In states like Washington and Oregon, children are being hospitalized with cases of measles, a virus that was declared eradicated in 2000, according to the Centers for Disease Control, along with mumps, rubella, smallpox and tetanus.

Our main defense against these diseases is vaccines. Though proven to work on a macro scale at curtailing these viruses, vaccines are now under attack, with even fraudulent claims that they cause autism.

How did we as a society get here? What went catastrophically wrong to revive horrid diseases with high mortality rates? Quite the question. The answer is “anti-science.”

The “anti-science movement” is not just the topic of crazed social media junkies. It is a clear threat. Historically, anti-science has existed as long as the fields of science have. There has always been a backlash to picking apart nature and determining how it functions.

Then the Scientific Revolution came in the 1500’s, bringing with it wonders scarcely imagined before. Discovering how viruses and diseases were transmitted, what the symptoms were and how to treat them brought an end to mass plagues that killed tens of thousands of people, many of whom were children.

The anti-science movement has been transmitted much like the viruses it enables. The vector is the internet. The internet is a double-edged sword. It is the greatest source of information in human history but, at the same time, is also the greatest source of misinformation.

On the internet, the anti-science movement was once relegated to obscure forums such as 4Chan. But with the advent of social media platforms, anti-science fanatics have not only a much louder voice, but a way to organize.

Many anti-vaccine parents get their information from social media sites such as Facebook. Here misinformation and outright conspiracy theories abound regarding vaccines. Opponents of vaccines will recommend so-called “holistic” or “alternative” medical treatments. These include essential oils, which studies have shown have no effect, consuming toxic materials and trying to alkalize or acidify their blood’s ph level resulting at best acidosis or alkalosis and at worst death.

Facebook has announced that it will crack down on groups and pages that promote potentially harmful or misleading information. This includes anti-vaccine and “flat earth” pages. This crack-down will serve to limit and contain the outbreaks of preventable diseases.

Many states allow exemptions to mandatory vaccination on the grounds of medical, religious and “philosophical” reasons. How philosophical exemptions are defined are so broad and vague that anyone can use any reason and claim it is “philosophical.” To give credit where it is due, Oregon and Washington have introduced bills into their legislatures to tighten regulations on vaccine exemptions. This includes redefining what a philosophical exemption is.

But where did this denial of vaccines come from? In 1998, former doctor Andrew Wakefield and 14 of his colleagues published a study in The Lancet peer-reviewed journal that linked the MMR – or Measles, Mumps, Rubella – vaccine to the Autism Spectrum Disorder. The study was bad science to begin with. The sample size was too small with only twelve children and not nearly diverse enough, studying only boys, to draw any credible conclusions from.

True to their practice, the scientific community came out and reviewed the study, an investigation finding that it was not only bad, but also outright despicable. Wakefield was guilty of massive fraud. He conducted the study while not his disclosing financial interests in it.

Wakefield also violated ethical practices in selecting his participants, picking and choosing who would participate in his study rather than it being a random population, not acquiring the appropriate ethical clearances.

His punishment was severe. His article was retracted and his medical license revoked. That should have been the end – the study forgotten about and Wakefield fading into obscurity and shame.

But that is not what happened. Despite the fraudulent and unethical aspects of the study, Wakefield is held up as a martyr or messianic figure to the anti-vaccine community, a champion against the fraudulent danger of vaccines.

In a world where vaccines exist, we are far removed from the dire consequences faced a century ago by those afflicted by said diseases. The high mortality rates are a thing of the past, for now. If the threat of anti-science is allowed to grow, preventable diseases could once again destroy families and lives.

It takes everyone to gather accurate and credible sources to educate themselves, not just memes and conspiracy theorists on Facebook. Anti-science is a threat as long as it is tolerated. It cannot and must not be tolerated – not when there is so much at stake.