Ignorance. What is the antidote?

I'm going to say one word.

But first, put down your weapons of war because it's not time to fight, it's time to think.

The word is Vaccinations.

They've been a topic of very passionate debate for over 200 years now, 

I am a Registered Nurse and a mom to 5 school-aged children.  I do have strong opinions on vaccines (and some may surprise you).  But you won't hear them here.

This is not an article on whether to vax or not.  

The recent hype about measles in NYC brings to the surface a problem significantly greater than vaccinations themselves.  

What is going on?

On April 9, 2019, NYC officials declared a public health emergency after almost 300 reported cases of measles.  They announced fines of up to $1000 if people disobey the mandatory vaccination order.  They are also asking parents to vaccinate babies as young as 6 months old, although the current recommended schedule does not propose the vaccine until the first birthday.  During a press conference in Williamsburg, Mayor Bill de Blasio declared that the measles outbreak is "very, very troubling and must be dealt this immediately."  

Fear based statements:

Twitter blew up with quotes such as "These two mothers are as much a threat to a safe & civilized society as domestic terrorists" and "CPS should have been called on them immediately"

"Measles make you sick-- why would you let someone suffer that knowing there's a potential you could die?" -Paul Offit, professor of pediatrics and director of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia   also..  "I feel like we are falling off a cliff in slow motion here.  It's always the children, and the weakest among us, who have to suffer our ignorance."

So if there is ignorance, which there undoubtedly is, let us EDUCATE.

Breathing fear into people is not the antidote to ignorance.

Using force and manipulation to control people is not the antidote to ignorance.  

Name calling and dehumanizing people is not the antidote to ignorance.

Education is the antidote to ignorance.  

So let's teach people about Measles.  What is it?  Is it serious?  Is it treatable?  What can one do to avoid it?

Let's teach people about the MMR vaccine.  What is it?  What are the benefits, and what are the potential complications?

If we want a less ignorant society, let's teach the whole story.

It's not the debate about Measles that worries me.  It's the absence of calm, responsible education.  It's the lack of respect for one's humanity, which includes the ability to learn and grow and to make decisions for one's own  family.  We cannot begin this dehumanizing process.  We MUST grant one another more grace than this.