Re. Duane Arthur’s letter, Opposed to mandatory vaxx (Castanet, July 14) Can we stop with the hyperbolic statements when discussing serious issues? Why are we even giving this a platform? Mandatory vaccinations do not “belong in a dictatorship like North Korea”. We need vaccinations. They are our No. 1 proven tool to fight a ton of diseases that used to be death sentences. The explanation for why people are afraid of unvaccinated people and why mandates are put in place is also simple-herd immunity only works over 95%. There are many people who are unable to get vaccines due to being immunocompromised, meaning that if one chooses not to get vaccinated, one are putting those people at risk based on their own selfish choices. The media mentions these facts all the time, so not understanding weariness over the not vaccinated is purposeful ignorance. Measles is also a special disease that destroys one’s immunity to other illnesses, meaning one can be at serious risk for grave illnesses that they would’ve been immune to previously. Eating hamburgers every day has no scientific evidence to improve health. Vaccines do. Taking a baby aspirin a day is actually recommended for people who have blood clotting disorders. All these suggestions are nonsensical. The rebuttals continue. The point is, maybe one should just listen to experts, such as doctors and what their recommendations for vaccinations are (which is to get them, if that wasn’t clear). If people don’t understand basic herd immunity and why “people are afraid of unvaccinated people,” they probably shouldn’t be sharing their opinions about vaccines because they don’t understand them. Katherine Arrowsmith