Someone Makes Fun Of Anti-Vaxx Mom Whose 7 Kids Got Sick, Gets Reminded She Abandoned The Movement
As much as we’re used to hearing about anti-vaxxers who hold on to their beliefs despite everything that’s thrown at them, there are some who actually change their minds. And that’s why we have to keep fighting the good fight. A mother of seven from Ontario, Canada, abandoned the anti-vaccination movement but her children still got sick.
Image credits: rawstory.com
Tara Hills told CBC News that all of her children, aged 10 and under, started showing symptoms of whooping cough, and they have been advised to take antibiotics and stay inside their home for five days. Her first three children were partially vaccinated, but she decided to stop giving them shots after the fourth one was born because she was suspicious of the medical community. “I just got scared,” she said. “I got spooked. I thought, ‘There’s a lot of smoke, there must be fire.’ We stopped vaccinating.”
But Hills started rethinking her position on vaccinations even before her youngest was diagnosed with whooping cough. She met with her family doctor to put together a “catch-up vaccination schedule” for the kids. “It’s very sobering and it’s very raw because we had just made a more fully informed decision about vaccinations. We had just defected from the anti-vaccination camp,” Hills said. But it was too late. “It’s so ironic and I’m not beating myself up for it. I just hope we can use this very painful experience to encourage other people like us to maybe re-examine the issue.”
During the time her children were sick, Ottawa Public Health confirmed that there were seven reported cases of whooping cough (also called pertussis) in Ottawa, including an infant. Usually, there are about 20 cases in Ottawa every year. “The best way to protect children against pertussis is immunization,” Ottawa Public Health told CBC News. “The pertussis vaccine is part of the routine childhood vaccine schedule, which is given at two months, four months, six months, and 18 months old, at four to six years and again at 14 to 16 years of age.”
Later, Hills started using her family’s experience in attempts to inform other households as well. But as she shared her story, some internet trolls started making memes, targeting Tara. Luckily, others rallied to her support.
Image credits: thescientificparent.org
People were really impressed with Tara and her willingness to admit she was wrong
You never hear about Diptheria these days - as vaccines have almost eradicated it due to herd immunity. The vaccine is is given combined with Pertussis and Tetanus DTaP. The United States recorded 206,000 cases of diphtheria in 1921, resulting in 15,520 deaths - mainly young children and infants..Between 2004 and 2017, state health departments reported 2 cases of diphtheria in the USA. The mortality rate is still up to 20% in children under 5 and adults over 40. - in the past it was 50%..Imagine if that re-emerged - as it is still virulent in 3rd world counties.
Load More Replies...Fortunately, she didn't learn the hard way. The hard way is losing a child. She got off easy.
Load More Replies...You always think of anti-vaxxers as being from 'somewhere else', but this lady is IN MY HOMETOWN. Makes me wonder how many other anti-vaxxers live near me... I'm glad she came to her senses.
The anti-vaxxers ARE in another world. A world in which they have no need to vaccinate their kids because these diseases are not around any more. They ARE around - just kept at bay by vaccines and herd immunity.
Load More Replies...She changed her mind and that's great. No need for the trolls to make fun of her now, but that's what trolls do. Perhaps she can convince some ant-vaxxers that vaccines aren't a Big Pharma plot and that they do not cause autism. As Facebook promised to shut Anti-vaxx groups down, hopefully this craze will come to an end. Allthough there will always be Anti-Science idiots that have no problem at all rejecting every shred of scientific evidence in favour of some superstition or a fantasy story that some clown posted on the internet.
Why is the title of the article singling out JUST the mom and makes it seem like she was the only ex-anit vaxxer in the family, when her husband was one as well?
There seems to be a lot of sexism in the discussion of anti-vaxxers. In this case though, she was the one who came out publicly.
Load More Replies...Thankfully learned and hopefully others might listen. Is research on the internet really that difficult? Don't pay attention to what celebrities or influencers have to say for a start. I have no idea why anyone does. Famous so must know what they are talking about..!! Nope. Read online medical journals and published research papers - the information is there. Maybe learning how to conduct decent research and looking at information sources is something that should be taught as someone suggested.
don't call her a sheep, that's mean
Load More Replies...At least she has changed her mind... it's just a pity she did it too late for her kids to avoid getting Whooping Cough. I had that when I was three (my mother was told that I could not have the pertussis vaccine as I'd had an unexplained fit when I was 6 weeks old) and it made me very very ill. She deserves some respect for changing her mind and trying to educate other antivaxxers but at the end of the day, she could have had her kids vaxxed so much earlier, and avoided putting them and immune-compromised people at risk.
