We have heard about anti-vaccine parents forging their unvaccinated children’s vaccine records to get them in school.
What’s the harm, right?
What’s the Worst That Can Happen If You Lie About Vaccinating Your Child?
Most of us can think of an awful lot of things that can go wrong in this scenario and we know exactly who’s going to be harmed!
Yeah, if you lie about getting vaccinated, your kid can get sick.
They can also get other people sick…
We found that out last year when an unvaccinated teen returned from a trip overseas and developed measles.
“Although patient A’s parents had chosen not to vaccinate him, his immunocompromised brother, an organ transplant recipient, had received intravenous immunoglobulin to protect him against measles before traveling overseas. When patient A’s illness was reported, SCCPHD recommended that his brother receive additional intravenous immunoglobulin and be quarantined 7 additional days; the family followed both recommendations. Patient C’s unvaccinated sister, aged 17 years, received parental permission to choose to receive MMR vaccine when her brother was quarantined; she opted to receive the vaccine.”
Notes from the Field: Measles Outbreak in an Era of Stricter Immunization Requirements — California, March 2018
While that isn’t so surprising, it is that instead of cooperating with health department investigators, so that they can find and quarantine contact, several people lied. That led to more people getting sick and the outbreak going on longer than it should have.
It is also amazing that they hadn’t already vaccinated their kids, having a high risk, immunocompromised child in the house who couldn’t receive the MMR vaccine!
More on the Worst of the Anti-Vaccine Movement
- VAXOPEDIA – How Is California’s New Vaccine Law Working?
- VAXOPEDIA – Do Vaccine Mandates Force Parents to Vaccinate Their Kids?
- VAXOPEDIA – The Moral Responsibility of the Anti-Vaccine Movement
- VAXOPEDIA – Parents Who Regret Not Vaccinating Their Kids
- VAXOPEDIA – Who Is at Risk If You Don’t Vaccinate Your Kids?
- VAXOPEDIA – Ask 8 Questions Before You Skip a Vaccine
- VAXOPEDIA – What Are the Greatest Tricks Anti-Vaccine Folks Use to Persuade Parents to Skip Vaccines?
- VAXOPEDIA – The Benefits and Risks of Delaying Vaccines
- VAXOPEDIA – 100 Myths About Vaccines
- VAXOPEDIA – Do Anti-Vaccine Parents Ever Change Their Minds?
- VAXOPEDIA – 50 Ways to Get Educated About Vaccines
- VAXOPEDIA – Anti-Vaccine Points Refuted A Thousand Times
- MMWR – Notes from the Field: Measles Outbreak in an Era of Stricter Immunization Requirements — California, March 2018
- When measles struck, investigators wanted answers. Instead, some parents lied