WHY THE REFUSAL TO VACCINATE YOUR CHILDREN IS DANGEROUS FOR YOUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY
January 30, 2018 […]
Let’s get a few things out of the way before we begin, so we have a better chance of understanding one
another: I’m a pediatrician who works ∈a hospital. It’s true that sick kids pay my bills, but I would much
rather that kids never got sick, even if it meant losing my job. (I’m adaptable. I’m sure I’d be OK.)
I’m also a person who thinks that when young people become seriously ill from diseases that might have
[5] otherwise been prevented, it’s a tragedy. Pertussis outbreaks ∈ this country are on the rise; paralytic
polio quickly returned to Syria after immunization rates dropped due to the war; the measles outbreak
currently taking young lives ∈Europe may now do the same ∈Texas. When children die of these diseases,
it’s unconscionable.
I am, as you might have guessed, pro-vaccine. I am amazingly grateful that my own children are growing
[10] up ∈ an era ∈ which it is highly unlikely that I will have to watch them die. One hundred years ago, it was
ordinary to lose a child before they reached the age of five. Can you imagine? I don’t even want to. That’s
me, ∈a nutshell. What about you?
Statistically speaking, I know that you are smart and educated people. You love your children as much
as I love mine. You want what’s best for them. You are not and do not want to be confused with the
[15] unhinged anti-vax bloggers who believe vaccines are part of a government conspiracy to intentionally
injure children. […] You’re normal and rational enough to know that while there is formaldehyde ∈ some
vaccines, it’s also present ∈ pears, which your children have probably enjoyed ∈ both puréed and solid
forms. And you are not, no matter what I say, going to vaccinate your son or daughter just because I think
you should. […]
[20] You understand that these are real and lethal illnesses. Roald Dahl was not lying when he described how
his daughter Olivia, seemingly on the mend from measles, suddenly had trouble moving her hands and
told him she felt “all sleepy.” Hours later, she was dead.
Medicine has progressed ∈ leaps and bounds since Olivia died ∈1962, but even so, treatment for measles
remains supportive — there are no medicines that can cure the virus itself, and the more severe cases will
[25] still result ∈ death. […]
Do what you believe is best for your family, but if that means not vaccinating, I’m imploring you to keep it
to yourself. Otherwise, you are putting your children at increased risk. Steer clear of private schools where
immunization rates are so low that infections would spread \right through the entire community like wildfire.
Don’t click on articles by anti-vax conspiracy theorists just so you can feel validated ∈ your worldview.
[30] My children don’t enjoy getting jabbed, but they get their shots with a normal degree of grumbling. […] I
hope enough people ∈ your community feel the same as I do and will create a protective bubble around
your own children, even if you’re not willing to do so for theirs. Appreciate that gift for what it is. Don’t
poke the bubble, or it might pop. Instead, consider saying thank you.
Sincerely,
Meghan MacLean Weir, MD
Meghan MacLean Weir is a pediatrician and the author of Between Expectations: Lessons From a Pediatric Residency and the upcoming novel The Book of Essie.
www.lennyletter.com
In the last paragraph, the author uses the metaphor of a bubble to conclude her text.
The bubble metaphor ⟹ that
