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Vaccine myths
Reznik
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
There is a surprising number of people in my class that are anti-vaccine for the usual internet myth reasons. I would like to be able to present to them some studies or articles that might change their minds should the topic come up again in discussion. I'm not going to force the issue, but it would be nice to have some hard facts to counter their hysteria. It's getting a little difficult for me to keep smiling and nodding and walking away.
So basically I'm looking for some articles from well respected sources. I don't trust my google-fu enough to be able to pick the right sources, and my usual standby of Snopes doesn't have much of anything on vaccines.
Their usual arguments are:
-vaccines contain mercury that causes autism
-vaccines contain aluminum that causes autism (I think they're getting confused with aluminum in deoderant causing cancer)
-the H1N1 vaccine contains squalene that causes gulf war syndrome/fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome/any one of those kinds of generic 'i feel shitty' disorders that can't actually be proven
-vaccines contain neurotoxins that cause brain damage (see: cheerleader who can't walk forwards)
-vaccines contain mercury as a method of population control (???)
Now admittedly a couple of these sound especially paranoid conspiracy theory-ish, but I imagine there is decent enough literature to disprove 'aaah it causes autism!!' and the squalene thing (Snopes has an article for that one but their research is still ongoing)
thanks for the help!
So basically I'm looking for some articles from well respected sources. I don't trust my google-fu enough to be able to pick the right sources, and my usual standby of Snopes doesn't have much of anything on vaccines.
Their usual arguments are:
-vaccines contain mercury that causes autism
-vaccines contain aluminum that causes autism (I think they're getting confused with aluminum in deoderant causing cancer)
-the H1N1 vaccine contains squalene that causes gulf war syndrome/fibromyalgia/chronic fatigue syndrome/any one of those kinds of generic 'i feel shitty' disorders that can't actually be proven
-vaccines contain neurotoxins that cause brain damage (see: cheerleader who can't walk forwards)
-vaccines contain mercury as a method of population control (???)
Now admittedly a couple of these sound especially paranoid conspiracy theory-ish, but I imagine there is decent enough literature to disprove 'aaah it causes autism!!' and the squalene thing (Snopes has an article for that one but their research is still ongoing)
thanks for the help!
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Not sure of the aluminum claim.
Actually, after the mercury claim, it's starting to sound a bit like conspiracy theories.
Check the AMA website maybe?
http://www.immunizationinfo.org/vaccine_components_detail.cfv?id=3
I'd go there.
For the record, it looks like they do contain aluminum, some of them -- but it responds to a lot of the myths you look at. They cite their resources at the bottom, if you want to look for peer-reviewed research articles.
It is worth mentioning that the H1N1 vaccine does use adjuvants -- they're trying to stretch the antigen they have as much as possible to produce as much vaccine as possible. (most flu vaccines use them).
But the AMA wouldn't tell you the truth! Don't you get it? They are the ones responsible for all of this! It's all an elaborate plot to exact revenge on Jenny McCarthy for turning down the advances of the head of the AMA when he was 15!
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/ff_waronscience/
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This was the best source I found when my husband e-mailed asking me to use my web fu to refute claims about squalene in the H1N1 vaccine, since his co-workers were all in a tizzy about it. A web search on the subject sent me down the rabbit hole into a dizzying array of paranoid conspiracy websites. Not recommended.
There is a very small amount of mercury in multi-dose vials (only approved for adults) of seasonal (not h1n1) flu vaccine as a preservative because it needs a preservative as it is used more than once.
I think the neurotoxin thing is a misunderstanding of Guillan-Barre syndrome. Which is an extremely rare syndrome that most commonly occurs when people get multiple infections or severall infection and a vaccine in a short period of time and the immune system starts destroying myelin around peripheral nerves.
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You know it's bullshit right?
http://www.dystonia-foundation.org/pages/dystonia___flu_vaccine/569.php
People's fear of vaccines is absolutely ridiculous and has zero basis in reality.
That wired article was awesome though, plenty of facts in it.
Vaccines don't cause these sorts of problems, at least not on a widespread level, and they even offer vaccines without the "problematic" ingredients to assuage paranoid fears.
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It doesn't.
There's also been studies that have found aluminium in the brains of people who had alzheimer's, but their results weren't replicated when the study was repeated and it's now thought that it was due to contamination from something.
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Show them a comparison of the injury/fatality rates of car accidents next to the injury/fatality rates of vaccines. Common logic demands that one who thinks taking a (annual, mind you) vaccine is stupid because of the risks also think that driving is even more stupid.
Of course, I'm petitioning to have the term "common logic" changed to "uncommon logic". Seems a little more... accurate.
I have no idea what you're trying to say. Vaccines don't cause autism, it is a completely baseless accusation; the original study that linked the two was based upon falsified data.
One kid out of a few million MAYBE POSSIBLY developing autism as a result of vaccine and not some other souce is a sure world better than the return of small pox and polio.
Wow. In fact, parents who don't vaccinate are endangering their children, along with any others in the community who might find themselves vulnerable to infection. Non-vaccinating parents are unfit parents. They are a menace to society. There's a good episode of This American Life that discusses the consequences: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?episode=370
There are pamphlets available at the doctor's office that are full of factual, credible looking information. Online, there's http://www.jennymccarthybodycount.com if you need something with a more anti-establishment vibe to it.
If they are dumb enough to believe vaccines cause autism and they won't accept the facts, you can still point out to them that even if it was true, the risk of contracting a lethal or crippling disease due to non-vaccination is greater than the "risk" of getting vaccinated.
