{"id":6992,"date":"2019-05-02T14:30:13","date_gmt":"2019-05-02T18:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/?p=6992"},"modified":"2019-05-02T13:22:27","modified_gmt":"2019-05-02T17:22:27","slug":"the-vaccination-vexation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/english\/the-vaccination-vexation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Vaccination Vexation"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Image courtesy of Pixabay, CCO<\/p><\/div>\n

The US Center for Disease Control has announced that measles, one of the most contagious<\/strong> diseases in the world, is at a twenty-five-year high. It is this nation\u2019s highest total since 1994, with eight full months to go in the year. Today, as I write this, a cruise ship has been quarantined<\/strong> because of an outbreak, so the number of known cases will surely top 700 before the end of the first full week of this month.<\/p>\n

700 seems like a tiny number compared to a total population of 328 million, but the disease had been declared eradicated in 1999 and its communicable<\/strong> properties means that it can multiply rapidly. More importantly, signs of symptoms take over 10 days to materialize. This means that people infected will have nearly two weeks to spread measles before they know that they have it.<\/p>\n

Measles symptoms include a rash over the entire body, fever, a runny nose, and a persistent cough. In some cases, particularly for the very young, it can lead to pneumonia and encephalitis, a serious swelling of the brain. These conditions may lead to death or permanent brain damage. Before the vaccination program began in 1963, millions of people were infected every year. Tens of thousands required hospitalization, and 400 \u2013 500 died annually. It\u2019s serious stuff.<\/p>\n

The rise in these cases can be attributed to misinformation spread across social media. In particular, there are false reports that the vaccination against measles (and mumps and rubella) causes autism<\/strong>. Parents who research this topic will find multiple stories, sworn to be true, of children developing autism because of a single shot in the arm. There are also tales of the vaccines containing high doses of mercury. Some have even claimed that getting measles will prevent cancer! These stories are all anecdotal<\/strong> and, despite rigorous investigation by multiple news organizations, none have been found to be true. Scientific research has thoroughly debunked the allegations. It simply isn\u2019t true.<\/p>\n

Typically, more widespread cases in the US are found in religious communities. The Amish in Ohio and Orthodox Jews in some parts of New York have had multiple outbreaks. The aforementioned cruise ship is owned by the Church of Scientology. Earlier this year, a teenaged boy famously defied his parents and got immunized. Most states allow children over 18 to be vaccinated without parental permission. Some states are considering lowering that age limit.<\/p>\n

But anti-vaxxers, as they are known, can be found anywhere. Many consider it to be a private decision which is their civil right to make. The anti-vaxxer<\/strong> movement is largely driven by anti-government, anti-establishment sentiments. They see conspiracies everywhere. I fully expect to see them attack this post.<\/p>\n

Still, some measles cases have been attributed to international influences. There has been a terrible measles pandemic<\/strong> in South Sudan during the war there. Because of the heat, the vaccine can\u2019t stay cool enough to be effective. The health crisis in Venezuela has made getting immunization shots very difficult. It\u2019s likely that someone from that country is responsible for college students in California recently being quarantined.<\/p>\n

For those of us who have been fully immunized against measles, there isn\u2019t much of a concern. Exposure to measles may make us only slightly ill. But, once exposed, we can\u2019t take the chance of infecting others. We\u2019ll have to stay home. This will impact work productivity and the nation\u2019s economy. And, for a small percentage of inoculated citizens, it\u2019s still possible to get the disease.<\/p>\n

More importantly, anti-vaxxers are against many if not all vaccinations. Today the problem is measles, but in the future, we should expect chickenpox, rubella, and bacterial meningitis to return. All of those diseases are preventable with a vaccination.<\/p>\n

Have you been vaccinated?<\/p>\n

Vocab<\/strong><\/h3>\n