The pediatric office sends a clear message about vaccines

Image via Legacy Pediatrics

All profits from the sale of shirts will go to charity

Vaccines have made headlines in recent months and measles epidemics have appeared in New York, Texas and Washington State – for a total of more than 120 cases in 2019 alone. In a recent outbreak in Monroe County, New York, local doctors decided to draw attention to the situation and remind people what vaccines were being used. make cause – adults.

Kate Shand, a medical assistant at Legacy Pediatrics, said she had an idea when she saw a meme and decided to turn it into a t-shirt. Black t-shirts with bold white letters all in capital letters: "Vaccines Cause Adults". The pediatric care provider has posted a photo of his team wearing the jerseys on their Facebook page, next to the caption "Vaccines Save .Lives." To combat the misinformation often found online about their side effects.

"Children are getting vaccine-preventable diseases, which should not happen in 2019," pediatrician Janet Casey told ABC 13 WHAM. "One of the things that is so important for pediatricians and other health professionals is to move forward and get the message out as loud as possible: vaccines save lives."

The shirts were printed for free by Crazy Dog T-Shirts in Rochester. "All the staff were wearing the shirts and they were incredibly popular," says the owner, Bill Kingston. "She called me and said everyone wants those t-shirts. They are awesome. We thought about it and thought it might be a voice for people on the vaccination side. "

Casey told Scary Mommy that she was surprised by all the attention paid to the shirts and discouraged that their message would be used by anti-vaxxers to spread hatred. "I knew we would attract the attention of some advocates of anti-vaccines, but I did not know that Legacy Pediatrics' message would be sent to many anti-vaccine groups around the world so that they could help us. attack, "she said.

"I am saddened by the anger and very personal attacks perpetrated against Legacy Pediatrics, our patients and those who responded to the call for vaccines. Everyone can have their opinion, ours is based on factual and solid data. "

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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in ten children with measles will be infected in the ear, which can lead to permanent deafness. One in 20 children will develop pneumonia and one in 1,000 will develop encephalitis (swelling of the brain that can cause brain damage). One or two children out of 1000 will die.

Measles was considered eradicated in 2000 until the anti-vaxx movement claimed that vaccines cause autism, cancer and even death in children. Over the years, scientists have refuted these claims, but this has not prevented the spread of misinformation.

One of the common misconceptions is that drugs are paid to doctors for vaccines by pharmaceutical companies, which, according to Casey, could not be further from the truth. "Health care providers are not paid by pharmaceutical companies to administer vaccines, it's absurd," she said. "The vaccines are the responsibility of the insurance companies and the federal Vaccines for Children program. Health care providers receive an administration fee to cover the cost of the necessary equipment and the staff needed to administer the vaccines. "

The problem has become so serious in such a short time that the World Health Organization has ranked vaccine hesitation as one of its top ten threats to global health in 2019, to sides of the global pandemic of influenza, antimicrobial resistance, humanitarian crises and lack of primary health care.

Measles can be transmitted by the liquid coming from the nose or mouth of an infected person, which means that you can inhale the virus when it coughs, sneezes or even speaks. Infected persons can also transmit the disease before they themselves show signs and are contagious for four to five days after the development of the rash. For people who are unable to get vaccinated (newborns, critically ill people, and people who are medically unable to receive vaccines), this can be life threatening.

Legacy Pediatrics plans to sell the t-shirts at his office. You can also order them directly from Crazy Dog T-shirts. The proceeds from all sales will be donated to a charity.