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556 Comments
- Armed, on 05/07/2009, -12/+340Why do people with high school educations get national forums to opine on scientific and technical issues?
- Napiertt, on 05/06/2009, -27/+287Oprah and McCarthy are idiots. That's all there is to it.
- stubcn75, on 05/08/2009, -5/+162Our little boy was vaccinated yesterday, he was one year old last week. We did not hesitate for one minute. I am no scientist, I am a graphic designer, so I have to trust the medical advice given to me by our doctor and what I read. If our son develops Autism then so be it, but I find it hard to believe that we would then blame the vaccinations. But if our son died of mumps or measles and he was not vaccinated we can only blame ourselves.
Its quite shocking that play bunnies are now dishing out medical advice? Make-up advice, boob jobs, blow job advice even okay but medical advice? What kind of parent takes advice from these kind of idiots. - knwachter, on 05/07/2009, -7/+142What's disturbing is that Oprah and Ms. McCarthy are putting children at risk of contracting truly horrible disease AND drawing attention and resources away from finding the real causes of autism spectrum disorders. A reasonable person would consider the possibilty that she might be wrong and work to encourage more research, not insist that mountains of evidence are wrong about vaccines having no role in autism.
- XcastigatorX, on 05/07/2009, -8/+120The really upsetting thing is that there are people entrusted with the raising of children who are stupid enough to think they should listen to Jenny McCarthy when it comes to serious medical issues.
- acdcfanbill, on 05/08/2009, -4/+106"She believes that vaccines made her 7-year-old son autistic—and that she "recovered" him with alternative therapies, as she details in her parenting books."
So her kid isn't even ***** autistic in the first place?! - Stormwern, on 05/08/2009, -5/+84Isn't there a crime called child endangerment?
- cmallinson, on 05/08/2009, -5/+81After seeing Jenny on TV so much lately, I'm becoming pretty sure that her son is not autistic and never was. He doesn't have the symptoms, and was probably one of the many kids that are diagnosed with autism because their doctor thought it was the best way to describe their symptoms.
- r0g3r, on 05/08/2009, -3/+76Jonas Salk is turning over in his grave.
- Hecubus452, on 05/08/2009, -8/+79Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) is one of the worst forms of pseudoscience because it's responsible for people dying or getting ill. Because of Jenny McCarthy, kids get these preventable diseases, because parents listen to these idiots on Oprah and don't get their kids vaccinated. Jenny McCarthy has some degree of responsibility for every kid who's harmed by not getting vaccinated.
- sodoh, on 05/08/2009, -3/+73I think the main sticking point is that Vaccines are not always 100% effective and some people can have side effects.
Those statements are true. The problem is that people run with those statements and think that something that is say 99% effective is not effective at all.
The only real link between the two is that symptoms are easier to diagnose around the time vaccines should be taken. I wonder if the method to diagnose was sooner they would not just blame something else. Like taking Folic acid for example.
Actually a quick google it appears that meme is already floating around. - BlackJackJester, on 05/08/2009, -3/+66I'm going to Africa in 2 months and thanks to vaccines I won't be spreading yellow fever all around the country!
- cmallinson, on 05/08/2009, -2/+59Then the studies will who that they are right. The claims McCarthy makes are easily testable. So far, studies have shown there is no correlation at all.
- strangewill, on 05/08/2009, -3/+58I have, and they are.
Countless stay at home mothers I have argued with, that can't understand the basics of chemistry or scientific method but rant that this stuff is real, ugh. - inactive, on 05/08/2009, -2/+57Science/Medicine/Presumption Fail.
E.g. in the UK, there was staunch resistance to the MMR vaccines, spread by the media as if it was the truth (Oprah style). So, vaccination rates dropped from 96% (98% is recommended, as measles is so contagious) to 70% in somne areas. As a result, there was a mini-epeidemic of measles and 100 children died. 100 children who would still be alive today, if it wasn't for people like you spreading lies.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/ ... - bigysmalls, on 05/07/2009, -8/+63This is a disaster waiting to happen. We can only hope Oprah sees the light and stops this before it starts!
- cmallinson, on 05/08/2009, -1/+53Actually they don't. There is no evidence that vaccines cause autism.
