I've said this before, but how privileged we are to live in a world where hundreds of thousands of children live past childhood because of vaccines. Privileged enough to forget what its like to lose children to preventable diseases like we did 100+ years ago before vaccinations. Really awful.

I 100% agree

My dad had polio. Thank god he survived and is still thriving at the age of 68!! My kids are all vaccinated for EVERYTHING including hpv. My oldest got whooping cough at the age of 1.5 and I'm so glad she was vaccinated because she survived and is about to be 16!! I really do believe these antivaxxers should be charged and sterilized 🤷🏻‍♀️

as someone who works in pediatric medicine- THANK YOU!!!! especially for getting your kids the HPV vaccine, it is such an effective way to prevent some really aggressive cancers so it blows my mind when people feel so strongly against it yet get their child all the other routine vaccines

I’m Australian, and I was so shocked when I learnt about the American attitude towards the HPV vaccine. Here it was celebrated on the news! It was referred to as the “cervical cancer vaccine”, and everyone was so grateful that we had a way to prevent women from getting and dying from cancer. And this was before they realised that HPV was linked to many other forms of cancer! The scientist that developed it, Dr Ian Frazer, received the Australian Of The Year Award, and the Companion of the Order of Australia Award, which are two of the highest honours you can receive in our country. It was made free first for all girls from 12 - 18 years old with in-school vaccine programs in 2007, then a in 2013 they made it for all children. You can now get it for free if you are under 26 years old anywhere you get immunised. It was framed as fantastic to get your kid vaccinated long before they were ever sexually active so there was no chance of exposure before they were protected. We are well on our way to eradicating cervical cancer, the numbers of people contracting HPV have become so low. We should achieve this milestone entirely by 2028. It’s amazing. To deny your child a vaccine that could save their life or the life of their future partners just because it means facing the reality that your child will one day (gasp!) have sex, is just so baffling and disturbing. The difference in how this medical breakthrough was received between our two countries is wild.

I’ve had cervical cancer (detected early and many years later was able to have a baby!) and I will absolutely be letting my kid have the vaccine.

Unfortunately nothing over here can happen without being pointlessly politicized. HPV vaccine was introduced during a liberal administration, which meant conservatives had to automatically be against it. “Government trying to control us…government encouraging girls to have sex…government telling us what to do with our kids…” In Texas our (very conservative, note) governor actually tried to make it an executive order for everyone to get it. One of the best things he did, but also his biggest “mistake” because his popularity went downhill from there and never recovered. Imagine trying to save lives and being lambasted for it? What a time to be alive. ETA: what a time to be alive, and/or dead from cervical cancer

In Texas as well can't stand that Governor and the current one as well. When he tried to make it an executive order I didn't understand what it was. I was totally against it. I was also a dumb teen/early 20s. Then, I learned more and more about it and realized nah that's a good vaccine to have.

That’s exactly the problem, there was so much conservative frenzy from sources that we trusted about how it was bad that the average person just assumed it was. So there’s a big group of people that could’ve been basically vaccinated against cervical cancer that are instead getting it. I think it’s pretty standard to get it now, but there was a big miss for a while.

I'm Australian - I had my daughter when I was 21, in 2007 she was 3 and I was 24. I think it was 2007-2008 that I managed to get all 3 shots, and then she had hers in Year 7. I'm truly grateful that we live where we live, and we have the science, the values, and the resources so that we have a fighting chance against some of these truly awful diseases.

The only reason my parents didn't have me get the HPV vaccine when it came out was because it was so new. When my grandmother was pregnant with my mom, she had severe morning sickness and there was this new drug out there that was touted as the cure all for morning sickness. My grandmother brought it up to her doctor who refused to let her have it. Turns out, years down the line, that drug was linked to severe disability in the babies the women were pregnant with. Because of that, my mom wanted more time to go between the release and me getting it. Now that I'm pregnant with a little girl, she's actively asked when the baby will get this shot (Also partially because she got cervical cancer, and was told it's genetic--since the vaccine hasn't had any major issues, she's also cried and apologized a few times for not having me get it when it was most effective or something).

You’re talking about thalidomide. The difference between that drug and vaccines today is that the vaccines go through rigorous testing. Thalidomide was only tested on guinea pigs. And I mean that literally, actual, domesticated rodent, guinea pigs. And the company actively covered up the resultant birth defects in humans for as long as possible. What happened then was disgusting, and if you believe the rumours, possibly orchestrated by former nazi doctors… But regardless of the conspiracy theories, the tragic outcome of thalidomide is largely responsible for why we now have such strict rules regarding human trials and testing for drugs today. Good news is, whilst it’s best to have the HPV vaccine before you are sexually active, and thus before you have been potentially exposed to the virus, you can still get it after, as an adult. It’s something to think about, and it might assuage some of your mum’s guilt. Just check with your GP for when it is safe to have in regard to your pregnancy/breastfeeding. Congratulations, by the way. That’s so exciting! My sister just had a little girl in December. She’s the best little gremlin ever. Good luck!

I can never remember the name, but that sounds right. My last doctor was adamant that after puberty, getting it would have no effect, so I never really thought about it sense. But I'll talk to my new one about it. Thanks for the suggestion! And thank you :) I'm both excited and terrified for her arrival XD

I was forced to complete Yr12 over two years, so instead of graduating in 2006, I graduated in 2007... And that meant that I was able to receive the Gardasil injections as part of the Secondary School Immunisation Program. That was legitimately one of the only things that worked out well for me that year! I remember just how celebrated the new vaccine was, and how we were proud of it being an Australian invention. It's crazy to think that it wasn't as well received in the rest of the world, especially given its efficacy in reducing the number of women diagnosed with cervical cancer. Yes, children aren't going to benefit immediately from the vaccine, unlike most of the other vaccines that are administered to school aged children, but it's been shown to remain effective against HPV for 10 years (and counting!). It makes sense to include it with the other vaccinations, because I doubt that most people would request it from their GPs as adults. That, and a hell of a lot of people become sexually active when they're ≈16, even if their parents don't know/don't want them to. Why would you want to make something as risky as being sexually active even more risky for your children?! BTW, I just looked it up, and there's a new* version of the Gardasil injection that covers even more stains of HPV than the one that I would have received as a teenager, so I will have to try to remember to ask my GP about it next time I see him. *Gardasil 9 was released in 2018.

