Anti-Vaxxers Have Always Been With Us

The boy on the left? His parents, according to Dr. Allan Warner, were influenced by the anti-vaccination movement in Leicester during the time he was born. We don't know if this boy survived, but if he did, he lived with horrendous lifelong scarring.

Sixty-one years before, the Act of 1840 was passed to prevent this type of tragedy

"To encourage widespread vaccination, the law made it compulsory for infants during their first three months of life and then extended the age to children up to 14 years old in 1867, imposing fines on those who did not comply."

*In 1872, as a result of the effectiveness of these laws, 90% of children in Leicester were vaccinated. Some attribute this to the smallpox epidemic that had just finished, causing death and disfigurement to 359 people.

Then time passed. People forgot. Again.

• They were told that receiving a vaccine from an animal was an abomination.
• They were told in no uncertain terms that smallpox did not spread from person to person. 
• They were told that smallpox was gone forever.
• And finally, some had no interest in any medicines at all. 

Anti-vaccinationists, which is what they were called at the time, spread the news…with flyers which were the equivalent of today's Facebook.

The movement continued to build, and on March 23rd, 1885, a large protest was held in Leicester.

"There, 80,000–100,000 anti-vaccinators led an elaborate march, complete with banners, a child's coffin, and an effigy of Jenner."

Leicester became a stronghold of anti-vaxxers after 1886! They were actually famous…or infamous depending on how you look at it.

As a result:

"*In 1892, thanks to strong anti-vaccination forces, only 3% of children were vaccinated."

The boy on the right, the relatively unblemished one, was one of the 3%. 

Children need a champion. Their parents are their first defense

The compulsory nature of the Act of 1840 caused vigorous pushback. The Anti Vaccination League and the Anti-Compulsory Vaccination organizations were formed.

Officials did not always impose fines, and so, a law was passed; the officials themselves were held responsible for the fines that were not paid.

This caused even more revolt.

Some parents went to jail rather than allow their children to have vaccinations.

As a result, even though the government of the United Kingdom had good intentions with the Act of 1840, the vaccination movement was not a success in this town.

Therefore, in the year 1901, 61 years later, we have a picture of two boys in…you guessed it  -  Leicester.

The famous Dr. Edward Jenner, who was born in 1749 and died in 1823, had tested a method of prevention

He observed that those who had undergone cowpox, a much milder disease than smallpox - which disfigured and sometimes killed, were immune. 

People had been undergoing smallpox inoculation since 1721 in Boston when Cotton Mather and doctors recognized that this process worked to save lives from deadly smallpox. But when people underwent the procedure, it could still kill - but in smaller numbers. 

In addition, after undergoing the procedure, one was contagious for a few days.

Dr. Jenner's process, which he defined on May 14, 1796, was safer. Instead of inoculating with smallpox, he inoculated his patients with cowpox. One was then immune to cowpox and smallpox after receiving it, the illness was even milder, and the patient was not contagious.

Dr. Jenner was responsible for saving the lives of millions; increasing life expectancy and reducing the disfigurement of the human race. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 3 out of every 10 people who got it died. 

There is no effective treatment for smallpox. 

Today, Dr. Jenner is considered one of the 100 Greatest Britons. 

"In its most pernicious form, smallpox caused explosive hemorrhaging - death occurred within 48 hours. Those who survived had extensive scarring. Some went blind. It did not just make you "look ugly" for a few days." - Dr Lindsey Fitzharris

The totality of what Dr. Jenner accomplished is illustrated by what Thomas Jefferson wrote to him in 1806;

"-future generations will know by history only that this loathsome disease has existed."

(Image: © Centers for Disease and Prevention Public Health Image Library; by Dr. Noble, 1966)

It finally happened. On May 8th, 1980, smallpox was declared eradicated by the 33rd World Health Assembly (WHO).

How did Leicester survive smallpox

Smallpox did come to the town from the late 1800s to the early 1900s, but they were well fortified. As soon as someone was diagnosed with the disease the patient(s) and their families were immediately isolated.

The medical community in Leicester was not as foolish as one might immediately suppose. In 1901:

**As Dr. Millard, the medical officer of health explains it, "a handful of the population, including the medical men, sanitary staff, small-pox nurses, etc., are as well vaccinated in Leicester as in any other town so that a cordon of protected persons can be drawn round any case of small-pox which may occur."

In other words, the medical professionals were vaccinated, but the town as a whole was not due to strong anti-vaccination forces. However, I would add to that number. 

Medical personnel most likely vaccinated their families. They would have seen too much to leave them unprotected.

There is no effective treatment for smallpox.

Anti-vaxxers are not simply trying to be onerous

Anti-vaxxers have good intentions. For those of us who are pro-vaccination, the numbers of lives saved are enough to tell the tale. We can't fathom why anyone would withhold such a medical advantage to the human body. 

Many understand that anti-vaxxers want the best for their children. There were risks along the way - however vaccines have been improved through the years of development and are safer than ever. 

The Anti-Vaccination League of America in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania kept records of children harmed by a vaccine in the early 1900s. During the early adoption of inoculation and vaccination methods, throughout the decades, some reacted badly to treatment.

The organization publicized these incidents and had a variety of reasons why they fought so violently against what some called an advance in modern medicine.

However, until this medical advance was available, children died in extremely large numbers, numbers that we would be in shock of today. 

So great was the pre-modern loss of children's lives that anthropologists claim to have found groups that do not name children until they have survived a year.

Diseases that had carried off thousands of children in 1900 were practically eliminated by 2000: diphtheria, and pertussis, measles.

The First Measured Century/PBS

Vaccines are responsible for the lessening hold of these diseases

When we do not immunize, we risk inviting them back. 

Of course, diseases weren't the only reason so many children died. The theory of germs didn't exist - but once it was discovered, cleanliness was promoted. Sewers were installed in our cities and towns. More resources (food and medicines) were given so that people could live longer.

But - our children are living longer...

According to Professor Thomas McKeown, "most epidemiologists are agreed that we owe the decline of mortality from smallpox mainly to vaccination."

These precious preventative measures helped children live long enough to gain strength in their bodies and minds. The vaccines also helped people resist infections that they come in contact with during everyday living. 

After all this, even in modern times, the infant mortality rate in America is not the best.

If one wants to give birth to a living child that survives to the age of 5, it would be a good idea to look at Japan or Sweden and model what they're doing.

What are we talking about when we talk about the required vaccines

Vaccine hesitancy is the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines.

According to WHO, it is also one of the top ten threats to global health in 2019.

The current recommended immunization schedule calls for babies to get the following vaccines by about 18 months of age (some of these are given as combination vaccines):

1. Four doses of vaccines against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae, and pneumococcus
2. Three doses of vaccine against polio and hepatitis B
3. Two doses of influenza vaccine (possibly three depending on when the child is born)
4. One dose of vaccine against measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, and hepatitis A

Once this current schedule of treatment is implemented, babies are protected for years, and it helps the community. If they're not sick, they'll be unable to spread sicknesses to their classmates. 

They'll be stronger and able to fight off common diseases, the kinds of afflictions that used to kill them in past generations. 

The graveyards of the past are evidence enough. They are filled with children. Visit one sometime. It's morbid but necessary.

Let's face it. Isn't keeping our children alive what it's all about?

*Swales JD. The Leicester anti-vaccination movement. Lancet. 1992;340(8826):1019–1021. doi:10.1016/0140–6736(92)93021-e

**C.-E. A. Winslow. "Statistics of Small-Pox and Vaccination." Publications of the American Statistical Association, vol. 8, no. 61, 1903, pp. 279–284. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/2276513. Accessed 17 Feb. 2020.