Anti-Vaxxers: A Fundamentally Flawed Movement

Stop.

I was going to save my breathe on this atrocity, but I’ve had enough.

This movement is fundamentally flawed. Anti-vaxxers argue that immunisations are dangerous, they are not. Do I need to say anything more?

How many scientific studies, medical professionals, vaccination experts and government advertisement are required to understand that immunisations SAVE lives?

I usually write my articles intending to try and challenge people to consider different alternatives and ponder opposing opinions. However, my words in this article hold no weight compared to the years of medical research on this topic.

Autism. Will my child get autism if they are vaccinated? No. Multiple studies have shown that the MMR vaccine does not cause autism and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in America have further stated that vaccine ingredients do not cause autism. The autism argument started because of a preservative in some vaccines in Australia. This preservative was removed from all vaccines in 2000, and there was not even any evidence that it had any harmful effects in children or adults!

The possible consequences of the anti-vax movement are deadly. Although throughout this article I’ve ridiculed the movement, we can’t just treat this movement as fake and forget about it, as what they preach has harmful impacts on everyone. The large number of people refusing vaccines has led to the re-emergence of infectious diseases in areas where they had been eradicated or nearly gone. Measles was declared eradicated in the US in 2002, but in 2014 there were over 600 reported cases. Whooping cough has also seen a dramatic increase in reported cases attributed to a lack of vaccinations.

Australian Rugby League players had been leading a recent charge by the movement, refusing to be vaccinated for the flu before beginning their sporting season. Today, they were told that they won’t be able to play professional sport this season unless they get the flu shot. No jab, no play. This is a perfect slogan presented initially by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and now the Queensland Government. If you don’t have a medical reason why you are refusing to be vaccinated, you shouldn’t be allowed to be playing professional sport, entering the workplace or going to school.

I hate being vaccinated. However, I know that what I’m being injected with is to protect my life, my family’s life and the lives of people around me.

No jab, no play.