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Tag: vaccines

The Truth about Vaccines is Written in Stone

Posted on February 24, 2025 By Andrew Thaler
Education, Science

This piece originally appeared as a letter to the editor in our local paper, the Star Democrat. Walking through the Christ Church Episcopal Cemetery in the heart of St. Michaels, you might notice something that we don’t see very often: tiny tombstones. A daughter who lived two weeks before passing in 1901. A brother and … Read More “The Truth about Vaccines is Written in Stone” »

Fun Science FRIEDay – Immune System Amnesia

Posted on April 28, 2017May 8, 2017 By Kersey Sturdivant 2 Comments on Fun Science FRIEDay – Immune System Amnesia
Uncategorized

Ah the measles, a childhood illness that most of my generation has never experienced; due in large part to the success of measles vaccination. A lot of people think the measles isn’t that big of a deal, its just some combination of a rash and fever that goes away in due time. While this is true in most people, in about 1 in 1,000 cases the infection becomes systemic and moves to the brain resulting in death, in what is known as  measles encephalitis.  The measles vaccination resolved this issue but also had an unexpected secondary effect.

16th-century Aztec drawing of someone with measles (Photo credit: Unknown – (2009) Viruses, Plagues, and History: Past, Present and Future, Oxford University Press, USA, p. 144)

When the measles vaccine was first introduced in America in the 1960s, scientists were perplexed why childhood deaths from all infectious diseases plummeted along w/ the measles; even deaths from diseases like pneumonia and diarrhea were cut in half.  An obvious assumption was the drop in childhood deaths was just a result of our advances in modern medicine. While there is undoubtedly truth in the assertion that modern medicine was advancing rapidly in the mid-20th century, whenever the measles vaccine was introduced to Europe a few years later, and even now as its being introduced to third world countries, the same phenomena has been observed. Places that have the measles vaccine see a steep decline in deaths from all other childhood diseases. So whats going on?

Read More “Fun Science FRIEDay – Immune System Amnesia” »

World’s leading experts say there’s a problem with false balance in conservation journalism; Steve disagrees

Posted on July 4, 2013July 16, 2013 By David Shiffman 20 Comments on World’s leading experts say there’s a problem with false balance in conservation journalism; Steve disagrees
Science

davesquare

False balance in the media occurs when a journalist  gives equal coverage, and therefore the perception of equal validity, to both sides of a story. While this sounds preferable to today’s hyper-politicized media, sometimes both sides of a story aren’t equally valid. For example, when the overwhelming consensus of the expert medical community says that vaccines do not cause autism but a famous former actress says they do,  giving both sides equal coverage can be not only frustrating, but harmful to public health. The same is true of early reporting on whether cigarettes are bad for you. Giving equal coverage of the global community of expert climate scientists and spokespeople  for the oil and gas industry who claim that climate science isn’t “settled” can also be problematic, as can coverage of other scientific topics.

Image via http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/sciencetoolkit_04
Image via http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/sciencetoolkit_04

Though it is discussed less frequently in this context,  overfishing and marine conservation issues can also feature some fairly egregious examples of false balance. Coverage of a proposal to list great hammerhead sharks under the Endangered Species Act in yesterday’s South Florida Sun-Sentinel provides a useful case study.

Read More “World’s leading experts say there’s a problem with false balance in conservation journalism; Steve disagrees” »

The Great Vaccine Conspiracy*

Posted on November 28, 2010 By Andrew Thaler 7 Comments on The Great Vaccine Conspiracy*
Science

There is a war being played out in the media. A war being fought over the hearts, minds, and bodies of the people. A quiet, insidious war, fought not with guns or bombs, yet racking up a death toll none-the-less. It is a war organized by a shadowy sect of humanity, so cunning and secretive, that even the players, standing at the front lines, have no idea that they are puppets. It is the war over vaccines, and humanity is losing.

Read More “The Great Vaccine Conspiracy*” »

A friendly reminder from Penn and Teller on vaccines and autism

Posted on October 16, 2010 By Andrew Thaler 6 Comments on A friendly reminder from Penn and Teller on vaccines and autism
Popular Culture, Science

Watch this clip (warning, some foul language): The head over to a Shot of Prevention and read this excellent post: Why My Child With Autism Is Fully Vaccinated (warning, comments are depressing). ~Southern Fried Scientist

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