tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34067215899453843722024-02-25T14:33:38.965-05:00Just the VaxScience-Based Vaccine Information
from Catherina and Science Momjustthevaxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07081499341191718417noreply@blogger.comBlogger218125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-81518979645571580672020-02-16T23:46:00.000-05:002020-02-16T23:46:29.389-05:00The "Wakefield Generation"<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Wakefield">Andrew Wakefield</a>, disgraced anti-vaccine doctor turned documentarian is the gift that keeps giving (not really). <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/feb/14/young-people-england-mmr-vaccine-mumps">England has reported a decade-high number of mumps cases:</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Last year there were nearly five times as many cases of mumps as the
year before – 5,042 lab-confirmed cases as opposed to 1,066 in 2018,
said PHE. The trend is continuing, with 546 new cases last month,
compared to 191 in January last year.</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-51134049">Wales has also reported a significant rise in mumps cases:</a> <br />
<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
Public Health Wales identified 2,695 potential cases of the viral infection last year - up from 519 in 2018.<br />
<br />
The areas with the most suspected cases were Cardiff and Swansea, which have large numbers of students.</blockquote>
<a href="https://www.hps.scot.nhs.uk/a-to-z-of-topics/mumps/">And so has Scotland:</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There were 281 laboratory-confirmed mumps cases in 2018, which is a
decrease compared to 2017 during which 385 cases were reported. From 1
January to 30 September 2019, 534 laboratory-confirmed mumps cases were
reported. A number of NHS Boards have experienced clusters of mumps thus
far in 2019, mainly in adolescents and young adults.</blockquote>
The mumps portion of the MMR is the least effective so two doses are necessary. The majority of cases are in unvaccinated young adults in higher education settings which is an ideal opportunity for mumps transmission. However, some with one dose and fewer that received two doses have also been infected.<br />
<br />
Why blame Wakefield? Because his <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(97)11096-0/fulltext">retracted "study"</a> that was published in 1998 and his subsequent "media tour" playing up <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/feb/14/young-people-england-mmr-vaccine-mumps">the alleged link between autism and the MMR jab drove down vaccination rates in several birth cohorts.</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Most outbreaks have been in colleges and universities. “Many of the
cases in 2019 were seen in the so-called “Wakefield cohorts” – young
adults born in the late 1990s and early 2000s who missed out on the <a class="u-underline" data-component="auto-linked-tag" data-link-name="auto-linked-tag" href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/mmr">MMR</a> (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine when they were children,” said PHE in a statement.<br />
<br />
Many parents, especially in London, did not take their
children for the two shots of MMR vaccine at the ages of 1 and nearly 4,
because of the scare around a paper in the Lancet journal by
gastroenterologist <a class="u-underline" data-component="auto-linked-tag" data-link-name="auto-linked-tag" href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/andrew-wakefield">Andrew Wakefield</a>
and colleagues in 1998. The research focused only on a small number of
children who had bowel disease and autism, but Wakefield made a link
with the MMR vaccination, wrongly claiming that it could “overload” the
immune system. </blockquote>
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The same trend was observed with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/aug/30/sharp-rise-in-measles-in-england-amid-fears-over-anti-vaxxers">measles</a> with an unmistakeable inverse correlation between vaccination rates and infection rates <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/dec/05/142000-died-from-measles-last-year-who-estimates">globally</a>. This trend will undoubtedly continue if parents keep listening to the likes of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/jul/18/how-disgraced-anti-vaxxer-andrew-wakefield-was-embraced-by-trumps-america">Andrew Wakefield</a>, <a href="https://arstechnica.com/science/2019/11/robert-f-kennedy-jr-is-the-single-leading-source-of-anti-vax-ads-on-facebook/">Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Del_Bigtree">Del Bigtree</a>. <br />
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</aside>Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-89700294697055464592018-02-27T10:36:00.000-05:002018-03-03T10:55:47.939-05:00False Balance in the Media<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3406721589945384372" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Just the Vax is recommending a post by Joel Harrison, PhD, MPH has published on Science Based Medicine. Enjoy.
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that the full</i></span></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>
</i></span></span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-US"><i>article
can be accessed by clicking </i></span></span></span><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-US"><a href="https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-so-called-vaccine-debate-false-balance-in-the-san-diego-union-tribune/">here</a>
and a downloadable PDF version is available by clicking on the note
at the top of the article</span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-US">]</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3406721589945384372" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3406721589945384372" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="114" name="officeArt object" 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" 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<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-US"><b>The
So-Called Vaccine Debate, False Balance in the Mass Media & The
Risk to Public Health </b></span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><span lang="en-US"><b>Executive
Summary</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-US"><b>by
Joel A. Harrison, PhD, MPH</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
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<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-US"><b>February
26, 2018</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">The
San Diego Union-Tribune</span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
(UT) recently published two opinion pieces on vaccine mandates,
responding to California Senate Bill 277 which removed the “personal
belief” exemption to vaccine requirements for children entering
into day care, elementary or secondary schools. The bill was passed
by the California Legislature in 2015:</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.44in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
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<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><a href="http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/sd-utbg-immunizations-children-infectious-diseases-20171004-story.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Mark
Sawyer (2017 Oct 5). Immunizations stop infectious outbreaks. San
Diego Union-Tribune, page B21-22</span></span></span></a></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; margin-right: 0.5in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><u><a href="http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/sd-utbg-immunizations-children-exemptions-20171004-story.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Terry
Roark (2017 Oct 5). Exemptions should be option for parents. San
Diego Union-Tribune, page B21-22</span></span></span></a></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Mark
Sawyer, MD is a professor of clinical pediatrics in the Division of
Infectious Diseases in the UCSD Medical School. Terry Roark is the
advocacy director in California for the nonprofit National Vaccine
Information Center. </span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Each
piece was given equal length, giving the impression that each side
represented a legitimate position, creating a false balance. In all
fairness, the UT has posted articles and editorials on other
occasions that clearly supported vaccines and the science behind
them, e.g., “In a win for science and for student safety, school
vaccination rates are the highest they have been in California in at
least 15 years” (</span></span></span><u><a href="http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/editorials/sd-california-school-vaccination-rates-20170413-story.html"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">The
San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board, 2017</span></span></span></a></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">).
The problem is that people often have short term memories, may not
have read the previous pro-vaccine articles in the UT, or, seeing two
articles, were influenced more by the one than the other. </span></span></span></span></span></span>
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<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
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<div style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">As
will be shown in this paper, the article by Terry Roark is full of
inaccuracies, falsehoods, and misrepresentations, cultivating readers
to form an opinion that is invalid. Like Roark, the vast majority of
antivaccinationists lack the basic understanding of the science
underlying vaccines, view the world as all or none, subscribe to
paranoid conspiracy theories, and their certainty of the rightness of
their opinion clearly reflects research that shows once people form
opinions, they seldom change them and, remarkably, when confronted
with evidence that they are wrong, they often embrace their point of
view even more tenaciously (Tavris, 2007). Some of this can be
attributed to the Dunning-Kruger effect, which posits that people
often fail to grasp their level of competence (or more to the point,
incompetence), which precludes their ability to form credible
opinions.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span lang="en-US"><b>Summary
and Conclusion</b></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="center" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
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<div align="left" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">In
publishing Roark’s opinion piece, in my opinion, </span></span></span><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">The
San Diego Union-Tribune</span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
is guilty of creating a false balance. My intent is NOT to single
out the UT as this is a problem belonging to our mass media in
general. However, as the UT is my hometown newspaper, it provided an
excellent example.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
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<div align="left" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">As
I’ve demonstrated in this article, not one point made by Roark is
valid. The underlying premise she is coming from is based on a lack
of the basics of science, thus, a bogus opinion on vaccines, a lack
of understanding of the economics of vaccine production, and a
misleading quote, taken out of context, from a Supreme Court
decision. Her affiliation with the </span></span></span><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">National
Vaccine Information Center</span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
and its Co-Founder and President, Barbara Loe Fisher, as shown by
Fischer’s statement, leaves little doubt that besides a lack of
scientific knowledge, antivaccinationists suffer from paranoid
delusions of conspiracy theories, project their own, often vicious,
attacks on the integrity and honesty of those promoting vaccines,
including threatening statements, and see the world in terms of the
</span></span></span><u><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_fallacy"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Nirvana
Fallacy</span></span></span></a></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
(for more on Barbara Loe Fisher as the main spokesperson for the
National Vaccine Information Center, </span></span></span><u><a href="https://respectfulinsolence.com/2017/11/08/vaccine-awareness-week-misinformed-consent-course-nazis-eugenics/"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">see
Orac, 2017</span></span></span></a></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">).
Attacks on the integrity and honesty of scientists says more about
the attackers than the scientists. Such attacks indicate that
antivaccinationists are incapable of systematically and validly using
microbiology, immunology, epidemiology, biostatistics, and the
history of infectious diseases to make their case and display, in my
opinion, a crass lack of integrity and decency, basically anything
and everything goes to influence people’s opinions, regardless of
how unscientific, illogical, and including threats and character
assassination.</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
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<div align="left" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Given
that </span></span></span><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">The
San Diego Union-Tribune</span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
has, on the whole, been supportive of vaccines, it would behoove
them, as well as our mass media in general, to re-evaluate their
choice of opinion pieces and even letters that clearly do not
reflect, have NO validity, on other issues as well. The UT’s policy
regarding Letters to the Editor, “It is also our policy to attempt
to publish letters supporting or opposing a particular issue in a
ratio reflecting the number received on each side,” when one side
is clearly taking an unscientific, invalid position, promotes false
balance and is a disservice to readers (</span></span></span><u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">The
<a href="http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sd-letters-and-commentaries-policies-story.html">San</a>
Diego Union Tribune. Letters and Commentaries</span></span></span></u><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">).</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
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<div align="left" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica neue" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Joel
A. Harrison (2018 Feb). The So-Called Vaccine Debate, False Balance
in the Mass Media,</span></span></span><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">
</span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">and
the Risk to Public Health: Terry Roark’s Opinion Piece in the </span></span></span><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">San
Diego Union-Tribune </span></span></span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">(Oct
5, 2017) , “Exemptions should be option for parents”.
</span></span></span><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span lang="en-US">Science-Based
Medicine.</span></span></span></i></span></span></span></div>
<div align="left" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
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<div align="left" style="font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in; page-break-after: auto; page-break-before: auto; page-break-inside: auto; text-decoration: none;">
<div style="color: #343e47; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>Joel
A. Harrison, PhD, MPH is a retired epidemiologist who has been writing
articles over the past years supporting vaccinations for </i></b></span><span><b><i>Every Child By Two</i></b></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i>, an excellent non-profit founded in 1991. Every Child By Two has changed to </i></b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=http://www.vaccinateyourfamily.org/&source=gmail&ust=1520178125027000&usg=AFQjCNHDXyVa1NvkjyJK2gyU_XisO_hYUw" href="http://www.vaccinateyourfamily.org/" target="_blank"><span style="font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><b><i>Vaccinate Your Family</i></b></span></a><b><i>,
expanding its mission to include vaccines for people of all ages. You
can find Executive Summaries of his previous ECBT articles that
hyperlink to the complete articles as well as his brief biography on the
archived ECBT </i></b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930170514/http://www.ecbt.org/index.php/facts_and_issues/article/expert_commentary&source=gmail&ust=1520178125027000&usg=AFQjCNFkgw4wGJAK4XTaZUgx05gW2Z28XQ" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20170930170514/http://www.ecbt.org/index.php/facts_and_issues/article/expert_commentary" target="_blank"><span style="color: #276dca; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><b><i>Expert Commentaries</i></b></span></a><b><i>
page. Dr. Harrison has studied and worked in several countries,
including Sweden (where he earned his doctorate) and Canada (where he
earned a Masters degree). Having experienced both the Swedish socialized
health care system and the Canadian non-profit single-payer system,
over the past 30 years he has devoted considerable time to studying
health economics and health care systems, concluding that, though the
Swedish system is excellent, given American culture, he believes that a
non-profit single-payer system would be best option for the United
States. Dr. Harrison is a long time member of </i></b><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&q=http://www.pnhp.org/&source=gmail&ust=1520178125027000&usg=AFQjCNEzXAgz2BpW_CIunp2Bg_adMThdxg" href="http://www.pnhp.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #276dca; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><b><i>Physicians for a National Health Program</i></b></span></a><b><i>.</i></b></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></div>
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Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-13143648547931204312017-11-30T00:29:00.000-05:002017-12-18T14:29:39.104-05:00Christopher Exley has Become the New Face of the Anti-Vaxx Aluminium GriftA new study by Mold et al. <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0946672X17308763">Aluminium in brain tissue in autism</a> is not Exley's (corresponding author) first foray into aluminium as the cause of name-that-disorder by any stretch. His publications vilify aluminium for a sundry of unrelated observations such as <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25461904">impaired sperm counts and quality</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28159219">Alzheimer's Disease</a>, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19004564">"vaccine-induced" macrophagic myofaciitis and chronic fatigue syndrome</a> along with fellow aluminium grifter Gherardi, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17629949">breast cancer</a> and of course <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27908630">vaccines.</a><br />
<br />
The study <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0946672X17308763">Aluminium in brain tissue in autism </a> is problematic from the start. As <a href="https://respectfulinsolence.com/2017/11/29/christopher-exley-using-bad-science-to-demonize-aluminum-adjuvants-in-vaccines/">Orac</a> and <a href="https://scientistabe.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/neurosciences-aluminum-does-the-latest-paper-from-exley-show-a-link-between-asd-and-aluminum/">The Blood-Brain Barrier Scientist</a> note, Christopher Exley sits on the editorial board of the “<i>Journal of Trace Elements in Medicine and Biology</i>“ where the study was published. The study also had an extremely rapid submission to acceptance time frame which was 26 October for submission, 21 November for a submitted revision, 23 November for acceptance and 26 November for online publication. The sole funding source for this study was the Child Medical Safety Research Institute (CMSRI) which is a Dwoskin family foundation. CMSRI is the funding source for the duo of Shaw and Tomljenovic to the tune of $900,000.00. Clare Dwoskin is very very anti-vaccine which is evidenced by her statement to <a href="http://www.foxbusiness.com/on-air/stossel/blog/2010/10/30/holocaust-of-poison">journalist John Stossel:</a> <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
What his daughter went through is NOTHING compared to what the families
of autistic children go through every day of their lives. No disease can
match this record of human devastation. Vaccines are a holocaust of
poison on our children’s brains and immune systems. Shame on you all.</blockquote>
More on what kind of "research" the Dwoskins finance can be found <a href="https://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2015/02/06/cnn-the-money-behind-the-vaccine-skeptics/">here</a> and <a href="http://www.harpocratesspeaks.com/2013/08/a-snapshot-of-deep-pockets-of-anti.html">here</a>. The Dwoskins' latest study (prior to this one) with Christopher Shaw as the corresponding author was <a href="https://respectfulinsolence.com/2017/09/27/torturing-more-mice-in-the-name-of-antivaccine-pseudoscience-was-it-fraud-or-incompetence/">retracted due to image manipulation and dodgy methods.</a><br />
<br />
While these issues individually don't disqualify the merits of a study, taken together they do cast serious doubt on the scientific rigour, review and impartiality of the study. More importantly, the methods and results are the issues which ultimately render this study completely meaningless.<br />
<br />
The thrust of this study is laid out in the abstract and introduction that state:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Human exposure to the environmental toxin aluminium has been linked, if tentatively, to autism spectrum disorder.</blockquote>
And<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Paediatric vaccines that include an aluminium adjuvant are an indirect measure of infant exposure to aluminium and their burgeoning use has been directly correlated with increasing prevalence of ASD [11]. </blockquote>
No it hasn't and is based upon some cherry-picked, weak studies. The authors obtained five samples of brain tissue from people with confirmed autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for aluminium measurement. They also obtained ten paraffin-embedded brain tissue samples from ASD individuals for fluorescent microscopy.<br />
<br />
There were no controls. Yes you read that correctly. Not a single control for any aspect of this study; I'll elaborate. The authors state:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Total aluminium was measured in each sample by transversely heated graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (TH GFAAS) using matrix-matched standards and an established analytical programme alongside previously validated quality assurance data [13].</blockquote>
The "established analytical programme alongside previously validated quality assurance data" is their own protocol which is from these two studies, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22699848">Brain burdens of aluminum, iron, and copper and their relationships with amyloid-β pathology in 60 human brains</a> and
<a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5088403/">The Identification of Aluminum in Human Brain Tissue Using Lumogallion and Fluorescence Microscopy.</a> I don't think validation means what they think it means. This was internally-validated and not a recognised method for TH GFAAS by having been actually validated independently.<br />
<br />
In the recent study two technical things (among many) stand out for the recently published "<i>Aluminium in brain tissue in autism</i>", first there was no mention of blanks used. Granted it was an abbreviated description given the protracted version was explained in "<i>Brain burdens of aluminum, iron and copper and their relationships with amyloid-β pathology in 60 human brains</i>" (House, Exley et al. 2012), however there is no mention of an aluminium blank used to correct for contamination in either the body of the text nor in the description of Table 1 (Mold, Exley et al. 2017) where the values for aluminium content appear. But this does appear in the cited study in both the body of the text and the description for it's Table 3 (House, Exley et al. 2012) aluminium content of brain samples. It's worth mentioning that in the cited study (House, Exley et al. 2012), several samples have <i>negative</i> values and a high degree of intra-sample variation. This is a problem with with their validation and they weakened this further by not including blanks in the autism study (Mold, Exley et al. 2017) as evidenced by the higher degree of intra-sample variation.<br />
<br />
The second technical issue was the use of mean in the aluminium autism study. Exley stated in his own cited brain aluminium study that due to non-normal distribution of intra-sample values, <i>median</i> with standard deviation was calculated. This is correct but this was not done for the autism aluminium study, instead they used <i>mean</i> with standard deviation which skewed the means much higher because the outlier values were captured. These values are further meaningless since the standard deviations are higher than the mean values for 3 of the four lobes sampled.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The mean (SD) aluminium content across all 5 individuals for each lobe were 3.82(5.42), 2.30(2.00), 2.79(4.05) and 3.82(5.17) μg/g dry wt. for the occipital, frontal, temporal and parietal lobes respectively.</blockquote>
Another huge problem for this study is both lack of controls and their own scale of pathology:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Previous measurements of brain aluminium, including our 60 brain study [15], have allowed us to define loose categories of brain aluminium content beginning with ≤1.00 μg/g dry wt. as pathologically benign (as opposed to ‘normal’). Approximately 40% of tissues (24/59) had an aluminium content considered as pathologically-concerning (≥2.00 μg/g dry wt.) while approximately 67% of these tissues had an aluminium content considered as pathologically- significant (≥3.00 μg/g dry wt.). The brains of all 5 individuals had at least one tissue with a pathologically-significant content of aluminium. </blockquote>
They cited <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5088403/">The Identification of Aluminum in Human Brain Tissue Using Lumogallion and Fluorescence Microscopy</a> (Mirza, Exley 2016) but it was not developed from samples of 60 brains; it was developed from multiple samples of <i>one</i> brain. They rated the wildly variable observed aluminium levels in the Mold, Exley et al. 2017 study using a scale they developed in Mirza, Exley 2016 based on one single brain donation. The authors must have a lot of contempt for their target audience and benefactors or are woefully inept to try and pass this stratification off as valid. But more importantly, the results are meaningless because they did not include any controls, nor did they include any information on medical and dietary history nor causes of deaths of the individuals whose samples were donated.<br />
<br />
The microscopy isn't any better. There is no validation of the stain specificity nor control for contamination. <a href="https://scientistabe.wordpress.com/2017/11/27/neurosciences-aluminum-does-the-latest-paper-from-exley-show-a-link-between-asd-and-aluminum/">The Blood-Brain Barrier Scientist</a> discusses the problems with the microscopy in detail. Futhermore, they use Photoshop for visualising and enhancing images:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The subsequent merging of fluorescence and bright-field channels was achieved using Photoshop (Adobe Systems Inc. US). </blockquote>
