Against the Anti-Vxxers

Having just engaged in an exchange with anti-vaxxers, i came across this article which should be a very useful resource.

https://thelogicofscience.com/2016/04/28/vaccines-and-autism-a-thorough-review-of-the-evidence/#Anti-Vaccers'%20Lists%20of%20Papers

https://thelogicofscience.com/2017/12/29/if-vaccines-are-a-scam-to-make-money-why-dont-we-routinely-vaccinate-for-diseases-like-cholera/

Another handy website

https://www.skepticalraptor.com/skepticalraptorblog.php/

Fact of the Day

The World Health Organization (WHO) has expressed grave concern that one-fifth of the world’s children do not receive routine life-saving vaccination.

Jean-Marie Okwo-Bele, director of the WHO Department of Immunization in Geneva, expressed concern on Wednesday that “there are still 1.5 million premature deaths due to vaccine preventable diseases each year.”

Back in 2013, some 22 million infants missed out on routine vaccination against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus (DTP3). Most of the unvaccinated children belong to the world’s poorest countries, while almost half of them live in India, Pakistan and Nigeria.

The cost of vaccines, weak health systems and lack of access in poorer countries, as well as armed conflicts and insecurity, are among some reasons mentioned for the lack of progress.

The vacuous anti-vaxxers

 We vaccinate our children, and ourselves, for our own protection and for the protection of our community. Thomas Sandora, a specialist in infectious diseases at Boston Children’s Hospital said  ”Measles is essentially the most contagious disease on the planet.” It becomes contagious four days before the tell-tale rash appears, and can remain in the air for two hours after an infected individual’s left the room.  The serious complications include pneumonia, loss of hearing, brain inflammation and blindness.

 The total number of confirmed U.S. cases for 2013 reached 187. That’s nothing compared to the 500,000 cases per year that the U.S. saw before the vaccine was introduced in the 1960s.

Vaccines are the victims of their own success. The balance between the benefits of vaccines and their potential to cause harm has shifted. While no vaccine is one hundred percent safe, the side effects are extremely rare. When measles was eliminated, that made vaccination, for some, appear to be the greater risk.