- dnc34, on 05/08/2009, -11/+62It's about capitalizing on fear; Oprah isn't an idiot.
- Enlightenment, on 05/08/2009, -0/+50+1 for Blow Job Advice!
- XtheXlanternX, on 05/08/2009, -5/+55The saddest part about all of this is that people die all the time because of OTHER people being unvaccinated. Just recently, a baby girl died in Australia from pertussis (whooping cough) which is completely preventable. The baby was too young to be vaccinated, so young children rely on herd immunity. Due to really low vaccination rates in her area (less than 70%), pertussis outbreaks have become somewhat common, and this baby died because parents were too stupid to vaccinate their children (or get boosters for themselves). There have been countless studies showing no links between thimerisol, MMR vaccines, or any other vaccine and autism. Even though we have eliminated thimerisol, mercury, and all types of other things these groups cried about, autism rates still increase. Recent studies show that autism is likely to be genetic. Mothers who are over the age of 35 and mothers who have breech births are more likely to have autistic children. It is only a matter of time until we build a bigger picture on what causes autism, but it is certainly not vaccines. These people aren't just endangering their own (and their children's health), they are endanger YOU and YOUR CHILDREN because we all rely upon herd immunity. These unvaccinated mongrels provide the perfect breeding ground for drug resistant infections which would have never been even given an opportunity to exist in a vaccinated person.
For more information, check out the blog Science Based Medicine at www.sciencebasedmedicine.org (I am not associated with them). This is a group of physicians who regularly provide very very detailed summaries and analysis of new medical information. If you put in autism in the search field, you will get a point by point deconstruction (and debunking) of every point these antivaxxers make.
If these antivaxx people focused all of their energy on finding the cure for autism (rather than spending all their time, money, and effort trying to prove their hypothesis-- the complete opposite of the scientific method), we could find a cure and help the kids. Instead, they refuse to give up on the idea that a quack researcher who was actually PAID to lie about a link between vaccines and autism put into their head. - Tichondrius74, on 05/08/2009, -2/+49The other side of that is that they could die.
- charm803, on 05/08/2009, -5/+51Let's humor this concept for a minute and pretend that it's true.
People with autism can be very functional people. In college, there was a girl who had autism. She lacked a lot in social skills but she knew how to draw very detailed and awesome art. She is a very accomplished artists. Sure, her social skills are not like mine, but that doesn't make her a bad person.
We assume that people who are not like the "rest of us" are "weird" when in reality, we need to learn to find ways to incorporate autistic people into society. Even people with Down's Syndrome can be highly functional.
That being said, I would rather put my child at risk for autism than death through a disease.
People are blaming the connection with vaccinations because only recently have we been able to learn and understand more about autism, which helps us notice it sooner rather than later. - Stormwern, on 05/08/2009, -2/+47If he doesn't have autism anymore, then he certainly never had it. You can't cure a neurological disorder with therapy, only mask it.
- Chooxo, on 05/08/2009, -9/+53Who'd have thunk it: Jenny McCarthy, public health hazard.
- charm803, on 05/08/2009, -1/+45I am beginning to think he was just a shy little kid. I mean, his mom is all over the internets nakkid.
- juneau, on 05/08/2009, -1/+44Citation needed.
- purvisxiii, on 05/08/2009, -4/+46McCarthy's not a skeptic. She's a dogmatic believer.
- MacEnvy, on 05/08/2009, -0/+40Herpes, on the other hand ...
- r0g3r, on 05/08/2009, -1/+41Vaccines have completely eradicated some of the most dangerous diseases known to man. Ever heard of a little virus called "polio?" Have you ever met a kid with polio? Thanks to vaccines, I can be certain you haven't met one in the last 50 years. I don't think turning that around would be a good idea.
- bratterscain, on 05/08/2009, -4/+43Because the housewives want it so. They seem to run the country. Behind every great man....
Every time I used to build houses, guess who the main decision makers were regarding what was built, where it was built, and how? Yep, the wives. But yeah, they should go back to the kitchen regarding this issue. - murdockat, on 05/08/2009, -0/+37@mannajar
The page you linked with anti-vax claims is absurd and each one of them has been disproven many times. Anti-vaxers are like creationists, they keep repeating the same tired arguments despite evidence mounting against them. Let's review their claims:
-Vaccination Prevents Natural Immunity
This argument doesn't even make any sense. The immune system reacts against foreign antigens. This is how it "naturally" works. Vaccines introduce foreign antigens. There is nothing unnatural about it.
