I have been discussing political causes with a friend of a good friend of mine, and the latest heated discussion has been about the California Senate bill SB277. California has a law that requires parents to vaccinate their children before they can attend school. There are three exemptions: medical, religious and personal. SB277 removes or restricts the personal exemption.
You can see both pros and cons about vaccinations here. The website takes NO stand on the issue, one way or the other.
Background
The reason for this is the vaccination rate is too low to prevent an epidemic of these diseases. Literature says that studies show that if the vaccination rate is kept above a certain percentage, people will have ‘herd immunity’ and the disease won’t turn into an epidemic. This percentage varies with disease but it is typically in the 90s.
I will use pertussis AKA whooping cough as an example, and use the information in Wikipedia. Also, the short article in the May 2015 issue of Scientific American Magazine.
Sacramento, the California state capital, has recently been the scene of protest marches against SB277. There were hearings to let people express their opinion. Many people came from all over the state to strongly oppose this bill. Many professionals including doctors opposed this bill.
I have done a lot of reading about vaccination and I’ve found that the opponents minimize many facts in favor of vaccination and blow other minor disadvantages all out of proportion. My overall assessment is that no matter what the risks are, getting vaccinated is much safer than getting the disease. And many more people die from not being vaccinated and getting the disease than from getting vaccinated.
The excuses that I get again and again are as follows.
1. “The vaccine causes autism”
A. This was based on a flawed and withdrawn study. See Wikipedia.
“You are 100 times more likely to be struck by lightning than to have a serious allergic reaction to the vaccine that protects you against measles.”
2. “The vaccine has mercury, cyanide, arsenic and carcinogens in it”
A. Thimerosal (a mercury compound) has been removed or reduced to trace amounts in vaccines for children under 6 years old. The dentists used mercury in the fillings in teeth. This meant that people had mercury in their body, without being harmed by it. The food you eat and the water you drink has arsenic in it. Discussed in the Procon link above and in Wikipedia.
3. “The vaccine can cause birth defects”
A. Vaccinated mothers protect their unborn children from viruses that could potentially cause birth defects, and vaccinated communities can help eradicate diseases for future generations.
The vaccines have warnings that they should not be used by pregnant mothers. Obviously a woman should be vaccinated before she gets pregnant so she will not spread diseases to her unborn child, and cause possible birth defects.
4. “The vaccines are being pushed by the pharmaceutical industry”
A. The United States saves about $27 per $1 invested in DTaP vaccination, and $13 per $1 spent on MMR vaccination. But this has nothing to do with a vaccine’s effectiveness or ability to save millions of lives. The vaccination rate in some African countries is 99% and this has prevented outbreaks of diseases. Furthermore, this was done for humanitarian reasons: to save lives. See Wikipedia.
5. “The CDC is corrupt and is being pressured by the pharmaceutical industry”
A. See number 4 above.
6. “Fearmongers” who insist that vaccinations are worse than getting the disease
A. The whooping cough is one example. If a child gets pertussis (whooping cough) he could be sick for months, which is why pertussis is also known as the 100 day cough. There is not a chance that the child will be allowed to attend school while he’s coughing and constantly disrupting the classroom, even if he is not contagious. He will have to miss so much school that he will have to fall back a grade.
If an infant gets pertussis, there is a 1 in 66 chance of him dying. Those are not good odds and much, much worse than the odds of dying from vaccinations. It is heartbreaking to see an infant constantly coughing so hard that he does damage to his own body, such as breaking his ribs or tearing muscles.
7. “I got whooping cough (or other childhood disease) and I’m okay. So getting the disease is safe.”
A. That is a false logic. By the same false reasoning, I can say that I got vaccinated, and I’m okay, so therefore vaccinations are safe.
8. “Vaccines do not protect you for life like getting the disease does.”
A. That is why children and people should get booster shots to build up their immune system. See Procon link at the top.
9. “Kids get too many vaccinations.”
A. Booster shots and new vaccines for new diseases are necessary to prevent epidemics. See Procon link at the top.
10. The anti-vaccine propagandists use the VAERS to claim that vaccinations cause a disease.
A. The VAERS tells you that it does not say that vaccine is the cause of the adverse event.
11, etc. Other supposedly bad things that have nothing to do with the safety or effectiveness of vaccination.
The percentage of the population getting vaccinated must be kept high to prevent an epidemic. Some school districts have vaccination rates as low as 86%, which is not enough to prevent an epidemic. The death rate is much higher in unvaccinated children, so why would a parent want to expose their child to danger? It’s not necessary and foolish! It doesn’t make any sense! Save lives by getting them vaccinated!
Update 2015 June 30 – Gov. Brown signed the bill into law. All of the anti-vaccine people are lamenting how the state is going to hell and complaining that the next step will be mandatory vaccinations for adults. They will not just give up and stop shouting about something that people don’t want to hear.