Here in Southern California, we've witnessed a devastating measles outbreak that started at Disneyland at mid-December and has quickly spread in the last two months--119 cases as of mid-February. A full 82% of those infected had not been vaccinated against measles--in several cases, because they were infants too young to receive the measles vaccine. In one case, a family with both an infant and a child with a leukemia-compromised immune system were exposed.
Under normal circumstances, herd immunity would protect young children and those who can't be vaccinated for medical reasons. But herd immunity fails once the percentage of the population of vaccinated people gets below a certain point--even going below 95% raises the risk of an outbreak.
Here in California, the problem has been exacerbated by the fact that people can opt out of vaccines simply by stating that they have a personal belief--not just a religious opposition to belief, but any kind of personal belief, including the belief in the completely discredited theory of vaccines causing autism. In light of the outbreak, legislation is now being proposed (and sponsored by my state senator, Ben Allen) to end the personal beliefs exemption, but the damage has been done.
I know on the left, we like to pretend that this is the fault of anti-science religious conservatives. Recent statements from Republican presidential candidates and bona-fide morons Chris Christie and Rand Paul certainly help to make that argument. But one look at the map of where vaccination rates are the lowest in Los Angeles preschools tells a different story. And I'm sorry to tell anti-immigrant conservatives that the story tells that preschools in the heavily Latino and immigrant areas south and east of downtown Los Angeles have among the highest vaccination rates. The lowest rates are in Santa Monica and down the coast to South Bay and the Orange County coastal towns--in other words, wealthy white liberals are the ones causing this. And that's something we have to confront and fight.
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The entire idea of collective responsibility almost seems passé in a society that focuses more on the idea of personal liberty. But something that is so crucial to our functioning as a society, like protecting the health and safety of young children, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems--those whom herd immunity is meant to protect--cannot be left up to the whims of an individual. Vaccinating to keep the herd going is a collective responsibility, and I would argue that no one's personal beliefs can be allowed to trump that.
There is, of course, plenty of support for that position in Jewish tradition. We place the highest value on the preservation of life, both our own and that of our neighbors. This isn't me as a secular Reform Jew making this up, even the Orthodox Union says that vaccinations are a halachic necessity.
That's the lesson I take this year from my parsha. Some things are too important to be left to the individual, they have to be the collective responsibility of a society. That's the only way we keep the Eternal Light going.
Shabbat Shalom.
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