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Blowing the antivaccine dog whistle again

braveheart-freedom

You remember Dr. Bob, don’t you?

I’m referring, of course, to Robert “Dr. Bob” Sears, the Capistrano Beach, CA pediatrician who’s arguably the most famous of the antivaccine pediatricians who have been spreading fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD) about vaccines. (Sorry, Dr. Jay, but, regardless of your being Jenny McCarthy’s son’s pediatrician, I’d bet that more people have heard of Dr. Bob than have heard of you.) Dr. Bob has achieved this fame/notoriety based on his book, The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for your Child, which is chock full of exaggerations about the dangers of vaccination and advocates a “delayed” vaccine schedule that is backed up by no scientific evidence. Dr. Bob has basically been cashing in on fear for a long time.

Given that the epicenter of the Disneyland measles outbreak (i.e., Disneyland) and other recent measles outbreaks is uncomfortably close to Dr. Bob’s practice, he’s been feeling the heat lately. Beginning about a year ago during an earlier measles outbreak he started lashing out on social media at the parents of his patients who, quite understandably concerned about the measles outbreak, were calling his office. It began last March, when he downplayed the risk of the measles and told his patients’ parents, “Measles will never go away – it’s always going to be a very small risk. If you aren’t comfortable with that, get the vaccine. If you don’t want the vaccine, accept the risk.” Not long after that, Dr. Bob basically told his parents’ patients, “Don’t worry, be happy, and if you’re worrying and not happy get the vaccine. Just don’t bother me about it anymore. Oh, and you nasty pro-science vaccine supporters out there are big meanies for pointing out that Dr. Bob is irresponsible.” Then, beginning about a month ago, Dr. Bob went on an embarrassing tear on Facebook, condescendingly downplaying the risks of measles-related pneumonia with a jaunty, “Ya, you don’t want those things to happen, but they are treatable” and then whining about it when it was pointed out to him that at no time in his prior rant did he recommend getting vaccinated in the middle of an outbreak. It was the tried-and-untrue antivaccine trope that the measles isn’t dangerous.

There’s a term I coined reading Dr. Bob’s nonsense: The antivaccine dog whistle. In politics, a “dog whistle” refers to terminology that sounds benign to most people but in reality tells those holding objectionable viewpoints that the speaker is sympathetic to them (or even one of them). In other words, most people can’t “hear” the message, and only those for whom it’s intended can “hear” it, recognizing for what it is. Let’s just put it this way. Dr. Bob is very good at antivaccine dog whistling. (So is Rand Paul.) Now, in a “point-counterpoint” pair of editorials, Dr. Bob does it again. Now, don’t get me started on the idiocy of false balance that presenting point-counterpoint editorials represents about a scientific topic like vaccination. Unfortunately, lately false balance has been rising from the grave again. (Apparently, like Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees, it never dies.) Dr. Bob’s editorial is entitled Mandatory vaccination is not the answer to measles and it starts out with some serious dog whistling right out of the box:

Measles. It used to be just a disease. Now it’s become a banner under which politicians gather to threaten one of our most sacred rights – the right to give informed consent for medical treatment.

Whether you are for vaccines, against them, or neutral, allow me to ask this question: Is vaccination a medical treatment which should fall under the protection of informed consent, or does the government have the right to force them on every American?

See what I mean? Right out of the box, Dr. Bob is trying to reframe the debate over a bill being considered in the California legislature that would eliminate non-medical exemptions to school vaccine mandates. I realize that often the editorial writer doesn’t pick the title (usually the editor does), but the very title “mandatory vaccination” helps Dr. Bob frame the issue not as one of public health but rather personal freedom, just as Rand Paul did. Notice how obviously but nonetheless rather cleverly he does it, with a little rhetorical prestidigitation in which he’s saying, “You know, what’s important is not whether you’re for vaccines or antivaccines or “neutral” (whatever that means in this context), it’s that the government can’t take away our FREEDOM!

Of course, this is Dr. Bob, and there’s a whole lot of BS there. For one thing, what Dr. Bob advocates is not really “informed consent,” but rather what I like to call “misinformed consent,” wherein the severity of vaccine-preventable diseases and efficacy of vaccines are very much downplayed and the risks of vaccination exaggerated. It’s one reason why Dr. Bob was so opposed to California Bill AB 2109, because that bill required that real informed consent be given by parents requesting philosophical exemptions to California’s vaccine school vaccine mandate by requiring them to have a physician or other specified health care provider sign an attestation that the parents had been told the risks of not vaccinating.

The issue thus reframed, Dr. Bob launches into a list of the horrors of vaccination and the joy of measles. OK, I’m exaggerating, but not by a heck of a lot. It’s the same stuff Dr. Bob’s been spewing all along since the measles outbreaks began, antivaccine tropes about how the measles isn’t that bad and how vaccines are “dangerous,” all in the form of bullet points. For example:

  • About 2,000 severe reactions are reported to the CDC each year which result in prolonged hospitalization, permanent disability, or death. Most reactions aren’t even reported, so the true number may be even higher. Yet, because they can’t be proven, the medical community denies that they can happen.
  • Over $3 billion have been paid out to victims of vaccine reactions. Not $3 million. Not $30 million. Not even $300 million. But $3 billion. Are we paying that much money to victims of pretend reactions? I think not.

Dr. Bob should change that last sentence from “I think not” to “I don’t think,” as in “I don’t think,” a general statement of Dr. Bob’s intellectual prowess with respect to vaccines. I’m guessing that 2,000 severe reactions a year is probably referring to the > (VAERS) database, which, as regular readers here know, is an open database to which anyone can report any “reaction” to vaccination, whether it’s actually related to a vaccine or not. VAERS is not authoritative, and the adverse events are not generally verified. Indeed, as has been reported before, one pro-vaccine blogger, Dr. Jim Laidler, reported that the influenza vaccine turned him into the Incredible Hulk. True, the VAERS staff did contact this blogger and ask him about it, but, as he noted, if he had refused to remove the entry, it would still be there. Another pro-vaccine blogger, Kevin Leitch, verified that VAERS lets you enter basically anything by reporting that a vaccine had turned his daughter into Wonder Woman. That’s why VAERS is the antivaccinationist’s favorite database, and I like to refer to dubious correlations reported from VAERS as dumpster diving. Not surprisingly, antivaccine lawyers have made the database almost worthless as a source of information over the incidence of adverse events due to vaccines by encouraging their clients to enter all sorts of reports, in particular reports claiming that vaccines caused autism. Most recently, the Toronto Star completely misinterpreted how VAERS data should and shouldn’t be used in its utterly botched story falsely linking all sorts of horrific reactions to Gardasil.

Then Dr. Bob lists a bunch of bullet points, all consisting of tired antivaccine misinformation that was old when Dr. Bob was in medical school, including (my favorite) the claim that measles isn’t dangerous, a claim rebuked by medical science. For instance:

  • It has killed no one. It can kill about 1 person in every 1000 cases. Will someone die of measles in the United States in the years to come? Maybe. But it hasn’t killed anyone in the past 15 years or more.
  • The last time measles hit us hard was 25 years ago. Not last year, not this year, yet.
  • It’s measles, people. It’s not the plague. It’s not polio. It’s not Ebola. It’s measles. If the plague hits, let’s force everyone to vaccinate. But measles? Measles? We need something a lot more dangerous than that if we are going to rob each and every patient of the sacred right of informed consent.

So, measles is no big whoop, even though it can kill one out of a thousand children who get it. Of course, Dr. Bob neglects to note other, more common, complications of the measles that can be very serious, such as pneumonia (which he at least mentioned in his earlier rants) and he very much failed to mention how about one in four victims of this year’s measles outbreak have had to be hospitalized.

But notice the overall construction of Dr. Bob’s argument. To him, measles isn’t serious (which he explicitly states multiple times) and the vaccine is dangerous (which he implies with his listing of “severe complications” of vaccination in general); so to him it follows that “forcing” vaccination is an unacceptable affront to freedom:

Let’s stop panicking over what measles might do and calmly examine what it is doing. It has a small and intermittent presence in our country. It makes people sick, then they get over it. It has complications, but rarely so. Vaccination is important and protective. But it cannot be forced; a parent must give consent.

If you would rather make your own medical decisions within the sacred confines of the doctor/patient relationship, then let Sacramento know now. If you would rather give politicians the power to make medical decisions for you, then give them your support. But you better hurry; the outbreak is winding down, and so is the fear. Give them the power before it’s too late. I’m sure they’ll make plenty of other wise medical decisions for you in the years to come.

Rand Paul couldn’t have said it better. Do you hear the dog whistle? Vaccine “choice” is freedom for parents, the health of their children and yours be damned.

By Orac

Orac is the nom de blog of a humble surgeon/scientist who has an ego just big enough to delude himself that someone, somewhere might actually give a rodent's posterior about his copious verbal meanderings, but just barely small enough to admit to himself that few probably will. That surgeon is otherwise known as David Gorski.

That this particular surgeon has chosen his nom de blog based on a rather cranky and arrogant computer shaped like a clear box of blinking lights that he originally encountered when he became a fan of a 35 year old British SF television show whose special effects were renowned for their BBC/Doctor Who-style low budget look, but whose stories nonetheless resulted in some of the best, most innovative science fiction ever televised, should tell you nearly all that you need to know about Orac. (That, and the length of the preceding sentence.)

DISCLAIMER:: The various written meanderings here are the opinions of Orac and Orac alone, written on his own time. They should never be construed as representing the opinions of any other person or entity, especially Orac's cancer center, department of surgery, medical school, or university. Also note that Orac is nonpartisan; he is more than willing to criticize the statements of anyone, regardless of of political leanings, if that anyone advocates pseudoscience or quackery. Finally, medical commentary is not to be construed in any way as medical advice.

To contact Orac: [email protected]

189 replies on “Blowing the antivaccine dog whistle again”

If his patients were actually “informed” about vaccines, he’d quickly lose them….conversely, if he came out and admitted vaccines were effective and necessary, he’d lose his patients too…..

So, he’s backed himself into a corner – he can’t change his mind or allow his patients to change their minds, because if that happened, he’s quickly go out of business.

@ Orac

his patients’ parents

I appreciate the precision of this.
Many forget that, while the parents foot the bill, it’s their children which are concerned by a pediatrician’s advice and actions.

It’s one thing to make questionable medical decisions for your own care; it’s a bit more concerning when you claim the right to do so for your children.
This issue is not just about “medical freedom”.

As for the right for “informed consent”, no-one here is against it, Mr Bob. On the contrary, we would love for your patients to get a lot more informed.
Funny how Bob Sears mention “2,000 severe reactions are reported to the CDC each year which result in prolonged hospitalization, permanent disability, or death.” but conveniently forget that contagious diseases like measles may have the same outcomes, and with a much higher risk.
I mean, 1 death by measles for 1000 cases, no big deal, eh?

If you don’t like measles vaccination, there’s an easy out:

Eradicate measles.

Granted you have to use vaccination to make that happen, but once it does, no one will ever need to get vaccinated for measles again.

Still trying to wrap my head around the idea of the personal-belief exemption that also incorporates a medical license authorization.

Another to the point, not just of the 1:1000 possible mortality rate, but to the suffering & cost of the 25% hospitalization/admittance rate (I guess you could add also the ER visit, because that’s not a trivial cost, anymore).

If the medical license signs off on the personal exemptions, without using an evidence-based medical reason, there should be some shared liability because of the disease spread causing preventable injury to others.

What’s the defense, vaccines are inherently bad (for everyone) ??

I guess the way the state protocol for personal exemption presented is that it doesn’t matter. There’s really not much oversight in certain states, even if that reasoning causes harm across state lines. I’m probably choir preaching, I guess.

I’m not so keen on forced medical, but there should be some oversight or shared responsibility when acting outside of evidence-based medicine.

I’d add that he’s also wrong when he claims that informed consent is violated by public health measures. it’s not. Your right to refuse a treatment does not mean there will be no consequences – that is in addition to the point about misinformation included above.

When I made my 2004 film about Andrew Wakefield, I interviewed the father of a girl in Ireland who died of SSPE following a measles outbreak.

Unfortunately, our director stayed in London and the person supervising the shoot didn’t remind everyone to turn off their cellphones. Thus, our TV audience didn’t see the girl’s father break down when describing the utter slow-to-die horror of that condition.

I hope there aren’t any cases of SSPE in the United States as the pool of measles-susceptible children and young adults grows year-by-year (as it will). I can’t imagine what it must be like to see your child die from an irreversible and untreatable neurologic condition.

But if there is to be even one such case, let it be a patient of Dr Bob’s, so that this smug profiteer can go to the hospital with the parents, hold their hands and tell them how very, very sorry he is when the machines are turned off.

And then I hope they sue the ass off him.

Brian, much as I would like to see Sears face the consequences of his execrable decision to embrace antivaccinationism, I think he is so arrogant that even if a patient of his died of SSPE, he would refuse to own it.

@Yvette

Same point I was going to make, but it’s even worse than that. In 2003 there were 2 deaths from measles. And if you search the National Vital Statistics System, it returns 10 reported measles-related deaths from 2000-2013.

