Pitiful Child

On the other end of the phone, Joey said he had recently hooked up with a single mother who had just given birth, and the eight-month-old baby suddenly started crying uncontrollably during their intimacy.

New mothers who have been single for too long are reluctant to stop.

Seeing this, Joey cleverly contacted Adam, the doctor, by phone to see if it was really necessary to go to the hospital immediately...

"I'm just an intern, not a community doctor!"

Adam said speechlessly, "At a time like this, you're still thinking about that! Get to the hospital! Now! Immediately!"

Half an hour later.

emergency room.

"... I only give her healthy, natural breast milk, no formula. How could this happen so suddenly? Her face is so swollen in just a short while?"

The young new mother spoke of her child's condition with a puzzled expression.

"Tasty!"

Joey stood beside him, gave a thumbs up, winked, and pursed her lips.

"Don't do that, Joey."

The young new mother gently patted Joey, but couldn't suppress the smile in her eyes.

"..."

Adam's lips twitched.

Your eight-month-old daughter is so swollen, and you still have the mood to flirt with men.

What a poor child.

Adam reached out and touched her forehead, then her face. "No fever, glands are normal, huh!"

"What's wrong?"

"Joey asked."

"She wasn't vaccinated?"

Adam pointed to the baby girl's medical record.

"Right!"

The new mother said naturally, "I won't let her get any vaccines."

"Why?"

Adam exclaimed in shock.

"I don't think vaccines are useful."

The new mother said firmly, "It's all because those big international pharmaceutical companies want me to think the vaccine is effective so they can make money. I won't fall for their tricks."

"Let me guess, you and Joey must have fallen in love at first sight, right?"

Adam complained.

How did you know?

As the new mother spoke, she looked at Joey with tender affection.

"Hehe."

Adam's lips twitched slightly.

How did he know?

Joey and she, one dull, the other stupid.

Fortunately, Joey mixed up the cuteness factor and became adorably silly.

She gained an extra layer of beauty, becoming a silly beauty.

The two are a match made in heaven; it's perfectly normal that they hit it off.

"The antibodies in breast milk can only protect a child for 6 months, which is why those big international pharmaceutical companies think they can make a profit from you."

Adam explained.

No! I don't believe it!

The new mother shook her head. "So many medical accidents have taught me that vaccines are unsafe, have many side effects, and can cause children to become depressed or autistic, or even die in severe cases. I will absolutely not vaccinate my child."

Adam paused.

This raises the issue of public trust in Western vaccines.

In some ways, this new mother's story isn't entirely unfounded.

In a country where capital reigns supreme, human lives are often disregarded in the pursuit of maximizing profits.

Take, for example, the pharmaceutical company where Bernadette works in the Big Bang Theory.

Bernadette and her team, as the developers, knew that the drug's efficacy was not obvious and that it could cause huge side effects, but at the company's request, they still approved the drug's development and actively launched it into the market.

During this process, their company had already developed a standard explanation: there are countless conditions that can cause these symptoms, so why should it be attributed to their company's medication?

As a major international pharmaceutical company, they have plenty of money.

Even if problems arise, as long as they don't erupt on a large scale, they can easily resolve them with their capital.

Before any major problems arose, they had already made a fortune from this new drug.

The only ones who will pay the price are the ordinary people.

With such medical accidents occurring repeatedly, it's easy to imagine how little trust the United States public, or even the Western public, has in things like vaccines.

The various fantastical reasons for rejection and conspiracy theories reflect this anxiety.

What illness does the child have?

Joey couldn't help but ask.

"I diagnosed myself with a cold."

Adam cautiously replied, "I'll have a pediatrician come over to diagnose it later, and you can hear what he has to say."

"Cold?"

Joey stared in disbelief. "How is this possible?"

Is this common minor ailment, which happens to everyone a few times a year, really that serious?

Adam smiled and asked the nurse to notify the pediatric department.

A cold is no minor ailment. The Spanish Flu was the deadliest infectious disease in human history, infecting 1 billion people worldwide and causing 40 million deaths, with a mortality rate of 4%.

Even with vaccines, tens of thousands of people still die from the flu in the United States every year.

The dangers of exposing a baby several months old to such an environment without vaccination are self-evident.

"Dr. Ross."

"Dr. Duncan, what's going on?"

A handsome male doctor walked over; it was Doug Ross, a senior pediatric resident.

Adam explained the situation.

"Your diagnosis is correct."

Dr. Ross examined Adam and confirmed his diagnosis.

"Is it really because they didn't get vaccinated?"

With two doctors saying the same thing in a row, the new mother was starting to feel overwhelmed.

"Right."

Dr. Ross couldn't help but glance at the baby food container that the new mother had partially opened to make it easier for the baby girl to eat. "For just $40, you can protect your child from most diseases. It's best to get it. This basic vaccine is incomparable to new vaccines; it has undergone long-term testing and its safety is guaranteed."

"You guarantee 100% safety?"

The new mother pressed for an answer.

Dr. Ross's charming smile froze.

Who the hell can guarantee that?

No medicine can cure all diseases; many things depend on the individual. Otherwise, we wouldn't ask patients if they are allergic to a certain drug before administering it.

For some people, this medicine is life-saving.

But for others, these drugs are deadly.

No doctor, except God, can be 100% certain.

But God will not condescend to be a doctor.

Adam entered a state of observation.

Whether or not to get vaccinated is a new mother's choice.

In the unlikely event of a medical malpractice incident, the doctor who speaks up to her will most likely face trouble.

At that point, she probably won't care whether you mean well or whether you're taking a risk to help her.

That sounds a bit cruel.

But that's the sweet taste of absolute freedom.

They are free to bear all the consequences.

"Adam?"

Joey looked at Adam questioningly.

"Listen to Dr. Ross."

Adam neither confirmed nor denied it, saying, "He's a pediatrician."

"I can't guarantee that."

Dr. Ross was aware of the risks involved and had no time to calculate the storage capacity of the baby's food tank. He cautiously said, "The decision is yours alone. You can also visit other hospitals for further information."

"Give her the vaccine."

After much deliberation, the new mother, looking at her daughter's swollen face, decided to trust the doctor.

Despite her limited education, she is very confident and, like many lower-class United States, somewhat anti-intellectual.

But when a real crisis comes, I still have some idea of what to do.

At this point, blind self-confidence and anti-intellectualism will only cause suffering for her own child.