At first I wasn't going to write this post since I believe that a film that appears to be (at least in part) based on thoroughly discredited, fear-mongering nonsense should get as little attention as possible.
Then after browsing several anti-vaccine and conspiracist websites I found as I suspected, that this has already exploded and whatever I write here won't make matters any worse.
The film 'Vaxxed' is directed by Mr Andrew Wakefield, a former physician who lost his medical license after research that he had authored, was found fraudulent (containing as I understand it, both methodological and ethical flaws).
Just watching the trailer for this film elevated my BP into dangerous territory. How is it that this man keeps promoting the same debunked data to this day? Hasn't it caused enough harm already?
It seems that anti-vaccine proponents span the entire spectrum from sadly misinformed to clearly unhinged. However, no matter what their individual motivation happens to be, they are in my opinion dangerous. We have fought a hard battle against diseases that today are vaccine-preventable. Millions of children have died in the past and some still do, to this day. We don't see much of it in first-world countries due to the success of vaccines. Anti-vaccine proponents seem to believe that the "olden days" were better. I think it's deeply worrisome.
In my escapades around the internet, I've found all sorts of scary blogs, clips and opinions relating to childhood vaccines.
This YouTube clip rather amusingly (in a sad way) has 90 likes and zero (!) dislikes (probably because no rational person would even click on it in the first place). (I'm not sure what this says about me)
Anyway this women thinks that nagalese (an enzyme) is added on purpose to vaccines in order to induce autism, cancer and type 2 diabetes in vaccine recipients. And the doctors who discovered this were subsequently murdered to cover this up. This vaccine tampering seems to be a part of some nefarious population control plot.
(It seems that alpha-N-acetylgalactoseaminidase (referred to as nagalese in the YouTube clip) can deglycosylate vitamin D binding protein (DBP) and DBP plays a role in the immune cascade response. So it seems that alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase can interfere with the immune response. While some cancer cells can release alpha-N-acetylgalactosaminidase, I've found no proof that injecting them into humans induces cancers, never mind autism and DMII. I will however admit that I didn't spend an inordinate amount of time researching her theory).
I admit that this last video is a bit extreme. But this woman and other "anti-vaxxers" have one thing on common. They are willing to accept something as true, even when there is no supporting evidence available.
Serious questions:
* Why are some people so vulnerable/susceptible to flawed logic and poor research?
* What can we as nurses/healthcare professionals do to ensure that our patients base their decisions on sound evidence-based facts or at least have the opportunity to do so? Or should we just reconcile ourselves with the fact that a portion of the population will base their decisions on questionable or outright false information, misconceptions and fear?
This is obviously a hot topic with a varying degree of opinions, but I have to at least play devil's advocate despite that I'm not anti-vaccine. I, personally, am vaccine choice because, in all reality, it is an invasive medical treatment and should be regarded with the same informed consent as any other procedure. Forcing any medical procedure on anyone--child or not--is a slippery slope and not something that should be taken lightly. Advocating for mandatory vaccines is advocating for the elimination of the right to refuse treatment. I assure you that once the precedent has been set that choice is no longer given on one medical procedure, it's only a matter of time until other treatments are no longer optional-- chemo? dialysis? CKD & cancer may not be contagious, but the decision to refuse treatment still affects other people. So, should those people be forced into treatments they don't want because other people are involved? Just a thought.
I also think the biggest mistake people make when discussing those that are considered "anti-vaxxers" is 1) lumping them all into the same category and 2) assuming that their only concern or source of concern is Andrew Wakefield and the threat of autism. The fact is that there are a lot of people that are labeled "anti-vax" when they advocate for an augmented schedule or are maybe only against only certain vaccinations but not all. Or, potentially, some don't vaccinate their children when they are very young but will when they are older. There's a broad spectrum out there, but the generalizations that exist make it seem like anyone that has any concerns about vaccines is a whack job that would try to cure measles with a bowl of petunias. It's just not true, and there are a lot of legitimate concerns out there that have nothing to do with autism like the media fear-mongers would have you believe.
Some of the concerns of so-called "anti-vaxxers" that have nothing to do with autism:
1) Vaccines are the only medication given to children that is not dosed by weight. So, a 4 lb newborn would be given the same dose of HepB as a 12 lb newborn. If that doesn't sound strange to you, then it's probably because you just don't care to think about it.
