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Antivaccine nonsense Clinical trials Medicine

WTF happened to The BMJ?

The BMJ recently published an “exposé” by Paul Thacker alleging patient unblinding, data falsification, and other wrongdoing by a subcontractor. It was a highly biased story embraced by antivaxxers, with a deceptively framed narrative and claims not placed into proper context, leading me to look into the broader question: WTF happened to The BMJ? (Updated and revised from a week ago.)

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking

Antivaxxers’ efforts to undermine confidence in COVID-19 vaccines continue apace

As more and more COVID-19 vaccines find their way into more and more arms, there are reports of bad things happening to people after vaccination. As I’ve been predicting, antivaxxers are now weaponizing these reports and anecdotes before they have even been investigated in order to spread fear, uncertainty, and doubt about vaccines. They’re even blaming Hank Aaron’s death on vaccines.

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Medicine Skepticism/critical thinking

No, WHO scientists did not “question the safety of vaccines” at the Global Vaccine Safety Summit

The World Health Organization recently held its Global Vaccine Safety Summit. Antivaccine propagandist Del Bigtree cherry picked quotes to make it seem as though WHO scientists were questioning vaccine safety and made a video. Unfortunately, that video went viral. Fortunately, even those cherry picked quotes weren’t very convincing.

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Antivaccine nonsense Clinical trials Medicine

Yet more evidence that the antivaccine trope of “too many too soon” is nonsense

One of the most persuasive antivaccine talking points to parents tends to be the claim that babies are getting “too many too soon.” Here’s yet more evidence added to copious other evidence that this particular trope is just that, a trope.

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Bad science Popular culture Pseudoscience Quackery

Stephanie Seneff: Blaming glyphosate in biofuels and e-cigs for COVID-19

Stephanie Seneff, who is antivaccine and anti-GMO, is a computer scientist who fancies herself an epidemiologist. Yesterday, she wrote a post blaming glyphosate in biofuels and e-cigs for COVID-19. Hilarity ensued.