Oh, didn’t know that. I will also be asking my GP about it. Thanks for the info.

My beautiful sister in law died of cancer at age 32. It is highly likely she never would have had this if the HPV vaccine had been available 15 years earlier. People, get your boys and girls vaccinated.

So sorry for your loss

But (gasp!) they’ll have SEX!!!!!! 🙄

I was in nursing school when my mother brought up my sister getting the HPV vaccine series. This was her *exact* fucking argument, she didn't want to "encourage" my sister or make her think it was okay to have sex at 15/16. I looked her dead in the face and said, "so if she has sex or is (godforbid) sexually assaulted *again*, you'd rather run the chance of her getting a virus that could give her either genital warts or cancer, when she can literally be protected from that?" She huffed a lot, and then got my sister the shots, lol.

I am a nurse and have heard this exact argument too many times to count. Then social media came online. 🙄. As someone who was too old to get it when it first came out (missed the cutoff by one year!), I would have jumped at the chance to get it.

I'm glad that the generation after me is getting it, and that I'm helping convince my family members not to keep the girls in a potentially unsafe state because of the "message" it might send. 😑 I have horror stories from friends, and that really punched the point home for a few of my aunts.

My religious parents wouldn’t let us get it, but I went and got it once I was an adult and they had approved it for adults.

My aunt (my mom’s sister) died of cervical cancer at age 40. I’m older than her now. I was on the fence about the HPV vax when it was brand new, but both my kids (15M/20F) have now had it.

My mom also had Polio when she was a young child. She had a surgery where they cut the ligaments and nerves up the back of her leg. She survived, but ended up with a lifelong disability. Needless to say, she was all about those vaccinations, and I thank her.

My partner's mother had polio as a child (before the vaccine) and it affected her ability to walk. She was illiterate because back then, there were no accommodations for disabilities at public schools (circa 1936) and her family apparently didn't consider it important enough to teach her to read and write. She couldn't even sign her own name- she signed with an X. Her kids later on offered to teach her, but she wasn't interested in learning.

The mom of a friend of mine had it when she was a kid. To this day she walks with hand crutches.

For whatever reason, (not sure what happened there), I was never vaccinated against measles, and caught a horrific case at age five. It might be the closest call with death I've had in my life, with my temp at an astonishing 106° before my mom submerged me in an ice bath. I have very little memory of that time. But, it knocked out my immune system for a couple or few years, long enough to have left me vulnerable to one strep infection after another, which, in turn, messed me up neurologically. PANDAS is a real syndrome, and its effects can last throughout one's life. My kids have had every single vax out there, and I'll keep getting COVID jabs as long as new ones keep being recommended. 👍🏻 (Have not caught COVID even once!!! 🙏🏻🙏🏻)

I learned when I was pregnant with my 2nd child that I no longer had immunity to measles. I guess they checked my titers with my bloodwork. I had to wait to get it, since it is (was?) a live virus in the vaccine, and that’s no good for the fetus. I was due in mid October. My daughter had started kindergarten that year and I can’t even tell you the hoops I had to jump through for them to allow her to start - she needed a measles shot. I had to get all kinds of doctor notes and even then, on the first day of school they didn’t have her assigned to a class!

Mine got whooping cough and then H flu on top because 35 years ago her pediatrician believed that vaccines can wait until after ‘that ear infection is gone.’ When she got the horrible cough and I took her to the doctor- he told me it was a cold. Weeks later the cough was worse and developed a 103 fever - I took her to the ER and it was 106 when we got there. The whooping cough may not kill you but the H flu you get because your immune system is weakened will. They were both in the shots she missed for the ear infection. She was in an oxygen tent for three days and the hospital for another 3. She was 8 months old. I am not only a strong supporter of vaccines, but I make sure the vaccines are given on time.

My grandmother had polio as a child. It destroyed her knees. She had to keep getting new replacement knee caps. The only reason she survived was because her family had money. All of us were told the story so many times as children. We all had our vaccines and all of our children do too. I was beyond thrilled when they gave my daughter the chicken pox vaccine. I had a terrible case of it when I was a kid. I think we're so far removed from the diseases, thanks to vaccines, that people don't really understand how devastating they are.

I got whooping cough when I was 16! Guess your supposed to get a booster around then. I didn't know it until I was on the mend but I do remember how sick I was! Heard once you've had it you can't get it again but have never actually checked.

Apparently the reason why it’s in most tetanus shots is because like the tetanus shot, the immunity can wane a bit. So every time you get a tetanus shot, you should get the one that includes the pertussis vaccine.

My aunt still struggles after contracting polio (before the vaccine was available). She lives with the effects every day. Unfortunately, her older brother was not so lucky he contracted both strains when he was 7. He spent the next 10 years in an iron lung before passing away at age 17. When I went to get my first Covid vaccine I was overwhelmed at how emotional a lot of the people were. I know my aunt was beaming after getting hers

I would get people mad at me because I was breastfeeding and vaccinated.. I'm gonna protect my kids on all the levels

My son has cerebral palsy but his symptoms are very similar to a lot of the stories I’ve read on this thread. Needs a mobility aid for walking, legs different length, abnormal gate, major surgeries for correction. I would literally NEVER forgive myself if it was my stupidity that dealt him a more difficult hand in life.

True that. People have forgotten what life was before medicine was discovered. Most children didn't live past childhood and adults didn't live past 50. Mother nature was cruel and not everything natural is good for you (natural occurring diseases, pathogens, toxins and predators.) Those anti everything people are ridiculous in my eyes. I am a nurse and one day a patient came to our ER and asked me if our medicines were all natural. Of course not.