Sincerely hope this lady is the first of many and glad her kids got through it. My aunt died of whooping cough/pertussis aged 4 in the 1930's. even today the mortality rates for children under 6 months is 3.5 per 100, which is 100 times higher than for adults.The only reason it isn't worse is the invention of antibiotics
exactly. people today never saw all the diseases people got in 'old time' and think they are all protected
Load More Replies...this is one family with 7 kids, imagine the rest of families that still keep their kids and others at risk. sad that she had to go through this in order to learn.
if vaccines work then there is no danger to you from us
Load More Replies...i am antivaxxer never been sick a day also you say keep your vaccinated kids away from us well if vaccines work then whats the harm my sister got the polio shot she couldnt walk for 3 years and is blind and autistic now so i dont believe in vaccines
Good thing she changed her mind and now she's trying to help others. Respect.
I respect that she is open to her views being challenged (albeit at the cost of whopping cough for all of them). I understand that we as parents want to know what is best for our children, and there is so much misinformation circulating that sometimes we are not in the best position to make a decision. But at least she doesn't keep on going down that path and being blind to the facts presented to her.
You know what? we all mess up and thankfully this lady realised/educated herself and changed her views. She could have kept silent about her situation, but she didn't. She has opened up about her change of beliefs knowing fully how much s**t will probably come her way from both sides. Well done, for being honest and open and more importantly protecting your children and the wider community. I hope your little ones are soon on the mend All the best and hats off to you
Hi, not native english speaker here. So I just looked for "whooping cough" and the first thing that came out was: "A highly contagious respiratory tract infection that is easily preventable by vaccine." EASILY PREVENTABLE!! And still, ignorant parents choose to leave their kids unvaccinated.
OK.... so this is a story from 2015..... hmmm... I am fully bought in to vaccines and thier usefullness just wondering home many more dredged up articles we will see.
Sadly the Anti-vax-craze has spread faster and more widely as the measles are spreading now. So you may see more recent articles on this issue but they won't be as positive as this one.
Load More Replies...I am glad she changed her mind but my thought is this. She stated that she & her husband suffered as a result of not having it done sooner, that would never have happened if she had done it from the beginning. In reality it was really the children who suffered, they were the ones that were sick.
I'm glad she came around. Disease can spread from anywhere. Also, it is possible that vaccines may become ineffective as we get older, so an adult booster shot program is being considered. I'm all in favor of that. Just because I was vaccinated for something 30 years ago, doesn't mean I'm still immune to it. Anti-vax kids could be putting me in danger too!
On a completely irrelevant note, does noone edit any of the articles on Bored Panda? I'm no scholar myself but, I really like this website and have been reading here for years- I would be honored and would love to write for Bored Panda and could do it without any sloppy mistakes :)
Not fun, but too late. Sad is the children pays for the parent stupidity.
Reliable, peer reviewed research is available for free. Sometimes, it is only the abstract, but more full articles being offered for free. Yes, they can be sometimes difficult to interpret, especially without advanced training. BUT who paid the authors and which institutions the authors work for is clearly stated. You can look up authors and institutions on line. You can look up big words on line. You can look up beginning courses in biology, statistics, anatomy, immunology on line. You can ignore celebrities and people who have had their licenses pulled. The place to find these wondrous articles? scholar.google.com
Sometimes people actually have to experience something personally in order to learn.
“It’s so ironic and I’m not beating myself up for it." Honestly, she should. I'd be beating myself up if I put all of my kids and all the kids they come in contact with at risk. I don't think she's smart enough to do that though.
I was appalled when I read that part too. If my kids got sick because of my decisions, I would keep beating myself up about it. Even if it was a misunderstanding or misinformation, I would still feel guilty for the rest of my life. Never once does she admit that she was stupid. She keeps saying she was misinformed and there wasn't any way she could have known. Umm, no; she was stupid. Supposedly, she talked to her doctor and they made "plans" to start the vaccinations (she probably wasn't done arguing with the doctor). My mom didn't bother to get one of my bros vaccinated (not anti-vax, just lazy). When my dad found out, he took him to get the shots THAT DAY.
Load More Replies...It's great that she finally came to her senses but the damage of her children spreading the virus may already be done and done children don't make it out alive.