2) Vaccines are pretty much the only medical procedure out there that "scientists" absolutely refuse to do more research on. The argument is that "the science is in and there's no reason to keep looking into it." Hardly anything in history has been 100% proven and therefore not worth continuing research on. There's a reason in science why there are theories vs hypotheses vs laws. In this instance, vaccine safety is still a theory, not a law and more research could always yield different results. For a long time people were convinced that the Earth was square. As much as they argued that to be the case, further research proved it to be untrue. Everything is always worth continued research, especially when it comes to the safety of children.
3) As many studies have been done on vaccines, there are none that have researched the vaccine schedule in whole, only vaccines individually.
4) As others have mentioned, the corruption within the government, Big Pharma, and research facilities is real. Most of the studies done to prove vaccine safety are either performed, sponsored, or paid for by the vaccine manufacturers themselves. That's called bias, and those studies should be questioned. Any research with heavy bias should be. Likewise, the CDC, the vaccine companies, and the research facilities swap employees so often that they might as well be one large company. As one example, Julie Gerberding, Executive VP of Global Public Policy and Population Health for Merck used to work as a Director for the CDC. That's called conflict of interest.
5) The whole "herd immunity" theory is majorly questionable. No vaccine is 100% effective, so you have some people not covered there. Vaccines also wear off over time, so there's another group of people not immunized. Finally, older adults never had to be vaccinated for a lot of the things we currently vaccinate for. So, the likelihood that >84% of the population of the US is currently fully immunized per CDC schedule is less than zero.
6) Autoimmune diseases are on the rise. It's well known that just about anything can trigger an autoimmune disease in those that are susceptible. Unfortunately, most people do not get tested for susceptibility until it's too late for them. So, is it possible that vaccines could be the catalyst for some autoimmune diseases or cause complications? Yes, very possible. Unfortunately, there is currently no medical exemption afforded to those with immune system dysfunction or the children of someone with autoimmune dysfunction. Does that mean they shouldn't get any vaccinations? No. But does it mean they should potentially stay away from live vaccines? Probably.
7) Many strictly pro-vaccine people refuse the flu vaccine. Why? The flu and pneumonia kills more older adults and children each year than most of the diseases we vaccinate against have in the last 50 years.
8) Some of the diseases we vaccinate for are not as serious as the fear-mongering media make them out to be. With the advances in modern medicine, most of the patients (measles, mumps, chickenpox, etc) are treatable at home. In fact, the main treatment for measles is Vitamin A and rest. Scary. As with anything, early intervention is the key to prevention of serious complications.
The way I look at it, there are real concerns with vaccines out there and we, as a society, owe it to our children to do everything we can to make sure we are providing them with the best and safest care. I think that vaccines, like any medication or procedure, should be subject to unbiased continual research for safety and efficacy.
Finally, as a parent, I am inclined to believe people when they say that their child was developing normally until they received a vaccine. I know my son better than anyone else and I could tell you without a doubt if he were to radically change behavior. Shaming parents that are searching for answers, even if you don't agree about the cause of their concern, is not responsible or ethical. As health professionals, feeling empathy and wanting to help these families should be the easy answer.
My hope here is not to change the mind of those that read this. I understand that most are going to stay on their side of the fence with regard to vaccines. However, I only hope that the conversation can one day be civil and all sides can agree that research should never be concluded in this important matter. My apologies that this is so long-winded.
All that good and great, except one thing. One very little thing.
Does anyone in this country has freedom to randomly kill other human beings for his or her perceived personal advantage?
It is not about perverts and serial killers. It is about a havoc ONE kiddo sick with measles can wrap over community. BTW, if you still thinking that measles is an innocent stay in home for a week and vitamin A, think again. I had measles, and ended up a hairline off death from pneumonia. And, as a result of concerted efforts of keeping my poor lungs alive for the last 30+ years, I got subclinical immunodeficiency. Whether I am vaccinated or not, my immune system works its own way.
So, if I meet such a sneezing kiddo in a corridor, I will have a good chance to die or end up in condition which is much worse than death. I work with people dying from COPD. Death is much preferable than that sort of existence.
