The title of the Toronto Star’s misleading front page article about vaccine safety has been changed. No longer is it “A Wonder drug’s dark side,” now it reads “Families seek more transparency on HPV vaccine.” They just don’t get it, do they? Here we have a vaccine that can protect from the virus that causes cervical cancer. …
Continue reading “Dear Toronto Star, your Gardasil article isn’t about transparency”
When I was 22 weeks pregnant with triplets I had a craving for a Jamba Juice. So I had one. Three days later I ruptured my membranes and my son Aidan was born and died. During the hospitalization that followed I had a craving for another Jamba Juice and my then husband stalled and delayed …
Continue reading “Toronto Star claims HPV vaccine unsafe. Science says the Toronto Star is wrong.”
Background: Marin County, California has one of the highest rates of vaccine refusal in the country. The reasons for this are not socioeconomic, but rather appear to be based on fixed, false beliefs that the MMR vaccine causes autism, contains “toxins,” has mercury, or is associated with outcomes other than measles immunity. Exhaustive educational attempts …
Continue reading “Effect of a science fair project on MMR vaccine beliefs in Marin County”
The impact of not vaccinating children based on “personal beliefs” (i.e. science denialism) has come home to roost. The measles outbreak is growing exponentially due to the large numbers of unvaccinated people coupled with the extreme contagious nature of the disease. It can live on surfaces for 2 hours and a lot of people can …
Continue reading “Reading Roald Dahl out loud should be required to decline MMR vax”
The measles outbreak from Disneyland is a potent reminder of A) how infectious measles actually is and B) what happens when people don’t vaccinate. However, despite a mountain of evidence that vaccination is safe and does not cause autism or immune dysfunction or really anything terrible at all people still refuse. I live in a …
A measles outbreak has been linked to Disneyland, California. There are now 9 confirmed cases, 7 in California and 2 in Utah, and all visited Disneyland or the California Adventure Park between December 15 and December 20, 2014. Only one of those infected was full vaccinated (two were too young to be vaccinated). The health …
Continue reading “Each case of measles costs $33,000 – there were over 600 cases in 2014”
Dangerous ingredients, like toxins, antifreeze, and mercury, are touted by many as reasons to decline vaccination against influenza. However, toxin is an inaccurate term regarding vaccines (a toxin is a poisonous substance made by cells or organisms and is definitely not in any vaccine), mercury is a non issue (see below), and there is no antifreeze …
Continue reading “What ingredient specifically scares you in the flu vaccine and why?”
Influenza has reached pandemic proportions and the spike in flu activity is much earlier than expected this season. Widespread influenza is being reported in 43 states. Therefore it is timely to review the article in January’s Obstetrics and Gynecology concerning severe influenza infection and pregnancy. Epidemiologists from the Department of Public Health in California pulled the data …
This weekend the kids and I had our influenza immunizations. There is always a difficult lead up as Oliver has severe anxiety around every medical procedure. An EKG (painless heart rhythm test) and a throat swab cause extreme fear and often tears and anything with a needle, well, let’s just say that’s on a whole …
Measles is on its way to an all time high. In 2000 Measles was eliminated (meaning some travelers from areas with low vaccine penetration might arrive in the US with the disease, but no case came from US), but has been slowly creeping back. Since 2008 this has been more than a trickle. Let’s put the …
Continue reading “Don’t just blame Jenny McCarthy for the measles outbreak, blame Dr. Bob too”
