Spring is in the air once again! We've had a long, cold winter, and we're ready to be out and about. You're just recovering from your first round of pneumonia and an aggressive antibiotic regimen. While you've been down, another burst of measles has spread a couple of states away, and the vaccination debate has resurfaced. I want to share our philosophy with you here for when you have to make that choice for the grands.
1. We wanted you protected from diseases that could kill or maim you for life. Meet some of the diseases that present a real and present danger here.
2. We wanted you to be able to attend camps, college, and serve the Lord overseas (missions, armed forces, medical teams, etc.) Every one of those future paths requires vaccination. Exemptions are becoming increasingly rare.
3.We wanted to protect the very young, aged, and infirm that are in our family and church. See #9 on the list from the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases.
4. We believe that a vaccinated population prevents the viral outbreak of fatal disease, and we are responsible for being a part of our community's health. The University of Oxford gives a short and excellent explanation here.
5. We understand the science and statistics behind vaccination. The CDC does an excellent job of presenting the science behind vaccination here and the statistics from the NCBI are here (Skip to the conclusion).
If you have those in your church and community groups who refuse or are hesitant about vaccines, this article can help you talk to them in a loving way about the subject, but ultimately vaccination is still the parent's choice.
In a future letter I'll cover some of our other medical philosophical choices (psychoactive drugs, antibiotics, herbs/oils, vaccinations for STD, etc)
Love you!
Momma