re: #168 lawhawk

McCarthy and other anti-vaxxers aren’t just putting their own kids at risk, but everyone else around them. The side effects of vaccines are well known, and autism simply isn’t one of them. Polio isn’t a scourge it once was because of vaccines; these people simply forget what these diseases once did to entire populations - permanent disfigurements, deaths, hospitalizations, and the vaccinations prevents untold misery.

With a reduced herd immunity, we’re seeing a resurgence of diseases like pertussis (whooping cough). It’s just flat out nuts.

She’s more afraid of the polio vaccine because it’s a live vaccine. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have enough of a science-based education for me to be able to explain adequately why this is not a big deal, and even then, she falls back on her own personal anecdotes that have come to her second- and third-hand and just plain refuses to believe anything I say. It’s maddening, it’s heartbreaking, but I can’t do much about it.