Whether or not you vaccinate your kids is your business, but that doesn't mean that other people aren't going to judge you if you ask for their opinions. Or at least, that's the harsh lesson one mom on the Internet had to learn after she asked for some suggestions on how to keep her unvaccinated toddler safe during a measles outbreak in her state. Well, she asked and people definitely didn't hold back.
The mom posted on Facebook asking help protecting her kid during the dangerous measles outbreak where they live.
Although there are many reasons why a parent who believes in vaccinations might not be able to get their child immunized (including allergies and illnesses), people are calling out this mom as "anti-vax" since her message went viral. A screen shot of the post from a private Facebook group, Vaccine Education Network: Natural Health Anti-Vaxx Community, was leaked and shows this mom's dilemma.
"My 3-year-old is not vaccinated and there is currently a measles outbreak in my state,” she wrote, according to Bored Panda. “Any suggestions for precautions I can take to protect her would be very much appreciated.”
Despite the measles being declared eliminated from the United States in 2000, there are outbreaks on both the East and West Coasts. According to CNN, Washington state is experiencing the highest number of measles cases since 1996 — 37 to be exact — and is now in a state of emergency. Washington also has a higher-than-average percentage of vaccine exemptions. Clark County, where 35 of the confirmed cases of measles have been found, had a nonmedical vaccine exemption rate of just under 7 percent for all children going into kindergarten for the 2017-2018 school year. The national exemption rate is about 2 percent, and Washington has become a hotbed for the measles.
Of course, the outbreak has many parents concerned for the health of their kids. But many see this mom's post as highly troubling — and ironic.
Of course, some people couldn't help themselves and were cracking jokes in the comments.
"She's 3 years old … never been vaccinated for anything? Well … that's middle aged … she's lived a good life," one person wrote.
Someone else joked, "Have you tried thoughts and prayers?"
"Just between us … this kid is not your favorite right?" wrote another user.
"I got it! You could expose her to a weakened or inactive strain of the virus so that her immune system is better equipped to recognize and combat the actual virus she'll inevitably come into contact with which will decrease the likelihood of her getting sick. Oh, wait," joked another.
One man also had a pretty hilariously suggestion for protecting kids from everything -- or he might just be the dad from My Big Fat Greek Wedding.
"Windex … spray your child from head to toe with Windex," the man joked on the post. "Or just call a friggin' doctor, make an appointment, and get your kid a vaccination before he/she/what-ever-sex-it-wants-to-be-called dies from a disease we safely eliminated 75-years-ago. Shake my head…"
In the end, presumably the best thing this mom could do to protect her kid is to suck it up and get her vaccinated.
As CNN noted, the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccine is probably the best bet as a preventative measure against catching the deadly disease. As the report mentioned, "One dose is about 93 percent effective at preventing the contagious disease if you come into contact with the virus. Two doses are about 97 percent effective." Doctors recommended that kids get the vaccine in two doses, the first between 12 and 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old.
So although it would be nice to think that there is a natural remedy that could act as a cure, it seems that the only 97 percent way to keep your kid safe is to get them shots.
