High fevers, rashes, miserable coughing, a possibility of blindness or even death. Since the Measle/Mumps/Rubella vaccine was invented, it has been extremely unlikely for someone to contract these diseases, even though they are highly contagious. In today’s society, these viruses are so rare that many people cannot even list the dangers and symptoms. Although this is true of the general population, the preventative measure of vaccinations has been on a decline in Ashland, Oregon, and thus dangerous outbreaks are predicted to occur in the near term. A group of Ashland parents has created a dangerous environment by choosing to opt-out of vaccinating their children.
This all started when misinformation started to circulate on the Internet, seeing
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Ashland has created a website with reliable resources with the aim to inform the parents contemplating opting out of vaccinating. AshlandChild wants to impact its community by giving them something they can trust so they can make better choices to create a safer environment for everyone. This method is useful to those unsure of what choice to make, but those who have made up their mind may need a stronger technique. One effort that has been implemented in Australia is giving tax credits to those who vaccinate. Australia has a pretty high rate of vaccinated kids, specifically, 94% of one year-olds protected against measles, partly contributed by this incentive that could be used on anyone, no matter the background.
They may have good intentions, but these decisions are based on unreliable resources. Since Wakefield’s research was a hit in Ashland, many parents have opted out of giving their child the preventative shots for almost extinct viruses like measles and mumps. Mostly caused by fraudulent information, these decisions can be easily reversed with more reliable information provided to skeptics. They only think about the safety of their child, but what if actually thought about that they are endangering others as