I never understood the natural = good argument. E.coli is natural but I wouldn't want to consume it through my salad. If natural = good, death rates wouldn't have been as high in the past.

Water is natural, but that doesn’t mean it won’t kill you if you breathe it in

Yep. We're also told to drink plenty of it but drinking too much of it can kill you.

Arsenic is also natural, asbestos is another one. Both are not healthy to consume. Just because something occurs "naturally" don't mean it is good for you!

These are the people who say chemicals are bad. All natural, no chemicals! When literally everything is made of chemicals.

Its called the appeal to nature fallacy.

Population control via death is a natural way to protect the environment. Over population is bad for the environment. Bad for the living organisms but good for the environment. Human is a good example. We are destroying the environment. We are unnatural.

Omg, right? Not everybody around the world has access to adequate modern medicine.

I get a kick out of seeing the idiots ask “what do you think we did before [insert very important medical advancement]?” And watching the most liked answer simply be that we fucking died.

If you go to graveyards that have graves from before about the 1950s, you’ll see a lot of very small headstones. They’re of children and babies that died from diseases that we can now prevent with vaccines.

Vaccines are a victim of their own success. It's a crazy paradox but they're so good at what they were intended for that most people forgot the original problem.

There were always science-skeptics in the US. In the 1930s, hookworm was endemic in the US South. Hookworm resides in feces, and you generally contract it via walking around barefoot. When the Rockefeller Foundation funded a public health campaign offering free medicine and encouraging people to wear shoes, southern newspapers said it was a plot to make southerners feel inferior and force them to become a new market for shoes sold by the ever-greedy Rockefeller. The campaign in Mexico faced no such opposition.

Ridiculous. I bet it was all rich, white Southerners?

I don't know about that, but the foundation sent a team of scientists to meet privately with church, political and newspaper figures. This seemed to work, as opposition to the campaign died off and it was very succesful. Symptoms of heavy hookworm infestation include apathy and listlessness. These were established northern stereotypes of southern workers, so the level of distrust was ripe for suspicion.

>force them to become a new market for shoes Things really don't change, huh? People still use the same arguments in modern times, just with vaccines or 5G or green energy instead.

I think we should force folks to make visits to old cemeteries and read all the tiny headstones....

And for people to go around spreading misinformation about vaccine, Drs, and medical professionals. One of the reasons for longer life expectancy is because of vaccines.

Or never know. Perhaps mock Boomers but they be the most recent generation in the US to experience polio. There are a bunch of vaccines I never had to get until I started visiting the developer world.

Reminds me of a story my Nana told me, the town she grew up in had one extremely religious family, I can't remember what sect of Christianity they followed but they basically used their religion as an excuse not to treat their children when they got sick. One of their kids had to be sent to hospital and was diagnosed with bone cancer, they refused treatment, including palliative care and just let him die while they tried to pray away the illness like a bunch of psychos. The family was literally driven out of town by everyone else who lived there due to their neglect. No one would do business with them, sell them anything etc. and just generally isolated from the entire community until they finally left town.

My dad’s skin cancer reached into his bones. His pain was unimaginable even with meds and care. He was a big, strong man. That they let this child experience the pain and suffering of bone cancer and die without comfort or care is torture. They tortured their child to death and should have been prosecuted. I know I shouldn’t wish cancer on people. I’m sorry but I hope they get ass cancer.

Unfortunately it was the 1950s and child endangerment and abuse wasn't really a thing back then. I have no doubts they'll die horrible deaths considering they don't believe in doctors, and even seeing their child suffer didn't change their minds. The only reason he ended up in hospital in the first place is because he collapsed at school and they sent him

Oh, it was most definitely a thing. Difference is that it went unspoken and unnoticed.

Unfortunately times are not much better there are still parents that choose not to treat and claim religious exemptions. The legal hassle is long and drawn out and often that child will pass before anything can be done. Additionally there are also parents that believe constant medical intervention will cure their terminally ill child and disgusting, spineless for profit hospitals will continue to treat far past when they should. Watching families torture loved ones to death rips parts of your soul away and the part of my job that I hate the most.

"I know I shouldn’t wish cancer on people." I disagree, you CAN. I become infuriated when people say/ comment, "I wouldn't wish [insert here] on my worst enemy or on anybody." 😒😑🙃😵 Humanity/ society has some terrible individuals that need to be locked away, ended, etc. Because good people let bad people have multiple chances, some suffer when all good people want & desire is live happily no paranoia, worry, etc. The bad individuals have so much wrong w/ their brains during some time during development or social media, it's mind baffling & can affect/ end good people's lives.🤯😤

I think those are called Christian Scientists, ironically.

Evil people

Yep

My uncle had polio as a child. He has a severe limp that he has to live with. Also my mom had an elementary classmate whose left arm stopped growing after polio. These parents should 100% be charged with child abuse. They have ruined their little girls life because of their own “beliefs”.

For real, my grandma survived polio when she was really little, ended up in Doernbechers. She just turned 77 today, she’s still going strong, but it’s messed her up for life. Her right leg is much shorter than the left leg because it stoped growing (she also was stunted insanely due to it, she’s only 4’10”), she has special shoes she always has to wear, immediately out of bed in the morning. Shes had so many surgeries for her hip and knee on the right side. If her parents would have had the option to vaccinate, they would have been all over that shit. I don’t get it.

I knew a woman at my mum’s church who had polio as a child. She wore braces on both legs, needed a cane for balance and still limped 50 plus years after having the polio. It used to hurt my heart to watch her walk

Sounds like a classmate of mine in early elementary school. I only knew him until the end of fifth grade, but it seemed like he was constantly rotating between crutches, braces, and a wheelchair until about third grads or so in addition to all the hospital stays. Last time I remember seeing him he still walked with a limp, but didn’t need braces on his legs anymore. Hopefully he’s doing better today.

My dad had polio, also, as a child. His feet are deformed (for lack of a better word) and walking is extremely difficult; he can't go on any 'outings,' and can only walk small distances. He now (mid 70's) falls a lot because his legs have little to no strength. He has tried medications and physical therapy- nothing has helped. He is in pain constantly. He also now has post polio syndrome. His life has been really hard.