Also, Bob shows his ignorance about infectious diseases in general. I’m more afraid of measles for this country than I am of plague (by which, I assume he’s referring to bubonic plague). You see, measles can be prevented, but not treated once infected. Plague doesn’t spread very well and is easily treatable with antibiotics without any serious sequelae. Now, if an antibiotic-resistant strain of plague evolved, then I might be more concerned about it. But for now, measles is by far a significantly greater threat to public health.

Okay, I may be slightly flip about plague, admittedly, but at least it can be treated and cured. Measles can’t.

Not to come off like a liberal white dickhead, but only ten deaths? Don’t deaths in the rest of the world count?

@ shay — I think the WHO has about 118K pediatric deaths per year for measles. Overall about 1.5 million pediatric due to vaccine-preventable diseases — which is about 15-17% of the overall mortality for pediatric.

There’s also a history trend graph you can get online, showing morbidity/mortality before the U.S. had a vaccine, and the effect of the vaccine. Basically telling us the disease process is not just exclusively a 2nd/3rd world sanitation problem.

Todd, that’s actually exactly what I was thinking too.

“You’re right, Dr Bob. Measles isn’t the plague. The plague is treatable. Measles isn’t.”

I mean, I think i’ts pretty scary that with even high rates of vaccine compliance, we still saw a hundred measles cases pop up in just a couple of weeks with this outbreak. That’s a testimony to how damn contagious this thing is — if you are not immune, you’re almost guaranteed to catch it if exposed.

Plague, meanwhile, has been endemic in parts of the US for a long time, yet actual cases (much less deaths) are rare.

Plague has a bad rap, but I think I know which I’m more concerned about.

@shay

Of course, but not to people like Dr. Bob or the other anti-vaccine people. Those hundreds of deaths worldwide, according to them, are not because measles is dangerous, but because those people didn’t have good nutrition. Or didn’t breast feed enough. And so on.

Considering there were only 1,243 cases from 2000 to 2013, 10 deaths is a lot. Certainly it’s more than we’d expect.

Remember, Hawaii’s native population was nearly driven to extinction by measles. They had plenty of exercise and good nutrition. What were they missing, then?

I have a plan to eradicate measles that does not involve vaccines.

Year 1: expose everyone on earth over age 2 to measles.
Year 2-5: repeat year 1
Year 6: expose all children to measles on their 2nd birthday.
Year 7-10: repeat year 6
Year 11: evaluate plan effectiveness. If possible, start managing only isolated clusters

Advantages to my plan:
– does not involve vaccines
– can be done with no scary needles

M-O’B, You can do the same thing with rabies. Should solve most (99.9%) of the ‘vaccine problem’ in a year.

Another to the point, not just of the 1:1000 possible mortality rate, but to the suffering & cost of the 25% hospitalization/admittance rate

I haven’t seen much discussion of the economic cost of a measles outbreak vs the cost of vaccination.

We can estimate what the human cost, i.e. death/disability, might be but, what would the economic cost be of a couple of million U.S. kids coming down with measles every couple of years or so as opposed to the cost of vaccination?

I realize that discussing the economic cost associated with a measles epidemic may seem rather crass however, it should be considered in respect of the “benign” nature of measles portrayed by the Dr. Bob types.

Oh if only Roald Dahl were still alive! He was such a great imaginative writer that I think he would use words to destroy the Dr Bob’s of this world. Possibly even better than Orac himself!!

But it hasn’t killed anyone in the past 15 years or more.

As ohters have pointed out, this isn’t quite accurate, but let’s for the sake of discussion assume that it is and think about why this might be the case.

Could it just possibly have something to do with the fact that we started rotuinely vaccinating children against measles more than15 years ago?

MarkN – True that – with rabies, we might not have to go past the second year. Of course, that would not eradicate rabies (unless we exposed every mammal).

Informed Consent soumds like a great idea. Inform me whenever I might get too close to a VPD vector; inform my kids likewise.

We can do this by two simple steps:

(a) require each person who is voluntarily unvaccinated to wear, front and back, a large marker: say a 6-inch scarlett “M” for no-MMR, “P” for no-DTP, “C” for no-chicken pox, etc.

(b) require each such potential vector to leave a notice in each place they’ve been, for the dwell time of infectiousness: two hours or so for no-MMR, for instance. The appropriate form of this notice is a flagman, with the scarlet letter. The flagman can leave, and rejoin the vector after time is up. This will allow the notice to be renewed if, for example, the proprietor of the establishment takes exception to a two-hour void in new customers.
The requirements would not apply to survivors of the VPD.
Thus, I have the opportunity for Informed Consent before I enter a place where I might be exposed to a VPD with my too-young-to-vaccinate greatgrandkid. You have that same Informed Consent.

@ M-O’B — whatever I can do to improve your efficiency rating.
at least we’d know if the vaccine was worth “the risk.”

@Bill Price

Intriguing idea, though I suspect that anti-vaxxers may not be very welcoming of that. Freedumb, and all that, y’know.

@ Bill Price:

I appreciate the creativity of your Hawthornian solution but in SoCal it might possibly become a *de rigeuer* fashion statement in some quarters.

@DGR #19
I don’t think it’s crass at all to talk about the economics. Ultimately many decisions in health come down to money. If you spend research dollars one place you can’t in another. If you pay for some treatments you can’t afford others. If big pharmas lower their drug prices Orac can’t afford a new Ivory back scratcher.

The cost / benefit of a vaccination program is very clear cut. It seems a perfectly reasonable to state it.

Another example popped up recently here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-31507861

If Dr Bob was in favor of informed consent and individuals making “medical decisions within the sacred confines of the doctor/patient relationship,” he would have supported AB 2109, which required exactly this.

He did not: he publicly opposed it.

America’s parents, and in particular those of us in California, need to be reminded of that.

Dr. Jay Gordon also had a “problem” with California AB 2109. In fact, he went on a local radio program on March 30, 2012 to disparage the bill (since scrubbed from his website). He also consulted an attorney to find out about advising his patient’s parents about the pros and cons of providing the first MMR II vaccine between 12-15 months of age (his recommendations used to be to get the first MMR II vaccine at 4-6 years of age, for school entry, now he claims he recommends the first MMR II at age three). He’s also bragging now (since the start of the measles Disneyland Parks outbreak) that “he provided 35 MMR II vaccines in one day…more MMR vaccines than he provided during January-December 2014”.

From Dr. Sears “opinion” published on the O.C. Register….

“….Last year’s 640 cases were an anomaly because over 400 occurred in one Amish community in New York and over 100 cases hit an unvaccinated church community in Texas. But for the rest of highly-vaccinated America, last year’s measles was business as usual. This year we are off to a tough start, but it’s slowing down….”

I don’t seem to recall major outbreaks in an Amish community in New York State or in a Texas religious community during 2014.

Dr. Bob Sears…dyslexic or a liar?

If the plague hits, let’s force everyone to vaccinate

So public health does trump personal preferences? Dr Sears seems to have accepted the principle and now is just haggling over the price.
I am puzzled by his enthusiasm for the Yersinia pestis vaccine when its efficacy and safety remain unknown and untested.

This just came up on the New Republic site:

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/121103/anti-vaccinators-unconvinced-science-showing-no-autism-link?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=TNR%20Daily%20Newsletter&utm_campaign=Daily%20Newsletter%202%2F20%2F15

I don’t recognize the name of the author, who doesn’t appear to be a New Republic regular. The article suggests taking a gentle approach towards anti-vaccine people, while presenting data about large increases in autism. There is a rebuttal of the vaccines vs. autism argument, but not a very good one.

I think that someone should contact the New Republic and request an invited article that treats the subject more seriously.

I suppose that I am one of the few who has actually received a plague immunization (i was visiting prairie dog towns while a biology grad student) and it is not fun. I don’t know whether it was the killed plague bacilli or the phenol preservative, but it made for one sore deltoid muscle..

over 400 occurred in one Amish community in New York

OK, 383 cases in Ohio, but NEAR ENOUGH.

Sears’ point is that all previous outbreaks of measles among under-vaccinated populations don’t count because they were outbreaks among under-vaccinated populations.

herr doctor bimler @39

Sears’ point is that all previous outbreaks of measles among under-vaccinated populations don’t count because they were outbreaks among under-vaccinated populations.

And then he can claim this one doesn’t count either, since it’s also among an under-vaccinated population, at least in California: http://www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/discond/Documents/Measles_update_2_-_18_-_2015_public.pdf

Among measles cases for whom we have vaccination documentation, 53 were unvaccinated and 15 had 1 or more doses of MMR vaccine.

That’s at least 45% of the total 119 cases in the state.

And why are they unvaccinated, Dr Bob? Because you keep telling them that it’s OK.

“15 had 1 or more doses of MMR vaccine.”

I do wish they would break that down into those who had received all doses and those who hadn’t.

Roadstergal @41

I do wish they would break that down into those who had received all doses and those who hadn’t.

The CDC report ( http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6406a5.htm?s_cid=mm6406a5_w ) has that information using Feb 11th CA numbers:

Among the 110 California patients, 49 (45%) were unvaccinated; five (5%) had 1 dose of measles-containing vaccine, seven (6%) had 2 doses, one (1%) had 3 doses, 47 (43%) had unknown or undocumented vaccination status

And then he can claim this one doesn’t count either, since it’s also among an under-vaccinated population, at least in California

Sears’ goal, I think, is to reassure his readers that measles outbreaks only happen to outgroups — Amish, southern snakehandlers — and pose no threat to *normal* people.

Is it a dog whistle when you publish a newspaper in a kennel? Man, that editorial hits EVERY OC-GOP talking point. Orac said it was point-counterpoint thing. I didn’t see a counterpoint, so I looked back a few days in the register and found:
http://tinyurl.com/mfxvnl6

This is a surprisingly lucid debunking of the autism scare by arch-conservative columnist Thomas Sowell. Sowell is a dedicated Friedmanite/Randian free market libertarian guru. Buddies with El Rushbo, he says Limbaugh is the onlt radio he listens to.

Some say the decision whether to vaccinate should be the parents’ choice. That would be fine if their child would live isolated from other children. But that is impossible.

For a guy like Sowell to to take that position is a really big deal. This is a wedge between the libertarians and the ‘parents rights’ crowd. And it’s admits the libertarian principles require vigorous government protection. Your rights DO stop at my front door, so maybe we need practical means to keep asshates out of my yard without me having to go buy a Bushmaster. Like maybe making your damn kid get a vaccination so the rest of the kids don’t get measles germs sneezed over their transoms.

So how does Sowell play in the OC? He’s a syndicated columnist the Register carries for lassiez faire economics and bashing of Affirmative Action. Since publishing his column, the Register has run two Op-Eds from in house blowing 76 dog whistles against Pan’s initiative. Dr. Bob isn’t a guest columnist at the Register, he’s a “contributing writer”. The there’s this by Adam Summers, “Staff Columnist “:
tinyurl.com/lenmw5y

The headline (remove sharp objects):
“A pox on mandatory vaccinations”

False balance my ass. This paper is screaming anti-vax.

Chemmomo – they do try to find out who is vaccinated and who isn’t but they require proof to be provided and don’t just accept the cases’ word that they are vaccinated. Most people will say they they’re sure they had their shots, but no records exist. It is a grueling PH process. Plus the unvaccinated have now been instructed to lie to PH investigators and claim they were in fact vaccinated. Gotta love it.

DGR – the economics discussion is entirely valid. In a time of rapidly dwindling PH dollars the bills being racked up during these investigations mounts rapidly. That is the direct cost to PH, but it also hits the hospitals too. Imagine the hit they take to track down all of the patients in a waiting room to find out who is vaccinated, to offer vaccine to those exposed, to verify vaccination status of staff, to lose staff members to voluntary quarantine, etc. Plus, parents and families bear a huge cost. It is no picnic (as some have pointed out on social media) to be informed your infant is exposed and quarantined for three weeks. Particularly if you and your spouse work. Who is staying home with baby? I guarantee most workers don’t have three weeks of paid leave saved up to use, so the household income takes a hit. Or in some circumstances they parent may lose their job. Or be forced to lie and send the baby to daycare (perhaps unlicensed) so they can afford to pay rent. These are the challenges faced and these costs hurt everybody in the community. It should be talked about because explaining that to even some die hard health freedom idiots can cause them to think about the monetary damages that are incurred by the unvaccinated. I like freedom as much as anyone but as the old saying goes, your freedom to swing your fist ends at the tip of my nose.

@ Bob #35
The New Republic article is serious, it’s just dull. It’s what you’d expect from TNR.

The most annoying part to me was the end, where the author fumbled the whole ‘be nice to anti-vaxers’ thing. Sbm critics share some blame here, but journlists ought to fact-check:
• There are very few hard core ANTI-vaxers. They are very loud. There are not enough of them to cause a measles outbreak. They will never listen to reason. Ever. You do not try to persuade them. The ONLY consideration you make when addressing them is how the exchange will be viewed by other people who may be listening in.
• All the data show the loss of heard immunity and the outbreak are a consequence of NON-vaxers. They are not necessarily committed partisans. Many if not most of them can persuaded. They do not have the same psychology as the anti-vaxers.
• There may be no worse strategy than identifying the NON-vaxers and the ANY-vaxers. Treating them as unifed group pushes the former toward the later. The point should be to separate the two. Yes, Mr and Ms. Non, we understand you are decent people, but take a close look at where these ideas are coming from — con men and conspiracy wackos. They are the opposite of you. They are selfish, blind, uncaring of others, unscrupulous and will stop at nothing to advance their batty jihad. It’s not our contempt they deserve, but yours. For they have twisted your good instincts into real harm for innocent kids. Read Roald Dahl’s letter. You’ll understand.

