Measles outbreak in Quebec was the predictable result of anti-vaxxer arrogance
When will we learn?
For months now, doctors, nurses, public health officials, -people of science- have been warning us that we are rolling the dice.
By we, I mean we as a culture. A culture that, unfortunately, includes people that simply will not listen to common sense when it comes to one of the greatest victories in the history of public health policy: vaccines.
Reports are that all or most of the people who contracted the disease were not vaccinated, but that doesn’t matter to the dangerous anti-vaccination crowd. It doesn’t matter because they will, inevitably, find one person who was vaccinated and hold that up as a shining example that their beliefs have been vindicated.
This, of course, is drivel. No one claims that vaccines are 100% effective. The measles vaccine is, in fact, only 85-to-88% effective, explaining why someone can easily contract the disease even if they have been vaccinated.
So how can a small but growing population of crackpots put society at risk? It comes down to the fact that they are moving a very important needle a few percentage points.
That needle is “herd immunity” and it’s in the red. Scientists consider an eradication level of 95% ensured what is referred to as herd immunity or “community immunity” and its something that Canada does not enjoy anymore. The United Nations reports that Canada is now one of the few industrialized countries in the world with a vaccination rate of 85%.
But others will hold onto their beliefs despite all evidence to the contrary, in which case we can take solace in the words of American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, who said “That’s the good thing about science: It’s true whether or not you believe in it.”
For the rest of us, perhaps the best we can do is to try to have a sense of humour about it.
Late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel received a torrent of criticism after mocking the ant-vaccination crowd recently. He then addressed the idea that perhaps this had changed his mind.
“A lot of these groups are insisting that I present both sides of the argument, and I’m not going to do that either because, well for the same reason I wouldn’t present both sides if a group of people decided that pancakes make you gay,” said Kimmel. “They don’t. And there’s no point in discussing it.”
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Cantech Letter founder and editor Nick Waddell has lived in five Canadian provinces and is proud of his country's often overlooked contributions to the world of science and technology. Waddell takes a regular shift on the Canadian media circuit, making appearances on CTV, CBC and BNN, and contributing to publications such as Canadian Business and Business Insider.
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