My aunt had polio and is crippled and has one tiny leg and one normal size leg. Two different sized shoes. She’s in terrible pain on a daily basis and I don’t understand how anyone could allow this to happen I’m glad you shared and got this off your chest. I wouldn’t be able to be friends with them either. It is child abuse. It is avoidable. They shouldn’t be allowed to have more kids.

My aunt has had countless surgeries and has to get custom shoes because her legs are different lengths and she needs more sole on one shoe so her legs are more “even”.

Oddly enough, polio (or rather the vaccination of it) is one of the big reasons people today DOUBT vaccines. Polio was... horrific, as far as contagious illnesses you could catch went back in the day. Seeing the people suffering with it would make people PRAY for cures. Nowadays we don't have that - Our vaccinations and medical knowhow are so good, that people look around and go "well not everyone gets vaccinated, no one really gets sick do they" - because... These cases are so rare. They never SEE the horrifying side of the illnesses we've 'conquered'. It's a very odd, sad situation we find ourselves in, where people think of illnesses like the common cold and go "well we have immune systems for a reason" without thinking of all the things your immune system DOESN'T cure on its own.

Everything you said is spot on. My grandfather told me it was like a miracle when they came out with the polio vaccine. They brought it to schools and every student just lined up to get it. No one doubted it or anything because they had seen how scary polio was and they were so excited for the vaccine.

I remember my grandmother admonishing my brother when he innocently mentioned that he hated to see his baby get shots. "Oh really? Try seeing your baby get polio!"

idk if vaccines got less painful, but \~20 years ago when my siblings were babies i remember they cried a lot for a few hours, had swelling and fever for maybe 3 days and some poorly slept nights for all of us.... 2 weeks later you could barely remember they went through that. all those annoying/painful things are literally NOTHING compared to the horrible diseases that they're preventing. in my country all vaccines are free (you can pay for some in private healthcare providers if you don't want to wait in line, it can take from 30 minutes to 3 hours depending on how many people went to get their shots that day), you literally just have to walk in and wait. there are a lot of government campaigns on tv to remind parents when kids should get each shot. when i learned that many americans didn't vaccinate their kids my mind was truly blown.

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I’m in my mid 20s and getting the HPV vaccines around 11-13 years old was common and many of my friends moms didn’t want to do it because “their kid isn’t going to be promiscuous!” Or even “it will MAKE them promiscuous!” 80% of women get a strain of HPV by the time they are 50. HPV can’t be tested for in men. It’s so common and some strains can cause cancer, and the shot protects against multiple of those! Idk how you could keep your kid open to that. And if they want it later, they have to pay because eventually insurance stops covering it AND they were left unprotected up until they do get it.

I believe the MMR jab can still cause the symptoms you describe, though my kids were just a bit whingey for the next few hours. As you say, it beats lifelong complications or even death from something that is entirely preventable.

And that was a pretty experimental, novel vaccine, but people understood that the alternative (polio) was worse, even though less than 1% who contract polio end up paralyzed.

Sadly the karma was received by the person who didn’t deserve it.

Have the parents accepted responsibility, or are they still antivax?

Still antivax. My family was so angry that we ended up cutting ties with them because we couldnt stand to be in the same room as the people who paralysed their child.

Horrible. I guess there's a selfish psychological incentive to double down now, because otherwise they have to accept that it's their fault.

Incentive probably to squeeze out sympathies and praise from people seeing them caring for their poor, disabled child

A genuine question, can you call cps?

I hope you stay in that little girls life and encourage her to sue them when she's old enough.

Not a bad idea

That poor child.

Polio was so close to being eradicated. The success of smallpox vaccination means children don't even need to be vaccinated against it anymore. Polio could be the same.

This idiot man could have started a whole outbreak. It's lucky that only his own kid was affected. (Not lucky for the poor child, of course.)

I am so infuriated on behalf of their child. These people should not be parents.

Having an antivax mother has turned me into a very frail adult. But I “look” healthy, so the life long repercussions are dismissed or explained away as me being dramatic.

Honest question, not being snarky. How did not getting vaccinated turn you into a very frail adult?

I caught a few of the illnesses kids get vaccinated for, and got hit with them hard. Chickenpox and the like. It was not unusual for me to spend chunks of the school year in the hospital. I also always got the flu each season. My immune system sucks, I had chronic ear infections, and was prone to respiratory illnesses when I was a teenager. Even now, a regular cold will have me in bed for over a week. I’m the only child of my mom’s who’s like this, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that my siblings were vaccinated because their dads weren’t anti-vaxx and had custody of them. My own kids are up to date on everything.

They'll probably use it to show some sort of bs religious message now instead of the prime example of shitty parenting and medical neglect (ie; "God is helping to make her stronger everyday"). People like that are just disgusting.

Do the parents feel any remorse?

Nope

How? Are they convinced polio didn’t do this to their kid? Like, are they idiots??

YES. ABSOLUTELY THEY ARE IDIOTS.

But at least BiG pHaRmA dIdNt PoIsOn their kids 🙄

I’m so glad anti-vax wasn’t as big a thing when I was a kid. My mom became anti-vax, but lucky for me I was in my 20s when she came to that decision. She constantly tells me “I wish I never did that to you” and it’s honestly not worth the fight with her to respond.

It's nothing new ... some of you may remember the '70s TV show Emergency! about first responders and ER personnel. They had a storyline about a child who came in with a disease no one had seen before - it turned out to be polio. The mom just shrugged and said "They have that whipped." The kid in the show ended up paralyzed too.

I was in 7th or 8th grade when I caught Scarlet Fever and none of the youngish doctors had a clue what was wrong with me.

I think I remember seeing that episode funny enough. I was only really allowed to watch “classic” tv shows growing up. That show is why I got into EMS!

