Non-vaxxers give Spain first case of diphtheria in 30 years

[ttt]

First Case of Diphtheria in Spain Since 1986 After Parents Shun Vaccination

One out of every 10 patients dies from complications of the disease's early symptoms

In Spain’s first recorded case of diphtheria since 1986, a six-year-old boy from the Catalan city of Olot was placed in intensive care Wednesday. Authorities confirm that despite free, widely available immunization services, the boy’s parents had opted not to vaccinate him against the bacterial infection.

The child is currently being treated with an anti-toxin in Barcelona, but the drug was not easy to find, El País reports. The country’s Health Ministry appealed to the World Health Organization and authorities in the U.S. before finally locating a dose in Russia. “The problem is that these days, no one has this illness. Everyone is vaccinated,” general secretary for the health service, Rubén Moreno, told El País. The Russian ambassador to Spain brought the drug by plane from Moscow early Monday.

Caused by the bacterium Corynebacterium diphtheriae, diphtheria most frequently infects adults over 60 and children under five. It is spread both through the air and via direct contact and can cause heart problems, nerve damage and severe respiratory distress.

The so-called “anti-vaxxer” movement has gained widespread attention in the U.S. recently. Although, according to the Spanish Vaccine Society, 90% of the population is covered by systematic vaccination programs, similar campaigns have gained popularity in Europe. Moreno called these campaigns “irresponsible,” saying, “The consequences of not vaccinating a child can be dramatic. The right to vaccination is for children, not for the parents to decide.”

Spain is no stranger to diphtheria: the country survived several epidemics in the 16th and 17th centuries, including a year so deadly that it was nicknamed “The Year of Strangulations,” after the disease’s symptoms.


time.com/3908566/spain-diphtheria-infection-disease-disease-vaccination-infection-anti-vaxxer/


But hey, they feel bad about it?

www.thelocal.es/20150605/parents-of-diphtheria-boy-feel-terrible-guilt

[sangria]

I'm so fucking over anti vaxxer nonsense.

I'm all for gov't mandates for vaccines. Power to the man on this one!

[mcsangel2]

I also wouldn't mind mandatory vaccines for non-immunocompromised individuals, but I also think it would be smart if all countries had small stores of the drugs needed to fight these diseases.

[bugandbibs]

While I feel sorry for the boy, I have no interest in hearing what his parents have to say.

[ttt]

Jun 8, 2015 19:01:19 GMT -5 mcsangel2 said:

I also wouldn't mind mandatory vaccines for non-immunocompromised individuals, but I also think it would be smart if all countries had small stores of the drugs needed to fight these diseases.

That's probably a good idea. Although some of the diseases can't really be fought (like measles) - once you've got it, there's not much they can really do for you. 

[penguingrrl]

That poor child. I am all for mandatory vaccines (with exemptions for immunocompromised individuals). Those who choose not to vaccinate are making decisions for all of us, not just for themselves.