Kerby Anderson

Health care officials warn that “vaccine hesitancy” is one of the top health challenges of this decade. It appears that both sides of the vaccine debate seem to be painting with too broad of a brush.

Most parents routinely have their physician give their children the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps, and rubella. At the same time, those same parents may express concern about giving their children the COVID-19 vaccine. Unfortunately, they are often labeled anti-vax and blamed for the latest measle outbreak in the US.

It is true that the percentage of children receiving the two doses of MMR vaccine dropped a bit (from 95% five years ago to 93% recently). But there are other factors, such as the measles spread from unvaccinated travelers or even undocumented immigrants.

Parents who vaccinate their children but express concerns about the COVID vaccine should not be called anti-vax. Likewise, parents shouldn’t refuse all vaccines simply because of legitimate concerns about the COVID vaccine.

By now, you may be wondering why I say there are legitimate concerns with the COVID vaccine. A recent Yale study has confirmed what many suspected and has been referred to as “post-vaccination syndrome.”

The COVID vaccine in a small number of people may have led to a constellation of side effects. These include fatigue, exercise intolerance, brain fog, and dizziness. Some people show distinct biological changes in immune cells, reawakening of a dormant Epstein-Barr virus, and the persistence of a coronavirus protein in their blood.

While this is just a small study, it highlights potential health concerns and calls into question the efficacy of the COVID vaccine. That is why many parents are concerned about the vaccine and why some states have banned vaccine mandates.