<--Even this guy takes his Hippocratic Oath more seriously
I actually have a substantial entry prepared, just need to add some things. But first I must crow this from the mountaintops.
The MMR-vaccine-leads-to-autism scare has pissed me off since it first started. One study says the MMR vaccine leads to autism, vs. how many that show no correlation? And now it turns out that the data in said study was manipulated and misreported. The guy lied.
I'm not against parents doing everything they can to prevent disease--hell, as far as I know, daily prayer could make the difference between Just-Fine Johnny and Autistic Andy. What I am against is witholding treatment from a child that would prevent uncomfortable, highly-contagious, and possibly fatal diseases, though I know these parents did what they thought was right. And what really pisses me off is a doctor, or anyone who should know better, deliberately misrepresenting his findings and sparking a panic.
Maybe it's just my paranoid fantasies talking again, but I imagine that this asshole is teamed up with a lawyer who, surprise surprise, makes a lot of money suing vaccine companies for turning kids autistic. Not that vaccines are foolproof--the worst sickness I ever had, I got from the MMR vaccine, and I would wholeheartedly support anyone who sued a company for distributing a faulty vaccine. But I hope this guy and any accomplices face professional, criminal, and civil charges for what (t)he(y) did:
Last week official figures showed that 1,348 confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales were reported last year, compared with 56 in 1998. Two children have died of the disease. (from the previously-linked article)
I guess my point is, this didn't need to happen. But it did. Thanks, Andrew Wakefield. You're a dick.
The MMR-vaccine-leads-to-autism scare has pissed me off since it first started. One study says the MMR vaccine leads to autism, vs. how many that show no correlation? And now it turns out that the data in said study was manipulated and misreported. The guy lied.
I'm not against parents doing everything they can to prevent disease--hell, as far as I know, daily prayer could make the difference between Just-Fine Johnny and Autistic Andy. What I am against is witholding treatment from a child that would prevent uncomfortable, highly-contagious, and possibly fatal diseases, though I know these parents did what they thought was right. And what really pisses me off is a doctor, or anyone who should know better, deliberately misrepresenting his findings and sparking a panic.
Maybe it's just my paranoid fantasies talking again, but I imagine that this asshole is teamed up with a lawyer who, surprise surprise, makes a lot of money suing vaccine companies for turning kids autistic. Not that vaccines are foolproof--the worst sickness I ever had, I got from the MMR vaccine, and I would wholeheartedly support anyone who sued a company for distributing a faulty vaccine. But I hope this guy and any accomplices face professional, criminal, and civil charges for what (t)he(y) did:
Last week official figures showed that 1,348 confirmed cases of measles in England and Wales were reported last year, compared with 56 in 1998. Two children have died of the disease. (from the previously-linked article)
I guess my point is, this didn't need to happen. But it did. Thanks, Andrew Wakefield. You're a dick.