The cheerleader you mention had an allergic reaction to a flu vaccine based on an incredibly rare genetic defect, whereas hundreds of millions of people have had flu vaccines with no reaction. They can go ahead and skip the flu vaccine though, since the flu isn't dangerous for that many people anyway.
Exactly.
People should be forced to learn some basic biology and statistics before leaving school.
Unvaccinated kids terrify me. Are there daycares that require everyone to be vaccinated or separate the kids based on vaccination status? Do the school separate kids based on vaccine status? I haven't been able to find any information on this subject, only stupid parents ranting about changing requirements.
My husband and I are starting to think about kids and I don't want my kid coming anywhere near an unvaccinated kid until they are about 12. We live in a city with a large immigrant population and I work in healthcare are see measles and pertussis on a monthly basis.
Wrong. There is no chance of a child developing autism as a result of a vaccine. The thought of vaccines causing autism is so wildly stupid that nobody should ever mention the two in the same sentence.
His claim was that the vaccine would slowly break down your immunities, and you'd die from something else in several years. I honestly cannot disagree that my immune system will slowly become weaker as I become more elderly, and something completely unrelated to the vaccine will end up killing me. He said I was being silly when I mentioned this. I kinda gave up, and stopped arguing with him.
On the less surreal side of the whole thing, though... There's enormous amounts of literature backing up the safety of vaccines. If someone wants to point out the mercury content, just mention that a few cans of solid white albacore will net them the same amount of mercury. Also mention that the mercury from the fish is harder for your body to get rid of (methyl mercury, opposed to ethyl mercury), and mercury does more damage the longer it's in your body.
Any legitimate, peer-reviewed source you cite will just be discredited and disregarded as part of The Man's Cover-Up Operation anyways, so I'd go with this answer because it's the funniest.
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Farrakhan thinks so.
Doucheface doesn't know how a vaccine works. If anything it keeps your immune system in shape as it is actually forcing your body to produce antibodies to the antigen in the vaccines. Vaccines are basically fake viruses for you body to practice on.
The amount of mercury in one shot is equal to one serving of salmon. If you don't get mercury in your shot you're still stuck with aluminium, pick your poison
We're going to vaccinate everyone in Sweden in the next few weeks for H1N1 and are right now 25% done (a lot of morons listen to tabloids and refuse it but we're nowhere near the US in paranoia....yet). So far 0.2% (yes 2 in 1000) have gotten any side reactions and 0.07% (7 in 10 000) have gotten severe ones. They were basically all allergic reactions to egg and were taken care of within minutes after the vaccination.
Honestly I couldn't care less if people don't want to get the vaccination, this is their choice right? Problem is that they'll get sick and infect others and then it's everyone's problem
Also, I got it this morning, I still walk forwards.
As for the cheerleader, same deal happens in veterinary medicine all the time. Animals have reactions to vaccinations because each animal is unique in it's particular genetic makeup. One Labrador may tolerate a vaccination just fine while the pug that comes in may get a puffy allergic reaction. Should we not vaccinate the pug because he might have a reaction? Should we allow him to get distemper instead? I'm sure they would much prefer to have a fatal disease as opposed to a treatable temporary allergic reaction.
So if this cheerleader did indeed have a reaction to the vaccination that's unfortunate, she rolled the dice on a massive probability and lost. Thousands of other people tolerate it just fine. Does this mean we should scrap the whole vaccine because of one (Hell because of a dozen) people having a reaction?
Sorry no. It is next to impossible to create any sort of medical treatment that will work 100% of the time for 100% of the population, this doesn't mean we shouldn't release a treatment/preventative that works for 90%, hell even 60-50% I would say would be worth it so long as the 40-50% that it didn't work on didn't have adverse reactions either.
*Edit* Of course in retrospect if we could find a way to save this cheerleader.... We could save the world.
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(There are also people pushing for modification of current AVMA recommendations and local laws to reflect the most current understanding of canine and feline immunology, but I don't like to lump the two groups together.)
I was talking about the crazies view of the world.
I know there is no link.
Children start to show signs of autism around the time that they receive their vaccines. It does not mean that vaccines or combinations of vaccines cause autism.
I think it's perfectly reasonable to be curious, even concerned, about what is in a particular vaccine, but refusing to receive vaccinations solely on the basis of some grassroots pseudo-science nonsense is just sad.
This is a great starting point. It addresses most (if not all) of your points, and should give you enough information with which you can follow up on most of your queries by looking through more scholarly articles.
Edit: Also, Nixon's drawing. Definitely show them that.
I'm fortunate enough that most of these people aren't completely hardcore anti-vaccine... more like the whole 'now I'm in college and must rebel against THE MAN' kind of thing. So maybe I'll be able to change a mind or two if the whole thing comes up again.
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We don't know what causes autism, this sounds like some people pass on an "autism gene" and some people don't...let's not make shit up like they do.
I stand by making fun of them for listening to Jenny if they give you any argument against your presentation.
I thought that it was fairly certain that it is genetic, they just don't know how it occurs
There was an article about that just last week - a study on autistic children found that they actually had less mercury in their bodies than non-autistic children, due to them being more picky with their food.
Psychogenic disorder.
Other people with psychogenic disorders have been "cured" by various means, one of them being administered intravenously via drip feed. The person showed reduced symptoms before the cure even hit the blood stream - it was just saline solution entering the body at the start.