You do. The whole antivaxxer paranoia is really tiresome. Contrary to what a load of nutjobs on the internet think, medical science is a wonderful gift that has helped eradicate diseases in the West that other poor souls suffer with. I've been to countries that have Polio, Tetanus, Diptheria, Typhoid - all illnesses that we can protect ourselves against. I hate to offend the Hippie Clique that seems to flourish on LJ/FB/Twitter, but when I go to countries with these diseases, I don't think drinking broccoli and chickpea smoothies will help. I want a needle in my arm giving me the shots. Quacks like Andrew Wakefield feed on fear and paranoia. If people don't want protection, fine, but don't frighten others.
Yes, listen to your friends, please. Think of a favorite author who died prematurely of consumption and remember that immunizations save lives, and prevent a great deal of avoidable human misery.
Smallpox has been eradicated, though it still exists in jars in labs —a terrifying thought. What's still out there, thanks to hysteria, is polio. And tetanus, diphtheria, whooping cough, and the other plagues. Even what too many people think of "something children get" can do appalling damage.
Roald Dahl's beloved daughter Olivia died of measles.
My boss nearly died two years ago, thanks to an antivaxxer child abuser who sent her kid to a "measles party" to deliberately get infected. Her kid went to the same daycare centre as my boss's kid. My boss spent three weeks in hospital, and has permanent scarring.
Friend of mine at school got polio. I'm old enough to be one of the first tranche in the UK to get that vaccine and had to just suffer measles, mumps, chickenpox and the rest. I still see Kay from time to time and she's pretty severely disabled.
It was the biggest global killer until the vaccine- and there we anti vaccers then too- including, pretty embarrassingly, the sainted Joesphine Butler!
Yep. Not going to lie - anti-Vaxxers are one self righteous group of nutters I find impossible to ignore. How many parents condemned their children to the misery of measles, mumps, rubella and the hideous side effects because of that bastard Andrew Wakefield?
Make sure that you look at the SOURCES of the things you find.
On the one hand, you'll find that the people who are in favor of vaccines are scientists, researchers, doctors, and various other people who know what they're talking about.
On the other hand, you'll find frantic loonies who have no relevant background, but pass along simply wrong information as facts.
Anti-vaxxers have the same degree of credibility as creationists and flat-earthers.
Ever had fish and chips? A lot more mercury comes wrapped in newspaper than jabbed in with needles—and in a much more toxic form. What concentrates in fish is methylmercury. The preservative in vaccines is ethylmercury. (They sound like Freddie's twin sisters.) Thiomersal was developed to prevent staph contamination of vaccines, which was deadly. As Merthiolate, it used to be a very common antiseptic for cuts and scrapes. In my childhood, I had it painted all over my knees and elbows, all the time, with no ill effects at all. (It stung like hell, but that was the alcohol.)
Here's what our Center for Disease Control says about the dread ingredient mercury. I suspect there's a whole lot less in the flu jab than there is in your average tuna fish sandwich.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2014-11-21 07:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-21 07:40 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-21 07:42 pm (UTC)One word: smallpox........
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Date: 2014-11-21 07:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-21 10:27 pm (UTC)Roald Dahl's beloved daughter Olivia died of measles.
Nine
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Date: 2014-11-22 03:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-22 01:13 pm (UTC)I'm deadly serious. Do these idiots not realise that measles can cause deafness, infertility, and mental problems?
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Date: 2014-11-22 12:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-22 01:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-22 12:24 pm (UTC)It was the biggest global killer until the vaccine- and there we anti vaccers then too- including, pretty embarrassingly, the sainted Joesphine Butler!
no subject
Date: 2014-11-22 01:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-21 09:15 pm (UTC)On the one hand, you'll find that the people who are in favor of vaccines are scientists, researchers, doctors, and various other people who know what they're talking about.
On the other hand, you'll find frantic loonies who have no relevant background, but pass along simply wrong information as facts.
Anti-vaxxers have the same degree of credibility as creationists and flat-earthers.
no subject
Date: 2014-11-21 10:44 pm (UTC)Nine
no subject
Date: 2014-11-22 10:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-22 12:11 pm (UTC)The only half way effective cure for the pox before antiobiotics!
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Date: 2014-11-21 11:43 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-11-22 05:03 am (UTC)Here's what our Center for Disease Control says about the dread ingredient mercury. I suspect there's a whole lot less in the flu jab than there is in your average tuna fish sandwich.
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/thimerosal/thimerosal_faqs.html
no subject
Date: 2014-11-22 12:12 pm (UTC)