And there’s yet another cite of Nyhan. I can’t go into details hear, but the Nyhan study is just awful, proves absolutely nothing, and shouldn’t be relied on for anything.

To echo all the previous points in response to DGR. Yes the economics case is perfectly valid.

Discussing the economic cost IS crass if that’s what you privilege and that’s all you talk about. This is not a topic for a Freakanomics piece. Wrap the economic cost in the human cost going and coming.

Kiiri hits some of the more immediate human costs above. Phlebas makes the wider case: “If you pay for some treatments you can’t afford others.” Where’s that money to treat all the measles cases going to come from? The same fixed pool of resources. What happens to people who can’t get those resources now devoted to measles? They get sick. They die.

Sears’ goal, I think, is to reassure his readers that measles outbreaks only happen to outgroups — Amish, southern snakehandlers — and pose no threat to *normal* people.

But that strategy is no longer viable, because the current measles outbreak is occurring among “normal” people who have not been vaccinated. If Dr. Bob is persisting in that strategy, he’s even dumber than I thought.

Gray Falcon

Remember, Hawaii’s native population was nearly driven to extinction by measles. They had plenty of exercise and good nutrition. What were they missing, then?

MLM supplement marketing schemes.

Fergus

Oh if only Roald Dahl were still alive! He was such a great imaginative writer that I think he would use words to destroy the Dr Bob’s of this world. Possibly even better than Orac himself!!

It would definitely be shorter at least.

But it hasn’t killed anyone in the past 15 years or more.

Quite apart from being untrue, that’s not exactly an obviously self-justifying cut-off point, is it?

I mean, why the year 2000?

We need something a lot more dangerous than that if we are going to rob each and every patient of the sacred right of informed consent.

I believe that particular right is secular. Actually.

Plus the unvaccinated have now been instructed to lie to PH investigators and claim they were in fact vaccinated. Gotta love it.

Back when I patronized MDC, the rationalization for lying in, oh, the ED, was “they’ve been vaccinated on schedule” – my schedule!.

On the public-health front, though, I distinctly recall people with exemptions that would be jeopardized by selective vaccination being advised to cross state lines and pay cash in order to avoid being captured by a state registry. I suppose that whether this group has any chance of being a significant noise component would have to be looked at state-by-state.

Yes indeed, the measles genotype identified in the Disneyland Parks outbreak is the B 3 genotype, not the A strain:

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6406a5.htm?s_cid=mm6406a5_w#Fig

“….The source of the initial Disney theme park exposure has not been identified. Specimens from 30 California patients were genotyped; all were measles genotype B3, which has caused a large outbreak recently in the Philippines, but has also been detected in at least 14 countries and at least six U.S. states in the last 6 months (1)….”

@#52

Suzanne Humphries did not exactly knock herself out looking for an answer to the question she was raising, btw.

The type was reported as B3 a month ago.

NEVER FORGET: measles outbreak of 2013!
*All 58 confirmed cases were anti-vaxxers!
*Patient “0” picked up genotype D8 measles from LONDON, England.
*No deaths
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6236a5.htm

Here’s what measles vaccine DEVELOPER, Dr. Samuel Katz, had to say about this outbreak:

“”The last surviving member of the team of researchers that developed the measles vaccine 50 years ago believes it is “ludicrous,” however, to get upset over the Center for Disease Control’s December 5 announcement that there were 175 cases of the disease in the United States in 2013, a tripling of the annual average.

Notably, 58 of those cases were among Hasidic Jews in the Brooklyn’s Boro Park and Williamsburg neighborhoods. It was the largest outbreak of measles in the US since 1996.

“It’s ALL SO RELATIVE,” said Katz, who was HONORED last week by the CDC. “True, there were 175 cases in the US so far this year, but there are 3-4 million cases a year worldwide. In Western Europe alone there are 25,000 cases per year.””
http://www.timesofisrael.com/measles-vaccine-developer-warns-jewish-anti-vaxxers/
Ultra-Orthodox communities refusing the 50-year-old vaccine were linked to a third of US measles cases last year
BY RENEE GHERT-ZAND December 11, 2013, 12:16 pm

Ken is another great example of how the anti-vax show their complete ignorance of immunology……how do they expect to claim that they’ve “done their research” if they don’t even understand the difference in genotype vs. serotype?

Isn’t it disturbing that a big part of the anti measles vaccine involves devaluating deaths by the numbers they occur in, and doing so seemingly arbitrarily? If that single death had occurred to a loved one, they would probably have a different view. I don’t understand how 1 versus 100 versus 1000 deaths is any different. They are all human lives, and it is hard to see how people draw those lines.

It is a crap-shoot….if a child is infected & lacks access to basic medical care, then the odds of suffering a severe complication increases dramatically, as does the chance of death.

The “privileged” anti-vaxers forget that poverty is still extremely prevalent here in the States & that access to medical care is not universal…..

Isn’t it disturbing that a big part of the anti measles vaccine involves devaluating deaths by the numbers they occur in, and doing so seemingly arbitrarily? If that single death had occurred to a loved one, they would probably have a different view.

That’s a grim, sad truth for them, poor things. Because, as that LA Times article I posted notes:

Of the 63 measles patients in California with vaccination records, 49 were completely unvaccinated. Twenty-eight were intentionally unvaccinated due to a parent’s personal beliefs, one was on an “alternative plan for vaccination,” and 12 were too young to be immunized, state officials said. Officials did not disclose other reasons patients were not vaccinated.

It’s kind of like watching a car crash in slow motion.

@Lawrence —

It is a crap-shoot….if a child is infected & lacks access to basic medical care, then the odds of suffering a severe complication increases dramatically, as does the chance of death.

The “privileged” anti-vaxers forget that poverty is still extremely prevalent here in the States & that access to medical care is not universal…..

That’s sadly, grimly true, too. But the thing is: Privilege isn’t necessarily a guarantee. (As I’m sure you know; I’m just clarifying.)

Honestly, if I could figure out how to protect haters from themselves, I’d die a happy woman. The lack of a solution to that problem is the cause of all the wars in the world.

And yes, Toto “The Rock.” I do mean you. You’re only hurting yourself. Please stop.

(@R. Mutt — Love your nym, btw.)

And yes, Toto “The Rock.” I do mean you. You’re only hurting yourself.

^^By which I meant: “The only thing you’re accomplishing is damaging to you.”

Because you might also be hurting others, obviously. That just wasn’t the point I was making.

More epistles from Schadenfreudesville;

Dan Olmsted, today:

” it might be time for the vaccine injury deniers to get out of the marketplace of ideas, because everybody, and I do mean everybody, is convinced that they have the expertise and standing to tell the rest of us…

“Zuckerberg … is way too powerful and uninformed for this type of cheap and easy commentary…

” Who’s studying at the University of Google now?

“Snap out of it, fellow journalists, you’re laying down a personal track record that will come back to haunt you..”

AND there’s even more. He mentions Rolling Stone.

The world must be a blissful place for those who are not equipped with self-awareness.

I’m convinced that the live entirely in an alternate reality universe (of their own creation) – so all of this just makes sense to them & they can’t understand how anyone would disagree with them……

Re: comments 52 – 59, I know its been mentioned before, but I just wanted to add that, while the vaccine and wild type measles are different genotypes, there is only one measles serotype, which is why the vaccine is still protective against wild type measles of different genotypes.

Yup, Olmsted and crew inhabit an alternate reality. It’s constructed from extreme cherry-picking and just making sh!t up, much like the right-wing popular culture bubble, which is why the two are drawing ever more together.

The question is, how many non-vaxers are in that bubble? 37 of 63 measles patients were of age, yet not vaxed, 28 with PBEs. Disneyland being in the OC, and the disease having spread to other low-vax-rate pockets, probably more than a few. But we really don’t know, I think, how far a parent had to be into the bubble pre-Disneyland to seek a PBE.

Most of the public probably inhabit some kind of mixed and contradictory reality-space, I’d guess most non-vaxer realities are mixed and contradictory on this subject. But I’d guess a lot of parents who had not-vaxed, or still have-not-yet vaxed would not want to be in that bubble, and would even find it repulsive if they took a good look inside.

Thus, in the interest of public health, imho it’s crucial to:
1) observe the distinction of who is and isn’t in the bubble,
2) realize failure to vax does NOT necessarily mean parents are in the bubble
3) critique the bubble in ways that separate the out-of-bubble non-vaxers from the in-the-bubble anti-vaxers, driving a wedge between them rather than pushing them together
4) which means centering the attack on the bubble on values likely to appeal to the out-of-bubble non-vaxers.

Which, dear minions, are not matters of scientific truth. Science is the back-up, the check on the validity of a pro-vax reality. But the core is n comments #64 – #67. Disturbing devaluation of others death and suffering, a grim crap-shoot with dice loaded for social and economic privilege, a slow-motion pile-up on an iced-over freeway, sad because it didn’t have to happen and because the chain reaction has only just started and we see the line of drivers in the bumper-to-bumper traffic slamming on their breaks and going into the unstoppable high speed skids into the vehicles in front of them.

Put ‘truth’ in the back seat; ‘pain’ ‘injustice’ ‘lies’ and ‘scams’ (Dr. Bob’s handsome profits as a public health menace) in the front.
_____

BTW, in a real-life skid, take your foot of the brake. Pump ’em if you can, but the more you brake the less you can steer, and your usually your only option is to choose what you steer into.
_____

Trivia question: The signature “R. Mutt” first appeared on what famous work of art?

AND there’s even more. He mentions Rolling Stone.

And demonstrates that he has a poor grasp of the Decalogue.

Infamous history of a famous “pro-vaxxer”……before vaccines.

“James deWolf built a large warehouse on Thames Street made of heavy timbers and large stone blocks which had been imported from Africa as ballast. Here he loaded and unloaded his slavers and privateers. Not far from the warehouse was his large distillery which was capable of converting 300 gallons of molasses to 250 gallons of rum per day at the cost of about ten cents per gallon. In time, James deWolf became Bristol’s most honored and respected man, but this was not the case in 1790. At that time a Federal Grand Jury, in its first session, returned an indictment of murder for jettisoning a female slave who fell victim to small pox. The indictment read:

…James deWolf, not having the fear of God before his eyes, but being moved and seduced by the instigation of the Devil …did feloniously, willfully and of his malice aforethought, with his hands clinch and seize in and upon the body of said Negro woman …and did push, cast and throw her from out of said vessel into the Sea and waters of the Ocean, whereupon she then and there instantly sank, drownded and died.”
http://www.warwickhistory.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=262:james-dewolf-one-of-the-qgreat-folkq-of-bristol&catid=56:rogues-and-knaves&Itemid=125

Don’t you know? These diseases were brought from Africa with the slave trade. It is the judgement of God. In general, the early slave traders and plantation owners did not have long lives. The practice of inoculation against smallpox came through Cotton Mather’s African slave:

“SLAVES AND SMALLPOX”
http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi518.htm

This was the beginning of our now out-of-control Big Pharma industry.
The vaccines of today carry just as much risk of harm as did the early “inoculation”. Today the risk comes from various vaccine additives coupled with multi-dosing at a very young age, as well as waning immunity. But remember, THE RISK OF HARM OR DEATH FROM SMALL POX bears no resemblance to the relatively benign risk from the so-called “vaccine-preventable” disease. After all, it is all about RISK. For many, the risk of long-term vaccine injury today is greater than risk of injury or death from the current staple of wild-viruses. The goal of eradication is a FALSE one.

VACCINE “DIPLOMACY” IN THE PHILIPPINES

Weren’t insinuations made that the 2014 Disney measles outbreak started with a Philippines connection, even though patient “0” has never been identified? Well, I decided to look into it……..

NOTICE THE OHIO CASE OF 2014. MOSTLY AMISH, PATIENT 0 WENT TO PHILIPPINES AND CAME BACK WITH MEASLES. REPORTEDLY, D9. WHILE D9 ONLY SHOWED UP IN PHILIPPINES AFTER MASS VACCINE PROGRAM IN 2007. IT WASN’T INDIGENOUS.

http://www.researchgate.net/publication/51170884_Interruption_of_the_circulation_of_an_indigenous_measles_genotype_and_the_introduction_of_other_genotypes_after_a_mass_vaccination_campaign_in_the_Philippines

CHINA CLAIMS D9 WAS IMPORTED FROM BURMA IN ITS 2013 MEASLES OUTBREAK:
https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/yoken/67/4/67_300/_pdf

9 DISNEY-LINKED CASES WERE GENOTYPED FOR B3, YET MANY REPORTS CLAIM THIS WAS A PHILIPPINE IMPORT. EARLY GENOTYPE MEASLES MAPS SHOWED B3 WAS INDIGENOUS TO WEST AFRICA, SOMEWHAT CONFIRMED BY THE 2011 MINNESOTA OUTBREAK CAUSED BY B3 AND ORIGINATED IN KENYA. OBVIOUSLY, WITHOUT A CONFIRMED PATIENT 0, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.
http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/204/suppl_1/S514/T2.expansion.html

ALSO NOTICE THE 2013 BROOKLYN, N.Y OUTBREAK WITH 58 CONFIRMED CASES. WE CERTAINLY HEARD ABOUT THE 2014 UNVACCINATED AMISH, BUT DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS 100% UNVACCINATED HASIDIC JEWISH ENCLAVE? THANKFULLY, NO ONE DIED. PATIENT 0 PICKED UP GENOTYPE D8 IN LONDON. D8 WAS IMPORTED TO INDIA IN 2007-2009.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6236a5.htm
http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/204/suppl_1/S514/T6.expansion.html
http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/204/suppl_1/S514.full

http://www.immunizeusa.org/media/85336/HinmanPPT.pdf
Measles Outbreaks with >20 Cases, United States, 2001-2014*
See chart.

