Category: Epidemiology
Antivaxxer Steve Kirsch unknowingly identifies the fatal flaw of an antivax “report” from the McCullough Foundation
Hilariously and without realizing it, antivaxxer Steve Kirsch nailed the essence of why a recent antivax "report" by the McCullough Foundation is nonsense. It's basically a very old tactic for misrepresenting science repackaged for "new school" antivaxxers.
The Cholesterol Wars Continue
As a first approximation it seems that the purpose of social media is to misrepresent medical information and to promote wellness gurus who basically have no idea what they are talking about. Part of the problem is that medical science is often complex, and the short attention-span format of social media often favors simple clean narratives. So “wellness influencers” dominate while genuine...
As imperfect as they are, public health interventions save lives
On Friday, JAMA Health Forum published a study that is just more evidence that public health interventions against COVID-19 saved lives.
How antivaxxers weaponize vaccine safety studies to falsely portray vaccines as dangerous, part 2: The children
A few months ago, I wrote about how antivaxxers misrepresent vaccine safety studies to portray vaccines as dangerous, using a large study of outcomes in adults as an example.. They're doing it again, but this time it's a large study of COVID-19 vaccines in children.
The New York Times promotes “lab leak” conspiracy theories
Last week, the New York Times ran an op-ed by Alina Chan, Queen of lab leak conspiracy theories and then gave it a prominent place in its Sunday Magazine this weekend. How is it wrong? Let me count the ways.
Generic Drugs: Are they different?
Standards in place for generic drugs should give consumers confidence that these products are just as effective as their brand-name equivalent.
Dr. Vinay Prasad vs. a VAERS study finding more reports of vaccine injury in red states
Dr. Vinay Prasad attacks an epidemiological study published in JAMA Open Network reporting that people in red states are more likely to report vaccine injuries, claiming that a more rigorous study would "not be difficult," when he knows that it would be very difficult.
How antivaxxers weaponize vaccine safety studies to falsely portray vaccines as dangerous
Antivaxxers have weaponized a huge multinational vaccine safety study of 99 million patient records that found rare adverse events and concluded that the risks of COVID-19 vaccines outweigh the benefits. How? A combination of the Nirvana fallacy and spin.
He pushed hydroxychloroquine three years ago: Harvey Risch and false claim of “turbo cancers” caused by COVID-19 vaccines
Last week, I discussed Dr. William Makis' false claims of "turbo cancers" due to COVID-19 vaccines. Now it's hydroxychloroquine-promoting epidemiologist Harvey Risch's turn.
Peter Gøtzsche teams with an antivaxxer to exaggerate the harms of COVID-19 vaccines
Peter Gøtzsche, formerly leader of the Nordic Cochrane Center, has teamed with Maryanne Demasi to write a systematic review of the "harms" of COVID-19 vaccination. Besides accepting the highly dubious methodology behind one study, their preprint is yet another example of how EBM can be corrupted to promote antivax ideas.