I hate anti-vaxxers

I agree.

No flying without vaccinations.
No public schooling.
No childcare (unless the provider is also anti vaxx and it needs to be publicised so parents make an informed choice).
No state funded medical care.

It's fine to have an extreme opinion. But if you don't want to function as part of society, you need to be prepared to go it alone. There are always people that do reject society and social standards. But it's a choice to set yourself aside and you shouldn't get to benefit from herd immunity while being a risk to others.

I have an adult dc living with the life-changing consequences of anti-vaxers' decisions. Despite being fully vaxed, my dc caught mumps in a mini epidemic at their university. It triggered a severe autoimmune illness. My previously completely healthy dc is now tied to the healthcare system for life, dependent on immunosuppressant drugs that make them more vulnerable to infectious illnesses. My dc knows that they are likely eventually to need major surgery to remove organs destroyed by this condition, and that they at a vastly increased risk of cancer.

Thanks, anti-vaxers. You may be willing to take the risk with your own children, but you harm many more people.

That's literally not how vaccination works, Ayn Rand.

Same. I have to provide copies of my kids' vaccination records before I can access anything for them that I have paid for through my taxes.

My only complaint is that chicken pox isn't one of the standard ones. My poor DS really suffered.

People nowadays living in wealthy countries with vaccination programs are extremely fortunate that we no longer routinely see children disabled or killed by childhood disease. There was a time where almost every family lost multiple children to these illnesses. Where everybody would have seen children in their community die on a weekly or monthly basis. It wasn't very long ago. If a doctor had told those mothers and fathers "we have an injection that will prevent your children from contracting measles", they would have queued for days with their children to have them vaccinated. The arrogance of grown adults to not only reject this vital medical treatment, but to be so proud of their wilful ignorance, is astounding. Any parent of a child who contracts a preventable childhood disease as a result of choosing not to vaccinate for no good reason ought to be charged with a crime.

They are so selfish and irresponsible but there won't be any way to change their minds as they will believe in some wacky conspiracy theory involving "big pharma". I think kids shouldn't be allowed to attend school without being vaccinated.

I agree with you, OP. My grandma was a hunchback because of polio and my uncle is deaf because his mum contracted scarlet fever in pregnancy. We know how to prevent the majority of diseases and people who refuse to get vaccinated are self-obsessed, melodramatic idiots (in my opinion).

Colds and mouth ulcers aren't the threat to everyone the way measles etc are. And you underestimate how ignorant people think anti vaxxers are. I mean, I respect your right to your choice, but I wouldn't have you in my house. And I'd blank you at the school gate. If I worked with you, I'd think you were a nutter and avoid you .

I actually worked with an anti vaxxer during covid. He refused to wear a mask, and then got, and spread, covid to several children we worked with. He himself was very ill with it. Due to my precautions, I avoided it. I refused to be in meetings with him because he refused to wear a mask and IF he wore a mask, I would insist on having a window open despite his wingeing about it being cold (put a sweater on, idiot!).

So you carry on in your AV bubble, thinking people don't really care. Most of us DO. It's just most people IRL don't know you're anti vax. If they did, you'd be avoided.

Are you not even concerned about your kids dying of preventable illnesses?

No travel abroad could be an alternative deterrent.

I thought that was the case in France - something we can definitely learn from the French here in the UK. And yes, I dropped a friendship with a woman who thought Andrew Wakefield was credible and thought it was her duty to try to enlighten me from my vaccinating ways.

I’m in France where your child can’t go to school or into a childcare setting, including holiday camps etc without being vaccinated.

My kids both had their BCGs at my request as it’s no longer mandated here either. In our tiny rural primary there was an outbreak of TB and my kids were the only vaccinated ones.

I’m incredibly pro vaccination as herd immunity has saved my bacon. It turns out I wasn’t vaccinated for any of the childhood vaccines. It was discovered when I was pregnant with my eldest.

During covid quite a lot of our friends didn’t vaccinate - it has definitely changed the way I feel about them.

We’re dealing with people in society whose ignorance is frightening - but we do nothing about it and put others at risk.