MASS PHIPIPPINES MEASLES VACCINE CAMPAIGN
Mass Philippines vaccine campaign right after 2014 storm. Country already 85% MMR vaccinated. WHY THE HUGE OUTBREAK? Many news reports say it is B3, and WHO shows mostly B3 and very little D9 The Amish man who contracted measles in the Philippines had D9. California had no patient 0. The U.K. had tons of B3 in 2006.

http://www.hpa-bioinformatics.org.uk/Measles/Public/Web_Front/recordsListPublic.php?&sort_mtd=ASC&sort_field=means_who_name&offset=84

Children in typhoon-hit Tacloban, Philippines, receive vaccines against measles, polio

Joint news release: WHO, UNICEF

26 NOVEMBER 2013 | TACLOBAN, PHILIPPINES – Children in Tacloban – the city hit hardest by Typhoon Haiyan – were today vaccinated against measles and polio in the first phase of a mass campaign by the Government of the Philippines with support from WHO, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other partners. They also received Vitamin A supplements to help improve their immunity against infections.

30 000 children targeted in first phase

Over 30 000 children are expected to be reached by the campaign which is taking place at fixed sites in evacuation centres and in communities using mobile health teams.

“It is virtually unprecedented that within two-and-a-half weeks of a disaster of this scale, with this level of devastation and these logistical challenges, that a mass vaccination campaign is already rolling out.”

Dr Julie Hall, WHO Representative in the Philippines

The vaccination drive in Tacloban is the first phase of a campaign targeting children aged less than 5 years in all the typhoon-affected areas. Fifteen teams (10 foreign and 5 national) including volunteers from the Department of Health, the Philippines Red Cross and other non-governmental organisations, were in locations across Tacloban giving vaccines today. The first to receive them were children in 20 evacuation centres, such as San Jose Elementary School, where more than 300 families currently live in conditions that can heighten the risk of infectious diseases.

“The children of Tacloban need all the protection they can get right now,” says Angela Kearney, UNICEF Coordinator for the Emergency Response in Tacloban. “Disease is a silent predator, but we know how to prevent it and we will do everything that we can.”

WHO and UNICEF coordinate vaccine supply and establish cold chain

At the Government’s request, UNICEF purchased over US$ 2 million worth of vaccines to replenish in-country stocks now being used for the campaign. In addition, UNICEF and WHO are helping to re-establish the broken cold chain, which is critical in keeping vaccines at the right temperature.

“WHO and UNICEF staff hand-carried supplies from Manila to Tacloban, coordinated teams to give the vaccines and trained them on how to do it under these difficult circumstances. It is virtually unprecedented that within two-and-a-half weeks of a disaster of this scale, with this level of devastation and these logistical challenges, that a mass vaccination campaign is already rolling out,” says Dr Julie Hall, WHO Representative in the Philippines.

During the campaign children being immunized are also screened for malnutrition by measuring their mid-upper arm circumference which will indicate if they are undernourished and require referral for treatment.

For further information, please contact:

Nyka Alexander
Communications Officer
WHO, Manila
Telephone: +63 906 493 5097
E-mail: [email protected]

Gregory Härtl
Coordinator, News and Social Media
WHO, Geneva
Telephone: +41 79 203 6715
E-mail: [email protected]

http://www.hpa-bioinformatics.org.uk/Measles/Public/Web_Front/news.php

What is the current situation?
According to the World Health Organization Adobe PDF fileExternal Web Site Icon, 57,564 suspected cases of measles, including 21,403 confirmed cases and 110 measles deaths, were reported in the Philippines from January 1 through December 20, 2014. Additionally, during 2014, 25 US travelers who returned from the Philippines have become sick with measles. Most of these cases were among unvaccinated people. The World Health Organization and the Philippines Department of Health are working to control the outbreak, including conducting vaccination campaigns.

PHILIPPINES / MEASLES 2013-2014 TIMELINE

“Washington uses typhoon aid to push for Philippine military bases
By Joseph Santolan
27 November 2013
At a press conference with visiting US congressional delegates on Monday, Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said the US military deployment in the country after Typhoon Haiyan revealed the need to conclude basing arrangements for US forces in the Philippines.
Del Rosario said the massive US military deployment underlined the need for the “framework agreement that we are working on with the United States for increased rotational presence.” He claimed that “humanitarian assistance and disaster relief” would be “a very major aspect of the agreement.”
US congressmen Chris Smith, Trent Franks and Al Green were visiting the Philippines, ostensibly to coordinate US relief efforts. They each spoke at the press conference on the need for a deal to allow US military bases in the country.
Smith, who headed the delegation and is a senior member of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, baldly stated that “the calamity had a positive effect on the two countries’ bilateral relations.” He added that “ongoing negotiations will all be given a positive boost as a direct result of this.”
Franks declared that the basing of US forces was needed because of “great common potential opponents,” a pointed reference to China. His remark undercut the “humanitarian” mask surrounding the reestablishment of American bases in the Philippines.
Del Rosario’s insistence on concluding basing arrangements with Washington is a significant development in the preparation of a permanent US military presence in the country. This has been under negotiation for the past two years.
Washington has been aggressively pushing its pivot to Asia, and Philippine President Benigno Aquino has made Manila play a leading role as a proxy for US interests in the region.
Negotiations over basing arrangements were nearly finalized in September, when Japan’s Kyodo News Service published details of the deal released by a “senior Philippine marine officer.” The deal included the establishment of an advanced command post in Oyster Bay on the island of Palawan, just sixty miles off the disputed waters of the South China Sea. The US was also looking to establish “joint operational bases” in other parts of Palawan, including Ulugan Bay, and the city of Puerto Princesa. The return of US forces to Subic Bay was a further part of the agreement.
The basing deal would enable the US military to station, on a rotational basis, between 4,000 and 4,500 troops in the country.
There is no humanitarian agenda whatsoever in the construction of these bases. They are all proposed to be built on coasts facing China and the South China Sea, and not along the path of typhoons, which approach the Philippines from the southeast.
The basing arrangements were to be officially announced last month, during President Obama’s scheduled visit to the country. When Obama cancelled his trip to the Asia Pacific amid the US government shutdown, there was political blowback throughout the region.
Political opposition to Aquino emerged and, under the guise of a corruption scandal, attacked Aquino’s failure to balance between Washington and Beijing. The Philippine basing arrangements negotiating team announced that the talks had reached an impasse.
On November 6, two days before Haiyan struck the Philippines, Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin announced that Philippines disagreed with the United States over who would control the proposed bases. No further talks were scheduled.
On November 8, Haiyan slammed into the Philippines’ Eastern Visayas region. It quickly became apparent that the storm had devastated entire areas, with an estimated death toll of 10,000 people announced within 24 hours of landfall. Washington said it would give an initial amount of $100,000. No promises of further aid were made.
For three days, as hundreds of thousands struggled to find food, no more aid was forthcoming from Washington. On November 11, Aquino said bidding was going to open on the construction of basing facilities at Oyster Bay. On the same day, Washington announced that it would deploy nearly 13,000 troops on the USS George Washington aircraft carrier strike group and accompanying amphibious assault vessels, and give $20 million in aid.
Washington seized upon the opportunity afforded it by the catastrophic typhoon. It deployed troops to the region to establish new facts on the ground, justify the basing of forces, and use its aid package to extort a resumption of negotiations.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has now scheduled a visit to Manila in December, which is to be followed by an official state visit by Obama in April 2014. The framework for negotiating and signing the agreement for the basing of US forces is clearly central to the agenda in these trips.
The key figure for negotiating this agreement has now been sent to the Philippines. At the request of the State Department, the US Senate accelerated the approval of Philip Goldberg as the new US ambassador to the Philippines. Kerry swore Goldberg in on November 21 and the ambassador arrived in the Philippines today.
Goldberg worked as US ambassador in Bolivia in 2006-2008, when he was declared persona non grata by President Evo Morales and ordered to leave the country, having been accused of engaging in espionage and working to undermine the government by collusion with separatist organizations.
From 2009 to June 2010, Goldberg served as the US representative responsible for implementing sanctions against North Korea under UN Security Council resolution 1874, a measure introduced by the United States to escalate pressure against Beijing and Pyongyang.
From June 2010 until last week, Goldberg was Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research (INR). Goldberg was thus the head of one of the 16 key offices of the US intelligence network. He was responsible for conveying the State Department’s instructions to the National Security Agency and other spy organizations and for reporting on intelligence to the secretary of state.
Goldberg served as Clinton and Kerry’s principal intelligence adviser. The INR website states that this office’s mandate is to ensure “that intelligence activities support foreign policy and national security purposes.”
The new ambassador to the Philippines is a man steeped in the US intelligence apparatus. His selection by Obama, and fast-tracked approval by the Senate, clearly indicates the central place that the Philippines holds in Washington’s imperialist game plan.”

“Philip S. Goldberg Ambassador-Designate to the Republic of the Philippines Before the
Senate Foreign Relations Committee September 25, 2013”

“In support of the Obama administration’s rebalance to the Asia-Pacific, we are negotiating a Framework Agreement that would enable an increased rotational presence of U.S. forces to the Philippines, enhance opportunities for joint military

training and exercises, and allow for the prepositioning of equipment and supplies to respond quickly to natural disasters. We also support Philippine efforts to reduce tensions surrounding the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, both through the creation of a Code of Conduct between ASEAN member states and China, and through internationally accepted dispute resolution mechanisms like those provided for under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Ensuring freedom of navigation and unimpeded lawful commerce in the South China Sea remains an important U.S. national interest shared by the Philippines and others in the region. ”

http://www.foreign.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Goldberg.pdf

“Philip S. Goldberg was sworn in as U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines on November 21, 2013. From June 2010, he served served as the Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Intelligence and Research. Prior to 2010 he served concurrently as the Coordinator for Implementation of UNSC Resolution 1874 on North Korea.”
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/biog/136919.htm

Ambassador to the Philippines: Who Is Philip Goldberg?
Nov. 3, 2013
In 2006, Goldberg was named an ambassador for the first time, and sent to La Paz, Bolivia, for an intended three-year term that ended after two years with Goldberg’s expulsion as a persona non grata. A series of incidents in 2007 and 2008 indicating that U.S. embassy personnel were attempting to recruit Peace Corps volunteers and visiting American scholars as spies raised tensions. That same year, the mainly white and affluent populace of Bolivia’s eastern provinces, who had opposed the 2006 election of Evo Morales, Bolivia’s first indigenous president, forced a bitter recall vote. Even after Morales won, opposition leader Rubén Costas called Morales a “dictator” and hurled the racial slur “macaco” (monkey) at him. Goldberg, who speaks fluent Spanish, surely understood the offensiveness of the comment. When Goldberg met with Costas anyway, Morales accused the U.S. government—which has been a vocal critic of Morales since before his election—of trying to destabilize his regime and expelled Goldberg in September 2008.

From June 2009 until June 2010, he served as the Coordinator for Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1874 (Sanctions) on North Korea.

http://www.allgov.com/news/appointments-and-resignations/ambassador-to-the-philippines-who-is-philip-goldberg-131103?news=851552

“U.S. wages war against Philippines using its HAARP weather WMD systems”
http://www.tatoott1009.com/2013/11/15/5min-news-u-s-wages-war-against-philippines-using-its-haarp-weather-wmd-systems-wow-really/

“On 8 November 2013 at 0440 am a category 5 typhoon, Haiyan (locally named Yolanda), made landfall in the Guiuan municipality, Eastern Samar province, moving steadily north into the province of Northern Cebu, with maximum winds of 235 km/hr and severe gusts of 275 km/hr. The typhoon made subsequent landfalls in Tolosa municipality south of Tacloban City, Leyte province, Daanbantayan and Bantayan Island, Cebu province, and Conception, Iloilo province. The typhoon affected the city of Roxas in Capiz province and the tourism centre of Borocay in Aklan province.At least 18 million people live in the worst affected regions. ”

“First reports from Government of the Philippines, UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination Teams (UNDAC) on the ground, and initial eyewitness reports/social media report massive devastation and deaths in areas directly in typhoon path:

 All homes/buildings in the path of the storm have been seriously damaged

 Areas of Cebu, Roxas and Tacloban devastated; Samar, Leyte, Iloilo, Aklan

and Coron badly hit

– Tacloban City – massive damage, large parts of the city flattened. Storm

surge over 7 metres. Entire coastline communities washed away.

– Palo City – very large number of casualties

– Samar – 80% destruction of buildings (see map of damaged houses in Annex 2).

 Power and communications infrastructure have been seriously damaged.

