Tag: pre-vaccine era

Whose Rights Are Taken Away By Vaccine Mandates?

Why do some people continue to bring up anti-vaccine talking points and act like they are asking some profound questions?

What about my choice to send my kids to school and not worry about their being exposed to measles or another vaccine-preventable disease? #JustAsking

I’m just asking…

Whose Rights Are Taken Away By Vaccine Mandates?

Do they not realize that these anti-vaccine talking point have been refuted a thousand times already?

For example, while ‘where there is a risk, there should be a choice” makes a catchy slogan, it is obvious that these folks only care about the rights, risks, and choices of those who don’t want to vaccinate their kids.

Remember that parents nearly always have a choice on whether or not to vaccinate their healthy kids, even if they live in a state without non-medical exceptions.

You don’t have that choice if your child can’t be vaccinated though.

And they very obviously only care about their imagined right to send their intentionally unvaccinated child to school, where they pose a risk to those who can’t be vaccinated and who have immune system problems.

Don’t parents who vaccinate and protect their kids have rights?

What about their right to send their kids to school and not have to worry about being unnecessarily exposed to a vaccine-preventable disease?

That’s especially important if their child can’t be vaccinated or can’t be fully vaccinated, including those with immune system problems or cancer, who may be immunodeficient because of chemotherapy.

More Anti-Vax PRATTS

What about the $4 billion in payouts from VAERS?

That’s actually from the Vaccine Injury Compensation Trust Fund, during a time when billions and billions of doses of vaccines have been given. And while the the great majority of those vaccines are given safely, since vaccines are not 100% safe, we have the Vaccine Court to help folks get compensated if they do suffer a vaccine injury.

But folks should be concerned that there are 200 new vaccines in the pipeline right?

Nope.

In fact, the “200 vaccines” in the pipeline include:

124 for infectious diseases, including 36 to prevent or treat HIV, 25 to prevent influenza, including new nasal flu vaccines, 8 for RSV, and 8 for ebola
105 for cancers
thirteen for allergies
eight for neurological disorders
seven for other conditions

So the only concerning part is that most won’t make it out of the pipeline and few are actually new vaccines to treat infectious diseases…

Of course it is also very concerning that they continue to push this kind of misinformation that scares parents away from vaccinating and protecting their kids.

Why isn’t the media covering that more?

How about covering the fact that anti-vaccine folks continue to push the idea that vaccines are not tested against placebos, against saline placebos, aren’t tested together, and aren’t tested in long-term studies, despite the fact that they are?

Do We Need Vaccine Mandates?

It might surprise some folks, but vaccine mandates aren’t new.

What is relatively new are all of the exemptions that were added to the very effective vaccine mandates that helped eliminate measles in the United States.

Bob Sears warned us these measles outbreaks were coming. Of course, many people blame him for stoking those fears that made parents avoid the MMR... — Bob Sears warned us these measles outbreaks were coming. Of course, many people blame him for stoking those fears that made parents avoid the MMR…

It should be clear that we now need vaccine mandates without non-medical exemptions as too many people have been abusing these vaccine exemptions.

It’s a big part of the reason why we are seeing a rise in measles and outbreaks of other diseases.

How many will be enough?

Do we have to wait until more kids are dying before we get your attention? — Do we have to wait until even more kids are dying before we get everyone’s attention? Do we have to go back to the pre-vaccine era?

Do we need to wait until more kids are dying before we strengthen our vaccine mandates?

Or better yet, how about we put an end to spreading anti-vaccine propaganda and encourage more people to get vaccinated and protected so that we don’t need mandates?

Vaccines are safe, with few risks, and are very obviously necessary.

And for what it’s worth, science isn’t something that gets “debated in an open court of law.”

Debating science in the court room got us The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes or the Scopes Monkey Trial, which made it unlawful to teach evolution in schools.

Neither should laws be made simply because our legislators are influenced by a very vocal minority of people who want to take away the choices and rights of everyone else so that they can send their intentionally unvaccinated kids to school.

Are More Polio Cases Now Being Caused by the Vaccine Than by Wild Polio Viruses?

Why would people think that more polio cases are now being caused by the vaccine than by wild polio viruses?

Well, it’s true…

Are More Polio Cases Now Being Caused by the Vaccine Than by Wild Polio Viruses?

Wait, what?

“It is no exaggeration to describe it as a crisis. Even worse, looking more widely at the current state of polio eradication, the crisis has three peaks: the first is the level of wild polioviruses in Pakistan; the second is the way that the escalating restrictions in access in Afghanistan have created a huge immunity gap; and the third peak is the widespread occurrence of vaccine-derived polioviruses.”
Independent Monitoring Board 17th Report

Yes, as we are getting close to eradicating polio, we had been seeing fewer and fewer cases of wild polio in the world.

