There were 372 cases of measles in the U.S. last year, and in the first two months of 2019, there have been 127 cases.
This is just over a third of the amount reported last year. Eight of those cases are in Texas, but measles was declared eradicated from the U.S. in 2000.
Think about that for a second.
Measles was no longer a problem in our nation 19 years ago. But because of a rise in people who are anti-vaccination, Austin is preparing for an outbreak.
This does not bode well for the city. A public health study found Travis County has one of the highest rates of non-medical vaccination exemptions in the state in 2018. This is unacceptable.
I don’t know how many more times someone will have to say it: vaccines don’t cause autism, essential oils don’t cure diseases and spending hours reading blog does not mean you are smarter than the scientists and researchers that have collected decades of evidence proving how effective vaccines are.
I will never understand why a parent would want to risk their child’s life because of their own beliefs.
My aunt has cancer, meaning she has a very weak immune system. She relies on herd immunity to keep her safe. Anti-vaxxers threaten her immune system and could threaten her life. There are other situations in which people cannot be vaccinated, including allergies to specific ingredients in the vaccines.
We need to protect individuals who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, and properly educate those against vaccines. The more we know about them, the better equipped we are to prove people wrong about their insufficient “research.”
If you decide to do online research, be sure to look at websites that end in “.edu,” “.gov,” or even a “.org” to ensure the information is from a credible organization.
Encourage others to get vaccinated, and don’t be silent when you find out someone might be choosing to not vaccinate themselves or their child.
The most important thing we can do is educate others with facts, and invalidate the theories spread from “anti-vaxxers” and anti-vaccination sites.