-So Many Shots
This is one of the most loathsome argument by anti-vaxers. Two things: the total antigen load of vaccines is far smaller today than it was 30 years ago, despite the total number of vaccines increasing. Not only that, but the average human being is exposed to more antigens simply by LIVING. Do you know how many different bacteria, viruses, and funguses (and by extension, antigens) are living on your skin? You ever put a finger in your mouth? Bam, you just "challenged your immune system" with tons of antigens -- far more than any vaccine or 50. Does sticking your finger in your mouth overwhelm you? No!
FTA:"Furthermore, the DPT vaccine forces an immune response to diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis" ... why is this a bad thing? As I said, you put your finger in your mouth, you force an immune response to Staph aureus, staph epidermidis, group A strep, numerous fungi, and more. You brush your teeth, you force an immune reaction to the hundreds of bacterial species that live in the mouth. Why are the 10 bacteria and viruses we immunize against so different?
-Evidence of Vaccine Harm
This one is great. They use a bad vaccine from the 60s as evidence that all vaccines are bad. Next argument please.
-Adverse Events Not Reported Or Tracked
They actually are pretty well tracked.
-Hepatitis B Vaccine At Birth
Hepatitis B is a terrible disease to get, particularly from birth. Some mothers don't even know they have the disease. But of all vaccines, I would say this one could potentially be omitted at birth.
-Families "Compensated" For Loss Of Their Child
As if an act of congress proves scientifically that vaccines are bad. Next.
-Do Vaccines Even Work?
Yes, they work very well... particularly when everybody gets vaccinated. The rate of a successful immunization isn't 100%, so those whose immune systems don't take (read about HLA subtypes and MHC complexes to understand why some immune systems don't react against certain antigens as well as others) rely on others whose immune systems do react against the diseases. The fact of the matter is that most outbreaks of things like measles occur in communities with a high anti-vaccination rate.
Plus, when was the last time you saw something like polio, mumps, or rubella in your community? I know one person who is deaf from a in-utero infection with rubella -- before the vaccine was invented. I bet he wishes the rubella vaccine existed back then.
-Vaccination Did Not End Epidemics
Stupid. As above.
-Big Business Creates Pressure to Vaccinate
So does the NIH, and then have no incentive to push unhelpful vaccines on the public. Let's say they were covering up bad effects of vaccines such as autism. Do you think they NIH prefers to pay for neurodevelopmentally challenged children their whole life? These children cost society a lot of money. The NIH has no reason to continue an activity that costs them a ton of money. - hopperny, on 05/08/2009, -1/+36There is no mercury (Thiomerosol) in childhood vaccines...
Stop peddling this ignorant nonsense... Five minutes of research would have told you this... - morpheus69, on 05/08/2009, -4/+39I think it's ironic that when it comes to vaccines, these parents unwilling to listen to the evidence provided by the medical establishment because they think they are in the pocket of the "big pharma", but when it comes to that same medical establishment diagnosing their kids with "being on the autism spectrum" they nod their heads, open their wallets and plunk down tens of thousands of dollars on consultations and medicines. Pharmaceutical companies make far more money selling expensive psychiatric drugs to kids than they do selling vaccines (which are mostly out of patent and therefore generic). If you were a real conspiracy theorist, you would question the autism diagnoses, not the safety of vaccines.
- swissjames, on 05/08/2009, -4/+39Hell yeah!
I mean 60,000 Pediatricians (in the US alone) disagree- but do any of them have ***** as nice as Jenny McCarthy? - morpheus69, on 05/08/2009, -6/+40The real idiots are the parents....
I think it's ironic that when it comes to vaccines, these parents are unwilling to listen to the evidence provided by the medical establishment because they think they are in the pocket of "big pharma", but when it comes to that same medical establishment diagnosing their kids with "being on the autism spectrum" they nod their heads, open their wallets and plunk down tens of thousands of dollars on consultations and medicines. Pharmaceutical companies make far more money selling expensive psychiatric drugs to kids than they do selling vaccines (which are mostly out of patent and therefore generic).
