Concerned Moms Write Viral Letter Of Warning About Anti-Vaxx Neighbor

The letter lays out all states that have current measles outbreaks

It’s no secret that the anti-vaxx movement has gotten out of control in recent years. Unless someone is exhibiting symptoms, it’s impossible to know if you are coming into contact with an unvaccinated, compromised individual, so a group of Wisconsin moms decided to call their anti-vaxx neighbor out so everyone would know the risks and to inform this family of the dangers they could cause.

The letter, posted to Imgur by the user NeedingVsGetting, detailed out the exact risks associated with choosing not to vaccinate, specifically calling the neighbor out by name.

“Dear Resident,” the letter began, “your neighbor does not believe in vaccinating herself or her family. This puts anyone at risk if they are medically fragile, immunocompromised, or out of date in their vaccinations. Please use caution when sharing work or personal space with this individual, eating foods prepared by this individual, or attending gatherings at this individual’s house if you or the people who are important to you fall into medically at-risk categories. The unvaccinated pose a unique threat to infants, who often don’t yet have a full course of vaccinations completed, and can quickly become deathly ill or die.”

They also went on to list all of the states where outbreaks currently exist. “People who are unvaccinated have caused outbreaks in Arkansas, Oregon Washinton, California, New York, North Carolina, Michigan, Virginia, Texas, Kansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Florida, Minnesota, Colorado, and Pennsylvania, with more outbreaks expected,” the letter read. “Nearly all outbreaks of disease were started by unvaccinated individuals, who pass along vaccine-preventable diseases to those without adequate protection.”

There’s been a lot of concerned citizens, doctor’s offices, and parents getting vocal for good reason. With measles outbreaks happening in cities all over the US, recent cases of mumps, and the first case of tetanus in 30 years, there is real concern about the spread of once eradicated diseases.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in ten children with measles will get an ear infection, which can lead to permanent deafness. One in 20 children will develop pneumonia and one in 1,000 will develop encephalitis (brain swelling that can cause brain damage). One or two in 1,000 children will die.

The problem has gotten so severe in such a short period of time, the World Health Organization named vaccine hesitancy as one of its top ten threats to global health in 2019 along with the global influenza pandemic, antimicrobial resistance (drug-resistant “superbugs”), humanitarian crises, and lack of primary health care.

“People who don’t believe in vaccines often hold other views that are at odds with widely accepted facts related to science and medicine. Protect yourself, your family, and your community by using caution when interacting with these people,” the letter continued. “They have caused hundreds of thousands of vaccine-preventable disease in recent years, costing several hundred million dollars around the globe, not including the costs associated with preventable deaths and disabilities.”

The letter also listed a website where outbreaks and subsequent deaths can be tracked (vaccineswork.org/vaccine-preventable-disease-outbreaks) and signed “Concerned Moms of Wisconsin.” If you think doctors and the World Health Organization are scary, try messing with a bunch of moms.