Summary
Childhood vaccination rates in Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia, traditionally high, are declining due to rising vaccine skepticism.
CDC data shows the percentage of kindergartners with vaccine exemptions reached a record 3.3% nationwide in 2023-24.
Experts link this trend to anti-vaccine movements and “health freedom” advocacy.
This trend could lead to a resurgence of preventable diseases like measles and whooping cough, as seen in states with low vaccine uptake like Florida and Georgia.
you know its sorta funny because things like this started with real niche groups in affluent blue states. California, new york, etc. The numbers were small in states with very good (for the us) healthcare. So they were able to go for years and be like. Theres no ill effect everyone should do it. Then it became part of the new right like all crazy coocoo things have and blasted to a level were its a real problem. I still can’t believe the most basic of our health measures that transformed humanity as far as survival are being thrown out by people. Next I assume will be soap and antiseptics.
There’s a ton of folks who whine about having to wash up, I’ve seen multiple (anecdotal) notes of people referring to germs and other things we can’t see without tools as ‘a hoax’
Man I really envy the silent generation. dying just soon enough to mostly skip this bullshit.
I find it interesting that seemingly every person who complains about “health freedom” only wants to use that freedom to do the opposite of what experts recommend. I’m sure it’s not just about being contrarian…
Good. Lessons need to be learned the hard way it seems.
Except that these lessons will come at the expense of people who had no choice. Children and the immunocompromised. The adults deciding not to vaccinate their kids are likely protected.
And there’s a very good chance there will be no lessons learned, only blame shifted to the democrats or some other group, for secretly having a biolab. There are even those, who see vaccine preventable diseases as a “cleanser”, which will “get rid of those unworthy of life and resources from our species”. There are legit eugenicists, who now say “autism was caused by vaccines, by letting the human trash survive measles”.
100% agree with both points. The disconnect is the timeline each considers. As a father I am deeply empathic for the children that are not able to advocate for themselves and the immunocompromised that are basically left to be assaulted by other’s ignorance.
But longer term, think multigenerational, the higher death rates for the anti-vax crowd may be the correction that leads to better overall outcomes for humanity.
You said it better than I lazily did.
Dark and awful thing to say.
The people who will die most are those in already weak health who are unable to vaccinate or children who had no choice.
