Globally
the numbers are even worse, with 10 million cases and 140,000 deaths in
2018. And the 2019 totals will top those
since cases rose by 300% in the first three months of the year. (Who, 2019)
So how
did a preventable disease that was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 make
a comeback? Sheer stupidity. That's right.
Anti-vaxers are both stupid and a danger to society.
Of course
it all started with a fraud. His name is Andrew Wakefield. He published his fake news story complete with
false data about 12 children, in a medical journal in 1998, in an effort to
extort money from vaccine makers.
The
poorly vetted journal - The Lancet -
retracted the paper in 2010. And
Wakefield's license to practice medicine was revoked for his "dishonest
and irresponsible behavior." But
the damage was already done. (Park, 2010)
Thanks
to the Dunning-Kruger effect - that's the one where stupid people don't realize
how stupid they are - idiots like Jessica Biel, who did not even go to college
think that they know more than doctors and researchers with multiple degrees.
And
sadly, thanks to the halo effect, people tend to think pretty people are smart
too, so many people believe her, despite her lack of credentials.
But
clearly none of them know how to read. Here's
a link to an NIH article that attempts to set the record straight. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1071313/
Unfortunately
research tells us that the truth doesn't work when you are dealing with fake
news. Coincidentally that research was
done based on measles. And what did it
show? That the only thing that moves the
needle is photos of sick and dying children.
Why? Because scaring people does
work. (Pinker, 2016)
So
it's time to start putting those pictures out there. People's lives could depend upon it. Oh and a few more laws forcing parents to
vaccinate couldn't hurt either.
(2019,
August) Global measles outbreaks make 2019 a record setting year. Center
for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. Retrieved January 16, 2020,
from
Park,
A. (2010, May 24) Doctor behind vaccine-autism
link loses license. time.com. Retrieved January
16, 2020, from https://healthland.time.com/2010/05/24/doctor-behind-vaccine-autism-link-loses-license/
Pinker,
S. (2016, March 12) The Peril of
Ignoring Vaccines - and a Solution. wsj.com. Retrieved January 16, 2020, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-peril-of-ignoring-vaccinesand-a-solution-1457537743
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