Vaccinate

I think there are a lot of things in life that we can say, "To each his own."

Even if I feel very passionate about a certain something, I can say, "If you don't want to do it that way, it's fine by me."

An example: children and sleeping. I truly believe I have found the easiest way. However, I don't think that people who choose to do it differently are hurting their children. And they definitely aren't hurting my children. So if they want to do it their own way (and be a little more tired in the process) more power to them.

Eating well.
Exercising.
Going to church.
Experiencing nature.
Traveling.

Important.

But if you don't do them or you choose not to encourage your children to do them, the only people that will be "harmed" will be you and your children. (Of course people can argue that parents should not be allowed to do something that could harm their child, but I am very cautious when it comes to telling people how to parent their children.)

Vaccines are different.

If you choose to not vaccinate your child, you are not only hurting your child. You are possibly hurting my child. Or me. Or my parents.

My friend Tara (pronounces Tar-uh) is a family medicine/OB physician in California and truly, one of the smartest people I know. (She is BRILLIANT -- really!) Tara and I do not agree on everything. We disagree about many things politically, religiously, and culturally. (But I still really like her!)

Tara recently wrote a post about vaccinations entitled: For the sake of public health: please vaccinate. I encourage you to read it and share it with everyone you know.

Tara does not mince words. She quotes another article and writes:

Failing to vaccinate a child against a transmissible disease is analogous to strapping a bomb to their chest and sending them out in public – if something triggers an explosion they are the most likely one to die, but there is a substantial risk everyone close to them will get hurt as well."

It is for this reason that I believe we as a society should no longer have a "to each its own attitude" when it comes to vaccinations. We are dependent upon "herd immunity" in staying safe from diseases that can kill.

An example is my son Isaac. Because he is allergic to eggs, he cannot get the flu vaccine. But because other people vaccinate, an outbreak is unlikely, and my son is therefore given extra protection.

"When a critical portion of a community is immunized against a contagious disease, most members of the community are protected against that disease because there is little opportunity for an outbreak. Even those who are not eligible for certain vaccines—such as infants, pregnant women, or immunocompromised individuals—get some protection because the spread of contagious disease is contained. This is known as "community immunity." (Source).

I think the other thing that greatly bothers me when it comes to vaccinations is when people say, "I've done my research." However, this research is comprised of blogs and not medically researched sites. I encourage to spend some time on Tara's website. She references some great articles that are medically researched and substantiated properly.

Nothing someone does can cause me to lose my respect or love for them. I believe our Heavenly Father instructs us to love everyone. Anyone who knows me knows that as long as your value system does not endanger my family, you are welcome in my home and I will love you no matter what. So please know that even if, after reading this, you disagree, you can still be my friend. However, Tara has inspired me not to fail to be vocal on this topic any longer.

Vaccinate!