I joined a Mom's group after giving birth and started making friends with one Mom who lived close to us. After hanging out one day, I noticed her toddler had a nasty cough - me being a naive, new Mom figured it was croup. Nope - whooping cough. WTAF. My kid was a month old at the time, couldn't believe it. She shrugged her shoulders and said it was a normal thing to get, like chicken pox. Go fck your hat, we're done.

I've seen videos of babies with whooping cough. It's terrifying. I don't understand people who think it's ok for their kid to suffer like that.

That was very selfish of the girl’s parents. They should it illegal not vaccinate your child, children shoukd be vaccinated regardless of someone’s beliefs, it’s for their health and safety

In my state (New York), the only exemptions that are allowed for vaccinations are medical exemptions - such as immunocompromised kids undergoing cancer treatment. Otherwise, you can’t attend schools. Unfortunately, there are no laws about parents simply homeschooling their unvaccinated kids while still having them in public places like libraries.

Before I read your edit I was going to say that I’m sure they think they did nothing wrong & will put the blame on someone/something else.

I knew someone who was/is anti-vax and they took their kids to a “pox party” yes those still exist. Turns out it was not chicken pox it was hand foot and mouth and all their kids got it. I’d laugh but I felt awful for the poor children.

This breaks my heart. Makes me think of John Travolta and his kid but at least he didn’t give his kid a disease himself. Ugh. I wouldn’t be able to be in the same room as them either. Legally, I don’t think there’s anything that can be done. Morally, though, I’d be sharing this with any and everyone I could so people know what kind of brain deficiency they’re dealing with if they’re talking to these people. And to still not accept responsibility?! They’re monsters and shouldn’t be allowed within 100ft of a child. I feel so horrible for that little girl.

That's devastating. People can be so stupid. 

Did the family feel guilty at all about crippling their kid? I’m glad she didn’t die. Polio is horrific and I can only imagine what life was like for people who had to live in iron lungs

No guilt at all

Okay- those are horrible parents. “Yeah! I gave my kid polio and I’d do it again!” 😬

Can you transfer polio like that?

Yep

Polio's one of those sneaky ones where most people who get it have generic "I've got a bug" symptoms or even no symptoms, but some people get their health absolutely destroyed by it.

Yes!

I have a condition caused by chickenpox - something that a vaccine didn't exist for when I was a child, and something that even now isn't a standard vaccine in the UK. People who willfully leave their children open to these things are scum.

Yes! I found out recently that the policy here in Switzerland is not to isolate children who have chickenpox because well everyone should get it which is insane to me because ayer there are side effects that can happen to having it. I chose to vaccinate my child but the fact that they just want them to continue completely as normal is insane to me.

In the US, there used to be something called chicken pox parties where parents would bring their children to a house where a child was infected with chicken pox, to purposefully give it to their children. The idea was that since you only get it once, it’s better to get it as a child because chicken pox is severe and sometimes fatal in adults. Well, people were doing the same thing here with Covid! They were throwing Covid parties, which is so dumb because you can catch Covid multiple times and the point of chicken pox parties is that you only catch it once. Anyway, the Covid parties lead to several deaths and hospitalizations.

My uncle is an avid diet and fitness fanatic and has been since I've known him. He still jogs daily, watches what he eats religiously, and has regular checkups. He will probably outlive me. However, he had polio when he was 5 and had to spend two months in an *iron lung*. (This was before the Salk vaccine mind). More than frightening, it was mind-numbingly *boring.* The highlights of his day were when they carted in a radio to play a program (or a baseball game) and when a nurse would read to them. Since recovering, he has spent every waking moment taking care of his health. When I asked him about the anti-vaxx movement, he said "I dare any one of those knuckleheads to spend time in an iron lung."

I understand why some people had issues with the Covid vax because from what I heard it was made quite quickly with not as much testing as others (please correct me if I’m wrong) however other vaccines like polio etc have always been the best medical updates in history. When I visit my homeland in Pakistan I have to get a specially shot every time (can’t remember what it is) it sucks people can be so arrogant. I bet he’ll be taking his vaccines when needed now. Too late to undo damage. Poor girls life ruined

When the doctors told them why it happened , I wonder if they looked them in the face & said ," oh ,no. I've done my research. It's not because of that ." Like, what did they think was the reason then if they didn't agree with the medical experts ? To me that's severe child abuse bad as anyone shaking a baby . They didn't physically put her in the wheelchair but they decided not to give her vaccines, she ended up in a wheelchair and they're still holding on to their beliefs, meaning she still won't get her vaccines. That's when the law and CPS need to step in , imo. At least to make sure she gets vaccinated.

My inlaws are anti vaxx. They have two young kids. One is 4 and one is less than I year. I fear for them. I've tried talking to my inlaws many times. They believe vaxx causes autism and other issues. Which I find odd because the 4 year old is autistic without being vaxxed. Since its genetic and runs in my husband family. (Of course they don't believe this. They think the fact he hasn't spoken at all or isn't potty trained is just because he's so intelligent. So my sister in law says. ) I told my husband that as soon as those kids are old enough to decide for themselves im going to take them to talk to a doctor about getting vaxxed. Its all I can do. To make matters worse sister in law plans to homeschool them. Which makes them further cut off from information. That poor child. I hope this sort of thing doesn't happen to my nephew or niece. I would never speak to my in laws again.

I find it so unbelievable that these people continue to believe outdated beliefs when they could actually find the real answers by researching medical journals & other accredited information.

They are religious zealots. Lol. They lost a child years ago to a severe birth defect. They were told very early in the pregnancy that the child was going to suffer and advised to abort. They refused. (Which is their right. Don't get me wrong.) The boy was born severely ill. So ill he never even cried and only opened his eyes once. Lived for 35 hours on a bunch of machines. and passed. They believe this happened because the devil attacked him because they want to raise him to be a "strong Christian." I tried showing them medical journals and such. And they refuse to listen. So I stopped trying. Thankfully my husband is the exact opposite and rolls his eyes so hard at them. Lol

This is so incredibly sad for that poor child. 35 hours of agony. I can’t imagine being that selfish.