This is not standard practice, in fact it's rather amateurish. There are dedicated software packages available for fluorescent microscopes that track image capture and enhancements. There is also no randomisation of microscopy sections nor blinding of the reader. Presumably (or should be) there are several images taken and randomly selected for results discussion. This was not done so for all we know, images are cherry-picked for maximum effect. The fact that the microscopy suddenly had ten different samples (instead of the five previously noted) begs the question of IRB approval not to mention their Table S1 does not appear in the published study.<br />
<br />
They make very far-reaching conclusions about their findings but fail to qualify any clinical relevance. No histology was done so actual pathology of tissues samples is lacking. The discussion is loaded with supposition with no evidence to support their claims.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A limitation of our study is the small number of cases that were available to study and the limited availability of tissue. Regarding the latter, having access to only 1g of frozen tissue and just 3 serial sections of fixed tissue per lobe would normally be perceived as a significant limitation. Certainly if we had not identified any significant deposits of aluminium in such a small (the average brain weighs between 1500 and 2000g) sample of brain tissue then such a finding would be equivocal. However, the fact that we found aluminium in every sample of brain tissue, frozen or fixed, does suggest very strongly that individuals with a diagnosis of ASD have extraordinarily high levels of aluminium in their brain tissue and that this aluminium is pre-eminently associated with non-neuronal cells including microglia and other inflammatory monocytes.</blockquote>
No the actual limitations of this study are the utter lack of controls, validation and rigour at every step of the way. <a href="https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad00432">Non ASD people and with no pathology</a> are going to also have aluminium deposits in their brain tissue. Brain tissue banks are precious resources for neuroscience investigators. It's a gross violation of the scientific method to be wasted on rubbish studies such as this to satisfy a rich matron with a hatred for vaccines.<br />
<br />
ETA 12.18.17: <a href="https://www.buzzfeed.com/tomchivers/these-scientists-say-a-british-professors-claim-that?utm_term=.ewG9GqmDP#.nld6lbNmq">Buzzfeed</a> just reported that scientists they spoke with, who have relevant experience have rejected this study due to the problems with the methodology listed here and on other blogs. Additionally, Christopher Exley has a substantial conflict of interest which he failed to report. It turns out he is a benefactor and shill for <a href="http://silicawaters.com/">SilicaWaters.com</a> who sell ACILIS by Spritzer, a product that is touted by Exley to remove aluminium from our bodies. <a href="https://www.silicawaters.com/funding/">SilicaWaters reports that 10% of their sales is donated to Exley's research into the benefits of drinking silica-rich water.</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-7282186127044726292017-04-17T13:43:00.002-04:002017-06-02T00:14:43.219-04:00Andrew Wakefield is the Anti-Vaxx Gift That Keeps Giving<a href="http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2017/04/14/5-new-cases-of-measles/#comment-716462">The Minnesota Department of Health</a> has confirmed that at least eight children have measles. They are all between the ages of 1 year and 4 years old and NONE have been vaccinated against measles although they are age-eligible. Seven of the eight children belong to the large <a href="http://www.twincities.com/2017/04/14/hennepin-county-measles-outbreak-now-includes-8-children/">Somali community in Hennepin County</a> and six have been hospitalised. There may be more cases given the low MMR vaccine uptake among those in that community and only one case could be traced to a contact.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/health-22382756">Andrew Wakefield, professional fraud made at least three trips to the Minnesota Somali community between 2010 and 2011</a> to pimp his faux concern about autism and measles jabs. The result was a 50% uptake in the MMR jab as of 2013. Even before his visits, Wakefield's fraudulent 1998 study linking MMR jabs to autism and <a href="https://mic.com/articles/174489/anti-vaxxers-targeted-minnesota-s-somali-community-now-they-have-a-measles-outbreak#.nf978YABH">visits from other anti-vaxx groups</a> impacted this community and decreased the <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-one-unvaccinated-child-sparked-minnesota-measles-outbreak/">MMR vaccine uptake from ~90% to 54% sparking an outbreak in 2011 after his visits there.</a><br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2010/12/17/somali-autism">Andrew Wakefield promised this community he would investigate their autism rate; he never did.</a> Instead he convinced them to eschew vaccination and gave them measles outbreaks. That's the Wakefield Touch.<br />
<br />
<u>Update 18 April 2017:</u> <a href="http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-confirms-9th-measles-case/419638863/">The Minnesota Department of Health</a> has confirmed a ninth measles case in Hennepin County in an unvaccinated child.<br />
<br />
<u>Update 20 April 2017:</u> <a href="http://www.startribune.com/two-new-measles-cases-confirmed-by-minnesota-health-officials/419871853/">The Minnesota Department of Health</a> has confirmed eleven cases of measles in Hennepin County all in children ages 1-5 years old, nine confirmed in unvaccinated children and nine in the Somali community.<br />
<br />
<u>Update 22 April 2017:</u> <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/04/20/measles-outbreak-hits-12-cases-all-unvaccinated-kids">The Minnesota Department of Health</a> has confirmed twelve cases of measles in Hennepin County all in children under 5 years old and all unvaccinated. The uptake of MMR in the Somali community there is 42% in children under the age of two years old.<br />
<br />
<u>Update 25 April 2017:</u> <a href="http://www.startribune.com/hennepin-county-measles-outbreak-grows-to-20-cases/420271103/">The Minnesota Department of Health</a> has confirmed twenty cases of measles in Hennepin County now. One child less than one year old has been infected and <a href="http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2017/04/24/measles-hennepin-county-20-cases/">50% of infected children have been hospitalised</a>. Sixteen children have been confirmed unvaccinated.<br />
<br />
<u>Update 27 April 2017:</u> <a href="http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2017/04/26/measles-cases-hennepin-co-24/">The Minnesota Department of Health</a> has confirmed 24 cases of measles in Hennepin County. Twenty-three of the 24 cases have been confirmed UNVACCINATED. All children infected are five years old and younger. <a href="http://www.startribune.com/3-new-measles-cases-reported-pushing-total-to-24-with-daycares-the-apparent-nexus/420514833/">It has been confirmed that NONE of the infected children were vaccinated</a>, 50% have been hospitalised and the infected children are between 10 months and 5 years old. The outbreak may have emanated from a daycare.<br />
<br />
<u>Update 1 May 2017:</u> <a href="http://minnesota.cbslocal.com/2017/04/28/mdh-measles-cases-spread-to-ramsey-county-total-cases-reaches-32/">The Minnesota Department of Health</a> has confirmed 32 cases of measles, 30 in Hennepin County and has spread with one in Ramsey County and one in Stearns County. Of the 32 measles cases, only one child has received a single MMR jab, all others are UNVACCINATED.<br />
<br />
<u>Update 5 May 2017:</u> <a href="https://www.mprnews.org/story/2017/05/04/minnesota-measles-outbreak-spreads-to-crow-wing-county">The Minnesota Department of Health</a> has confirmed 41 cases of measles which has spread to Crow Wing County involving another unvaccinated child. The stats of this outbreak are:<br />
• 1 involves an adult and the rest are children age 10 or younger
<br />
• 39 involve people who were not vaccinated against the disease
<br />
• 34 are from Minnesota's Somali community<br />
The case previously reported from Stearns County was ruled out as measles with confirmatory testing.<br />
<a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/05/03/526723028/autism-fears-fueling-minnesotas-measles-outbreak">Anti-vaxx groups continue to stoke unfounded fears of vaccines causing autism among the Somali community in Hennepin County.</a><br />
<br />
<u>Update 8 May 2017:</u> <a href="http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/measles/#Example1">The Minnesota Department of Health</a> has confirmed the measles outbreak is up to 48 cases.<br />
<ul>
<li>45 in Hennepin County</li>
<li>2 in Ramsey County</li>
<li>1 in Crow Wing County</li>
<li>45 confirmed to be unvaccinated</li>
<li>1 had 1 dose of MMR </li>
<li>2 had 2 doses of MMR</li>
<li>41 of the cases are Somali Minnesotan </li>
</ul>
<u>Update 11 May 2017:</u> <a href="http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/measles/index.html#Example1">The Minnesota Department of Health</a> has confirmed the measles outbreak is up to 51 cases:<br />
<ul>
<li>47 confirmed to be unvaccinated</li>
<li>1 had 1 dose of MMR</li>
<li>2 had 2 doses of MMR</li>
<li>1 case has unknown vaccination status</li>
<li>48 in children (ages 0-17 years)</li>
<li>3 cases in adults </li>
<li>46 of the cases are Somali Minnesotan </li>
</ul>
<u>Update 15 May 2017:</u> <a href="http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/measles/index.html#Example1">The Minnesota Department of Health</a> has confirmed the measles outbreak is up to 58 cases:<br />
<ul>
<li>49 in Hennepin County</li>
<li>3 in Ramsey County</li>
<li>4 in Crow Wing County</li>
<li>2 in Le Sueur County</li>
<li>55 confirmed to be unvaccinated</li>
<li>1 had 1 dose of MMR</li>
<li>2 had 2 doses of MMR</li>
<li>55 in children (ages 0-17 years)</li>
<li>3 cases in adults</li>
<li>49 of the cases are Somali Minnesotan</li>
</ul>
<a href="http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2017/05/minnesota-measles-outbreak-cost-state-1-million">Additionally, the cost of this outbreak is estimated to be ~$1 Million Dollars</a>.<br />
<br />
<u>Update 22 May 2017:</u> <a href="http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/measles/stats.html#Example1">The Minnesota Department of Health</a> has confirmed the measles outbreak is up to 66 cases:<br />
<div class="panel-collapse collapse in" id="demo">
<ul>
<li>56 in Hennepin County</li>
<li>4 in Ramsey County</li>
<li>4 in Crow Wing County</li>
<li>2 in Le Sueur County</li>
<li>62 confirmed to be unvaccinated</li>
<li>1 had 1 dose of MMR</li>
<li>3 had 2 doses of MMR</li>
<li>63 in children (ages 0-17 years)</li>
<li>3 cases in adults</li>
<li>57 of the cases are Somali Minnesotan </li>
</ul>
<u>Update 2 June 2017:</u> <a href="http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/idepc/diseases/measles/stats.html#1">The Minnesota Department of Health</a> has confirmed the measles outbreak is up to 73 cases. </div>
<ul>
<li>64 in Hennepin County</li>
<li>3 in Ramsey County</li>
<li>4 in Crow Wing County</li>
<li>2 in Le Sueur County</li>
<li>68 confirmed to be unvaccinated</li>
<li>2 had 1 dose of MMR </li>
<li>3 had 2 doses of MMR</li>
<li>70 in children (ages 0-17 years)</li>
<li>3 cases in adults</li>
<li>60 of the cases are Somali Minnesotan </li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-56381082105160483302017-01-10T22:58:00.000-05:002017-01-10T23:41:12.056-05:00Anti-Vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to Chair a Vaccine CommissionU.S. President-Elect Donald Trump has met with <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2015/07/21/why-does-robert-f-kennedy-jr-get-brain-science-so-wrong/#6f11309122e6">anti-vaxxer RFK, Jr.</a> to solicit him for a <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-meets-with-vaccine-skeptic-robert-kennedy-jr/">committee on vaccine safety and research integrity.</a> Sadly but not surprisingly such an appointment is on par with Trump's other picks for cabinet positions (although this isn't a cabinet position). <a href="http://www.vox.com/2017/1/10/14225038/trump-robert-f-kennedy-jr-anti-vaxxer-autism-vaccine">RFK, Jr.'s monomania regarding thiomersal has been debunked by the scientific community repeatedly.</a> Which leads me to believe that failure on that front will lead RFK, Jr. to turn his sights on <a href="https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-final-nail-in-the-coffin-for-the-antivaccine-rallying-cry-too-many-too-soon/">"too many too soon"</a> which <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2016/12/06/donald-trump-is-not-a-slow-vaxer-he-is-an-antivaxer/">Trump fervently believes</a>.<br />
<br />
It is unclear whether Trump is unaware of the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/iso.html">CDC's Immunization Safety Office</a> and the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/ensuringsafety/monitoring/vsd/">Vaccine Safety Datalink</a> or simply doing an end run around them because he can't exert any direct control over them. In any event, Trump is feeding his own anti-vaxx proclivities at the U.S. taxpayers' expense. Ultimately it is doubtful that anything meaningful will emerge from such a committee but that doesn't mean that RFK, Jr. can't cause a lot of trouble, not to mention the new life which will be breathed into the anti-vaxx movement. How long before <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2016/11/02/donald-trump-and-disgraced-antivaccine-scientist-andrew-wakefield-best-buds-forever/">Andrew Wakefield</a> is announced as a co-chair or committee member?<br />
<br />
RFK, Jr. admits in an interview with <a href="http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/01/exclusive-qa-robert-f-kennedy-jr-meeting-trump-proposed-vaccine-commission">ScienceMag</a> that he has no expertise in science and will place "science people and prominent Americans".<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<b>How many people will be on the commission?</b><br />
A dozen people -- a mix between science people and prominent Americans.<br />
<b>Who will you ask to serve?</b><br />
I couldn’t tell you. I just finished meeting with the President-elect an hour ago.<br />
<b>When you say “science people,” do you mean experts from the scientific establishment?</b><br />
Prominent scientists.<br />
<b>Do you mean prominent vaccinologists who believe in the safety and efficacy of today’s vaccines?</b><br />
We are going to look for people who have expertise in toxicology, epidemiology and in public health.<br />
<b>Do you have scientific training?</b><br />
No. My background is I’m an environmental lawyer. I’m not a
scientist. But I have an expertise, I would say in reading science and
spotting junk science because that’s what I do with most of my time.</blockquote>
<br />
Translation: He is going to look for people who might know a little bit more on the subject of vaccinology who are just as anti-vaccine as he is to launch a performance art showing. Somehow I suspect that RFK, Jr. and his future committee members aren't exactly qualified to evaluate the science coming out of the CDC. If it wasn't for the momentary pain in the arse RFK, Jr. and his little band of anti-vaxx warriors will cause for hard-working ethical people, it would be rather entertaining.<br />
<br />
I am going to choose to look at the bright side of this which is another Trump rock will be turned over and we will get to see who crawls out. Just as foisting Breitbart into the spotlight emboldened racists and let us see who they really are, this committee will undoubtedly have the same effect by emboldening anti-vaxx politicians and others who have cravenly kept to the shadows on the subject. We will get to see who they are and may they have the same backlash inflicted upon them as <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/07/opinion/sunday/how-to-destroy-the-business-model-of-breitbart-and-fake-news.html">the racist, bigoted Breitbart fake news site</a> has.<br />
<br />
Had organisations such as the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/">Centers for Disease Control</a>, the <a href="https://www.ama-assn.org/">American Medical Association</a> and the <a href="https://www.aap.org/en-us/about-the-aap/aap-press-room/pages/American-Academy-of-Pediatrics-Emphasizes-Safety-and-Importance-of-Vaccines.aspx">American Academy of Pediatrics</a> been more proactive and damning of anti-vaxx quack physicians and activities, perhaps the creation of a committee such as this would have been more politically unsavoury. It's time for these organisations, physicians and scientists to step up and push back against pseudo-scientific claims and those who make them and stop relying upon lightning-rods like Dr. Offit to be the only one doing their dirty work for them.<br />
<br />
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Andrew Wakefield, Dr. Bob Sears and all their other associates are inexpert has-beens and wannbes but that doesn't mean their activities haven't done substantial damage to public health and public trust in our healthcare agencies. It's time for all of us who are interested in public health and the well-being of our children to send a clear, organised message to these anti-science predators that their meddling in affairs that are way over their heads will not be tolerated.Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-41360962541116423272016-11-24T11:28:00.001-05:002016-11-24T11:37:49.411-05:00Aliana is dead<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<a href="http://justthevax.blogspot.co.uk/2014/08/sadly-another-aliana-has-sspe.html" target="_blank">Aliana</a> has passed away from SSPE, a severe, always fatal measles complication, this morning - in a short statement on their Facebook page, her father writes:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Our litte angel went on her way this morning. The last months were a hard time, she fought a lot, but sadly she lost. She went from us really peacefully with a beautiful smile on her lips. This is going to be a hard time for us, but Aliana has decided that she will be better where she is now, without suffering and without pain. We thank everyone who supported us until now and are still supporting us. Please light a candle, so we can accompany Aliana on her way to a better place.</blockquote>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmesrBXhmXaaZj24DjETABsKXjGmZ4juXdmz672uSLIiI-d1n8HnZhbzHpUNOm7FCAScpuUUxESIVLVqTtwd_2LKzmqt4euChlxiacK8fE3qUcXC4WJx3UBBNnHBxUZEZ06kAKRrd9pcU/s1600/Aliananew.tiff" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmesrBXhmXaaZj24DjETABsKXjGmZ4juXdmz672uSLIiI-d1n8HnZhbzHpUNOm7FCAScpuUUxESIVLVqTtwd_2LKzmqt4euChlxiacK8fE3qUcXC4WJx3UBBNnHBxUZEZ06kAKRrd9pcU/s400/Aliananew.tiff" width="388" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
I am tired. How often do we need to report on preventable deaths? My thoughts and deepest condolences are with her family. Please light a candle. Please vaccinate your children.</div>
Catherinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580939201909356691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-91948091748475869812016-09-09T07:54:00.000-04:002016-09-13T23:02:46.022-04:00News in brief: Bob Sears to face medical board over recommendation not to vaccinate and poor record keeping<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The OC Register <a href="http://www.ocregister.com/articles/sears-728409-medical-board.html" target="_blank">reports </a>yesterday (8 September 2016) that Dr Bob Sears has to face charges over "medical negligence" when he failed to take a detailed medical history of a toddler before writing him an exemption from further vaccination (and other oversights). He is also facing charges of poor record keeping, because apparently, this letter was not on the child's file.<br />
<br />
The consequence for Dr Bob can range from a reprimand to the loss of his medical license.<br />
<br />
I am sure this decision will find a lot of attention, given the recent introduction of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Senate_Bill_277" target="_blank">SB277</a> in California, which mandates vaccines for school attendance unless the child has a medical exemption and fears that some "vaccine friendly" doctors would distribute such exemptions liberally without clear cause, undermining the public health benefits intended by the law. Dr Bob, whose <a href="http://www.askdrsears.com/topics/health-concerns/vaccines/inside-vaccine-book" target="_blank">"The Vaccine Book"</a> had been <a href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/123/1/e164" target="_blank">criticised</a> as fuelling irrational, scientifically unfounded, and potentially dangerous fear of vaccines, has been among the vocal critics of this law.<br />
<br />
Orac gives a more detailed description of the charges (with a side of <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2016/09/09/the-medical-board-of-california-initiates-disciplinary-action-against-antivaccine-dr-bob-sears/" target="_blank">Insolence</a>), as does the Poxes <a href="https://thepoxesblog.wordpress.com/2016/09/09/dr-bob-sears-our-douchebag-emerit-ass-is-in-hot-water/" target="_blank">blog</a>.<br />
<br />
I would hope that any verdict of the medical board would be 100% based on the charges at hand (and any extenuating circumstances, i.e. other instances of writing medical exemptions without rigorous examination of the child, or lapses in record keeping) rather than the notion of making an example of Bob Sears to discourage other doctors.<br />
<br />
Addendum (9.13.16): <a href="http://rickjaffeesq.com/2016/09/13/press-release-re-dr-bob-sears-case-ca-medical-board/#comments">Richard Jaffe</a> is representing Bob Sears.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“I represent Dr. Bob Sears in the California Medical Board’s case against him for writing a medical exemption from vaccination.<br />
We take the board’s accusation seriously. But this case is very
clear: this child had two unusual and severe vaccine reactions and his
situation warranted a medical exemption. To continue vaccination could
have put the child at risk of further harm.<br />
All physicians have an ethical duty to do no harm to a patient. This
is no less true when a child suffers serious side effects from any
medical intervention.<br />
We anticipate this case will do much to further public education on
the importance of recognizing severe vaccine reactions and providing
informed consent for medical care. ”<br />
<br />
Rick Jaffe<br />
<br />
let the education process begin! community support appreciated.<br /><br />
rj</blockquote>
</div>
Catherinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580939201909356691noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-52880216250596922932016-08-29T14:26:00.000-04:002016-08-29T14:26:55.819-04:00All Those HPV Vaccine Deaths Aren't After AllThe Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System or <a href="https://vaers.hhs.gov/inde">VAERS</a> is a surveillance program designed to monitor post-market vaccine safety. It is a passive surveillance system which means that entries are largely self-reported although healthcare professionals and vaccine manufacturers are required by law to report any adverse events from vaccines. It also means that <a href="https://vaers.hhs.gov/data/index">this type of reporting scheme can lack pertinent information regarding the vaccine, recipient and adverse event</a>. Select adverse events are followed up on although causality cannot be established; however a signal may be detected that warrants further investigation to examine the possibility of a correlation between a vaccine and adverse event, <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/rotavirus/vac-rotashield-historical.htm">even very rare events such as between RotaShield and intussusception</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.fda.gov/drugs/guidancecomplianceregulatoryinformation/surveillance/adversedrugeffects/default.htm">Reporting schemes such as VAERS are very useful when used correctly but they do have limitations and cannot be used to establish causality or for epidemiological studies.</a> Unfortunately VAERS is open to abuse by pseudo-scientists, laypeople, scientists with anti-vaccine agendas and <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2008/01/18/how-vaccine-litigation-distorts-the-vaer/">even lawyers</a>. Those of us involved with the vaccine issue affectionately refer to this as VAERS dumpster-diving and unfortunately there is <a href="https://www.google.com/#q=VAERS+dumpster+diving">no shortage of dodgy investigators who engage in this deceitful activity</a>. One particular vaccine type stands out for VAERS abuse which protects against some strains of Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). The current two vaccines are <a href="https://www.merck.com/product/usa/pi_circulars/g/gardasil/gardasil_pi.pdf">Gardasil</a> and <a href="http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM186981.pdf">Cervarix</a>. It wasn't difficult to find an example of <a href="http://sanevax.org/new-death-post-gardasil-updated-vaers-figures-report-that-hpv-vaccines-adverse-reactions-are-50-higher-than-other-age-related-recommended-vaccines/">how egregiously VAERS is abused to make a personal, emotionally-overwrought argument</a> in light of the fact that all serious adverse events are followed up on and none can be traced to HPV vaccines.<br />
<br />
It just so happens that a fellow skeptic ScienceMonkey was kind enough to mine the VAERS database (for good and not for evil) and collate it to make the entries for "deaths" concise and readable for those who wish to demonstrate to the anti-vaxxer they are debating how HPV vaccines are not responsible for all the deaths they do like to claim.<br />
<br />
<style type="text/css">p { margin-bottom: 0.1in; direction: ltr; line-height: 120%; text-align: left; }a:link { color: rgb(0, 0, 255); }</style>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
VAERS (Vaccine
Adverse Event Reporting System) is ONE of the CDC’s methods for
tracking and documenting any potential negative reactions to
vaccines. ANYONE can submit to VAERS. (Physicians would use the
Vaccine Safety Datalink.) The details are open to the public and, as
people are wont to do to promote their agendas, statistics can be
manipulated and misrepresented. All of the VAERS data are accessible
to the public and the individual reports are publicly-available in
the VAERS Wonder system.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;">From
the CDC: “A report to VAERS generally does not prove that the
identified vaccine(s) caused the adverse event described. It
only confirms that the reported event occurred sometime after vaccine
was given. No proof that the event was caused by the vaccine is
required in order for VAERS to accept the report. VAERS accepts all
reports without judging whether the event was caused by the vaccine.”</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
For reference, 80
million dose of Gardasil were administered in the U.S. between 2006
and 2015.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
VAERS has 11 reports
of people dying from HPV vaccines in 2011. Here are the report
numbers with short synopses.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
417137-1 Died 29
days after vaccination. Onset 29 days. F 17 TN.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
419237-1 Anecdote
from a filer of multiple reports.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
421582-1 Anecdote.
Cardiac arrest.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
425513-1 Chronic
depression. Suicide.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
425598-1 Anecdote
from a filer of multiple reports.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
425680-1 Anecdote.
