On Wednesday, singer M.I.A. declared her opposition to vaccinations for kids amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a social media post, the “Paper Planes” singer said, “If I have to choose the vaccine or chip I’m gonna choose death.”
If I have to choose the vaccine or chip I'm gonna choose death – YALA
— M.I.A. (@MIAuniverse) March 25, 2020
When a follower asked the singer why she had such a strong stance against vaccines, she accused science of being “in bed with business.”
“Most of science is in bed with business. Business is in bed with banks, banks are in bed with tech, techs in bed with us, we’re in bed with corona. Corona is in bed with science. So on,” she said, as reported by Fox News.
“Yeah in America they made me vaccinate my child before the school admission. It was the hardest thing,” she said. “To not have choice over this as a mother. I never wanna feel that again. He was so sick for 3 weeks then Docs had to pump him with antibiotics to reduce the fever from 3 vaxins.”
“As an adult you have choice! By then you’ve built your immune system,” she added. “You have a choice as an ‘adult’ wishing you all good health.”
The singer concluded by telling people not to panic.
“Don’t panic you are ok,” she said. “You are not gonna die. You can make it without stressing the medical systems. Just breathe. You are going to be ok. You can make it through without jumping in the frying pan. You are fine. All the vaccines you’ve already had is enough to see you through.”
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the anti-vax movement has been severely criticized from various corners of society, according to Politico. David Zuckerman, the Bernie supporting Lt. Gov. of Vermont, recently took a beating from his Democratic opponent for having a firm anti-vaccination stance.
“In moments like this, we see just how critical it is that we support vaccines and make them as available as possible,” said Rebecca Holcombe, who is challenging Zuckerman for the party nomination to take on Republican Gov. Phil Scott. “It’s scary that anyone in public office or seeking public office would cast doubt about the value of vaccines. It’s unbelievable this is even up for debate.”
In January 2019, the World Health Organization (W.H.O) declared the anti-vax movement a threat to global health.
“Vaccine hesitancy – the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines – threatens to reverse progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases,” the organization said. “Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective ways of avoiding disease – it currently prevents 2-3 million deaths a year, and a further 1.5 million could be avoided if global coverage of vaccinations improved. Measles, for example, has seen a 30% increase in cases globally. The reasons for this rise are complex, and not all of these cases are due to vaccine hesitancy. However, some countries that were close to eliminating the disease have seen a resurgence.”