Vaccines are a wonder of modern times. They are the reason the United States has gone from an annual measles death rate of 530,217 to 61. Vaccines serve as protection on a massive scale, as has been recognized since 1796 when Edward Jenner inoculated a small child with cowpox, suspecting it would prevent him from contracting smallpox.
This appears to be a rather unethical start to the history of vaccinations — but believe me, it was uphill from there. Vaccination carries with it the legacy of being one of the ultimate life-savers in human history. Here we stand, on the cusp of the elimination of some of the greatest killers ever, and some amongst us refuse to vaccinate on the basis of outdated and disproven ideas, which, at this point, according the general consensus of the medical community, can be classified as rumors.
The notion that vaccines can cause autism and “profound mental disorders,” according to Rand Paul and fringe groups, has spread throughout American mainstream opinion. It is not only conservatives who hold this long discredited idea: both parties have an obsession with it. Liberals and conservatives are equally likely to be doubtful about the benefits of vaccines compared to the risks. Furthermore, the five states with the lowest vaccination rates include four that went for Obama in the last election.
Why would anyone refuse to vaccinate his child against a potentially deadly disease? Many point to a long discredited study by British MD Andrew Wakefield that found a link between the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine and autism. However, the link was quickly questioned as the study only had 12 subjects and all 12 were found to have “misrepresentation or undisclosed alteration.” Wakefield was stripped of his medical license and found to have financial incentives for the reduction in the use of the MMR vaccine.
Vaccines do not contain harmful chemicals in any serious amount or dangerous form. Other potential concerns come from what some parents believe will be damaging effects on their children’s immune systems. These parents believe their children are not mature enough to handle the large influx of infectious agents present in vaccines. This, however, is illogical given the fact that babies come in contact with and successfully fight off infectious agents everyday. Their immune systems are more than capable of handling any amount of vaccines.
It is not fair to others to refuse to vaccinate children because of personal preference or discomfort and misgivings about the idea, since those children are not the only ones affected. Vaccines are not 100 percent effective. Therefore, if a vaccinated child interacts with a non-vaccinated child, it is still possible for deadly outbreaks to occur that can potentially cost lives as well as taxpayer dollars to fight.
The only way to fight such stubborn opposition that will not listen to reason or the continuous assurance from the Center for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics of the safety of vaccines is to impose mandatory vaccines — with the exception of strictly enforced medical reasons. Nothing else is fair.
Anti-vaccination advocates claim there is no reason for Big Brother to tell them what to do with their children. This is not, however, a private concern. Public health requires coordination by all members of society to cooperate for communal health. The violation of that trust for reasons that border on irrational is not a demonstration of individual liberty but it is rather individual selfishness.
Few would argue against mandatory seatbelt laws, because there is no argument to be made. This is the same case except this, unlike seatbelts, affects others. To complete the analogy, it is as if someone could intentionally cut the brakes of his car without repercussions, without advertising the fact and after getting caught or crashing into somebody state it was his right to do so.
The only justification for refusing to vaccinate your children, besides medical reasons, is pure idiocy. There is no way to defeat such idiocy except through leveraging that which is under government control — schools and public spaces. The only way to ensure the safety of the community is to comply with public health.
Sawan Patel is an Opinion Columnist for The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at s.patel@cavalierdaily.com.
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