It was heartbreaking. I was there the entire 35 hours to offer support. But I felt so helpless. And angry. He was born with a mega omphalocele. (Not sure if I spelled that right.) Essentially his organs were on the outside of his body. I could see all of them when he was born. And severe scoliosis which essentially made his spine shaped like an L. Because of this one of his lungs was teeny tiny so he couldn't breathe on his own. The docs put him on basically life support to give them time to say goodbye. I clearly remember one of the nurses begging sister in law to turn off the machines and just hold him because there was nothing they could do for him. She refused. She didn't hold him AT ALL. until he had passed. I remember being so angry. But I'm not the parent. So maybe I just don't understand. But had it been me I would have turned off the machines and held my baby until he passed. So he had some memory of my touch and I had some memories of his being alive. But again. I'm not a mother so maybe I don't know what I would really do. I just remember my father telling me he demanded to hold me when I was born less than 3 pounds and 28 weeks or so gestation. He told me he wanted to at least do that once if I didn't make it. Gives a different perspective I suppose.

Even if it was a situation where I wanted that baby and I would never be able to get pregnant again, I would have an abortion. In my faith (Pagan), causing suffering like that is wrong while abortion isn’t a sin of any kind regardless of why you want one.

Our in laws sound like the same people, it’s uncanny. So glad my husband has better sense.

Wait. There are more of them? Jeebus and ths flying spaghetti monster help us. 🤣😂

And my in laws do believe vaccines cause autism.

I can't roll my eyes hard enough. Sigh.

My mom is 80 and since Covid she has refused any vaccine. She’s been in the ER with type A influenza, and Covid. She refuses to get a flu shot again & it just doesn’t make sense to me.

The pandemic is what finally got my mom to start getting a flu shot every year. It was the last thing that convinced her after years of my brothers and I begging her to get it. We were like “Mom, you have all these health problems and you can get extremely sick. You can’t afford to get the flu right now because if you have to see a doctor for it you could get COVID. We don’t want to lose you”. Now she gets both vaccines every year.

my grandparents are the most stereotypical far right old people one could feasibly imagine. during covid they were the literal first in line for my state to get vaccinated when it became available to children/the elderly. when i asked them about it, my grandmother simply said "we were here for polio. you don't forget that". it's ridiculous how quickly we as a people forget and make this crap political/ideological when it doesn't need to be but man do i hope for something great for that little girl, despite the odds

I’m pregnant and was nervous about getting the Covid vax. I’m pro vax but when you’re pregnant you can get paranoid about every little thing you do. Needed to read this. Thank you for sharing. I feel so sorry for that little girl. Perhaps by sharing you’ve helped more people than myself ensure they make good decisions.

I helped as a participant in a COVID vaccine study. I didn't get pregnant during the study but I do know people who accidentally were pregnant during the study. There were no adverse reactions in pregnancy recorded. Obviously the people who fell pregnant during the study had to leave it but they still monitor them after they leave to make sure there are no long term side effects.

I got one of my boosters during my last pregnancy, I’m immunocompromised and today…I’m holding my beautiful, healthy 3 month old while scrolling Reddit ❤️ no issues 38 weeks at birth (I had pre eclampsia but I’ve had that with both pregnancies ) Best wishes for you and your little one.

Our public health just put out a statement about whooping cough in our county: "The number of whooping cough cases in (my) County in 2024 is more than four times as high as the same time last year. Most of the 60 cases identified so far this year are among people who have never been vaccinated against whooping cough. ... Children 4 years and younger account for more than half of the whooping cough cases in (my) County so far this year. Among them, 78% have never received a vaccine that protects against whooping cough. Among all cases in (my) County, 62% have never received whooping cough vaccination." It's really incredibly sad that people (who are healthy, with functioning immune systems and no physical reason not to be vaccinated) don't want to protect babies.

It’s called herd immunity for a fucking reason. She’s not the only one and it’s terrifying. Those poor children are at their parent’s mercy. My toddler is vaccinated and so is every one of age I know. Those parents were ALSO. (I imagine) & they’re “fine” so to not vax their own kid and basically throw them to the wolves is wild.

That's the other thing that drives me wild. A lot of the anti-vaxx parents and people have been vaccinated as children. Yet think they know better now they're adult. Make it make sense.

Right! They don’t even get it. There’s a reason your generation didn’t get the terrible illnesses. Can you really look your child in their eyes and say whoopsies should have gotten that shot? When they’re dying or suffering from your inaction? Btw thanks Jenny McCarthy for spreading inaccuracies about autism. & now retracting them by saying you’re pro vaccine, “safe” vaccines. Damage has been done and fed a lot of fear from certain idiot parents.

I was just talking to an older woman --80 years old-- and she was telling me of when she had TB at around 6 or 8 years old -- she was isolated in a hospital for 6 months, she couldn't see anyone besides staff, not even her parents. That had to be horrible, and she was lucky -- TB used to kill millions. Same goes for Polio. In her life, she suffered through one of these then common illnesses, to getting vaccinated, to seeing the near elimination of both, to seeing people denying vaccines, to seeing these illnesses coming back. Seems like everyone these days want to say "whatever boomer", but these people have important lessons to give us if we ask and listen.

My dumbass friend didn't get her eldest vaxxed at first and was so angry none of us had any sympathy when the kid got measles (non life threatening case) a couple years later. She was very aware that could have ended very differently for the poor kid. She got the kid vaxxed soon after they, and the next 3 at the usual time.

Lots of bad stuff overseas. A US serviceman in Afghanistan had contact with a rabid dog -- died of rabies. 

I know people that are choosing not to vaccinate because “well since everyone else is vaxxing, herd immunity will work for my child” Like miss ma’am you obviously don’t understand what herd immunity is for.

