Emotions are running high online. The reason? A column by a lady (the column has since been removed) who advises against vaccinating children. On top of that, a column on Vrouw.nl from a mother who became white-hot because her baby son almost died due to a measles infection of an unvaccinated child. A little more about not vaccinating children.
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A woman who joins the discussion indicates that vaccination is Russian roulette given the possible side effects or allergic reactions. Another says that she has never had any vaccinations, has had all the diseases, but just has a good resistance. Still others say that all doctors are quacks and only want to get rich from writing prescriptions. Well indeed, why should we invest in human health and fight scary diseases any longer…
It makes me nauseous…
That you consciously choose, for whatever reason (although I can have little respect for the reason 'out of faith'), not to have your child vaccinated, fine. Especially when this is for medical reasons (heavy reactions to the vaccination, for example). But to consciously let other children also run an increased risk? How self-centered can you be? Do you really want it on your conscience that by your decision not to have your child vaccinated, you can infect another child with all the consequences that entails? Knowingly exposing other children to this is just Russian roulette!
Indeed, there are risks associated with vaccinating. However, these are minimal compared to the consequences of not vaccinating children. Indeed, the infectious diseases can be mild without vaccinations. In the meantime, they can infect other children, which is not mild and the child suffers permanent damage or even dies. I really can't understand or respect parents who consciously run this risk. You could almost call it culpable homicide, were it not for the fact that vaccination is not mandatory.
You would almost forget that the National Vaccination Program was used to prevent children from contracting infectious childhood diseases that could lead to serious consequences.
For example polio. A virus that causes paralysis and even death. Now eradicated in the Netherlands thanks to the national vaccination program, except for a single outbreak in the 1990s in the Bible Belt. The measles virus is extremely contagious and in severe cases can cause pneumonia, convulsions or brain inflammation. Young children and people with a reduced resistance are especially at risk of a life-threatening course of such a disease.
Mandatory vaccination is not yet on the agenda. That's not up to me to decide. Vaccination is the parent's choice, whether I agree with it or not.
What I do have a problem with is that shelters and crèches are not allowed to refuse unvaccinated children.
In other words, is it allowed to put other children at increased risk? Is the organization even aware of the fact that a child has not been vaccinated? Are the other parents also kept informed of the fact that their child, especially those with reduced resistance, are at increased risk?
It's a Russian roulette…and what's at stake? The lives of innocent and irresistible children. And by the way:I'd rather this discussion be viral then the measles .
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