4 ms·

Is it not better for overall herd immunity for nature to take its own course (i.e., let people with poor immunity die off). I mean, if herd immunity is the arg

Is it not better for overall herd immunity for nature to take its own course (i.e., let people with poor immunity die off). I mean, if herd immunity is the argument here, then why not go the whole hog?

shirro 12y ago
We tried that approach for millenia but sadly young people with poorly developed immune systems and old or sick people with compromised immune systems kept dying and we decided as a society to do something about it because some of us have kids and parents we love. Then a bunch of selfish ignorant hippies decided, based on their limited experience of living in a society protected by vaccination, that disease was a problem for poor foreign people and they didn't need it. While an outbreak might kill off the DNA of these people and their offspring and improve the gene pool it might also do some collateral damage. There are some legitimate reasons people have not been vaccinated and as vaccination simply strengthens the immune response it is more effective for some people than others. You would hate to run into a coughing wheezing infected family of alternative medicine believers on the week you took a shot depressing your immune system to fight your crippling auto-immune disease or protect your transplanted organ from rejection regardless of your vaccination status.
- plink 12y ago
  There's more to alternative medicine than spoiled hippie-attitude. There's a canonized philosophy behind it with a pantheon of pseudo-thinkers who are assiduously studied in accredited university-like mills where one can become lettered toward a lucrative profession.
devnonymous 12y ago
If you read the article you'll realize that the reliance on herd immunity wasn't due to 'natural' poor immunity. The kid was recovering from treatment and that's what caused the 'poor immunity' -- but I guess it is easier to ignore such little details and advocate death for anyone who isn't fortunate enough to be as healthy as you are ....at this moment in time.

shirro 12y ago

We tried that approach for millenia but sadly young people with poorly developed immune systems and old or sick people with compromised immune systems kept dying and we decided as a society to do something about it because some of us have kids and parents we love. Then a bunch of selfish ignorant hippies decided, based on their limited experience of living in a society protected by vaccination, that disease was a problem for poor foreign people and they didn't need it. While an outbreak might kill off the DNA of these people and their offspring and improve the gene pool it might also do some collateral damage. There are some legitimate reasons people have not been vaccinated and as vaccination simply strengthens the immune response it is more effective for some people than others. You would hate to run into a coughing wheezing infected family of alternative medicine believers on the week you took a shot depressing your immune system to fight your crippling auto-immune disease or protect your transplanted organ from rejection regardless of your vaccination status.

plink 12y ago
There's more to alternative medicine than spoiled hippie-attitude. There's a canonized philosophy behind it with a pantheon of pseudo-thinkers who are assiduously studied in accredited university-like mills where one can become lettered toward a lucrative profession.

devnonymous 12y ago

If you read the article you'll realize that the reliance on herd immunity wasn't due to 'natural' poor immunity. The kid was recovering from treatment and that's what caused the 'poor immunity' -- but I guess it is easier to ignore such little details and advocate death for anyone who isn't fortunate enough to be as healthy as you are ....at this moment in time.