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?
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
Freedom of choice is important I agree but here in in California we had a terrible measles outbreak two years ago that spread across three states and was responsible for several deaths. The Pt zero was traced back to an unvaccinated child who visited Disneyland while still asymptomatic. That child actually later died. The Governor took a very proactive step of signing into law mandatory vaccines for all children attending public schools in California. Private schools are still free to make their own policies but most are following suit. You still have a choice of vaccinating your child in California but if you choose not too you will most likely be home schooling.
LadyFree, I meant no offense to you in my post. I realized that you were talking about genetic testing regarding pregnancy while my post was after they were born.
My point was that even with genetic testing, we really do not know what causes autism as in there is not a specific autism gene. We often have families who want to know if we can just do a blood test to confirm autism.
Genetics is a fascinating field and prenatal testing (either done before parents decide to conceive or via amnio) has allowed us to prepare and educate families.
I do believe that we will find there are multiple genes involved with autism, not just one.
Again, no offense meant. I always enjoy the information you share.
Freedom of choice is important I agree but here in in California we had a terrible measles outbreak two years ago that spread across three states and was responsible for several deaths. The Pt zero was traced back to an unvaccinated child who visited Disneyland while still asymptomatic. That child actually later died. The Governor took a very proactive step of signing into law mandatory vaccines for all children attending public schools in California. Private schools are still free to make their own policies but most are following suit. You still have a choice of vaccinating your child in California but if you choose not too you will most likely be home schooling.
Hppy
I couldn't deal with this as a SN. NY is so much stricter, and I am so thankful for that.
LadyFree, I meant no offense to you in my post. I realized that you were talking about genetic testing regarding pregnancy while my post was after they were born.
My point was that even with genetic testing, we really do not know what causes autism as in there is not a specific autism gene. We often have families who want to know if we can just do a blood test to confirm autism.
Genetics is a fascinating field and prenatal testing (either done before parents decide to conceive or via amnio) has allowed us to prepare and educate families.
I do believe that we will find there are multiple genes involved with autism, not just one.
Again, no offense meant. I always enjoy the information you share.
No offense taken!
I just wanted to share there has been advancing work on genetics, at least in my area post human genome, and they have advancing technology that could give some rationale; even if it's self limiting, it wouldn't hurt, either; I learned a lot of this two years ago when I started on my own fertility journey for personal reasons-one since if and when I become pregnant I will be deemed "advanced maternal age", but my genetics and fertility may not be, and got a lot of new developments I wasn't aware of, as well as some of the reasoning as to where the kiddos I care for were able to be diagnosed and adequately supported; I hope that these developments and opportunities are not only a regional thing, but a national thing, and everyone would have an opportunity to be able to uncover such findings-it would help take away the conspiracy about vaccinations, and give people a more logical pathway.
BTW, I have not actually seen this film, I am just posting about vaccines in general.
Don't you think that someone who actually dares to question the status quo and do "unpopular" research might actually be showing signs of a working mind, meaning that they are not just accepting what is handed to them?
When the relatively small band of Patriots dared to challenge and revolt against Britain in 1776, they were considered crazy by other countries, yet they won their freedom. What has happened to our American spirit of independence that now anyone who questions the norm is considered "insane"?
Just my two cents! :)
Pediatric Critical Care nurse here.
Seeing babies infected with pertussis turning blue and struggling to breathe has reinforced my pro-vaccination stance.
Same with measels encephalopathy and meningitis.
These diseases are real. They are life threatening.
Everyone keeps mentioning Wakefield, but I don't think that is what the documentary is about, as a previous poster joshm pointed out, one of the focuses is on CDC whistleblower Dr William Thompson and the manipulation of data that showed African American males who received MMR vaccine before age 36 months were at increased risk of autism. The CDC did remove this data, I don't have any conspiracy theories about it, but I am willing to watch the movie, it will give other peoples' perspective about the issue of increased incidence of autism and I think I can manage not to buy into the fear mongering.
Seeing babies infected with pertussis turning blue and struggling to breathe has reinforced my pro-vaccination stance.
Same with measels encephalopathy and meningitis.
These diseases are real. They are life threatening.
I remember reading here about children stricken with tetorifice. They had to be put in a medically induced coma because the pain was so excruciating. And it could have easily been prevented with the occasional vaccine. Sad.
I found a way to chillax (I love that word...is it out of fashion now? Was it ever in fashion?)...anyway my way to reduce stress when I think about anti-vax, or anti-science, posts is to smile and wish upon the posters the Darwin Award. The only drawback is innocent children may be harmed or killed.
I used to work in a school district with a significant immigrant population. Many of the immigrants were from developing countries where diseases like measles kill children every year. Immigrant parents would move heaven and earth to get their kids vaccinated. Only the American parents worried about "toxins" and the benefits of "natural immunity."
Specializes in Oncology; medical specialty website.
Pediatric Critical Care nurse here.
Seeing babies infected with pertussis turning blue and struggling to breathe has reinforced my pro-vaccination stance.
Same with measels encephalopathy and meningitis.
These diseases are real. They are life threatening.
I used to work peds years ago in an Amish-intensive area. The Amish do not vaccinate their children (there are a few rare exceptions, of course). We would get babies with pertussis too, and that strangled breathing is something I'll never forget.
I used to work in a school district with a significant immigrant population. Many of the immigrants were from developing countries where diseases like measles kill children every year. Immigrant parents would move heaven and earth to get their kids vaccinated. Only the American parents worried about "toxins" and the benefits of "natural immunity."
This! I work in a public hospital and have taken care of pregnant women disabled from polio, women who have lost children in Africa from vaccine-preventable illnesses, etc., who are all SO GRATEFUL to be in the U.S. and have access to health care, including vaccines. They would never dream of NOT vaccinating because they have actual personal experience witnessing the horrors caused by a lack of access. I truly think the majority of the anti-vax movement is so privileged that they are just naive to the consequences. This may change, however, if the number of anti-vaxers increases and causes new outbreaks and people get a hard reality check, i.e., dying children.
I don't want to label anyone "crazy" or call for them be sterilized or anything like that. I think people do have the right to question medical interventions for themselves and their children. I believe in free will. I just can't figure out the STUBBORNNESS with which anti-vaxers stick to their completely fabricated arguments, and it breaks my heart that kids suffer as a consequence.
I'm sorry but the "big pharma" stuff is one thing that bugs us . . . big pharma doesn't make their money with vaccines. It would be better for big pharma to hide the vaccines in a bunker somewhere and make kids get sick and then hospitalize them . . . that would roll in the dough for sure.
)
to cover this up. This vaccine tampering seems to be a part of some nefarious population control plot.
hppygr8ful, ASN, RN, EMT-I
4 Articles; 5,212 Posts
Freedom of choice is important I agree but here in in California we had a terrible measles outbreak two years ago that spread across three states and was responsible for several deaths. The Pt zero was traced back to an unvaccinated child who visited Disneyland while still asymptomatic. That child actually later died. The Governor took a very proactive step of signing into law mandatory vaccines for all children attending public schools in California. Private schools are still free to make their own policies but most are following suit. You still have a choice of vaccinating your child in California but if you choose not too you will most likely be home schooling.
Hppy