Internet.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
429007-1 Consumer
reported he had nothing to live for because Gardasil killed his
daughter.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
430780-1 Pathologist
stated cause of death as consistent with cardiac insufficiency, due
to cardiac arrhythmia, due to probable early cardiomyopathy. Child
Death Review Team felt this death was consistent with a diagnosis of
sudden cardiac death.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
437735-1 Relapse of
ITP: 18-year-old female with immune thrombocytopenic purpura,
diagnosed in 1995 and in remission from 2004 to 2011 following
treatment with Rituximab. Relapse in early April, 2011, followed
administration of Gardasil vaccine on 10-26-10 and 1-7-11. Relapse of
ITP led eventually to death from intracranial hemorrhage on
07/06/2011. Onset 84 days after vaccination.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
437999-1 Suicide.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
442402-1 Limited
details. Patient on Depakote, Lyrica, Diazepam, Adderall for a
Seizure disorder.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
5 (45%) were
anecdotes. 2 were suicides. 1 was not a death. 2 were clear other
causes of death. 1 has limited information but onset occurred almost
a month after vaccination. 1 patient has a disorder and was on other
drugs.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
There is no evidence
in VAERS to support that any deaths can be linked to HPV in 2011.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
VAERS has 6 reports
of people dying from HPV vaccines in 2012. Here are the report
numbers with short synopses.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
449334-1 Symptoms
onset 968 days after vaccination. Patient was found to be positive
for a genetic mutation (FUS) recently recognized as associated with
early-onset, rapidly progressive ALS.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
450655-1 Limited
detail. Michigan 2/27/12. (I can find zero external details on this
one.)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
453010-1 Limited
detail. On other meds. Onset 9 days after injection 2.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
457904-1 14-year-old
male. Suicide.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
464953-1 Anecdote,
and “the nurses found that there was no record of the patient in
local registry for GARDASIL patients”</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
471590-1 Anecdote
was “from a consumer, who learned from a foreign radio channel of
fatal cases after GARDASIL vaccination”</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
2 (33%) were
anecdotes. 2 were other clear causes. 2 reports had very limited
information and searches added nothing.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
There is no evidence
in VAERS to support that any deaths can be linked to HPV in 2012.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
VAERS has 19 reports
of people dying from HPV vaccines in 2013. Here are the report
numbers with short synopses.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
482344-1 Someone
received something via social media and filed a report.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
482352-1 Someone
received something via social media and filed a report.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
485188-1 Someone
received something via social media and filed a report.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
485757-1 A patient
on anti-seizure medication and suffering from an upper respiratory
infection died.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
489163-1 Mother was
vaccinated during pregnancy. Baby died 59 days after birth.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
492468-1 Anecdote –
someone knows someone who died.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
494024-1 Patient had
a cerebral hemorrhage and leukemia.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
500225-1 Child
passed out. Mother did research on the internet and heard about
someone who died. There was no death here.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
501081-1 Student
found dead in dorm room three days after vaccination. Date and story
likely link case to a well-publicized case. (<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The
</span></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Lato, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>CDC/ATSDR
Policy on Releasing and Sharing Data</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
prohibits linking these data with other data sets or information for
the purpose of identifying an individual.)</span></span></span> The
death was attributed to bulimia complications.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
501663-1 Limited
details. Nothing in file implying death liked to vaccines.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
505344-1 Someone
received something via social media and filed a report. File notes
same person filing many similar reports.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
505350-1 Someone
received something via social media and filed a report.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
505364-1 Someone
received something via social media and filed a report.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
510130-1 Patient
died from myocarditis.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
511528-1 Patient
died from acute liver failure.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
513554-1 Patient
died 111 days after vaccination from influenza complications</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
513728-1 A mother
claimed her daughter was killed by Gardasil five years earlier.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
514814-1 Someone saw
an anti-HPV video and filed a report.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
515434-1 A asthmatic
patient on Albuterol died 42 days after vaccination.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
11 of 19 (58%)
reports were anecdotal. 1 was not a death. 6 deaths were attributed
to other causes. 1 death had limited detail in the file. The wording
in some of the filings was identical. Some of the Wonder files even
noted it was the same person doing many of the anecdotal filings.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
There is no evidence
in VAERS to support that any deaths can be linked to HPV in 2013.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
VAERS has 16 reports
of people dying from HPV vaccines in 2014. Here are the report
numbers with short synopses.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
518872-1 Patient on
Adderall and Celexa died 44 days after receiving third Gardasil
injection.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
522070-1 Anecdote.
Nurse reports of multiple people reporting internet anecdotes.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
525311-1 Anecdote of
53 deaths.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
526687-1 Patient
with cardiomegaly. Myocarditis.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
527990-1 Anecdote.
Someone read something on Facebook that 15 people had died.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
528766-1 Anecdote.
Nurse read about something on a website.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
532797-1 Patient had
seizure 43 days after vaccination.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
*538295-1 Patient
died 1 day after Gardasil. Mother claims it was the vaccination.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
540269-1 Anecdote of
case 538295-1.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
540899-1 Barely an
anecdote.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
541912-1 Anecdote of
case 538295-1.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
541916-1 Anecdote of
case 538295-1.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
544217-1 Anecdote of
case 538295-1. (Physician aware of the anecdote corrected the age!)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
546064-1 Anecdote of
case 538295-1.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
557260-1 Anecdote.
Reporter claims deaths tied to Gardasil and product needs to be
pulled from market. File states this reporter has done this many
times.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
559863-1 Anecdote of
case 538295-1.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
*I have to do a side
note here on 538295-1 as I found this specific case on many
anti-vaccination websites when I dove deeper. Based on the age of
the girl, the date of the incident, and the location, I am certain of
who this girl was. (<span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The
</span></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Lato, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>CDC/ATSDR
Policy on Releasing and Sharing Data</i></span></span></span><span style="color: #333333;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
prohibits linking these data with other data sets or information for
the purpose of identifying an individual.) </span></span></span>The
mother claimed the vaccination was the cause of her daughter’s
death. The coroner found no causation from the vaccination and
concluded the death was caused by diphenhydramine intoxication
(Benadryl overdose). Despite the coroner’s conclusion, many
anti-vaccination websites still tout this case. Six of the other
filings for 2014 are for this specific case.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
12 of 16 (75%) cases
were anecdotes. 6 of the anecdotes were the same story!
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
There is no evidence
in VAERS to support that any deaths can be linked to HPV in 2014.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Here’s a side note
on disability filings for 2014: Permanent disabilities are said to be
caused by HPV vaccines. 41% of the permanent disabilities out of a
total count of 83 reported in 2014 were anecdotal. 7% of the reports
had no disabilities reported. 10% were vague enough to where I “kind
of” wanted more details and 15% were vague enough to where I really
wanted more detail. Many filings were belief based – they “know
the vaccine caused the harm.” 17% of the files noted the onset of
adverse effects started more than 90 days after the vaccination.
Several reported the onset occurred years after the vaccine.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
There were 12 files
where I really wanted more information and the results of the follow
ups.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Several of the files
noted their daughter’s attitudes changing after the vaccine. Since
the attitudes of girls in their early teens are always extremely
stable . . .
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Here’s your 2015
“death from HPV vaccine” breakdown from VAERS/Wonder:</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
562128-1 Anecdote
(Twitter)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
568282-1 Allergic
reaction symptoms 127 days after injection.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
570801-1 Syncope.
Died in ER 496 days after injection.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
591496-1 Anecdote
(television show)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
597263-1 Anecdote
(website)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
603438-1 Anecdote
(website)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
607441-1 Anecdote
(“one of several reports from the same reporter”)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
611113-1 Anecdote
(digital media)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
611452-1 Upper
respiratory tract infection anterior to the injection. Died three
days after vaccination. Would like to see a follow up on this one,
but couldn’t find anything from other sources.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
611827-1 Anecdote</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
612231-1 Anecdote
(online article)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
612719-1 Onset 98
days after vaccination. Pontine Glioma Tumor.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
613330-1 Anecdote
(Twitter)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
615613-1 Anecdote
(website video)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
615626-1 Anecdote
(file even says “non-valid social media” spontaneous report)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
616449-1 Anecdote
(social media)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
12 of the 16 (75%)
are anecdotes, almost exclusively from the internet.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
One had an allergic
reaction 127 days after the vaccine.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
One died 496 days
after vaccination.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
One had a
pre-existing URI, but there isn’t enough detail in the file to say
anything concrete either way. I couldn’t find any public detail on
this and there is not any filing with the U.S. Court of Claims for a
vaccine injury with details matching this case as of August 22, 2016.
(If anyone has any details on this case, please post!)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
One had symptom
onset 98 days after vaccination. Death from brain tumor.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
There is no evidence
in VAERS to support that any deaths can be linked to HPV in 2015.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
And now we enter
2016 where the art of data stuffing has caused the “deaths” to
skyrocket. Here’s your 2016 “death from HPV vaccine” breakdown
from VAERS/Wonder through August 22, 2016:</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
618174-1 Anecdote
(Twitter)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
618364-1 Anecdote
(Magazine)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
618411-1 Anecdote
(Social Media)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
619115-1 Anecdote
(Social Media)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
619116-1 Anecdote</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="_GoBack"></a>
619400-1 Anecdote (This one may be worth going into Wonder to read.
Fun!)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
619827-1 Anecdote
(media, “Same filer”)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
619835-1 Anecdote
(online article)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
621565-1 “Possible
Lyme disease, 3 and a half years of pain with seizures and
tachycardia. Seizure led to heart attack and death on 1/12/16.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
622366-1 Anecdote</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
622986-1 Brain
tumor. 1,651 days after vaccination. For the mathematically
impaired, that’s 4.5 years.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
625990-1 Anecdote</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
626063-1 Anecdote
(social media)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
627312-1 Anecdote
(Pharmacist inquiry. No death reported.)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
628774-1 Anecdote
(Report blamed death on “dTpa vaccine.”)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
634742-1 Anecdote
(“This is one of several cases received from the same source.”)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
636334-1 Anecdote
(“This is one of several cases received from the same source.”)</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
636483-1 Anecdote</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
638043-1 Anecdote</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
638257-1 Anecdote</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
639404-1 Anecdote</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
641317-1 Symptom
Text field literally says just “Death.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
So 19 of 22 (86%) of
the reports for 2016 through August 22 are anecdotes. One didn’t
even have a death reported. One blamed the death on other causes.
One was a brain tumor 1,651 days after vaccination. One said just
“Death.”</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
There is no evidence
in VAERS to support that any deaths can be linked to HPV so far in
2016.</div>
<div style="line-height: 108%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-76164773218226297692016-04-17T00:16:00.000-04:002016-04-17T00:16:51.949-04:00Paging De Niro and Hightower...Wakefield isn't really in it to help autistics<a href="https://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2016/04/02/movie-review-vaxxed/">Much ado</a> has been made recently regarding the film <a href="http://vaxxedthemovie.com/">Vaxxed: From Cover up to Catastrophe</a> and rightfully so. There have been numerous criticisms of the film and fortunately,<a href="http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2016/04/running-list-of-reviews-of-andrew-wakefields-film-vaxxed-.html"> Liz Ditz at I Speak of Dreams has been keeping a running list.</a> I won't be adding to that list any time soon, my interest is of a different sort. Recently, it was revealed that Andrew Wakefield gave an email exchange he had with <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grace_Hightower">Grace Hightower</a>, Robert De Niro's wife, to <a href="http://aidswiki.net/index.php/Celia_Farber">Celia Farber, a rabid HIV-AIDS denialist</a> who serves as <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2014/11/06/did-the-cdc-whistleblower-william-w-thompson-apologize-to-andrew-wakefield-in-a-text-message-a-hilarious-challenge/">Wakefield's lackey to release personal communications</a> that Wakefield apparently wants publicised. Ms. Farber published an email exchange on her blog between Wakefield and Hightower but pulled it about an hour later. It has been <a href="http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:AGwxHITf9_8J:truthbarrier.com/2016/04/10/breaking-news-tribeca-gate-revealing-email-exchange-between-grace-deniro-and-andrew-wakefield/">cached here</a> (Hat tip: Mrs Pointer).<br />
<br />
There are some revealing statements from Andrew Wakefield that warrant discussing. First is this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
From: Andy Wakefield [email address redacted]<br />
Date: Mon, Mar 28, 2016 at 2:55 PM<br />
Subject: IMPORTANT<br />
To: Grace DeNiro [email address redacted]<br />
<br />
Did you share the confidential link to our movie with third parties? If so, who were these third parties?<br />
<br />
From: Office Of Grace Hightower<br />
Date: Mon, Mar 28, 2016 at 4:45 PM<br />
Subject: Re: IMPORTANT<br />
To: Andy Wakefield<br />
<br />
Bob shared it with Jane Rosenthal and she shared it with her sister
Pam Rawlings [sic]. These are the two people I am aware of his sharing it
with. I shared it with no one.</blockquote>
This was two days after Wakefield's film was <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2016/03/26/the-tribeca-film-festival-drops-andrew-wakefields-antivaccine-conspiracyfest-documentary/">pulled from the Tribeca Film Festival</a>. First, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Rosenthal">Jane Rosenthal</a> is the co-founder, along with Robert DeNiro, of the Tribeca Film Festival and also co-chair. She has an extensive and impressive portfolio of films she has produced, many featuring Robert De Niro. Pam Rollins (not Rawlings) is Jane Rosenthal's sister and an <a href="https://www.utdallas.edu/~rollins/Pages/index.htm">associate professor at the University of Texas and an expert in communication and autism spectrum disorders</a>. Then:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
On Mar 29, 2016, at 9:18 AM, Andy Wakefield wrote:<br />
Grace, whatever may have happened – and I guess I will never know –
in truth my heart goes out to you and Bob. <b>Not only has your family’s
life been blighted by autism,</b> but you have experienced some of the
relentless and ruthless pressure that has been my life for as long as I
can remember.<br />
In truth and healing<br />
Andy<br />
—<br />
Andy Wakefield<br />
Director<br />
Autism Media Channel</blockquote>
Emphasis added. Let that sink in.<br />
<br />
Andrew Jeremy Wakefield essentially called Mr. De Niro's and Ms. Hightower's son a blight on their family. Of course the devoted flock of Wakefield would argue that he only meant that autism was a blight but it's not. Autism is part of who the person is for better or worse, just ask an <a href="http://themighty.com/2015/06/i-have-autism-here-are-the-5-things-i-want-parents-to-know/">autistic person</a>. This is the danger of embarking upon the "autism is a tragedy" train; parents no longer see their autistic child but rather one that has been <a href="https://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/category/orgs/thoughtful-house/jerry-kartzinel/">"stolen by" autism" or has had "the soul taken away from them"</a>. Bob Wright, founder of Autism Speaks testified at a 2007 congressional meeting about federal funding for autism. <a href="http://www.c-span.org/video/?197628-1/autism-treatment-research">Here is a chilling quote from him:</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Our grandson, Christian, was diagnosed with autism in 2004. Helpless, we
watched him slip away into the cruel embrace of this disorder. My wife,
Suzanne, likens it to a kidnapping, as if someone had taken away the life
Christian was meant to live. We all want nothing more than to have him
back where he belongs, restored to his family--he's a little prisoner.</blockquote>
This is from the man who founded, what is perhaps, the largest autism charity in the country. And from Bradley Whitford, the then-acting president of Autism Speaks (from the same meeting):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
As my friend, John, has said many times, it's as if 1 in 150 American children was being kidnapped. What would this Congress do if that was the case? What must it do to deal with these sad facts as they truly are?...<br />
<br />
Portia has written a book about Dov called Strange Son. Here's how she
describes the kidnapping, ``It was his mind they came for. They came to
steal his mind. Before anyone gave it a name, even before I knew what it
was, I knew it was in our house. They were very, very dark things, and
there was no way to get rid of them. When I closed my eyes, I felt their
shadows passing over me. I didn't like to think about where they
came from, or where they were going. It was too frightening. Dov was only a
baby, and something was trying to steal him away. I knew that that was
what they did whenever I accidentally fell asleep. Night after night, I
sat beside his crib. I knew he was slipping away from us, away from our
world, and there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening,
and there was nothing anybody could do, they told me. So, I did the only
things I could--I guarded him. Although I knew it would do no good,
because I could not guard his mind. Then, one day, it happened. He was
gone. ''It is even more than just a tragedy for these kids, many of whom,
like Dov, we now know to be of extraordinary intelligence, but trapped in
bodies which do not allow them to effectively communicate or interact
with the rest of us. It's also a tragedy for our families and for our
country. </blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFSwINGwbzpAeatRAjKnNPJd84CyRpaXYWm1PDTLDtgkxMBtordvcYOUClCsSZSrpL0bIx6NSHOSG5JTc6JgPXetv6lWPlBoxWFJr5jVQ8qH1bxuswop6-3e-rdkqmqQ2rplZ3rVy1s7R/s1600/DeNiro_AS.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFSwINGwbzpAeatRAjKnNPJd84CyRpaXYWm1PDTLDtgkxMBtordvcYOUClCsSZSrpL0bIx6NSHOSG5JTc6JgPXetv6lWPlBoxWFJr5jVQ8qH1bxuswop6-3e-rdkqmqQ2rplZ3rVy1s7R/s400/DeNiro_AS.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
As if it wasn't obvious, all people mentioned subscribe to the vaccine-causation idea of autism. Incidentally, De Niro and Hightower are supporters of Autism Speaks. They don't accept their child has been born that way and autism isn't something done to him by vaccines. That is what is so vile about Andrew Wakefield's statement. More on that later. Ms. Hightower not only doesn't appear to be bothered by such a remark but feels sorry for Wakefield:
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
On Mar 30, 2016, at 3:42 PM, Office of Grace Hightower wrote:<br />
<br />
Andy,
<br />
Will you give me a call. I have an idea.<br />
I feel awful about what happened and how it happened. I found out that the film was pulled along with the rest of the world.<br />
Grace</blockquote>
The exchange continues:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
On Mar 31, 2016, at 5:06 PM, Andy Wakefield wrote:<br />
<br />
I will. I am headed for LAX and will try from there.<br />
Andy<br />
Sent from my iPhone<br />
<br />
On Fri, Apr 1, 2016 at 9:39 AM, Office of Grace Hightower wrote:<br />
<br />
Andy,<br />
Just saw Ian Lipkin’s write up in NYT on March 30th you are entitled
to a rebuttal. Also he was one of two doctors that I found out consulted
TriBeCa. The other is Pam Rollins of Dallas, Jane Rosenthal’s sister.
Don’t know of any others but, will let you know if I hear of any others.
