Vaccines — either parents love or detest the very idea of them these days. Those who decide not to vaccinate their child are called “anti-vaxxers.”
These parents believe that not vaccinating their children from potentially deadly diseases will protect them from problematic side effects.
The CDC, or The Center for Disease Control, along with the World Health Organization (WHO,) have recommended that parents get their kids vaccinated.
And in case you didn’t know — there have been a number of articles, Twitter threads, Reddit posts and more debating the importance of getting your kids protected but there are some parents who refuse to listen.
And while parents are legally allowed to chose to not vaccinate thier children — doctors can also create policies where they will not treat kids who are not vaccinated.
One doctor in particular created a sign that hung in his office to let parents know where he stood on the matter.
After being posted to Reddit, the sign garnered a lot of attention to say the least.
The sign read:
“Our office will no longer be seeing patients that do not vaccinate their children. We will vaccinate those who would like to begin the process, however failure to comply with this policy will result in discharge after January 1, 2019. We can provide a medical release when a new physician has been found. Due to the overwhelmingly thorough research of science based findings there is a plethora of evidence supporting the positive impact vaccines have on children. As per Dr. Azmeh’s professional advice, along with the CDC and WHO (World Health Organization), we strongly discourage any parent from withholding vaccines that will undoubtedly help their children. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this policy, please feel free to ask a staff member.”
Many users praised the doctor’s sign, saying:
“More doctors need to take a stand with their patients.” and “I think it’s funny some people shun vaccines yet still go to an actual doctor. Either accept modern medicine or don’t.”
While others agreed, sharing:
“This is a good policy. Why should a physician treat someone who disregards his/her advice? Also why treat someone for something that could’ve been prevented by vaccination in the first place? I think more practices should follow this example.”
“My daughter’s pediatrician has all patients sits sign forms agreeing to vaccinate otherwise she will not take you as a patient. “
If you are a parent who is on the fence about vaccinating your children, then you may find the below information help you understand a bit more where the doctor is coming from…
The CDC says, “It is always better to prevent a disease than to treat is after it occurs.”
The CDC goes on to say what immunity is and how the body’s way of preventing disease really works.
“Immunity is the body’s way of preventing disease. Children are born with an immune system composed of cells, glands, organs, and fluids located throughout the body. The immune system recognizes germs that enter the body as “foreign invaders” (called antigens) and produces proteins called antibodies to fight them.”
“The first time a child is infected with a specific antigen (say measles virus), the immune system produces antibodies designed to fight it. This takes time . . . usually the immune system can’t work fast enough to prevent the antigen from causing disease, so the child still gets sick. However, the immune system “remembers” that antigen. If it ever enters the body again, even after many years, the immune system can produce antibodies fast enough to keep it from causing disease a second time. This protection is called immunity.”
The CDC goes onto say how there is a way to give children this immunity without having to get sick first, and that is my friends, where vaccines come into play.
“Vaccines contain the same antigens (or parts of antigens) that cause diseases. For example, measles vaccine contains measles virus. But the antigens in vaccines are either killed, or weakened to the point that they don’t cause disease. However, they are strong enough to make the immune system produce antibodies that lead to immunity. In other words, a vaccine is a safer substitute for a child’s first exposure to a disease. The child gets protection without having to get sick. Through vaccination, children can develop immunity without suffering from the actual diseases that vaccines prevent.”
“Over the years vaccines have prevented countless cases of disease and saved millions of lives.”
For more information about the importance of vaccinating your children, you can learn more, here.
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