Tag: measles

The Myth of Vaccine Shedding

No - the measles vaccine cannot cause an outbreak through virus shedding, but this myth persists in antivaccine circles.

/ February 13, 2019

The benefits of the measles vaccine go beyond just protecting against measles, 2019 edition

It's indisputable that vaccines protect against specific infectious diseases. What's less well known is how a vaccine like the measles vaccine protects against more than just measles.

/ February 11, 2019

Antivaccine pseudoscience disguised as autism advocacy in the Minnesota legislature

Recently, Sen. Jim Abeler of Minnesota created the MN Autism Council, an advisory panel tasked with advising the legislature on autism policy. A closer look at the story reveals that Sen. Abeler is a chiropractor, two of the members are antivaxers, and one of them was a founding member tasked with forming the council. This is how antivaccine activism is disguised as...

/ January 28, 2019

Addressing the epidemic of antivaccine misinformation

Last week, Dr. Gorski was on vacation. However, part of his vacation involved spending a couple of hours with two of his heroes, meeting new pro-science advocates, and talking vaccine hesitancy and the antivaccine movement.

/ December 3, 2018

Rise of the Miscellany of Medical Malarkey…Again

More deaths in the European measles outbreak. Experts call for a national registry of sleep-related deaths in infants. Raw milk puts several Tennessee children in the intensive care unit. Oh, and medicinal dog urine. It must be time for another miscellany of medical malarkey.

/ June 29, 2018

A Miscellany of Medical Malarkey Episode 3: The Revengening

A setback for bogus marketing claims for fancy athletic tape. E-cigarettes aren't a good Christmans stocking stuffer for your kids. An update on the European measles outbreak. That's right, it's time for another miscellany of medical malarkey!

/ March 9, 2018

Minnesota Measles

There is currently an outbreak of measles in the Somali population of Minnesota – an outbreak that can be directly linked to antivaccine propaganda.

/ June 7, 2017

Outbreaks among Somali immigrants in Minnesota: Thanks for the measles again, Andy

Andrew Wakefield's antivaccine propaganda film VAXXED claims that MMR vaccination causes autism in African American boys. Unfortunately, this is not the first time Wakefield has targeted people of color with antivaccine misinformation. Before there was VAXXED, Wakefield and antivaxers targeted Somali immigrants in Minnesota. Measles outbreaks have been the result.

/ April 24, 2017

Corrigendum. The Week in Review for 04/02/2017

Death from vaccine-preventable infections. Homeopathy and acupuncture do not work. There is a difference between cost and worth. And more.

/ April 2, 2017

Measles More Deadly than Previously Thought

One of the common tropes of the anti-vaccine movement is that vaccine-preventable diseases are not all that bad. Perhaps the most direct manifestation of this is the self-published children’s book, Melanie’s Marvelous Measles, by Australian author and anti-vaccine activist Stephanie Messenger. Throughout the book Messenger claims that measles is nothing to be frightened of and in fact makes the body stronger. This...

/ November 2, 2016