/Rant

Most of you probably don't know this, but I caught whooping cough a few weeks back. The Tdap vaccination worked for everyone else in my family; everyone else got what seemed like a mild cough. Me? It had the effect of making me feel like I was sucking a milkshake through a straw several times a day for a month. Except switch the straw for my throat, and the milkshake for a mixture of air and mucus. I was literally fucking choking on my own snot.

I was unfortunate. I don't know why, I don't know how. Science, I guess.

Off-topic, but blonde horse is a cutie

Now, here's what frustrates me. Some group of idiots not only didn't vaccinate their kids, but also sent them all to school while inflicted with a debilitating disease. Since I wasn't the only case of whooping cough, I have to assume that a good number of people decided they weren't going to get vaccinations for their children. Either that, or they're all in the same boat as I am.

Here's what I don't get. Why don't you protect your kids from diseases that can literally kill them? Autism? Down's Syndrome? You're either born with autism or you will never have it, so giving a kid vaccinations after they're born isn't going to give them a disease they can never have after this point in time. And, no joke, I've heard the Down's Syndrome one before. That's just complete stupidity; Down's is a genetic disease, and although research is incomplete, most sources also point to genetics as the predominant factor for autism.

In fact, true story, not vaccinating kids is the leading cause of mental defects in parents.

So, while the possibility of time-traveling vaccinations might make for a pretty cool sci-fi story, there's no way that the shot your child received is going to bend space-time and find its way into daddy's ballsack or mommy's uterus.

And if you'd rather your child die from polio than catch a genetic disease, at least think of other people. You want to know who can't receive vaccinations? Babies. Old people. Do you want to kill somebody's grandma? Are you a baby-killer? Yes, vaccinations are dangerous, for people with compromised immune systems. Doctors will admit this; that's why they're doctors! They'll tell you if something is dangerous for you! If your doctor says you can receive immunizations, however, then it's your responsibility to receive them for the sake of others who can't. It's something called herd immunity.

WoooaAAAH SCIENCE

The image is pretty self-explanatory. If not, the wikipedia page explains it pretty well. I don't feel like explaining anymore because I've had two coughing attacks while writing this, and the consequential headaches and diaphragm cramps are making me tired. The point is, please please please vaccinate. Because someone might catch your death if you don't. Seriously, I haven't been able to take a walk without having a coughing attack for almost two months, and everyone keeps making unfunny ebola jokes. Both get really old.

/rant over

RAAAARRR such a hot pony