I spoke with Ian and found him to be quite pro industry and not at all
really interested in autism.<br />
Best,<br />
<br />
Grace</blockquote>
"Not at all really interested in autism"? Let's see, Dr. Lipkin is only the principle investigator for the <a href="http://abc.columbia.edu/Home.html">Autism Birth Cohort Project</a>. What are Andrew Wakefield's credentials again? The exchange concludes with this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
On Apr 1, 2016, at 11:30 AM, Andy Wakefield wrote:<br />
<br />
In flight. It seems to me that Rosenthal’s breach of confidentiality
is a dismissible offense. We were assured there would be no consequence
to her breach and clearly there was – one that amounts to defamation. We
arrive around 12.00 in NYC. I will call and perhaps we could grab a
coffee over the weekend.<br />
Andy<br />
From: Business Office 1<br />
<br />
Date: Fri, Apr 1, 2016 at 5:34 PM<br />
<br />
Subject: Re: Reflections<br />
To: Andy Wakefield<br />
Yes, I recalled. I am in Florida now will be in NYC afternoon of April 4th.<br />
Are you still in town? Would like to see and chat.<br />
<br />
Sent from my iPhone</blockquote>
On one hand Wakefield suggests to Ms. Hightower that Jane Rosenthal should be removed from chairing the Tribeca Film Festival for "breach of confidentiality" yet has absolutely no problem handing a confidential email exchange to Celia Farber to publish. <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2014/08/28/a-bad-day-for-antivaccinationists-a-retraction-and-the-cdc-whistleblower-issues-a-statement/">This isn't the first time he's done this.</a> Wakefield's sheer arrogance is astonishing. It will be interesting to see what transpires after this. But this is only a part of the problem.<br />
<br />
What is so very disturbing about this exchange is Wakefield's contempt for autistics while at the same time claiming to champion them. Admittedly, I haven't seen the movie but will, although all I need to know is in the trailer. Wakefield and company portray autistics in the worst possible light while portraying the parents as victims.<br />
<br />
I have to ask, did anyone get informed consent from the autistic children in the film? Did they get a say in whether they would like to be portrayed as damaged blights to their families and society? I think we all know the answer to that. Sadly, that is the power of Wakefield, his hustle to make himself attractive to otherwise (in some cases) intelligent people. He appeals to the parents greatest fears and vulnerabilities. He perpetuates the notion that autistics are less than human and exploits them for his own gain. This is a very prevalent theme amongst the vaccines-causes-autism crowd.<br />
<br />
Wakefield's co-producer <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt5562652/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm">Polly Tommey</a> (founder of <a href="http://www.autismmediachannel.com/">Autism Media Channel</a> which Wakefield is the director of but isn't listed) allowed her son Billy to be exploited in this film. Polly Tommey's daughter Bella is also in it and has a blog. <a href="http://bellatommey.blogspot.com/2014/10/stepping-back.html#comment-form">Bella wrote a post in October 2014</a> which was a dehumanising exposé of her own brother thinly-veiled as a special plea for her own martyrdom. I posted a comment on the blog but it was removed:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDgHlsxG53wjNzRjYuB_lVCcflvGIztyq2hDqRRUR_FngIvk11Q-xPCjeERbbTJTPDkQGTNoJ8RrumxATaUupKOjJGnQxcd0Xp1J74pOwfFv8cMfeOVG3uozjr5nFjp1U7Ev4Wkwpv3WM/s1600/Tommey+Blog+crop.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDgHlsxG53wjNzRjYuB_lVCcflvGIztyq2hDqRRUR_FngIvk11Q-xPCjeERbbTJTPDkQGTNoJ8RrumxATaUupKOjJGnQxcd0Xp1J74pOwfFv8cMfeOVG3uozjr5nFjp1U7Ev4Wkwpv3WM/s400/Tommey+Blog+crop.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Raising autistic children is a challenge; having an autistic sibling is a challenge but one crucial detail that is left out of this for vaccine-causation parents is that their children have the right to privacy; they have the right to dignity; they have a right to be raised in an environment which does not make them believe they are damaged. This is the slippery-slope that ensues when parents view autism as a tragedy, something external foisted upon their children who would have been perfect otherwise. They become less-than-human.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://thescientificparent.org/vaccines-dont-cause-autism-but-thats-not-the-point/">Lesile Weghorn of The Scientific Parent </a>recently wrote a compelling article about how autistics feel about themselves when referred to as "vaccine-damaged". It is gut-wrenching that autistics have to grow up in a world where they are thought of as a tragedy, a burden and now, a blight on their families. Did Robert DeNiro and Grace Hightower even bother to talk to some autistics, perhaps even their own son about how autistics are portrayed in the media? Perhaps they would like to talk to <a href="http://www.thinkingautismguide.com/">real autism advocates</a>, other <a href="https://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/">parent/advocates of autistic children</a> and <a href="http://paulacdurbinwestbyautisticblog.blogspot.com/2012_11_01_archive.html">autistics</a> about how they feel and how damaging Wakefield's film is, not only on a public health basis but how cruelly he depicts autistics.<br />
<br />
Andrew Wakefield is a professional parasite who slimed his way into the De Niro's hearts preying upon their vulnerability, desperation and celebrity. I wonder though, even if Robert De Niro and Grace Hightower subscribe to the vaccine-causation idea, would they consent to have their son portrayed in the manner Wakefield exploited in his film? Even more importantly, would their son consent to be portrayed in such a humiliating manner? If they don't have a problem with their son being called a blight on their family would they mind their son's personal details on display for public consumption? If they would have a problem with that then perhaps they should reconsider Andrew Wakefield as an ally and take a critical look at who he really is because he isn't an autism advocate or researcher or even film-maker as he so recently fancies himself. <br />
<br />
De Niro and Hightower have the ability and resources to make a real difference and a positive impact on issues surrounding autism. Pimping a fraud of a documentary about an issue that has been settled is intellectually and socially lazy. Giving a platform to an unethical, disgraceful excuse for a physician who has damaged public health and profoundly contributed to the negative perception of autistics is an affront to all autistics and their families.Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-18192321718394286322016-04-01T15:36:00.000-04:002016-04-07T08:21:28.096-04:00TMI - too much information - join National Autistic Society's new campaign<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/tmi/en-gb/~/media/91d219b97e654915b23d8f036ad4ea9d.ashx" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/tmi/en-gb/~/media/91d219b97e654915b23d8f036ad4ea9d.ashx" height="92" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A young child in purple shirt, surrounded by many people and sounds, holds their ears shut to block out the sensory input - white on pink letters spell "TOO MUCH INFORMATION"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div>
The British National Autistic Society (NAS) has launched a new campaign today, on 1 April, the start of Autism "Awareness" Month. Shockingly, there is very little awareness or acceptance of autistic children and adults in the UK:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.autism.org.uk/~/media/NAS/Get-involved/TMI/Report-1000x450-WEB.ashx" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.autism.org.uk/~/media/NAS/Get-involved/TMI/Report-1000x450-WEB.ashx" height="180" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">28% of autistic people have been asked to leave a public space because of behaviour associated with their autism, 79% of autistic people and 70% of parents felt socially isolated.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
The NAS argues that if someone sees only a "naughty kid" when they see a child in sensory overload, they clearly don't have enough information yet. They ask everyone: <a href="http://www.autism.org.uk/tmi" target="_blank">put yourself on the map</a> and support the NAS to get everyone to understand autism.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.autism.org.uk/tmi" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://www.autism.org.uk/~/media/NAS/Get-involved/TMI/Map-short-text-850x450-WEB.ashx" height="211" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A purple outline of the UK and Northern Ireland with bright dots representing clusters of supporters, on the left in white letters on pink background "PUT YOURSELF ON THE MAP"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Visit their site and check out the NAS' material, including <a href="http://www.autism.org.uk/get-involved/tmi/film.aspx" target="_blank">a movie</a> illustrating the sensory overload for a young autistic boy. This morning, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35940968" target="_blank">on the BBC</a>, he explained he hoped:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
"this [movie] would cause awareness and respect, because that's as important as anything"</div>
</div>
Catherinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580939201909356691noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-39720813100849648482015-12-10T11:03:00.000-05:002016-02-22T16:58:08.779-05:00Springer Link Ethics Journal Editors Do Something Unethical<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Addendum 22 February 2016: The journal Science and Engineering Ethics changes the formatting of their online articles during the publication process. While the initial format of the<a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11948-015-9713-6/fulltext.html"> Kern et al. (2015) review</a> listed full author affiliations as they appeared in my first post, <a href="http://justthevax.blogspot.com/2015/10/conflicts-of-interest-are-bad-just-not.html">Conflicts of Interest are Bad, Just Not Our Own</a>, the author affiliation are obscured now as they are in other online articles in Science and Engineering Ethics. The author affiliations are apparent in the <a href="http://download.springer.com/static/pdf/102/art%253A10.1007%252Fs11948-015-9713-6.pdf?originUrl=http%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Farticle%2F10.1007%2Fs11948-015-9713-6&token2=exp=1456177111~acl=%2Fstatic%2Fpdf%2F102%2Fart%25253A10.1007%25252Fs11948-015-9713-6.pdf%3ForiginUrl%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Flink.springer.com%252Farticle%252F10.1007%252Fs11948-015-9713-6*~hmac=f0eb6965b450bfe3d8676bfc1bf4c6b245e77c86cdd76e611498056e20cfbdbf">.pdf version</a>. For that Springer Link and their journal editors of Science and Engineering Ethics have my sincere apology. However, I still stand fully behind my first post regarding this review article and given the massive undeclared conflicts of interest all the authors have and the self-serving nature of their review, this review should be retracted.<br />
<br />
Springer Link's editors of <a href="http://link.springer.com/journal/11948">Science and Engineering Ethics</a> have pulled a sleight-of-hand since <a href="http://justthevax.blogspot.com/2015/10/conflicts-of-interest-are-bad-just-not.html">my last post</a> about this spectacularly bad "review article" about conflicts of interest and transparency by a dodgy group of authors who didn't declare their own profound conflicts of interest. Rather than retract this egregious example of dishonesty and peer-review failure, the editors simply and quietly removed the authors' affiliations. The affiliations appear in my previous post but have been disappeared without explanation <a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11948-015-9713-6/fulltext.html">from the article</a>. The description of Science and Engineering Ethics appears thusly:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Science and Engineering Ethics is a multi-disciplinary journal that
explores ethical issues of direct concern to scientists and engineers.
Coverage encompasses professional education, standards and ethics in
research and practice, extending to the effects of innovation on society
at large. <br />
<br />
Recent controversies and instances of misconduct in science
have attracted considerable media attention. In addition, the power of
new technologies developed through science and engineering - especially
as portrayed by the media - have inspired growing popular concern.
Science and Engineering Ethics offers a forum for the examination and
discussion of ethical issues arising in the practice of scientific
research and engineering, and in the practical application of that work.
<br />
<br />
Although the focus of this publication is science and engineering, contributions from a broad range of disciplines are included.</blockquote>
Yet here the very editors of an ethics journal engage in a violation of ethics and commit misconduct by deleting author affiliations and allowing a completely dishonest Conflict of Interest statement remain. As <a href="http://retractionwatch.com/2015/11/30/a-retraction-watch-retraction-our-2013-advice-on-reporting-misconduct-turns-out-to-have-been-wrong/">per Retraction Watch</a>, the relevant research integrity office at the authors' institution should be contacted first. That poses some difficulty here since most of the authors are employed by the same incestuous network of businesses and "charities" run by themselves. I do know for a fact that the editors of Science and Engineering Ethics were contacted directly and the action that they have chosen flies in the face of publication ethics. In any event they are:<br />
<br />
SJ Bird: <span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d">sjbird@mit.edu</span><br />
<br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d">RE Spier: </span><span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d">r.spier@surrey.ac.uk</span><br />
<br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d">Institutional research compliance contacts for those authors who do have them are:</span><br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"> </span><span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"> </span><br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"><span id="bc_0_20b+seedfyRD" kind="d">Helene Lake-Bullock<br />Research Compliance Officer, University of Kentucky<br />hlbullo@uky.edu</span></span><br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"><span id="bc_0_20b+seedfyRD" kind="d">http://www.research.uky.edu/ori/staff.htm#HLB</span></span><br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"><span id="bc_0_20b+seedfyRD" kind="d">Re: Boyd Haley</span></span><br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"><span id="bc_0_20b+seedfyRD" kind="d"></span></span><br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"><span id="bc_0_20b+seedfyRD" kind="d">Gary S. Margules</span></span><br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"><span id="bc_0_20b+seedfyRD" kind="d">Vice President, Office of Research and Technology Transfer, Nova Southeastern University</span></span><br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"><span id="bc_0_20b+seedfyRD" kind="d">margules@nova.edu</span></span><br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"><span id="bc_0_20b+seedfyRD" kind="d">http://www.nova.edu/rtt/staff.html</span></span><br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"><span id="bc_0_20b+seedfyRD" kind="d">Re: Richard Deth</span></span><br />
<br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"><span id="bc_0_20b+seedfyRD" kind="d">Danielle Beck</span></span><br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"><span id="bc_0_20b+seedfyRD" kind="d">IRB Chair, IRB Simpson University</span></span><br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"><span id="bc_0_20b+seedfyRD" kind="d">irb@simpsonu.edu</span></span><br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"><span id="bc_0_20b+seedfyRD" kind="d">http://simpsonu.edu/Pages/Academics/Research/IRB/index.htm</span></span><br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"><span id="bc_0_20b+seedfyRD" kind="d">Re: Brian Hooker</span></span><br />
<span id="bc_0_4b+seedfyCD" kind="d"><span id="bc_0_20b+seedfyRD" kind="d"></span></span><br />
<a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11948-015-9713-6/fulltext.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Systematic Assessment of Research on Autism Spectrum Disorder and Mercury Reveals Conflicts of Interest and the Need for Transparency in Autism Research</span></span></a> is an egregious example of hypocrisy and should have been retracted but the editors doubled-down on publication misconduct by disappearing author affiliations which point to the plethora of conflicts of interest the authors have. Shame on Springer Link.<br />
<br />
My deep gratitude to capnkrunch who spotted this sleight-of-hand and brought it to my attention along with some contact information. </div>
Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-66225442576752707792015-10-29T14:11:00.000-04:002017-12-14T10:33:37.371-05:00Conflicts of Interest are Bad, Just Not Our Own<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Geiers, Hooker and Company have a new "Review" out which is hilariously titled,<br />
<br />
<a href="http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11948-015-9713-6/fulltext.html">"Systematic Assessment of Research on Autism Spectrum Disorder and Mercury Reveals Conflicts of Interest and the Need for Transparency in Autism Research"</a><br />
<br />
<b>Abstract</b><br />
<br />
Historically, entities with a
vested interest in a product that critics have suggested is harmful
have consistently used research to back their claims that the product is
safe. Prominent examples are: tobacco, lead, bisphenol A, and atrazine.
Research literature indicates that about 80–90 % of studies <i class="EmphasisTypeItalic ">with</i> industry affiliation found no harm from the product, while only about 10–20 % of studies <i class="EmphasisTypeItalic ">without</i>
industry affiliation found no harm. In parallel to other historical
debates, recent studies examining a possible relationship between
mercury (Hg) exposure and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show a similar
dichotomy. Studies sponsored and supported by industry or entities with
an apparent conflict of interest have most often shown no evidence of
harm or no “consistent” evidence of harm, while studies <i class="EmphasisTypeItalic ">without</i>
such affiliations report positive evidence of a Hg/autism association.
The potentially causal relationship between Hg exposure and ASD differs
from other toxic products since there is a broad coalition of entities
for whom a conflict of interest arises. These include influential
governmental public health entities, the pharmaceutical industry, and
even the coal burning industry. This review includes a systematic
literature search of original studies on the potential relationship
between Hg and ASD from 1999 to date, finding that of the studies <i class="EmphasisTypeItalic ">with</i> public health and/or industry affiliation, 86 % reported no relationship between Hg and ASD. However, among studies <i class="EmphasisTypeItalic ">without</i>
public health and/or industry affiliation, only 19 % find no
relationship between Hg and ASD. The discrepancy in these results
suggests a bias indicative of a conflict of interest.<br />
<br />
<b>Keywords</b><br />
<br />
<span class="Keyword">Research</span>
<span class="Keyword">Conflict of interest</span>
<span class="Keyword">Transparency</span>
<span class="Keyword">Autism</span>
<span class="Keyword">Mercury</span>
<span class="Keyword">Toxicants</span>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<section class="Abstract" id="Abs1" lang="en">
<div class="Para" id="Par1">
<br /></div>
</section><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><b>Authors and Affiliations</b> </span></span><br />
<ul class="AuthorNames showAll">
<li><b><span class="AuthorName_container"><span class="AuthorName">Janet K. Kern</span></span></b><span class="ContactIcon">: </span>Institute of Chronic Illnesses, Inc., 14 Redgate Court, Silver Spring, MD 20905, USA</li>
<li> <span class="AuthorName_container"><span class="AuthorName"><b>David A. Geier</b>: </span></span>Institute of Chronic Illnesses, Inc., 14 Redgate Court, Silver Spring, MD 20905, USA</li>
<li> <span class="AuthorName_container"><span class="AuthorName"><b>Richard C. Deth</b>: </span></span>Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL, USA</li>
<li> <span class="AuthorName_container"><span class="AuthorName"><b>Lisa K. Sykes</b>: </span></span>CoMeD, Inc., Silver Spring, MD, USA</li>
<li> <span class="AuthorName_container"><span class="AuthorName"><b>Brian S. Hooker</b>: </span></span>Simpson University, Redding, CA, USA</li>
<li> <span class="AuthorName_container"><span class="AuthorName"><b>James M. Love</b>: </span></span>CoMeD, Inc., Silver Spring, MD, USA</li>
<li> <span class="AuthorName_container"><span class="AuthorName"><b>Geir Bjørklund</b>: </span></span>Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine, Mo i Rana, Norway</li>
<li> <span class="AuthorName_container"><span class="AuthorName"><b>Carmen G. Chaigneau</b>: </span></span>CoMeD, Inc., Silver Spring, MD, USA</li>
<li> <span class="AuthorName_container"><span class="AuthorName"><b>Boyd E. Haley</b>: </span></span>University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA</li>
<li> <span class="AuthorName_container"><span class="AuthorName"><b>Mark R. Geier</b>: </span></span>Institute of Chronic Illnesses, Inc., 14 Redgate Court, Silver Spring, MD 20905, USA </li>
</ul>
<br />
This study was supported by the non-profit 501(c)(3) Institute of
Chronic Illnesses, Inc., and the non-profit 501(c)(3) CoMeD, Inc.<br />
<br />
<b>Conflict of interest</b><br />
<br />
There are no competing financial interests. The authors have been involved in vaccine/biologic litigation.<br />
<br />
Given who the authors are this review reads like a parody. Let's take a look at their actual conflicts of interest and laugh at the sheer irony of them writing this.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">The
authors' COI statement of, “</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The authors have been involved in vaccine/biologic litigation.“ is both misleading and incomplete because it implies
this litigation is in the past. Brian Hooker is
<u>currently</u> a petitioner in the National Vaccine Injury
Compensation Program on behalf of his son, Steven. Other authors,
Geier, Haley and Kern are acting as expert witnesses for Dr. Hooker's case.
James M. L<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">ove is providing some legal assistance. </span>They all contend that the vaccine preservative thiomersal caused
Steven Hooker's autism spectrum disorder (ASD). </span></span><br />
<a href="http://ia902504.us.archive.org/31/items/gov.uscourts.cofc.2340/gov.uscourts.cofc.2340.docket.html"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">http://ia902504.us.archive.org/31/items/gov.uscourts.cofc.2340/gov.uscourts.cofc.2340.docket.html</span></span></a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dr. Hooker also serves on the board of
Focus for Health (<a href="https://www.focusforhealth.org/about-us/our-board/" target="_blank">https://www.focusforhealth.org/about-us/our-board/</a>)
(formerly Focus Autism) an anti-vaccine organization with the agenda to, “put an end to the
needless harm of children by vaccination”. <a href="https://www.focusforhealth.org/vision-for-change-focus-for-health/">One of their vision statements</a> is "</span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Investigate the relationship between thimerosal-containing vaccines and
neurological dysfunction, such as tics, since CDC studies have confirmed
a connection." </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The editorial staff of
Translational Neurodegeneration has withdrawn Dr. Hooker's
study: “<i>Measles-mumps-rubella
vaccination timing and autism among young african american boys: a
reanalysis of CDC data”</i><span style="font-style: normal;">
stating: “</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">The Editor and Publisher regretfully retract the article <a href="https://www.blogger.com/null" name="d80171e94"></a>[<a href="http://www.translationalneurodegeneration.com/content/3/1/22#B1">1</a>] <b>as there were undeclared competing interests on the part of the author which compromised
the peer review process.</b> Furthermore, post-publication peer review raised concerns
about the validity of the methods and statistical analysis, therefore the Editors
no longer have confidence in the soundness of the findings. We apologise to all affected
parties for the inconvenience caused.</span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-style: normal;">“ </span></span></span></span> (Emphasis added) <a href="http://www.translationalneurodegeneration.com/content/3/1/16/abstract" target="_blank">http://www.translationalneurodegeneration.com/content/3/1/22</a></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dr. Mark Geier has a number of business
interests which are all predicated upon the disproved hypothesis that
the vaccine preservative thiomersal causes ASDs. The corporate
headquarters of ASD Centers, LLC
(<a href="http://www.autismtreatmentclinics.com/" target="_blank">http://www.<wbr></wbr>autismtreatmentclinics.com/</a>),
CoMed (<a href="http://mercury-freedrugs.org/" target="_blank">http://mercury-freedrugs.org/</a><wbr></wbr>)
and Institute of Chronic Illnesses, Inc.
(<a href="http://www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/MD/Institute-Of-Chronic-Illnesses-Inc.html" target="_blank">http://www.faqs.org/tax-<wbr></wbr>exempt/MD/Institute-Of-<wbr></wbr>Chronic-Illnesses-Inc.html</a>)
are located at a home owned by Mark Geier. David Geier, Janet Kern, </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="AuthorName_container"><span class="AuthorName">James M. Love, </span></span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span class="AuthorName_container"><span class="AuthorName"><span class="AuthorName_container"><span class="AuthorName">Carmen G. Chaigneau</span></span></span></span> and Lisa Sykes all hold various positions in these
businesses/charities. Additionally, <a href="http://www.conem.org/about-conem/board-of-directors/">Janet Kern is on the Board of Directors of </a></span></span><span class="AuthorName_container"><span class="AuthorName"><a href="http://www.conem.org/about-conem/board-of-directors/">Geir Bjørklund's Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (CONEM)</a> which also has a strong focus on a mercury causation for autism. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span class="AuthorName_container"><span class="AuthorName">Mark Geier, David Geier, Janet Kern and Lisa Sykes are all involved with an elaborate grift to pay themselves for their own studies with monies from their own non-profit businesses as evidenced from their funding declaration for this study and several other studies along with three years of tax returns, <a href="http://pdfsr.com/pdf/geier2011">2011</a>, <a href="http://pdfsr.com/pdf/geier2012">2012</a> and <a href="http://pdfsr.com/pdf/geier2013">2013</a> so far. David Geier is conveniently president of the appropriately-named <a href="http://www.casewatch.org/civil/geier.shtml">MedCon</a> which pays him handsomely. The Geier incestuous network of grifters includes appointing themselves to their own Institutional Review Board (IRB) which is supposed to oversee research and ensure ethics compliance via independent reviewers. The Geiers and their business partners established a veritable fox-guarding-the-hen-house operation for themselves. <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20070708153149/http://neurodiversity.com/weblog/article/116/">Kathleen Seidel</a> meticulously catalogued the Geiers' et al.'s <a href="http://www.neurodiversity.com/geier_irb.pdf">flouting of IRB regulations</a> along with plagiarism, dodgy science and more egregious examples of failure to disclose conflicts of interest. Incidentally, Ms. Seidel had to file an FOIA request to obtain the Geiers' IRB declaration. I guess the Geiers et al. feel as though transparency is just for everyone else.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dr. Mark Geier has had his license to
practise medicine either revoked or suspended in all states where he
used to hold licenses. These actions were based upon the serious
charges initially investigated by the State of Maryland's Board of
Physicians
(<a href="https://www.mbp.state.md.us/bpqapp/Orders/D2425004.271.PDF" target="_blank">https://www.mbp.state.md.us/<wbr></wbr>bpqapp/Orders/D2425004.271.PDF</a><wbr></wbr>): “The
Board determined that the physician’s conduct constituted a
substantial likelihood of a risk of serious harm to the public
health, safety and welfare based on the physician’s experimental
treatment of autistic children with Lupron.” Dr. Geier's son David
Geier was charged
with practising medicine without a license and fined $10,000
(<a href="http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-11-05/news/ct-met-autism-doctor-20121106_1_autism-doctor-david-geier-mark-geier" target="_blank">http://articles.<wbr></wbr>chicagotribune.com/2012-11-05/<wbr></wbr>news/ct-met-autism-doctor-<wbr></wbr>20121106_1_autism-doctor-<wbr></wbr>david-geier-mark-geier</a>). </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Richard Deth sits on the Board of the <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2014/04/08/the-national-autism-association-not-antivaccine-then-why-is-its-president-speaking-at-an-antivaccine-quackfest/">National Autism Association which is a vaccine-causation group and heavily involved with bogus "biomedical treatments/cures" for autism.</a> He was more than "involved in vaccine/biologic litigation", <a href="http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2008/06/11/the-omnibus-autism-hearing-dr-deth-and-the-duck-brain-mystery/">he was a paid "expert" for the petitioners for the Omnibus Autism Proceeding</a> and <a href="http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2012/07/10-activation-of-methionine-synthase-by-insulin-like-growth-factor-1-and-dopamine-a-target-for-neuro.html">a really bad one at that.</a></span></span></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Dr. Richard Deth teaches pharmacology at Northeastern University. He
was offered by the plaintiffs as an expert in the areas of physiology,
neuropharmacology and the effects of thimerosal in the human brain. Dr.
Deth is clearly qualified to testify as an expert witness in the areas
of physiology and neuropharmacology. However, there is no recognized
field of science in the third proposed area of expertise, namely "the
effects of thimerosal in the human brain."<br />
<br />
Dr. Deth offered the opinion that exposure to mercury for
thimerosal-containing vaccines causes autism, based on a molecular
theory that he developed through his in vitro studies. Questions about
the effect mercury has in the human brain necessarily come within the
ambit of the field of toxicology. These questions, including any
opinions about the absorption, distribution, metabolism, and the
excretion of thimerosal or mercury all involve issues of toxicology.<br />
<br />
Further, Dr. Deth is neither an epidemiologist, a neurologist nor a
geneticist. That — vel non — would not operate to preclude his
testimony. However, he has never taken any courses in epidemiology, has
published no papers in any epidemiological journal, and is not a member
of any epidemiological societies. He relies on an epidemiology paper
published by Dr. Geier as support for his opinions. (20) Further, he
relies on several papers about the neurology of autism. He is not a
medical doctor and is not an expert in the field of pediatric neurology.