I predicted that a while ago under another antivaxxer issue - when kids will fall ill or die to those deseases that are prevented by vaccinating, those blind parents will eventually see how stupid they were. Shame shame shame that the ones suffering for that are the children.
Putin’s trolls are pushing the antivaxx agenda, as well as white superiority, anti immigration . . . I will not be surprised if Incels are also being pushed by them. The bastard just wants to destroy anything not his party
From where she get it then? It is nice how people jump to "burn the witch". Is there a live virus from vaccines that is spreading? No science there, just propaganda. These comments reminds me more of that dark era that they talk about. Are they dead as everybody with scientific background in this comments say?
The woman was strong enough to admit she was wrong. I'd rather spend some time with her than with a beach with prejudices.
Load More Replies...Hey I've got a real good tip for you! Don't like reading articles about anti-vaxxers? Don't click on them! It's as easy as that, then you don't get butt hurt and can go on with your life
Load More Replies...Yes, it is never the man's responsibility.........
Load More Replies...Nothing hard about it. Science vs hearsay? "There are such strong opinions on both sides"? No, only one side is an opinion.
Load More Replies...You never hear about Diptheria these days - as vaccines have almost eradicated it due to herd immunity. The vaccine is is given combined with Pertussis and Tetanus DTaP. The United States recorded 206,000 cases of diphtheria in 1921, resulting in 15,520 deaths - mainly young children and infants..Between 2004 and 2017, state health departments reported 2 cases of diphtheria in the USA. The mortality rate is still up to 20% in children under 5 and adults over 40. - in the past it was 50%..Imagine if that re-emerged - as it is still virulent in 3rd world counties.
Load More Replies...Fortunately, she didn't learn the hard way. The hard way is losing a child. She got off easy.
Load More Replies...You always think of anti-vaxxers as being from 'somewhere else', but this lady is IN MY HOMETOWN. Makes me wonder how many other anti-vaxxers live near me... I'm glad she came to her senses.
The anti-vaxxers ARE in another world. A world in which they have no need to vaccinate their kids because these diseases are not around any more. They ARE around - just kept at bay by vaccines and herd immunity.
Load More Replies...She changed her mind and that's great. No need for the trolls to make fun of her now, but that's what trolls do. Perhaps she can convince some ant-vaxxers that vaccines aren't a Big Pharma plot and that they do not cause autism. As Facebook promised to shut Anti-vaxx groups down, hopefully this craze will come to an end. Allthough there will always be Anti-Science idiots that have no problem at all rejecting every shred of scientific evidence in favour of some superstition or a fantasy story that some clown posted on the internet.
Why is the title of the article singling out JUST the mom and makes it seem like she was the only ex-anit vaxxer in the family, when her husband was one as well?
There seems to be a lot of sexism in the discussion of anti-vaxxers. In this case though, she was the one who came out publicly.
Load More Replies...Thankfully learned and hopefully others might listen. Is research on the internet really that difficult? Don't pay attention to what celebrities or influencers have to say for a start. I have no idea why anyone does. Famous so must know what they are talking about..!! Nope. Read online medical journals and published research papers - the information is there. Maybe learning how to conduct decent research and looking at information sources is something that should be taught as someone suggested.
don't call her a sheep, that's mean
Load More Replies...At least she has changed her mind... it's just a pity she did it too late for her kids to avoid getting Whooping Cough. I had that when I was three (my mother was told that I could not have the pertussis vaccine as I'd had an unexplained fit when I was 6 weeks old) and it made me very very ill. She deserves some respect for changing her mind and trying to educate other antivaxxers but at the end of the day, she could have had her kids vaxxed so much earlier, and avoided putting them and immune-compromised people at risk.
Sincerely hope this lady is the first of many and glad her kids got through it. My aunt died of whooping cough/pertussis aged 4 in the 1930's. even today the mortality rates for children under 6 months is 3.5 per 100, which is 100 times higher than for adults.The only reason it isn't worse is the invention of antibiotics
exactly. people today never saw all the diseases people got in 'old time' and think they are all protected
Load More Replies...this is one family with 7 kids, imagine the rest of families that still keep their kids and others at risk. sad that she had to go through this in order to learn.
if vaccines work then there is no danger to you from us
Load More Replies...i am antivaxxer never been sick a day also you say keep your vaccinated kids away from us well if vaccines work then whats the harm my sister got the polio shot she couldnt walk for 3 years and is blind and autistic now so i dont believe in vaccines
Good thing she changed her mind and now she's trying to help others. Respect.
