Don’t allow the anti-vax lobby to ruin your life

THE MMR vaccine started in 1971, helping to prevent measles, mumps and rubella, and has saved millions from these terrible diseases.

But it has not been without its own controversy, particularly with regards to autism stemming from a fraudulent research paper by Andrew Wakefield which eventually proved to be a load of bunkum, and Dr Wakefield was struck off for serious professional misconduct in May 2010.

But the damage had been done and thousands of parents refused to have their children immunised, resulting in a dramatic increase in these diseases and putting their offspring in mortal danger.

Let this be a stark warning and a lesson for these anti-vaccination so-called prophets who are following in the footsteps of the discredited Dr Wakefield and appealing to the ‘gullibles’ of this land, still spreading their misguided thoughts on the internet and again by word of mouth.

Yes, there may be risks with any medical treatment but the positives will always outweigh the negatives.

We have come a long way since believing the quacks and witch doctors of the past.

There are still many middle-aged men and women Thalidomide victims whose mothers were persuaded to take that drug before it was tested thoroughly, but also remember there are still millions in the world who have been saved from the crippling disease of polio through vaccination.

And where would we be without ‘local lad’ Edward Jenner’s discovery of the smallpox vaccine?

We are now in the 21st century and medical advances are helping to save billions of us from a life of medical misery of the past.

Don’t be stupid enough to let the anti-vax trolls ruin your future through ignorance.