Anti-vaxxer Claims Spreading Chicken Pox in Lollipops for Trick or Treat

An anti-vaxxer Halloween stunt has left many in disbelief and prompted authorities to investigate whether the claim of spreading chicken pox in a lollipop is true or not.

According to Science Alert, an anti-vaxxer mother in Australia claimed she handed out lollipops tainted with chicken pox to trick-or-treaters on Halloween. The authorities have yet to verify the veracity of this claim. The mother, identified as Sarah Walker RN on Facebook, claimed that her son got infected with chickenpox and they intended to spread the germs, hoping to provide the others with natural immunity.

There is no scientific evidence that supports her claim. So far, there is no proof that receiving chickenpox on purpose outside a vaccine is better. Supporters for vaccinations reason out that kids who receive vaccinations are not only protecting themselves but also others who are not medically legible.

In other parts of America, anti-vaxxers are using religion as a shield for their stance against vaccinations. In a separate report by Science Alert, people in Vermont have started using religious beliefs to reject mandated injections. Vaccinations are compulsory in the U.S. but in some cases, there could be exemptions such as medical conditions and religious beliefs, where 45 states still implement it. Other states have rammed up efforts to curb personal beliefs as justification for refusal of vaccinations.

The case of Vermont is interesting as the state has never been identified as religious but after the changes were made to exclude personal beliefs, anti-vaxxers have used religious beliefs to oppose it. In other cases, grieving mothers and their raw emotions are being used to turn against vaccinations.

The case of Catelin Clobes and the death of her baby Evee has been magnified and twisted to make it look like vaccines were responsible over the tragic incident. Anti-vaxxers claim that baby Evee was perfectly healthy until she received mandatory shots. After 36 hours, the infant was declared dead. Unknown to many, this claim was invalid as the medical examiner determined the baby died while accidentally suffocating while co-sleeping with Catelin, NBC News reported.

The findings did not sit well with Catelin and insisted she knew what she was doing and it was safe. Her social media post soon became viral and a lot of anti-vaxxers have shared their horror stories. These instances where medical claims are rejected in lieu of unverified and emotion-filled testimonies could bring more harm than good.

In the Philippines, the Red Cross is perplexed that a polio outbreak resurfaced again after being eradicated in the country almost 2 decades ago. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) representative Chris Staines revealed as many as 11 million children are now at risk of being disabled and even lead to death because of polio, per Aljazeera.

The World Health Organization added that if the country wants to eradicate polio once again, it has to step up its efforts in giving out vaccinations to children 5 years and below. The administration of President Rodrigo Duterte has been put to scrutiny after failing to resolve the case of dengue vaccine Dengvaxia controversy in 2017. This led many to believe that parents are now refusing to have their children vaccinated against dengue for fear of complications leading to death.