 Seaports and airports remain closed. Transport is very difficult and possible

only by helicopter at the moment

 Security is of concern

In these areas, medical personnel will have been heavily affected and health facilities have been extensively damaged, including submerged ground floors, damaged and destroyed medical supplies, equipment, records, office equipment and buildings.

The Secretary of Health has formally requested assistance from WHO and partners for the immediate deployment of field medical teams (e.g. trauma), and emergency supplies (e.g. trauma kits, supplies, hospital tents). Requests for further assistance are expected.

Major risks to public health:

Major trauma and injuries are the first health concern following a typhoon. They require surgery and post-operative wound care to prevent infection and disability.

Population displacement, overcrowding, poor shelter, exposure, lack of safe water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, vector breeding and poor nutritional status, lead to

– increased communicable disease transmission and potential for outbreaks of

diseases such acute respiratory infections, MEASLES. diarrhea, typhoid fever

and viral enteric diseases.

– increased exposure to vector-borne diseases such as dengue and

chikungunya or malaria. Flooding may initially flush out mosquito breeding, which can restart when the waters recede. The lag time is usually around 6-8 weeks before the onset of increased disease transmission.

– displacement of animal populations leads to human rabies from the bites of infected cats and dogs.

Flooding is a known risk factor for outbreaks of leptospirosis

Disruption of health services and access to health care result from damaged and/or flooded health infrastructure, loss of medicines and supplies, and injured or dead health staff.

Malnutrition and communicable diseases. In children who are already undernourished or malnourished, prolonged and severe infections are more frequent.”

2.3 Diseases associated with displacement, crowding and flooding

Population displacement caused by flooding can result in overcrowding in resettlement areas, raising the risk of transmission of many communicable diseases. Acute respiratory infection, MEASLES, diphtheria, and pertussis are transmitted from person to person through respiratory droplets generated during coughing and sneezing, and the risks are increased when shelters are overcrowded and inadequately ventilated. The transmission of meningitis, waterborne and vector- borne diseases is also increased in such conditions.”

“Measles

There is a moderate to HIGH RISK of measles outbreak. The Philippines continues to report sporadic cases and outbreaks of measles (such as in 2011). National levels of vaccine coverage are RELATIVELY HIGH, however local levels in some of the affected areas are much lower.

Current recommendations are to conduct flood-response MEASLES IMMUNIZATION with vitamin A supplementation for ALL children 6-59 months old, REGARDLESS of their vaccination status, in ALL Internally Displaced People (IDP) SHELTERS that contain more than 1000 people. ”

“Table 1. Routine vaccination coverage at one year of age, 2012, the Philippines:

MEASLES CONTAINING VACCINE 85% coverage

* Official country estimates reported to WHO/UNICEF, 2012” see p. 11

“Malnutrition

This problem is still present in certain areas of the Philippines, particularly for children aged 6-24 months. Under-nutrition is an important underlying factor contributing to childhood mortality, and has also been linked to impaired cognitive development. Anemia in preschool children is considered to be a moderate public health problem. The affected populations will be at increased risk of acute malnutrition if there is a lack of access to appropriate and adequate food, and reduced access to health and nutrition services. This will disproportionately affect vulnerable groups such as young children, pregnant and lactating women and older persons. Children with moderate acute malnutrition (MAM) need urgent food support or they will move into severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and potentially severe infection and death. In 2008, 34% of infants 0-6 months were exclusively breastfed (DHS). Nutritional needs among the flood-affected populations must be addressed urgently. ”

“Immediate priorities:

Provision of food, safe drinking water, appropriate sanitation, shelter, and other

essential non-food items including fuel for cooking

Trauma care for the wounded with tetanus prevention

Provision of medicines and medical supplies

Establishment of emergency primary and secondary care for medical, surgical

and obstetric emergencies

Risk communication to the public

Management of dead bodies with retrieval and identification of victims

MEASLES VACCINATION, and polio vaccination in high risk areas

Establishment of an EARLY WARNING SYSTEM for early detection and response to

outbreaks

http://www.who.int/hac/crises/phl/sitreps/philippines_ph_risk_assessment_16November2013.pdf

NOTE: OVERALL, PHILIPPINES HAD A HIGH VACCINATION RATE AND A CONSISTENT VERY LOW RATE OF MEASLES CASES UNTIL RIGHT AFTER THE TYPHOON HIT. IT WAS AFTER THE VACCINATION CAMPAIGN THAT A HUGE MEASLES OUTBREAK OCCURRED. THE PHILIPPINES MEASLES GENOTYPE IS BEING CALLED B3 and IS ALSO BEING IDENTIFIED AS THE GENOTYPE FOR 9 DISNEY CASES. HOWEVER, ACCORDING OFFICIAL RESEARCH, B3 IS ENDEMIC TO WEST AFRICA. THERE IS A BIG PUSH BY MSM TO BLAME 2014 U.S. OUTBREAK ON PHILIPPINES AND AMISH AID WORKERS THERE.

VERY IMPORTANT CDC GRAPH
“Measles cases by month of rash onset: Philippines, 2009-2014”
Shows confirmed cases made HUGE JUMP in Dec., Jan., and Feb, AFTER TYPHOON VACCINATION CAMPAIGN.
SCROLL to slide 12

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/ed/ciinc/downloads/2014-05-22/Wallace-measles.pdf

DESCRIPTION OF TYPHOON
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/11/10/us-philippines-typhoon-idUSBRE9A603Q20131110

AMISH OUTBREAK:
“But that’s wrong. The real story behind the 2014 outbreak isn’t on the West Coast. It’s in Ohio Amish country, where a missionary returning from the Philippines turned an otherwise unremarkable year for this virus into one of the worst in recent history. ”
“At the time, this Amish population was generally against vaccination. This, however, wasn’t a matter of religious principle but one of health concerns.

In the 1990s, Miller explained, two Ohio kids allegedly got sick after they took the MMR shot, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella. Rumors about vaccine safety spread through the Amish community like a virus. “That put a scare in us and we quit,” Miller says. This made it incredibly easy for measles — the most contagious virus known to man — to move through this cluster of unvaccinated individuals.”

“When he returned to Ohio, and fell ill, a doctor misdiagnosed him with Dengue fever, so he continued to pass his disease along to friends and neighbors, many of whom had refused the vaccine out of those concerns over adverse effects.”

“The outbreak that Fletcher spent months working to contain ultimately infected 382 Amish Ohioans by the time it was declared over in August of last year. Nobody died, but nine wound up in the hospital with more serious symptoms.”

“The actual story of the 2014 outbreak complicates the narrative that has developed in the wake of the new outbreak of measles at Disneyland in early 2015: that a growing number of parents, led by Jenny McCarthy, have begun to opt their kids out of vaccinations, letting the disease spread easily.

Federal data shows no drop off in vaccination rates over the past decade
In fact, it’s only about two percent of the population that refuses vaccines outright. All 50 states have had school immunization requirements since the early 1980s, though some now allow medical and philosophical exemptions. Even so, there hasn’t been a drop off in vaccination rates in the past decade, the National Immunization Survey shows. Coverage for the MMR vaccine stands at 92 percent.”

http://www.vox.com/2015/1/29/7929791/measles-outbreak-2014

THIS PROVES THAT VACCINES HAVE LEFT BABIES 0-12 MONTHS VULNERABLE TO MEASLES.

THESE BABIES WERE NATURALLY PROTECTED PRE-VACCINE ERA.
Now they are blaming it on “anti-vaxxers’.
THIS IS WHY THEY CONTINUE TO DAMAGE OUR CHILDREN WITH VACCINES AT EARLIER AND EARLIER AGES. EVEN INJECTING PREGNANT MOTHERS WITH UNNATURALLY MUTATED MEASLES VIRUS. “ATTENUATED” MEANS MUTATED. THAT IS WHY THEY DON’T WORK.
Vaccines have made the very young and the old vulnerable to measles infection, the very ages at which the virus can be the most harmful.
WE TRADED NATURE’S BEST, FOR $4 billion/year and new chronic diseases and suffering in our children.

“At the time these studies were conducted, most mothers had acquired antibodies through natural measles rather than measles vaccine. Thus, they endowed their fetuses with high measles antibody levels (76). Currently, most women of child- bearing age (15 to 35 years of age) have had the measles vaccine and have lower antibody levels than women who had natural measles infection (57). As a result of these lower antibody levels, their infants are born with lower titers of measles antibody, which they lose earlier than the infants of mothers who had natural measles (50, 54).”

“Lowering the Age of MMR Administration

It has been observed that in the United States, compliance with immunization is highest in the first 6 months of life and drops off thereafter (84). Therefore, reducing the age at im- munization for the MMR vaccine may be effective in increas- ing the uptake or immunization rate. The American Academy of Pediatrics already has recommended that the first dose of MMR vaccine be given at 12 to 15 months of age.

Studies in the late 1970s suggested a decreased seroconver- sion rate for vaccinees immunized between 12 and 14 months rather than at 15 months. This was believed to be due to the presence of maternally acquired antibodies, which has been as- sociated with vaccine failure (3, 62, 76). These reports prompted a raising of the recommended age of routine MMR immunization to 15 months. Unfortunately, this change may have contributed to the epidemic of 1989 to 1991 by leaving the group of 12- to 14-month-old children unprotected; in 1990, it contributed 2,551 cases, or

This got cut off #78
CDC whistleblower Dr. William Thompson admitted to scientific fraud, covering up a link with MMR vaccine given on schedule and an increased risk of autism, especially in African-American boys.
If this is true, one would expect a high autism rate in Mississippi, a state with a FORCED 99% vaccine coverage. Well, THERE IS A HIGH AUTISM RATE IN MISSISSIPPI:

“Mississippi Autism Advisory Committee Report: 2013 Recommendations for the Mississippi Legislature”

“Dear Legislators,

I am pleased to submit the report from the Mississippi Autism Advisory Committee detailing the findings and recommendations of our committee.

The dramatic growth in the number of children affected by autism spectrum disorders (ASD) now constitutes a public health crisis. An estimated 10,174 Mississippi children have autism – an increase in incidence from 1 in 500 to 1 in 88 within the last decade. Statistics from the Mississippi Department of Education show a 563% percent rise in the number of public school children with autism in the past 11 years. Throughout the state of Mississippi, families and systems of care are struggling to meet the needs of individuals with ASD across their life span.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that impairs a person’s ability to communicate and socialize. It is characterized by restricted and repetitive behaviors. It typically appears within the first three years of life and can range from mild to severe. There is no known cause, and no known cure.

It can cost as much as $3.2 million to care for an individual with autism across their lifespan. If the state’s children currently living with autism do not overcome their challenges by the time they reach adulthood, it could cost Mississippi taxpayers more than 32 billion dollars over the next 50 years. We know early and intensive therapy can improve outcomes but, even though Autism is a biomedical brain disorder, insurance companies routinely exclude coverage for ASD. Thirty-two states have enacted Autism Insurance Reform laws to ensure necessary treatment is provided. Mississippi is NOT one of those states. Coverage will result in significant long-term cost savings to health care and educational systems.

The number of students with ASD in public schools has increased dramatically. Most teachers do not receive training on ASD prior to entering the school system as many teacher preparation programs contain little to no autism related curriculum. There are also no institutions for higher learning in Mississippi offering a specialty program or degree in the area of Autism. One of the few bright spots in the training of professionals to work with the ASD population is through a collaborative effort of The Mississippi Department of Education and the University of Southern Mississippi.

Our report focuses on two key recommendations. This is not an exhaustive list of remedies but will lay the critical foundation needed to address the autism crisis in Mississippi.

On behalf of individuals with ASD, their families and the professionals who work with them, the Mississippi Autism Advisory Committee stands ready to assist in the implementation of these recommendations. ”

http://www.dmh.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/2013-MAAC-Report-Final_1.13.2014.pdf

LOUD NOISES! Why don’t you try not talking for a while, Brick.

Re: prevalence of poverty in the U.S. and the relative affluence of the vaccine hesitant–47% of American children live in low income families. While uninsurance rates have gone down in children in recent years due to health reform, lots of kids still remain without access to medical care, including vaccines. The indifference of the anti-immunization people is truly shameful — maybe their chiropractors and naturopaths will start doing free clinics.

IIRC, trolling is not generally a reason to have one’s Internet usage restricted whilst one is in an inpatient facility.

I’ll take the advice to ignore him, though.

OOPS! #78 got cut off.
Here’s a repost:

THIS PROVES THAT VACCINES HAVE LEFT BABIES 0-12 MONTHS VULNERABLE TO MEASLES.

THESE BABIES WERE NATURALLY PROTECTED BY MOM’S IMMUNITY PRE-VACCINE ERA.
Now they are blaming it on “anti-vaxxers’.
THIS IS WHY THEY CONTINUE TO DAMAGE OUR CHILDREN WITH VACCINES AT EARLIER AND EARLIER AGES. EVEN INJECTING PREGNANT MOTHERS WITH UNNATURALLY MUTATED MEASLES VIRUS. “ATTENUATED” MEANS MUTATED. THAT IS WHY THEY DON’T WORK.
Vaccines have made the very young and the old vulnerable to measles infection, the very ages at which the virus can be the most harmful.
WE TRADED NATURE’S BEST, FOR $4 billion/year and new chronic diseases and suffering in our children.

