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Anti-Semitism Antivaccine nonsense Autism Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Science Skepticism/critical thinking

As states try to crack down on non-medical exemptions to school vaccine mandates, antivaccinationists lose it (yellow Star of David edition)

With the Disneyland measles outbreak still going strong and striking far more unvaccinated than vaccinated, it’s not surprising that a discussion has begun in some states about lax policies that permit religious and/or philosophical exemptions. In Oregon, for example, the legislature is considering SB442, a bill apparently originally intended to provide a technical fix to […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Humor Medicine Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking Television

Bill Maher doubles down on his antivaccine misinformation…again

I really don’t want Mondays to be come “let’s refute and make fun of the conspiratorial antivaccine nonsense Bill Maher said on his show Friday night.” I really don’t. However, I figured that I might have to devote Monday to that one more time this week after Maher really let his antivaccine freak flag fly […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Television

False balance about vaccines rises from the grave…again

Imagine, if you will, a time machine capsule going all the way back to the earliest days of this blog, back in 2005 and 2006. Now consider the antivaccine movement, which somehow I became very interested in very early, an interest that continues to this day. Do you remember one theme that I kept hitting […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Popular culture Skepticism/critical thinking

The Disneyland measles outbreak continues apace, and a woman refuses quarantine

Brief Orac follow up note, January 21, 2015: Antivaccine pediatrician “Dr. Bob” Sears responds to his patients’ parents’ concerns about the Disneyland measles outbreak. Hilarity ensues. Last week, the self-proclaimed “happiest place on earth” wasn’t so happy. You’ve probably figured out that what I’m referring to is the latest measles outbreak. Some of you have […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Bioethics Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Politics Popular culture Quackery

When the outbreaks occur, they’ll start in California, 2014 edition

Countering the misinformation regularly promulgated by the antivaccine movement, be it antivaccinationists who are completely off the deep end, like Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the crew at the antivaccine crank blog Age of Autism, or that epitome of the Dunning-Kruger effect mixed with an annoying self-absorption and coffee klatch vibe (that is when it’s not […]