Pediatricians have reported that the Anti-Vax trend has increased significantly. Some parents cite the reason as hearing about the “harmful” side of vaccines, concerned that some vaccines might make the child develop autism, while some believe that because of the rarity of vaccine-preventable diseases, parents perceive vaccines as “less crucial” to the health of their children.  Since many are afraid of their child developing autism, they prevent the child from getting the much-needed vaccines.

Most recently, an un-vaccinated boy from Oregon nearly died from tetanus, a serious disease caused by a bacterial toxin that affects your nervous system. Since he was not vaccinated for tetanus, he had to go through a painful two-month process, which cost nearly 1 million dollars. The kid required a breathing tube in his mouth and medications to control his spasms. The boy also had to be put into a darkened room and be fitted with earplugs to prevent his spasms. When the doctors found out he was un-vaccinated, they gave him a medicine that contained antibodies against tetanus. The boy then began having dramatic swings in his heart rate, blood pressure, and temperature. He was given yet another medication for this and stayed in the ICU for another 35 days. After 44 days, the boy was finally able to be off the ventilator and was able to drink clear liquids. After the 57th day, the boy was transferred to a rehabilitation center where he would spend another 17 days. The hospital bill for the boy’s care totaled $811,929, excluding the cost of air transportation, inpatient rehab, and follow-up costs. This was easily avoidable if the parents had given him the vaccine to prevent tetanus. This was the first case of tetanus in Oregon, in 30 years.

Arizona, last week, reported its first case of measles last Friday – a 12-month-old baby who had traveled to Asia.  Arizona is one of 17 states that have a personal belief exemption that allows parents to “opt out” by filling out a form.

Ethan Lindenberger and 18-year-old Ohio man went against his parents and got vaccinations after he was prevented from getting vaccines his whole life. School officials would contact his parents each year to recommend needed shots, only to be opted out of by his mother. Seventeen states allow parents to claim personal preference as a reason to opt out of vaccinations. Ethan’s mother was misinformed about vaccines by Facebook, whereas Ethan got his information about vaccines through the CDC and the WHO. Ethan says that his mother was the victim of misinformation, a claim which his mother heavily denies. Misinformation is one of the main reasons why parents are deciding against vaccinations, but thankfully, Facebook and Instagram are adding security to prevent health topics from reaching their users feeds.