Vaccines work why anti-vax is harmful Little O Nutrition

Following on from last weeks MondayMoan discussing why food IS NOT medicine this week Im talking about the anti-vax movement and why it is so dangerous. The anti-vax movement hasnt been around too long and I think that it really took off after the Andrew Wakefield fiasco. Wakefield and his research colleagues carried out research on a group of children to see whether there were any links between vaccinations and disease- in particular focusing on autism and autoimmune conditions. Ultimately there were NO links found but Wakefield falsified results to make the claim that vaccines cause autism! These fake results were used to write a paper which was published but was quickly retracted when one of the other researchers admitted it wasnt factual. Wakefield went to court over the fake results and lost his medical licence. And although we know his results were fake many people jumped up to support him and his lies. Frustratingly the scientific community is still carrying out research to prove the vaccines dont cause autism or any other conditions even though there was never a link to start with!! And I find it so wild that despite all the evidence in support of vaccines some people choose to believe a man who made up a lie to get his research published rather than the undeniable truth - VACCINES WORK! Why am I so passionate about this topic? I am super interested in the MMR vaccine and all the myths that surround it. We had almost eradicated measles and now outbreaks are increasing every year. Misinformation on vaccines is harming health! The anti-vax movement promotes fear around modern medicine- it tells followers not to trust medical professionals that they are all being paid off by big pharma and that we will be fine without vaccines bc theyre just a con. But please never forget that PEOPLE ARE STILL DYING FROM MEASLES. Would you seriously rather risk death than being vaccinated with a vaccine that has been proven to be highly effective and given to millions of people already?? The other important thing to remember is that it isnt just your own health that is at risk if you dont vaccinate. It affects others around you too. We are always aiming for herd immunity- once a certain of the population is vaccinated everyone is protected from a disease. For herd immunity we need upwards of 95 of those eligible to be vaccinated. Remember that some people cannot be vaccinated- those who are too young those undergoing certain treatments and those with certain illnessdiseases. By not getting vaccinated you are increasing risk to those vulnerable in our society too. The anti-vax movement is pushing against something we know prevents disease and prevents premature death in our most vulnerable citizens. Pushing against vaccines seems so crazy when you think of it like that! Anyway you can tell that this is something I get wound up about so feel free to share your thoughts and experiences with me in the comments. Got any questions of queries? Drop an email to littleonutritiongmail.com and come connect with me on social media littleonutrition. Lots of love Little O x,

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