory
immunization laws in the United States have been upheld repeatedly and may take
the choice out of your hands entirely. And you are lucky to live in a country
that gives the mother any control.
Side-Bar- Mothers
in Guyana after three cesarean section deliveries are in essence forced to
become sterilized because they are deemed high-risk. My first reaction was horror. After giving it thought, if this
is what keeps mother and children alive, then maybe it is worth it. But then it occurred to me that c-sections
are fairly subjective in regard to who needs one especially in Guyana where
some doctors will do it to decrease infant mortality rate reporting. That’s
great for the stats, but what about the mother? Limited to three children due
to the whim of the doctor is worrisome. Especially if the doctor makes a
stereotypical judgment call based on race or religion. For example, maybe Guyana
can cull the Muslim population simply by performing higher rates of c-sections
in this population. I’m not saying that this happens, only that it could happen. And that is the slippery
aspect of this slope.
Okay! Back to educating yourself at the risk you put your
child and society by not immunizing.
Please read more:
- Modulation of Immune System Function by Measles VirusInfection: Role of Soluble Factor and Direct Infection.
- Measles virus-induced suppression of immune responses.
- Responding to Parental Refusals of Immunization of Children.
And here is some data from the World Health Organization on
Measles:
Key facts
- Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available.
- In 2014, there were 114,900 measles deaths globally – about 314 deaths every day or 13 deaths every hour.
- Measles vaccination resulted in a 79% drop in measles deaths between 2000 and 2014 worldwide.
- In 2014, about 85% of the world's children received one dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday through routine health services – up from 73% in 2000.
- During 2000-2014, measles vaccination prevented an estimated 17.1 million deaths making measles vaccine one of the best buys in public health.
Still not convinced? I get it you
must just not like science. And for you I suggest you watch this video by the
vlog brothers rebuffing arguments about global warming.
Until next time,
Danny
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