No child who should have been vaccinated but hasn’t been for no good reason should be in childcare settings or state schools. I was absolutely furious when DS1 was at nursery when I realised that there were 2/3 years olds there who were not vaccinated. I raised it with the nursery manager, but she said there was nothing she could do.

I don’t know how anyone lives with themselves if their unvaccinated 3 year old passes measles to a baby.

@Ineedcoffee2021 sounds like a parody account. Such a neat example of the stereotypical antivaxxer and (sadly) similar to a few people I've had the misfortune to speak with on the matter IRL. It's part of this awful anti-science, anti-society, cult-driven mindset that has been a feature of certain political groups in recent years, headed up by the likes of Trump and Farage. These people wear their ignorance like a badge of honour and care more about attempting to cause emotional distress to others than they do about facts and the actual material effects of their decisions. Hence the silly, childish comment about "feelies" whilst being unable to actually engage with the subject and talk about why they think vaccinations are not a positive thing. Science doesn't come into it. They see science as "lefty".

Me too OP. There should be laws for it. It’s absolutely neglect to not vaccinate your children against life changing/ending diseases over outdated, debunked information.

the same people crying about what’s in vaccines are the same people pumping their children full of processed shite at dinner time. Vaccines are the least of their concerns.

I honestly think some of them now have this overbearing need to stand their ground and are purely being stubborn, while knowing they are in fact wrong.

There was a case recently where a woman’s baby died as a results of the other being unvaccinated and contracting measles while she was pregnant. The baby contracted the virus in her womb and died after it was born. Tragic and horrible case but it goes to show it’s not just the worry of whether they’ll catch it as a child and be affected, it’s going to follow them for the rest of their lives. I do wonder if this poor woman resents her mother for not getting her vaccinated. I certainly would.

Rubbish - it affects others, individuals don't have the right to make choices that lead to others suffering the consequences of their stupidity.

Yes they most certainly are. You clearly have no idea how vaccines work.

I am very certain that people who are baffled by anti vaxxers online are also baffled by them in real life. People are probably being polite and know there is no point in engaging with discussion.

Based on my experience there is literally zero point in engaging in a dialogue with them. It does not matter how much actual scientific evidence you present them with they will not listen. Instead they spout the same nonsense that Wakefield started spouting in the 90s, vaccines are poison, covid. Basically all the mis and disinformation they saw online and lapped u as they lack the ability to think critically.

So I will not engage with anri vaxxers in real life as I can't be bothered wasting my breath. I live my life by a Bill Murray quote, "never argue with stupid people as you cannot win."

Herd immunity isn't 'feelies'.

They are when it comes to vaccinations.

I agree with other posters - it absolutely is for each parent to decide whether to vaccinate their child or not. But alongside that nurseries and schools should not be accommodating unvaccinated children. Unless a child cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons. Some children can't which makes it even more important that most children do take up vaccines to achieve herd immunity.
I work in the NHS now and have accepted vaccines , to protect myself and patients. It is a bit mind blowing that some parts of the population don't care at all about their communities or 'feelies' as one poster eloquently put it...
It is hard to be tolerant of ant vaxxers , tbh I am not.

There is a thing called herd immunity - it's pretty important.

I'm thinking smallpox was BAD before there was a vaccine.

Sometimes others' medical choices are very much a concern for all.

A local childminder I’m friendly with told me that one of her mindees caught whopping cough because they hadn’t been vaccinated and the parents obviously hadn’t told her. CM’s small baby caught it. She also had a mindee at the time who’s DF was undergoing cancer treatment. The arrogance of those parents is breathtaking.

Me too. I have permanent eye damage due to contracting measles as a child. My cousin developed encephalitis and was left with LD's . My mums friends son was born blind after she contracted diring pregnancy. All in our 50's / 60's now.

A former colleague had the vaccine. She did react poorly to it.

She did however recognise that COVID itself would have reacted even worse with her.... She caught it afterwards and the symptoms were mild.

Despite everything her viewpoint was that the vaccine saved her life. 300,000 people were lost to that horrible disease, thank heavens the vaccine was available. Who knows what state we would be in without it