Same goes about people with much effort cured from cancer. Diabetics. HD dwellers. That lady on chronic steroids.That cool guy who, unknown to you, is on high immunosupression for Crohn's. That other cute little one who survived bone marrow transplant. Yet another baby, who was born 1 pound and is waiting for vaccines. We all are around you, living, working, living our lives. Nothing is written on our foreheads. And that one kid with measles can kill all of us, pronto. Do you, as a nurse, supposed to care and blah, think that killing or putting through torture of vent wean of other innocent people in the name of your poorly founded fears would be okay?
I am all for personal freedom, but your freedom ends where mine starts. If you are ready to accept responsibility and go to jail to the end of your life for involuntary manslaughter in case your child infects a susceptible person and this person dies, then go ahead and do what you want with your own life and that of your children. But you have no human right to do otherwise, and nobody else has.
All that good and great, except one thing. One very little thing.
Does anyone in this country has freedom to randomly kill other human beings for his or her perceived personal advantage?
It is not about perverts and serial killers. It is about a havoc ONE kiddo sick with measles can wrap over community. BTW, if you still thinking that measles is an innocent stay in home for a week and vitamin A, think again. I had measles, and ended up a hairline off death from pneumonia. And, as a result of concerted efforts of keeping my poor lungs alive for the last 30+ years, I got subclinical immunodeficiency. Whether I am vaccinated or not, my immune system works its own way.
So, if I meet such a sneezing kiddo in a corridor, I will have a good chance to die or end up in condition which is much worse than death. I work with people dying from COPD. Death is much preferable than that sort of existence.
Same goes about people with much effort cured from cancer. Diabetics. HD dwellers. That lady on chronic steroids.That cool guy who, unknown to you, is on high immunosupression for Crohn's. That other cute little one who survived bone marrow transplant. Yet another baby, who was born 1 pound and is waiting for vaccines. We all are around you, living, working, living our lives. Nothing is written on our foreheads. And that one kid with measles can kill all of us, pronto. Do you, as a nurse, supposed to care and blah, think that killing or putting through torture of vent wean of other innocent people in the name of your poorly founded fears would be okay?
I am all for personal freedom, but your freedom ends where mine starts. If you are ready to accept responsibility and go to jail to the end of your life for involuntary manslaughter in case your child infects a susceptible person and this person dies, then go ahead and do what you want with your own life and that of your children. But you have no human right to do otherwise, and nobody else has.
I understand where you're coming from, and I can sympathize with your situation and the situations of many that are more susceptible. That being said, any illness can push immunocompromised people over the edge. So, if a parent of a non-vaccinated child should be held accountable for, should a person whose vaccine protection fails also be held accountable? You could argue that the family of the vaccinated child should have been diligent enough to check titers to ensure immunity before letting their child ravage the countryside, right?
Should someone who goes out in public with a cold also be held accountable if someone else contracts it, which then leads to pneumonia and they die? Should every person (which includes a lot of healthcare professionals) that refuses the flu shot be penalized? Should I sue the family of the kid who comes to school unknowingly with lice and transfers it to my kid? I'm just asking, where's the line here?
I mean absolutely no offense by this, but if you want to argue personal accountability, then that means also not pointing the fingers at others for one's conditions. Let's say my child is immunocompromised, and I send them to daycare (which is well known to be germ-laden) where they get measles from an unvaccinated child. Is it the unvaccinated child's fault or my own for putting my already fragile child at risk?
I understand where you're coming from, and I can sympathize with your situation and the situations of many that are more susceptible. That being said, any illness can push immunocompromised people over the edge. So, if a parent of a non-vaccinated child should be held accountable for, should a person whose vaccine protection fails also be held accountable? You could argue that the family of the vaccinated child should have been diligent enough to check titers to ensure immunity before letting their child ravage the countryside, right?
Should someone who goes out in public with a cold also be held accountable if someone else contracts it, which then leads to pneumonia and they die? Should every person (which includes a lot of healthcare professionals) that refuses the flu shot be penalized? Should I sue the family of the kid who comes to school unknowingly with lice and transfers it to my kid? I'm just asking, where's the line here?
Nooo, please no lice. Lice is not deadly or even harmful.
The parent of a non-vaccinated child is bucking state law, school policy and years of evidence and doing the opposite of what is known as best practice.
There is intention here.