“At the time these studies were conducted, most mothers had acquired antibodies through natural measles rather than measles vaccine. Thus, they endowed their fetuses with high measles antibody levels (76). Currently, most women of child- bearing age (15 to 35 years of age) have had the measles vaccine and have lower antibody levels than women who had natural measles infection (57). As a result of these lower antibody levels, their infants are born with lower titers of measles antibody, which they lose earlier than the infants of mothers who had natural measles (50, 54).”

“Lowering the Age of MMR Administration

It has been observed that in the United States, compliance with immunization is highest in the first 6 months of life and drops off thereafter (84). Therefore, reducing the age at immunization for the MMR vaccine may be effective in increasing the uptake or immunization rate. The American Academy of Pediatrics already has recommended that the first dose of MMR vaccine be given at 12 to 15 months of age.

Studies in the late 1970s suggested a decreased seroconver- sion rate for vaccinees immunized between 12 and 14 months rather than at 15 months. This was believed to be due to the presence of maternally acquired antibodies, which has been as- sociated with vaccine failure (3, 62, 76). These reports prompted a raising of the recommended age of routine MMR immunization to 15 months. Unfortunately, this change may have contributed to the epidemic of 1989 to 1991 by leaving the group of 12- to 14-month-old children unprotected; in 1990, it contributed 2,551 cases, or

JP @83 — I am impressed, though, by the presence of paragraph breaks. They’re often missing in screeds of this sort.

Trivia question: The signature “R. Mutt” first appeared on what famous work of art?

It’s the name under which Marcel Duchamp submitted Fountain to the Society for Independent Artists.

palindrom:

I don’t know that that’s a credit to Toto, since most of the above verbiage seems to be copypasta.

I’ve gotten used to the idea that a rank jungle of verbiage means a comment here is not worth reading. Toto is merely continuing that tradition from the loon side.

Addendum to post #79

“FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-AUGUST 27,2014

STATEMENT OF WILLIAM W. THOMPSON, Ph.D., REGARDING THE 2004 ARTICLE EXAMINING THE POSSIBILITY OF A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MMR VACCINE AND AUTISM

My name is William Thompson. I am a Senior Scientist with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, where I have worked since 1998.

I regret that my coauthors and I omitted statistically significant information in our 2004 article published in the journal Pediatrics. The omitted data suggested that African American males who received the MMR vaccine before age 36 months were at increased risk for autism. Decisions were made regarding which findings to report after the data were collected, and I believe that the final study protocol was not followed.”
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/

MISSISSIPPI vaccination rate: 99.7%
http://www.msdh.state.ms.us/msdhsite/_static/23,15969,341.html

MISSISSIPPI African – American population: 38%

MISSISSIPPI autism rate: 1 in 88, a 563% percent rise in the number of public school children with autism in the past 11 years.
http://www.dmh.ms.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/2013-MAAC-Report-Final_1.13.2014.pdf

Note: 1986 rollout of new vaccine schedule coincides with beginning of autism epidemic; hence, a call for the 2004 case study examining increased risk of autism with timing of administration of MMR.

REPRESENTATIVE POSEY OF FLORIDA (House Science, Space, and Technology Committee) is in possession of an estimated 150,000 non-redacted pages of CDC vaccine safety documents sent to him electronically, by WHISTLEBLOWER William Thompson on September 8, 2014. NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE WITH THEM. Dr. Thompson still works for the CDC.
OBVIOUSLY, vaccines are not safe and effective.

#CDCWhistleblower Update: US Congressman Posey’s Office In Possession of Up To 100,000 CDC Whistleblower Documents
Posted on September 8, 2014 by ChildHealthSafety
By: Ben Swann Sep 8, 2014
CDCwhistleblower
Congressman Bill Posey’s office has confirmed exclusively toBenswann.com that a “very large number” of documents have been turned over by CDC scientist, Dr. William Thompson, who has admitted that the CDC suppressed information about the links between the MMR vaccine and autism in some cases.
According to Congressman Posey’s spokesman, George Cecala, “I can confirm that we have received a very large number of documents and we are going through those documents now. There are a lot of them, so it will take some time.” Cecala could not say exactly how many documents are in possession of the Congressman’s staff though sources tell me that as many as 100,000 documents have been handed over.
Read rest of article here:
Update: Congressman’s Office In Possession of 100,000 CDC Whistleblower Documents? By: Ben Swann Sep 8, 2014

Dr. Hooker’s letter: Alleged scientific misconduct, CDC: VACCINES SAFETY STUDY! (CDC Whistleblower co-author, Dr. William Thompson)
http://media.wix.com/ugd/b3aa2b_da6435ff9a2144d6aa3358fec58550af.pdf

U.S. Media Blackout: Italian Courts Rule Vaccines Cause Autism – See more at: http://healthimpactnews.com/2015/u-s-media-blackout-italian-courts-rule-vaccines-cause-autism/#sthash.4qLpb5A5.dpuf

Oldies but Goodies:
PLEASE READ ENTIRE ARTICLE
http://www.whale.to/a/blaylock.html

Scientific Review of Vaccine Safety Datalink Information June 7-8, 2000 Simpsonwood Retreat Center Norcross, Georgia
http://thinktwice.com/simpwood.pdf

1999 CDC Thimerosal safety report by Dr. Verstraeten (prompted Simpsonwood meeting above)
http://www.ashotoftruth.org/sites/default/files/exhibit_22_-_verstraeten_et_al_1999_abstract_risks_of_autism.pdf

maybe their chiropractors and naturopaths will start doing free clinics.

Oh, they do. Here in Ithaca, our free clinic is staffed by a few doctors and nurses and a numerous supply of chiropractors, acupuncturists, aromatherapists, nutritionists, massage therapists, etc. This town is fairly overflowing with woo-sters, so the oversupply means that they have time to volunteer.

Addendum #79

MISSISSIPPI 99.7 % vaccination coverage
http://www.msdh.state.ms.us/msdhsite/_static/23,15969,341.html

MISSISSIPPI 38% African-American population
https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb12-ff01.html

MISSISSIPPI 1 in 88- AUTISM rate. A 563% %t RISE in the number of public school children with autism in the past 11 years.

Note: Autism rates have increased every year since the roll out of the “new” vaccine schedule in 1986, the year Big Pharma was removed from all vaccine product liability.

Statement on Risk vs Benefit of Vaccinations by David Satcher, M.D., PH.D.
Assistant Secretary for Health and Surgeon General
U.S. Public Health Service
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Before the House Committee on Government Reform
August 3, 1999

“Vaccine approval also requires the provision of adequate product labeling to allow health care providers to understand the vaccine’s proper use, including its potential benefits and risks, in order to communicate with patients and parents and to safely deliver the vaccine to the public. Vaccines are also subject to lot release testing and protocol review to further ensure their quality.

Although extensive studies are required for licensure, post-marketing research and surveillance are necessary to identify safety issues which may only arise or be detected following vaccination of a much larger population. Rare events may not come to light before licensure, or, if noted, the evidence may not be adequate to prove that such events were due to a vaccine. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) is a valuable post-marketing tool for just such safety surveillance. I will describe VAERS later in the testimony. In addition, post-marketing studies of a specific vaccine are required by FDA in order to obtain additional safety or other data. Also, after licensure, monitoring of the product and of production activities, including periodic facility inspections, must continue as long as the manufacturer holds a license for the product.

No system is perfect and no medicine or vaccine can ever be guaranteed to be 100 percent free of possible side effects or adverse events, particularly when administered to millions of people. For these reasons, the Department, its constituent agencies (FDA, CDC, NIH, HRSA), the scientific community, and industry strive for continuous improvements in vaccine safety. Speaking for the Department and its agencies, we welcome all constructive input and criticism in this regard.”
http://www.hhs.gov/asl/testify/t990803a.html

“FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE-AUGUST 27,2014

STATEMENT OF WILLIAM W. THOMPSON, Ph.D., REGARDING THE 2004 ARTICLE EXAMINING THE POSSIBILITY OF A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN MMR VACCINE AND AUTISM

My name is William Thompson. I am a Senior Scientist with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, where I have worked since 1998.

I regret that my coauthors and I omitted statistically significant information in our 2004 article published in the journal Pediatrics. The omitted data suggested that African American males who received the MMR vaccine before age 36 months were at increased risk for autism. Decisions were made regarding which findings to report after the data were collected, and I believe that the final study protocol was not followed…..

My concern has been the decision to omit relevant findings in a particular study for a particular sub­ group for a particular vaccine. There have always been recognized risks for vaccination and I believe it is the responsibility of the CDC to properly convey the risks associated with receipt of those vaccines.”
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/

# ann #85

Yes! ‘Fountain’ a mass manufactured porcelain urinal laid on it’s back and signed with the pseudonym ‘R. Mutt’ was named the most influential work in the history of modern art by a panel of expert critics, and deservedly so. http://tinyurl.com/ycmrd27

Unveiled 98 years ago, it continues to befuddle viewers and fight back against the arts world’s attempts to tame and contain it. “Duchamp adamantly asserted that he wanted to ‘de-deify’ the artist.’ For which, of course, he was deified for his genius. Art historians say ‘the original’ Fountain from 1917 is ‘lost’. In 1964, Duchamp produced eight “authorized replicas” by signing “R. Mutt” on similar urinals. One of those was sold at auction for $1.7 million in 1999, and is now in the permanent collection of the Tate Modern.

Duchamp was a chess master (literally), and he thought many steps ahead in the art game as well. He knew anyone who would pay massive sums for a urinal just because HE had painted the fake name on the side was missing the point, which just made the point all over again. The only way to checkmate Fountain would be if everyone stopped having an opinion about it. Not gonna happen. Your move.

@ DB #87
Loons are wonderful birds, and should not have their reps sullied by comparisons to anti-vaxers and RI trolls. The etymology comes from ‘lunatic,’ not the birds. Thus, ‘looney’ is a more appropriate derogation.

Yappy little dog remains yappy and little.

It also changed “the” to “The” in this latest discharge swell, which wasted about 30 seconds of my time.

Recently, I stumbled into a particularly pernicious bit of anti-vax dog-whislting in a form I’d never seen before:
http://tinyurl.com/m4sajr8

While still blowing the libertarian dog whistle, it wraps the payload in an anti-corporate, anti-Merck argument that is miles ahead of the standard Big Pharma conspiracy screeds, and almost makes a bit of sense — and then slips in the anti-vax message in a purported attack on anti-vaxers, so cleverly veiled you might have to look twice to see how completely contradictory it all is.

This one’s addressed to the inner Tea Baggers in nominally ‘progressive’ readers. I’m not familiar with the blog or author so I have no idea what kind of audience it has. Small, I hope.

ATTN: DENICE. you might want to look at this one if you haven’t seen it…

IIRC, trolling is not generally a reason to have one’s Internet usage restricted whilst one is in an inpatient facility.

No, I don’t imagine that “trolling” is, given the whole limited access to so much as landlines and people who inventory, sequester, and issue receipts for your personal property parts.

Kind of OT: So apparently the anti-vax movie “Bought” is free to watch until March 6th.

https://www.boughtmovie.net/free-viewing/

“ABOUT THE BOUGHT FILM:
You’re about to see how Wall Street has literally “BOUGHT” your and your family’s health.

The food, vaccine, drug, insurance and health industry are a multi-BILLION dollar enterprise… focused more on profits than human lives. The BOUGHT documentary takes viewers deep “inside the guts” of this despicable conspiracy…

Featuring exclusive interviews with the world’s most acclaimed experts in research, medicine, holistic care and natural health… Bought exposes the hidden (and deadly) story behind it all.”

Should make for some interesting blogging material at least…

@Narad:

Many inpatient psych facilities have computers with internet access these days, though yes, one is not allowed to keep a personal laptop, or a pen, or shoelaces. (And the amount of time one may spent on the Internet is limited, given limited computer access.) In short, I know what the f*ck I’m talking about.

It made me laugh a bit, mirthlessly, when I was talking to a former student with whom I have become friendly about the dearth of academic jobs in the humanites. “Well, you know a bunch of lanugages, there’s always, like, the CIA, right?” “Son, I’m reasonably certain the CIA would not touch me with a ten foot pole.”

My point, which I suppose I could deobfuscate, is that people in such facilities are generally not in a good place, and hey, maybe making jokes about “asylums” is super f*cking funny,.

In short, I know what the f*ck I’m talking about.

As do I. Perhaps the Internet cafe–equipped wards are more exclusive than those I’ve inventoried.

@ Annie #98. Thanks for the tip-off about Bought. Unless my sampling missed something, it seems that Jeff Hays dumped out of giving Wakefield a platform. This seems odd, since Wakefield’s people were big in funding the film. Hays himself issued a press release saying why Wakefield was so important.

I originally assumed that Hays was another unscrupulous opportunist. After all, what would happen if the drugs, food and insurance industry got together and funded a 90 minute film and hoped to get it in movie houses. But this is what Hays has done with his funders, even though they are small rather than big business.

But unless I blinked when Wakefield appeared, it seems like either Hays realized that he would contaminate the project with a research cheat, or possibly his other backers did not want the association. Maybe he learnt from Brian Hooker’s mistake.

