Is it okay to name and shame people who haven’t vaccinated their kids? Well, a group of mums in the US state of Wisconsin apparently think so.
A note addressed to neighbours of an anti-vaxxer, warning them that this woman “does not believe in vaccinating herself or her family” has gone viral.
The note, signed by “Concerned Moms of Wisconsin” and posted to Imgur by someone calling themselves NeedingVsGetting, says this woman’s decision is putting medically fragile people at risk.
“Please use caution when sharing work or personal space with this individual, eating foods prepared by this individual, or attending gatherings at this individual’s house if you or the people who are important to you fall into medically at-risk categories,” it reads. “The unvaccinated pose a unique threat to infants, who often don’t yet have a full course of vaccinations completed, and can quickly become deathly ill or die.”
The note goes on to list all the states in which unvaccinated people have caused outbreaks of disease. It includes a link to a website that shows recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases around the world, including mumps, measles and whooping cough in the US.
It’s measles that’s causing the most concern in the US right now. Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, around 500 Americans died from the disease each year. Measles was declared eliminated from the US in 2000. But this year, already, 387 measles cases have been confirmed across the country. One New York county has banned unvaccinated children from being in public places.
You can understand the frustration of health authorities. A disease that has officially been eliminated is starting to spread again, because some people have chosen not to vaccinate their kids.
Naming and shaming, like the “concerned mums” did in this note, is a pretty serious thing. It’s the kind of thing you might do if you discovered a sex offender living on your street. Do anti-vaxxers deserve to be treated like this?
Well, if I had a tiny baby who hadn’t yet been vaccinated, or a seriously ill child who was immunocompromised, yes, I would appreciate this kind of note. I would want to know if I had a neighbour who was an anti-vaxxer.
I would not stop and have a chat with them while walking with my baby down the street. I would not let my children play with their children. Kids’ lives matter more than privacy issues or social niceties.
Vaccination is not just a personal choice. Your decision not to vaccinate – whether based on a social media post by a footballer’s wife or a fraudulent study by a doctor struck off the medical register for unethical behaviour – affects other people’s kids. It could kill them.
The danger is real. The World Health Organization has listed vaccine hesitancy as one of the top 10 threats to global health in 2019.
Did the “Concerned Moms of Wisconsin” do the right thing? That’s open for discussion. But expect this kind of thing to become more common, as the battlelines are drawn.
Where do you stand on the public shaming of anti-vaxxers? Tell us in the comments.
Top Comments
Once a parent makes their children's vaccination status and their beliefs public, there is no expectation of privacy. This can be done either on social media or speaking to another parent. You can't let that genie out of the bottle and expect it to go back in.
As someone who, for medical reasons, is dependant on herd immunity to protect me from communicable diseases, I appreciate knowing who may be carriers of diseases that I may have little immunity to.
These parents are doing the right thing by naming and shaming.
A bit OTT don’t you think. My vaccinated kids happily play with unvaccinated children. They have to be actually sick to pass anything on so a bit or realism is required. There are also diseases we can’t vaccinate fully for you have more chance of catching so be a bit chill and bum sensible. Extra care always needed with babies as whooping cough can easily be passed on by vaccinated people as it is not very effective.
No, it is not OTT at all. Its very nice that your vaccinated, healthy kids can play with the unvaccinated children of irresponsible parents. You don't have to worry as you CAN and do vaccinate your children. Here's a bit of realism for you (not the fantasy you have created in your head). NOT ALL CHILDREN *CAN* BE VACCINATED. My eldest CANNOT get all of the standard vaccines due to a medical condition. So I MUST rely on herd immunity to protect her. Getting a letter like this one, letting me know who I need to minimize or avoid contact with my child would be a godsend.