It turns out that while California’s SB277 (eliminating “personal belief”) exemptions from vaccination for schoolchildren) has had a salutary effect in boosting vaccination rates, there’s also been a big jump in medical exemptions.
Some schools (particularly Waldorf schools, and certain charter and religious schools) continue to endanger children through high percentages of unvaccinated kids.
It’d help if Californians made complaints to the state medical board about docs who give out wholesale exemptions (one antivax physician, Bob Sears is already in trouble over alleged improper care including a dubious exemption).
Also, embryonic cells from aborted fetuses were used decades ago to make vaccines, and although there has been no need for any new ones in a very long time, Niece and others are repulsed by the very idea. http://www.rescuepost.com/.a/6a00d8357f3f2969e201b8d1f6118e970c-pi
It’s reported that the latest journal article to excite antivaxers is being retracted.
In brief, the authors (Shaw and Tomljenovic) did a mouse study purporting to show that subcutaneous aluminum injection simulating the aluminum adjvant in some vaccines activated mouse genes claimed to be “homologous” with those linked to autism in humans. After this paper was published, alert analysts cited not only tenuous conclusions but what looked to them like fishy manipulations of data.
This is not the first embarrassment for these two notorious antivax researchers. Retraction is nothing new:
Noting also the granddaddy of all retracted antivax publications (Wakefield’s study attempting to link measles vaccine to autism), it seems that the only rivals to antivax “scientists” when it comes to sloppy and/or devious research are their counterparts in anti-GMO advocacy.*
*and sometimes their interests overlap. See Stephanie Seneff.
I was able to find without too much trouble online details of a case in another state, in which a doctor’s license suspension agreement with the medical board contained names of drugs (including opioids and anti-anxiety meds) the physician was found to have obtained phony prescriptions for, in order to self-medicate. Does that means the other state board improperly released personal information as well? :dubious:
Regardless of how an appeal goes, Mark Geier’s medical career was in limbo at last report (according to this article of a few years ago, he had his medical licenses suspended or revoked in all 12 states in which he was licensed to practice. A key issue was his prescribing for autistic boys a drug (Lupron) commonly used for chemical castration of sex offenders (based on the belief that autistic boys are in precocious puberty fueled by excess testosterone, which supposedly enhances toxicity of mercury - from the vaccines, y’know). :smack:
I am Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod. I got the measles in 1518 in the village of Glenfinnan on the shores of Loch Shiel. And I am immortal. I can not die.
Conspiracy theorists can make a lot of money by peddling crazy. Anti-vaxx is the “911 was an inside job” of 2018. I think most of these people aren’t dumb at all; they know they’re conning people. It’s just unfortunately not criminal (or not likely to be).
In news from north of the border, a Canadian grocery chain pulled its sponsorship of a “Health and Wellness Expo” after an outcry over one of the featured speakers, David Stephan. Stephan (an antivaxer) was convicted along with his wife in the death of their young son, who developed meningitis but was “treated” with herbal smoothies and echinacea. There’s a sick irony in that one of the supplements promoted by the company with which Stephan’s associated, is supposed to help brain function.
Ireland actually seems to have slightly higher vaccination rates than the US (early childhood vaccination rates are at the WHO recommended level of 95%, MMR rates are a little below it at 93%, we’re not great on the later childhood booster rates) but we’ve still got an ongoing measles outbreak. I hauled in my kid for her booster a few months early - I had to put up a fight for it, because the boosters are supposed to be done in school, in their first year, and she’s not in school yet, but no way in hell am I leaving her with any less than maximum protection if there’s an outbreak. I am so pissed off that I have to worry about this bullshit.
That was a couple of months ago, by the way. Kid still doesn’t look autistic to me.
I know there was some link on this thread where I donated to give vaccines to kids in Third World countries. I’m gonna go find it and donate again, so at least some other parents can get their worry level down a few notches.
