Anti-Vaxxers in the First World

A new television program premiered a couple of weeks ago called Transplant.  It is about a Syrian doctor who is a refugee and who is hired to work in the emergency room of a major Toronto hospital.  Each episode is about how he has to adjust to doing things the Canadian way.

In last week's episode one of the cases he had to deal with was a child with diphtheria because the child's parents were anti-vaxxers.  There was one exchange in the episode between the Syrian doctor and one of his Canadian colleagues about vaccinations in Syria.  That exchange ended with the Syrian doctor stating that in his country you have to fight for vaccines.

That exchange highlighted to me that the "choice" not to vaccinate your children is a typical First World choice.  Really, in the First World the vast majority of people receive vaccinations as a matter of course, creating a herd immunity, and providing anti-vaxxers with a partial shield from the consequences of their stupidity.  Such a "choice" is not available to people in the Third World because they may not have access to vaccines to begin with and when they do they take the opportunity to vaccinate themselves without question.

This further reminded me of the "choice" vegetarians and vegans make.  Only in the First World do we have such an abundance of food that people can make dietary choices.  Swear off meat? No problem, there is plenty of food out their to replace the protein, vitamins, minerals and fats that are provided by it.

The same is not true in much of the world.  In alot of places non meat food is the only food available and the only source of meat is also the animal that is needed to plow the fields where the crops are grown.  Therefore, if that animal goes so does the ability to grow their food and any food security that might have existed.

I have a problem with anti-vaxxers.  Any measures that can be taking to force stupid parents to vaccinate themselves and their children should be taken.  I do not have a problem with vegetarians, although I do like to remind the ones that take on a holier-than-thou attitude of the fact that their choice is a luxury of living in one of the richest countries on the planet so they should be a little more humble about it.