In an age where medical science has saved the lives of millions, prolonged the lives of many others and increased quality of life for countless more, it is baffling that nearly one in five people in my generation think that vaccinations cause autism. Why has the generation of the tech savvy and the science-driven turned in such large numbers to myths and claims that lack evidence? The largest autism-advocacy organizations such as Autism Speaks and the Autism Science Foundation dismiss claims that link vaccines to autism, as have many scholarly journals. The original report about the link between autism and vaccines was withdrawn from Lancet, a prominent British medical journal, because it was based on fraudulent data. Yet irrational fears about vaccines persist.

Not getting vaccinated, or even worse, not getting your children vaccinated, makes it easier for any infectious disease to spread. In fact, just a few weeks ago there was a measles outbreak in Disneyland. “Measles is one of the leading causes of death among young children even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available,” according to the World Health Organization. The 52 cases that originated in Disneyland are only a small taste of what could happen on a much larger scale, given that measles is exceptionally infectious. In 1980, the WHO reported 4.2 million cases of measles worldwide, in contrast to 55,000 cases in 2014. In America, measles was declared eradicated in 2000. Now the United States is seeing an uptick in outbreaks because of people not vaccinating themselves or their children. The Center for Disease Control reported 644 cases last year, an enormous increase from a decade ago.

Before vaccines, people died from what are now considered preventable illnesses. Now many are apt to die for no good reason. Those who choose not to vaccinate based upon incorrect science or sheer ignorance pose an inherent risk to those who are unable to protect themselves. To me, that is simply selfish. We as millennials have an obligation to heal our world, not reopen old wounds that have been cured by modern science. Many millennials probably don’t have children yet but when they do, if statistics hold, barring a strike of enlightenment, one-fifth will most likely not get them vaccinated. This is a truly frightening prospect. Why are we in the millennial generation turning back the clock of scientific understanding? Paradoxically this is a time when the largest percentage of young people in history are going into higher education.

This wave of ignorance is not just localized to vaccines either; it is a much more widespread distrust of science as a whole. There is a growing movement as of late of hostility to science. Climate-change deniers, anti-nuclear energy proponents, and anti-vaccination activists all have similar modus operandi: Fabricate evidence, deny reality and assert morale high ground. It is a toxic ideology that does nothing but hold back the advancement of society. In an interview earlier this month on NBC, Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky stated that vaccines cause “profound mental disorders.” This coming from an individual with an M.D. and a potential presidential candidate who is incredibly influential with younger libertarian voters. For whatever reason, this idea seems to be gripping our youngest generations’ minds like a virus, spreading quickly and with little opposition.

What makes this mindset so attractive? Fear. Fear makes any otherwise rational person behave irrationally. The proponents of the anti-vaccination movement and their ilk are afraid: Afraid of science, scared of progress, frightened by the unknown. The irony is they are fearful of the wrong things.

So my fellow millennials, and anyone else who reads this, do yourself a favor—vaccinate yourself, vaccinate your children and encourage anyone you love or value to do so as well. You will be doing them a favor, and the rest of the world a favor, as well. Of course, what would an article about vaccines be without the opinion of Louis Pasteur, the father of vaccines? He wisely once said, “Messieurs, c’est les microbes qui auront le dernier mot” (Gentlemen, it is the microbes who will have the last word).