Lastly, although he relies on various studies in the field of genetics,
he does not have a degree in genetics nor is he a member of any
professional genetics organizations or societies. Accordingly, in light
of his expressed reliance on Dr. Geier's studies (that the Court has
addressed at pp. 24-38 of this Opinion), this Court finds that he lacks a
sufficient factual basis to support his testimony.
</blockquote>
Boyd Haley is President and CEO of CTI Science (the website is non-existent now) and he licensed OSR#1 developed for chelating industrial mining sludge. <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/sciencebiz/2010/06/28/another-hero-of-the-anti-vaccine-movement-bites-the-dust/">He re-branded OSR#1 as a "supplement" for chelating autistic children which made millions of dollars before the FDA sent him a warning letter to cease marketing of OSR#1 as a dietary supplement.</a> <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2010/07/23/boyd-haley-finally-does-the-right-thing/">Boyd Haley continued to sell OSR#1 for a period of time after that enjoying a ridiculous mark up on it.</a> He is currently <a href="http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2014/07/22/is-boyd-haley-resurrecting-osr1-as-a-chelator/">attempting to resurrect OSR#1 with clinical trials</a> operating under the business name <a href="http://emeramed.com/about/">EmeraMed and renaming OSR#1, Irminix</a>. He has a vested financial interest in flogging the failed mercury-causation of autism. <a href="http://www.conem.org/people/americas/">He is also a member of Geir Bjørklund's</a> fancifully-named <a href="http://www.conem.org/about-conem/">Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine (CONEM).</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.conem.org/people/bjorklundbio/">Geir Bjørklund</a> and <a href="http://www.mercuryexposure.info/component/contact_enhanced/101-lawyers/7-jim-love">Jim Love</a> appear to be just another dodgy scientist and sleazy lawyer respectively getting in on the mercury grift that has successfully scared parents into buying shonky products to treat "heavy metal" toxicity in their autistic children and legal services for "mercury injuries".<br />
<br />
To say that the authors' declared conflicts of interest is lacking is an understatement. Every single one has a financial and personal stake in perpetuating the myth that thiomersal causes autism and/or mercury is responsible for mythical diseases. And not one of these authors declared their actual conflicts of interest while writing about others' conflicts of interest. Allowing a "review" such as this, by these authors to be published in an ethics journal is beyond the pale and even worse to let it remain in the public domain.<br />
<br />
ETA 29.10.15: Thanks to comments by capnkrunch and Chris Preston who provided me with more accurate information on the study authors, I have made corrections within the body of the text. I really appreciate the comments that keep this blog as accurate as possible.<br />
<br />
ETA 1.11.15: Updated to include more information supplied to me by the excellent Kathleen Seidel and Matt Carey. Thank you.<br />
<br />
Update 12.14.17: <a href="http://retractionwatch.com/2017/11/15/journal-replaces-anti-vaccine-paper-retracted-missing-conflicts-number-errors/#comment-1515488">Retraction Watch issued a post about the retraction and subsequent replacement of this study</a> which includes some correction of material errors and a more accurate conflict of interest statement. The retraction notice states:<br />
<blockquote>
<span style="font-weight: 400;">Based on an assessment by
the Editors, the Conflict of Interest statement of this article is
inadequate because it fails to disclose conflicts of interest in
addition to the declaration that “the authors have been involved in
vaccine/biologic litigation.” In particular, Janet Kern is a board
member of CONEM (Council for Nutritional and Environmental Medicine) and
Geir Bjorklund is that organization’s founder and President. Mark Geier
and David Geier do work under the auspices of the non-profit Institute
for Chronic Illnesses, Inc. Lisa Sykes, Mark Geier and David Geier are
officers of the Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs (CoMeD, Inc). Richard
Deth is on the scientific advisory board of the National Autism
Association. Brian Hooker is on the board of Focus for Health. James
Love has been involved in amalgam litigation. Boyd Haley is involved in
the development of a mercury-chelating agent. Some of the authors have a
personal as well as a professional interest in autism. In addition,
some authors are or have been involved in litigation related to vaccines
and autism.</span><br />
Furthermore, the article itself contains a number of errors, and
mistakes of various types that raise concerns about the validity of the
conclusion. As a result, this article is being retracted by the editors
without the agreement of the authors. The online version of this article
contains the full text of the retracted article as electronic
supplementary material.</blockquote>
</div>
Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com34tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-13223290173618248452015-10-27T22:41:00.002-04:002015-10-27T23:34:21.335-04:00Atlanta Anti-Vaxx Rally Shifted Something...Just Not a Paradigm.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uUzJPKTyenKfxlYWbN-GwTXISlloPXIChjtQCxYAnITahbIogkGJAZ86dPi17kHjCUPr9VYXmCLh8k793TzOQIXlaKV7fhymTPdWo9j4I4VY7_67e82qVKqFLpcHFzBHSwPXIIiukTdA/s1600/CDC_Truth.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1uUzJPKTyenKfxlYWbN-GwTXISlloPXIChjtQCxYAnITahbIogkGJAZ86dPi17kHjCUPr9VYXmCLh8k793TzOQIXlaKV7fhymTPdWo9j4I4VY7_67e82qVKqFLpcHFzBHSwPXIIiukTdA/s400/CDC_Truth.jpeg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<h3 style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Open Sans;">Please join us as we generate a new paradigm</span></h3>
I've slogged through the video of the entire rally supplied to me by an attendee, read the "educational" materials offered and perused photos of this event and it's about as paradigm-generating as the seasonal migration of Canada Geese. I've transcribed many quotes and will mostly let them speak for themselves but nothing replaces listening to the entire talks by the few speakers I have selected. But first, some literature that appeared at the great "new paradigm-generating" rally:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6zc-TMyc60tmIn_MGCIBB2fpGaDBd_ue0vDXARrdT-JDIeudBuh46OUzKHXWPVYBEhPIiAQlRfWE8z6_B1VZjm1IjrJygJ9R9GjLtwrIH7H1CXMKSB8131tsdh1oaMsbiSE_Xx564-2K/s1600/antivax+scan-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq6zc-TMyc60tmIn_MGCIBB2fpGaDBd_ue0vDXARrdT-JDIeudBuh46OUzKHXWPVYBEhPIiAQlRfWE8z6_B1VZjm1IjrJygJ9R9GjLtwrIH7H1CXMKSB8131tsdh1oaMsbiSE_Xx564-2K/s320/antivax+scan-1.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamVzqvXLPePtL3AT4pT6qBOsgfgs2A8cCx1GYs9KeHd5M5sGl93pZPAujKn-0XSDe_qyxTdrP5lzLeaFzDeOO-N_iEDke_Tk1ZBkArgSycDJ9vRdXjGWQQLCKSzAWxtHRVjpi4SKctnSV/s1600/antivax+scan-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhamVzqvXLPePtL3AT4pT6qBOsgfgs2A8cCx1GYs9KeHd5M5sGl93pZPAujKn-0XSDe_qyxTdrP5lzLeaFzDeOO-N_iEDke_Tk1ZBkArgSycDJ9vRdXjGWQQLCKSzAWxtHRVjpi4SKctnSV/s400/antivax+scan-2.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/FI4LQdr48fg/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FI4LQdr48fg?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />
First up is <a href="http://www.disease-reversal.com/services.html">Toni Bark</a>, a "holistic" physician in an Illinois private practice offering a veritable cornucopia of bogus tests and "alternative" products. Her entire speech is riddled with inflammatory rhetoric and outright fabrications but this gem at the end was particularly special (18:50):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Don't kid yourself, if you don't take care of your body then you are contributing. Every time you buy your prescriptions, you need a procedure, you need these meds to stay alive, you're contributing. You have to vote with your money. That means respecting your body, we need a health revolution and we need to tell 'Big Food' and 'Big Pharma' to eff off."</blockquote>
Huh, so all those people with insulin-dependent diabetes, people with raging bacterial infections and people with cancer don't respect their bodies are all just contributing to the problem when they buy their meds. I guess Dr. Bark's dispensary must be filled with homeopathic nostrums and Bach's Flower Essences. What a smug self-righteous cow.<br />
<br />
Michelle Ford, the event organiser and founder of yet another anti-vaxx "advocacy movement" <a href="http://www.cdctruth.org/">VIAL</a> (and likes to use the royal "we") perhaps sensed the paltry crowd's despondence over being a paltry crowd at such a "paradigm-shifting" event and offered up this awesome <a href="http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/us/definition/english/porky_1">porky</a> (1:31.15):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"I hear there's a big thing going on on Interstate 20 so we've got a few buses from Alabama that are stuck. So anyway we're just going to have to be with them in spirit and generate that they can get here because man they moved mountains to be able to get themselves out here on those buses...12 buses. That's right."</blockquote>
I don't know how "a few" is "twelve" but anti-vaxxers are rather innumerate and prone to exaggeration but I guess it must make sense to them. The U.S. South isn't exactly a hotbed of anti-vaxx activity and if this rally couldn't pull a dozen local buses into a large metropolitan city then how can they expect us to believe they got 12 busloads of anti-vaxxers from Ala-freakin-bama. I guess this "big thing on I-20" is just part of the conspiracy.<br />
<br />
I think my favourite speaker was Tony Muhammed, completely devoid of reality but an entertaining and charismatic speaker. At the 7:20 mark of his talk he states:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/gvoYPktIov8/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gvoYPktIov8?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The honourable Elijah Muhammed in the 30's and 40's warned the members of the Nation of Islam that there are wicked people in high places who are coming up with experimental chemicals that could hurt the human family of the planet. And we were always warned NOT to take certain vaccines. And as a result, we have not suffered from the autism, from the measles, from the many viruses and sicknesses that's happening in our community."</blockquote>
On one hand Mr. Muhammed is saying that his people had the forethought to avoid vaccines and didn't "suffer from the autism", yet managed to avoid measles and presumably other vaccine-preventable diseases but on the other they <i>are</i> happening in his community. I don't speak batshit crazy so perhaps someone would like to help out here. At 8:03 he relays his boss' stunning ability to identify the exact contemporary event which was foretold millennia ago:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The honourable Louis Farrakhan also said, 'this is prophesy, I need you to listen.' He said, 'When you go into the Book of Exodus there was a Pharaoh who saw in the Book of Exodus that the slaves was [sic] getting restless. And the Pharaoh knew that it was time for a deliverer to bring them out from his control. And Pharaoh made this statement, 'Come and let us deal wisely with them.' Then he said, 'Let's kill the male and spare the female.' Then Minister Farrakhan went to the New Testament. He said, 'Under Herod, Herod looked at the stars and he knew that it was time for a deliverer to come and lead the people to a new kingdom. And Herod said, 'Let's kill all babies two and under.' So it is no surprise that the vaccine makers have now increased the vaccine and are trying to get it to our boys before they are three years old. It's in prophesy."</blockquote>
Yup, the enslavement and slaughter of the Israelites is <i>just like</i> the completely concocted idea that two year-old, Black boys are preferentially given "the autism" from vaccines. Furthermore, it takes an ego of indescribable proportions draw this comparison. I'm no Biblical scholar but how did the Pharaoh of the Exodus get a hold of the Book of Exodus which hadn't been written yet? <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"He then went to the book of Revelations as I close. He said, 'In Revelations, there is a woman in Revelations who is pregnant with a child and then there's a dragon standing in front of the woman but the dragon wanted to devour the child before it was born.' Now the big pharmaceutical companies, they have become the dragon of this whole planet and all of their products once you've injected them into you body or take it through your mouth it drags your mind down and you lose control."</blockquote>
Religion as an art form can mean anything you want it to mean and Tony Muhammed exploits that to it's fullest. He then goes on to mock <a href="https://cummings.house.gov/about-me">U.S. Congressman Elijah Cummings (D-MD)</a> (19:06):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"And when I went to Congress, Elijah Cummings, I gotta tell you the truth. Elijah Cummings is over the Oversight Committee and both Bobby Kennedy and myself went to this Negro and this Negro...excuse me I'm getting a little touched...I have him the information from the honourable Minister Louis Farrakhan and said, 'Brother Elijah we need you to look into this.' He said, 'Brother I'll look into that, we just had him [William Thompson] up here ten years ago.' And I said, 'Yeah Dr. Thompson lied to you.' He said, 'Well I'm going to look into this.' I said, 'If you look into this Brother we will stand behind you, the whole Nation will stand with you.'<br />
<br />
Two days later, I did not know that in two days he learned how to moonwalk. He called me back with a crackling sound in his voice. He said, 'Brother Tony look I...I...I just want you to know I'm pro-vaccine.' I said, 'I don't care about you being pro-vaccine I asked you to call Dr. Thompson and subpoena him.' 'I don't know if I can do that...I just think you hooked up with some crazy people I think your information is wrong.' I said, 'Brother are you punking out?' 'I'm not a punk Brother I'm just telling you [unintelligible] I ain't got time to talk.' I said, 'That's okay, Minister Farrakhan likes bad news fast.' And he hung up. Guess who I called? Minister Farrakhan. He said, 'That's all right Brother. I told you Pharaoh has some magicians.' He said, 'Not only have our Black politicians been bought but over 95% of our White politicians have been bought.'"</blockquote>
I can't be sure but calling a politician "Negro" and "punk" and "bought-off" may not be the kind of diplomacy that will get one any future consideration. It's too bad that Tony Muhammed and Robert Kennedy didn't consider their involvement with crazy people and that their information is in fact wrong and not going to gain any traction with politicos, other than perhaps <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2015/07/30/the-return-of-the-revenge-of-the-cdc-whistleblower/">Rep. Bill Posey</a>.<br />
<br />
The last speaker, presented as "our fearless leader" was Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. His entire speech was filled with demonstrably false statements so I just picked some choice bits beginning at 3:45:<br />
<br />
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<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The director of the Office of Research Integrity (ORI), who's the guy who's supposed to make sure we have honest science in all the agencies, he said the problems with the CDC and FDA were so intractable, that the science was so corrupt, that it could not be corrected. And so he resigned his job. So it's not just Robert Kennedy who says there's a problem at the CDC."</blockquote>
Yes it kind of is actually. <a href="http://justthevax.blogspot.com/2015/08/vaccine-whistleblower-review-of-preface.html">The Director of the ORI did resign but not even mention the CDC nor FDA.</a> Then at 5:08:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"So when I was a little boy I had to take three vaccines, my children had to take 69 vaccines. Now why did that change? It all changed in one year, 1989."
</blockquote>
<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/child-adolescent.html">Children today don't even get 69 vaccines</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_F._Kennedy,_Jr.">his were born in 1984, 1988, 1994, 1995, 1997 and 2001</a>. <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/past.html">The schedules have also changed</a> such that if his children were vaccinated according to schedule they would have received some different vaccines but no where near 69 even into adolescence. RFK, Jr. is a pandering fool and he continues to bring it on:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It all changed in 1989...that all of these diseases that we never heard of when I was a boy, all of a sudden they started. And we have today the sickest generation of children in the history of the world. [Applause] All of these diseases, ADD, ADHD, we didn't know about these things when I was a kid."</blockquote>
Who knew that ADHD (ADD is really a sloppy use of ADHD) is a disease. It has always struck me odd that proudly announcing one's ignorance of something and using it as proof that it is something entirely new when you've finally heard of it is not something you should be proudly announcing. RFK, Jr. goes on to claim that there is a higher level of mercury in vaccines than coal. Of course he also doesn't bother to make a distinction between the different species of mercury. He then makes a rather odd announcement:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"And by the way my child was destroyed by them, by this mercury." </blockquote>
WTF is that supposed to mean? Did he just say that he has a "vaccine-injured" child? All these years he's been caterwauling about thiomerosal and only just now he decides to announce this? I'm sure his child would be thrilled to know his father thinks he was destroyed too. RFK Jr. displays the typical mindset of the anti-vaxxer not only with what he just said but this:<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Anecdotes ultimately become science"</blockquote>
</div>
All these years that scientists have been conducting research to answer questions and all we really had to do was collect anecdotes. I feel so silly wasting years and money on my education. What would an anti-vaxx rally be without invoking a plot involving the Eeeveeel Dr. Offit (16:58):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"So let me give you an example, in 1989 Paul Offit was like the Lex Luthor of vaccines and he sits in a chair at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia that is paid for by Merck, a 1.5 million dollar grant by Merck. So he is already a toady of Merck's and he was allowed to sit on the committee that approved the rotavirus vaccine. He owned the patent to the rotavirus vaccine. He didn't recuse himself. He voted to add that to the schedule. Once it got on that schedule it was worth billions of dollars and he sold his patent for $182 million. Do this was a little bit of a scandal and the Inspector General of HHS went to investigate it and what they found was this is horrible, this is catastrophic, it shouldn't be happening but guess what? It's completely legal under CDC's rules."</blockquote>
Of course it's legal and a non-issue because non of this happened the way RFK, Jr. described. <a href="https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/antivaccinationists-and-the-nation-of-islam-protest-in-front-of-the-cdc-but-dont-you-dare-call-them-antivaccine/#more-39388">Dr. Gorski explains how the Hilleman Chair works</a> and it's not even CHOP's, it's the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine's. The chair didn't even exist when Dr. Offit voted to put <a href="http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2011/09/did-paul-offit-md-sit-on-the-fda-committee-that-approved-his-rotateq-vaccine.html">a <i><b>competitor</b></i> rotavirus vaccine, Rotashield on the ACIP schedule, <i><b>not</b></i> his own RotaTeq</a> as the dunderhead RFK, Jr. stated. <a href="http://lizditz.typepad.com/i_speak_of_dreams/2012/06/was-paul-offit-md-reprimanded-by-congress-.html">Nor was this ever a scandal.</a> Dr. Offit didn't own the RotaTeq patent, CHOP did, sold it and <a href="http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2009/09/14/paul-offit-explains-the-money-side-of-the-rotavirus-vaccine-he-worked-on/">Dr. Offit's share, along with two other inventors amounted to about $6 million.</a> But RFK, Jr. isn't going to let pesky facts get in the way of a perfectly good slanderous rant. He closes with an inept "challenge" to Dr. Frank DeStefano of the CDC (29:50):<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Dr. Frank
DeStefano, who runs the Vaccine Division [at the CDC] and
orchestrated this corruption, Dr. DeStefano is a criminal and he
committed scientific research fraud and he is guilty of ijuring all
these people. I'm saying that and I am using his name. If what I'm
saying is untrue it is an act of slander and I want him to sue me.
