We’ve seen how many kids in California managed to spread a disease we thought we had nearly eradicated (measles) throughout the population. Because moronic parents bought into conspiracy theories and refused to inoculate their kids. The same results harmed countless Somali kids in Minnesota who were not proffered the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. All because their parents were convinced that their kids would develop autism due to the vaccination.
Before you get sucked in to believing that vaccines cause autism, despite the countless studies proving this premise incorrect, let’s add one more study to the pile. Because the BS slung by Andrew Wakefield back in 1998 is just that- BS.
TA Becerra-Culqui from the Kaiser Permanente Medical System, along with co-researchers Drs. D. Getahan, V. Chiu, LS Sy, and H. Fu Tseng, performed a retrospective cohort study among mother-child pairs who frequented their health system between 2011 and 2014. The data employed was that of the EMR (electronic medical records) for the Kaiser Permanente system. In particular, the researchers examined the results from the prenatal TDAP (tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis) vaccination and the potential for autism.
The TDAP is provided to moms in the third trimester of pregnancy to protect their soon-to-be born children. Because these diseases are so problematic for infants, we vaccinate the moms so they can develop (anew) the antibodies that prevent the disease and transfer those antibodies to their kids via the placenta during the last months of pregnancy. It’s that critical that kids get inoculated before they get exposed to these diseases.
With the results from more than 80,000 kids born over the years, this retrospective study makes it clear. 569 kids (1.5%) who got the vaccination manifested ASD (autism spectrum disorders)- while 772 (1.8%) manifested ASD and didn’t get the shot. (By the way- when kids are developing in utero, they are more susceptible to various chemicals and drugs.)
Why am I telling you about this yet another study? Because it is the definitive one to put the canard to rest? Hell, no!
It’s because those folks who have been perpetrating this myth have been egged on by our enemies. The Russians, the North Koreans, and the Chinese- the same folks who have been effecting cyberwar against the US- while our government is primarily sitting idly by.
These nefarious cybercriminals have targeted our electric grid, our water distribution systems, and our electoral systems. And, with the latter, they’ve found it useful to create political warfare by interjecting fake news into our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds.
“What?”, you ask. Where am I coming up with this conspiracy theory? Well, folks, I am not into conspiracy theories. This is data. Real, honest data. (You want fake facts? Listen to Sarah Huckabee Sanders any afternoon.)
Dr. David Broniatowski (George Washington University Engineering; along with two grad students SiHua Qi and Lulwah Al Kulaib), Dr. Sandra Quinn and Ms. Amelia Jamison (U Md, School of Public Health), and Drs. Tao Chen and Mark Dredze (and Adrian Benton, all of the Johns Hopkins Engineering program) have reported about this phenomenon in the American Journal of Public Health.
What did Dr. Broniatowski and his compatriots determine? These folks studied social media messages between 2014 and 2017 that discussed vaccines. And, not surprisingly, they found that Russian trolls, sophisticated bots, and content polluters (those that spread malicious software) were stoking the fears that autism comes from vaccines. To ensure that our (American) children get ill from diseases that were once conquered and eradicated years ago.
The Russian Trolls (via the Internet Research Agency, also identified by the US as our electoral invaders) just wanted to stoke the battle between those understanding the very minor risks of vaccination (and autism is not one of them). (And, only 0.2%, 1 of 550, of the troll missives dealt with vaccination.) As opposed to the bots and content polluters, the goal of the Russian trolls matches what they do for electoral disruption- they simply want to promote political division by any means possible.
So, remember, vaccines don’t cause autism. Moreover, when your social media feed lights up- check the facts. Don’t fall for propaganda. (Hmm. That also applies to…)
Nah, you know that in your heart of hearts, already. Even though 40% (this week’s current poll numbers) of us have been victims of fake news.
Roy, i believe in vaccinating too.. and while we have missed the flu-shot a few years for the kids, for everything else, i do plan to keep up.. and my kids’ doctor is wonderful, a ready smile, a patient listener, and someone who the kids listen to as well – i have never known him to prescribe medication without need..
Thanks, Vidya, for adding to the conversation.
When you inoculate your kids, you not only protect them, but you protect their friends- since your kids won’t be able to infect them!
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True fake news is so clever, yes. And the need to vaccinate – I could write a book about that. One of my former co workers caught whopping cough (not sure of her age, perhaps in her 50’s) and let me assure your entire audience, it is a terrible thing for an adult. And the autism -vac myth, how much damage has this caused (I speak as someone who has people with autism in both my family and in my brother in law) to find out enemy nationals have been spreading this myth is so distressing.
Thanks for that great example, Alana.
Moreover- folks don’t realize that your co-worker, before she manifested her symptoms- was already a carrier and could have infected a tiny child for whom whooping cough would be a death sentence.
When it comes to the internet, so many believe everything they read. Something like this could be life threatening! (How I remember getting all my childhood vaccinations with the old country doctor we had.
I am not sure folks believe everything they read- I think they look for things that agree with their biases- and they feel reassured that they found someone else who agrees with them- and can say they read it on the web. Like the person who wrote that piece was (a) educated and trained in the subject matter, (b) not a Russian, North Korean, or Chinese troll, or (c) a neoNazi sympathizer or adherent.
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I also caught whooping cough after traveling in California during an outbreak there several years ago. At the time, there were billboards all over Los Angeles about it. Doctors here in Virginia weren’t really successful in diagnosing it. I’m not sure I ever convinced them, and it was too late to blood test for it at that point, but my symptoms and timeline were textbook for adult whooping cough.
From experience, I can say you wouldn’t want a child to have that, and children tend to get it worse than adults.
Your personal anecdote amplifies the message, Jeremy! Thank you for your visit and your contribution.