ANTI-vaxxers are trolling grieving women on a baby loss charity’s Facebook page.
The cruel comments blame the devastated mums, saying it was their fault for having jabs.
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Midwife-led Tommy’s had called on pregnant women to get the flu vaccine because they have a higher risk of complications if they catch the illness.
The NHS says the jab is safe for mother and baby at any stage of pregnancy, and during breastfeeding.
But some site users branded the midwives “scumbags”. One wrote: “Shame on you! You have blood on your hands for every sick or dead vaccine-injured child.”
Another wrote: “If I was a midwife, I would not be able to push jabs on to pregnant mothers. I could not have it on my conscience.”
To reassure worried women, the charity stated: “Please know the flu jab is safe and you don’t need to be alarmed.”
Its marketing director Lizzie D’Angelo said: “Not only are individuals posting wildly inaccurate comments about vaccine safety but, heartbreakingly, they are trolling other members with hate-filled comments.”
“Some of our vulnerable women, who have lost babies, have been told it’s their fault or they deserved for their baby to die. Another was told it was because she’s gay. It’s vile.”
The NHS website says: “Studies have shown that it’s safe to have the flu vaccine during any stage of pregnancy.
“Women who have had the flu vaccine while pregnant also pass some protection on to their babies.” Culprits get bans from the site.
What is an anti-vaxxer?
AN anti-vaxxer is someone who either refuses to be vaccinated or allow their children to be vaccinated.
Since the pioneering work of Edward Jenner in the late 18th century on developing vaccines for smallpox, people have protested against the treatment for a variety of reasons.
Public debate around vaccine hesitancy has previously included issues relating to the safety of the treatment.
And ethical objections have been made on civil liberties grounds against mandatory vaccination programmes.
But anti-vaccination as an ideology is seen as contradicting the overwhelming medical and scientific consensus and has historically led to deaths from outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.
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