I respect that she is open to her views being challenged (albeit at the cost of whopping cough for all of them). I understand that we as parents want to know what is best for our children, and there is so much misinformation circulating that sometimes we are not in the best position to make a decision. But at least she doesn't keep on going down that path and being blind to the facts presented to her.
You know what? we all mess up and thankfully this lady realised/educated herself and changed her views. She could have kept silent about her situation, but she didn't. She has opened up about her change of beliefs knowing fully how much s**t will probably come her way from both sides. Well done, for being honest and open and more importantly protecting your children and the wider community. I hope your little ones are soon on the mend All the best and hats off to you
Hi, not native english speaker here. So I just looked for "whooping cough" and the first thing that came out was: "A highly contagious respiratory tract infection that is easily preventable by vaccine." EASILY PREVENTABLE!! And still, ignorant parents choose to leave their kids unvaccinated.
OK.... so this is a story from 2015..... hmmm... I am fully bought in to vaccines and thier usefullness just wondering home many more dredged up articles we will see.
Sadly the Anti-vax-craze has spread faster and more widely as the measles are spreading now. So you may see more recent articles on this issue but they won't be as positive as this one.
Load More Replies...I am glad she changed her mind but my thought is this. She stated that she & her husband suffered as a result of not having it done sooner, that would never have happened if she had done it from the beginning. In reality it was really the children who suffered, they were the ones that were sick.
I'm glad she came around. Disease can spread from anywhere. Also, it is possible that vaccines may become ineffective as we get older, so an adult booster shot program is being considered. I'm all in favor of that. Just because I was vaccinated for something 30 years ago, doesn't mean I'm still immune to it. Anti-vax kids could be putting me in danger too!
On a completely irrelevant note, does noone edit any of the articles on Bored Panda? I'm no scholar myself but, I really like this website and have been reading here for years- I would be honored and would love to write for Bored Panda and could do it without any sloppy mistakes :)
Not fun, but too late. Sad is the children pays for the parent stupidity.
Reliable, peer reviewed research is available for free. Sometimes, it is only the abstract, but more full articles being offered for free. Yes, they can be sometimes difficult to interpret, especially without advanced training. BUT who paid the authors and which institutions the authors work for is clearly stated. You can look up authors and institutions on line. You can look up big words on line. You can look up beginning courses in biology, statistics, anatomy, immunology on line. You can ignore celebrities and people who have had their licenses pulled. The place to find these wondrous articles? scholar.google.com
Sometimes people actually have to experience something personally in order to learn.
“It’s so ironic and I’m not beating myself up for it." Honestly, she should. I'd be beating myself up if I put all of my kids and all the kids they come in contact with at risk. I don't think she's smart enough to do that though.
I was appalled when I read that part too. If my kids got sick because of my decisions, I would keep beating myself up about it. Even if it was a misunderstanding or misinformation, I would still feel guilty for the rest of my life. Never once does she admit that she was stupid. She keeps saying she was misinformed and there wasn't any way she could have known. Umm, no; she was stupid. Supposedly, she talked to her doctor and they made "plans" to start the vaccinations (she probably wasn't done arguing with the doctor). My mom didn't bother to get one of my bros vaccinated (not anti-vax, just lazy). When my dad found out, he took him to get the shots THAT DAY.
Load More Replies...It's great that she finally came to her senses but the damage of her children spreading the virus may already be done and done children don't make it out alive.
I predicted that a while ago under another antivaxxer issue - when kids will fall ill or die to those deseases that are prevented by vaccinating, those blind parents will eventually see how stupid they were. Shame shame shame that the ones suffering for that are the children.
Putin’s trolls are pushing the antivaxx agenda, as well as white superiority, anti immigration . . . I will not be surprised if Incels are also being pushed by them. The bastard just wants to destroy anything not his party
From where she get it then? It is nice how people jump to "burn the witch". Is there a live virus from vaccines that is spreading? No science there, just propaganda. These comments reminds me more of that dark era that they talk about. Are they dead as everybody with scientific background in this comments say?
The woman was strong enough to admit she was wrong. I'd rather spend some time with her than with a beach with prejudices.
Load More Replies...Hey I've got a real good tip for you! Don't like reading articles about anti-vaxxers? Don't click on them! It's as easy as that, then you don't get butt hurt and can go on with your life
Load More Replies...Yes, it is never the man's responsibility.........
Load More Replies...Nothing hard about it. Science vs hearsay? "There are such strong opinions on both sides"? No, only one side is an opinion.
Load More Replies...
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