Dear Vaccine-Refusing Parents

By Karen Ernst

Dear Vaccine Refusing Parents,

I get it. Vaccine Advocates like me have put a lot of pressure on you. Refusing to vaccinate your child is not as popular as it used to be, and some of your peers consider you a pariah, fearing that your children will make them sick. So you’ve gone underground.

You’ve been encouraged to go underground by charlatans, like the anti-vaccine Dr. Bob Sears, who uses fear of vaccines to promote his brand. In his book, he told you not to share with your neighbors the fact that you have left your children vulnerable to disease, and to “hide in the herd.” He probably didn’t bank on the fact that the herd would thin out and your choices would leave us all vulnerable. He sold you two lies: one–that you should be afraid of vaccines, and two–that disease would never visit your children.

So you’ve decided to lie about not vaccinating your children. You’ve told ER doctors that your children are up-to-date on immunizations. You’ve told nurses that your children have allergies that they do not have so that you could avoid vaccinating. And you’ve rationalized it all with the falsehood that if your child ever did become ill, you would keep her at home and not expose others.

But your children, as they’ve grown, have not learned that last part. They have only learned, as you have stated time and again, that they only need to be concerned about their own well being and that they don’t owe anyone the truth or anything else.

It turns out that one of you brought your unvaccinated children to Disneyland while they were contagious with the measles. Because measles is so infectious–90% of those not immune can catch measles from a space where a contagious person had been for up to two hours after he leaves–other unvaccinated people caught it.

One woman went home to Pasadena and visited her unvaccinated sister, who is now refusing to be quarantined. Her mother defended her, saying "It's not nice when my daughter is threatened like this because she's not even sick.”

Of course she can pass along measles before becoming ill with it. Chances are she will. But you’ve been lied to. Someone told you that your children were special and they couldn’t get measles. Someone told you that your children were owed more than children like Ben, who had to be quarantined after a potential measles exposure because his chemotherapy had wiped out all his immunity to the disease.

Someone told you it was okay to lie and to hide from the consequences of your decision not to vaccinate. And now it is time for you to own the truth. Are your children unvaccinated? Be honest about it so ER doctors can treat them appropriately, so schools can exclude them during outbreaks (for their own protection), so your neighbors will know not to visit you and catch diseases we can easily and safely prevent.

I know I’ve been tough on you, and that you disagree with me and all the science showing vaccines are safe. But you still need to have some honesty about your vaccine refusal so that we have some choices about how to protect our children best.

Mandatory Flu Vaccination: In My House It's the Law

Today marks the last day of National Influenza Vaccination Week, and in keeping with my standard M.O., I've waited until the very last minute to talk about the influenza vaccine. (Luckily, this didn't extend to the vaccine--my kids were vaccinated in August and I got mine in early November).

Over at Shot of Prevention, Voices for Vaccines Parent Advisory Board member and leader of Nurses Who Vax, Melody Butler reminded readers what, exactly, is at stake when it comes to children and the flu. Last year, 169 children died from flu. "To put that number in perspective," Melody wrote, "that's more than six kindergarten classes." 

Opponents of vaccination would quickly point out that those deaths likely represent children who had an underlying condition or were immune-deficient, that most healthy children can fight the flu. The brutality--and the astounding ignorance--of such a statement is likely self-evident, but let's unpack it anyway.

First, those children with underlying conditions or who were immunocompromised are the very reason we should vaccinate our healthy children. By cocooning these kids who are battling illnesses, like cancer, we can reduce the chances that they will contract the flu, which, for them, can be extremely serious. 

Second, opponents of vaccination are caught in a double-bind--they aim to convince as many people as possible not to vaccinate their children, yet the health of their own unvaccinated children is utterly dependent on high vaccination rates. 

But what about the canard that the flu vaccine doesn't work? Is it perfect? Of course not. The nature of the flu itself makes a universal vaccine an exceptionally complex proposition (though it may be on the way). But if you could reduce your child's chances of suffering--and believe me, dealing with influenza comes with a great deal of suffering, whether you're a child or an adult--by any percentage point, even one, wouldn't you do so? Apparently, in some circles, the answer is no. And I find that hard to wrap my mind around. 