If you were smart, wouldn't you question the autism diagnoses, rather than the safety of vaccines? - Flagg3, on 05/08/2009, -2/+34Sorry, he is completely wrong, and frankly I find it disgusting that idiots like him would endanger countless lives in order to sell a few books.
I am so sick of people who don't understand that 'correlation' does not mean 'causation'. This idiot claims that there is overwhelming evidence that thimerosal causes autism, because of some inane correlation that because thimerosal use increased in vaccines and autism increased that the two are linked. Two fatal flaws in that theory.
FACT: Autism rates have skyrocketed for the simple reason that the term 'autism' has vastly expanded to include several social disorders that were never diagnosed 20 years ago. Of course rates have skyrocketed.
FACT: Thimerosal was removed from ALL recommended infant vaccines by March 2001! Hooray, we have saved the children. But wait, Autism rates are STILL SKYROCKETING. There goes that correlation out the window. It's simple science, if thimerosal were related to Autism, there would have been a correlating decline with the decline of thimerosal usage. There was no decline at all.
FACT: Robert F Kennedy is an attorney. He has no business giving people medical advice, period. - inactive, on 05/08/2009, -0/+32Hey guys, I had aids, but then i did some alternative therapies, now my aids are gone
buy my book - samrum, on 05/08/2009, -6/+37Over 9000 penises...
- morpheus69, on 05/08/2009, -1/+32Oprah is running a business. Jenny McCarthy is popular with Oprah's demographic. It's all about money. Jenny could be a mass murderer, and it wouldn't matter so long as she's popular...
- bronsonman, on 05/08/2009, -2/+33FrozenPie, so you wouldn't want your children being vaccinated when their bodies have yet to fully develop their immune system and when infected, are less capable of defending the body?
Your statement shows zero fundamental logic: bodies are most hyperactive stage of growth and development: that involves the immune system too genius. why do you think the young and the elderly are more prone to actually developing contagious diseases? - ThaDRD, on 05/08/2009, -4/+34This ***** just wants something to blame for her son's autism. Sorry bitch, ***** happens...people can be born with problems. Deal with it and stop dragging people into your ***** theories.
- ThaDRD, on 05/08/2009, -1/+30Not likely...she thinks there's a pedo group with over 9000 penises that are out raping children.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7liYfhRgXGk - morpheus69, on 05/08/2009, -1/+30How many people who believe this anti-vaccination ***** have actually done the research? And I'm talking about real research, not just reading McCarthy's books and blogs...
- cr12345, on 05/08/2009, -1/+30Can't she capitalize on fear AND be an idiot?
- hopperny, on 05/08/2009, -0/+29What "preservatives" are you referring to? Thiomerosol?
There hasn't been any Thiomerosol in childhood vaccines since 2001. Try again... - charm803, on 05/08/2009, -4/+32So I should let my child die?
I'd pick autism over a dead child, personally. - spambutcher, on 05/08/2009, -6/+33> digg me down, but what if they are right?
and what if George Bush senior is a reptilian?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwKcjRD1DNE
huh? what about that? did you think about that? why isn't anyone talking about this????
(oh - that's right - because it's complete and utter ***** - no scientific basis. nothing but the speculation of paranoid nutjobs with verbal diarrhea) - bratterscain, on 05/08/2009, -0/+27netdroid9, 8 years in Florida and Georgia doing residential construction. Actually, using the phrase, "every time", was an exaggeration. But I should've said most of the time they seem the main decision makers.
- juneau, on 05/08/2009, -1/+28I wonder how long it'll be before they do a study on the number of deaths related to medical advice prescribed by actors and actresses?
- charm803, on 05/08/2009, -2/+28"The only real link between the two is that symptoms are easier to diagnose around the time vaccines should be taken. "
You hit it right one the nail.
They get vaccinated at the time when children are creating their own personalities, and it has been proven already that many children were misdiagnosed, that many were just developing at a different rate socially.
(I saw the link on fark.com and I'm trying to look for it again.)
I was a shy kid up until high school, but I was a genius in school, because since I didn't have many friends, I would focus on school. I could have been misdiagnosed, but luckily, I was just considered a nerd. -
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