The rest you speak of is life, and for the most part doesn't contain intention, except for that one time my brother sneezed in my food to get me sick. But that's a story for another day.
Nooo, please no lice. Lice is not deadly or even harmful.
The parent of a non-vaccinated child is bucking state law, school policy and years of evidence and doing the opposite of what is known as best practice.
There is intention here.
The rest you speak of is life, and for the most part doesn't contain intention, except for that one time my brother sneezed in my food to get me sick. But that's a story for another day.
I mean, lice isn't dangerous but it sure is gross. I still think the intention piece is missing here. No parent intends for their child to get another child sick. I would even venture to say that most parents are pretty cognizant of keeping their child home when they are truly sick, regardless of vaccination status. State laws also (for now) do allow personal or religious exemption (depending on the state), so the parents are doing nothing illegal by using said exemptions.
I just think it makes no sense to argue the accountability of another person in one situation but not in others. Why aren't pro-vaxx parents held accountable for making sure their vaccines actually provide immunity? Otherwise their children could actually be *gasp* unvaccinated kids and have no idea.
Sneezing in the food sounds intentional. You should sue him.
You have obviously never met parents of autistic children who believe/know/saw their children go from normal to autistic, almost literally overnight.
If someone gets run over by a car, would you say--oh, it was just their time--they must have had a heart attack at the same time that the car hit them? Sure that's possible, but not likely in all cases of cars killing people.
I mean, lice isn't dangerous but it sure is gross. I still think the intention piece is missing here. No parent intends for their child to get another child sick. I would even venture to say that most parents are pretty cognizant of keeping their child home when they are truly sick, regardless of vaccination status. State laws also (for now) do allow personal or religious exemption (depending on the state), so the parents are doing nothing illegal by using said exemptions.
I just think it makes no sense to argue the accountability of another person in one situation but not in others. Why aren't pro-vaxx parents held accountable for making sure their vaccines actually provide immunity? Otherwise their children could actually be *gasp* unvaccinated kids and have no idea.
Sneezing in the food sounds intentional. You should sue him.
Making an attempt to vaccinate even if it doesn't "take" is vastly different than refusing to vaccinate at all (unless truly medically contraindicated)
Those who don't convert or are unable to receive vaccines due to medical condition rely on the rest of us to protect them, to say nothing of the little ones not yet old enough for some vaccines.
And heck, if a vaccine for lice ever comes available, I bet most people (especially those working in school and day care settings) would be clamoring for it.
Since you apparently think you are "all knowing", and you "know" everything that I've seen or not seen, I guess I should pray to you, as the "Goddess", eh?
But seriously, you have obviously never met parents of autistic children who believe/know/saw their children go from normal to autistic, almost literally overnight.
If someone gets run over by a car, would you say--oh, it was just their time--they must have had a heart attack at the same time that the car hit them? Sure that's possible, but not likely in all cases of cars killing people.
Perhaps you should acquaint yourself with a little something called the scientific process, and the difference between causation and correlation.
WHY can't people understand that the autism issue has been put to rest and focus their attention to supporting those on the spectrum as well as their families instead of fear mongering that can have devastating consequences if more people continue to refuse to vaccinate their children (a selfish choice given most of those parents received the available vaccines when they were children)?
Since you apparently think you are "all knowing", and you "know" everything that I've seen or not seen, I guess I should pray to you, as the "Goddess", eh?
But seriously, you have obviously never met parents of autistic children who believe/know/saw their children go from normal to autistic, almost literally overnight.
If someone gets run over by a car, would you say--oh, it was just their time--they must have had a heart attack at the same time that the car hit them? Sure that's possible, but not likely in all cases of cars killing people.
My nephew is autistic, and it did not happen overnight, and certainly not immediately after he was immunized. My sister does not believe for one nanosecond that his immunizations caused the autism. She is a vocal advocate in her community for autistic children and refuses to spread the nonsense about autism being caused by immunizations, because there is no scientific evidence as such. Her second child is fully immunized and exhibits no signs of autism.
My nephew is autistic, and it did not happen overnight, and certainly not immediately after he was immunized. My sister does not believe for one nanosecond that his immunizations caused the autism. She is a vocal advocate in her community for autistic children and refuses to spread the nonsense about autism being caused by immunizations, because there is no scientific evidence as such.