If he didn't do I, he ought to sue me. He ought to file a suit this
afternoon and enjoin me from ever saying that again. If someone said
that about me I would sue them immediately. I'm saying to you Frank
DeStefano, if you didn't poison these children, you need to sue me
right now and shut me up because what I'm saying to you is damaging
to your career. Let's see what he does on Monday”</blockquote>
Well it's now Tuesday and still no one gives a toss about RFK, Jr.'s petulant little rant. No one sums it up better than <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2015/10/20/yet-another-antivaccine-rally-yet-another-yawn/#comment-420258">Herr Doktor Bimler</a> though:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"It would require the purportedly defamed individuals to show that
Kennedy had enough credibility and standing in the community for the
stupid spilling out from his mouth to injure their reputations."</blockquote>
Brian Hooker was scheduled to speak but didn't show up and no one mentioned him even though he was an architect of the "CDC Whistleblower" nonsense and of course only author of his incompetent/fraudulent "re-analysis" of DeStefano et al. (2004) . It struck me as odd that given his role, no credit was given to him nor any utterance of remorse that he couldn't make it there. <br />
<br />
This was the first time I watched back to back talks by anti-vaxxers and it was educational. They all present competing ideas of autism-causation via vaccines be it thiomersal, toxins, MMR, too-many-too-soon or even any. But no one questions them nor do they question each other. They just keep talking past one another and all nod in agreement (and they call us sheeple). But when you're unencumbered by facts, your own reality is just a hand-wave away.Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-82917382295688618392015-09-24T01:37:00.001-04:002015-09-24T13:18:23.968-04:00When Pro-Vaccine Goes WrongEvery blogger gets emails to flog someone's materials and are either ignored or dealt with more <a href="http://popehat.com/?s=pony">creatively</a>. Mostly we ignore them but yesterday Just the Vax received a solicitous email asking us to promote a "new lifestyle movement" that couldn't be ignored:<br />
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<img class="CToWUd" height="202" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/2/?ui=2&ik=c8817c26f5&view=fimg&th=14ff72bc0b888c99&attid=0.2&disp=emb&attbid=ANGjdJ-RZfWRbBP-3d1dXtSDKN2PBbRVzVQjM4fuX6irIfBsXVOZ3x4tw8f8GJu5q9Pp_sX3S92rcjLMt2_fbJMlzS-cHq_7QJizFHnAJAbP9rNTEIYnBWjvdXEJN68&sz=w416-h404&ats=1442988815365&rm=14ff72bc0b888c99&zw&atsh=1" width="208" /></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><b>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><b><u><span style="font-size: 13.0pt;">PARENTS FOR VACCINATIONS LAUNCHES LIFESTYLE MOVEMENT</span></u></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><b><i><span style="font-size: 13.0pt;">Brand Wristband Promotes Pro-Vaccination Choice</span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">August
24, 2015, Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles based mom, Trisha Gum, today
has launched a new website to promote vaccinations for children called
Parents for Vaccinations. The website was created to generate a
pro-vaccination lifestyle and make it easy for that lifestyle choice to
be instantly recognizable.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Years
ago parents could depend on herd immunity to protect young children and
people of all ages who suffer from health conditions leading to
immunodeficiency. With the increasing number of parents who choose to
delay vaccinating their children, or skip vaccination altogether, that
general reliability is no longer the case. </span> </div>
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<img align="right" class="CToWUd a6T" height="355" hspace="12" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/2/?ui=2&ik=c8817c26f5&view=fimg&th=14ff72bc0b888c99&attid=0.3&disp=emb&attbid=ANGjdJ_iHR1LMK52xLGPOUviHdl4MRjSSCQ1QYFsBGIQjVmp_L2HepxS7rE2cVVBzj8YUia5omAFqgodWMikYEWjeCLOYDAA4c-kOSg_E2yzJtp7hrYpXuw9m53mU0Y&sz=w710-h710&ats=1442988815366&rm=14ff72bc0b888c99&zw&atsh=1" tabindex="0" width="355" /></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">“As
a mom of two small children, I knew all the typical safety questions
parents ask whenever their kids meet up for a play-date or visit an
unfamiliar home: <i>Is there a pool, and is it fenced or covered? Do you smoke? Do you have a dog?</i>”
states Gum. “Recently it dawned on me there was a new safety question
to ask; and with this wristband, the question is easily answered.”</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Approaching
this important vaccination question is made easier, in fact, even
eliminated with the Parents for Vaccinations lifestyle wristband. The
bright orange silicone wristband on children’s wrists alerts everyone
that the child’s parents believe in vaccinations. The wristbands are
available in six sizes from toddler – adult and are $3.95 with
family-pack discounts available. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Like
herd immunity, the vaccination process is a numbers game. The goal of
Parents for Vaccinations is to band together and change the conversation
across the country. The brand is launching the hashtag #raiseyourwrist
to be used on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to create a sense of
community for the movement.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">A
portion of the Parents for Vaccinations wristband proceeds will benefit
nonprofit organizations that provide education and outreach for
vaccinations nationwide. For more information on Parents for
Vaccinations, please visit <a href="http://www.parentsforvaccinations.com/" target="_blank">www.parentsforvaccinations.com</a></span><wbr></wbr><span style="color: #666666;">. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><b>About Parents for Vaccinations</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;">Parents
for Vaccinations believes that parents have a responsibility to make
sure they are prepared for whatever risks their kids may encounter. With
several credible news reports regarding outbreaks of long-dormant
childhood diseases, Parents for Vaccination families have chosen to
trust their pediatrician and make what they believe is the only
responsible choice. The brand’s bright orange silicone wristband
promotes this choice via a simple, visual announcement. Parents for
Vaccinations love vaccinations. They love that those vaccinations
protect their kids and make their family, their neighborhood, and their
hometown a little safer. To join the movement and share this message,
please visit <a href="http://www.parentsforvaccinations.com/" target="_blank">www.parentsforvaccinations.com</a> and socially via @parentsforvaccinations on Facebook and Instagram, and @ParentsForVax on Twitter. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #666666;"><b>Media Contact</b></span></div>
<span style="color: #666666;">White Handed PR</span><br />
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At best, this is not a well-thought-out campaign and at worst, carpet-bagging on the increased awareness of the anti-vaccine movement. First, this "campaign" promotes identifying the nice, little vaccinated children to play with each other with a wristband to the exclusion of everyone else very much like...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdkpdlecH28bmxQ5MFGTXIn2lVE5kkPybUL0dUYgA95-Gt8sl4NtSeDEoSN8Pthe_Na623q6cnYsXHy-U5QrM5ahaz3OUHsghft8VkqF6XnUDuBKa4Q3GuB_NTcyblkVYwQzWuYl-tAVR/s1600/sneetches1-192scyr.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVdkpdlecH28bmxQ5MFGTXIn2lVE5kkPybUL0dUYgA95-Gt8sl4NtSeDEoSN8Pthe_Na623q6cnYsXHy-U5QrM5ahaz3OUHsghft8VkqF6XnUDuBKa4Q3GuB_NTcyblkVYwQzWuYl-tAVR/s1600/sneetches1-192scyr.gif" /></a></div>
Secondly, who's to say that an unvaccinated family can't buy these wristbands to make a point in order to let their unvaccinated children be able to play with the "identifiable" vaccinated children? It's pitting children against children and punishing children for their parents' decisions while claiming the high ground and celebrating sanctimonious self-righteousness. It's just plain wrong and won't do anything to promote increased vaccination uptake. On the contrary, it will turn people off, even those of us who promote vaccination and work (on our own time and own dime) countless hours to counter anti-vaccine propaganda.<br />
<br />
Lastly, at the time of this writing <a href="http://www.parentsforvaccinations.com/">Parents for Vaccinations</a> did not list the "non-profit organizations" they intend to donate the proceeds for the sale of the wristbands to nor the percentage of each sale that would be donated (it's certainly something I consider before making a purchase). They also haven't declared (and provided proof) that these wristbands were manufactured in a facility that doesn't use child and/or forced labour.<br />
<br />
While perhaps well-intentioned, this campaign is seriously misguided. I hope that Ms. Gum will re-direct this campaign to make this a conversation between parents and not use children as vehicles to distinguish the "good" parents from the "bad" parents. Much of what perturbs me about this campaign is that it feeds into the "Mompetition" style of parenting that we can do without. Parenting isn't an Olympic competition.Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-67747580907416554702015-09-03T12:51:00.000-04:002015-09-03T12:51:11.595-04:00Kidnapping...Now a Vaccine Adverse Event.A bizarre story of kidnapping has emerged in California which has been (tastelessly) dubbed, <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/fbi-defendant-california-kidnapping-blamed-vaccine-33489391">the "Gone Girl" kidnapping.</a> <a href="http://abcnews.go.com/US/video/girl-kidnapping-victims-vindicated-family-32477458">It was initially believed by the Vallejo Police that kidnap victim, Denise Huskins and her boyfriend Aaron Quinn perpetrated a hoax.</a> That was not the case as Matthew Muller, a former Marine and disbarred attorney was arrested for the kidnapping of Ms. Huskins.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The man charged in a <a class="r_lapi" href="http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/california.htm">California</a>
kidnapping that police initially dismissed as a hoax said he acted
alone, and that mental illness and a side effect from a vaccine
contributed to his behavior, the <a class="r_lapi" href="http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/us/federal-bureau-of-investigation.htm">FBI</a> said in a court filing.<br />
<br />
Matthew Muller made the comments to a television news reporter during a
jailhouse interview in July, FBI Special Agent Wesley Drone said in an
affidavit in support of a search warrant. The reporter was not allowed
to record the interview and had been asked by Muller not to reveal his
comments about acting alone and the vaccine. She did report that Muller
said he felt bad for the kidnapping victim and thought the victim
deserved an apology.</blockquote>
This sounds like just the type of story that <a href="http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/collideascape/2015/04/13/the-robert-kennedy-jr-anti-vaccine-tour/#.Veh5wLNVL0o">Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. can throw his weight behind and use on his "U.S. tour"</a> as an example of how dangerous vaccines are. Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-84268710903294019822015-08-24T23:25:00.000-04:002015-08-26T05:00:44.043-04:00"Vaccine Whistleblower": A Review of the Preface and Foreword<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This book is being released today and is surely much anticipated by the anti-vaccine brigade which has desperately sought to get their <a href="https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/the-cdc-whistleblower-saga-updates-backlash-and-i-hope-a-wrap-up/">"whistleblower" William Thompson</a> heard by, well anyone in a position of authority or respected media. Even <a href="http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2015/02/07/over-20k-in-donations-to-congressman-posey-and-now-people-expect-another-hearing/">the anti-vaxx-funded Rep. Bill Posey, R-FL</a> couldn't raise any interest in the <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2015/07/30/the-return-of-the-revenge-of-the-cdc-whistleblower/">"CDC Whistleblower" manufactroversy</a> when he made allegations against the CDC parroting William Thompson's uncorroborated claims. <a href="http://www.ageofautism.com/2015/08/book-review-vaccine-whistleblower-by-keven-barry-esq.html">Kent Heckenlively, a contributor to the autism-hating, anti-vaccine blog Age of Autism</a> breathlessly proclaims:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"This is a slim, elegant book which can be read in a few hours and has the potential to change the minds of a lot of people."
</blockquote>
It will, no doubt change the minds of a lot of people, it certainly changed mine but not in the way that Kent Heckenlively hopes. It will only reinforce the true believers' minds but certainly illuminates the true colours and motives of those involved as well as show how desperate some are to think that so little is of such import as to have a congressional hearing over it. This book is so bad that it's good, so good in the sense that it contains such demonstrably false information and a re-hash of previously debunked claims that I have chosen to review it in parts, the first being the Preface (Boyd Haley) and Foreword (Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. (RFK Jr.)), Introduction and then groups of chapters.<br />
<br />
<b>Preface by Boyd Haley, PhD</b><br />
<br />
The Preface is written by Boyd Haley, PhD and formerly with the University of Kentucky Department of Chemistry. Boyd Haley has been a long term steadfast proponent of the "autism is mercury poisoning" failed hypothesis. <a href="http://neurodiversity.com/mothers_for_dignity.html">He has referred to autism as "Mad Child Disease"</a> and <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/sciencebiz/2010/06/28/another-hero-of-the-anti-vaccine-movement-bites-the-dust/">has created OSR #1 as an industrial sludge chelator but saw the financial opportunities and re-branded OSR #1 as a "supplement" for "treating autism"</a>. Fortunately the FDA forced Haley to remove OSR #1 from the market as a supplement but that hasn't stopped him from still attempting to take advantage of desperate parents; he's just doing what he should have done to begin with which is <a href="http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2014/07/22/is-boyd-haley-resurrecting-osr1-as-a-chelator/">properly test and manufacture the product as a drug that needs approval.</a> <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I was exposed to the opinions of both autistic parents and the CDC on the involvement of vaccines, or components of vaccines, in the well-recognized epidemic of autism that started in approximately 1990. I came to this issue as a scientist. I am not the parent of a child with autism, nor, to my knowledge, are any of my relatives afflicted with this illness.</blockquote>
Thank you Boyd Haley for that time-saving tip. Here I thought that autism prevalences were estimated via systematic collection and analyses of data but all we need to do is get the opinions of "autistic parents" [sic] and the CDC. Haley's contempt of autistics is also noted.<br />
I'm not sure what his significance is as a scientist is; he's a chemist and his only contribution to "autism research" has been <a href="http://www.pubfacts.com/author/Boyd+Haley">some self-serving, dodgy letters and studies with the likes of the Geiers, Sykes and Blaxill. </a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The material herein, mostly presented by Dr. Thompson, a self-described whistleblower, details his experiences with inappropriate CDC handling of data used in peer reviewed journals to demonstrate vaccine safety. His statements are incredibly damaging to the reputation and credence of any work that the CDC supported that addresses the autism and vaccine safety issue.</blockquote>
There is indeed a disconnect with this claim by Haley as according to him and his confederates, the studies which cannot find any association between particular vaccines and vaccine constituents are never accepted by them but someone like William Thompson can make mere assertions and that's somehow damaging to the CDC and unravels all the vaccine safety studies they have conducted. Haley like RFKJr. seem to think that the CDC is the sole arbiter of vaccine science everywhere in the world.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The inability of the CDC to identify the causes of Autism Spectrum Disorders, no matter the rate, is apparent. Perhaps the reluctance of its leaders to appropriately consider potential causes that they find unpleasant to accept is the reason. </blockquote>
Haley is erecting an absurd strawman here. He somehow tasks the CDC with being the only agency responsible for identifying Autism Spectrum Disorders aetiology and when they don't, it must be vaccines and that is an inconvenient truth they don't wish to acknowledge. It's really a shame that anti-vaxxers can't get better representation.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Vaccine safety goes well beyond autism as well. It is disturbing to think that the comparatively high infant mortality rate that the US has compared to its peer nations, many of which have schedules far less aggressive than the US’s schedule and many of which do not mandate vaccination, may be explained, at least in part, by the possible illness-inducing effects of our vaccine program. Would the lack of safety research be an explanation for the CDC’s claim of one in six children with neurodevelopmental issues in the United States?</blockquote>
<a href="http://justthevax.blogspot.com/2011/05/oh-goodness-here-i-wanted-to-go-to-bed.html">Haley makes a very rookie mistake by invoking the vaccines-cause-infant-mortality canard.</a> There is no association and one of the biggest mistakes that people who believe this and disseminate this make is that the definition of infant mortality from country to country is static. It is very disingenuous of Haley to perpetuate this myth; he claims he has the acumen to comprehend vaccinology but completely fails to apply any scrutiny to what amounts to be an urban, anti-vaxx myth.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
However, with the recent success in the push by the vaccine industry supporters to demand all children be vaccinated, this series is as necessary for parents and pediatricians to read as it is for our congressional members to read and investigate thoroughly. </blockquote>
This is a case of "be careful what you wish for". I know true believers like Boyd Haley think that this book is going to be the spark that finally gets their congressional hearing or somesuch but I suspect all it will do is fall by the wayside like their previous attempts to garner attention for #cdcwhistleblower. If this is any indication of what the book contains then a bunch of unsupported statements and a few talking heads telling readers what they ought to believe is going to have a very disappointing outcome indeed.<b> </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>Foreword by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.</b> <br />
<br />
RFKJr. begins with the obligatory, "I have always been fiercely pro-vaccine." but then predictably degrades into the usual anti-vaccine rhetoric. RFKJr. bemoans the "continued presence of Thimerosal...in vaccines..." implying that Thimerosal is still in vaccines; it isn't. It's only present in <i>some</i> multi-dose influenza vaccines and not paediatric vaccines nor those recommended for pregnant women. He makes a claim that displays his ignorance and/or dishonesty regarding influenza vaccines:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thimerosal is still present in four American vaccines, including giant “bolus” doses in fifty million flu vaccines administered each year to American adults, pregnant women, and infants.</blockquote>
What exactly are "giant bolus doses"? RFKJr. would like us to believe that somehow larger-than-recommended doses of influenza vaccines are administered just because they contain thimerosal. But let's look at some actual numbers. <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaxsupply.htm">Thimerosal-free influenza vaccines comprise the bulk of the supply, 66-68% to be exact or 116-118 million out of a total of 171-179 million manufactured.</a> <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/1415season.htm">The uptake for pregnant women and infants and young children is about 50%</a> which is an order of magnitude below the availability of thimerosal-free influenza vaccines which are what is recommended for pregnant women and children less than three years old. RFKJr. can't even qualify his statements with any evidence that these populations are receiving thimerosal-containing influenza vaccines. In my opinion, his statement is intentionally inflammatory rhetoric and is relying upon those reading to just take his word based upon his namesake.<br />
<br />
RFKJr. proclaims that because he <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2014/06/17/robert-f-kennedy-jr-parties-like-its-1999-over-thimerosal-and-autism/">published a book</a> (my friend's ten year-old son published a book too) that he is some kind of expert in thimerosal. He goes on to make lofty and completely unsupported claims that thimerosal is responsible for a litany of disorders and diseases. Amusingly, other self-appointed "vaccine experts" jockeying for notoriety amongst the anti-vaxx brigade all have their own pet claims that <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2011/12/08/and-global-warming-is-caused-by-the-decr/">aluminium</a>, <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2014/12/31/oh-no-gmos-are-going-to-make-everyone-autistic/">GMOs</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/tag/theresa-deisher/">foetal DNA</a> are responsible for the same disorders and diseases that RFKJr. says thimerosal is responsible for. RFKJr. even goes on to repeat the same hoary old trope that a broken multi-dose vial of influenza vaccine in a physician's office requires evacuation and environmental hazmat clean-up:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thimerosal is so toxic that when a doctor carelessly shatters a multidose flu vial, state laws require evacuation of the building and clean-up by trained hazmat crews wearing protective boots, gloves, and respirators. Common sense should tell us that it’s not a good idea to inject this poison into infants or expectant mothers.</blockquote>
No, no and no; this is patently false and as an environmental activist or at least know someone at the EPA who could have helped him out with this one, RFKJr. should know better; I suspect he does but the reality doesn't make for whipping up indignation. Multi-dose influenza vials contain ten doses or 5mL total volume. <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/vaccine/vaccines.htm">There is 25μg ethylmercury per dose</a> or 250 μg total in a full vial of a thimerosal-containing influenza multi-dose vial. <a href="http://www.snopes.com/medical/toxins/cfl.asp">Let's compare this to a compact fluorescent bulb or CFL which contains 4-5 mg of elemental and highly volatilised mercury and what is required for cleanup and disposal.</a><br />
Ventilate the room, clean it up and dispose of in a proper hazmat container. But RFKJr. is perpetuating the myth that a full multi-dose vial with about 20 times less mercury (and a less toxic form) than a CFL somehow requires full hazmat cleanup.<br />
<br />
RFKJr. introduces the thrust of the book and the players involved, namely Brian S. Hooker and William Thompson by immediately inflating their credentials and work to make them seem more relevant and knowledgeable than they actually are. To whit:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Barry built his book upon four legally taped conversations between CDC senior vaccine safety scientist Dr. William Thompson and Simpson College professor and epidemiologist, Dr. Brian Hooker. </blockquote>
"Legally taped conversations" is arguable since <a href="http://www.morganverkamp.com/august-27-2014-press-release-statement-of-william-w-thompson-ph-d-regarding-the-2004-article-examining-the-possibility-of-a-relationship-between-mmr-vaccine-and-autism/">William Thompson stated he didn't know he was being recorded</a> and Brian Hooker lives in <a href="http://www.dmlp.org/legal-guide/california-recording-law">a state which requires knowledge and permission of both parties being recorded.</a> William Thompson isn't nor ever has been a "senior vaccine safety scientist". He's a psychologist and worked briefly in the CDC's National Center for Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases, Influenza Division and also the National Immunisation Program. Thompson also used to work for Merck but I guess that's only cause to discount someone if they are pro-vaccine. Brian Hooker is a biochemical engineer, he has no epidemiology education nor experience as evidenced by his <a href="http://www.translationalneurodegeneration.com/content/3/1/16">retracted Translational Neurodegeneration study</a> in which he attempted a "re-analysis" of <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14754936">the 2004 DeStefano et al. MMR study</a> and failed miserably. Brian Hooker works in a second tier, private Christian liberal arts college with an undergraduate enrolment the same size as my child's elementary school.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
He [Thompson] is also coauthor of the CDC’s seminal 2004 study known as DeStefano 2004, which dismissed the link between the MMR vaccine and autism. That study has been cited in ninety-one subsequent published studies and is one of the principal cornerstones for claims by the CDC and the vaccine industry that vaccines do not cause autism.</blockquote>
Another easily falsifiable claim by RFKJr. DeStefano et al. (2004) is not a "seminal" study about MMR and autism. Hell, <i>reviews</i> of MMR-Autism studies were being conducted prior to 2004 and <a href="http://justthevax.blogspot.com/2014/03/75-studies-that-show-no-link-between.html">DeStefano et al. (2004) is only one in a long list of studies from all over the world which cannot find any association between MMR vaccination or Thimerosal and autism.</a> RFKJr. goes on ad nauseam about (completely unsupported) statements William Thompson has made about rampant corruption within the CDC's Immunisation Safety Office. RFKJr. also reiterates Thompson's claims of details about the "CDC's tricks for executing the fraud" but is nothing but hearsay from a person who hasn't even conducted statistical analyses for the studies he claims are fraudulent nor does he even have any expertise. Thompson via RFKJr. claims:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
That’s the gimmick the CDC has perfected, in order to preserve the illusion of Thimerosal safety. In the 2007 study, CDC scientists removed the low IQ individuals and individuals with autism or other neurological diagnosis from the pool before even beginning their study on Thimerosal exposure.</blockquote>
This is about as dishonest as someone can get since
<a href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa071434#t=articleTop">"Early Thimerosal Exposure and Neuropsychological Outcomes at 7 to 10 Years"</a> wasn't even inclusive of autism per the own authors' parameters who include William Thompson.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Since the CDC is conducting a separate case–control study of autism in
relation to mercury exposure, a measure of autism was not included in
the test battery. </blockquote>
That is because a separate study examining Thimerosal exposure and autism was in the works and subsequently published as <a href="http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/126/4/656.long">"Prenatal and Infant Exposure to Thimerosal From Vaccines and Immunoglobulins and Risk of Autism"</a>. This study is remarkably absent from discussion for some very (not really) strange reason i.e. people like RFKJr. are confounded by the results:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In
the covariate adjusted models, we found that an
increase in ethylmercury exposure in 2 of the 4 exposure time periods
evaluated
was associated with decreased risk of each of the 3
ASD outcomes. </blockquote>
More on this later. Going back to the Thompson et al. (2007) study, RFKJr. confidently proclaims that:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Despite those crooked presentations, scientists still found a persistent signal for tics, a family of grave neurological injuries, including Tourette’s syndrome that are associated with autism. Thompson now says that his bosses at the CDC pressured him to also alter the results of that study in order to conceal Thimerosal’s risks. Thompson says that the CDC’s Developmental Disabilities branch chief, Frank DeStefano, and his superiors at the CDC pressured him to manipulate the study’s findings and to bury the truth. In response to this pressure, the published version downplayed data showing that Thimerosal causes “tics.”</blockquote>
