I wish I could explain to people the simple thing my Mom taught me. When she was a girl, growing up during the Depression, she would go to school and sometimes there would be empty desks. Sometimes there would be a lot of empty desks. Where her friends had sat days before. 1/8
And these missing children, they were either gravely ill, or had died. The tiny graves in older parts of cemeteries tell a story. Polio, whooping cough, diphtheria, tuberculosis, scarlet fever, measles... 2/8
We can prevent these diseases now with vaccinations. Mothers used to take their children & stand in line for hours to get their kids vaccinated when vaccines became available. B/c the diseases were terrible & so many children died. The vaccines saved lives. Countless lives. 3/8
And I think that this anti-vax thing we are seeing now is because it has been a long time since these killers roamed among us. It has been a long time since disease wiped out half the children in a town. Because of vaccines. 4/8
And so now we have a growing number of people who do not vaccinate. Who think the government is trying to pull something over on them, poison their children, implant tracking devices... 5/8
And so we are seeing the resurgence of the ancient killers. Because some people don't trust the knowledge or motivations of people who have devoted their lives to keeping people safe. 6/8
No, the herbalist down the road does not know more about disease than decades of scientific researchers and doctors. Please, do go talk to your Gran or your Mom or anyone over 70 about what it was like before vaccines. People have forgotten. 7/8
And in their hubris, their ego, and their paranoia, they are going to resurrect these killers of children. Vaccinate your children. Vaccinate yourself. No one is trying to poison you or take away your autonomy. They want to save your life. 8/8 #VaccinesWork