“In rare cases, the live virus in oral polio vaccine can mutate into a form capable of sparking new outbreaks.”
Report raises concern about rare polio cases caused by oral vaccine

And we have been seeing more cases of vaccine-derived polio, which is rarely caused by the oral polio vaccine.

Fortunately, something that most folks miss is that the polio vaccine protects against both wild polio and vaccine-derived polio.

“As recently as 30 years ago, wild poliovirus paralysed more than 350,000 children in more than 125 countries every year. In 2018 there were fewer than 30 reported cases in just two countries – Afghanistan and Pakistan.”
“Zero polio transmission and health for all”, WHO Director-General gives new year’s wish to the people of Afghanistan and Pakistan

And of course, if we weren’t using these polio vaccines, while that would solve the problem of vaccine associated polio, we would simply be seeing lots more wild polio.

Even though cases of wild polio are up this year, after years of decline, they are still tremendously below what they were in the pre-vaccine era.

Remember, we are comparing about 300 cases of wild and vaccine-derived polio that we see today with more than 300,000 of wild polio that we used to see!

“Global efforts to immunise children with the oral polio vaccine (OPV) have reduced wild poliovirus cases by 99.9% since 1988.”
Fact Sheet: Vaccine-Derived Poliovirus

And even those 300 cases of wild and vaccine-derived polio cases can be eliminated if more kids get vaccinated.

“Today, global leaders convened at the Reaching the Last Mile (RLM) Forum in Abu Dhabi to affirm their commitment to eradicate polio and pledge US$2.6 billion as part of the first phase of the funding needed to implement the Global Polio Eradication Initiative’s Polio Endgame Strategy 2019-2023.”
Global leaders pledge US $2.6 billion to eradicate polio at the Reaching the Last Mile forum in Abu Dhabi

And we will get those kids vaccinated.

“Fourthly, rumours and deliberate social media seeding of misinformation about the polio vaccine has had a big impact on refusal rates. Fifthly, organised boycotts of the Polio Programme to gain political concessions have reduced some communities’ acceptance of the polio vaccine.”
Independent Monitoring Board 17th Report

And we will eradicate polio.

Did Bobby Kennedy Admit That Chickenpox Kills People?

The usual talking point from folks who are anti-vax is that vaccine-preventable diseases are mild. Some even go so far to say that they are good for you! It isn’t too often that these folks admit that these diseases, from measles and polio to chickenpox, do indeed kill people.

Bobby Kennedy finally gets it right, admitting that chickenpox killed 100 people a year in the pre-vaccine era. — Having chickenpox doesn’t protect you from developing shingles – it’s why you develop shingles!

No, chickenpox doesn’t kill 1 in 100 people, but that doesn’t mean that people don’t die with chickenpox, especially if they are unvaccinated and unprotected.

Did Bobby Kennedy Admit That Chickenpox Kills People?

Do we want to go back to the days when more folks were dying with chickenpox?

“The total cost to theoretically save 50 children is approximately $900 million dollars or $17.5 million per life saved.”
Bobby Kennedy

What else does Bobby Kennedy say?

“Chickenpox can reactivate as shingles when an adult’s immunity wanes or is not boosted by periodic exposure to children with chickenpox. CDCs clinical studies predicted that widespread vaccination would double shingles rates among adults and children and precipitate a shingles epidemic. “
Bobby Kennedy

While it is true that chickenpox can reactivate as shingles, a bonus of getting vaccinated and protected with the chickenpox vaccine is that it actually decreases your risk of developing shingles later in life!

And those countries that didn’t vaccinate and protect their kids with the chickenpox vaccine, because they thought it might cause a later shingles epidemic if fewer kids were sick and boosting the immunity of adults who had already had chickenpox still saw a rise in shingles cases.

That’s probably why many of those countries are now considering adding the chickenpox vaccine to their schedule.

What else did Bobby Kennedy say?

“…chickenpox presents as a mild rash and slight fever and confers lifetime immunity to chickenpox and significant protection against shingles, heart disease, atopic diseases, and cancers including glioma, brain, and spinal tumors. “
Bobby Kennedy

The part about getting lifetime immunity to chickenpox is true.

Does chickenpox provide significant protection against heart disease, atopic disease, or cancer?

Nope.

And of course, if you have ever had chickenpox, you know that it is far more than “a mild rash and a slight fever.”

Unvaccinated kids with chickenpox typically have 250 to 500 blisters over their entire body. Photo courtesy CDC/ Dr. John Noble, Jr..

