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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Politics Popular culture

When RFK Jr. lies that he’s “not antivaccine”

Earlier this month, CNN host Kasie Hunt interviewed antivax presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Although she did better than most journalists confronting him for his past antivax statements in that she played a clip of one of his antivax statements, she clearly hadn’t anticipated his response, which should have been very predictable given that he’s been using it for at least 15 years. I guess it’s time for another primer.

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Antivaccine nonsense Medicine Pseudoscience

SIDS, SADS, death and destruction: Antivaxxers resurrect an old lie to bolster a new lie

With antivaxxers blaming sudden adult death syndrome (SADS) on COVID-19 vaccines, of course, they’re citing SIDS now as being caused by MMR.

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Antivaccine nonsense Autism Medicine Politics Pseudoscience Quackery Skepticism/critical thinking

No, vaccines do not cause sudden infant death syndrome, a Vaccine Court decision notwithstanding

There was a rumbling in the antivaccine underground a week ago about a recent ruling by the Vaccine Court compensating parents of a child who died of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In a confused and scientifically highly flawed decision, the Special Master Thomas Gowen didn’t rule that vaccines cause SIDS, but did rule that they contributed to SIDS in this one case. Soon, the message will be that vaccines cause SIDS. They don’t. The Vaccine Court screwed up.

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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Politics Quackery Science Skepticism/critical thinking

The annals of “I’m not antivaccine,” part 14: Vaccine “Trafficking” and beyond

If there’s one good thing about the ongoing Disneyland measles outbreak that is continuing to spread, if there can be a “good thing” about an outbreak of vaccine-preventable disease that didn’t have to happen, it’s that it’s put the antivaccine movement on the defensive. They are definitely feeling the heat. Their reaction to that heat […]

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Antivaccine nonsense Complementary and alternative medicine Medicine Politics Quackery

Antivaccinationists will be holding a Congressional briefing to attack the Vaccine Court tomorrow

People who follow the antivaccine movement might remember that around this time last year, Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA), a particularly antiscience legislator who appears to be trying to take up the antivaccine mantle left behind when Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) retired at the end of the last session of Congress. Given that he now chairs […]