Whooping Cough Now Epidemic in California
June 24, 2010
By JOHN GEVER
MedPage Today Senior Editor
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Coldan...ornia-lax-vaccination-blame/story?id=11000305
An Argument between A Jenny McCarthy Follower / Activist (Sheeple) & Third Year Undergraduate Chemistry Major...
http://www.slate.com/blogs/bad_astr...thy_responds_to_claims_she_s_not_antivax.html
"With that said, Mr. Third Year Undergraduate Chemistry Major, Please explain to me, how in the hell are unvaccinated children putting vaccinated children at risk? Looks like you are practicing your "God given right to remain as ignorant as you wish"!?! I love how you start off by trying to sell yourself to your audience, and then you try to justify your personal beliefs with your education. This is a prime example of how uneducated most educated people really are. If you want to justify your personal beliefs with your education, get educated on BOTH sides. This is where I puncture your "evidence-proof bubble", because it isn't as resistant as you seem think it is."
The Reply: (rather simple & to the point ;))
I might be more inclined to actually believe you if you had the mental capacity to back up your claims. I'm going to be frank: It is because of people like you that diseases such as mumps, measles, and pertussis are making a reappearance. So I'm just going to address your claims one by one.
Actually, unvaccinated children put the community at whole at risk. There is a principle called herd immunity, and it states that when a critical amount of the population is vaccinated, the community as a whole can develop an immunity to a disease. There are many individuals that simply cannot be vaccinated: pregnant women, infants, those undergoing chemotherapy, some people with autoimmune disorders, and the elderly. These individuals are protected by a vaccinated community: the more people that are vaccinated, the less hosts a virus has the ability to multiply within and spread through. Therefore, there is much less of a chance of a virus spreading through a population and infecting those who cannot develop immunity through vaccinations. So yes, unvaccinated children do put people at risk.
I'm not saying that vaccination should be forced against personal beliefs, but a community mindset rather than just an individual mindset needs to be applied to the issue.
So please, get educated on both sides. This kind of resistance against vaccines and self-centered thinking is what is causing outbreaks of measles and pertussis in 1st world countries such as the United States. So you decide: would you rather vaccinate a child or try and treat a case of measles that could permanently damage their health or another's forever?
One, vaccines are not a fraud. Jenner's vaccine, while it did violate modern ethics principles, was entirely successful. Vaccines are named because of the "vaccus" root related to cows. James Phipps, the young boy, was successfully inoculated against smallpox. This is where vaccines started. They wouldn't have taken off if they weren't successful.
Your second contention is also entirely inaccurate. Vaccines eradicated smallpox, to start. Are you familiar with the procedure? WHO workers created a herd of immunity that surrounded an outbreak or infected person(s), and quarantined it. Eventually, the virus dies out in the area, moving closer towards total eradication. In simpler words: person gets sick. They make sure people around don't get sick. The sick goes away. Vaccines have also helped to eliminate diseases in first world countries such as polio, mumps, measles, and pertussis. Unless, of course, you'd like to catch polio, then be my guest.
Vaccines are by no means a "junk science". While there is a market for vaccines, this is due to the fact that they are necessary. Vaccines have proven themselves time and time again. As I previously stated, smallpox was eliminated through ring vaccination.
Finally, to your sources. First, it is never wise to only present one source for a claim. The one source is likely biased, so it is imperative that a wide range of sources are presented to support your claim. You do not do this. You provide three articles from a conspiracy theory website that is not likely credible at all. To directly address your second source, this graph is a clever play on people's lack of knowledge. It graphs the mortality rate: what percent of cases result in death. Vaccination prevents a person from contracting a disease, not like an antibiotic to treat it. Thus, the mortality rate of a disease will not change no matter who you vaccinate. A more appropriate graph that does not support your claim would be one that shows the average number of cases in relation to year in the world. Due to a lack of true evidence, this graph relies on people's lack of knowledge and confirmation bias.
So please. Stop spreading these things. Through this, you are putting children, communities, nations at risk. Or at the very least, find some actual sources. Also, don't get me started on the multitude of logical fallacies you've committed.
THE CHILDREN WHO AREN'T VACCINATED AND DEVELOP THE DISEASE OPEN UP THE POSSIBILITY FOR THE ILLNESS TO MUTATE AND DEVELOP IMMUNITY AGAINST OUR VACCINES IF THEY HAPPEN TO SURVIVE AND REPRODUCE. EVER HEARD OF NATURAL SELECTION? OR OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T TAKE A FULL COURSE OF ANTIBIOTICS?... SAME LOGIC.
BY NOT COMPLETELY ERADICATING THE ILLNESS YOU ARE PUTTING EVERYONE AT RISK OF A POSSIBLE MUTATION IMMUNE TO OUR VACCINES. THAT MEANS THAT EVERYONE WHO WAS ALREADY VACCINATED COULD POTENTIALLY FALL ILL FROM THE MUTATION RESISTANT TO OUR VACCINES BECAUSE GUESS WHAT? THE MUTATION MEANS THAT THE CHILDREN WHO WERE ALREADY VACCINATED ARE AT RISK BECAUSE THE VACCINE IS NO LONGER SUFFICIENT.
Gonna end this with a quote taken directly from you; "Wow! Looks like you are practicing your "God given right to remain as ignorant as you wish!?!"
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