I’ve told you in the past that when parents choose to not vaccinate their children, not only are their children at risk, but so are other children in the community. Here’s more proof of that.
In the New York Times “Motherlode” blog, Jenny Anderson writes, “In a typical year, the Centers for Disease Control sees 60 to 70 cases of measles,” but “as of Oct. 14, 2011, it had tracked 214 cases – the worst figure in 15 years.”
Anderson writes, “And here’s the part that kills me: in 86 percent of those cases, the person with the disease had not been vaccinated …”
Researchers had shown that a measles outbreak caused by one person “cost two local hospitals a total of nearly $800,000, and the state and local health departments tens of thousands more, to track down the cases, quarantine and treat the sick and notify the thousands of people who might have been exposed.”
I agree with others who are now suggesting it should be far more difficult for parents to opt out of vaccination and if they do, there should be strict restrictions on their kid’s social activities such as attending school, attending school trips, participating in teams sports, and perhaps even attending youth group events.
In other words, the government, youth group organizers, camp directors, coaches, and churches should ALL consider protecting the majority of kids from the highly unhealthy (and I think selfish) decisions of a few parents that choose not to have their kids vaccinated.
It is appropriate, and urgent, that those who love and serve children protect the health of ALL kids from those whose choices about vaccines are putting the rest of our kids at risk.
In other words, if you choose not to vaccinate your child, fine. But then that child, who is now a potential danger to him or herself AND many others, shouldn’t have the right to be around and to endanger other children.
I expect this opinion to be controversial, but I believe it best for the health of ALL of our children.
Others are now coming to this same opinion. You can read about this in my blog, Vaccinations should be required.

In addition, here are some of my other blogs on vaccinations over the last year:

• Florida measles cases increasing as parents have children exempted from vaccinations
• Pediatric society rejects ‘personal belief’ exemption for vaccination of kids
• Measles, other childhood diseases reemerging as parents refuse vaccines
• CDC: US experiencing largest measles outbreak in 15 years
• Alternative Medicine and Children – Part 6 – Vaccination and Alternative Medicine
• Unbelievable: Nearly half of Americans still suspect disproven vaccine-autism link
• Public health officials urged to hold national discussion on vaccine risks, benefits
• Investigator Planned to Make Vast Profit From Autism/MMR Vaccine Scare
• New Practice Guideline Takes Aim at Pain of Childhood Immunizations
• Autism and Childhood Vaccinations: The Myth is Finally Debunked
• More Evidence That Vaccines Don’t Cause Autism
• U.K. bans doctor who linked autism to MMR vaccine
• Whooping Cough Epidemic Hits California: Six Babies Die
• Low immunization rates linked to epidemic spread of whooping cough
• Delaying childhood vaccinations offer no benefit to children, and may be harmful
• Several vaccines at once absolutely OK for kids’ brains: Study
• Unvaccinated Children at Center of Measles Outbreak