Over the past few decades, the anti-vax movement has become a worryingly prevalent one. Parents are refusing to vaccinate their kids against life-threatening illnesses due to spurious science reports saying that doing so could harm them.

Many of these rumours stem from one 1998 paper which claimed that the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination caused autism. This was, as Healthline confirms, based on "faulty data" and the study's findings have never been replicated.

In fact, Healthline states, "no other medical research has shown a link between vaccines and mental disorders" in the last 21 years. Despite this, people still believe that inoculations carry the risk of causing autism or other neurological conditions.

With this in mind, one woman ran into something of an ethical dilemma when an anti-vaxxer asked if she could have some of her breastmilk for her newborn.

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"I’m part of a breast milk donation group on FB as I make excess amounts of milk that would otherwise go to waste," the woman, who goes by the username 'sayyestodogs', explained on Reddit. "Often I’ll make a general post offering to donate anywhere from 60-100 oz to a baby in need."

She continued: "There is a woman who always messages me. The first time she told me of her story and her baby, I was prepared to give her that particular stash. Then I clicked on her profile - oh boy. Filled with anti-vax propaganda and just disgusting things.

"I can’t explain it, but I get this awful, icky feeling thinking about giving her my breast milk. So I tell her someone else already claimed it. This happens about three more times over the course of several weeks and I keep telling her, sorry someone else has claimed it."

After managing to avoid the anti-vaxxer for a short while, however, 'sayyestodogs' faced a direct challenge about her behaviour.

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"I made a post two days ago and she literally messaged me asking for it mere seconds after posting. I replied with the same response. She called me out this time and says she feels like I always say that to her and that she thinks I have a problem with her," the mother said.

She continued: "So I tell her that I’m extremely uncomfortable donating my milk to someone who refuses to vaccinate her child (who is a sick baby, btw, and born very early as per her first message to me) as well as spreads misinformation about immunizations.

"Well as you can guess, she got very upset and basically called me an awful person. Kind of went on a tirade about how we don’t know what’s in vaccines and the ingredients we know about are poisoning our children.

"I almost asked her how she was okay with accepting everyone’s home-pumped milk for her kid when god knows what’s in it. Whatever. Not sure why I’m posting this but I felt super butt hurt about the whole exchange."

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The woman worried that she was a "terrible person" for refusing to help out the mother, but other people in the comments backed up her decision.

"Not a terrible person. I would do the same," said one fellow mother. "If she wants BM for the 'antibodies', she should get her child vaccinated so they get the antibodies in the most effective way possible."

"You donate your milk and probably don't even take money for it. YOU have taken the time to pump so that those babies get breastmilk," added another. "That means that YOU are the one to decide who you give your milk to. She has no right to call you awful for not giving it to her. Don't feel guilty - trust your gut feeling. If you don't want to donate to her, she has to accept that. End of story."

Ultimately, most people agreed that it was the anti-vaxxer's responsibility to ensure her little one was vaccinated. After all, even if that child manages to avoid the deadly illnesses it ought to be immunised against, they will still grow up to be a danger to immunocompromised individuals (such as pregnant women or those with autoimmune diseases), meaning the mother is potentially harming many more people by ignoring science and refusing to vaccinate her baby.

Hopefully, posts like this will make more anti-vaxxers realise that the only way to take proper care of their kids is to get them the shots they need when they're young.

Back in 1796, Edward Jenner took blister material from someone infected with cowpox, and used that material to protect someone from getting the deadly disease smallpox.

Testing out his theory on several children including his own 11-month-old son (who survived), this was the first example of an arm-to-arm inoculation, and became the world's very first vaccine.

Now, more than 300 years since that incredible discovery, thousands of people across the world are turning out in their droves to defy Jenner's research, putting millions of people at risk in the process.

Anti-vaxxers, as they're sometimes known, don't have the best of reputations online, and one such woman came in for some heavy criticism for an ill-advised question on Facebook.

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For parents who decide to forego vaccinations in the modern age, the target of their ire is typically the MMR vaccine - a series of shots administered usually at around 12 to 15 months which is designed to inoculate children against measles, mumps and rubella.

