Jump to content
IGNORED

Measles outbreaks and fundamentalists


mirele

Recommended Posts

Quoting here from political writer Charles P. Pierce, who is a national (USA) treasure:

Comes now this report that we nearly had a measles pandemic in Indiana, with the Super Bowl as Ground Zero, because of the traction that the anti-vaccination crowd has gained in the public at large. (The reason we didn't have a pandemic was that so many of the people at the Super Bowl had been vaccinated.) Old childhood plagues are making a comeback. It's also not promising, as the WaPo report points out, that pediatricians have started telling their anti-vaccination patients to go climb a tree.

And, more to the point of the title of this post:

The state health authorities in Indiana have released a list of possible places where the victims of the outbreak may have contracted the disease. Several of them, including the College Park Church in Indianapolis and a basketball tournament for homeschooled children, are intriguing because of the cross-pollination between fundamentalist Christianity and the anti-vaccination movement. In 2005, a young Indiana woman came home from a mission trip to Romania and kicked off another measles outbreak within the congregation of her church. According to the CDC report on that outbreak:

However, there was less agreement that children should receive all recommended vaccines and that childhood vaccines in general and the measles vaccine in particular are safe. Most believed that childhood vaccinations may cause serious side effects or learning disabilities. All believed in the right to refuse vaccines, but were open to alternatives such as quarantine or staying out of school or work during an outbreak. All reported that they had access to enough information on vaccination.

The reasons cited most often for not receiving measles-containing vaccine included: a preference for naturally acquired infection, advice from an alternative health-care provider, media, personal religious objections to vaccination, the belief that vaccines are unsafe or unnecessary, and a fear of getting the disease from the vaccine. The same reasons were cited most often when respondents were asked about vaccines in general.

Please see the original post for all the links in these paragraphs, not reproduced here, as well as more verbiage. (Link not broken because I don't think Esquire cares.) http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/i ... ak-6863798

Anyway, it's an interesting question...as this stuff goes around through churches, are we going to see more and more outbreaks of diseases I thought had disappeared in my childhood? This is rather distressing to me. It's like people don't remember the bad old days when someone died from measles or was crippled for life from polio.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 93
  • Created
  • Last Reply

There is a mumps outbreak in a school near Phoenix and all non vac children have to stay out of school for a month. Now those parents are throwing a fit because the kids can not go to day care so parents have to take off work to care for them. As the Head of Dept of Health said, that is the price they have to pay for their choice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a mumps outbreak in a school near Phoenix and all non vac children have to stay out of school for a month. Now those parents are throwing a fit because the kids can not go to day care so parents have to take off work to care for them. As the Head of Dept of Health said, that is the price they have to pay for their choice.

Yeah. This sounds bad, but they kind of deserve what they get. These "religious communities" are bringing a tragedy of the commons on themselves, but at least it won't be on my kids.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a mumps outbreak in a school near Phoenix and all non vac children have to stay out of school for a month. Now those parents are throwing a fit because the kids can not go to day care so parents have to take off work to care for them. As the Head of Dept of Health said, that is the price they have to pay for their choice.

Here's a link to a story:

http://www.kvoa.com/news/the-mumps-keep ... of-school/

Doesn't mention the keeping out of school part.

I don't understand why parents don't get their kids vaccinated. I had mumps as a kid (on my sixth birthday, in fact). It was unpleasant. I had chickenpox (on my 12th birthday). It was also unpleasant. Thankfully there were vaccines for polio, diptheria, measles and pertussis when I was a kid, so I didn't have to experience those. My parents had absolutely no problem taking us down to get the rubella vaccination with everyone else in the neighborhood when the vaccine came out.

Maybe a lot of little kids are going to have to die again to get it through parents' heads that herd immunity is a good thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah. This sounds bad, but they kind of deserve what they get. These "religious communities" are bringing a tragedy of the commons on themselves, but at least it won't be on my kids.

I've come across far many more uber-liberal crunchy type parents who are anti-vac and they're the ones whose kids are in the public schools. FWIW, I caught the mumps in eighth grade even though I'd had all my shots. But this was in the 1980s, before the anti-vac movement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've come across far many more uber-liberal crunchy type parents who are anti-vac and they're the ones whose kids are in the public schools. FWIW, I caught the mumps in eighth grade even though I'd had all my shots. But this was in the 1980s, before the anti-vac movement.

