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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAnti-vaxxer's 6-year-old child in intensive care with first case of diphtheria in Spain since 1986
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/06/04/1390537/-Anti-vaxxer-s-6-year-old-child-in-intensive-care-with-first-case-of-diphtheria-in-Spain-since-1986A six-year-old has been admitted into the intensive care unit at Barcelona's Vall d'Hebron center. His parents are against the practice of vaccinations.
Catalan health authorities have confirmed that the little boy had not been immunized against the infectious disease, despite the free vaccination programs offered by Spanish public health services.
[...]
There he is being treated with an anti-toxin, a drug that the Health Ministry had to search for worldwide. The World Health Organization and the health authorities in the United States were among those to whom the ministry went for help. The problem is that these days, no one has this illness. Everyone is vaccinated, the general secretary for the health service, Rubén Moreno, told EL PAÍS.
This is the first case of diphtheria in Spain since 1986. The anti-toxin being used to save this child's life had to be flown in by the Russian ambassador to Spain.
alboe
(192 posts)While many will take this opportunity to play politics and say why this 6-year-old should/should not have been vaccinated, the truth is that no matter the decision that was made, he now is sick and we should just be wishing him a fast recovery.
TexasTowelie
(112,232 posts)Hopefully, the parents will learn from this incident and get him fully immunized.
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SunSeeker
(51,569 posts)These parents not only endangered the life of their child, but the lives of kids who are too young to be vaccinated or have medical reasons why they cannot be vaccinated.
enough
(13,259 posts)Wishing this individual child a fast recovery does not conflict with concern for the health of the general population.
longship
(40,416 posts)Including their kid.
And it is not a political position to ask people to vaccinate. It is a scientific one. And the anti-vaccine position comes from ignorance, not politics.
So yes. I fault the parents here. They put their kid, and any others who cannot be vaccinated who might come into contact, in danger because of their ignorance.
TransitJohn
(6,932 posts)This is exactly the time. Your argument is identical to gun fetishists saying that we can't talk about gun control after one of our regular mass killings.
Starry Messenger
(32,342 posts)LeftyMom
(49,212 posts)Pointing out WHY kids don't get Oregon Trail diseases anymore is important, and it's entirely consistent with caring about this kid and all the other kids at risk.
He shouldn't even be dealing with this entirely preventable illness.
yardwork
(61,634 posts)It's unethical to simply ignore practices that can lead to epidemics.
Kurska
(5,739 posts)Cause: Anti-vaxxers spreading their crap nationwide
Effect: Dead or seriously sick kids.
That isn't politics it is reality. These diseases were eliminated before anti-science idiots look at the greatest public health achievements of human history and said "Wait those must be bad."
Human101948
(3,457 posts)It's just like people who don't wear seat belts because their experience tells them that they will never need the protection. Until they do.
This should be held up as an object lesson to all those who shun vaccinations.
HockeyMom
(14,337 posts)Does everyone get a Tetanus (TD) shot every 10 years? Probably not. If that wears off, I suppose the Diphtheria, and Pertussis, would also.
tymorial
(3,433 posts)that being said people who do receive a tetanus booster usually receive a Tdap injection though it really depends on the practice. Most of the physicians I know provide Tdap but some keep Td in inventory. Others only administer immunization injections after the patient has obtained their vaccination from the pharmacy. With the latter, the providers usually write a script for Tdap but it really depends on the patient.
Hugin
(33,159 posts)winter is coming
(11,785 posts)sharp_stick
(14,400 posts)I hope the poor kid is OK.
NuclearDem
(16,184 posts)I guess bringing measles back wasn't enough.