Whenever there is a discussion about folks who intentionally choose to not vaccinate themselves or their kids, one of their arguments invariably is ‘why are you so worried if you and your kids are vaccinated?”
Here is an example:
“My argument is simple. If you are vaccinated, you should not have to fear an outbreak of any preventable disease. That’s what the vaccine is supposed to prevent, right? Therefore, why should anyone butt into someone else’s business and tell them they should vaccinate? If one and one’s dependents are vaccinated, why should they have to worry about my personal decision to not vaccinate?”
I personally don’t believe in vaccines
As most people understand, the argument is far from simple.
Who Is at Risk If You Don’t Vaccinate Your Kids?
There are many people who are at risk from those who are unvaccinated, including those who:
- are too young to be vaccinated or fully vaccinated – remember, with the latest immunization schedule, kids don’t typically get their first MMR until age 12 months and their second until they are 4 to 6 years old
- can’t be fully vaccinated and have a true medical exemption – this includes children and adults with some immune system problems, vaccine allergies, or other contraindications to getting one or more vaccines
- were vaccinated, but later developed an immune system problem and their immunity has worn off – might include children with cancer, AIDS, those receiving immunosuppressive therapy after a transplant, or a condition that requires immunosuppressive doses of steroids, etc.
- were vaccinated, but their vaccine didn’t work or has begun to wear off (waning immunity) – vaccines work well, but no vaccine is 100% effective
These are the children and adults that can be, and should be, protected by herd immunity. At least they can be when most folks are vaccinated.
“We want to create a ‘protective cocoon’ of immunized persons surrounding patients with primary immunodeficiency diseases so that they have less chance of being exposed to a potentially serious infection like influenza.”
Medical Advisory Committee of the Immune Deficiency Foundation
So while some folks who are against vaccines try to scare others about shedding, those who take care of kids with immune system problems and their families go out of the way to get everyone around them vaccinated so their kids aren’t at risk of getting a vaccine-preventable disease!
“…the increased risk of disease in the pediatric population, in part because of increasing rates of vaccine refusal and in some circumstances more rapid loss of immunity, increases potential exposure of immunodeficient children.”
Medical Advisory Committee of the Immune Deficiency Foundation
Tragically, not everyone has gotten the message, and we continue to see and hear about kids who are too young to be vaccinated or who couldn’t be vaccinated getting exposed to others who got sick simply because they simply chose to not get vaccinated.
What to Know About Risks from the Unvaccinated
Intentionally unvaccinated children and adults put others at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases.
More Information on Risks from the Unvaccinated
- To the Parent of the Unvaccinated Child Who Exposed my Family to Measles
- One more time: Vaccine refusal endangers everyone, not just the unvaccinated
- Why Worry About the Unvaccinated?
- Is my unvaccinated family putting my child at risk?
- Study – Association Between Vaccine Refusal and Vaccine-Preventable Diseases in the United States. A Review of Measles and Pertussis
- Protecting Those Who Need It Most
- Mixing unvaccinated children with vaccinated children: Whose rights prevail?
- Why I won’t let unvaccinated people around my kids
- Report – Medical Advisory Committee of the Immune Deficiency Foundation. Recommendations for live viral and bacterial vaccines in immunodeficient patients and their close contacts