Comments on: Pertussis claims a ninth infant in California

By: Beth

Beth — Sun, 20 Nov 2011 05:22:37 +0000

Not everything that disagrees with you is Teaparty. And I’m not teaparty. I just live near ground zero.
Your HuffPo has talked about the increase in CDiff and MRSA, this magazine has talked about the increase in Pertussis, CDC has talked about the need to screen all immigrants for all the diseases I listed. And those who can’t come through legal means are coming through illegal means. Just because you don’t like the information doesn’t make me a racist nor does it make the information false.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/12/13/cdiff-superbug_n_796156.html

http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/exams/medical-examination.html

http://www.cdc.gov/immigrantrefugeehealth/exams/diseases-vaccines-included.html

http://www.kstatecollegian.com/2.2505/illegal-immigrants-bring-diseases-into-states-1.223356

http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/bt/smallpox/index.html

By: Leigh R.

Leigh R. — Sun, 19 Sep 2010 02:14:02 +0000

Heather (Elise’s mom)–if you are reading this–you are my heroes! (Not to mention Rob Masters and your late father.)
Bravo for you all! (If we lived close to one another, my vaccinated kids and Elise could get together.)
I can’t agree with vaccinations enough. I received my influenza, H1N1, and pertussis vaccinations last year when I was pregnant and am eternally grateful that I live in a civilized society where my children and I can get cheap or free vaccinations toward eradicating vaccine-preventable diseases like pertussis, measles, polio, and so on.
I wrote an article a couple days ago, citing Phil’s article here, among other data like the CDC, Amy Wallace’s article, SBM/Dr. Gorski, etc., and I attempted to make just the point you did, Heather, about immunocompromised folks and herd immunity. Sadly, I’ve been utterly swamped by antivaxers since then. I’m afraid I went nearly ballistic when they talked about the “hundreds of thousands” of dead babies from vaccinations and “vaccine-injured” and how I was killing my children by getting them vaccinated. Sigh. Such an uphill battle, but definitely worth all the ad hominems they can bring. If anybody would perchance want to carry the banner for vaccinations–I’m only one woman with two small children and not able to refute the pages-long screeds and pseudodata of antivaxers full-time–I’d be much obliged (http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978522097). It’s such an important issue that I am passionate about, but I assure you I personally will not back down regardless of the antivaxers’ tactics.
Keep up the fight, everyone! Even laypeople like me believe in the efficacy of vaccines, so all is not lost.

By: Laurie Mann

Laurie Mann — Sat, 18 Sep 2010 22:02:07 +0000

Oh, look at the Teaparty. They love spreading misinformation, so people like Beth Terry will continue to make a buck.

If you get regular health care, doctors will tell you to get a booster every ten years. That’s been the case since at least the ’70s if not longer.

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 20:17:37 +0000

From her website:

Beth Terry, CSP, is an International Professional Speaker, Author, and Corporate Trainer with offices in Phoenix and Hawaii. She is a Catalyst who creates a resilient mindset in your people, keeping you profitable, productive, and results-oriented. Find more about her at

So she keeps you profitable by telling us that smallpox is back?

By: Jack van Beverningk

Jack van Beverningk — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 18:36:23 +0000

Another victory for the anti-vaxers: another child that will never develop autism!

By: LittleJim

LittleJim — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 15:59:12 +0000

Dear Beth,

Small Pox? Not the big ones then?

Smallpox? _The_ Small Pox? (Sounds like a really spotty teenage angst band, doesn’t it?)

The Small Pox that was the first and only human infectious disease so far to be wiped from the face of the Earth except for tiny medical samples held in heavily secured medical facilities due to massive, world-wide vaccination campaigns throughout the 19th and 20th centuries?

That Smallpox?

Yeah, [Citation Needed], I think…

By: Messier Tidy Upper

Messier Tidy Upper — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 13:36:54 +0000

Love this Youtube clip – ‘The Vaccine Song’ that the BA posted a while ago – if you haven’t seen it already then check it out :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1xw0Ob5bqs

Its the best summary of this issue I’ve seen.

The stupidity of the anti-vaxxers and the criminally tragic consequences of their unfortunately all-too popular movement is enough to bring tears to my eyes. So much *&^%%$####@@#% needless suffering because of those &^%$%%###@@!!#@#$@# tools.

I do really wonder sometimes – Can ppl really be THAT STUPID?!

***

NB. Speaking as a new uncle who held his brother’s month old daughter in his arms for the first time the other day. I would’ve done so earlier but I’ve had a cold so I’ve been doing the responsible thing & keeping away for her sake.

By: Lawrence

Lawrence — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 09:44:35 +0000

Wow – my irony meter just exploded. Beth owes me a new one!

By: Chris

Chris — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 03:37:48 +0000

Okay, Ms. Tea Party, we really want to see actual evidence there has been an increase in smallpox! Oh, and that HepC, MRSA and C. Diff are vaccine preventable.

Also, did you miss the comment #6 by Eduardo Sanchez? He said (knowing how you will not bother to go up and see):

in Mexico this types of vaccines are free and compulsory to any kid, regardless if you beleive in vaccination or not…. in this cases “overruling your free will” if you don’t want your kid to be vaccinated i say is a good thing

Want to try again to avoid that “racist” label? Perhaps with some real data?

By: Beth Terry

Beth Terry — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 23:25:02 +0000

How could you be Discover Magazine and NOT know the cause of this? It’s been in the news in the Southwest for several years. Part of the reason Arizona instituted the immigration bill that most people haven’t read and are assuming it’s some racist plot, is because of the tremendous PUBLIC HEALTH CRISIS caused by illegal immigrants. If you try to immigrate into ANY country through legal channels and you are sick as a dog, they don’t let you, If you are walking or being herded across 120 degree deserts and aren’t eating well, AND come from a country where diseases like this are rampant, your immune system is repressed and you are a carrier.

Not only are the hospitals in the Southwest inundated with illegal immigrant pregnant women who have put their lives and the lives of their unborn babies at risk by crossing the border in the last weeks of their third trimester; the hospitals and clinics in all Southwestern states have seen a rise in:
1. Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
2. Diptheria
3. Small Pox
4. Polio
5. Hepatitis A, B, and C
6. MRSA and C. Diff

Arizona has become the whipping boy for trying to stem the tide of many of the negative aspects caused by 1,200 illegal immigrants A DAY coming across the border. Infants born are often infected already. Emergency rooms full of un-vaccinated illegal immigrants become a petri dish for more disease being spread. And hospitals, with limited funds and shrinking staffing are left to try and keep these diseases from the general population.

But instead of support, Arizona is labeled racist. Our President SUES us. The border is still a sieve. And the thousands of miles of border that are in “National Preserve” Status are being overrun by cartels and human and drug trafficking.

Unless and Until intelligent populations like the people who read Discover start to see this as a public health issue and stop the kneejerk “I heard a soundbyte on TV so it must be true” reactions, we will continue to see these diseases proliferate and we won’t be able to stem the tide.

Please do research on this. Please go to state stats in the border states and look up the disease matrices. Please don’t buy into all the drama out there about the border struggles and realize we are at a crossroads, and we need to act now.