A four-week-old baby died from whooping cough recently because vaccine rates are too low in that part of Australia to provide herd immunity. A heart rending appearance by the parents is available on YouTube with more details at Bad Astronomy.
A correspondent for the Guardian was “lucky”. His 11 month-old daughter didn’t die from measles—she just had to go through needless suffering because parents in his part of England aren’t vaccinating their children. His child was too young for the MMR vaccine—it is usually given at 13 months—and should have been able to rely on herd immunity to keep her free from the disease. Unfortunately, vaccine rates have dropped all over England and preventable diseases are making a comeback.
In an article on Friday he made an analogy that sums the situation up eloquently.
The decision by many of my neighbours not to vaccinate their children is on a par with the drunk who decides to get into his car to drive home. It is a personally reckless action that also endangers the lives of everyone else on the road. Society should view the MMR refuseniks with the same degree of scorn.