Posted on 02/09/2015 11:01:01 AM PST by jazusamo
The current controversy over whether parents should be forced to have their children vaccinated for measles is one of the painful signs of our times. Measles was virtually wiped out in the United States, years ago. Why the resurgence of this disease now?
The short answer is that false claims, based on other false claims, led many parents to stop getting their children vaccinated against measles.
The key false claim was that the vaccine for measles caused an increase in autism. This claim was made in 1998 by a doctor writing in a distinguished British medical journal, so it is understandable that many parents took it seriously, and did not want to run the risk of having their child become autistic.
Fortunately, others took the claim seriously in a very different sense. They did massive studies involving half a million children in Denmark and two million children in Sweden. These studies showed that there was no higher incidence of autism among children who had been vaccinated than among children who had not been vaccinated.
Incidentally, the "evidence" on which the original claim that vaccines caused autism was based was just 12 children. But the campaign to convince the public was a masterpiece of propaganda.
The story line was that pharmaceutical companies who produced the vaccine were callously risking and sacrificing helpless children in pursuit of profit. This is the kind of dramatic stuff the media love. It never seemed to occur to the media that lawyers who were suing pharmaceutical companies had a vested interest in this story line that the media fed on to the public.
(Excerpt) Read more at creators.com ...
Well then how was I “missing the point”?
My comment was in reference to the contents of his column.
And children die of complications of the common cold
Did you read the article? The reason for the increase in autism cases is that the definition of what constitutes autism has been expanded. Cases which were previously not considered autism are now counted. There is no evidence at all that it has anything to do with vaccination.
Pediatricians, other doctors, nurses, and now Sowell, all in the pocket of big pharma.
Not me mind you, but there are a select group of people out there who have bought into this hype hook line and sinker.
Now, let’s blame immigrants for infecting our kids with things our kids should be immune to right now.
It’s not that the out of control wave of illegal AND legal immigrants isn’t a problem, because it is. That is still moving the ball off the point.
Don’t blame other people because you were too big an idiot to get off your ass and protect your children.
Don’t blame other people because your child has become ill needlessly.
And quit blaming other people for pointing out the obvious to you.
Autism isn’t on the rise. Reported cases of autism is. When you go looking for something, you find it.
Bump
Must have had something to do with all those polar bears on icebergs. Brian Williams reports.
Thanks...
Wish I could remember which thread.
It could be that the modern noisy classroom with group activities, incredible amounts of motion and distraction and little isolation are not positive environments for those with autism or Asperger's. I'm just not buying that autism isn't a bigger problem than it once was....and it isn't just criteria for the diagnosis.
I remember seeing that graph as well.
Forgetting about vaccinations for a moment, I’m wondering what effects the taking of prescribed drugs for ADD, ADHD and depression have on babies born to those users. I have the same concerns about those same drugs relating to school shootings, etc.
Another reason why the number of children regarded as mentally retarded has fallen is because of the "R" part of the MMR vaccine, which stands for "Rubella." Although the vast majority of healthy children and adults have nothing to fear from Rubella other than a few days of fever and discomfort, the virus is extremely dangerous to pregnant women and their unborn children in that rubella significantly increases the risk of miscarriage and stillborn children, as well as severe mental retardation, deafness, and other severe health defects for those children who survive birth. Indeed, I am old enough to remember the public service announcements during the 1960s before the introduction of the rubella vaccine urging pregnant women during rubella outbreaks to avoid crowded places where there is a greater likelihood of contracting the disease.
Here you go:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3253128/posts
The rise in autism also tracks the rise in global warming, the election a person named "Bush" to the POTUS, the number of cable channels available on Comcast, and the number of women who do not smoke while pregnant.
Like you I’ve thought about that also and believe they are over prescribed, probably due to parents.
When I was in school those drugs were not available, some kids were more active even to the point of being trouble makers but as they grew older I believe most calmed down.
Boys will be boys used to be an adage. Now it’s a disease.
Those medicated kids are now grown up and having children of their own. Is there an accumulative effect?
Measles is a very dangerous infection in infants and young children. It can and does kill. Mumps in adolescents can and does lead to multiple complications from meningitis to sterility.
Preventing these highly infectious diseases is certainly worth paying attention to.
Or stop letting the diseased illegals in the country.
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