Dear Anti Vax Mom,
I am a mom of two young children. I spend too much time on Facebook. I am also a college English instructor teaching primarily the first and second semester English classes. My classes focus mostly on argumentative writing. Sometimes these three aspects of my life collide in the most beautiful way.
Recently, I saw your comment on a post about why you will never give your child a flu shot. You were commenting on my friend’s post as she was explaining how vaccinating your child, and your entire family can help protect those who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons. The original post was written by a nurse named Amanda Catherine Bitz and shared extensively via Facebook.
My friend’s daughter has a rare lung disease called Primary Ciliary Dyskensia (PCD), and the flu could be very dangerous for her. We have a nephew with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) which is a version of Muscular Dystrophy, so we also recognize how dangerous the flu could be for him. My kids received their flu shot in September as they have every year since they were able.
I saw your erroneous claims that you shared as reasons for why people should not vaccinate their children. I immediately reacted in a false sense of fear that you created about vaccine safety. I briefly questioned my medically backed reasons for making sure that my children are vaccinated. I worried temporarily that I may have made the wrong decision vaccinating my children. I read the research that you shared which did not speak at all to the many frightening claims that you were making regarding vaccines, their safety, and long term side effects.
You repeatedly told me, and the other Facebook post’s readers, that it was important for me to read the medical insert from the link that you shared which I did, twice. When I acknowledged your false claims and pointed out better research from more credible sources, you did not respond to me or acknowledge me at all. I wondered if you had more applicable research that you wanted to share, but you never did.
This Facebook debate was the most perfect example of an argument analysis which was what I was teaching my college students at the time. So after our strange discussion about the “dangers” of the flu vaccine, I created an assignment for 100 college students encouraging them to research a few things so that we could specifically analyze your argument about the risks associated with the flu vaccine. We criticized the quality and credibility of your sources. We analyzed how well your claims were supported by the research you provided.
Thank you for creating an opportunity for me to share a real-world example of how to apply classroom lessons to the current discussion about vaccine safety that is so important for our community. Herd Immunity is vital to protecting the health of the medically compromised both young and old. On a regular day in class, I cannot come up with a real reason to make students research vaccine safety, until you shared your nonsense. So thank you.
My 100 students researched whether or not the flu shot sheds, it does not. The article “Understanding Live Vaccines and Vaccine Health” by Vincent Iannelli, MD a board-certified pediatrician for more than 20 years and a fellow for the American Academy of Pediatrics, stated: “Fortunately, vaccine shedding is not usually a problem because: Most vaccines are not live and don't shed, including DTaP, Tdap, flu shots, Hib, hepatitis A and B, Prevnar, IPV, and the HPV and meningococcal vaccines. Transmission of the live, nasal spray flu vaccine has not occurred when evaluated in several settings, including people with HIV infection, children getting chemotherapy, and immunocompromised people in health-care settings.” You cannot contract the flu by being around someone recently vaccinated.
My 100 students researched the effectiveness of a flu shot as compared to the nasal spray and how important it is to get your flu shot early. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, this year, they are saying parents may choose from the flu shot or nasal spray, but you should follow the recommendations of your pediatrician. The nasal spray has been deemed more effective this year than in previous years.
My 100 students researched and disputed your claim that St. Jude’s and other hospitals will not allow you into the hospital if you had recently received a flu vaccine. In fact, St. Jude’s vaccine policy is pretty specific and entirely encouraging of receiving flu vaccines to offer protections to those who are unable to be vaccinated. It is safer for immunocompromised individuals to be exposed to people who have been recently vaccinated than to be exposed to a person who has the flu or another illness which could have been prevented by a vaccine.
So, Anti Vax Mom, please stop sharing your fear on Facebook. Please listen to your doctor and other medical professionals about the safety net that these vaccines provide both for your children and the countless other members of our community who are unable to receive these important vaccinations due to age, allergies, chemotherapy, etc.
Oh, and Anti Vax Mom, thank you for the opportunity to encourage my 100 students this semester to become critical thinkers, to analyze the research they are given to support potentially false claims, to doubt the nonsense they read on social media, and to above all think for themselves.
In the winter of 2017 to 2018, 80,000 people died from the flu including 180 babies. Most of those flu deaths were people over the age of 65. Herd immunity is so important to providing protection to those individuals with weakened immune systems were contracting the flu can truly be life or death. Please consider protecting your neighbor with a child too young to be vaccinated, your coworker who cannot afford to use a sick day, and those who are unable to be vaccinated for medical reasons by ensuring that all members of your family receive a flu vaccine and stay home from work and school when you are sick.
Sincerely,
A mom of vaccinated kids.
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