So here's my yearly plea: whether flu vaccine reduces your child's chance of getting the flu by 60% or 6%, it's worth the trip to the pediatrician's office, the local big box minute clinic, the local pharmacy, etc. 

And a last note: in my house, vaccinations are mandatory--and my kids are getting old enough now to understand why. Yes, they don't want to get sick, but what fills me with pride is that they care even more about keeping their friends and family healthy as well. They understand how vaccines function in this regard. They are not old enough to fully understand why parents might not vaccinate their children (frankly, I'm not either), but they have been told that these unvaccinated children are in need of protection as well, that these peers of theirs are, in a sense, immunocompromised themselves. Choosing vaccination because you care about your own health, as well as the health of the community, is a lesson in compassion and community all children should learn. 

Mom to Mom: Karen Ernst

Editor's Note: From time to time, we'll feature a blog post by a parent who vaccinates. If you're a parent who vaccinates or who was afraid of vaccines but now vaccinates and would like to write a guest post for us, please contact us. We'd love to hear from you!

If your children are vaccinated, why do you care whether or not I vaccinate mine?

Most of the parenting decisions I have made are none of your business.  Did I breastfeed or bottle feed my children?  Did I Ferberize them or sleep next to them in my bed?  Did I stay home with them or maintain my career and send them to day care?  I'm not telling you because these are personal decisions which will have no effect on your life or the lives of your children.

The decision to vaccinate my children, however, is not personal.  It is a matter of public health.  And I have the right to know that my neighbors, and that you, are vaccinating.  The answer about why I do care hinges on the concept of herd immunity.

Do not be fooled by herd immunity naysayers.  Doctors noticed the benefits of having a large population immune to certain diseases during the smallpox outbreaks in the nineteenth century.  150 years ago, doctors noted that in communties where a large percentage of the population had either been innoculated or had contracted smallpox, the virus could not make inroads and did not effect the susceptible remainders of the community. (See Fine P (1993). "Herd immunity: history, theory, practice". Epidemiol Rev 15 (2): 265–302.)  In the mid-twentieth century, public health officials used herd immunity to eradicate smallpox from the planet.

Herd immunity functions properly when enough of us are vaccinated to hinder the introduction of certain diseases into our communities.  For example, polio has been absent from the United States since 1994 simply because enough of us have received the polio vaccination.  The virus has trouble finding  bodies to grow in, and therefore it isn't in circulation.  But when too few of us are vaccinated, we find ourselves in the midst of an outbreak, like the measles outbreak Minnesotans are living through right now.

But my children are vaccinated, so why should I worry about the measles outbreak or the unvaccinated lot who are allowing the measles virus to circulate throughout our community?

Vaccines are not a guarantee.  They can't always provide complete immunity for every person every time.  The MMR vaccine produces immunity in 95% of those who receive the first dose.  Doctors intend for the second dose to catch those who did not build immunity after the first dose.  Nonetheless,  some who are vaccinated are still not immune.  

Not everyone can be vaccinated.  Some people are too immuno-compromised to receive the vaccine,  others have allergies to some of the components, and some are too young to receive the vaccine.  Many of those who died in this year's pertussis outbreak in California were too young to have completed the immunization against it.  

And some people in our world have such weakened immune systems that their survival depends on the health of the community.   The mother who has terminal cancer deserves to spend as many days as possible with her children without her life being cut short by a vaccine-preventable disease.  Grandchildren do not want to lose their grandparents early due to a bout of influenza.

I care whether or not you vaccinate because I care not only about my children and their health, but I care about others in my community.  I care about the people I see every day who have asthma or rheumatoid arthitis, and so I get my kids their shots, and I want you to do the same.

Karen Ernst is outnumbered by the four main men in her life, ages thirty-something, seventeen, seven, and two.  She is currently a stay-at-home mom, but has also worked as a high school English teacher, where, among other things, she taught her students to examine the credibility of what they read and the reliability of their own assumptions.  She carries this passion into her armchair advocacy for vaccines.

