Re:Your close-minded disdain for anti-vaxxers isn't helping ...
by smt88 on Monday February 09, 2015 @04:54AM
(#9020404)
This comment proves that you don't understand what you're talking about. I'm not trying to be condescending -- I've learned a lot about this recently due to the outbreak, and I encourage you to do some reading as well.
Some vaccines are very effective at the individual level. Others are not, and so the safety of any individual is reliant on herd immunity. So when you say "they should be effective", I don't know if you mean to prevent an individual's illness or to prevent an outbreak. Either way, vaccines are not just intended to be effective for the individual -- they're intended to protect an entire society.
As far as Ebola: the medical community is certainly up in arms over that, as well. It's a huge crisis, and millions are being poured into its treatment and prevention.
The problem with Ebola is that there's a massive cultural barrier. Many of the most at-risk people are afraid of vaccines, and some of them totally misunderstand how Ebola is spread. Those two situations are getting better, but it's much harder of a situation to solve.
The reason you're reading so much about measles is that it's affecting a wealthy, educated country, and it's directly caused by misinformation from the "anti-vaxxer" movement. It's alarming because it's a backslide, and we know it's preventable because we did such a good job preventing it for so long.
Some vaccines are very effective at the individual level. Others are not, and so the safety of any individual is reliant on herd immunity. So when you say "they should be effective", I don't know if you mean to prevent an individual's illness or to prevent an outbreak. Either way, vaccines are not just intended to be effective for the individual -- they're intended to protect an entire society.
As far as Ebola: the medical community is certainly up in arms over that, as well. It's a huge crisis, and millions are being poured into its treatment and prevention.
The problem with Ebola is that there's a massive cultural barrier. Many of the most at-risk people are afraid of vaccines, and some of them totally misunderstand how Ebola is spread. Those two situations are getting better, but it's much harder of a situation to solve.
The reason you're reading so much about measles is that it's affecting a wealthy, educated country, and it's directly caused by misinformation from the "anti-vaxxer" movement. It's alarming because it's a backslide, and we know it's preventable because we did such a good job preventing it for so long.