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A mum who recently sought help in finding alternative ways to protect her child from a measles outbreak on an anti-vaccination Facebook page is being called "irresponsible".
The unnamed woman posted the following on the Facebook page titled ‘Natural Health Anit-Vaxx Community':
My 3 year old is not vaccinated and there is currently a measles outbreak in my state. Any suggestions for precautions I can take to protect her would be very much appreciated.
Her comments come as a measles outbreak spreads across the US South West, including Washington state.
Public health officials are struggling to contain the spread because parents are refusing to vaccinate their children.
One child has been hospitalised and most of the patients – at least 35 have been diagnosed with the virus in the areas of Oregon and Portland – are under the age of ten.
In response to her question, lots of people responded with humour, and others with harsh criticism.
"Precautions?" One person wrote on Facebook. "Don’t get too attached to that child."
Another person joked darkly:
Unvaccinated children are like dark humour… they never get old.
Other people accused the mum of putting her child – and other children – at risk with her decision not to vaccinate.
My son is autistic… and vaccinated. What… is so bad about an autistic kid that you’d rather put yours and other people’s children at risk. Well, I’ll be over here with my autistic son, listening to his interesting stories…and you, antivaxxers, can listen to your children’s’ eulogies.
And pointed out the best way to protect her child from measles…is to get her child vaccinated.
Analisa Remmick wrote:
I got it! You could expose her to a weakened or inactive strain of the virus so that her immune system is better equipped to recognise and combat the actual virus she’ll inevitable come into contact with which will decrease the likelihood of her getting sick.
Oh, wait.
People also criticised the mum for taking to Facebook, not medical professionals, for advice.
“Post about it on Facebook,” Shane Jay wrote beneath the request sarcastically.
In any case DO NOT take them to a medical doctor. Facebook is the MOST RELIABLE source of medical information – particularly when it comes to Vaccine Science. #GodBless.
People didn't pull their punches in their ctriticisms of the mum.
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