Measles Herd Immunity in Minnesota is Gone

Yesterday, Minnesota Public Radio reported that public health authorities are saying that 85% of two-year-olds in Minnesota have been vaccinated against measles, mumps, and rubella.

It's official: herd immunity is gone.

Herd immunity dies when vaccination rates dip below about 95%. If your child is unvaccinated, or has not received his or her booster, this is a potentially dangerous situation.

What Should I Do if I Live in Minnesota and...


My child is too young to be vaccinated: the outbreak is currently taking place in Hennepin County, most likely Minneapolis. While about half of the infected children are from the Somali community, the other half are from the community at large. We suggest staying away from public places where young children congregate, within reason. Skip that trip to the Children's Museum for now. Take a raincheck on playdates if you can't be sure everyone there has been vaccinated. If you must take your child to the pediatrician, try to stay in the "newborn" section (most pediatric practices have this) and cover your child's car seat with a blanket.


My child has not been vaccinated, but is old enough for the MMR: Get your child vaccinated. Today. Hennepin County has been holding free immunization clinics in Minneapolis that have been poorly attended. The details are below:


Sunday, March 27, 1-4pm, Children's Hospitals & Clinics, Minneapolis Speciality Center, 2530 Chicago Avenue South, third floor. 


Families with or without health insurance may attend these clinics; those with insurance should bring their insurance cards, those without insurance will not be charged for their vaccinations.

MMR shots also are available to the public at all regularly scheduled Hennepin County Immunization Services walk-in clinics.  MMR shots also are generally available, by appointment, from most family practice and pediatrician medical offices.


My child has been vaccinated, but is age four or under: Hennepin County is advising all parents of children who have received the MMR vaccine to schedule his or her booster--typically due at the four-year physical--now. For example, one of our children is turning four next month. He'll be going in to get his booster next week. One of us has an eighteen-month-old who received her MMR at her 12-month appointment; she will also be getting her booster next week.

Opposed to Vaccination? Let's Make that Sting

We're a little late in posting the op/ed on vaccination in yesterday's Strib, which was written by one of the Moms Who Vax, Ashley Shelby. The Star Tribune editor told Ashley that it was the most-read Opinion piece that day, at least online. And, of course, it stirred up quite a response.

The op/ed focused on creating trade-offs for parents who choose not to vaccinate--higher health insurance premiums, restrictions on attending private preschools and daycares, instituting sincerity testing, and closing the conscientious opt-out loophole in Minnesota's immunization statute. That being said, the Moms Who Vax initiative comes to the vaccine issue assuming that we have already lost the parents who are currently not vaccinating due to misinformation about vaccine safety. They are hardened in their beliefs, can find other parents who support to those beliefs, however devoid of science and common sense they are. Proof of this could be found in the one or two e-mails Ashley received from defensive anti-vaxxers. (It was heartening to learn that she hadn't received much hate e-mail).

We will not try to convert. It is a waste of our precious time and resources.

We will try to help new parents understand vaccine safety and why vaccination is so crucial for their children's health and well-being, but also for the community's health and well-being. One of the more selfish elements of the anti-vax movement has to do with nonvaccinating parents' reliance on herd immunity. If the majority--overwhelming majority, actually--95%--of the population vaccinates, their unvaccinated children should be safe. The problem is that herd immunity is fading fast.

In the case of measles in Minnesota, herd immunity is gone. 85% of parents vaccinate against measles, mumps, and rubella. Let that sink in for a minute.

Let's also make one thing clear about the Moms Who Vax. It should go without saying, but here it is: we have no--absolutely zero--connection to the pharmaceutical companies that make vaccines. In fact, Ashley Shelby has written very critically in the past about pharmaceutical companies on her blog Science for Sale. So yeah, we're not "pawns" of Big Pharma. We're moms who live in Hopkins, Minnesota, Upper Montclair, New Jersey, St. Paul, Minnesota, San Rafael, California, and beyond.