There is a belief in some corners of the internet that the shots cause autism in young children (based on a now-debunked study), and rather than take the risk, some mothers are choosing to eschew the practice. But one Facebook mother is getting quite a lot of criticism for asking for help with managing an outbreak of measles in her home state.

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"My 3 year old is not vaccinated," she began in her Facebook post, "and there is currently a measles outbreak in my state. Any suggestions for precautions I can take to protect her would be very much appreciated."

Now, for many people who have taken the vaccine or given the vaccine to their children, the answer here is apparent. But Facebook users took the time to roast the mother on her anti-vaxxing views, and some of the comments on her thread are hilarious.

Alyssa Adame opted for sarcasm - the lowest form of wit, to some people, but for me it's also the funniest: "If only they made some type of vaccination to prevent the child from getting it..."

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Apart from being somewhat misguided, not vaccinating children can be dangerous, and one mother pointed this out emphatically.

"It's not about YOUR kids, it's about the immunocompromised children that your kids are going to KILL because they rely on literally NO ONE near them getting these viruses," Mia Marie Migliaccio Hernandez said.

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All joking aside, the anti-vaxxer movement is thought to have played a part in reintroducing diseases that were thought eliminated back into communities. Measles, for example, is a disease that the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) thought we had eliminated back in 2000:

"Measles was declared eliminated (absence of continuous disease transmission for greater than 12 months) from the United States in 2000. This was thanks to a highly effective vaccination program in the United States, as well as better measles control in the Americas region."

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While the outbreak of previously eliminated diseases can bring with its own problems, let's take a moment to enjoy some schadenfreude and dark humour.

The anti-vaxx movement has captured the attention of the world. A number of unproven theories have linked certain infantile vaccinations with learning difficulties and autism. Preferring what they see as a more natural approach, anti-vaxxers therefore flout medical advice and choose not to vaccinate themselves or their children.

A growing movement, it has been popularised in part by social media. Often it mainly affects the children of an anti-vaxx family, whose parents received their immunisations against potentially deadly diseases when they too were too young to decide.

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As well as highlighting an interesting conundrum when it comes to who makes decisions about children’s healthcare, the movement has been vilified by other parents who accuse anti-vaxxers of being irresponsible not only with their own children’s health but with everyone’s. This is because an unvaccinated child could act as a carrier - and infect people who have been vaccinated.

A divisive issue, it has sparked endless debates online. One such debate followed a polite request for advice from an anti-vaxx mother who was concerned about a recent outbreak of measles in her state.

“My 3-year-old is not vaccinated and there is currently a measles outbreak in my state,” she wrote in an online post. “Any suggestions for precautions I can take to protect her would be very much appreciated.”

Written in the Facebook group Vaccine Education Network: Natural Health Anti-Vaxx Community, the woman perhaps thought she would be safe from the platform’s pro-vaccination contingent. However, they were quick to swarm to her post.

The woman received a lot of abuse and jokes about her apparent contradiction. However, while anti-vaxxers don’t believe that immunisations are best for children, they seek to protect them in other ways.

Conversation around alternatives to vaccination has blossomed into an entire community - including various groups, pages and personalities on Facebook. However, the social media giant has come under scrutiny for its libertarian attitude towards what many people believe is misleading and potentially dangerous content. Driving home some facts, other commenters on the mother’s post were keen to point to logic.

While some of these comments got incredibly personal, it highlights the level of emotional attachment to the topic. Pro-vaccination parents are especially keen to point out the perceived injustice in not vaccinating one’s child.

In fact, a 15-year-old boy identified only as “Danny” asked Reddit’s /r/legaladvice thread how he could get vaccinated despite having anti-vaxx parents. Suggesting that he is open to ideas of legal or even illegal ways around it, he posted the following.

“Hello r/legaladvice,

“I am writing because I am the 15 year old son of an anti-vaccine parent. I have spent the last 4 years trying to convince my mother that vaccines are safe. I haven't succeeded. So instead I am trying to research how to be vaccinated without my mother's consent.

“I live in Minnesota, and I have been reading the Minnesota Statutes 144-159 regarding Health, and more specifically 144.341 - 144.347 regarding Consent of Minors for Health Services. I also read the 121A.15 HEALTH STANDARDS; IMMUNIZATIONS; SCHOOL CHILDREN.

