Frontline on immunizations

Last night, I watched the Frontline piece on immunizations.

They profiled the community of Ashland Oregon (hardly a Montana community of Ted Kaczynski's) where the rate of immunizations has dropped precipitously as people are becoming suspicious of the possible side effects of vaccines.

Of course, the minions from the CDC wanted to blame disinformation on the internet as the main reason people are opting out of vaccinations.

What didn't get any attention in the piece is the Chicken Little attitude of the CDC and WHO. Everyone of these clowns were pushing vaccinations at all costs, regardless of side effects, otherwise we'll end up with a polio, rubella, rotavirus pandemic on our hands.

Here's a clue to public health clowns. Maybe if you would quit claiming all public health issues aren't potential pandemics (see H1N1, SARS, Bird Flu) you might have some credibility on the issue.

I'm glad I don't have to deal with the vaccination issue with small children because I really don't know who to believe. On one side, I understand that children who aren't vaccinated benefit from the herd vaccinations. It feels odd to benefit when others are getting the vaccinations.

On the other hand, I understand that our immune systems are just like a bicep. If you don't allow to work on it's own, it atrophies.

People in my age group had vaccinations for about 20-25 diseases. Now that number is in the fifties. As one parent noted, why does my newborn need a Hepatitus B vaccination when it can only be transmitted via sexual contact or blood transfusions?

I, and all of my classmates, seemed to survive fairly well despite the occasional outbreak of mumps, measles, chicken pox , etc. Now does that mean that someone didn't end up with long term consequences from those illnesses? No. But it does mean that we, as parents, have the right to know the cost/benefits of immunizations.

Something our public health bozos can't seem to get their arms around.