In a routine case of chickenpox, the fever typically rises to at least 102°F and lasts for at least 2 to 3 days, with the rash persisting for up to a week.

Unfortunately, not all chickenpox cases are routine.

In addition to the deaths, there are plenty of reports of kids having complications with chickenpox and developing skin superinfections, pneumonia, encephalitis, or having strokes.

What else does Bobby Kennedy say?

“Merck’s vaccine is only 60% effective after 5 years, leaving adults vulnerable to shingles.”
Bobby Kennedy

Actually, it has been found that one dose of the chickenpox vaccine is 100% effective at preventing severe disease!

So why do we get two doses?

“This study confirmed that varicella vaccine is effective at preventing chicken pox, with no waning noted over a 14-year period. One dose provided excellent protection against moderate to severe disease, and most cases occurred shortly after the cohort was vaccinated. The study data also suggest that varicella vaccination may reduce the risks of HZ in vaccinated children.”
Baxter et al on Long-term effectiveness of varicella vaccine: a 14-Year, prospective cohort study.

Two doses of the chickenpox vaccine are up to 94% effective at preventing any chickenpox disease, even breakthrough cases.

And again, several studies have confirmed that getting vaccinated and protected with the chickenpox vaccine decreases your risk of developing shingles!

Do you really want your kids to be at risk to get chickenpox and have a higher risk to get shingles later in life?

Of course not. That’s why you hopefully don’t listen to folks like Bobby Kennedy and you vaccinate and protect your kids.

What Happens if You Skip a Tetanus Shot?

Since tetanus spores are essentially everywhere, a tetanus shot is important if you have a wound and are not up to date on your vaccines.

Can you see any tetanus spores on the thorns of this rose bush? Photo by Cherrie Mio Rhodes. (CC BY 2.0)

Unbelievably, some parents still decide to skip this important shot for their kids though.

What Happens if You Skip a Tetanus Shot?

What could happen if your child doesn’t get a tetanus shot?

You only have to look at what has happened since the pre-vaccine era to know that skipping a tetanus shot is not a good idea.

“From 1995 through 1997, a total of 124 cases of tetanus were reported from 33 states and the District of Columbia, accounting for an average annual incidence of 0.15 cases per 1,000,000 population… Only 13% of patients reported having received a primary series of TT before disease onset. Previous vaccination status was directly related to severity of disease, with the case-fatality ratio ranging from 6% for patients who had received one to two doses to 15% for patients who were unvaccinated. No deaths occurred among the 16 patients who previously had received three or more doses. Tetanus occurred following an acute injury in 77% of patients, but only 41% sought medical care for their injury. “
Tetanus Surveillance — United States, 1995-1997

Tetanus is deadly.

This unvaccinated girl is lucky that she didn't develop tetanus. — This unvaccinated girl is lucky that she didn’t develop tetanus.

Sure, not every unvaccinated child who gets a wound develops tetanus.

And not every unvaccinated child who develops tetanus dies.

This unvaccinated child developed tetanus after a toe nail injury. Photo by Petrus Rudolf de Jong (CC BY 3.0)

But why take the chance that your child will develop tetanus when there is a safe and effective vaccine that will prevent it.

There have been several cases of tetanus among unvaccinated Amish kids. — Why aren’t there more cases? Most kids are vaccinated and protected!

These parents, very recently, took that chance and their kids suffered the consequences, weeks and months in a pediatric intensive care unit:

an unvaccinated boy in Oregon spent nearly two months in the ICU after cutting his forehead on his family farm (2019)
an unvaccinated 10 year old in Italy fell and skinned her knee and ended up in the ICU (2018)
an unvaccinated 10-year-old in Sardinia, Italy who cut his forehead after crashing his bike (2017)
an unvaccinated 7-year-old in Australia who cut her foot while playing in the garden (2017)
a 22-month-old in Australia (2017), their first case in a child since 2000.
an unvaccinated child in Slovenia, their first case in 20 years (2016)
an unvaccinated 6-year-old in Ontario who was in the ICU (2015)

Their parents were wrong that their kids didn’t need a tetanus shot.

Just like you are wrong if you think that the tetanus spores or bacteria will wash away if the wound bleeds enough, that it is too late to get a tetanus shot with TBIG when your child gets hurt, or that your child can’t die or get seriously ill because of tetanus.

And you are especially wrong if you think that the risks of the tetanus vaccine are greater than the risks of having tetanus.

Vaccines are safe, with few risks, and are obviously necessary.

VAXOPEDIA

Whose Rights Are Taken Away By Vaccine Mandates?