I've noticed it more among the fundies than among liberals. For example, not-vaccinating isn't a problem at all in my extremely liberal metropolitan community. I think part of it comes from conservatives' being anti-government and thus trying to be the exception to any government-pushed programs.

Also, it seems that a lot more religious types homeschool (although liberals have been picking up on it since the Unschooling movement) and thus exempt themselves from school-imposed vaccine rules.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Anonymous

There is a whooping cough outbreak in a town near me, and think there was a measles outbreak no too long ago a well. I'm not sure if has anything to do with fundies or anti-vaxers, but it wouldn't surprise me. My sister just dug out her kids immunization records just in case schools start asking for proof (which they do before kids start school anyway, but they may ask again at some point) What scares me about not immunizing is not only the harm it's causing to those that get sick, but that it could alsolead to super outbreaks, super germs, and both.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a whooping cough outbreak in a town near me, and think there was a measles outbreak no too long ago a well. I'm not sure if has anything to do with fundies or anti-vaxers, but it wouldn't surprise me. My sister just dug out her kids immunization records just in case schools start asking for proof (which they do before kids start school anyway, but they may ask again at some point) What scares me about not immunizing is not only the harm it's causing to those that get sick, but that it could alsolead to super outbreaks, super germs, and both.

There's a huge whooping cough outbreak in my county, the hugest outbreak in my state [what an honor. not.]. In fact, I just had to take DS after school for a pertussis culture. I know my county is quite crunchy & conservative [a strange mix] so there are loads of anti-vaxers. It makes me furious that people do not vaccinate and keep sending their un-vaxed kids to school during an outbreak. [i understand not vaxing for medical reasons but "religious exemption" is BS in my opinion if you want to send your kids to public school.]

DS has asthma. Whooping cough is not good for him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Guest Anonymous

I seem to remember that that someone found a link between certain vaccines and autism. That has since been refuted, but I think a lot of people didn't get that memo.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I seem to remember that that someone found a link between certain vaccines and autism. That has since been refuted, but I think a lot of people didn't get that memo.

It wasn't just refuted; it was turned on its head. In fact, autism is more common in people who aren't vaccinated. The difference is slight but statistically significant.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've come across far many more uber-liberal crunchy type parents who are anti-vac and they're the ones whose kids are in the public schools.

I live in a county with one of the lowest vaccination rates (if not the lowest) in the state. It also has a very high homeschool rate. Lots of very conservative fundie types as well as lots of crunchy types. (It's pretty rural with no really big towns, just a few small cities. Still has some hippie commune type things that have been around since the 70's, but I see signs that say:

"Do you have:

Jesus first

Others second

Yourself last"

And large families in frumpers at the farmer's market. So there is quite the mix here.

You bet that it scares the heck out of me that so many people don't vax here. The homeschooling thing worries me too, I have some aquaintances who homeschool, and while they're not doing as bad as the school of the dining room table, I don't think that they're doing that great either- it seems that they do it for one of two reasons, everybody else is doing it, or they are afraid to let go of their kids.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It wasn't just refuted; it was turned on its head. In fact, autism is more common in people who aren't vaccinated. The difference is slight but statistically significant.

Do you have a link to this study? I have never heard this before and couldn't find it googling. TIA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have a new baby in my family and we were told that EVERYONE should get a booster whooping cough vaccine if they were going to be around the baby... that includes everyone who has been vaccinated but it has been more than 10 years. Apparently it is often young infants who are not old enough to be vaccinated who catch it and have the most complications.

It is important to note that just because you received your immunizations as a child, it doesn't mean they are still effective, or that they necessarily "took" the first time. My daughter had the meningitis vaccine, but when she had blood work it showed up that she didn't have the immunity that she should have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've come across far many more uber-liberal crunchy type parents who are anti-vac and they're the ones whose kids are in the public schools. FWIW, I caught the mumps in eighth grade even though I'd had all my shots. But this was in the 1980s, before the anti-vac movement.

