People Make Me Sick

People make me sick. Literally. I watched a PBS documentary this evening on vaccinations. It amazes me just how stupid, uneducated and uninformed some people are and choose to remain. It seems that just because they see a video about something on YouTube that they take it as gospel! For Pete's sake folks...look at the source!


This level of idiocy is part of what is making all of us sicker. These parents who choose to not have their children vaccinated are also choosing to increase the risk of disease for everyone else. By not having your child vaccinated that leaves your child open to contracting any number of illnesses...illnesses which are, in fact, still around, like polio, dyptheria, whooping cough, etc. Most young mothers these days were never exposed to the types of dangers that these diseases pose. They think that because they don't see it in their own back yard that its not a threat.


Well guess again folks. We live in a global society. People travel to and from one country to another and many of them can and often are carrying germs. All it takes is one person to infect an unvaccinated child and bam, we can start the mess all over again...plus the added risk of diseases mutating to a form we don't have a vaccine for.


So why are these people reticent to vaccinate their children? Simply put: FEAR. With the advent of the internet, people have access to almost limitless information. Unfortunately, most people don't understand how to process the content they receive. When you Google something (or use any search engine) the top listings that come up will probably not be the most relevant. The top listings will be the most viewed. Example: there's a BBQ joint in Vancouver, BC called Memphis Mike's BBQ. The owner and I have spoken on occasion and laughed how whenever most people try to find his web site, they get mine instead.


Some years back, someone posed the hypothesis that vaccinations were causing autism. After many years of research & studies, it was proven to be not the case. The first signs of autism often don't manifest until about the same age as certain vaccinations are given. But noooooooo. A few celebrities had children with autism. Those celebrities, as most parents would do, went in search of supports for their kids. In so doing, a few of them became vocal advocates for the fear-based conspircay theorist fallacies regarding vaccines and autism. These celebrities were able to garner attention to their "cause".


Even after these theories were proven false, these celebrities and their groups, angry because their children still have autism, still continue to make noise and serve their own self-interests by continuing to spew this propaganda. And due to their celebrity, whenever it shows up on the internet, it remains popular, thus staying at the top of the search engine lists. The Center For Disease Control (CDC) is obviously not as popular as Jenny McCarthy. Their site may not be at the top of the list but they will most likely have the most FACTUAL information. But then again, a worried parent might have to spend an hour or two reading the site and following links rather than watch a 2 minute viral video on YouTube.


While no child enjoys getting a vaccination (I recall the pain of the multiple shots I was given by Dr. Nancy Bright MD 40 or so years ago) I'm sure that any parent would rather see their child suffer a momentary "pinch" or at worst an hour to a day of discomfort rather than a lifetime of disability. But in our self-centered, self-serving, entitled society, most people are no longer capable of seeing the big picture. There are times when the greater good is better served than the good of the individual.


I remember a kid I went to school with who went deaf from the mumps. Had he been vaccinated that never would have happened. I remember some young adults from my childhood who had had polio and were in wheelchairs for life due to its devastating effects. These parents who foolishly refuse to vaccinate their children are opening the doors for the return of these types of diseases. Polio, smallpox, dyptheria, etc. are all, for the most part, wiped out in the US...but the world doesn't begin and end here. And as long as people travel, birds fly and winds blow, we will continue to be effected by what happens elsewhere.


To all young parents and parents-to-be out there...should, God forbid, something befall your child, talk to a professional before you go searching the internet. And if you insist on using search engines to find your information, learn how to use it effectively...and most importantly, research your sources! Having a sick child has got to be scary enough without adding to your fear.


People make me sick. And they can make you sick too.