EVERYONE LOVES HUGS!
AND YOU'RE NOT CONTAGIOUS! YOU'RE VACCINATED!
Getting vaccinateed not only protects you, but it protects the community around you through “herd immunity.”
Each unvaccinated person in the world puts themselves
and their community at risk of disease, and those unable
to receive vaccines (like tiny babies) rely on every person
around them, their herd, to protect them by getting vaccinated.
If you can’t get a disease, you can’t spread it!
Contrary to unpopular belief, vaccines don’t cause autism. They don’t cause diseases or disorders or distress or dystonia. In fact, except for rare cases, receiving a vaccine is completely safe. The greatest risk a person faces when getting vaccinated is an allergic reaction.
The shot you receive saves more lives than your own!
The thought of vaccination can be frightening. But here are some of the things that are undeniably
NOT caused by vaccines:
Autism, mercury poisoning, dystonia, Jenny McCarthyism, cancer, hepatitis, HIV, multiple
sclerosis, loss of ability to fly, epilepsy, never ever being able to cheerlead again, SIDS,
growing old as time goes on, dogs chasing cats, gaining the ability to cheerlead, poor vision,
impotence, diabetes, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or a dislike of being hugged...
...so hug me! I'm vaccinated!
- HUG US!
- WE'RE VACCINATED
- WE HAVE COOL STUFF
On May 26th, the American Rally for Personal Rights organized an anti-vaccination event in Chicago's Grant park. Speakers came to discussed the "harms" of vaccines, and de-licenced doctor Andrew Wakefield gave a keynote speech. The whole event was full of anecdotal stories, conspiracy theories, and misinformation.
In the inaugural (and very impromptu) Hug Me! event, volunteers from the Women Thinking Free Foundation headed to Grant Park to do their part to help counter the deadly communicable BS being spread to the people of Chicago. They passed out fliers, talked to bystanders and to the news media, and generally worked to counter the nonsense. What's the motivation? Their children (and pets) who, thanks to vaccines, are protected from measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and numerous other crippling or fatal illnesses.
This is what we're doing all this for. For our kids. And your kids. And everyone else's kids, for that matter.
For Adam, the 2 1/2 year old son of Lesley and Jeff. Isn't he a cutie? His parents say, "We actually vaccinated him twice for a few things. He was vaccinated by his orphanage in Ethiopia, but it is difficult to keep vaccines at the proper temperatures and they can sometimes be ineffective. Also, he was immunized for measles alone, so we gave him the MMR vaccine when he came to Canada so he was more fully protected."
Lesley and Jeff sent in this picture of their son to support the Hug Me! Campaign, and to let everyone out there on the Intarwebs know that they had him vaccinated. Because he's cute, they love him, and they'd like to keep him.
You can hug Adam. Because he's vaccinated!
Would you like to support the Hug Me! Campaign? Maybe get some cool swag? Or go to an awesome event? Soon we'll have all sorts of goodies on the Women Thinking Free site for you to take home! Until then, donate if you can to our sponsoring organization, the Women Thinking Free Foundation, and help fund events like this month's vaccination clinic. You'll know that your contributions are going directly to support more disease-free hugs for everyone!
Hug Me! at Dragon*Con!
Skepchick.org and the Women Thinking Free Foundation are encouraging individuals to protect the ones they love by vaccinating themselves against pertussis, also known as whooping cough. Pertussis is an infectious disease that can be passed from adults to infants, who can experience serious and sometimes fatal symptoms. Dragon*Con, an annual convention held in downtown Atlanta, brings together more than 30,000 people from around the world, many of whom have not received a Tdap vaccination. Nearby at the PeachTree Center Mall, the Hug Me! Campaign will launch with a free vaccine clinic on Saturday (September 4) and Sunday (September 5) at the International Blvd entrance. Cobb & Douglas Public Health staff will be available to administer the vaccine from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., which will provide an opportunity for Dragon*Con attendees as well as the general public to receive a Tdap vaccination to protect themselves as well as their close contacts. All persons in and around the PeachTree Center Mall area on September 4th and 5th are invited to take advantage of the opportunity.
Surlyramics wants you to Hug Me!
Awesome and gorgeous Surly-Ramics will be available in Atlanta during Dragon*Con! Visit Skepchick fan table outside the Skeptrack room September 3rd-6th, and a percentage of profits will be donated to the Women Thinking Free Foundation to help fund projects like our free vaccine clinic and excellent lectures!
Science-Based Medicine thinks it's a good idea to Hug Me!
Hooray! The Hug Me! Campaign got a shout-out from an awesome blog! And as much as we love going crazy with our vaccine clinic, you can help without going crazy.
Contributor Joseph Albietz writes: "It doesn’t take access to a TV show or a Herculean effort to coordinate a vaccine drive to make a difference. It doesn’t even require a confrontation. You have more influence over the people in your life than any public health official or blog will ever have. Just speak up, let people know you got your kids vaccinated today, let them know you got vaccinated!"