Same with me, in fact the doctor thought I had a bad batch of the vaccine when I got it in the 5th grade in the 80's, and I had already had all my shots.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It is important to note that just because you received your immunizations as a child, it doesn't mean they are still effective, or that they necessarily "took" the first time.

This. And remember that by getting the immunization, you're not only protecting yourself, you're protecting everybody around you who can't be vaccinated for medical reasons.

I did get a bunch of boosters in my early 20's and a couple more about a year ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I thought I replied. Most people I know don't know much about vaccines other than they think they work and are shocked when they don't. I have asked family about getting adult booster shots for whooping cough etc but they won't vaccines are for kids. I got the mumps anyway [even after 2 MMRs] and never had a noticeable case of chicken pox but test immune go figure.

IDK but I think the religious objections are better than the Big Pharma is out to get me and sterilize poor people with bad vaccines crowd.

While I try not to live in fear and if you leave the house you could get sick I always wonder if someone in line at the post office is mailing chicken pox lollipops. :shifty:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gah! This really irks me! I hate that people believe that vaccines give disease or autism. Skeptic magazine published an article on the subject in 2007. I know because I scanned the article to send to a friend who was considering whether or not to vaccinate her child. (The file is too big to paste here). It's so irresponsible to opt out of vaccinating; it has bigger reprecussions than the affects to the child. It does affect entire populations. This is a huge pet peeve of mine!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We have a new baby in my family and we were told that EVERYONE should get a booster whooping cough vaccine if they were going to be around the baby... that includes everyone who has been vaccinated but it has been more than 10 years. Apparently it is often young infants who are not old enough to be vaccinated who catch it and have the most complications.

It is important to note that just because you received your immunizations as a child, it doesn't mean they are still effective, or that they necessarily "took" the first time. My daughter had the meningitis vaccine, but when she had blood work it showed up that she didn't have the immunity that she should have.

Yep. We all got whooping cough last year. Lucky us! Then my partner stepped on a rusty nail and nobody could remember when his last tetanus shot was. Now we are all up to date on everything (kiddo always was).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There is a whooping cough outbreak in a town near me, and think there was a measles outbreak no too long ago a well. I'm not sure if has anything to do with fundies or anti-vaxers, but it wouldn't surprise me. My sister just dug out her kids immunization records just in case schools start asking for proof (which they do before kids start school anyway, but they may ask again at some point) What scares me about not immunizing is not only the harm it's causing to those that get sick, but that it could alsolead to super outbreaks, super germs, and both.

Isn't there a whooping cough problem nationally? I know we get a commerical all the time warning about whooping cough here in Michigan but I have never really checked to see if it is a state or national commerical.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you feel vaccines are perfectly safe and highly effective, feel free to get them and think of yourself as protected and quite worrying.

I think someone who is sick with something contagious should stay the hell home. I lay blame for illnesses going around on those who know they're sick and still go out in public. And if something is going around, take extra precautions and stay home.

I'm immunosupressed and spend more time of each year sick than I care to admit and have learned to suck it up, and I can not get vaccinated anymore (near-deadly reactions twice even though I had no problem as a kid) and I support people choosing whether or not they vaccinate themselves and their own kids. No one has an obligation to have themselves or their kids injected with anything for my sake. The responsibility for my health and my family's health is mine and my husband's. Really, do we want the government to have the power to mandate that we all inject ourselves and our kids with anything they decide to, especially when vaccine-makers are judgement proof in court? Do we want the government to have the power to say we must put our daughters through three doses of Gardasil at the age of 8 instead of teaching them about condoms to protect themselves?

It's a slippery slope saying the government should have the power to mandate what we put into our own bodies. It's bad enough that we can't choose to smoke a joint of pot, but to say we much actively put something into ourselves would truly mean we are not free to even own our own bodies in this country. The risk of getting the measles is worth owning a little bit of our own bodies. We insult fundy men who think they have the right to decide on behalf of fundy women what happens with their bodies and what risks those women should take and that the women should have the right to decide for themselves.

Remember, I've got immune issues, and I can't get vaccinated. So don't try the "think of the people who can't get them, think of the people with autoimmunity," because that's me. When illnesses go around, I can stay home or I can go out, and when I'm sick, I stay home. People who are sick need to stay the hell home. Want to mandate anything? Mandate that someone who already is sick stay the hell home.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.