Spokane7
58°
June 10, 2011 in City
Some folks are missing the point of vaccines
We’re No. 1. Measles will be overjoyed.
A new report shows that more parents in Washington refused to have their children vaccinated than any other state in the nation. I’d have thought Mississippi would have taken that flag, but no – it’s apparently a different kind of counterculture that drives this particular paranoia, and we’ve got a big dose of it.
In the 2009-’10 school year, 6.2 percent of Washington parents claimed an exemption to vaccination requirements, most of them citing philosophical objections. Idaho was at 3.8 percent. The national average was 1 percent.
This information is courtesy of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which you probably know is the gang in charge of supporting, organizing and propagating the lies your doctor tells you. Lies like: Vaccines are responsible for the widespread reduction of a range of diseases like polio, meningitis, chickenpox and measles – lousy, brutal illnesses that most of us don’t even know enough to be scared of. Thanks to vaccines.
Or: Failure to get vaccinated for, say, measles, can help the disease make its way to infants, who are too young to be vaccinated and who account for a significant portion of measles cases and who are at risk for the worst problems. Like, in extreme cases, death.
People are welcome to believe whatever they want, of course. But vaccine paranoia is not solely a personal position. When you decide not to vaccinate your kids, maverick, you’re hurting the rest of the herd, too.
It probably shouldn’t surprise us, here in the land that fluoride forgot, but Spokane County is actually above average for unvaccinated kids – even in league-leading Washington. Our county figure has been around 9 percent for several years, according to an Inlander report.
At some local private schools, like Valley Christian and St. Michael’s School, more than half of kindergartners were unvaccinated, though the classes are small, state Health Department statistics show. Among the Spokane County public schools with the highest rates of nonvaccinated kindergartners are Roosevelt (24.2 percent); Jefferson (14.6); Stevens (14.1) and Whitman (13.8) elementaries.
Experts say that a vaccination rate of about 90 percent is needed to provide widespread protection from fast-spreading disease.
This is not a philosophical debate. Two Washington children died of whooping cough last year, and a state health official says chickenpox outbreaks are a problem because of communities with insufficient protection against infections.
Meanwhile, measles is on a national comeback tour. In the first 19 weeks of 2011, there have been 118 reported cases – the most since 1996. Almost all of these cases involved unvaccinated people, and 40 percent were kids age 4 and younger.
“The most significant factor in the spread of measles in the United States is the increase of pockets of the country where vaccination rates have declined below the level needed to maintain herd immunity,” writes Seth Mnookin, who’s written a book about vaccine controversies, “The Panic Virus.”
The problem with these facts, insofar as their ability to persuade the 6.2 percent, is that they come from the sources that are not to be believed: scientists, the government, doctors, and the media.
Just as with anti-fluoride zealotry, the anti-vaccination movement is passionate, engaged, well-armed with factlike information and – not always but often – slightly off its rocker. Spend a little time “researching” this on the Internet and you’ll quickly run across sites like The Vaccination Racket and Jesus-Is-Savior.com, which has this headline: “VACCINATIONS CAN KILL YOUR BABY!”
Here’s a bit more: “The public has been continually lied to, intimidated, and manipulated via the Media and the doctors! Doctors are threatened with loss of their medical license if they don’t comply to the government’s pressures! Doctors are not allowed to tell you the truth; and in fact, very few of them even know the truth about the vaccinations themselves. They are only taught to push the vaccination program in medical school; they are not taught what the adverse reactions are … .”
There are more sober anti-vaccination arguments out there. But that is the basic template.
On scientific matters, like it or not, we all have to decide who to believe. We can do our own research, weigh facts, and consider arguments, but in a case like this one – or fluoride, global warming or evolution – you eventually run into a wall where one side says one thing and the other side declares the exact opposite.
We have to decide who to believe. Whose stooge to be. The side with virtually everyone who knows about the subject? The one weighed down with all the evidence and science and experts? Or the other one?
Your call. But we live here too, we drinkers of the Kool-Aid, and your choice affects us all.
Part of the reason for Washington’s top national ranking is the ease with which parents can check a box for a philosophical objection when enrolling their kid in school. Officials suspect that some of these are “convenience objections.” We’ll see how right they are soon – a new state law requires parents to provide evidence that they consulted with a medical professional.
Good. Though, honestly, that kind of consultation probably has little hope of working with the true believers. It might make more sense to just offer them another choice: home schooling.
Shawn Vestal can be reached at (509) 459-5431 or shawnv@spokesman. com. Follow him on Twitter at @vestal13.
The draw of the unknowable 
rosehips on June 10 at 6:18 a.m.
Whatever, Shawn.
I don’t quite get the Mississippi reference, but I’m pretty sure it was an insult to anyone who hails from there.
Two Washington kids died of whooping cough, so I’m supposed to feel guilty about it? No. Your zealotry and guilt-laced diatribe won’t sway me. I did my research. I saw what happened to a friend’s child after receiving vaccines. Kids die from diseases. Kids die from vaccine reactions. Kids who contract disease and get better have a stronger immune system. Our bodies are amazing things.
