Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama gave cautious support for the anti-vaxxer cause a few years ago. No scandal.
But only now that Republican politicians Chris Christie and Rand Paul have talked about the risks of (as well as of parental rights and responsibility regarding) childhood vaccination has the issue of mandatory vaccination finally hit big.
Ronald Bailey offers a more modest proposal. “Vaccination is arguably the greatest public health triumph of the past century,” he begins. But he argues not for mandating vaccines, but for social pressure: “person-to-person shaming and shunning.”
That is one traditional (and less politically extreme) way to solve such problems.
But what is that problem, at base? Those who fear a negative personal effect from vaccination (and there are some, though the “autism” charge appears to be bogus) become “free riders,” as economists like to put it. They gain a de facto immunity without having to pay — either in money or in the small risk that vaccination does demonstrate.
This particular free rider benefit depends on the concept of “herd immunity.” That’s the conjectured level of protection for individuals who lack biological immunity by the overwhelming presence of vaccinated people in a population who are immune. (The disease can’t spread because it hits too many dead ends in healthy hosts.)
As has been often noted the last few days, though the anti-vaxxer trend has mainly tended to “infect” (as a “meme”) urban populations of left-leaning folks — epitomized by Hollywooders Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey — the new backlash against anti-vaxxer rights has come strongest from the left-leaning media.
The Republican “offenders” provide cover?
Apparently, those of the Democratic herd think they have immunity … to criticism.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
8 replies on “Herd Immunity”
The current reaction of the the press is depends not upon the message, but rather the messenger.
It is no surprise, after the original (irresponsible?) reporting of a now discredited medical theory, that some persons have concerns regarding the side effects of vaccinations.
This is a public health issue, and the risks and rewards of vaccinating children should be considered and an informed decision made by the parents.
If there was true liberty then the schools, medical practitioners, commercial establishments, employers and other parents would be free and able to consider the inclusion, or exclusion, of the unvaccinated in the persons they are willing to serve, employ or socialize with.
Individuals should be responsible, make the choice, and pay the price.
In any case, there is always a cost to the society when many act on a false concern, premise, pseudo-science or economic theory. There are a few other examples of such issues that I can think of presently in play.
What most commentators are ignoring is the likely origin of this new measles (and what was that other disease? Oh yeah, enterovirus D68. I’d never heard of that one before!) outbreak. Anyone remember the open borders and the so-called “refugees” that overran our borders 6 months ago? You know the ones, one year ago, the Obama admin. posted jobs that were available to deal with? Even though they just learned about these “children” when it was posted in the news 6 months ago? I seem to remember that the Obama administration insisted that communities around the country take these “refugees” in and absorb them into their schools and lives. No documentation, no guarantees that they’ve been vaccinated from all the diseases we’ve already eradicated years ago. People really are blaming this on the few Americans who’ve chosen not to vaccinate their kids? Really?
As the population adopts more and more enthusiastically the idea of the free ride with no risks associated with vaccination, the herd immunity becomes no longer active and instead we have a human petrie dish population with no immunity.
On the plus side, the anti-vaxers tend to be much more likely lib-progs.
We could be just one good rampant epidemic away from wiping out a whole generation of liberal influence.
And an effect that they have done to themselves.
Vaccination as a dangerous “threat”.
The newest and most diabolical yet of the vast right-wing conspiracies.
Usually we are on the same page, but in this case I think it is much more complex. Paul highlighted the most important issue and that is who “owns” the child.
My understanding is that the doctor in England has not been totally “discredited.” I read his remarks and he was anything but over the top. Very cautious and concerned about his patients and, I gathered, was interested in more studies and greater follow up.
The individuality of each child is the rub. Maybe being hit with 9 vaccines at one time is not dangerous for one child and quite dangerous for another. Much research wss neglected and problems not scientifically evaluated. Much more to do.Particularly if it your child who has the negative reaction.
Paul,
The autism critique is not bogus, and in fact, highly in evidence from recent CDC fraud wrt the MMR vaccine data: https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/2015/02/04/breaking-cdc-vaccine-whistleblower-given-immunity-to-testify/. Rappoport’s contention in nomorefakenews.com – which I stongly suggest you subscribe to – is that modern cartel medicine is a flagrant assault on humanity of death and destruction for profit. And I’m convinced by his evidence.
Second, as some groundwork for understanding the history and false health claims of the vaccinators, I strongly recommend getting ahold of Suzanne Humphries, http://www.amazon.com/Dissolving-Illusions-Disease-Vaccines-Forgotten/dp/1480216895/?tag=thecofcoa-20.
Third, and finally, a more substantive criticism of your basic premises: you seem to deny the reality and/or the efficacy of what I’ll call the Old World Order causality theory. And that set of Men of the Power Sickness (http://www.amazon.com/Barrier-Cloud-Liberation-Technology-Users-ebook/dp/B00HRKA8XU/?tag=thecofcoa-20) currently in play and manipulating the masses and their minds today.
Thus, I find that you ignore or denigrate the new sources that are currently known as alternative – but when the truth movement(s) of Satyagraha (e.g. Thrive: http://www.thrivemovement.com/the_movie prevail, they’ll be mainsttream. Do you really believe that our current political-economic catastrophe is the result of people just being ignorant?
Do you not accept the collusional-criminal-causal axis of a handful of psychopaths generally referred to as the New World Order? Or that our main task as human beings is to expose and arrest these agents of high-crime assaults on the people? Which I refer to as the Threat Matrix? Maybe a better question is “What would it take for you to shift your current premise of ‘general ignorance in a free society’ to the ‘Old World Order’ theory of causality?”
Maybe being wrong about the purpose and nature of Cartel Medicine (esp. wrt vaccine and drug assault)? Or central banking? Or wars? Or chemtrails? Or GMOs? Or so-called smart meters? Or false flag acts of state terror – like 9/11? I have high hopes for you, Paul, and just wonder when you’re going be ‘boying’ up to face the facts of reality. [Besides Thrive, I highly recommend Invisible Empire (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4CRiE7_Q4Y).
Also, to get an idea of how extensive the OWO mind control operation has been for the previous 100 years, this video by StormCloudsGathering is essential: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8ERfxWouXs. Plus, my latest book, After 9/11 Truth, is finally out – here’s the Createspace link, but it will be up on Amazon in a day or two: https://www.createspace.com/5272586.
I’m concerned, Paul, among our libertarian intellectual peers you don’t want to be among the last kids in the kingdom to call the emperor naked. [There are so many valid alternative sources of information, that I don’t really have to name them. If you’re going to continue to use mainstream sources, at least please fact check them against these valid alternatives.]
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I clicked twice on your link that was supposed to convince me that the explosion of autism was not linked to compulsory vaccination, and all I got was some ipod site. As for the potential link, (1) is it not true that vaccines use Mercury as a stabilizer? (2) is it not true that Mercury poisoning has long been known (even before the link was noted) to generate symptoms that are characteristic of autism? (3) Is it not true that many young children (infants) are given multiple vaccinations before their immune systems are even fully developed? (4) If the explosion of autism rates is not due to compulsory vaccinations, why will the AMA and/or the CDC not tell us what is responsible for it?