These are very serious allegations, allegations that would result in possible criminal penalties. But glaringly absent is <b><i>how</i></b>? Thompson didn't conduct the statistical analyses but being the lead author, he would have access to them and the raw data so should be able to provide definitive and conclusive evidence as to <i><b>how</b></i> the study's findings were manipulated but there is none. Thompson et al. (2007) assessed 42 neuropsychological outcomes, tics being just one. Thompson via RFKJr. claims that "the published version downplayed data showing that Thimerosal causes "tics." yet the study results state:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Among boys, higher exposure to mercury from birth to 7 months was
associated with significantly better performance on letter and word
identification on the Woodcock–Johnson test, third edition (WJ-III),
poorer performance on the parental rating of behavioral regulation on
the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function, and a higher
likelihood of motor and phonic tics, as reported by the children's
evaluators.</blockquote>
That is an accurate reporting of what they found and they can't say that "Thimerosal causes tics" because they also found significant positive associations:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
We found no consistent pattern between increasing mercury exposure from
birth to 7 months and performance on neuropsychological tests. Among
girls, the only significant findings were two associations with better
test performance. Among boys, there was a beneficial association between
mercury exposure and identification of letters and words on the WJ-III
and a detrimental association with behavioral regulation and motor and
phonic tics according to the ratings of evaluators. An association with
tics was also found in one HMO in the screening analysis of the CDC's
Vaccine Safety Datalink<span class="ref"><a class="showRefLayer" href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa071434#ref4" rel="#refLayer">4</a></span> and an analysis of the General Practice Research Database.<span class="ref"><a class="showRefLayer" href="http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa071434#ref21" rel="#refLayer">21</a></span> The replication of the findings regarding tics suggests the potential need for further studies.</blockquote>
Thompson can say anything he likes but without evidence, they are just baseless charges. Thompson too appears to be very dishonest by claiming causality. If he is such a good investigator he should know that an epidemiological study cannot establish causality. RFKJr. then veers the crazy train back to the MMR-causation claim:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The damage isn’t isolated to mercury-triggered neurological injuries. When Thompson discovered that the MMR vaccine was causing dramatic rises in autism in African American boys, his CDC bosses ordered him to keep his mouth shut. Thompson coauthored a seminal 2004 study on the MMR subsequently published in Pediatrics. He now admits that, under pressure from his superiors, his team fraudulently withheld data demonstrating a 340 percent higher risk of autism in African American boys who received that vaccine on time compared to boys who delayed the vaccine.</blockquote>
There is that claim of "seminal 2004 study" again; it's not and makes me wonder if RFKJr. knows what the <a href="http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/us/definition/american_english/seminal">word means</a>. DeStefano et al. (2004) did not find a "340 percent higher risk of autism in African American boys...", <a href="http://blog.minitab.com/blog/adventures-in-statistics/analysis-and-reanalysis3a-the-controversy-behind-mmr-vaccinations-and-autism2c-part-2">that was Brian S. Hooker and his incompetent "re-analysis"</a> that apparently William Thompson helped him with. Again I ask, if there were manipulation of the data in the DeStefano et al. study, <b><i>how</i></b> and <i><b>why</b></i> didn't Thompson give the missing data to Hooker?<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When Thompson sent a letter complaining about the fraud to CDC director Julie Gerberding, her lackey, Robert Chen, chief at the Immunization Safety branch, stalked Thompson into the CDC’s parking lot to menace and threaten him. Thompson would be fired, Chen explained pointedly, if his complaints persisted.</blockquote>
Where is this letter? In all of the "more than 100,000 documents" that Thompson allegedly gave Rep. Bill Posey and many to Brian Hooker, none are this letter? <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julie_Gerberding">Julie Gerberding has not been director of the CDC since 2009</a>, just one of now countless facts RFKJr. can't seem to nail down. More importantly, Thompson makes another serious allegation which is possibly a criminal activity and that is being menaced and threatened by a very accomplished and respected CDC scientist with more than 30 years of employ with the agency. How very odd that such a blatant display of harassment could take place but Thompson is the only one to have experienced this.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Because of that study, doctors and public health officials continue to give that vaccine to children, even though its links to autism are proven in this and many other studies. On the basis of all the population data and the CDC’s most recent autism incidence estimates, at least 100,000 African American male children could have been spared debilitating neurological injury if the CDC scientists had told the truth when Thompson and his team first discovered the increased risk in 2001.</blockquote>
It truly boggles the mind that RFKJr. can make this leap; there are no other studies that "prove" MMR is "linked" to autism and again, even removing the DeStefano et al. (2004) study from the literature, there still exists dozens more powerful studies which cannot find any association. It's pure race-baiting. RFKJr. goes on to use Thompson's completely unsubstantiated hearsay to "verify" the "well-documented corruption at the CDC's Immunization Safety Office." This appears to be the only somewhat supported allegation that RFKJr. has been able to make but has nothing to do with Thompson as he wants us to believe. RFKJr. cites some reports such as <a href="http://vaccineinfo.net/issues/conflictofinterest/conflicts_of_interest.shtml">Conflicts of Interest in Vaccine Policy Making (2000)</a> which certainly exposes some problematic practices and it's also 15 years old, much has happened since then. He also cites <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/cdc_off_center.pdf">CDC Off Center (2007)</a> in which then Senator Tom Coburn didn't agree with some spending that the CDC engaged in and even blamed the CDC when they got ripped off by employees and grantees, not much there. <a href="http://www.casewatch.org/oig/10s.pdf">Levinson (2008)</a> found a substantial percentage of Special Government Employees within the CDC were not completing financial and conflicts of interest disclosures. RFKJr. also invokes <a href="http://news.sciencemag.org/people-events/2014/03/top-u.s.-scientific-misconduct-official-quits-frustration-bureaucracy">David Wright's scathing exit from the Office of Research Integrity</a> but the CDC is not mentioned contrary to what RFKJr. claims. None of this is any evidence of fraudulent behaviour by CDC scientists which is the crux of this book.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Thompson and his attorney have handed over thousands of damning CDC documents to Congressman Bill Posey of Florida in the hope that Congress will subpoena him to testify under oath.</blockquote>
So where are they? If anti-vaxxers like RFKJr. and Brian Hooker want action then why is this the best they have to offer? <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2015/08/06/a-congressman-a-cdc-whisteblower-and-an-autism-tempest-in-a-trashcan/">Rep. Bill Posey read a statement allegedly from William Thompson on the House floor in July</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
At the bottom of Table 7 it also shows that for the non-birth
certificate sample, the adjusted race effect statistical significance
was huge. All the authors and I met and decided sometime between August
and September ’02 not to report any race effects for the paper. Sometime
soon after the meeting, we decided to exclude reporting any race
effects, the co-authors scheduled a meeting to destroy documents related
to the study. The remaining four co-authors all met and brought a big
garbage can into the meeting room and reviewed and went through all the
hard copy documents that we had thought we should discard and put them
in a huge garbage can. However, because I assumed it was illegal and
would violate both FOIA and DOJ requests, I kept hard copies of all
documents in my office and I retained all associated computer files. I
believe we intentionally withheld controversial findings from the final
draft of the <em>Pediatrics</em> paper. </blockquote>
If this is from Thompson, he has yet to acknowledge it although I don't doubt the veracity of the statement; it's just curious that this appears to be what Thompson wanted but is silent on the matter. Thompson states that they decided to exclude reporting race effects but yet the <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14754936">final study does report race effects</a>. If Thompson can be this confused about such an easily verifiable fact in his own study, what does that say about his actual expertise and integrity? His allegation that documents were illegally destroyed is very suspect and contrary to <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/emilywillingham/2015/08/06/a-congressman-a-cdc-whisteblower-and-an-autism-tempest-in-a-trashcan/">standard procedure for document dumps after electronic records are established</a>. Thompson so much as admits he reviewed the documents and thought they should be discarded but in the same breath accuses his co-authors of illegal document destruction. Anti-vaxxers are putting their faith in yet again, another very suspicious person.<br />
<br />
To be continued...<br />
<br /></div>
Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-89349144889958229792015-06-01T14:45:00.000-04:002015-06-01T14:45:48.725-04:00Once Again No, Vaccines Did Not Harm Children in Mexico<br />
A couple of weeks ago the autism-hating, anti-vaccine blog <a href="http://geofautism.com/2015/05/two-mexican-infants-die-29-hospitalized-with-vaccine-adverse-reaction.html">Age of Autism</a> ran a story of vaccines killing and hospitalising several infants in Chiapas, Mexico during a routine immunisation programme. As of this writing only one commenter linked to a news story of possible bacterial contamination and the author of the blog post hasn't even bothered to issue a correction.<br />
<br />
However, <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2015/05/14/no-vaccine-reactions-didnt-kill-several-children-in-mexico/">Orac in his usual Respectful Insolence</a> style correctly urged patience for the investigation to conclude and that bacterial contamination was a more likely explanation. <a href="http://outbreaknewstoday.com/mexico-staph-infections-linked-to-deaths-of-2-children-vaccines-exonerated-18561/">Well that investigation has concluded</a> and it was a bacterial source but not from the vaccines themselves but rather externally during handling and administration:<br />
<ul>
<li><span class="notranslate">Although no hypothesis is not rejected,
the only vaccine given in common to all children affected was that of
Hepatitis B, so the research focused on the biological.</span></li>
<li>The batch of the vaccine was properly certified.</li>
<li>No adverse events were recorded after 100,000 doses were administered in various parts of the country since Oct. 2014.</li>
<li>Results of blood cultures at that time showed <b>the presence of the local external contamination, outside the biological vaccine,</b> in particular bacteria, which was consistent with the clinical pictures of hospitalized children. <span class="notranslate">Microbiology studies conducted on children reported the finding of <b>Staphylococcus hominis</b>, a type of bacterium commonly found in the skin of people.</span> <span class="notranslate">These findings rule out other bacteria, such as those found in the gastrointestinal tract and airways.</span> <span class="notranslate">Molecular
studies demonstrated that isolated Staphylococcus hominis in different
patients was the same, namely that the bacteria came from a single
source of contamination.</span></li>
<li><span class="notranslate">In conclusion, the Federal Commission for
Protection Against Health Risks (COFEPRIS) analysis found that the
vaccine was not defective and remained in temperature.</span> <span class="notranslate">Therefore, <b>bacterial contamination occurred during the procedure of handling and application of the vaccine. </b></span></li>
</ul>
While the conclusion that the vaccines were manufactured and stored properly can help establish confidence in vaccine programmes, two infants are dead and dozens were hospitalised due to improper handling of the vaccines. This tragic result emphasises the need for more rigorous training of personnel administering any medications. This was an avoidable error and the focus should be on that, not vaccinesdidit.Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-24144356788249221792015-05-14T10:05:00.000-04:002015-05-14T10:05:35.892-04:00In Remembrance of Lilady <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvv1R5HfO0IlqBlO2Ub4YL2RyMWL4lbXItKsjMGvTHT6Lg0ZR4Q6bUTohKlQ6gMH_cfGct5eu88MrLwt4Dd5a68VDnq3rQagCMzVzC9qW2uFhKz6pF0FlkW57PMBGB1Rd7Tm-2-2rVF1zF/s1600/bouquet-flowers-226123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvv1R5HfO0IlqBlO2Ub4YL2RyMWL4lbXItKsjMGvTHT6Lg0ZR4Q6bUTohKlQ6gMH_cfGct5eu88MrLwt4Dd5a68VDnq3rQagCMzVzC9qW2uFhKz6pF0FlkW57PMBGB1Rd7Tm-2-2rVF1zF/s400/bouquet-flowers-226123.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
A friend and fellow skeptic known as "Lilady" has passed away leaving a huge hole in our hearts and on the internet. She was an omnipresent voice on numerous blogs and articles regarding vaccines and autism and will be sorely missed.<br />
<br />
Lilady had a severely developmentally and medically disabled son whom she cared for with the deepest love and commitment I have ever known. She became a fierce opponent of state mental institutions that cruelly warehoused special needs people and fought tirelessly for their closure. She was the original Mother Warrior. Through her trials and tribulations along with other parents of special needs children, she "adopted" the son of a friend whom she helped care for until Lilady passed away.<br />
<br />
Lilady's advocacy extended to the internet where she was a prolific commenter on vaccine and autism articles. She fearlessly questioned dubious stories, provided sound evidence to support her claims and was never intimidated by anyone. Her decades-long expertise as a public health nurse along with her experience with special needs children and adults and fierce passion made her a formidable foe of anti-science purveyors.<br />
<br />
Our thoughts are with her and her family and hope they know how appreciated, respected and missed their Lilady will always be.Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-84467785007223656142015-02-23T16:18:00.001-05:002015-02-23T17:00:26.234-05:0018 month old, unvaccinated, previously healthy toddler dies of measles in Berlin outbreak<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Berlin, Germany's capital, has seen a very large <a href="http://www.heute.de/masern-in-berlin-nach-masernausbruch-erwaegt-regierung-impfpflicht-37285594.html" target="_blank">measles outbreak</a> on the past months. Since October 2014, 574 measles cases had been reported.<br />
<br />
Today, the Berlin health senator <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-31585047" target="_blank">confirmed</a> that on 18 February 2015, an 18 month old toddler, <a href="http://www.berlin.de/sen/gessoz/presse/pressemitteilungen/2015/pressemitteilung.268444.php" target="_blank">who had not been vaccinated against measles, and did not have any chronic disease</a>, died after having been treated for measles infection in the Charité hospital for 5 days. While the child was vaccinated against some diseases, according to the German <a href="http://www.focus.de/familie/kinderkrankheiten/masern/in-berlin-kleinkind-an-masern-gestorben_id_4495727.html?utm_campaign=facebook-focus-online&fbc=facebook-focus-online&ts=201502231320" target="_blank">media</a>, he had not received the recommended MMR. In Germany, the first MMR is usually given between 11 and 14 months and the second is recommended between 15 and 24 months.<br />
<br />
Over the past couple of years, discussions about mandatory vaccination had come up in Germany, some <a href="http://www.mdr.de/sachsen-anhalt/impfpflicht-in-kitas100.html" target="_blank">child care centers</a> had begun to only accept vaccinated children, and discussions are <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/23/german-health-official-mandatory-measles-vaccinations-child-dies" target="_blank">unlikely to subside</a> now. The question is whether parents, who are already afraid/suspect of the government could be convinced by a mandate - suggestions are welcome how to reach them better.<br />
<br />
Meanwhile, our heartfelt thoughts go to the boy's family and everyone whose lives he touched. Another preventable measles death too many.</div>
Catherinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580939201909356691noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-12405854019870709892015-02-17T10:02:00.000-05:002015-05-05T08:43:24.082-04:00The Measles Vaccines (MMR and MMRV) Protect Against Measles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKw6zYdMrkTvRUuhaY-n84ze-oeFwOO6n1vORTGo0Co0jhYwNCy1fVuo7QseNhQ-AYd85e4CognTNkbcYjDt0TXZjb477EATNDJHXAivcyyB4JiWVEBpLGgX4UPAPwFTdE1jPRbQIeyhs/s1600/measles-big.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaKw6zYdMrkTvRUuhaY-n84ze-oeFwOO6n1vORTGo0Co0jhYwNCy1fVuo7QseNhQ-AYd85e4CognTNkbcYjDt0TXZjb477EATNDJHXAivcyyB4JiWVEBpLGgX4UPAPwFTdE1jPRbQIeyhs/s1600/measles-big.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo: http://imgbuddy.com/measles-virus-picture.asp</span><br />
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A new anti-vaxx myth has surfaced which seems to have been developed as a result of my recent blogpost <a href="http://justthevax.blogspot.com/2015/01/disneyland-measles-outbreak-is-due-to.html">Disneyland Measles Outbreak is Due to Measles</a> which discussed the measles genotype responsible (hint: it wasn't the vaccine strain). Some, with no knowledge of virology nor immunology are spreading the myth that since the measles strain in the MMR vaccine is genotype A that it couldn't possibly protect against measles genotype B3 which is the genotype responsible for the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html">latest U.S. outbreak</a> and has spread to <a href="http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health-and-fitness/health/quebec-reports-10-measles-cases-linked-to-disneyland-outbreak/article22909090/">Mexico and Canada</a>. I will discuss how and why MMR vaccines are cross-protective for wild-type measles strains.</div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
First there is some terminology which must be understood to follow along:</div>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serotype">Serotype</a>: Microorganisms of the same species can be further divided into serotypes, serovars or sub-groups based upon their surface antigens.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigen">Antigen</a>: A structural protein on the surface of a pathogen that is able to recognise cell receptors on the surface of a host cell. The antigen is also the part of the pathogen which provokes the host adaptive immune response that generates antibodies.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epitope">Epitope</a>: The very specific part of the antigen which antibodies attach to.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genotype">Genotype</a>: The nucleotide sequence of certain regions of a viral genome which classifies differences.<br />
<br />
The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Measles_virus">measles virus</a> has only one serotype and causes measles unlike <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_papillomavirus">Human Papillomavirus </a>which has dozens of serotypes and can cause different diseases. This is why we see multiple serotypes included in the HPV vaccine and only one strain in each of the <a href="http://www.who.int/biologicals/vaccines/measles/en/">available measles vaccines</a> which are all genotype A.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Many of the attenuated strains in use are derived from the
Edmonston strain isolated in 1954, including the Schwartz, the
Edmonston-Zagreb, and the Moraten strains. Other strains which are not derived from Edmonston strain
include the CAM-70, TD 97, Leningrad-16, and Shanghai 191 (Ji-191)
strains. </blockquote>
<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/measles/lab-tools/genetic-analysis.html">Measles virus genotypes are based upon their nucleotide sequences at the least conserved regions of the viral genome:</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Wild-type measles viruses have been divided into distinct genetic
groups, referred to as genotypes, based on the nucleotide sequences of
their hemagglutinin (H) and nucleoprotein (N) genes, which are the most
variable genes on the viral genome.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The 450 nucleotides encoding the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/measles/lab-tools/n-gene.html">carboxy-terminal 150 amino acids</a>
of the nucleoprotein has up to 12% nucleotide variation between
genotypes. The 450 nucleotides that encode the carboxy-terminal region
of the nucleoprotein (N–450) are required for determination of the
genotype. The measles genotyping protocol is available from CDC.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFq-ShOlypu_HOGmrSY9qbNHbtD6y-gnfQqOifIzWafVPqoxflKaI23YtXMntrQ6j6IehT_M_eW1NOZMd-2_MAibUKq2eLDl5SW3kAa1XAm2TrwaEmzOB3tRnwbnhZHSWNvF4unYqSLQgS/s1600/measles+virion.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFq-ShOlypu_HOGmrSY9qbNHbtD6y-gnfQqOifIzWafVPqoxflKaI23YtXMntrQ6j6IehT_M_eW1NOZMd-2_MAibUKq2eLDl5SW3kAa1XAm2TrwaEmzOB3tRnwbnhZHSWNvF4unYqSLQgS/s1600/measles+virion.jpg" width="259" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Photo: http://download.thelancet.com/images/journalimages/0140-6736/PIIS0140673610623525.gr3.lrg.jpg</span><br />
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What this means is that whenever a measles case occurs, a sample (<a href="http://www.cdc.gov/measles/lab-tools/rt-pcr.html">throat or nasal swab</a>) is taken from the patient, submitted to RT-PCR (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reverse_transcription_polymerase_chain_reaction">reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction</a>) and PCR (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymerase_chain_reaction">polymerase chain reaction</a>) which are molecular techniques to essentially isolate amplify the number of DNA copies so that they can be sequenced. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DNA_sequencing">DNA sequencing</a> determines the nucleotide sequences of specific genome regions and then compared to other isolates to see where the measles virus came from and also mutations that may have accumulated.<br />
<br />
Recovered measles viruses are constantly monitored, tested and characterised to identify areas of the genome which may antigenically-drift. Circulating measles viruses have also been tested against vaccine-derived antibodies to ensure vaccines will cross-protect against the numerous genotypes that are imported. This is achieved through <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plaque_reduction_neutralization_test">virus neutralisation assays</a> for example. This is a test that combines measles genotypes with serum samples of people either vaccinated or previously infected with wild-type measles to determine if antibody binding occurs. A fluorescent tag is added and then the antibody-antigen complex is measured. Results of various assays demonstrate that <a href="http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/170/4/795.full.pdf#page=1&view=FitH">vaccine-derived antibodies protect against many different measles genotypes:</a><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The serum samples from recently vaccinated persons neutralized both the Moraten and Chicago-I viruses equally well (table 1): There was a less than 2-fold difference in neutralization titers. In contrast, serum samples from persons with a recent wild type infection were able to detect antigenic differences between the viruses. Sera in this set had neutralization titers against Chicago-l that were 4-8 times higher (average, 5.1) than the titers against the vaccine strain.</blockquote>
Very specific antibodies called monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) are also developed and tested against measles viruses including the vaccine strains to monitor vaccine efficacy and antigenic drift of measles genotypes:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Overall, the antigenic data indicated that some epitopes have been conserved between the vaccine strain and the recent wild type viruses, while others are unique to the recent wild type virus. The H and F proteins are responsible for the induction of a neutralizing antibody response to measles virus. Therefore, the antigenic differences were most likely due to variation in these surface glycoproteins. </blockquote>
<br />
<a href="http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/204/suppl_1/S533.long#sec-13">Protection against the current circulation measles genotype, B3 has been elucidated</a>. In other words, studies have been and are conducted to test antibodies derived from vaccination against numerous wild-type measles viruses. Measles genotype B3 which is the currently circulating strain in the U.S., is neutralised by vaccine-derived antibodies. That, in turn, means that the virus can't bind to host (human) cell receptors and cause disease.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
On the basis of the sequences of their N and H genes, MeVs can be assigned to 1 of 23 genotypes and 1 provisional genotype
[<a class="xref-bibr" href="http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/204/suppl_1/S533.long#ref-11" id="xref-ref-11-2">11</a>, <a class="xref-bibr" href="http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/204/suppl_1/S533.long#ref-12" id="xref-ref-12-2">12</a>].
All vaccine strains and their wild-type progenitors are assigned to
genotype A. Experiments with monoclonal antibodies
have defined antigenic differences between the H
proteins of genotype A vaccines and the H proteins of wild-type viruses
grouped
in other genotypes [<a class="xref-bibr" href="http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/204/suppl_1/S533.long#ref-62" id="xref-ref-62-3">62</a>, <a class="xref-bibr" href="http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/204/suppl_1/S533.long#ref-188" id="xref-ref-188-1">188</a>, <a class="xref-bibr" href="http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/204/suppl_1/S533.long#ref-189" id="xref-ref-189-1">189</a>]. However, there is only 1 serotype for measles, and serum samples from vaccinees neutralize viruses from a wide range of
genotypes, albeit with different neutralization titers [<a class="xref-bibr" href="http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/204/suppl_1/S533.long#ref-188" id="xref-ref-188-2">188</a>, <a class="xref-bibr" href="http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/204/suppl_1/S533.long#ref-190" id="xref-ref-190-1">190</a>] More importantly, despite the presence of different endemic genotypes, vaccination programs with standard measles vaccines
have been successful in every country where they were performed adequately [<a class="xref-bibr" href="http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/204/suppl_1/S533.long#ref-191" id="xref-ref-191-1">191</a>–<a class="xref-bibr" href="http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/204/suppl_1/S533.long#ref-193" id="xref-ref-193-1">193</a>]. Suboptimal seroconversion after vaccination is likely the result of inadequate coverage; improper administration, transport,
or storage of vaccine; or age of the vaccine recipients [<a class="xref-bibr" href="http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/204/suppl_1/S533.long#ref-194" id="xref-ref-194-1">194</a>–<a class="xref-bibr" href="http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/204/suppl_1/S533.long#ref-196" id="xref-ref-196-1">196</a>].
