The Measles
A true story about vaccines
It’s been difficult to watch the debate play out in social media over this past year. Lines being drawn. Threats being made. Assertions, conjecture and a host of bizarre conclusions being echoed by people from every walk of life and profession.
The biggest voices come from the parents — of course. There are far more in favor of vaccines then against and it’s difficult to get a handle on just how many parents are shamed or afraid to speak out against certain vaccinations.
Shaming is the number 1 tool, especially with the social media platform and some careful, and well orchestrated misdirection to keep everyone off balance, while the media and peer reviewed studies keep pounding the pro message home:
“Not getting vaccinated? Well then — you’re a selfish jerk” as was one oped piece I read with a rather colorful and interesting infograph demonstrating the jerkiness you are if you don’t vaccinate...
Where am I in this argument? I’m glad you asked. As a child, I received the vaccination which ultimately protected me against smallpox, a disease that has been eradicated because of a good program. I believe vaccinations have their place and the world would be considerably different without them.
That said. I must also state that I find it not only absurd that we cannot discuss vaccinations in a civilized and intelligent way, I consider it criminal. We are being faced with a tidal wave of knee jerk, reactionary behavior that can only be compared to mob rule. I am against certain forms of vaccines and really resent propaganda fueled rhetoric suggesting that it be mandatory while attempting to punish those of us who are brave enough to ask basic questions.
While I think vaccines are still critical in many areas, my personal belief is that we’ve gone overboard. We’re now medicating for just about everything and anything. Painkillers, antibiotics, antidepressants, diet pills and yes, vaccinations — all coming at us like runaway freight train. It’s fast, it’s furious and the marketing and lobbying campaigns from big pharma are aggressive in their quest to get bigger returns to their shareholders.
In the 1950's a vaccine was created and, after much testing and government approval, sent into the market place as an over the counter prescription. It was a sedative that became popular in North America as a morning sickness remedy. Early on, there were signs this was not a safe drug but despite that, SmithKline ramped up sales world wide and then fought the coming lawsuits with a variety of defenses to absolve themselves of one of the most frightful side effects in history. Thalidomide was not only an interesting test of the pharma system and the medical profession, it created new laws in the courts about animal testing and its reliability in regards to liability.
I don’t want to get on a “stop animal abuse” kick because it would take me too far off point. I think it’s important for all you who so vehemently defend the vaccine programs to understand that animals are tested on, suffer and die horribly. Did you know that dogs and ferrets are popular test subjects in creating measles vaccines? 2.5 million animals die every year in the USA for pharmaceutical testing.
Back on point: Billions of dollars are paid out by massive pharmaceutical companies every year. Some of the lawsuits are public, some are kept quiet but in all most all cases, they are settled. Families of victims are compensated and details and documents are sealed as part of these settlements. While it may be public knowledge, in the instances of MMR vaccines and the most recent settlement (link below), they pay out millions but won’t concede that their vaccine was responsible for any injuries.
Why pay out if there was no wrong doing?
Want to know what the most alarming bit of information about the Measles is? I’ve taken this right from the CDC website and I quote:
Nearly everyone in the U.S. got measles before there was a vaccine, and hundreds died from it each year. Today, most doctors have never seen a case of measles.
Hundreds…Granted, nobody should die if they don’t have to and especially if it’s preventable. But that’s where things get really dicey. You see, since 1990, over 6,000 people have died from the MMR vaccination. Those are the fatalities that have been reported and the serious side effects are thought to number in the hundreds of thousands although the research is incomplete because many doctors administering the vaccines don’t do follow up reports and there is much deniability down the chain.
If you’ve read this far and aren’t rolling your eyes yet, you may want to take a look at this next link. It’s from the National Vaccine Information Center and covers the question of injury and death from the MMR vaccine.
I can post all kinds of information regarding the serious side effects and as well, I could post plenty of information extolling the virtues of this particular vaccine. But, you already have all the good bits. I think it’s only fair you have all the bits.
I’ll leave you with one final piece of information that may help. While I’m not here to change your mind, I hope that you can understand my point of view and why I have a problem with some vaccination programs.
What we know, using the most reliable and current information is this — measles is not a deadly disease (comparatively) and the symptoms and serious side effects of the disease can be mitigated with simple steps in regards to hygiene and diet.
Again, from the National Vaccine Information Center:
those most at risk for getting measles are poorly nourished young children, especially those with insufficient vitamin A, or those whose immune systems have been weakened by HIV/AIDS or other diseases.1 Crowded living conditions can also put people at high risk of contracting measles, even in highly-vaccinated populations.2,3
One final thought and I’ll call it a night. Last year, tens of millions of people got the flu vaccine. It seems reasonable and there aren’t a whole lot of serious side effects. On average, the shot is about 53% effective so — you have a pretty good chance of weathering the storm with that particular vaccine. Kind of like flipping a coin, heads or tails. This year, because the flu strains keep mutating, that flu shot is only around 28% effective oh, and the side effects (while not always serious) are still there. It’s not quite the coin toss it was last year, right?
I think at the end of the day, we just need to be asking basic questions and being as informed as we possibly can before making any kind of decision in regards to our health.
Thanks for reading.
