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This Doctor’s Brutally Honest Sign About Not Vaccinating Your Kids Is Going Viral
An Australian doctor has gone viral for her message on viruses. Two years ago Dr. Rachel Heap, of the Northern Rivers Vaccination Supporters (NRVS) in New South Wales, posted a rant on her organization’s Facebook page about the importance of vaccinating children which then turned into a meme. Well, that meme now graces the wall of a Colorado doctor’s office and thanks to patient Sunni Mariah, Dr. Heap’s words have spread around the internet like wild-fire.
It all started when Mariah noticed a sign in her doctor’s office with the headline, “Not vaccinating your kids leaves them vulnerable to disease their whole lives.” The sign continued with a series of tough questions such as:
“What do you tell your son when he breaks the news to you that he cannot have kids, thanks to the mumps that he got as a teenager?” Mariah snapped a photo of the sign for Facebook, captioning it as “some serious shade” towards anti-vaxxers and the post took off, racking up 4.8k comments and 191k shares on Facebook.
Dr. Heap says she was “frustrated and emotional” when she wrote the post, but still gave the doctor’s office permission to hang the print. With a growing number of anti-vaccine supporters, Dr. Heap and NRVS fight misinformation and misunderstanding of vaccines in their community as well as encourage a dialogue. With over 20 years as a doctor, ten years in intensive care across rural Australian areas and six months in the kids Intensive Care (PICU), she’s had her fair share of experiences with vaccine preventable diseases.
“It was whilst working in kids ICU that I first heard of the ‘anti-vaccination movement’ and saw directly the impact their misinformation had,” Dr. Heap told Bored Panda;
“On my first day at work, I looked after a baby with pertussis (whooping cough). They survived, but spent nearly 6 months of their life in ICU. The second baby I saw with pertussis did not make it.” She says these patients and their families are “her ghosts,” and drive her to do what she does.
Since the post went viral, Dr. Heap said she and Mariah have been keeping in contact. “No way were we expecting this – I wrote those words 2 years ago – who could possibly have thought that two years later I would be on international news sites and shared by George Takei?”
Scroll down below to read the full sign from Dr. Heap and share your thoughts on the topic! (Facebook cover image: Theerawan Bangpran)
RELATED:
Twenty-six-year-old Sunni Mariah was at the doctor’s office when a sign caught her eye
A print of a meme written by Australian doctor Rachel Heap, aimed at anti-vaxxers explaining the risks of neglecting to vaccinate children
Well her words definitely hit a nerve, because the internet is abuzz with comments
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What do you think ?
Laugh Fan 6 years ago
Won't vaccinate but will take antibiotics if they get an infection somewhere. They'll take drugs to help control epilepsy, diabetes, heart conditions, depression, gastric reflux, migraines. They'll take drugs to treat cancer. They'll have an operation and have anaesthetic, post operative pain killers... Yet, all drugs carry a risk. Diseases carry a MUCH bigger risk and not just to that individual. Oh, and I do wish people would stop raising autism and vaccines. THERE IS NO LINK. Educate yourselves by looking at proper studies. Don't take your information from scare-mongering newspaper articles or some celebrity who doesn't know better.
CrunChewy McSandybutt 6 years ago
A lot of anti vaxxers are also anti medicine. They only use holistic, "alternative" treatments.
Load More Replies...
Laugh Fan 6 years ago
Oh and the parent who won't give their child the HPV vaccine? A new review, which involved data from more than 73,000 girls and women, has concluded that it is safe and effective. The analysis by the non-profit, non-governmental organisation, the Cochrane group, examined 26 studies carried out across the world over the past eight years and concluded that they “did not find an increased risk of serious adverse effects”. Regular screening is sensible as HPV is not the only cause of cancer but add in safe sex as well. HPV is very easily communicable and can affect a variety of body parts, so it won't be a 100% guarantee but it will be a very, very good start. The jab would still be better.
Laura Pantazis 6 years ago
I am a super proponent of vaccines. I don't fault anyone for passing on the HPV vaccine right now though. There have been serious side effects caused by the vaccine. The CDC reports that of the side effects reported, 6% are considered serious. I think that the parents should sit down with their pre-teen and let the child be part of the decision making process. If the pre-teen wants the vaccine, then the parent should do it. I personally wouldn't have wanted that one particular vaccine and indeed have chosen not to get it for myself. Everything else though I stay current on.
Load More Replies...
diane a 6 years ago
I am not ashamed to say I got HPV - it sits in your system for many years then comes out to catch you - I wish they had this vaccine when i was at school
Rosie Hamilton 6 years ago
It is extremely common. Which makes the vaccine even more of a sensible thing to have.
Load More Replies... Laugh Fan 6 years ago
Won't vaccinate but will take antibiotics if they get an infection somewhere. They'll take drugs to help control epilepsy, diabetes, heart conditions, depression, gastric reflux, migraines. They'll take drugs to treat cancer. They'll have an operation and have anaesthetic, post operative pain killers... Yet, all drugs carry a risk. Diseases carry a MUCH bigger risk and not just to that individual. Oh, and I do wish people would stop raising autism and vaccines. THERE IS NO LINK. Educate yourselves by looking at proper studies. Don't take your information from scare-mongering newspaper articles or some celebrity who doesn't know better.
CrunChewy McSandybutt 6 years ago
A lot of anti vaxxers are also anti medicine. They only use holistic, "alternative" treatments.
Load More Replies... Laugh Fan 6 years ago
Oh and the parent who won't give their child the HPV vaccine? A new review, which involved data from more than 73,000 girls and women, has concluded that it is safe and effective. The analysis by the non-profit, non-governmental organisation, the Cochrane group, examined 26 studies carried out across the world over the past eight years and concluded that they “did not find an increased risk of serious adverse effects”. Regular screening is sensible as HPV is not the only cause of cancer but add in safe sex as well. HPV is very easily communicable and can affect a variety of body parts, so it won't be a 100% guarantee but it will be a very, very good start. The jab would still be better.
Laura Pantazis 6 years ago
I am a super proponent of vaccines. I don't fault anyone for passing on the HPV vaccine right now though. There have been serious side effects caused by the vaccine. The CDC reports that of the side effects reported, 6% are considered serious. I think that the parents should sit down with their pre-teen and let the child be part of the decision making process. If the pre-teen wants the vaccine, then the parent should do it. I personally wouldn't have wanted that one particular vaccine and indeed have chosen not to get it for myself. Everything else though I stay current on.
Load More Replies... diane a 6 years ago
I am not ashamed to say I got HPV - it sits in your system for many years then comes out to catch you - I wish they had this vaccine when i was at school
Rosie Hamilton 6 years ago
It is extremely common. Which makes the vaccine even more of a sensible thing to have.
Load More Replies...
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