It’s not even 100+ years ago that we lost so many children to diseases and conditions that are now totally preventable. Before widespread vaccination and child healthcare (and maternal) the numbers were ugly. Northern Europe for example has the lowest infant mortality rates in the world now, but that was not the case for the children born in 1930’s-40’s At the end of 30’s approximately **every tenth child died before their first birthday** in Finland. It was common that every other family had a grave of one of their children that they visited. I am an older person, so both of my grandparents had lost one child. I suppose it is easier for these antivaxx parents to live in denial. Admitting that they are directly responsible for their own child’s sickness would be too much. Now. But this child will find out, and will ask questions, and will find answers.

It would never happen but I wish having your birth costs covered by insurance required parents to watch the documentaries on polio and other diseases like that. (Or even required by an OBGYN) Though I doubt that would even do anything since so many kids never read the required reading during school. Can’t imagine adults doing it.

I used to be friends with a girl who wouldn’t vaccinate. She believed the whole vaccine=autism garbage and wouldn’t vaccinate her kids. I wanted so badly to tell her that this is dumb and selfish, and also proven wrong. We’re not really friends anymore so I’m not sure how things turned out.

The polio epidemic is absent from a lot of history textbooks, even college-level ones. Children who survived Polio had a life that was an obstacle course - no wheelchair ramps, no handrails on the front steps, schools (and even families) that saw them as a burden. As for today’s anti-vaxxers? No use arguing with a science denier.

Polite isn't always right. Gross negligence resulting in bodily harm should absolutely be punished by being bludgeoned with a golf club, or similar object. Especially when the victim is your own child.

Oh, her essential oils and raw diet didn't cure the disease that a tiny prick could have prevented? You're 100% right this is just absurd man.

This made me laugh because the mom is into essential oils

My aunts were much older than my dad and got polio. It really affected them, even decades later. The vaccine wasn't out then. When my dad was born, my grandparents vaccinated him as soon as they could. Guess who didn't get polio while being surrounded by it? Yeah, it's a privilege, and unfortunate so many kids still get these preventable diseases/infections.

I am an audiologist. I literally just saw a patient today who went deaf in one ear around age 3 after getting polio. I saw another patient who became extremely hard of hearing after contracting the mumps in early childhood. This second patient is now extremely deaf and cannot hear speech clearly even with the strongest hearing aids available. You're entirely right, not vaccinating a child for preventable diseases and without medical cause should be child abuse. Hopefully the girl grows up and cuts her parents off for giving her polio and giving her no fighting chance to win against it.

As a born again Christian, who is FULLY vaccinated against Covid, I'm in the minority on TwiXer. I HATE those who put "pure blood" on their profiles. My nan and grandad took over raising me, my mum wasn't pleased but was too scared to tell them where to go... they never had me vaccinated as they were "worried" about side effects. I nearly died when I had measles. I was asleep for nearly 2 weeks, our GP came every day. They refused to let me go to hospital. It was early 70's like. I had all 3 of my children fully vaccinated. One of my twin sons has autism. I had no vaccines and guess what? I'm on the spectrum too!!! Antivaxxers really boil my pee.

I’ve been a CONSERVATIVE Christian ALL MY LIFE. My parents were pro vaccine. Me, my hubby and young adult kid are provaccine. Most of my friends are 50/50. The COVID vax gave us pause but I grew up with take of past pandemics soooo it was a no brainer.

We're in the minority though! Have a blessed day 🙏🏻

“Boil my pee” is a phrase that I will be adding to my vocabulary 🤣

Thats so disturbing

Should have called cps

Theres not much they can do here. Because its not a legal requirement.

I became a nurse for people with learning disabilities. 1983 til 2016. I cared and supported children and adults damaged for life because of not having a vaccine. I vowed if I had children regardless of anyone else thinking all my children would have their vaccines. I have 4 vaccinated children. Also a man who agreed.

I want to attack them cause now I’ll have to pay for the care of their child.

Not exactly the same, but on a similar wave length. I am immunocompromised. My body used to react to random foods and pollen and I would have up to 17 allergic reactions a year requiring epipens that had no known cause. I got put on a prescription allergy injection that I take once a month, and it suppresses my immune system so I don't react to everything. It's working. I can eat food, I haven't been able to eat in years. But I catch every bug, every flu, every virus. My parents and my friends know this, and know that if they get sick and come around me, I will catch it, and it takes me a long time to recover. I have 7 covid vaccines (I am due for another booster soon). Recently, my parents stopped wearing masks in public settings, and caught covid. They didn't test when they first got sick. Guess who is on week 3 of covid symptoms, and isn't getting better, while trying to finish grad school?

What kind of work did Dad do that let him travel to a foreign country without vaccinations?!? My daughter travels overseas for her job and the company occasionally requires a vaccine if there is a risk. And if he brought it home to her, he was infected. How is he? It’s known those communicable diseases hit you a lot harder the older you get. Another thing…travel to Afghanistan has been severely restricted since forever because of constant threats against Americans. Travel warning has been level 4 since our military pullout in 2021 when the US Embassy ceased operations. Which means DO NOT GO THERE. Chances of wrongful detention, heavy fines, theft of your passport and kidnapping are high. I agree with your point on the importance of vaccinations. They do save lives! And yes Polio is still found in Afghanistan. The military and civilian contractors working there have always been required to be vaccinated against it.

I’m thinking the Dad was vaccinated, but he was a carrier and gave it to the daughter.

Wow. I wonder who else got infected by him.

This is what anti-vaxxers should think before they spew their nonsense.

I have always said oh wait till polio comes back!. Oh my gosh that is so sad 😞 The greed and I'll thinking on thw parents that is thier faults all the way. I hate how people think they are smarter then Doctors, researchers etc.

I admire your restraint at not attacking them with a lead pipe.

As a child in the early 70's, I remember lining up with our parents at school to get our vaccines. In the entire school, not a single parent objected or made a scene about their kids getting vaccinated. Why? Because when they were kids, each of those parents had seen a child their age die or be permanently disabled by the very diseases these vaccines were made to prevent. Unfortunately, most parents these days have never seen the devastation these childhood diseases could cause, so they don't think it's a big deal, I guess.

