Being a child of the 60s and 70s, I believe in Better Living Through Chemistry. I believe in eating healthy and practicing healthy habits, but I believe in using science to help my body's systems function more efficiently so I can enjoy good health. I take antibiotics and other medications when I'm sick-- I don't let things "run their course". I have had my tonsils and adenoids out. And I have had all my vaccinations. The good ol' measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, polio, I had the Hepatitis C vaccine before traveling to Argentina, I believe I have had chicken pox vaccine (if not I will get it when I next can so I don't get shingles), other various vaccinations, and every year, I get the flu shot. I don't like being sick and I do what I can to keep from becoming sick.
So, in light of news of a measles outbreak near Disneyland and a suspected measles case in Baltimore, I truly wonder why people play Russian Roulette with their and/or their kids' lives, and fail to get vaccinations themselves or, more currently, decide to not get their kids vaccinated.
Yes, I understand that Big Pharma is not Snow White. And when my kids were of the vaccinatin' age, was when the first wave of anti-vaccination frenzy hit. And my kids had two parents with science backgrounds who worked in medical research. We looked at this issue and thoroughly considered and weighed the options before us.
And what conclusion did we make? That the nominal risk of complication due to vaccination far outweighs the risk of disease should we not vaccinate at all. Not to mention little issues like, oh, where to send the kids to school and child care if they had no vaccinations?
I understand why people choose not to vaccinate their kids, and I am allowed to understand and respect someone's opinion, while also being very much opposed to it. And I'm opposed to not vaccinating your kids. Allowing children to get disease naturally doesn't strengthen their immune system, lead to higher test scores, brings Firefly back. It risks their health and threatens to kill them of a disease that's been dead in this country for years if not decades. Oh, and maybe the best part is that due to this selfish behavior, the lives of others become at risk.
So, no-- not a fan of anti-vaccination. You can try to convince me otherwise. Good luck with that.
January 28 is National Have Fun at Work Day. So have fun..... at work!!!
And let's be careful out there.
#measles #vaccinate #childhealth #baltimore
Not only that, but you risk the health of those who *can't* be vaccinated for legit medical reasons when you refuse to vaccinate your kids.
Posted by: Stephanie | January 28, 2015 at 06:17 AM