I hate anti-vaxxers

@Ineedcoffee2021 ‘I’m all right, Jack!’ eh?

Our personal medical choices on the whole don’t affect others. You are welcome to refuse chemo or blood transfusions for yourself and that won’t affect the wider population. You are also welcome to smoke like a chimney, become an alcoholic and eat nothing but junk food- those choices also won’t affect the wider population (apart from the fact we’d all be paying for your NHS treatment, but that’s how the system is).

But refusing vaccines doesn’t only affect you as PPs have explained. We all love our families, we all love our children. It’s natural to want to put our own family first of course, but when this takes the form of refusing vaccines, you’re not only disadvantaging your own children, but other people’s children too. I know it’s probably not something you’ve ever considered, but other parents love their children as much as you love yours and don’t want them to be killed or disabled by preventable diseases. There is nothing special or unique about your family vs all the others.

And as for thinking that people don’t give a shit IRL, I can assure you that if you are open about your stance, there will be people who avoid you because of it. You won’t care because your family comes first, and you won’t want friends like those, but there are plenty of us out here who have cooled friendships or avoid acquaintances who don’t vaccinate and give stupid reasons for their choice.

And don’t assume that private schools will be happy to take your kids.

There was an immunocompromised child in DDs primary school, other parents were all expected to ensure their children had all the standard recommended vaccines and also to keep them off school if there was any likelihood of them being infectious with other diseases such as chickenpox (it was before the vaccine for that was available here afaik). We weren’t required to provide proof but I sincerely hope no one was arrogant enough to ignore the request.

(problem is kids through no fault of their own are then liable to be homeschooled by people with little grasp of science, statistics etc)

Boris didnt

Except (as those of us who were children in the 60s and had these horrible now-preventable diseases), the ‘herd immunity’ from the actual virus comes at the cost of many people, mostly children and young people, becoming ill with a high proportion of long term impairment and deaths. The whole point of vaccines from Jenner onwards is to gain the benefit of immunity without the full-blown disease.

does anyone seriously not understand that?

I agree @GarlicMetre there’s a bad strain going round nicknames Frankenstein. I met with a friend yesterday you thinks their daughter has it after a positive test. Telling me as she sat right next to me.! People really don’t care do they. Can you get a Covid vaccine privately even if not in the vulnerable group? @RafaistheKingofClay

Sadly, I am not surprised about this.

Having seen how my DS suffered with measles , thankfully, he was not a young child but a robust healthy sporty 15 year old.
It was so frightening. What seemed to make it more worrying is that the GP was also very obviously concerned, to the extent of talking about isolation in hospital.

The JCVI have absolutely gutted the Covid vaccine program for this year so I would double check you are eligible for one this autumn and pay for one now if not.

The same way vaccines do, albeit naturally (obv not all but the viruses that provide long term immunity). If this is not possible, then vaccines wouldn’t be able to do this either.

If you are concerned about your family no doubt you have them all vaccinated. Measles isn’t the only concern. What about meningococcal meningitis? Tetanus? Why on earth would someone deliberately choose not to protect their child from these diseases which can kill?

My partner has seen a child die from Measles in a UK hospital.
So stupid to ignore the advice.

Most anti vaxers aren’t actually anti vax per se. They’re quite happy for everyone else’s kids to be vaccinated because that keeps their kids safe.

Huge assumption here that I’m an anti vaxxer. As I said I even had my kids as babies vaccinated against TB. I doubt many others do. The point is that we saw and read about many during Covid that felt their lives were more important than putting others in danger. We had MNetters laughing and the rules and boasting about flagrantly ignoring them. Including those precioys ones that didn’t like masks. That’s what people do and too many of them. Ignoring the very real threat of spreading flu because you aren’t concerned about dying from pneumonia is a case in point. If it can kill the vulnerable we should all take precaution to stop its spread. Mouth ulcers aswell is an issue if you come into contact with a pregnant women. Just because some only seem concerned for children does not make that our only concern . We should care about all in society and do what we can to keep all in society safe. I think we can all agree it’s not that difficult

This.

