Measles outbreak: antivaxers to blame?
Andrew Wakefield has a lot to answer for. He published a research article in 1998 in which he claimed a link between the MMR vaccine for children and the appearance of autism. This kicked off an anti-vaccination campaign, the so-called Antivax Movement mainly in the US and UK. But thanks to high profile supporters of this movement – such as ex-Playboy model Jenny McCarthy and partner actor Jim Carrey (aided and abetted by Oprah Winfrey) – it has spread all around the world.
Except that Wakefield data was totally fraudulent. Thanks to Wakefield and his supporters, outbreaks of measles have occurred wherever this movement has gained some traction. Not to mention large increases of mumps and rubella cases. And, not surprisingly, so have the deaths – which doesn’t seem to fase the antivax crusaders. As Jenny McCarthy so charmingly spews:
“I do believe sadly it’s going to take some diseases coming back to realize that we need to change and develop vaccines that are safe. If the vaccine companies are not listening to us, it’s their f___ing fault that the diseases are coming back. They’re making a product that’s s___. If you give us a safe vaccine, we’ll use it. It shouldn’t be polio versus autism.”
Now there’s an outbreak of measles in South Africa. The report suggests that parents who haven’t vaccinated their kids are to blame. The question is, has the antivax movement had an influence or is it just the failing health services that have caused it? I haven’t frankly heard too much about an antivax movement in South Africa, but I wouldn’t be surprised if their evil talons have reached these fertile shores. Woo in all its forms always finds a warm welcome here.
For a lucid explanation of how this movement formed on a foundation of lies and is propagated by even more lies and hysteria, read Vaccines & Autism – A Deadly Manufactroversy by Harriet Hall.
Children are needlessly dying all around the world though Andrew Wakefield’s medical terrorism. One of the great achievements of modern medicine is being rolled back by his shrill, conspiracy theorist followers. This puts us all at risk – not just the innocent victims of parental abuse. They must be fought.
Oprah could be bad for your health
Oprah Winfrey is without question one of the most influential people on the planet today. When she recommends a book, its sales go through the roof. Millions of people all over the world hang on her every word. And that includes enormous uncritical exposure she gives to alternative therapies. In her world, personal anecdote trumps scientific evidence every time. Somehow personal belief is empowering and science is to be generally treated with suspicion.
A recent Newsweek article impressively deals with her promotion of woo pseudo-science to her adoring fans. An example is made of the fading actress Suzanne Somers, whose funny-but-sad frantic attempts to ward off ageing are regularly showcased by Winfrey. It catalogues a frightening daily regimen of rubbing potent oestrogen cream into her skin, not to mention an injection oestrogen directly into her vagina. But, as they say, there’s more:
Next come the pills. She swallows 60 vitamins and other preparations every day. “I take about 40 supplements in the morning,” she told Oprah, “and then, before I go to bed, I try to remember … to start taking the last 20.” She didn’t go into it on the show, but in her books she says that she also starts each day by giving herself injections of human growth hormone, vitamin B12 and vitamin B complex. In addition, she wears “nanotechnology patches” to help her sleep, lose weight and promote “overall detoxification.” If she drinks wine, she goes to her doctor to rejuvenate her liver with an intravenous drip of vitamin C. If she’s exposed to cigarette smoke, she has her blood chemically cleaned with chelation therapy. In the time that’s left over, she eats right and exercises, and relieves stress by standing on her head. Somers makes astounding claims about the ability of hormones to treat almost anything that ails the female body. She believes they block disease and will double her life span. “I know I look like some kind of freak and fanatic,” she said. “But I want to be there until I’m 110, and I’m going to do what I have to do to get there.”
This should of course be dismissed as the actions of a demented lunatic. But no:
That was apparently good enough for Oprah. “Many people write Suzanne off as a quackadoo,” she said. “But she just might be a pioneer.” Oprah acknowledged that Somers’s claims “have been met with relentless criticism” from doctors. Several times during the show she gave physicians an opportunity to dispute what Somers was saying. But it wasn’t quite a fair fight. The doctors who raised these concerns were seated down in the audience and had to wait to be called on. Somers sat onstage next to Oprah, who defended her from attack. “Suzanne swears by bioidenticals and refuses to keep quiet. She’ll take on anyone, including any doctor who questions her.”
David Gorski, in an excellent Toronto Star article, takes Oprah apart for her complete lack of critical-thinking skills when it comes to science and medicine. In particular he rips into her protégé Jenny McCarthy, the revolting former Playboy model and MTV presenter who is leading the anti-vaccination campaign.
McCarthy’s promotion of anti-vaccine propaganda and pseudoscience is, quite simply, so egregious and such a threat to public health that even the Oprah-friendly (or Oprah-intimidated) media has become alarmed.Reporters have tried to get a statement from Oprah. From an article on a recent TV documentary, The Oprah Effect:
“Asked if Oprah or her show endorses McCarthy’s views, a representative for Oprah’s program said, `We don’t take positions on the opinions of our guests. Rather, we offer a platform for guests to share their first-person stories in an effort to inform the audience and put a human face on topics relevant to them.’ When McCarthy’s views have been discussed on the air, statements from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics saying that there’s no scientific evidence of a vaccine-autism link have been read.”
The antivax campaign is so dangerous, so dishonest and so vile that by supporting it, Oprah Winfrey deserves not adulation, but utter contempt.
For the sake of your health, don’t listen to her.
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