Geekman's World: Anti-Antivax

It's time we talk about something important.

I pride myself on keeping the company of intelligent friends who base their opinions on sound facts. Which is why I've been very disappointed lately to learn that a number of people I know have been indoctrinated by "antivax" propaganda.

By "antivax", I refer to persons and dogma which perpetuate the beliefs that vaccines are inherently dangerous. Such persons often cite a number of "facts" to prove their case, many if not all of which have been disproved by science or are based on faulty premises, or are occasionally based on truthy work by non-sciency thinktanks. The antivax movement has been around as long as vaccines themselves; it demonstrates an inherent lack of understanding in how vaccines and the Human immune system in general function.

Sadly, the antivax dogma has found great traction among the hippie crowd, who feel that putting anything "unnatural" in our bodies is bad for us. I would argue from a socialist perspective: that maintaining the good health of the general population necessitates that the masses educate themselves about the benefits of vaccines and get out to take them. In the U.S., the originator of much antivax dogma, thousands of children die each year from preventable diseases because their parents refused to vaccinate them. In the past, mass vaccination helped eradicate smallpox, and has all but wiped out polio, both deadly and debilitating diseases likely to strike during childhood.

I'd recommend starting with an article recently linked on boingboing, titled, "How safe is the HPV Vaccine?" which shows that statistically, you're more likely to be killed by a lightning strike (which people can survive) than suffer life-threatening complications from Gardasil.

Then I'd move on to Anti-Antivax, which is a terse but wonderful site which debunks the most frequently-spread myths about vaccines. It's easy reading.

If you're feeling really adventurous, there's more reading available for the curious. (credit to Bad Astronomy)

This isn't about enforcing conformance, or trusting the establishment, or making money for big-pharma; this is about trusting the majority of medical doctors and scientists over the vocal minority of crackpots. (see also: global warming denial, creationism, moon-landing conspiracy theorists, etc...)

Truthiness is infectious. Vaccinate yourself against ignorance.

I still get to choose, and I choose "nothankyou" to stabby steel. Make vaccines like flintstones vitamins, then I'll take 'em all.

Since starting annual flu shots several years ago, my catching any flues have gone down dramatically. Since I work in a store and get exposed to lots of sick people, it's made a huge difference for me. Year over year I've had a chance to build up really good immunity with all those shots, to each years version and since I'm prone to chronic sinus problems, that's been a real blessing. Get your flu shots this year, it could save your life. This years flu, H1N1, targets young women especially so it's doubly important to get them. PS. I hate needles too but I'd rather have that then be ill.

I am truly amazed that anyone would risk having their children contract a deadly illness for the sake of "hippie idealism". Avoiding flu shots are one thing if you're otherwise healthy and able to make that choice for yourself, but to prevent your kids from getting vaccinated against major illness seems neglectful to me.

So ya, I'm kinda on the fence, in the middle of the road, how ever you want to put it concerningvaccination. I believe like most people do I think.. that vaccinating against things such as small pox and other possibly deadly and highly contagious diseases is a good thing. However I don't take the flu vaccine and I have a number of, at least in my eyes, valid reasons for doing so. I am the only person in my immediate family, Denai and te kids excluded, who doesn't get vaccinated against the yearly flu season. I'm also the least likely person in that family group to come down with the flu. I haven't had it going on 3 years now (touch wood). Regarding the H1N1 vaccine, my reason is perhaps more intellectual in nature. For one thing, my own family doctor expressed serious concrens to me about taking it for herself, stating that she found the rapid nature of it's construction and distribution disturbingly lacking in any of the proper scientific measures required to make a safe and complete vaccine. though I agree that the flu is something to be taken seriously I also believe that there are some things that it's better to let your body work out for itself. I think that a better proof against flus and other viruses of that nature is to educate yourself on how they are comunicated and take measures to make yourself safe against those.

Maybe people just aren't afraid of these diseases enough. "Flu? Pfft. I've had the flu several times before and it wasn't that bad. Polio? Measles? Smallpox? What cutesy, antiquated, non-threatening sounding diseases."

Maybe if there was one news report about children dying of preventable diseases for every four "vaccines gave my baby autism" stories, people would care more.


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