November 1-6 has been declared “Vaccine Awareness Week.” What a great idea. Especially with the whooping cough epidemic in California. The epidemic is the largest outbreak in more than 60 years and has claimed the lives of 10 children. Over 6200 cases have been reported since January. A perfect time for vaccine awareness, right?
Let’s dig a little deeper …
“Vaccine Awareness Week” is a fund-raising event sponsored by the anti-vaccine National Vaccine Information Center, a name that would make Orwell proud. “Vaccine Awareness Week” is the brainchild of woo merchants Barbara Loe Fisher and Joe Mercola. With the California epidemic in full swing, their timing is about as good as their science.
Officials in California have concluded that the anti-vaxxers are at least partially to blame for the outbreak and deaths. Fears about vaccines have been stoked by the likes of Jenny McCarthy, a semi-celebrity best know for “dating” Jim Carrey, and Oprah who gave Jenny a platform for her nonsense, and called Jenny a warrior mom.
Children die because they haven’t been vaccinated. We lose our herd immunity if a large enough percentage of the population does’t get vaccinated. This anti-science type of thinking is getting people killed.
Frontline did an excellent show on this subject.
-David Drumm (Nal)