EDITORIAL – Myths perpetuate vaccine fears

People tend to act irrationally out of fear. We fear flying although there’s only a… People tend to act irrationally out of fear. We fear flying although there’s only a miniscule chance a plane could crash. We fear roller coasters and thrill rides even though they’re designed to keep us safe – the list goes on.

Now, a new type of irrational fear is sweeping the nation: the fear of vaccines. Well, to be accurate, this fear isn’t entirely new. A few religious groups, including Christian Scientists and some fundamentalists, have discouraged the use of vaccines and other types of medical treatment for years.

But now, a new philosophical – to put it gently – group is entering the ring: overly concerned parents. According to an Associated Press report, parents who fear that vaccines pose more risks than benefits for their young children are now refusing immunizations and using religious exemptions to excuse their children from state vaccination requirements.

Several states offer these religious exemptions because some religious groups like the Christian Scientists have condemned vaccines for years. Additionally, there are 20 states – including Pennsylvania – that allow children to be exempt from vaccines for both religious and philosophical reasons.

But for parents in the remaining states, the easiest way to avoid vaccinating their kids is to say it is for religious purposes – a claim that would be difficult, and even unethical, to prove.

According to an Associated Press report, these skeptical parents believe – but not a single government funded study demonstrates – that vaccinations pose a risk for autism. Even though researchers have found no link between vaccines and autism, organized groups of parents and pop-culture figures such as radio host Don Imus have voiced concerns that a mercury-based preservative once used in vaccines could contribute to neurological disorders. Other parents are just skeptical of immunizations in general, claiming that they have no effect.

The problem here is that they do. Vaccines prevent illnesses; they have for decades. This isn’t new age science. And choosing not to vaccinate a child is putting him in a much greater health risk than giving the child his immunizations.

Additionally, refusing to immunize a child can put the general public in danger. There have been several instances of unvaccinated children who have spread diseases to others who were either not vaccinated or had an ineffective vaccine. In 2005, an Indiana girl who had not been immunized traveled to Romania and brought back the measles virus, which she spread to more than 30 people – the nation’s worst outbreak of the disease in a decade.

It’s hard to say that states should exempt people from vaccination requirements for religious, but not philosophical, reasons. Both are sets of beliefs. Both can be irrational. Both are hard to prove.

Maybe states shouldn’t be offering exemptions at all. While prohibiting religious-based exemptions could be seen as violating religious freedoms, how many other times has our government infringed upon our privacy and free speech rights for the betterment of the public good?

But, before states go there, there is an easier solution. Promote awareness. Encourage parents to listen to their doctors. Get the message out. Inevitably, there will still be people who remain skeptical of physicians and medical treatments, but many people are just straight-out misinformed.

Let’s curb this trend before we have an epidemic on our hands.