Apparently, as he was the only one vaccinated in his group of ( 5/6?) friends who were all ill at the same time, his body was over-whelmed by the disease. I kept asking why he had caught it and why he was so so ill… the doctor said it was a rare perfect storm, and the various strains of the unvaxxed boys around just beat him. Many were ill that term, but he was by far the worst affected.

Three main types of anti vaxxers:

The arrogant - those who believe they are the chosen ones who see oh so much clearer than the rest of us sightless sheep. Usually men in the age bracket of about 25-50.

The worriers - those who have believed the above people's bollocks and are now scared and believe the vaccines cause all sorts, from microchipping to autism.

The stupid - Again, those who have believed the above people's nonsense and have no logical thinking skills of their own.

All in all - not a sub group I would want to be in. I also have zero time for anti vaxxers OP.

There will always be some non-responders. Herd immunity is what protects them.

@GarlicMetre I'm clinically vulnerable myself . I would not expect people to stay at home, but I think the wearing of masks during flu/covid season for those who can wear them if they feel unwell if sensible and reasonable . Not everyone can work from home though and we must consider other health issues that mean people need to go out and socialise or attend doctors or therapy or physio appointments, time with family friends religion or hobbies et C. It's not normal to lock down long term.

I hate when I see people cough or sneeze without covering their mouth etc. Yes it might be asthma or hayfever. But even if it is you don't know what germs you already may be incubating. I remember as a child being told to cover your mouth and nose and not spit on the street. it's just basic manners. I am appalled to see people not doing the bare minimum.

This sounds awful and very frightening for you, but are you saying he contracted measles despite being vaccinated?

I’m hating…
God, your attitude is vile. My DS suffered hugely at 15 years old because of people like you. Breathtaking stupidity.

If you wanted to visit third-world and tropical countries with diseases that would most definitely kill you, surely you’d take the vaccines?

Why should your kids roam round like Typhoid Mary, infecting those who have done their best for their own children, cos you don’t give a shit.

Too right I’m hating.

No one should be "forced" to vaccinate. However, I do think it should be a requirement in order to enroll in any state funded education facility. Exemptions on medical grounds only.

This selfishness is abhorrent! You and your unvaxxed children could get the diseases and could fall really ill from it, or die, or be fine and still pass it on to someone else to become really ill or die - that someone else could be another child or a baby, and you stand there saying you don't care?
That's just criminal, tbh.

My DS had all his childhood jabs (mid 1980s)

In his class were children whose parents did not let them have any jabs at all from birth. DS moved through the school years with this particular group and they were all friends.

At 15, he caught measles… he was (rapidly) so ill, he collapsed in my arms on the stairs taking us both crashing down them. He was extremely ill for 3 weeks, I was not allowed to take him to the GP, but they did come out to us, masked and gloved. The GP told me he had never seen such a bad case of measles.
He had infected spots and sores so bad that he has the scars now - he’s 40 years old. Every single part of his body was so sore that he wore just a cotton sheet for 10 days. I was petrified he would die as we struggled to control his fever.

I have no time for anti-vaxxers.

It's a deal. I have a young friend like this. Always quoting Ayn Rand and other ' libertarians '. But he won't follow the logic to its conclusion. Keeps using roads and railways even though ' all taxation is theft '

It’s the uneducated who would rather believe social media than medical experts who have spent their life researching and saving lives

I’d love to know if any of these anti vaxers have any medical background, degree, doctorate because they won’t.

there is an element of arrogance that they think they know best because they read something on insta 🙄

they’re the same ppl who think chemotherapy is a conspiracy and doesn’t work to help target cancer

Also it’s worth noting that had these viral diseases been allowed to circulate they would have naturally produced herd inmmunity

How would that work then?