“Currently here is what I understand: According to Minn. Stat. § 144.3441, "A minor may give effective consent for a hepatitis B vaccination."

“However, I cannot conclude what kind of consent, if any, do I have to get from my parents to recieve further vaccinations. Is it a signature? Is it verbal?

“According to http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/hrd/pubs/ss/ssminorhc.pdf, "Minors may not receive health care services without their parents’ or guardians’ consent, unless specified otherwise in statute."

“I also read this interesting document: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/pediatrics/121/Supplement_1/S85.full.pdf

“I am confused as to what Statute 144.345 REPRESENTATIONS TO PERSONS RENDERING SERVICE means. Can someone please clarify?

“The consent of a minor who claims to be able to give effective consent for the purpose of receiving medical, dental, mental or other health services but who may not in fact do so, shall be deemed effective without the consent of the minor's parent or legal guardian, if the person rendering the service relied in good faith upon the representations of the minor.

“In conclusion, my question is if I have missed anything or am misunderstanding anything. I don't think I can recieve any vaccines except the hepatitis vaccine without parental consent.

“What legal consequences can I face if I fake my parent's signature giving me consent to vaccinations besides the hepatitis vaccine?

“Thank you!”

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Danny received a number of suggestions ranging from speak to his school nurse to fly to a different state and get vaccinated there. Overall, however, it is very difficult for children to get vaccinated against their parents’ will.

“I’ve tried to have conversations with my mom about vaccinations,” Danny later told Bored Panda. “My attempts were often conversations with me bringing a website or a scientific study to show her.”

“I’ve tried to have conversations with my mom about vaccinations,” he adds. “My attempts were often conversations with me bringing a website or a scientific study to show her. Often it concluded with my mom saying that she would do some more research later.” His explanation continues below.

“We both understand each other’s views and respect them, we are able to have good and open discussions. However, it honestly came down to just being persistent enough so that at the last doctor’s checkup I had several months ago, at the end of it I kept nagging my mom about it and asked the doctor to talk about vaccine risks and safety. We convinced my mom to let me get a tetanus and polio shot. Since then I haven’t had any other shots, and my younger siblings don’t have any vaccinations at all.”

“My mom has been anti-vaccine, and my dad does not have a strong opinion on this, as far as I know, he just supports my mom. Both my parents have been vaccinated, however, not in this country. It’s highly likely that this experience is a major factor in the decision to not vaccinate. The toughest aspect to understand, and it’s incredibly important to acknowledge it, is that their decision is made with good intention and my best health and safety in mind.

“My mom and dad are not doing this with malicious intent, in fact, it’s quite the opposite, they want the best for me. However, that decision, in my opinion, was not properly researched/informed.

“The topic then transitions to the question, ‘Who is responsible?’ Are my parents at fault for not thoroughly researching the topic? Or is it the sensationalist websites and media that post for clicks by publishing false and controversial claims? Is the educational infrastructure in the US at fault for not teaching students how to differentiate from false information and facts, for not thoroughly teaching how to conduct research and what sources to trust? Is it the homeopathic industry that is at fault? It makes billions of dollars with extreme profit margins, it has its own lobby organizations and fights its enemies as hard as it can. The belief in homeopathy correlates with skepticism about vaccinations, and in reality, a lot of money is on the line – globally the market is expected to reach over 17 billion by 2024.

“The best thing to do in this case is to put stricter enforcement on vaccination, possibly going even as far as making it mandatory unless exempted by a doctor for health-related reasons. Loosening laws on the requirement for parental consent in these types of situations.”

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While Danny’s story is a tiny microcosm of the overall picture, criticism leveled at Facebook is highlighting just what an important issue this is to society at large. Currently, paid anti-vaccination campaigns delivered to users’ newsfeeds are allowed on the platform.

YouTube has also received criticism for allowing the anti-vaxx community to flourish. On Friday, the company announced that it would be reducing the number of videos which “could misinform users in harmful ways”. Meanwhile, Facebook have been reviewing posts which could lead to “real-world harm”.

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The debate around vaccination will inevitably continue. Everyone is entitled to make their own decisions regarding their bodies. However, that this mother is concerned about her unvaccinated child catching measles shows that parents understand the risks they are taking by not having their children immunised.

