Agreed. I used to work in African blindness prevention programs. Measles is the leading cause of preventable blindness in Africa. And yes you see scores of beggers with twisted limbs who were polio victims. It is very real.
Both my aunt and sister in law got whooping cough as babies - my aunt suffered a stroke as a result which paralyzed the right side of her body. My sister in law nearly died (turning blue, not able to breath) but they got her to the hospital before permanent damage was done.
What gets me the most about the anti-vax stuff is that the people most vocal are all so privileged and they don't know it or won't acknowledge it. Heck, there is a little boy in Ant's class who has Leukemia. His mom has kept him home a lot this year, not because HE is sick, but because everyone else is. This little boy's education is directly impacted by other people's health decisions. The kid is already going through hell; why make it more intense?
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Both my aunt and sister in law got whooping cough as babies - my aunt suffered a stroke as a result which paralyzed the right side of her body. My sister in law nearly died (turning blue, not able to breath) but they got her to the hospital before permanent damage was done.
What gets me the most about the anti-vax stuff is that the people most vocal are all so privileged and they don't know it or won't acknowledge it. Heck, there is a little boy in Ant's class who has Leukemia. His mom has kept him home a lot this year, not because HE is sick, but because everyone else is. This little boy's education is directly impacted by other people's health decisions. The kid is already going through hell; why make it more intense?