Many people are unaware and unappreciative of the extent and benefits of an effective Public Health system, such as exists in Australia. They turn on a tap and expect to be able to drink the water safely without having to boil it first. They flush a toilet and expect the contents of the bowl to be instantaneously and safely removed and disposed of. If they are ill there are fully qualified doctors and nurses to look after them; if there is an emergency, an ambulance arrives within a short time and they are whisked off to hospital where they will be treated with modern medicine and surgery. The high quality of the food they buy is protected by regulation; the milk they pour onto their cereals at breakfast is tuberculosis-free, thanks to the control of TB in cattle and heat treatment to kill off any pathogens. And as mentioned in the previous blog, children are protected by vaccination from potentially deadly diseases and there are a range of vaccines available for adults to prevent serious illness from flu, shingles and pneumonia. There are also extensive regulations regarding building construction, the supply of electricity and gas, public transport, beaches, parks, swimming pools and public buildings with the aim of keeping the public safe. Public Health has many aspects but most of the population accept the benefits without thinking.
Separating out and avoiding a particular vaccination from the total Public Health package is irrational. As an analogy, think of the system of safety measures employed to prevent accidents and injury on the roads. You may object to having to stop at a red light or give way to pedestrians on a zebra crossing, but it would be nonsensical and dangerous to claim your right to do so. As before, I suggest anti-vaxxing is an indulgence, and in the same vein as those who demand gluten-free bread and cakes when they are not gluten-intolerant.
It’s a pity we cannot transport those who demand their right to refuse vaccination back to the nineteenth century, or even to a slum district in a less safe modern country, and then see how strongly they would argue their case.
An old codger's comments 