Welcome to OLO Todd W, and don't worry about Arjay. He is suspicious about everybody!

This article shows how naive the author is when it comes to the diseases that vaccinations protect us from.

These diseases are not 'eliminated' at all. Polio, measles, mumps , tetanus, German measles, tuberculosis and others are still with us somewhere in the world.
And we have people visiting Australia from these countries every day.

We can't be complacent, especially where our children are concerned.
I would like the author to individually look up all the diseases vaccinations help prevent, and then get back to us...

@Suseonline

Thanks for the welcome. I second your call for the author to read up on these diseases. I'm from the U.S., but have a number of friends in Aus, so a lot of my references may refer mostly to things this side of the Pacific. A very good resource to learn about the diseases is the CDC Pink Book, which has chapters that go into great detail (though with very easy to read sections) on vaccine preventable diseases. Freely available here: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/index.html#chapters

The really sad thing is that the vaccines for polio, measles, mumps, rubella, and others could be made obsolete, just like the smallpox vaccine, if enough people are immunized globally. These diseases only exist in humans, so we could eliminate them and cut down on the number of vaccines kids get. Sadly, it's folks like Ms. Love that keep pushing that day further and further away.

Ms Love makes some good points about the importance of healthy lifestyle choices and the need for children to develop immune response from exposure to pathogens. I share some of her concerns about the need for certain vaccinations - like Hep B at very early age unless there are medical indications.

However, and it's a very BIG however, the risks associated with vaccination are hugely outweighed by the risks of not vaccinating.

Contrary to Ms Loves claims Diptheria is not eradicated in Australia. In 1977 I was involved in the care of a baby aged 8-10 mths who died from the disease and there were 2 other non-fatal cases at the same time. The deceased infant hadn't been immunised, I remember that much. Whether the other sufferers had I can't. There have been cases and the odd death all throughout the late 1900s and this continues now. Her claims about tetanus are also way off the mark. The wound that needs suturing is far less likely a starting point for tetanus than the minor puncture wound treated at home with antiseptic cream and a bandaid. Whooping Cough remains an ongoing problem. God forbid Polio ever makes a resurgence.

A walk through an old cemetery counting the graves of infants and children should be mandatory for the anti-immunization crowd. Parents of the pre-immunization pre-antibiotic era were EXTREMELY fortunate not to lose a child or 2,3,4 maybe more, not to mention the after effects suffered by survivors, from the dreadful diseases that are now largely prevented by VACCINATION. The graves of children who have died from complications of vaccination are few and far between.

While I'd be reluctant to advocate forced vaccination, I do believe it is quite reasonable for childcare providers and schools to refuse entry to children who have not been immunised to help protect the majority. Parents who do not immunize need to understand that decision may impact negatively on others and be prepared to make necessary adjustments to support their individual choices.