Father Writes Message To The Anti-Vaccination Movement After His Daughter Contracts Measles | HuffPost Life

Dad's Heartfelt Open Letter To Anti-Vaxxers Goes Viral

Amy Packham— The Huffington Post UK

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A father whose five-month-old daughter contracted measles has penned a powerful public message to "anti-vaxxers", which has gone viral on Facebook.

Neal Cohen from Canada addressed his message to "all anti-vaxxers" - parents who choose not to vaccinate their children.

A group who he says have: "put an entire new generation of children at risk to contract diseases that had been a non-issue for more than 100 years."

"Vaccination is not a choice, but a social responsibility," Cohen wrote on his Facebook page, alongside a photo of his daughter's back, which is covered in a rash.

Cohen's daughter is too young to be vaccinated, and won't be able to receive the MMR vaccination until she is 12 months old.

Since writing the message on 29 May, the post has been shared nearly 30,000 times.

Other parents have commented in agreement with Cohen. One person said: "Well said Neal. I totally agree with you my friend. I hope everything is ok with you guys."

Another commented: "Sending love and healing energy to you guys! Poor little lady. People always assume that I'm anti-vaccine and it drives me crazy! I just look at them dead serious and say, "no, I believe in this thing called SCIENCE!"

Other people questioned why you have to wait 12 months until your child can be vaccinated.

But not everyone was in agreement. One commenter wrote:

"You are so wrong. Zara will get through the measles like the thousands of us who survived it unharmed.

"And she did NOT get them because someone wasn't vaccinated; she got them because it exists in our community. Always has and always will.

"And, you should count your blessings she was too young for a vaccine that causes far worse problems than measles."

SEE ALSO:
Don't Believe In Vaccinations? Read Roald Dahl's Heartfelt Letter On Measles After His Daughter Died
How To Spot Measles Symptoms

HuffPost UK blogger, Lucy Unwin, wrote: "Please vaccinate your children.

"The crux of my problem with the current debate is that this just isn't one of those decisions we make for our families alone. This isn't about your individual freedom, its about basic community responsibility.

"That may sound brutal and rankle with all our current individualistic ways of thinking, but, even if there IS a risk to your child if you vaccinate, you simply have to take it."

Earlier this year, another mother's open letter to anti-vaxxers went viral on Facebook.

Jennifer Hibben-White said she was 'angry as hell' at mums and dads who she said put her son Griffin in danger of exposure to the potentially fatal virus and added: "If you have chosen to not vaccinate yourself or your child, I blame you."

Everything You Need To Know About Measles

Measles are a highly contagious, respiratory disease(01 of10)

The measles, also known as rubeola, is spread through coughing, sneezing and breathing.

Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and sore throat. This is then followed by a red, blotchy skin rash.

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Measles aren't common in Canada and the U.S.(02 of10)

Although the measles are highly contagious, they are not common in Canada and the U.S., which is why the recent outbreak is so worrisome. Today, the measles are common in Europe, Asia, Africa and the Pacific. The virus spreads when infected people travel abroad.

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Watch for fever(03 of10)

If your child’s fever lasts for at least three days and they have a cough, catarrh (nose and air passages are filled with mucus), or conjunctivitis (pink eye), then they likely have the measles.

Tiny white spots on the inside of the mouth, known as Koplik spots, will also appear, usually two days before the measles rash occurs.

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Measles can be fatal for young children(04 of10)

This is because the measles can lead to serious complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis (swelling of the brain), and death. According to Mayo Clinic, the measles kills more than 100,000 people a year, most are under the age of five.

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There is no treatment for the measles(05 of10)

There is no specific treatment for the measles because it’s caused by a virus. When someone is infected with the measles, their symptoms don’t show until 10 to 14 days after exposure.

The infected individual is then kept isolated and treated for things like lack of vitamin A, protein deficiencies, respiratory tract infections, eye-related complications and dehydration through diarrhea.

Most people will recover from the measles within two to three weeks. However, between five and 20 per cent of people who contract the disease die from complications.

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Vaccination is the best protection against the measles(06 of10)

The measles vaccine is known as the MMR shot (measles-mumps-rubella) or the MMRV shot (measles-mumps-rubella-varicella). Two doses of the vaccine can protect you for life as the first has 85 to 95 per cent efficacy and the second is almost 100 per cent.

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Children should receive their first shot at age 12 to 15 months.(07 of10)

The second shot is then given between the ages of four and six.

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Pregnant women should NOT get the vaccine(08 of10)

This is because pregnancy changes your immune system. Thus, pregnant women who have not yet received the vaccine should wait until after they give birth.

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Get the second shot as soon as possible(09 of10)

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Michael Gardam recommends receiving the second vaccination within 72 hours of exposure to the virus.

“It is really incredibly contagious and it's spread through the airborne route,” he says. “So I don't have to touch you, or come even close to you -- if you're breathing the air that I just exhaled, you can get infected."

(credit:Jaimie Duplass via Getty Images)

In Canada, Ontario and Manitoba are currently the only provinces with reported cases(10 of10)

So far there have been six confirmed cases of the measles in Toronto -- four adults and two kids under the age of two.

Thankfully, this is significantly lower than last year’s outbreak in British Columbia, where 433 cases were reported.

Additionally, there is one case of the measles in the Niagara region. The infected individual is an unvaccinated, female adult who had recently visited Toronto.

One case has been reported in Manitoba.

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