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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMap of the Day: The High Cost of Vaccine Hysteria
This map shows outbreaks of measles and mumps over the past five years.
It's no surprise that Africa has been heavily hit, but why are the United States and Europe seeing so many outbreaks? Aaron Carroll explains:
All of that red, which seems to dominate? Its measles. Its even peeking through in the United States, and its smothering the United Kingdom.
If you get rid of the measles, you can start to see mumps. Again, crushing the UK and popping up in the US.
Both measles and mumps are part of the MMR vaccine.
Use of the MMR vaccine plummeted during the aughts, as vaccine-autism hysteria was spread by charlatans and the ignorati. Needless to say, this did nothing to affect the incidence of autism, but it sure had an effect on measles and mumps. To this day, though, I don't think any of the vectors of this hysteria have so much as apologized. It's shameful.
http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/01/map-day-high-cost-vaccine-hysteria
Warpy
(111,358 posts)Yes, the mortality rate is lower than that of smallpox but it's still there and far, far higher than the complication rate from the vaccine.
The risk vs. benefit statistics are very clear as is the mountain of research done on the cause(s) of autism. Vaccines have consistently been ruled out as a cause.
Autism is present at birth and can be diagnosed in infancy. Parents just don't tend to pick up on it until the kid is old enough for that MMR jab. It's very easy for quacks and morons to manipulate upset and guilty feeling parents by convincing them the medical system is out to get them.
It's easy because too many don't know how dangerous the diseases were before we got vaccines.
pscot
(21,024 posts)I was sick for 2 weeks, fever as high as 104. People today have no idea.
shenmue
(38,506 posts)My Mom briefly believed the urban legends about mercury in the vaccines. Then I got mumps, which was extremely painful, and that darn well changed her mind.
Vashta Nerada
(3,922 posts)Sad. This is easily preventable and people are choosing to ignore science in favor of what the quacks are saying (e.g. Jenny McCarthy).