</blockquote>
<span id="docs-internal-guid-3fa37c07-954d-b0e8-7fce-5a4bedb39e8c" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It's a bit of a complex issue to digest but some key points are that measles vaccines induce many different antibodies against measles antigens. There is some antigenic drift that renders a single antibody insufficient binding to a single antigen from some wild-type measles viruses but over all, vaccines protect us from many different genotypes including the currently circulating B3 genotype. The epidemiology of the measles outbreak also demonstrates the effectiveness of the MMR vaccine. </span><a href="http://www.cdc.gov/measles/cases-outbreaks.html" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">To date there have been 141 cases confirmed </span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">(dozens more reported) by the CDC. </span><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basic_reproduction_number" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">Measles is one of the most infectious diseases</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> known and </span><a href="http://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2015/feb/05/-sp-watch-how-measles-outbreak-spreads-when-kids-get-vaccinated" style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">this interactive graphic</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> demonstrates how measles can spread in variable susceptible populations. If the vaccine did not proffer cross-protection, there would be tens of thousands of cases to date. Obviously this is not the case as the majority of cases are unvaccinated.</span><br />
<br />
A more easily-digestible version of this has been posted at <a href="http://thescientificparent.org/how-i-accidentally-started-an-anti-vaxx-myth-in-the-name-of-science/">The Scientific Parent</a>.<br />
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Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-30319109815689845932015-02-08T13:07:00.000-05:002015-02-08T13:12:24.457-05:00Your freedom of choice - somebody else's baby<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am having discussions with my non-vaccinating friend at the moment, who describes herself as "pro-choice" when it comes to vaccination. What seems absolutely impossible to grasp for vaccine refusers is that their choice makes other parents' children ill, and, potentially, <a href="http://justthevax.blogspot.co.uk/2009/04/medical-care-for-unvaccinated-children.html" target="_blank">kills</a> them. The parents whose babies contract measles did NOT get a choice, NO say in their children's infection. That is the effect of vaccine refusal:<br />
<br />
The below is Mobius - there are 24 hours between those pictures - the photographer, a friend of Mobius' family, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153793856726808&set=a.71510471807.99635.601771807&type=1&fref=nf" target="_blank">Donavan Freberg</a>, describes their feelings (shared from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/RtAVM/photos/a.414675905269091.96547.414643305272351/854024234667587/?type=1&pnref=story" target="_blank">Refutations against Anti-Vaccine Memes</a> page with kind permission of Mobius' mum):<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10934053_854024234667587_6812318476133566981_n.jpg?oh=f4811c2dfe58d51d0a55d3e4a63062b9&oe=55652750" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://scontent-a-lhr.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/v/t1.0-9/10934053_854024234667587_6812318476133566981_n.jpg?oh=f4811c2dfe58d51d0a55d3e4a63062b9&oe=55652750" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption">This
is Mobius Loop. He is the son of my dear friends Ariel Loop and
Christopher Loop. He has measles. It was just confirmed. This is real,
this is awful and these two photos are 24 hours apart. The good news?
He's getting better. Quarantine ends tonight and the baby seems to be
recovering well. The bad news? This was caused by one thing only, total
and complete ignoranc<span class="text_exposed_show">e and selfishness
of the anti-vaxxers. Because of people not vaccinating their kids (and
when I say "people", I mean much of the upper crust westside of Los
Angeles) this little sprout (who was too young to be protected) fell
sick to a HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS epidemic that up until recently, had been a
thing of the past. This is infuriating, sad and worst of all, needless.
The Loops are dear friends, long time photo clients and informed, smart
people. Ariel is a nurse. You don't just vaccinate your kids to protect
them, you do it to protect other's who are too wee to get the shots. You
are doing it as a selfless act. Please send good thoughts and prayers
to this little muppet and to his parents, who are truly some of the best
people I know.<br /> <br /> Side note: I was scheduled to photograph this
sweet everlasting gobstopper, but then this happened. I intend to
photograph him the moment he has fully recovered and will be donating
100% of my shoot fees to charity to raise awareness of the necessity of
vaccines. As a photographer, I must do everything within my power to
document this and see that the awareness of this spreads faster than the
disease in question. To all people reading this and for those who may
be on the fence about vaccinating your kids, please, for Mobius and for
all those who are affected by this terrible and PREVENTIBLE disease, DO
IT. Vaccinate!!!! Don't even think twice. Just think.<br /><br />ETA: Mobius' mum, Ariel, also weighs in:</span></span></span><br />
<span class="fbPhotosPhotoCaption" data-ft="{"tn":"*G","type":45}" id="fbPhotoPageCaption" tabindex="0"><span class="hasCaption"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span></span></span>
I have a lot of mixed feelings right now, but ultimately I'm relieved
that Mobius is doing so well. The horrific cough aside, he's doing way
better than anyone expected at this point. <br />
However, I'm furious
that we're now part of the problem. While he's up to date with his
vaccines, at 4 months he isn't old enough for the one that should have
made this whole outbreak almost impossible. During the four days he was
contagious before his rash appeared, we went out to eat twice, r<span class="text_exposed_show">an
countless errands, and have potentially infected other kids who are too
young to have to go through this. That kills me. And might kill one of
them. </span><br />
<div class="text_exposed_show">
I understand that
vaccines are scary. Having to hold him tight while a stranger hurts him
is hard. Having three people hold him still to get the blood to test him
for measles, however, was infinitely harder. Even at the time I had
this passing thought of, "Am I being paranoid? Am I putting him through
more trauma while he's sick for no reason?" I found myself almost hoping
it was measles then so at least having to torture him would be "worth
it."<br />
It isn't, though. He shouldn't have had to go through any of
it. I shouldn't have had to set alarms for myself in the middle of the
night to make sure he was still breathing. It's bittersweet--I can't be
as comforted by his recovery as it is clouded with guilt and fear that
we might put another family through this.<br />
Please, don't put other families through this.</div>
</div>
Catherinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580939201909356691noreply@blogger.com65tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-35147936376837598232015-01-28T09:46:00.000-05:002015-01-28T09:46:05.625-05:00Disneyland Measles Outbreak is Due to MeaslesThe current measles outbreak primarily emanating from Disneyland in California is up to <a href="http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/completely-avoidable-vaccine-saved-victims-disneyland-measles-outbreak/">100 cases</a> but not all are<a href="http://www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/discond/Pages/Measles.aspx"> epidemiologically-linked</a> to the Disneyland outbreak. As is usual with measles outbreaks, most were completely unvaccinated, some were too young to be vaccinated. There are numerous articles highlighting this well-known fact and that has anti-vaxxers on the defensive. In fact, <a href="http://www.ageofautism.com/2015/01/disney-measles-and-the-fantasyland-of-vaccine-perfection.html">this screed by Laura Hayes appeared on the anti-vaxx, autism-hating blog Age of Autism</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<strong>1. Has there been any laboratory confirmation of even one case
of the supposed measles related to Disneyland? If yes, was the
confirmed case tested to determine whether it was <span style="text-decoration: underline;">wild-type measles</span> or <span style="text-decoration: underline;">vaccine-strain measles</span>? If not, why not? </strong>These
are important questions to ask. Is it measles or not? If yes, what
kind, because if it's vaccine-strain measles, then that means it is <em>the vaccinated </em>who
are contagious and spreading measles resulting in what the media likes
to label "outbreaks" to create panic (strange how they've completely
missed the Autism outbreak going on for the past 25 years). It would be
what one might call <em>vaccine fallout.</em> People who receive
live-virus vaccines, such as the MMR, can then shed that live virus, for
up to many weeks...and can infect others. Multiply that in your head
by all of the people who receive not only the MMR live-virus vaccine,
but many others. Other live-virus vaccines include the nasal flu
vaccine, shingles vaccine rotavirus vaccine, chicken pox vaccine, and
yellow fever vaccine.</blockquote>
That's right, apparently Laura Hayes is really good at asking the really dumb questions but not too adept at finding the answer before postulating what measles strain is circulating amongst those infected. Hint: <a href="http://emergency.cdc.gov/HAN/han00376.asp">it isn't the vaccine strain. </a>This wasn't hard to find and is very specific about the genotypes:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Measles genotype information was available from 9 measles cases; all
were genotype B3 and all sequences linked to this outbreak are
identical. The sequences are also identical to the genotype B3 virus
that caused a large outbreak in the Philippines in 2014. During the last
6 months, identical genotype B3 viruses were also detected in at least
14 countries and at least 6 U.S. states, not including those linked to
the current outbreak.</blockquote>
And even more information regarding the differences in wild-type strains and vaccine-strains can be found <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/measles/lab-tools/genetic-analysis.html">here</a>: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<h2>
Genetic Characterization and Sequencing</h2>
Wild-type measles
viruses have been divided into distinct genetic groups, referred to as
genotypes, based on the nucleotide sequences of their hemagglutinin (H)
and nucleoprotein (N) genes, which are the most variable genes on the
viral genome.<br />
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The 450 nucleotides encoding the <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/measles/lab-tools/n-gene.html">carboxy-terminal 150 amino acids</a>
of the nucleoprotein has up to 12% nucleotide variation between
genotypes. The 450 nucleotides that encode the carboxy-terminal region
of the nucleoprotein (N–450) are required for determination of the
genotype. The measles genotyping protocol is available from CDC.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
For each genotype, a <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/measles/lab-tools/who-table.html">reference strain</a>
is designated for use in genetic analysis (phylogenetic analysis),
usually the earliest known virus isolation of that group. The means of
referring to the genotypes has been standardized using alphabetical
designations for the main groupings (clades). Within the main clades,
numerals are added to identify the individual genotypes.<br />
The following 19 genotypes have been detected since 1990:<br />
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A*, B2, B3, C1, C2, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9, D10, D11, G2, G3, H1, H2<br />
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="more-info">
*Vaccine strains Moraten, Edmonston, Zagreb are all genotype A.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div class="more-info">
There were 2 putative wild-type cases of measles identified as genotype A in 2008.</div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
During 2011, 8 genotypes were identified by global surveillance:<br />
B2, B3, D4, D8, D9, D11, G3, H1</blockquote>
Gosh that was simple. Laura Hayes asks a lot more dumb questions and fills in the answers with her own fact-free assertions but there is too much stupid and not enough time to take them apart. The important point here is that measles outbreaks are caused by measles viruses (not vaccine-strain) and a critical mass of anti-vaxxers clustering and causing large gaps in herd immunity. <br />
<br />Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com192tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-52694437613825864632014-10-23T10:29:00.000-04:002014-10-29T08:49:28.349-04:00HPV Jab Not Responsible for Wisconsin Girl's Death<a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/health/medical-examiner-girls-death-not-caused-by-routine-vaccination-b99376029z1-280058462.html">The Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel reported yesterday</a> that the medical examiner found Diphenhydramine intoxication caused the death of Meredith Prohaska, not HPV vaccination as her mother alleged.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<br />
A much-touted vaccine given to teens and preteens to prevent cancers
caused by a sexually transmitted virus did not cause or contribute to <a href="http://www.jsonline.com/news/health/for-girl-a-day-that-started-with-a-routine-doctors-visit-ended-in-her-death-b99326702z1-270410121.html">the death of a 12-year-old Waukesha girl </a>whose mother found her unresponsive in their home on July 30, the Waukesha County medical examiner said Wednesday.<br />
<br />
Diphenhydramine
intoxication — ingestion of a lethal level of an antihistamine — caused
the death of Meredith Prohaska, though the manner of death is
undetermined, Medical Examiner Lynda Biedrzycki said in a prepared
statement.<br />
"There is no evidence that any vaccination caused or contributed to her death," Biedrzycki said.<br />
<br />
Diphenhydramine
is a type of antihistamine found in various allergy and sleep
medicines, including Benadryl, Tylenol PM, Nytol and Sominex, according
to the National Institutes of Health. <a href="http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007287.htm" target="_blank">Overdose</a> occurs when someone accidentally or intentionally takes more than the normal or recommended amount of a drug or medication.</blockquote>
Not having this information still caused <a href="https://www.google.com/search?q=Meredith+Prohaska+age+of+autism&gws_rd=ssl">the usual suspects</a> to behave like slavering dogs with a piece of meat. In fact one of <a href="http://fox6now.com/2014/08/07/the-only-thing-different-about-that-day-was-that-shot-did-a-trip-to-the-doctor-kill-a-healthy-12-year-old-girl/">those sordid stories</a> included quotes by Meredith's parents:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“The only thing different about that day was that shot. I wish I
would’ve known more about it before I agreed to it,” Rebecca Prohaska
said.<br />
<br />
“It has to be that vaccine,” Mark Prohaska said.</blockquote>
As we can see, it wasn't the only thing different that day and it wasn't the vaccine. This is a tragic death that appears to be most likely preventable. The Prohaskas have my deepest sympathy because as a parent, I can't imagine anything worse than losing your child. <br />
<br />
<br />Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com78tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-42333806166412073502014-08-28T17:05:00.000-04:002014-08-28T17:05:52.422-04:00sadly - another: Aliana has SSPE<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
While social media are <a href="https://twitter.com/search?f=realtime&q=%23CDCwhistleblower&src=tyah" target="_blank">a-buzz</a> with stories of a <a href="http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2014/08/27/discussions-of-the-recent-mmrautism-paper/" target="_blank">CDC whistleblower</a> - let's remind ourselves why everyone should vaccinate their children (and themselves).<br />
<br />
<a href="http://justthevax.blogspot.co.uk/2014/02/kiss-222-mostly-measles-with-side-of-flu.html" target="_blank">Max</a>, <a href="http://justthevax.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/micha-is-dead.html" target="_blank">Micha</a> and <a href="http://justthevax.blogspot.co.uk/2011/10/so-predictable-so-sad-natalie-dies-of.html" target="_blank">Natalie</a> have already died. <a href="http://justthevax.blogspot.co.uk/2014/03/anniversary.html" target="_blank">Angelina</a>, who turned 9 years last week, is still fighting. We know their names, because the measles vaccine has <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=sspe+measles+previously+prevented" target="_blank">significantly reduced</a> the incidence of <a href="http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/subacute_panencephalitis/subacute_panencephalitis.htm" target="_blank">SSPE</a>, the fatal complication, that shrinks a child's brain, many years after infection.<br />
Now, another girl has been diagnosed - learn her name - celebrate her life - vaccinate your kids, so not one more child has to join the exclusive club:<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4c-vxcoF9EK8Fb1-Af56z_P9EauUUhRnEA1gC1L9GBr0TIEGLAqBv5Unmu30NA2H7SJPvV6dRcEpFpXje8wTwoFuCyPgNJW_Zs02p5rNAHC9gpJXTnasaQeATuFrDZl2g5s77-zd8XcI/s1600/AlianaEnglish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4c-vxcoF9EK8Fb1-Af56z_P9EauUUhRnEA1gC1L9GBr0TIEGLAqBv5Unmu30NA2H7SJPvV6dRcEpFpXje8wTwoFuCyPgNJW_Zs02p5rNAHC9gpJXTnasaQeATuFrDZl2g5s77-zd8XcI/s1600/AlianaEnglish.jpg" height="640" width="408" /></a></div>
<br />
Aliana was born in early 2010 - a "<a href="http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=6&ved=0CEoQFjAF&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rki.de%2FDE%2FContent%2FInfekt%2FEpidBull%2FArchiv%2F2013%2FAusgaben%2F48_13.pdf%3F__blob%3DpublicationFile&ei=-Xb3U_mPOYjqaP_XgoAP&usg=AFQjCNFIU8m3v7QX8g4wjmsZVam0qvuk6Q&sig2=LLblnVYnFiTFxbSlJVzlww&bvm=bv.73373277,d.d2s" target="_blank">good measles year</a>" in Germany, with "only" 780 cases. Aliana was one of them - she fell ill as a 6 months old infant, it is not clear who infected her. Then she recovered, at least so it appeared. Aliana grew, she was an open, friendly girl. She quickly found friends, because everyone liked to play with her. In retrospect, she maybe fell more than her peers, but then again, she was still little. But suddenly, Aliana started to forget everything, she couldn't speak as well as she used to. Then, motor problems started, she stumbled, and fell. Unfortunately, the original diagnosis of epilepsy was wrong and 4 weeks ago, Aliana was diagnosed with SSPE. Her grandmother describes the indescribable [my translation from the <a href="http://www.impfblog.de/?p=211" target="_blank">German</a>]:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
I am the granny of a girl who loved life, played games, was friendly to all, and so kind. When I sang songs with her, she immediately knew the lyrics by heart. I could tell you so much more about this little girl, but it breaks my heart how slowly, everything gets lost.</blockquote>
<br />
<b>This has to stop!</b> Every case of SSPE, a fate like Aliana's and her family's heartache can be avoided. Check your and your children's vaccination records. Everyone should get/have gotten 2x MMR to protect themselves and babies like Aliana from measles.<br />
<br /></div>
Catherinahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14580939201909356691noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3406721589945384372.post-42106888634119491692014-08-20T23:12:00.000-04:002014-08-21T13:43:32.869-04:00Pharma Shill Gambit? You Lose.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ttqp50X2ZlSOC7gC7NtIjlffVky8i-4BLRjk7nm1srv4gu0SiRh18rdoYvphPNAYZwGxjQEHrtqMN_85AsUhQBr708ldEAzg8JvAi9ipJbGgt5ZX3uAND4RF_L4jn3No5P5YLBtUC1i5/s1600/Mercola+Shill.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-ttqp50X2ZlSOC7gC7NtIjlffVky8i-4BLRjk7nm1srv4gu0SiRh18rdoYvphPNAYZwGxjQEHrtqMN_85AsUhQBr708ldEAzg8JvAi9ipJbGgt5ZX3uAND4RF_L4jn3No5P5YLBtUC1i5/s1600/Mercola+Shill.jpg" height="166" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Anti-vaxx "activists" seem to be getting more shrill these days as more people are stepping up to the plate to counter anti-vaccine misinformation and register their disgust toward anti-vaxx parents putting others at risk and ushering back diseases such as measles. The anti-vaccine misinformation groups really detest being called what they are...anti-vaccine and as <a href="http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/toccos-anti-vaccine-narrative/">Dr. Novella eloquently put it</a>:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The anti-vaccine movement cannot win in the arena of science. In fact,
they have already lost. So they are desperately trying to change the
venue by framing the narrative as one about freedom, choice, and
transparency. Ironically they are doing this with misinformation that
detracts from transparency and freedom of choice.</blockquote>
Not only have they lost in the arena of science, anti-vaxxers never really understood science nor the scientific method to begin with and as such try to shut down rebuttal by accusing their opponents of being "Pharma Shills". The <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2006/09/the_pharma_shill_gambit_1.php">Pharma Shill Gambit </a>(coined by <a href="http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/">Orac</a> many years ago) is an ad hominem tactic used by anti-vaxxers to avoid refuting their opponents' evidence. Sadly, some notable "professionals" even resort to this tactic. Hilariously <a href="http://justthevax.blogspot.com/2010/11/catherina-and-science-mom-need-to-come.html">Dr. Bob Sears attempted to to this to Catherina and I years ago</a> when he issued a warning to his (<a href="http://justthevax.blogspot.com/2011/06/vaccines-dumped-from-new-ask-dr-sears.html">now-defunct</a>) forum readers.<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
There are rumors that SM and Cath are “secret agents” for vaccine
manufacturers, planted here to combat my “anti-vaccine” advice. Although
I wouldn’t put it past any company to do just that (makes perfect sense
– have a couple of “scientific” parents work the blogs and posts
instead of doctors or professionals – some parents would listen more to
another parent), I have no evidence that such is the case. SM and
Catherina claim they spend hours on this site each week for almost two
years now out of the goodness of their hearts. I would love to believe
that, but I would also expect such good-hearted people to come across
good-heartedly in their posts toward people who question vaccines. That
clearly is NOT the case, so that makes me question what type of people
they really are. </blockquote>
Dr. Bob Sears even believes, <a href="http://justthevax.blogspot.com/2011/03/dr-bob-sears-alternate-reality-or.html">in spite of all evidence against this</a>, that any studies refuting a vaccine autism causation are conducted by pharma shills. More recently, <a href="http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/sharyl-attkisson-promoting-wakefields-narrative-about-murder-alex-spourdalakis/">"journalist" Sharyl Attkisson, an anti-vaccine crusader</a> accused a certain law professor of being a pharma shill via <a href="https://twitter.com/SharylAttkisson">Twitter</a>:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8VmU1d7xC-FHRx9I9uTGLia7ut3jQRCad3Y_UmFMU00C9q0LQCn_PI5RzHs9qt36mkpGjXKUYGfxyHPZDH2myFuonMCNQVU3Esun-S6RqhHJaWLWOgLVt-FM4KZeEfOnp5w4VBdFLSOO/s1600/SAttkissonTweetX.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF8VmU1d7xC-FHRx9I9uTGLia7ut3jQRCad3Y_UmFMU00C9q0LQCn_PI5RzHs9qt36mkpGjXKUYGfxyHPZDH2myFuonMCNQVU3Esun-S6RqhHJaWLWOgLVt-FM4KZeEfOnp5w4VBdFLSOO/s1600/SAttkissonTweetX.png" height="92" width="400" /></a></div>
And just within the last couple of days, more shoddy reporting by NBC San Diego unquestioningly allowed notorious anti-vaxx "autism mom" Rebecca Estepp to accuse high school students of being pharma shills because she can't believe that high school students could be intelligent enough to see through anti-vaccine propaganda all on their own.<br />
<br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/kIYjZKCzGbc?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
<br />
People accusing their critics of being pharma shills or better yet, <a href="http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/atavistic-oncology-revisited-dr-frank-arguello-responds/">pharma magnates</a> do themselves no favours. Those who do so appear incompetent and deluded enough to believe that this is an effective deflection. Let's say for the sake of argument that we <i>are</i> pharma shills (granted this requires suspension of disbelief), we criticise or refute a point and are accused of being pharma shills. How does this, in any way, invalidate our criticism or refutation? The accuser is admitting that our knowledge is so impressive that we must have received specialised training/education/experience (and we have, just not at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lord-Draconis-Zeneca/307125506065927">Lord Draconis Zeneca's</a> Académie of Shills and Minions). The accuser is also admitting that they are out of their depth on the subject matter and are unable to intelligently respond. Sometimes it is projection; often those who engage in the pharma shill gambit have books, videos and other dubious wares for sale and simply can't imagine people criticising them on their own dime.<br />
<br />
So the next time someone accuses you of being a pharma shill, they lose. Perhaps it's time to honour one of our esteemed "commanders" and call it <a href="http://justthevax.blogspot.com/2014/08/pharma-shill-gambit-you-lose.html">Orac's Law</a>.<br />
<br />Science Momhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08832263571481452559noreply@blogger.com17