I feel for any parent who loses a child. I also feel for the many parents who struggle to care for autistic children. The truth is out there. We just haven’t become convinced of it yet.
rosehips on June 10 at 6:22 a.m.
And if you do your research, you might discover that a majority of deaths from measles result in vaccinated adults who have lost their immunity. That can happen to those who are vaccinated. Adults who had measles as children don’t face that risk.
IHike4Fun on June 10 at 7:56 a.m.
In my opinion (which isn’t worth much…) kids are being vaccinated too young. All childhood vaccinations are supposed to be completed before their second birthday. Immune systems are not even fully developed before we start pumping in the vaccines. I am in favor of vaccinating but I think we are overboard in this country.
johnclarke on June 10 at 8:03 a.m.
Man, what’s up with these stories today?
If you don’t want your children vaccinated, that is your choice. Keep them out of public schools and away from my kid. If you take what you read on the Internet vs. proven and accepted scientific data - and then roll the dice on your kid’s life - ok fine. The moment you expose my kid to that same danger, then we are going to have an issue. You are playing russian roulette with other people’s children, and I see that as plain wrong.
There is no scientific evidence of any relationship between vaccines and autism. None. The only study that existed was discounted as a fraud. Your poster woman - Jenny McCarthy has caused more harm to childen than vaccinnes, that’s for sure. The ironic thing is her kid was never diagnosed with autism, and amazingly is now “cured.”
leekinny on June 10 at 8:18 a.m.
Gee, I wonder what party the majority of the scaredy-cats belong to.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/howie-klein/the-liberal-mind-vs-the-c_b_85898.html
Maybe, it’s time to view conservatives as people wrestling with a form of mental illness. It’s hard not to be angry with them at times, but maybe, they deserve a little pity, too.
shawnv on June 10 at 8:20 a.m.
Rosehips — I think if we all managed to reintroduce these diseases in a widespread way, your casual comparisons will suddenly look ridiculous. How about polio all over the place? Will that simply be comparable to extremely rare documented side effects of vaccines? Maybe in your research you came across some information about the history of these devastating diseases.
And no, by no means should you feel bad about children dying. Be dismissive and unconcerned.
shawnv on June 10 at 8:30 a.m.
And 98 percent of the people hospitalized in the latest measles outbreak were unvaccinated. Just building up their resistance, I guess.
Rand on June 10 at 9:43 a.m.
Even when I agree with your premise you somehow find a way to alienate me Shawn. I am still trying to figure out why you think you are better than everyone else. Are you sure you aren’t the same person as John Blanchette as you both seem to think you aren’t doing your job if you aren’t trying to be cute while demeaning others.
johnclarke on June 10 at 9:57 a.m.
Yeah, call me cute too Rand but the “you don’t have a child with autism” attack gets a little tiring. Thank god I don’t and I feel for those that do. The point is, people are screwing around with EVERY child’s safety, based on wild theory and going against all the scientific data.
Again, if you want to take the risk - take it yourself. I myself prefer to not risk my kid dying of something that is preventable.
spokesfolk on June 10 at 10:19 a.m.
I have had family members who have suffered from polio, hepatitis, shingles, and one who died of
meningitis as a little girl, one who died from pneumonia.
All these things can now be vaccinated for.
The odds of anyone in my family from getting something from the
vaccines are incredibly tiny compared to the very real things that
have happened.
Rand on June 10 at 10:25 a.m.
John where did you get the idea that I was against vaccinating kids? As a matter of fact I started my last post saying I agree with Shawns premise. I guess I should have added conclusion as well. Both of my kids are vaccinated.
Also John when did the “you don’t have a child with autism attack” happen on this thread?
johnclarke on June 10 at 10:38 a.m.
Certainly, not from you personally and not on this thread. I apologize.
My response was based on history and experience. The anti crowd can be vicious.
leekinny on June 10 at 10:39 a.m.
This is very tongue-in cheek.
Should the un-vaccinated be kept away from the rest of us? Should they carry around identification? Should they have special places where they can get together?
This sounds like what members of the right wanted for those with HIV.
It is very irresponsible, if not stupid, to endanger, not just children, but anyone who suffers from a compromised immune system.
ManleyPointer on June 10 at 10:47 a.m.
JC, I’ll put up with a lot from you, but I will NOT stand for your attack on Jenny McCarthy!! How could anyone who is as aesthetically pleasing as Ms. McCarthy be questioned as to her motives or her understanding of issues?? Shame on you!!!
johnclarke on June 10 at 11:13 a.m.
I think she’s pretty hot too, and that is about all she is qualified for. I’ll take my science from scientists.
zelda on June 10 at 11:21 a.m.
Vaccines have saved more lives than any other medical advances besides sanitation and germ theory. I will get the shingles vaccine as soon as I’m eligible.
A person can always find a handful of scientists who deviate from the consensus. They’re prima donnas who revel in being iconoclasts because they crave the attention. Believing them puts you, your family and your community in peril.
Some of us are old enough to remember when the Salk and Sabin vaccines for polio were introduced. At the time, fear of polio was second only to the fear of a nuclear bomb.
