Christians refuse mumps vaccine, fuel outbreak:

[moobu2]

Christians refuse mumps vaccine, fuel outbreak: Officials

Pamela Fayerman , Canwest News Service
Published: Monday, August 25, 2008

CHILLIWACK, B.C. - With the number of confirmed and suspected mumps cases in the Fraser Valley nearing 200, public health officials worry the disease will spread throughout the rest of the Lower Mainland.

Since the outbreak began in Chilliwack in February, cases have been spreading rapidly through the Fraser Valley, fuelled by a high rate of transmission among vaccine objectors from unnamed Christian fundamentalist groups that are against vaccines of all kinds.

About half of the 190 confirmed and suspected cases are individuals who have never been immunized, either on religious or philosophical grounds, said Dr. Elizabeth Brodkin.

She said another 25 per cent of cases involve people who are only partially immunized.

Public health officials have declined to disclose the church affiliations, saying that would violate confidentiality, but said the denominations' interpretation of the Bible dictates their aversion to vaccines.
More

[msongs]

1. 2000 years of history and tradition continues lol nt

[ZombieHorde]

2. It is a shame that children have to suffer for their delusions.

Congratulations, you found the hidden text!

[Bragi]

45. It's a shame we ALL have to suffer /nt

[hedgehog]

3. While there are various Christian groups that refuse vaccination,

notably the Amish, there are also many others who refuse vaccination for non-religious reasons.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/21/us/21vaccine.html?_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1219802426-B4gW88TSkECK4cXlihjxIQ

http://chetday.com/vaccinerefusal.htm


Calling this out as "Christians...fuel outbreak" is a little inflammatory.

[moobu2]

5. THIS particular mumps outbreak involves a group of Christians

who are interpreting the Bible in a way that is placing the general public (as well as themselves and their children) at un-necessary risk of infectious disease… This story clearly involves christian biblical vaccine objectors. How is publishing the truth of this story inflammatory? There may be other people who object but that's another story.

[hedgehog]

17. Others have responded to this thread gleefully with references

to children as "spawn", with suggestions that this is "thinning the herd", etc. Clearly, the thread is an opportunity to express hatred and contempt for Christians.

[ZombieHorde]

42. Clearly, the thread is an opportunity to express hatred and contempt for Christians.

Isn't this most threads on R/T? And doesn't that religion deserve some shit?

"spawn"

Depending on who this is coming from, it may not be meant as an insult. Many nerds use words like these because they are fun. Though I do not know the true motivation of the poster's choosing this particular word.

"thinning the herd"

Very callous, yet true.

Congratulations, you have found the hidden text!

[Jim__]

18. The outbreak appears to involve more "non-group" people.

Based on:

About half of the 190 confirmed and suspected cases are individuals who have never been immunized, either on religious or philosophical grounds, said Dr. Elizabeth Brodkin.

more than half of the cases are "other-than people" who have never been immunized based on religious grounds.

[Bragi]

46. Hedgehog wrote:

Calling this out as "Christians...fuel outbreak" is a little inflammatory"

Why? It is a Christian group that is allowing their children to be infected with a preventable infectious disease that may well spread to other vulnerable populations within the community.

[madrchsod]

4. thinning the herd.....

[cosmik debris]

6. I'm going to Xpost this in the health scare lounge

I think it is relevant there too.

[Dorian Gray]

23. Definitely relevant there

as it details the dangers of not immunizing children. Outbreaks of diseases that have been almost eradicated from the US and Canada is a real danger when parents choose not to immunize their children.

[JerseygirlCT]

7. What's their religious objection?

I never understand this.

[TechBear_Seattle]

8. Disease is God's punishment

The Bible is very, very clear on this: When God is unhappy, he sends disease and plague. Vaccines seek to countermand God's will, therefore they are inherently sinful. If you do not want to be sick, live in accordance with God's Holy Word.

:eyes:

[JerseygirlCT]

10. Wow. I can't imagine living with such a view of God...

whew. Says a great deal about how they see themselves, doesn't it?

[TechBear_Seattle]

12. This argument has been around since Louis Pasteur established germ theory

Which is, mind you, only a theory. :eyes:

When I was in grade school, the Tucson Unified School District started requiring that children show proof of vaccination in order to attend classes. The Tucson papers carried a number of articles about parents objecting to the requirement on the grounds that the very concept of vaccines was an insult to their religious beliefs. Some where Christian Scientists, who hold that any kind of of medical treatment demonstrates lack of faith in God's alleged healing powers. Some were Talibangelicals who made the exact same argument I offered above.

I just wish people would practice their faith in a way that does not endanger public health.

[JerseygirlCT]

13. And of course, their own children's health

I keep thinking about that story of the man in the flood and the help he turned down from various people - because God was going to save him.

We're given these minds and these tools for a reason!