“Featuring exclusive interviews with the world’s most acclaimed experts in research, medicine, holistic care and natural health”

I’m guessing that “the world’s most acclaimed experts” will turn out to be people like Russell Blaylock, Sherri Tenpenny, Joe Mercola, Mike Adams, Tetyana “I have a PhD in Science” Obukhanych etc.

Always amusing to see how “the world’s most acclaimed experts” are highly believable when they’re a handful of fringe wackos, but thousands of scientists who are both qualified and acclaimed should be ignored, because Moms Without Brains say so.

@Dangerous Bacon

I haven’t watched it but from what I understand, at the very minimum Sherri Tenpenny, Dr. Kelly Brogan, and Dr. Toni Bark are all featured as “experts” in the film.

@ sadmar:

I’ve seen similar recently (IIRC @ PRN) but thanks.

@ Annie:

Thanks, that’s great: I absolutely refuse to pay any money to view woo-fraught films, broadcasts, lectures or books. These miserable people are rich enough and/ or have exposure enough already without my contribution adding to it.

Whilst we’re on the subject of film**, I just viewed/ scanned an interview with AJW ( courtesy of Thinking Moms’ Revolution facebook/ GMO Free News) with Mmes Hallal and Spencer.
Although it is EXACTLY what is to be expected, for FIFTY TWO minutes, a few moments stand out-

@ about 26, Andy declares that if there was indeed any fraud surrounding his 1998 study, it was neither on his part nor on that of his colleagues but can be attributed to Mr Deer and BMJ. who “concocted a story”.
@ about 33 on- he harps on single vaccines rather than combinations and admits that GMOs may be problematic.

** I know, I know, I could have got into my car, driven 3 miles and seen *Timbuktu* at the Artsy Cinema prior to the Oscars.
But I chose to watch tripe because I want to inform my compatriots. I so good.

I beat you to it, Denice, That YouTube interview took place two days ago and I viewed it yesterday.

According to Andy, vaccinations are “population control”. Has anyone told Andy that the grunge look (unshaven with greasy hair), is not the way to impress anyone with your awesomeness?

Has anyone told Andy that the grunge look (unshaven with greasy hair), is not the way to impress anyone with your awesomeness?

It worked for Curt Cobain. Just sayin’….

@ lilady:

Sure he isn’t exactly lovely: who knows- perhaps he’s attempting to attract a particular demographic/ age cohort ( white women who are of an age to have been in that faction as teenagers in the 1990s or who wanted to be Kate Moss?) so he may be astute stylistically.

I shouldn’t talk: twenty-odd year olds like *my* hair.

Brian #7 that post gave me chills.

Apparently the BBC have amended their policy on science reporting in order to avoid the ‘false balance’ trap (in response to complaints).
I’m also pleased to find, that as articles about the anti-vax movement are starting to pop up in UK mainstream press as a result of the outbreaks, the tone is universally condemnatory. It seems that the UK press on both sides of the political spectrum aren’t having any truck with it. Reasons to be cheerful, part…

Oh, and glad to see that Toto has given it a rest, I’ve got an ache in my scrolling finger.

@Deer Brian,
I am puzzled by your continued flap regarding “Andy” Wakefield. I was anti-vaxx long before I had ever heard of him. I have never read his published “peer reviewed” article, and it has had no bearing on the voluminous documents regarding the transgressions of the vaccine industry that I have personally researched. But please, keep beating your straw man while we sit back and laugh. BTW, was your “journalistic” coverage of Wakefield the last time you got any attention?

Toto, thanks for your honesty. Most anti-vaccine activists hide behind the “pro safe vaccine” smokescreen. .
And keep laughing.

University-affiliated, maybe.

The local one shut down its adult inpatient floors (regular and neuro, respectively) years ago. There’s apparently still money in pediatric inpatient. I can, however, mamesh say that there’s no Internet access at the recipient’s digs.

I should also make clear (again, I think) that all of my statements are from the perspective of a visitor rather than a patient. As I guard others’ privacy more than my own, I can’t really say much more.

unshaven with greasy hair

That’s not sebum, it’s product. I’d also expect someone cultivating the stubbly look to use a purpose-built razor.

The local one shut down its adult inpatient floors (regular and neuro, respectively) years ago.

The U with which I’m affiliated has quite the medical school, and I end up using the health system here for pretty much everyting, partially because it’s definitely in network and I don’t have to deal with much paperwork, at least not since the first time I went. I’ve been to both wings of the ED a couple times in the past couple years, which says something about me, I’m sure.

(In fact, I went to the “regular” ED a year and a half ago or so, when a cyst that’d been on my neck for about six years suddenly turned into an abscess and swelled up 4 or 5 times its size in about a day, was extremely painful, etc. It was Saturday night on Memorial Day weekend by the time I realized I had to go in, so everything else was closed. The doc walked in, with my chart in hand, and asked me “what was wrong with [my] head.” “Actually, it’s my neck [you son of a b*itch, now zay azoy gut und lance this m*therf*cker, will ya?*]

*I did not actually say this part.

As I guard others’ privacy more than my own, I can’t really say much more.

My own privacy is hardly airtight anymore, I think, given the things I’ve mentioned here and there and my intials. Nu, like I said, it’s not like I’m going to be joining the CIA any time soon anyway.

@pasha Shame on me.for questioning the business acumen of the witch doctors. They’re the reason the we’re even having this conversation. Show me an anti-immunization kook and I’ll show you a naturopath, chiropractor, or other snake oil salesman within one degree of separation. You want a fuckin’ conspiracy? The dirty profit motivations to make kids sick? There it is.

In fact, I went to the “regular” ED a year and a half ago or so, when a cyst that’d been on my neck for about six years suddenly turned into an abscess and swelled up 4 or 5 times its size in about a day, was extremely painful, etc.

JP, we really don’t want to compare tales of epidermoid cysts.

Aha!

Chrome and Firefox users, go here

“As such, some of the code may have suffered from bitrot in the meantime and needs retesting on all supported blogs.”

Have you tested it? There is a working, if unfancy, Greasemonkey solution already. This (here, at least) comes down to pattern-matching on Javascript and rendering.

If this offering doesn’t have to load and then redraw the page, I’m interested.

And in related news: German newspapers report that a 18 month old boy died in a Berlin hospital due to a measles infection. Berlin has currently a measles outbreak with 574 confirmed cases since October last year, without doubt “helped” by low vaccination rates in certain areas of the city. The boy himself was not vaccinated.

Next time someone says something about a benevolent, natural children’s illness, I punch him/her in the face.

Google translate:

In a Berlin hospital doctors fought for the boy’s life, but in vain: The toddler died of measles. This was announced by Health Senator Mario Czaja said on Monday. Berlin is currently experiencing its largest measles outbreak since 2,001th

The little boy, who died last Wednesday at a measles was not vaccinated against measles. This was announced by Health Senator Mario Czaja (CDU) on Monday. The one and a half year old child was ill on February 12 in the district Reinickendorf, initially it had fever, cough, and later the texture typical rash had been added. The child’s condition had deteriorated soon, so it had to be hospitalized on 14 February.

http://www.berliner-zeitung.de/panorama/groesster-masern-ausbruch-seit-2001-nicht-geimpft–kleinkind-in-berlin-stirbt-an-masern,10808334,29948014.html

In other antii-vax news:

Adriana Gamondes produces another of her floridly free-associatve epic posts – compleat with Dia de los Muertos art work- today @ AoA.

This one expresses dislike for our own Dorit Reiss.

And many other things but I don’t have the time to dis-entangle the myriad alusions and metaphors.
You know, I did study verbal productions associated with various conditions and states of development…. but I can’t discuss that here.

Stranger — but…but it was natural, donchaknow. Natural is always better.

Does anyone know why there’s a difference in the past ten years’ measles deaths that CDC reports (2) and the measles deaths the Bureau of Vital Statistics reports (10)? Different reporting protocols?

Per the measles outbreak in Germany: “The outbreak is being traced back to a community of refugees from Serbia as well as Bosnia and Herzogovina, where routine vaccinations were not carried out during the Yugoslavian civil war.”

@shay

Good question, re: the difference in reported deaths. I’m not sure what the discrepancy is.

And many other things but I don’t have the time to dis-entangle the myriad alusions and metaphors.

She pretty much tanks the whole Twoof-Out! routine with this:

“Death did not make the cut for Reiss within that issue, nor does it in the vaccine debate—unless the deaths can be ascribed to those who resist corporate control, which, within the current US vaccination debate, are negligible since, so far, none have died from measles in ten years while, according to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, over 100 deaths have been logged in association with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.”

The “to borrow from Hindu scripture” boner is hilarious, though.

To borrow from Hindu scripture, Dorit Reiss is become corporate neoliberalism and the destroyer of consumer rights.

Given that she kept invoking the Manhattan project:

Speaking of true love, you know who had no problem grasping hold of special relativity? Members of the Manhattan Project. Readers probably should worry their pretty heads over the use of the reference by someone appointed as an authority— not just on science but on ethics in science and the use of force and absolutism in public health.

I wonder if she was invoking J. Robert Oppenheimer. Fascinating read, in any case, in a *ahem* certain way.

Karl Popper is “the father of the ‘Scientific Method'”?

“Speaking of true love, you know who had no problem grasping hold of special relativity? Members of the Manhattan Project.” I’m afraid pop culture doesn’t always get things correct, Adriana.

She then promptly demonstrates having never heard of Minkowski:

“Einstein’s original vision for relativity—which spoke to the idea of a space-time continuum and peaceful means of generating power—was derailed to the great regret of Einstein himself.”

And, apparently, that she didn’t bother to read her source, which urges development of the bomb.

Einstein’s original vision for relativity—which spoke to the idea of a space-time continuum

Lorentz and FitzGerald have a sad.

@sadmar #93- The newest vaccine conspiracist rhetorical device I’ve heard is, “we’re pro-science because science is about inquiry and we want more inquiry”, but of course the rationale for that ongoing inquiry is a bunch of flaky nonsense published in obscure literature, often written by people with academic training in unrelated fields, and being parroted by other people with sketchy credentials – chiropractors, lawyers, chemists, and garden variety know-it-all types.

In the recent Oregon hearings to eliminate nonmedical exemptions, a lawyer named Robert Smee started his remarks in opposition with a quote from Benjamin Rush (himself a bit of a moonbat), which cautioned against “medical tyranny” and other stuff. He was given high praise via dachelbot and other crank outlets, praising Mr Smee’s (yes, real name) bravery for speaking truth to power and reminding us of Dr Rush’s prophetic words. It was, of course, a common misattribution found online. These people quite literally believe their own bullshit, and don’t have the skill or rigor to discern reliable information from nonsense. It was extremely telling.

Related – round two of hearings in Oregon are scheduled for March 9th, to feature the good ex-doctor Andrew Wakefield, which should be a delightful train wreck to watch, as opponents trot out their messianic figure for what will be an inevitable ass whooping.

Annie @#129

After I posted that I did see an article that states he received every vaccine on the schedule except for the MMR.

Is Wakefraud going to paint a little silhouette of a child or maybe a coffin on the front fender of his car to take credit for his kill?

#29 – After I posted that I did see an article that states he received every vaccine on the schedule except for the MMR.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the anti-vax spin on this is that the other vaccines affected his immune system and because of this, he couldn’t fight off the measles.

Or some similar rubbish.

#142
“The newest vaccine conspiracist rhetorical device I’ve heard is, “we’re pro-science because science is about inquiry and we want more inquiry””

All pro-vaxxers consider any paper published by the CDC’s Frank DeStefano to be pure science, infallible, and above reproach.
http://www.iom.edu/reports/2004/immunization-safety-review-vaccines-and-autism.aspx
http://www.jpeds.com/article/S0022-3476(13)00144-3/pdf

AMAZINGLY, this science GOD didn’t have the foreknowledge to refuse to do research with the now infamous WHISTLEBLOWER William Thompson! Surely, he would have sensed this man’s scientific inadequacy beforehand. Surely, he would have been willing to quit his job, if forced to work with him!

But of course, HE DID NO SUCH THING! Amazingly, his COAUTHOR, Dr. William Thompson, actually admitted to SCIENTIFIC FRAUD, in writing, through his lawyer, regarding this 2004 case study acquitting Merck’s MMR vaccine.
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/

But of course, our Scientist Superman DeStephano quickly set the record straight:
“I guess, that, that is a possibility,” said DeStefano. “It’s hard to predict who those children might be, but certainly, individual cases can be studied to look at those possibilities.”
He continues to stutter and sputter through his interview with Sharyl Attiksson: http://sharylattkisson.com/cdc-possibility-that-vaccines-rarely-trigger-autism/

On Sept. 8, 2014, Whistleblower protected Thompson sent an estimated 100,000 pages of CDC vaccine safety DOCUMENTS, through his lawyer, to Congressman Bill Posey, a member of the House Space, Science, and Technology Committee. Congressman Posey had not requested these documents. NO REPORT OR ANALYSIS OF THESE CDC DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC! It has now been almost 6 months. OUR CHILDREN’S SAFETY IS AT STAKE!

PRO-VAXXERS CONSIDER THESE DOCUMENTS TO BE TRUE AND SCIENTIFIC.
PUT UP OR SHUT UP.
GET ON THE PHONE AND CALL EVERY MEMBER OF THE HOUSE SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE AND DEMAND THAT THESE DOCUMENTS BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC VIA THE COMMITTEE WEBSITE. IT IS ALREADY IN A SEARCHABLE NON-REDACTED DATABASE. THIS IS A NO-BRAINER.