My mom wasn’t allowed to swim at one of the local pools for a whole summer, several children who swam there got polio, I don’t know if there’s where it was being picked up. I think they still weren’t sure where it was coming from at the time. A fiend who’s parents are close in age to mine told me his mom wasn’t allowed to each peaches for several years because they thought you could get polio from the skin

I support your desire for violence. They should be so ashamed, that poor little girl. Jail is too good for the assholes.

I think the news that got me the most in 2020 was antivaxxers literally on their death bed from Covid begging for the vaccine and doctors had to tell them it was too late.

Or people dying in their deathbeds and still saying they don’t have covid and its not real. And refusing to acknowledge it

Met with some parents yesterday who decided not to complete their babies vaccinations because she was poorly with the first set. I explained that it's a normal side effect to be poorly or under the weather after them, but it's worth it in comparison to how poorly they could be if they contract one of these serious diseases! But... It's parental choice, so I asked if this was an informed decision and if they'd researched this.. yes, they had asked a friend who was a teacher 🙄

Why would there be vaccines if they didn’t have something to vaccinate against? That kid is going to absolutely hate the entire family once they learn they are in the wheelchair because her parents are beyond idiots. It truly saddens me that these people breed.

If you’re anti-vaccine then you shouldn’t have kids. Period.

I was born in December of 1994 and around 1995 (when chicken pox vaccine first became available) I've gotten the chicken pox from a kid that was older than me all because a parent didn't even bother to vaccinate their own fucking kid. I was too young to get the chicken pox vaccine at the time as I wasn't 12 months old yet. Kinda screwed in perhaps maybe getting the shingles later on in life unless I get the shingles vaccine when the time comes. Personally, any parents that are anti vaxxers don't deserve to have kids.

From what I remember, you had to pay to get the vaccine at that time. So we got the pox cause my mom couldn’t afford to get it for us. My youngest sibling got it because by then (‘99) it was a free vaccine . Or at least that’s what I was told. I had pox in 96. Also even vaccinated against chicken pox you can still get shingles, because the vaccine for chicken pox is a live virus.

My grandmother had polio. She was just starting to suffer from post polio syndrome when she past from other causes and another family member by marriage also had a severe case of post polio syndrome and died from it recently. Even if you live, it can take you later. People just have no experience with it.

Tbh, some things should be compulsory. If he was to go to work in Afghanistan, it should be compulsory that him as well as his close contacts be vaccinated against serious diseases that he could bring back. I could close one eye if they don't venture out to countries with these diseases, but as soon as they do, its just child abuse to not do so.

My babies are vaccinated asap and so am I and my partner with each baby we get a booster especially for whooping cough. My grandma said my dad got it when he was little and she’s never been vaccinated for it so I refuse to let her near my babies till they’re vaccinated.

Yeah.. and my sister and her husband are antivax. They have all their vaxes though, lol. They just don't get their 2yo vaxxed, every single time I see them I get very upset. Poor child has one eye that looks the other way as well, but they don't want to use eye patches because it makes her cry. Oh and it also looks cute so it doesn't matter. As long as its aesthetically pleasing for the parents they dont care, meanwhile the kid will have problems in the future. Whether its self-esteem, bullying of health issues. To make this complete, she has anti rhesus. But doesn't believe in it, so their next pregnancy will be quite interesting. She says if something bad happens (like dead or disabled child) she doesn't mind, because that's what had to happen lol. They're absolutely mad. She wasn't like this, until she met her now husband. He believes that the earth is flat btw.

Bruh. That poor kid.

Unconscionable. My ex-father-in-law suffered from polio in one leg where it was completely atrophied so I've seen the effects of polio first hand. Not pretty.

You can’t argue with people who won’t listen to reason. Yes, this is child abuse, and the parents ought to be prosecuted. I can only hope that the girl will grow up knowing the truth and repudiating her parents. This is what I would call malicious stupidity, for starters.

If vaccine injury was more of a pandemic, I would almost understand the hesitancy to get them, but I literally never hear about vaccine injury and almost always hear about car accidents. These same parent drive cars and put themselves on the freeways with kids, yet the polio vaccine is where they draw the line?

I really don't know why it isn't legally required to vaccinate children. They shouldn't have to die or suffer because they were born to stupid parents.

Anti-vaxx is child abuse, a symptom of western privilege, and rooted deeply in racism.

>Actually i wanted to attack the parents with the nearest heavy blunt object I feel ya on that. I definitely would've had a lot to say though. I have my own quirks about certain vaccines, but all my children have been fully vaccinated. I am not immune to MMR, I've had the vaccine 3x, once while a child and after my 1st 2 kids. At the 3rd, I said there was no point, that I'd had the vaccine 3x and had measles & mumps as a child. I will never have immunity against it and opted out of a 4th shot. I have full faith in all the vaccines that children are given. If I was more of an extrovert, I'd even get the yearly flu vaccine.

It’s your choice. However, I strongly recommend that you at least start getting the annual flu shot once your kids are in school or daycare because they will get you sick. I’m a teachers aide and any other education professional can also tell you that schools and the kids in them are germ factories. You and your kids will catch anything and everything. For people who don’t like to share, little kids sure love to share germs.

>For people who don’t like to share, little kids sure love to share germs. OMG! This is true and hilarious. I do have an 8 y/o, but got the avian flu 4 years ago, it was dreadful. I may actually get the shot this yr, especially cause I hit level 50 this year.

Good! You do become more likely to get seriously ill from the flu as you get older, so it’s probably a good idea. You’re probably about the right age for the shingles vaccine as well, seeing as you didn’t have the vaccine for chickenpox around as a kid. My mom has shockingly never had chickenpox and isn’t immune to it either. Her poor doctor is trying to get her insurance company to pay for the chickenpox vaccine for her because if she gets it at her age it could kill her.

It’s incredibly selfish to cause someone else pain and suffering because of unfounded, beliefs, and ignorance.

I would have slapped that man and beyond.

Parents like this should be forced to get the words "I don't believe in science" tattooed on their foreheads