Rejecting vaccination - "growing public health time bomb", NHS Chief warns

[cupid_stunt]

The NHS is getting worried about the growing number of parents rejecting vaccination for their children, due to the increasing spread of misleading information on social media.

The Health and Social Care Secretary wants new legislation to force social media sites to remove false information about vaccines.

Greater Manchester, has recorded more cases of measles so far this year than in the whole of the last two years combined, and across the pond in the U.S. measles cases have hit the highest mark in 25 years.

Missed measles jabs 'public health time bomb'

Question is, how the hell can this be turned again, is it time for compulsory vaccination, as it is in some European countries?

 

[ElizabethofYork]

Question is, how the hell can this be turned again, is it time for compulsory vaccination, as it is in some European countries?

Possibly. But of course the conspiracy theorists will see this as further fuel to the fire.

 

[equationgirl]

Something has to be done to reinstate herd immunity, which means more people have to have vaccinations.

I can remember having various ones at school - does that still happen?

Measles was on the brink of eradication, Andrew Wakefield has a lot to answer for.

 

[MickiQ]

The NHS is getting worried about the growing number of parents rejecting vaccination for their children, due to the increasing spread of misleading information on social media.

The Health and Social Care Secretary wants new legislation to force social media sites to remove false information about vaccines.

Greater Manchester, has recorded more cases of measles so far this year than in the whole of the last two years combined, and across the pond in the U.S. measles cases have hit the highest mark in 25 years.

Missed measles jabs 'public health time bomb'

Question is, how the hell can this be turned again, is it time for compulsory vaccination, as it is in some European countries?

All in favour of compulsion unless there is a medical reason for not doing so and by that I mean research by real doctors and scientists not TV personalities and religous quacks.
Also massively in favour of leaning heavily on social media/news outlets to not push this shite either.
My two eldest (born in 88 and 90) were due their jabs at the height of the Wakefield affair and actual facts in the press got pushed aside in favour of a controversy that favoured selling papers over presenting facts and it did create concerns that weren't easily allayed.
It's even easier to spread garbage now in this age of social media.
As for the conspiracy nuts sod 'em they'll see confirmation of their beliefs in anything.

 

[8ball]

We've been having a few of these "scratch a liberal" threads recently.
Something in the air, maybe.

 

[equationgirl]

We've been having a few of these "scratch a liberal" threads recently.
Something in the air, maybe.

This isn't about being liberal though, this is a real public health crisis.

Time for a massive ad campaign like the tombstone ads for AIDS awareness back in the day?

 

[8ball]

This isn't about being liberal though, this is a real public health crisis.
Time for a massive ad campaign like the tombstone ads for AIDS awareness back in the day?

Maybe. With AIDS it was this terrifying, new, little-understood disease, so managing similar levels of impact with measles is likely to be an uphill struggle.

 

[equationgirl]

Maybe. With AIDS it was this terrifying, new, little-understood disease, so managing similar levels of impact with measles is likely to be an uphill struggle.

I think it's not well understood that measles can kill, or cause severe side effects such as brain damage or deafness.

 

[8ball]

I think it's not well understood that measles can kill, or cause severe side effects such as brain damage or deafness.

I think it's more a case of people assuming it won't happen to them or their child, really.
Not sure what the best thing is re: handling the misinformation on social media, though I believe there are some fairly advanced efforts to give a kind of accreditation to certain types of materials.

 

[SpookyFrank]

I'm increasingly coming around to the idea that humans deserve to go extinct anyway tbh. If people decide to turn away from arguably the most profound scientific achievement in history, the eradication of infectious disease, because of what some brain damaged ear candle merchant says on twitter then that seems like natural selection telling us we're no longer required.

 

[8ball]

I'm increasingly coming around to the idea that humans deserve to go extinct anyway tbh. If people decide to turn away from arguably the most profound scientific achievement in history, the eradication of infectious disease, because of what some brain damaged ear candle merchant says on twitter then that seems like natural selection telling us we're no longer required.

Yeah, I have days where I feel like this too.

 

[Poi E]

We will become extinct at some point. That much is certain.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

I think it's more a case of people assuming it won't happen to them or their child, really.

As far as I can tell there are many people out there who feel that the risk of vaccinations harming their child outweighs the risk of the disease the vaccine is 'supposed' to prevent. There is a lot of very dangerous mis-information out there and many people are confused by it. I don't believe anyone of these people wants their kid to get ill. I also don't believe that compulsion is the way forward. However I am in favour of nurseries, schools etc. refusing places to kids that are not vaccinated.

