08-28-2013, 03:24 PM
What most concerns me is the likelihood that diminished herd immunity may allow a new variant of these diseases to evolve that is a) resistant to the normal immunizations already available and b) harder to immunize against in general and may c) require new vaccines that DO have greater side effects and thus do deter more people from getting them.
The science on the former is LIKELY... just a matter of time. The latter options... could become a vicious cycle when we've almost succeeded in wiping out some of these brutal diseases.
So damn you and your "personal beliefs" exemptions. You could be unwittingly damning me and my family and friends to illness despite having done our best to do the right thing not just for ourselves but everyone as a whole.
To be sure, it pulls at the heartstrings to think that YOUR CHILD could be one of the unlucky ones that suffers some terrible consequence from immunization; but the data continually and repeatedly show that overall very few of the standard pool of childhood immunizations have negative consequences. Don't want to overwhelm the little tot's systems? Make multiple visits to your doctor over the course of weeks/months instead of having several shots at once. Of course, that would take more time out of your life and be less convenient... but that doesn't mean that instead you get to opt out and compromise those who physically cannot tolerate the immunization.
Suck it up, be brave and immunize your kids. They'll thank you for it some day.
The science on the former is LIKELY... just a matter of time. The latter options... could become a vicious cycle when we've almost succeeded in wiping out some of these brutal diseases.
So damn you and your "personal beliefs" exemptions. You could be unwittingly damning me and my family and friends to illness despite having done our best to do the right thing not just for ourselves but everyone as a whole.
To be sure, it pulls at the heartstrings to think that YOUR CHILD could be one of the unlucky ones that suffers some terrible consequence from immunization; but the data continually and repeatedly show that overall very few of the standard pool of childhood immunizations have negative consequences. Don't want to overwhelm the little tot's systems? Make multiple visits to your doctor over the course of weeks/months instead of having several shots at once. Of course, that would take more time out of your life and be less convenient... but that doesn't mean that instead you get to opt out and compromise those who physically cannot tolerate the immunization.
Suck it up, be brave and immunize your kids. They'll thank you for it some day.