[TechBear_Seattle]

14. Honestly, I don't give a rat's tail about their spawn

I care deeply about how their getting mumps, rubella, pertussis and other easily preventable diseases affects my family and the families of my friends. If they want their kids to die a horrible disease because of their fanaticism takes precedent, fine by me, as long as they do not take anyone elses kids with them.

[JerseygirlCT]

15. Well, I think about how little choice those children have in the matter

and feel for them.

But I cannot imagine a parent who would willingly endanger their child like that, either. So very far from my experience!

[Dorian Gray]

26. Their children

have no choice in the matter.

And it isn't just religious folks who get the vaccines. I have two friends who aren't religious who have declined getting the vaccines for their children because of the "dangers" of autism. Despite studies showing that it isn't a result of the innoculations, and that mercury is no longer used in the shots.

[Dorian Gray]

25. Exactly

It seems ridiculous to me not to take advantage of modern science in order to prevent illness. There are no ethical objections to vaccinations, so it makes absolutely no sense to me.

[Evoman]

19. Lol...maybe this outbreak should be considered god's punishment for no vaccine!

:rofl:

Isn't it an eye opener when everybody around you is well, but your dumbass group is getting the mumps?

Wake up idiots.

[TechBear_Seattle]

22. Ah, but the other people have Saytan protecting them

Hearken back to the Inquisition: "Tie the accused witch up and throw her into the river. If she drowns, then she was innocent. If she does not drown, it will be because the Devil is protecting her, so pull her out and burn her at the stake."

[Evoman]

37. If satan is protecting you, and God is giving you diseases, then maybe you need to rethink who's

the real bad guy, hehe.

[TechBear_Seattle]

40. Hey, I never said any of it made sense n/t

[Igel]

44. Sometimes, that's the claim.

Sometime's it's a trial, to test you. Job. Sometimes it serves other purposes, they'd say--train, keep humble, etc.. Paul. Sometimes it's earned, and is less punishment than wages. Some OT king is often cited, I can't remember his name. But punishment also counts at times. And sometimes it's random: Those killed at the pool of Siloam were no more righteous or unrighteous than others, they'd cite Jesus as saying, missing part of the point. (We can't really know, unless we're prophets.)


When they can use a claim to assert group boundaries, they might do so; see my previous two sentences. But otherwise the canonical formula accepted by many, even those that aren't into "faith healing" of any kind, is that Jesus' blood was for redemption, his body broken for our healing. Add in a commitment to rely on Jesus/God, and circumventing the trials/wages/etc. looks like an act of bad faith.

I've also heard evangelicals eschew drugs because of a Bible-bit were plants are said to be for balms and healing. These went to naturopaths.

In some cases, they cite dietary restrictions. Don't eat pig, don't have pig-based things injected into you. Last summer I was hospitalized. They asked if I had any kind of restrictions. "No amoxicillin, no pork or pork products." Dinner was ok; breakfast was bacon- and sausage-soaked food. Lunch was built around a porkchop. They asked why I wasn't eating and gave me a hard time, like I was trying to starve myself; there *were* other menu options, they just couldn't be bothered to have informed the kitchen so it was my fault. Then I found out the heparin they were giving me was made from pigs. And the Lovenox they prescribed as a condition of early discharge was made from pigs. "Respect" and "understanding" is *not* something I would give the nurses or doctors at the hospital; it was not a
Jew-friendly place. Fortunately I had no infection, otherwise they'd probably have given me amoxicillin. :-)

In some cases, the folk cite health issues. In this they sound like the secular anti-vaccination folk here, using the same sources.

[Bragi]

47. Wow

That s just too perfect. A breathtaking act of passionate self enclosure. I gotta think about that.

[Dorian Gray]

9. I know that people

worry that the vaccines are responsible for autism, and many people have been not getting the immunizations against mumps, measles and rubella. (I actually had the rubella vaccine just yesterday, as I'm trying to get pregnant and learned from my blood work that I am not immune.) My doctor and I were talking about it, saying that the numbers of people refusing to immunize their children is leading to the numbers of these diseases increasing every year, and she feared that in twenty years there would be a huge epidemic.

I think some people are claiming "religious" grounds against obtaining the vaccine so that they can skirt around the public school issue of not allowing their children to attend without the necessary vaccines. (For most, I don't believe that it is actually a religious issue, but rather a misguided stance against the vaccines.)

[JerseygirlCT]

11. I suspect you're right

Selfish people... and then their kids go to school with those of the rest of us, and get sick.

[Dorian Gray]

27. And...

it's also dangerous for people like me. I got the MMR vaccine when I was young, but for some reason the R didn't stick. What if I DID get pregnant and then got rubella because on of my friends kids wasn't vaccinated? I wouldn't have known that I wasn't immune, and getting Rubella when pregnant is really dangerous for the fetus.

That's relating it on a personal level for myself, and it actually makes me angry that people are not getting their children vaccinated.