If someone gets run over by a car, would you say--oh, it was just their time--they must have had a heart attack at the same time that the car hit them? Sure that's possible, but not likely in all cases of cars killing people.
No, I wouldn't, because there haven't been multiple studies that have failed to turn up any correlation between being struck by a car and injury or death.
Now, if there were multiple studies in the literature that show that many people struck by cars actually died of a heart attack that occurred at the same time they were hit by the car, and the heart attack was the COD, not the multiple injuries from the MVA, I would have to revise my views on that.
Get over the vaccinations/autism thing. It's over. You just sound silly.
But seriously, you have obviously never met parents of autistic children who believe/know/saw their children go from normal to autistic, almost literally overnight.
No, because all of the parents I know who have autistic children are educated and are aware that research has been done all over the world in an attempt to find that vaccines might cause autism, and they know that the research doesn't support that. Most of these educated friends understand that autism has been seen in their families; they understand that there is a much higher likelihood that there is a genetic component to autism. They understand that Wakefield had a huge conflict of interest, that his research was fraudulent, his medical license revoked, and everything about his "study" was revealed to be bunk. So, in answer to your question, Nope!
If someone gets run over by a car, would you say--oh, it was just their time--they must have had a heart attack at the same time that the car hit them? Sure that's possible, but not likely in all cases of cars killing people.
That is just a silly analogy. Really, really really silly.
Since you apparently think you are "all knowing", and you "know" everything that I've seen or not seen, I guess I should pray to you, as the "Goddess", eh?
But seriously, you have obviously never met parents of autistic children who believe/know/saw their children go from normal to autistic, almost literally overnight.
If someone gets run over by a car, would you say--oh, it was just their time--they must have had a heart attack at the same time that the car hit them? Sure that's possible, but not likely in all cases of cars killing people.
I can't leave for clinical anymore. There's so much to catch up on.
This caught my attention though. I'm a former SPED teacher, 15 years, and most of my kiddos were on the autism spectrum. I never met a parent who saw their child go from normal to autistic "almost literally overnight." Never ever ever.
In fact, this belief, *that's been debunked,* that vaccines cause or contribute to autism, does an unbelievable discredit to those parents that actually do their research and try to do what's best for their children. And, I'm truly sorry, but plying children with whole foods and fresh air is, though admirable, not the answer. Sometimes life throws a curveball and autism is the result.
I think the long day messed with my processing skills here, because I can't tell what the heck you're trying to allude to with the car accident analogy.
)
to cover this up. This vaccine tampering seems to be a part of some nefarious population control plot.
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KatieMI, BSN, MSN, RN
1 Article; 2,675 Posts
All that good and great, except one thing. One very little thing.
Does anyone in this country has freedom to randomly kill other human beings for his or her perceived personal advantage?
It is not about perverts and serial killers. It is about a havoc ONE kiddo sick with measles can wrap over community. BTW, if you still thinking that measles is an innocent stay in home for a week and vitamin A, think again. I had measles, and ended up a hairline off death from pneumonia. And, as a result of concerted efforts of keeping my poor lungs alive for the last 30+ years, I got subclinical immunodeficiency. Whether I am vaccinated or not, my immune system works its own way.
So, if I meet such a sneezing kiddo in a corridor, I will have a good chance to die or end up in condition which is much worse than death. I work with people dying from COPD. Death is much preferable than that sort of existence.
Same goes about people with much effort cured from cancer. Diabetics. HD dwellers. That lady on chronic steroids.That cool guy who, unknown to you, is on high immunosupression for Crohn's. That other cute little one who survived bone marrow transplant. Yet another baby, who was born 1 pound and is waiting for vaccines. We all are around you, living, working, living our lives. Nothing is written on our foreheads. And that one kid with measles can kill all of us, pronto. Do you, as a nurse, supposed to care and blah, think that killing or putting through torture of vent wean of other innocent people in the name of your poorly founded fears would be okay?
I am all for personal freedom, but your freedom ends where mine starts. If you are ready to accept responsibility and go to jail to the end of your life for involuntary manslaughter in case your child infects a susceptible person and this person dies, then go ahead and do what you want with your own life and that of your children. But you have no human right to do otherwise, and nobody else has.