Shots

I read something in the paper today that got me all riled up. It was about vaccinations. I find it so hard to believe that there are people out there who think vaccinations are bad, and yet there are. I don't even know where to begin. There are just so many arguments that are out there that are just plain dumb. I know that I'm not a leading expert in this field, but come on. "I'd rather not give my baby a cocktail because of the chance that he could have a bad reaction." Why not just say, "Bring on the measles!" And then there is the argument that everyone else is immunized, so I don't need to be. While that is somewhat true, if everyone thought that way then no one would be immunized, and we'd have problems.

I actually met a girl once who was against vaccines. This was her winning statement: "It just doesn't make sense to inject a virus into your system." Has she taken biology? (She may not have, she was going to school to be a midwife. This made me a bit more worried about the training of midwives.) Has she done her research? Because if she had, then she'd know we've been doing this for centuries, and with the desired result: less disease. It seems to be working. And we can even explain why it works. So, yes, it makes perfect sense, Midwife friend. (I will note that I didn't say any of these things to her because I had just met her and didn't want to offend. I just changed the subject as quickly as possible.)

OK, there is the rant. Good to get it out. But what good would a rant be without a push for improvement? Thus I am telling all 4 of my readers that I do hope you immunize your kids. It's really for the best. And if you don't believe in vaccinations, I hope I didn't offend you. Um. . . lovely weather we're having. . .