Nov. 8, 2011 at 12:43pm with 30 notes
Reblogged from theweekmagazine
theweekmagazine: So this is weird. Authorities say some parents are ordering lollipops licked by children infected with chicken pox, and then giving the candy to their own kids on the theory that the exposure will build up their immunity without the need for shots. One doctor calls the trend a form of “Middle Ages vigilante vaccination,” and health officials warn it’s dangerous and illegal to send infected materials through the mail. “Can you imagine getting a package in the mail from this complete stranger that you know from Facebook because you joined a group, and say here, drink this purported spit from some other kid?” asks federal prosecutor Jerry Martin in Tennessee. What does it say that some parents actually think this is a good idea?

theweekmagazine:

So this is weird.

Authorities say some parents are ordering lollipops licked by children infected with chicken pox, and then giving the candy to their own kids on the theory that the exposure will build up their immunity without the need for shots. One doctor calls the trend a form of “Middle Ages vigilante vaccination,” and health officials warn it’s dangerous and illegal to send infected materials through the mail.

“Can you imagine getting a package in the mail from this complete stranger that you know from Facebook because you joined a group, and say here, drink this purported spit from some other kid?” asks federal prosecutor Jerry Martin in Tennessee. What does it say that some parents actually think this is a good idea?

  1. jay-lea reblogged this from devils-and-daffodils
  2. morganwolf reblogged this from devils-and-daffodils and added:
    This is why I avoid talking to other parents.
  3. noshtsherlock reblogged this from devils-and-daffodils and added:
    I feel like I remember there being stories of back in the day, one kid would get chicken pox and parents would bring the...
  4. blindedbythestarynight reblogged this from devils-and-daffodils
  5. myeyesarebright reblogged this from dr-wtfox and added:
    How about just sending the oldest sibling out to public school/preschool/daycare/activities/sports/parks, anywhere...
  6. scaredbylenseflares reblogged this from devils-and-daffodils and added:
    Never letting my kids eat lollipops. Ever.
  7. captain-sonic reblogged this from dr-wtfox
  8. billiethepoet reblogged this from proustianrecall and added:
    Whatever happened to the tried and true method of just sending your kid over to play with the kid who had chicken pox?...
  9. captain-jacks-bollocks reblogged this from devils-and-daffodils and added:
    I didn’t even know that there was a vaccination for chicken pox? I never had it and no one I know has ever mentioned it....
  10. devils-and-daffodils reblogged this from dr-wtfox
  11. dr-wtfox reblogged this from portlypenguin and added:
    I don’t know if “weird” is the word I’d use to describe it, really. More like “terminally stupid” and “colossally fucked...
  12. geekybitch reblogged this from proustianrecall and added:
    Ladies and gentlemen, this is what vaccine criticism leads to.
  13. whynotshesaid reblogged this from portlypenguin and added:
    Holy fuck. I may throw up just thinking about this.
  14. portlypenguin reblogged this from proustianrecall and added:
    So, vaccinations BAD, but “give my child something from who really knows where, that could be infected with all sorts of...
  15. openyourmindtotruth reblogged this from think4yourself
  16. proustianrecall reblogged this from think4yourself and added:
    It’s mindboggling and sad. Parents: If you want your child to be immune to chicken pox, why not GO AND GET THE...
  17. think4yourself reblogged this from mcentellas
  18. mcentellas reblogged this from theweekmagazine
  19. joshsternberg said: Life imitating art: South Park had a great episode about this; when the boys find out their parents wanted them to get chicken pox, the retaliation - led by Cartman, of course - was pure brilliance.
  20. theweekmagazine posted this