People have an belief akin to blind faith in their immune systems’ ability to fight infectious diseases. A lot of this stems from unsubstantiated claims from manufacturers of herbs and nutritional supplements who claim that everything from milk thistle to hogswort magically “boosts the immune system.” It’s bunk.
The best thing people can do is get vaccinated and stop taking so many antiobiotics, esp. for viruses.
MrNatural on June 10 at 11:43 a.m.
Thank You Shawn for reemphasizing one of the greatest accomplishments in public health of the 20th century…and those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it…
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/why.htm
evin on June 10 at 12:51 p.m.
Another poorly written vitriolic article from the crack team at the spokesman. I rarely read the paper even but every once in a while I, the sadist that I am, I go and give one a try. If it isn’t the grammar and style that infuriates me its is the coy narrative that the jumble-brained “journalists” create to get thier state/herd loving point across.
While reading through the article I saw little evidence of an actual threat and more evidence of a potential threat. It is even kind of funny the mention of polio even though almost no-one in contemporary times is vaccinated for it; just remember: BE SCARED!
In my time in higher education I spent some time grading papers. while reading this article I was imaging the assignment: Write a paper about why everyone should dis-avow their personal opinions and beliefs and submit to forced vaccination for the good of the herd” In that regard I would give this a B- because of the interjections and insulting characterizations. In another paradigm I was imaging paper topic as “Write a paper justifying vaccination” In that regard I give our venerable journalist friend here an outstanding F. The reason being vague assertions, citing of sourceless reports, mass abstractions and very little analysis; never mind the insulting vernacular ascribed to those that dare to dissent from idolized “facts” as if there is an end all to the pursuit of knowledge and truth.
Of course there has to be a little handicap after all our soap-box friend here is a journalist rather than a human being. He can see an objective reality that he so endows our feeble minds with through his coronated role as paid member of the journal class.
Personally I am a little proud of the percentage of people that dare to dissent from fear-mongering that so surrounds our society in every corner by blithering idiots that barely know how to right but are professionals at huranging those that disagree with the interests of this pathetic scrap of daily delivered toilet paper.
God bless the internet and the unprofessional exchange of information. Truth/facts ought to coalesce from within the individual rather than from some dolt that got a job pushing pulp for a corrupt family.
cheers sean, and may you sleep well knowing your profession withers from you own words :P
polistra on June 10 at 1:17 p.m.
Scientists are wrong about lots of things, but they’re not wrong about this one. Vaccination has been around for 300 years and it’s well proved.
Public health sometimes requires sacrificing a few people in trials to insure that millions will be saved. It requires a level of trust that we’ve lost (partly for good reasons)…. and it doesn’t help when the experts use phrases like “herd immunity”.
johnclarke on June 10 at 1:22 p.m.
“Personally I am a little proud of the percentage of people that dare to dissent from fear-mongering that so surrounds our society in every corner by blithering idiots that barely know how to right but are professionals at huranging those that disagree with the interests of this pathetic scrap of daily delivered toilet paper.”
Hello evin; a first time poster !
Assuming you actually have a background in higher education, I would suggest having one of your former peers proof your posts. This would make your position more credible while calling out poor grammar etc.
There is a threat, it’s called “dying from a preventable illness” and it’s caused by uneducated and downright ignorant parents. Again, if you want to risk your kid - go right ahead. Risk my kid, and I’m going to get upset.
Orange on June 10 at 2:49 p.m.
I see the Spokanite’s are quarreling again.
greenlibertarian on June 10 at 4:36 p.m.
I do not dismiss various alternative medicine concepts and uses out of hand.
This is one of those areas where the ultra-right and the ultra-left (wrongly) agree in their derision of the need to control infectious diseases using vaccines.
evin on June 10 at 7:22 p.m.
John Clarke,
If you can’t see a distinction between an article published on an edited and self-proclaimed prestigious newspaper and a comment that I wrote in a few minutes than, pardon my frank expression, your an idiot!
I really don’t care how scared you are for your children; its most certainly unfounded and it doesn’t justify your right to coercivley proscribe some state benediction upon your fellow man…lest we live in a free society.
Love you avatar by the way. I am so glad we have no WMDs in Iraq to make us tremble in our jammies at night. And a few less trillion dollars too. Your certainly not one to act upon fear alone…lol
rcj on September 06 at 7:35 a.m.
Zelda:
The major source of antibiotics in people comes from factory farmed animal meat. They are loaded with antibiotics because of the squalid conditions in which they are raised. So don’t go blaming a course or two of antibiotics prescribed per year by docs. It just ain’t so.
Low-level antibiotics (such as those we get when we eat factory meat) are particularly dangerous because many bacteria can survive the low level, thus mutating to be resistant to that antibiotic. Then, when you go to the doc with an infection and they prescribe that antibiotic, there is a chance the bacteria is resistant.
That is what is happening regarding over-use of antibiotics, not so much doctors “over-prescribing” them. If they were not given to factory farmed animals, I don’t think we would have such a resistance problem.