Furthermore, that children who are old enough to understand the decision are being denied vaccinations is troubling. Ultimately, a number of knee-jerk reactions have led to an entirely new school of thought. One can only hope that science, or perhaps common sense, will prevail.

An anti-vaxxer has gone viral after filming herself licking items in a grocery store in order to "fortify" her immune system.

Jodie Meschuk, a mom from Colorado, often downplays the seriousness of the Covid-19 pandemic, which, thus far has been responsible for the deaths of over 4 million people worldwide.

So, in a desperate attempt to prove that the risks related to coronavirus have been overblown, Jodie resorted to licking surfaces in her local grocery store.

Jodie then posted footage of the stunt on Instagram, where she has nearly 18,000 followers at the time of writing.

Check out the bizarre video below:

In the clip, Jodie can be seen walking around the store before licking a shopping cart, some bags, and the door handle of a fridge containing beer.

Seemingly encouraging people to ignore Covid-19 guidance amid rising Delta variant infection rates, she wrote over the video: "Germs fortify your immune system. Exposure to germs builds defenses against asthma and allergies."

"Microbes help digestion," she added.

She also urged her followers to "be free" as many states face stricter Covid guidelines.

Needless to say, Jodie's blasé response to the pandemic has sparked outrage online, with one person tweeting: "The reaction to the virus and vaccine has shown how selfish so many people actually are."

Another responded: "But where do we get all this bulls***? Is there a bulls*** manual? Where you were born with an overdeveloped bulls*** potential!"

A third person wrote: "That is absolutely disgusting. Just #GetVaccinated and save yourself and everyone else a lot of trouble."

The mom previously penned a book titled Autism Reimagined where she supposedly explains how to "reverse the diagnosis".

"Autism Reimagined flips the narrative from hopeless to hopeful as Jodie shares strategies that led to her son’s autism reversal, and gets brutally honest about how a mother bucked the system and beat the odds," a description of the book on its official website reads.

It adds: "This book is part reference guide, part memoir, written by a woman who tried it all and lived to tell about it. This book is a priceless companion for anyone ready to reclaim the right to rule their life."

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Every now and again, you hear horror stories on the news, seemingly designed to make people freak about nationwide panics that are overblown at best, and completely made up at worse.

Remember those rumours about rainbow parties, or about how there were people out there sneaking razorblades in children's candy on Halloween? Those were the kind of urban myths that are enough to send any suburban mom into a frenzy, but in reality, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Your children are not in danger.

It seems a bit cynical (though I wouldn't say unexpected) for the news cycle to drum up new panics for the sake of getting us all riled up and sharing the stories with our most cherished and beloved, but sometimes, as this broadcast from out in Australia shows, one or two of those urban panics might actually be rooted in a fair bit of truth.

Over the past couple of weeks or so, at least 11 people across all six states of Australia have brought home a pack of store-bought strawberries, only to realise just in time that there were some very sharp needles in there, threatening to turn a light, fruity snack into a rather concerning trip to the hospital.

Indeed, that's where at least two Australian men have wound up after eating the contaminated fruit in question, heading to the emergency room after complaining of abdominal pain, later revealed to be some sewing needles in their fruit. Scary stuff.

The Australian public were first alerted to this panic by Joshua Gane, who wrote a lengthy post on Facebook explaining how his friend, Hoani van Dorp, ended up being one of the three people to be sent to hospital over this worrying crisis, sharing pictures that show just how hard it is to spot these strawberries with the naked eye.

"Driving up to the coast when Hoani van Dorp bites through a strawberry and swallows half a sewing needle," he began on Facebook.

"We then checked the other strawberries and found another sewing needle lodged inside one of them. We are now at the ER because he subsequently started experiencing severe abdominal pain. Just being a helpful member of the community and making sure your children don’t have to endure what we have had to experience today. Please make your family and friends aware."

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In the post, Gane also revealed that his friend had gotten in touch with the grocery store in question - believed to be Woolworths - over the contaminated fruit. They've issued a total recall of the fruits, believing the needles to be an issue not of human error, but of foul play.

Whether the culprit is the supplier, a disgruntled customer or someone at the Woolworths itself remains to be seen, but in any case, the Queensland state government has offered a A$100,000 (£55,000; $72,000) reward for anyone who can help them crack the case.