This letter is not perfect, but it at least rebuts the vaccination nonsense, and it appeared today in one of the largest newspapers in the US (Chicago Tribune)
What do you think?
Shots and autism
August 29, 2008
I have worked with people with autism and parents of people with autism for more than six years and enjoy it thoroughly . I do not pity them, I try to hold open a door to the world for them. Of course, I do so with varying expectations because, as people who have experience with autism already know, there are various "degrees" involved. Some simply need assistance in understanding social cues and can work a job (just as well as anyone else) in business or another field, and others might need constant one-on-one care because they do not communicate, not even with signs. People with autism are just that, people. They are people with dignity. They are people who have the right to live, whether it be with a high- or low-functioning form of autism.
I know I'd rather have a child with autism than have a child who runs the risk of carrying, dying from or transmitting a potentially fatal disease. A few thousand refusals [by mothers to have their kids vaccinated] may not be a high risk, but if tens, or even hundreds of thousand of people follow Ms. O'Connell's lack of reasoning, we run the risk of an epidemic like the one in the late 1980s.
Refusing vaccinations in fear of autism is ignorant. Vaccinations help cure disease. Thimerosal does nothing to cause autism. Let's cure the disease we know how to cure. Vaccinate!
Awesome! Personal experience + facts + logic = good explanation!
Have you sent it yet? It may be worth a brief mention that autism rates continue to rise even after removal of thimerosal from vaccines.
And somehow I had never considered the the disease-control disasters that could result from widespread refusal to vaccinate.
Great post. I don't for a moment believe the tie between Autism and vaccinations but I don't think this post disproves it. As to giving good counter to the need for curing Autism though it definitely rates
Very well written letter, Max.
And somehow I had never considered the the disease-control disasters that could result from widespread refusal to vaccinate.
Wait - didn't you do just that? In the letter you posted it talks about how bad it would be if even more people didn't vaccinate and preventable diseases spread more.
I got measles when I was 5 and during a time when it was thought that measles was just a harmless childhood disease. It made some kids in my town so ill that they suffered permanent brain damage. Even to this very day, a few children die of measles every year in so called "developed" countries. I think it's hardly responsible for the no-vaccination people to tell others not to vaccinate against preventable diseases such as measles.
Thanks for the post Max.
@ MicGrace I was just discussing smallpox with my kids. They have not been vaccinated against smallpox. I have had the shots. My mom had them too. But her younger brothers haven't. The decision to jab or not to jab for smallpox seems an ongoing thing. If I remember correctly there was a high amount of nasty reactions on the shots. So evaluating benefits against damage the decision now is not to vaccinate.
And somehow I had never considered the the disease-control disasters that could result from widespread refusal to vaccinate.
It's related to epidemiological studies and the phenomenon known as 'herd-immunity'.
Off the top of my head, there's a critical mass in terms of percentage of the population that need to be immunised in order to protect the remaining small minority who aren't immune.
Then the minority benefit from herd-immunity
If the numbers fall below a certain threshold, the minority are at greater risk.
There are statistical analyses that give figures, but I can't recall them off the top of my head.
I always tried concentrating holding still when receiving vaccinations, don't think I ever had a reaction.
And somehow I had never considered the the disease-control disasters that could result from widespread refusal to vaccinate.
It's related to epidemiological studies and the phenomenon known as 'herd-immunity'.
Off the top of my head, there's a critical mass in terms of percentage of the population that need to be immunised in order to protect the remaining small minority who aren't immune.
Then the minority benefit from herd-immunity
If the numbers fall below a certain threshold, the minority are at greater risk.
There are statistical analyses that give figures, but I can't recall them off the top of my head.
Yep, this link puts herd immunity at 95% vaccinated. The issue of herd immunity, and the lack of it, is pretty well publicised in the UK.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7017768.stm
I think my original post was misleading. I didn't write the letter. I should have posted the URL.
This letter is not perfect, but it at least rebuts the vaccination nonsense, and it appeared today in one of the largest newspapers in the US (Chicago Tribune)
What do you think?
Shots and autism
August 29, 2008
I have worked with people with autism and parents of people with autism for more than six years and enjoy it thoroughly . I do not pity them, I try to hold open a door to the world for them. Of course, I do so with varying expectations because, as people who have experience with autism already know, there are various "degrees" involved. Some simply need assistance in understanding social cues and can work a job (just as well as anyone else) in business or another field, and others might need constant one-on-one care because they do not communicate, not even with signs. People with autism are just that, people. They are people with dignity. They are people who have the right to live, whether it be with a high- or low-functioning form of autism.
I know I'd rather have a child with autism than have a child who runs the risk of carrying, dying from or transmitting a potentially fatal disease. A few thousand refusals [by mothers to have their kids vaccinated] may not be a high risk, but if tens, or even hundreds of thousand of people follow Ms. O'Connell's lack of reasoning, we run the risk of an epidemic like the one in the late 1980s.
Refusing vaccinations in fear of autism is ignorant. Vaccinations help cure disease. Thimerosal does nothing to cause autism. Let's cure the disease we know how to cure. Vaccinate!
This sort of nonsense stems from the fact that most people do not know what the word "epidemic" means. Most epidemics start from only one infected individual, "the index case", and then spread through a given population via contamination of some form. An outbreak of measles is an epidemic.
Autism is not an epidemic.
I acquired my immunity to measles, rubella,chicken pox and mumps by enduring these illnesses as a child. But I was already autistic.
oh
I misread the title
I thought all autistic people were going to get free alcohol
bummer
MOVING ON...................
our letter is very good max
as Rossco said your letter doesn't activley bash the thiomersal scare but does show our side
well done