It is no secret that the invention of vaccines has saved millions of lives from diseases like polio and measles, yet some seek to regress. Fatal diseases such as measles, which were once practically eradicated in the United States, are now back with a vengeance. Parents who deliberately decline to vaccinate their children are to blame.
All of this change stemmed from one inaccurate “scientific” study conducted over 20 years ago. Technology and science in general have come such a long way since then and there is no reason for people to be taking its “findings” as purely factual.
Dr. Andrew Wakefield published a study linking autism to vaccines in 1998. Not only did it have a small sample size, but it used pseudoscience ideas and presented no conclusive data to support its claims.
Wakefield was taken off of the United Kingdom medical register for unethical behavior, misconduct and failure to put his patients’ needs first. This should have been the nail in the coffin, putting any public perception of the study’s “validity” to bed.
It is true that vaccines contain thimerosal (ethylmercury), aluminum and formaldehyde. Understandably, most parents would not want to willingly inject their child with potent chemicals, but they should understand that the concentrations are at a low and safe level.
The parents who are “protecting” their kids from vaccines are actually placing them at a higher risk of severe diseases. Not to mention, the surrounding population is also in greater danger because the righteous “anti-vaxxers” decrease the “herd immunity.” Herd immunity refers to the idea that if enough people are vaccinated, then the few who are not are still at a lower risk of contracting a virus.
“Now the [measles are] back in Illinois and at least nine other states … and an alarming breakout in the Pacific Northwest, where the governor of Washington has declared a state of emergency,” according to the Chicago Tribune.
With the increase in the number of people opposing vaccines, the number of confirmed cases has risen with pockets of outbreaks occurring all over the U.S. The cases of the mumps virus have also significantly increased. In 2012, there were 229 reported cases whereas in 2016 there were 6,366 cases.
Vaccines not only prevent lethal viral infections, but cancers as well. The Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine has estimated that 15 percent of cancers may be attributed to viruses which could be prevented with proper vaccinations.
If parents really want what’s best for their children, there are better ways of going about it than choosing not to vaccinate them.
“Seeking a second opinion may sometimes be wise. Opting out of sound medicine and public health policy in favor of conspiracy theories is not,” the Chicago Tribune reported.
Besides the clear medical reasons that kids need to be vaccinated, those who believe the Wakefield study are essentially saying they’d rather have their children contract deadly diseases than develop autism—which is still proven to have no link to vaccinations.
It shouldn’t even be a question. People with autism are still valid, capable and functioning human beings. People walking around unvaccinated are ticking time bombs.
Science does not disregard the safety of children, parents who choose not to vaccinate their kids do.