My kids, when and if I have them, are all getting vaccines when they are age appropriate.

[Warpy]

16. Wait until the patriarchs catch it from the kids

and are sterilized. Those fundies will reverse their antivax stand so fast it'll give them all whiplash.

[Evoman]

20. Religion can make people do stupid things? Say it ain't so Moobu, say it ain't so.

[Sanctified]

21. And this is a problem because?

They got the mumps, they are not spreading some terminal disease. And all the people who were immunized are safe so I fail to see a problem.

[TZ]

24. This is an example of how religion can hurt large amounts of groups

A better example would be polio..Its not a problem HERE but in Africa, where Islamic leaders have told their followers that the vaccine is a plot to sterilze Muslims by GWB..Well, now Polio (which is lethal AND crippling) is a big problem in Africa.
Also, what if it wasn't "just mumps". What if it was highly contageous and fatal bird flu? Or small pox? And sometimes adults who were last vaccinated as children aren't 100% safe if the disease crops up again.
So no, when it comes to herd immunity and vaccines, live and let live does NOT work.

[Sanctified]

29. It's not bird flu or small pox, it's the mumps.

I don't believe anyone should be forced to get vaccinated, especially if it goes against their beliefs.

[Evoman]

30. Yeah, but what other vaccines are they not getting?

Humanity has a shot at eradicating these diseases. A real shot of wiping diseases out completely...maybe even before some of them mutate and we can no longer do it effectively.

But like everything else in the world, things like religion and other ridiculous belief systems prevent us from doing it. It's frustrating to say the least.

Should we force them? No, probably not (unless the disease is really dangerous). I just wish that they weren't so fucking stupid.

[TZ]

31. And if it was POLIO like in Africa

would you say the same thing? Polio/Small Pox are dead in N.America because of MANDATORY vaccination. When it comes to the health of large populations, sometimes the individuals rights are less important.

[Sanctified]

32. They also have a flu vaccine should everyone get it?

It's the mumps, it's not terminal.

[TZ]

33. Just because its a common childhood disease

doesn't mean its not dangerous, particularly for adults. Mumps, like measles, chickenpox and rhubella can all be dangerous. Don't down play it. All these diseases have the potential to harm, especially in the very young and very old.
And yes, I would prefer more to get influenza vaccine. Influenza is a proven killer as well, esp. of the young and old.

[Sanctified]

34. I never recieved the MMR vaccine and I am fine.

My issue is that I have a severe allergy to egg so I can not get the MMR or a flu vaccine, but since I get a pass I think anyone should be able to get a pass.

[SidDithers]

35. Well, that settles it, then...

MiltonF never had the MMR and is fine. Obviously, based upon that empirical evidence, nobody needs to be vaccinated.

Sid

[cosmik debris]

36. I feel better already! n/t

[TZ]

41. And my sister who CAN'T be vaccinated

because of her Lupus, thanks you and the rest of the self centered idiots who get her SICK with infectious diseases. Ever hear of Typhoid Mary?

[ZombieHorde]

51. You have not recieved the vaccine for medical reasons.

They are not receiving the vaccine because their imaginary friend would freak out and completely over react.

[knitter4democracy]

43. Mumps can make a boy infertile for the rest of his life.

Was really common before the vaccine. You don't know if a boy is infertile from it until years later. The MMR protects against measles, mumps, and rubella. Rubella can kill a preggers mama or at least make her lose the baby, so that's a serious one for the girls, and mumps is a serious one for the boys.

Then there are the babies who die from it if they get it too young (and we don't vaccinate until at least a year old with this one).

I'm no huge fan of the shots myself (my kids had horrible reactions as babies, so we have spaced them out and now have them mostly caught up), but even I, someone who is fairly against the shots, made sure my kids got the MMR, though a bit later than the one year recommendation when my kids were able to tolerate it better.

[Dorian Gray]

28. Because babies

don't get immunized until they are one, and it can be extraordinarily dangerous for an infant to get the disease.

[pokerfan]

38. Vaccines are the devil!

If you want to save your child from polio, you can pray or you can inoculate. -- Carl Sagan

[beam me up scottie]

39. Excellent choice of quotes!

:thumbsup:

[Realityhack]

48. Yay natural selection? n/t

[moobu2]

49. Outbreak traced to Chilliwack sect

CHILLIWACK -- A growing outbreak of the mumps has been traced to a single original case in a Chilliwack religious group that is opposed to vaccination.

It's believed visitors from Alberta brought the mumps to Chilliwack, infecting a "community with low immunization rates," the Fraser Health Authority said yesterday.

Since February, 190 people have been infected with the virus.

<snip>

The outbreak has led to meningitis, deafness and concerns about sterility in a number of people.
More

[Adarlene]

50. I live in Chilliwack

those who refuse the vaccination are all Dutch Mennonites.