All posts tagged "Whooping Cough"

California health officials are laying the blame for the state's lethal 2010 outbreak of pertussis -- also known as whooping cough -- squarely at the feet of parents who refused to vaccinate their children as part of a bogus autism scare. According to NBC News, the outbreak, which killed 10 infants and sickened more than 9,000 others, was the worst the state has seen in 60 years.

From an intellectual, political perspective, I really loathe anti-vaccination nuttiness. Just like with anti-choicers, I will never completely understand what compels people to support choices and policies that will objectively create health problems where none need exist. I hate the shunning of evidence for woo, and I especially hate the way parents are encouraged to substitute their own dislike for getting their children vaccinated (kids hate shots!)  for intellectual assessment of the necessity of vaccination.