 

[8ball]

I also don't believe that compulsion is the way forward. However I am in favour of nurseries, schools etc. refusing places to kids that are not vaccinated.

That's a bit of a mealy-mouthed way of supporting compulsion.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

That's a bit of a mealy-mouthed way of supporting compulsion.

State education is not compulsory, you can always home-school, or start some kind of private school for kids with short life-expediencies.

 

[8ball]

State education is not compulsory, you can always home-school, or start some kind of private school for kids with short life-expediencies.

Ditto, but with added mealiness.

 

[Poi E]

School mealiness?

 

[scifisam]

That's a bit of a mealy-mouthed way of supporting compulsion.

Sort of, but it's supporting compulsion by protecting the other kids and their families, which is a fairly important thing to do really.

 

[SpookyFrank]

That's a bit of a mealy-mouthed way of supporting compulsion.

Schools already go to great lengths to ensure the wellbeing of their students. Violent or aggressive kids are already excluded if they pose an unacceptable risk to others. Measles is more dangerous than getting a bit of a kicking on the playground.

 

[LDC]

Any parent not getting their kids vaccinated should trigger a social services referral imo.

 

[eoin_k]

Even a liberal shouldn't struggle to make a case for compulsion when it comes to public health. The clue is in the name.

 

[SpookyFrank]

TBH by the time the kids are in school the horse has already bolted. Better to simply sterilise all the anti-vax cretins by handing out free samples of bromide-laced homeopathic miracle remedies.

A bonus point for this plan is that the genuine, grave conspiracy facing the public would go completely unnoticed by the conspironauts because they'd all be too busy wittering on about fluoride mind control or the moon isn't real or some shit.

 

[MickiQ]

Around 10 years ago when my middle daughter was about 14 she brought home a letter from school telling us that there was a new vaccination program starting up for something called HPV. I had never heard of HPV so I googled it and discovered that whilst it is best given at about 12 or 13 so long as it is given to girls before they become sexually active it offers a very high degree of protection against cancers of the lady parts. Mrs Q and I thought this was a great idea and despite her own retience to have a needle stuck in her, Miss Q No 2 was duly jabbed as indeed was Miss Q No 3 when she reached 12.
Apparently googling just now cervical cancers have dropped 86% in the last 10 years and the trend is still downwards.
But amidst my googling back in 2008 I found loads of online rantings from fundamentalists in America who were opposed to this vaccine not on the grounds that it might be unsafe but because they were worried it might encourage teenage girls to be more promisicous.
I remember clearly thinking that this has got to the stupidest fucking thing I have ever read and personally reckon that alone is a good enough reason to ban religion.
I'm all in favour of protecting peoples rights as much as possible but not when respecting someone's rights risks the health of others including their own children so as far I am concerned bring on the compulsion and let any objectors moan.

 

[andysays]

I'm increasingly coming around to the idea that humans deserve to go extinct anyway tbh. If people decide to turn away from arguably the most profound scientific achievement in history, the eradication of infectious disease, because of what some brain damaged ear candle merchant says on twitter then that seems like natural selection telling us we're no longer required.

Shame there isn't yet an effective vaccination against misanthropy

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

It’s very simple. If you are antivax you are a skull fuckingly stupid and selfish cunt who has no place whatsoever in our society.

Vaccinations should be mandatory for all, obviously apart from those with genuine medical reasons (ie signed off by a doctor) preventing them.

Religious reasons? “Respect my body autonomy” reasons? Hippy twat reasons? Fuck off.

Amazing how it’s only in western, affluent areas with people who are living with the benefits of mass vaccination programs where you find these dickheads who are “woke” enough to “research” how bad vaccines are.

Punch them all in the face, the dumb fucks.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Tell us what you really think. beesonthewhatnow, don't hold back.

 

[Poi E]

Lots of areas where religious nut jobs have stopped the eradication of polio etc. Not just rich fuckwits.

 

[ElizabethofYork]

I'm genuinely astonished at how many people believe all the crap they read on Facebook and the like.

 

[Poi E]

At least we have U75 as the Voice of Truth.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Tell us what you really think. beesonthewhatnow, don't hold back.

Oh I can assure you that’s the polite version of my thoughts on this.