My only conclusion, if this is not done immediately, IS THAT THEY ADMIT THAT VACCINES ARE NOT SAFE.

NO REPORT OR ANALYSIS OF THESE CDC DOCUMENTS HAVE BEEN RELEASED TO THE PUBLIC! It has now been almost 6 months. OUR CHILDREN’S SAFETY IS AT STAKE!

So either Congressman Posey is incompetent, or the documents don’t exist. Or both, of course.

AND BE SURE TO USE ALL CAPS AND/OR YELL AND USE REALLY LONG SENTENCES AND CITE LOTS OF “NEWLY UNCOVERED RESEARCH” BECAUSE THAT MAKES YOU MORE CREDIBLE AND WELL INFORMED AND TOTALLY NOT SEEM CRAZY OR HAVING A MANIC EPISODE.

This is a public service announcement brought to you by everybody who isn’t the government, or the media, or the medical establishment, or big pharma, or, little pharma/CROs, or public health workers, or employers, or educators, or the poor and underprivileged, or the vast majority of parents who protect their kids against preventable disease, or people who don’t have kids who casually observe this stuff and think it’s bullshit, or infants, or the faith community, or people who work in underdeveloped countries for NGOs, or the immunocompromised, or the elderly, or, basically, not you and your 400 online “friends.”

Great, now I’m doing it. Don’t feel bad, it’s easy to get sucked in.

Nice try, bumbling Bimer.

It is on phone record, via his aid, George Cecala, that Congressman Posey did indeed receive these documents. He said they were not redacted and were in a digital searchable database format.

Thompson’s lawyer also has a record of the transfer.

Your response certainly SHOWS YOUR HAND.
Who cares about children’s safety, WHEN PROFIT IS AT RISK!

Dorit said this:
“Dr. Humphries’ reading of the Bible is simplistic and problematic, because she assumes that God objects to gradual accumulation of human knowledge and to the use of that knowledge to fulfill the basic commandments of preserving life. Unsurprisingly, those with experience in actually interpreting and applying Jewish law conclude differently, and support the vaccination effort, up to mandating it. The basis for this view is the importance of life and health in Jewish law and the prohibition against placing life or health in unreasonable danger.”

Read more: Suzanne Humphries’ bad advice on the Polio vaccine | Dorit Rubinstein Reiss | The Blogs | The Times of Israel http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/suzanne-humphries-bad-advice-on-the-polio-vaccine/#ixzz3SiJ5IkAU
Follow us: @timesofisrael on Twitter | timesofisrael on Facebook

So Dorit, how do you explain this?

“Ultra-Orthodox communities refusing the 50-year-old vaccine were linked to a third of US measles cases last year
BY RENEE GHERT-ZAND December 11, 2013, 12:16 pm
http://www.timesofisrael.com/measles-vaccine-developer-warns-jewish-anti-vaxxers/

A brief switching off of the killfile reveals that Tutu is still raving about “the Yiddish.” Here, Johnnycakes. I’m sure Shmarya would love you six ways to Shabbat. Really. You need to start “commenting” there.

So Dorit, how do you respond to this accusation?

“As a taxpayer in California, I want to know if she’s posting on the job and using state resources to voice her personal opinions online. If so, she should be fired.

Like other comments, I do have to wonder how she manages to post around-the-clock. According to sources online, she lives in Fremont, at least a 48-minute commute from work each way. If she does indeed have children and a job teaching law at a state-funded University, and still finds the time to post constantly in support of the vaccine industry, something is indeed fishy.

Posted by: BShapiro | December 19, 2013 at 01:16 AM”

@Narad
Let’s just say I’m getting in touch with my Northern “Roots”.
Rum and Coke, anyone? Old habits die hard.

You do realize, Narad, that between the Middletons, the De Wolfs and the enslaved African offspring that….

So why do you want to hide Dr. William Thompson’s true results? The Rock is watching.

@Dorit,
Could you please post evidence that Mr. Netanyahu has had his TRAVEL VACCINES? We certainly wouldn’t want him to expose THE ENTIRE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO POLIO!

You can’t be too safe.

As a taxpayer in California, I want to know if she’s posting on the job and using state resources to voice her personal opinions online. If so, she should be fired.

Silly Toto, university professors aren’t paid by the hour, and they are encouraged to use university resources in outreach.

So Dorit, how do you explain this?

Not to speak for Dorit, but my explanation would be that it appears those Orthodox communities’ reading of the scripture is also simplistic and problematic.

#163 @justthestats
Are you Dorit? What University? Are you employed by them as well?
What does “in outreach” mean? That sounds like a church activity, not a scientific one.
If that is your best excuse, it certainly seems that B. Shapiro’s comments are close to the mark.

#164 @ JGC

What really amazed me was the fact that a developer of the MEASLES VACCINE, Dr. Samuel Katz, COMPLETELY DOWNPLAYED ANY REAL DANGER from the Brooklyn outbreak. His response was proper.
THE FEAR MONGERING SHILLS IN THE U.S. are the problem:

“Notably, 58 of those cases were among Hasidic Jews in the Brooklyn’s Boro Park and Williamsburg neighborhoods. It was the largest outbreak of measles in the US since 1996.

“It’s all so relative,” said Katz, who was honored last week by the CDC. “True, there were 175 cases in the US so far this year, but there are 3-4 million cases a year worldwide. In Western Europe alone there are 25,000 cases per year.””
Read more: Measles vaccine developer warns Jewish anti-vaxxers | The Times of Israel http://www.timesofisrael.com/measles-vaccine-developer-warns-jewish-anti-vaxxers/#ixzz3Sni3t3qp
Follow us: @timesofisrael on Twitter | timesofisrael on Facebook

Not to speak for Dorit, but my explanation would be that it appears those Orthodox communities’ reading of the scripture is also simplistic and problematic.

“79% of cases were in persons aged ≥12 months in three extended families whose members declined use of measles vaccine.”*

There are a number of things going on with Brooklyn haredim – deliberate lack of education, poverty, large families,** crowding in homes and yeshivas – and there are overarching cranks such as Shmuel Kamenetzky, but this is fundamentally not a religiously based phenomenon, a few psaks notwithstanding (PDF; see p. 198).

The idiotic practice of carrying on with metzitzah b’peh probably has stronger religious case.

* There was apparently also one miscarriage due to the 2013 outbreak.
** It can be hard to find time to vaccinate when you’ve got eight kids underfoot.

“* There was apparently also one miscarriage due to the 2013 outbreak.”
I saw that, but there was no confirmed evidence stated that measles was the cause. Very sad, even so.
Also, according to pro-choice law, no one died.
That is even more sickening.

@Toto:

Are you Dorit?

Not the last time I checked. If that changes, I’ll let you know.

What University?

I thought you said she teaches law.

Are you employed by them as well?

I don’t even know who she works for.

What does “in outreach” mean? That sounds like a church activity, not a scientific one.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=define+university+outreach

Could you please post evidence that Mr. Netanyahu has had his TRAVEL VACCINES? We certainly wouldn’t want him to expose THE ENTIRE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES TO POLIO!

I think the vast majority of the country would consider that an improvement.

I wondered what mental illness looks like….I guess Toto is the poster child, right?

Enough of the mental-illness putdowns; several of my personalities are borderline crazy.

Yeah, I find it deeply ironic that somebody who castigates PGP for making sweeping generalizations constantly makes comments like the one above.

As a taxpayer in California, I want to know if she’s posting on the job and using state resources to voice her personal opinions online. If so, she should be fired.

Silly Toto, university professors aren’t paid by the hour, and they are encouraged to use university resources in outreach.

I imagine that the concept of tenure is also above Tutu’s pay grade. It’s also not a “taxpayer in California,”* but whatever.

I plan to drive over to the CDC and ask Dr. Thompson myself.

* One of many.

Interestingly, the Polings only live about 30 minutes from my house.

This post should be worth $100 at least!

@Narad

It would be worth much more than $100. Perhaps my former co-worker, Katie Couric, would be interested. Or even Christiane Amanpour. However, I think Dr. Thompson agreed not to talk to the press. Hmmm. Perhaps I could interest them in tracking down MOST WANTED CDC thief, Paul Thorsen. That would fit in nicely with the storyline.

“OIG Fugitive: Poul Thorsen
Poul Thorsen
From approximately February 2004 until February 2010, Poul Thorsen executed a scheme to steal grant money awarded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC had awarded grant money to Denmark for research involving infant disabilities, autism, genetic disorders, and fetal alcohol syndrome. CDC awarded the grant to fund studies of the relationship between autism and the exposure to vaccines, the relationship between cerebral palsy and infection during pregnancy, and the relationship between developmental outcomes and fetal alcohol exposure.
Thorsen worked as a visiting scientist at CDC, Division of Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, before the grant was awarded.
The initial grant was awarded to the Danish Medical Research Council. In approximately 2007, a second grant was awarded to the Danish Agency for Science, Technology, and Innovation. Both agencies are governmental agencies in Denmark. The research was done by the Aarhaus University and Odense University Hospital in Denmark.
Thorsen allegedly diverted over $1 MILLION of the CDC grant money to his own personal bank account. Thorsen submitted fraudulent invoices on CDC letterhead to medical facilities assisting in the research for reimbursement of work allegedly covered by the grants. The invoices were addressed to Aarhaus University and Sahlgrenska University Hospital. The fact that the invoices were on CDC letterhead made it appear that CDC was requesting the money from Aarhaus University and Sahlgrenska University Hospital although the bank account listed on the invoices belonged to Thorsen.
In April 2011, Thorsen was indicted on 22 counts of Wire Fraud and Money Laundering.
According to bank account records, Thorsen purchased a home in Atlanta, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, an Audi automobile, and a Honda SUV with funds that he received from the CDC grants.
Thorsen is currently in Denmark and is awaiting extradition to the United States.”
https://oig.hhs.gov/fraud/fugitives/profiles.asp

CDC scientific fraud: an update on Dr. Poul Thorsen who authored fraudulent study ‘disproving’ vaccine-autism connection and stole millions of dollars

“(NaturalNews) The very legitimacy of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a trustworthy safeguard of public health hangs in the balance as evidence continues to emerge about rampant deception, fraud and even money laundering within the agency. Specifically with regard to vaccines and autism, key players involved in the propaganda campaign to deny this link are now being exposed as liars working on behalf of the vaccine industry.

One such liar is Dr. Poul Thorsen, a Danish scientist who was indicted for stealing millions of dollars from the CDC and using it to cover up vaccine dangers. Thorsen, as you may recall, was heavily involved in producing a stream of fraudulent studies that supposedly “disproved” the now-evident link between vaccines and autism. The CDC has also continually cited Thorsen’s studies as “evidence” that vaccines are safe, declaring the debate to be over in light of their findings.

But, one by one, these and various other studies, including a prominent one published in the journal Pediatrics, are being called into question due to fraud and author conflicts of interest. And to make matters worse, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has yet to even follow through with its indictment of Thorsen, who continues to produce phony studies from his cozy position at Sygehus Lillebaelt Hospital in Kolding, Denmark.”

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/046644_MMR_vaccine_autism_scientific_fraud.html##ixzz3SoUL21zO

“You can also contact the White House at 202-456-1414 and request for President Obama to instruct Secretary Kerry and Attorney General Holder to bring Thorsen to the U.S. and prosecute him, and you can call Congressman Darrell Issa, Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, at 202-225-3906 and ask for a hearing to be conducted on Thorsen as soon as possible. Further nstructions for doing this can be found in the last paragraph of the following piece by Age of Autism:
AgeofAutism.com. ”

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/046644_MMR_vaccine_autism_scientific_fraud.html##ixzz3SoV3Sljs

Great article. Sorry if this has already been addressed in the comments, but I wanted to ask about Dr. Bob’s statement that “Over $3 billion have been paid out to victims of vaccine reactions.” Where does that number come from? What agency is paying it and for what? I’m assuming it’s all misleading bullshit but I hear anti-vaxers use this argument all of the time. Could someone explain it to me so I can call someone on their BS the next time they bring it up? Thank you!

It took me about one minute to find this link. It speaks for itself.

Yes. But if you think it supports your beliefs, you don’t understand what it says.

Although the actual amount in question is just under 3 billion dollars and not over it. As it happens.

The actual numbers work out to just under 3 Billion dollars over 28 years – with about 1/4 of the claims for DPT, which is a vaccine that hasn’t been used in this country for over 20 years now (or longer).

The number of claims compared to the number of vaccines given (now over 2 Billion doses) shows that vaccines are so safe and effective, that every single product should have a track record that is so safe.

Compare that to automobiles – where insurance companies pay out, on average, 120 Billion dollars per year due to accidents.

Do the math, we’re talking about a couple of Trillion dollars paid up due to automobile accidents compared to under 3 Billion dollars for vaccine reactions…..

But my point was more that what that page says when speaking for itself is:

Prior to vaccination for it, pertussis regularly killed more than twice as many people in a single year than were compensated in total for any kind of injury from all vaccines combined between 1988 and 2015.

@ann – that is true, as is the case for a number of the diseases on that list as well…..

Right. What Lawrence said.

(The “But my point was…” post was addressed to Toto not Lawrence, IOW.)

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