Two children have died of Measles in the last three months.
How many will have to die before the anti-vaccine conspiracy theorists admit that they were wrong?
I have watched Donald Trump’s followers defend his horrendous acts, lie to the public, and lie to themselves. I’m afraid that no matter how many children and babies die, we will see the same sort of doubling down on the delusional mindset of the "anti-vax" movement.
The Trump administration’s policies on vaccines are ignorant, malicious, incompetent, and reckless politics. The messaging concerning measles vaccines have been inconsistent, misleading, fabricated, and dangerous. Donald Trump and the folks in the Senate that confirmed Robert Kennedy, Jr as Director of Health and Human Services are responsible for the resurgence in Measles outbreaks that will only get worse due to RFK’s history of spreading lies and false conspiracy stories about childhood vaccines.
Until recently, vaccines had almost completely eradicated measles in the USA.
So, why should this new outbreak of measles matter to you?
First, Measles is not just a minor infection. Children who contract measles suffer terribly. Many are left with life-long scarring.
One in every thousand infected dies from measles.
We have already had two deaths. There will be more.
If you opt not to have your children vaccinated, you may think that’s your choice and a risk you are willing to take with your own kids.
That is not the whole picture.
When your child contracts measles, the symptoms are not immediately apparent. However, they become contagious almost immediately.
It is one of the most contagious diseases in existence.
You may think that you are only risking spreading measles to other families who made the same choice as you to not vaccinate.
That is not the whole story either.
Babies cannot get the first dose of MMR vaccine until they are 12-15 months old. Your decision is risking the lives of newborn babies and very young toddlers.
Please consider the lives of these innocent children before pushing disinformation about vaccines.
Being a parent does not make you a medical expert.
Listen to the real medical experts. Read legitimate medical journals.
Reddit, TikTok, and Instagram are not meant to be research tools upon which life and death decisions should be made.
