One map sums up the damage caused by the anti-vaccination movement
photo credit: Council on Foreign Relations
January 24, 2014 | by Lisa Winter
1Vaccinations are one of the most incredible aspects of modern medicine. They can make previously lethal diseases disappear from society and save countless lives. There is, however, a chance that the vaccines work a little too well and our collective memory is too short to remember the devastating effects some of these diseases caused just a few short decades ago. Recently, for reasons that are not based on science or logic, many parents have outspokenly rejected vaccinating their children. Unfortunately, this has caused a reemergence of easily managed diseases. The Council on Foreign Relations has released an map detailing the catastrophic outcome of these poor choices.
2The map gives a gut-wrenching tour of global outbreaks of measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and whooping cough from 2008-2014. These diseases -- all of which are easily prevented by vaccines -- can have dire consequences. The CDC estimates that 164,000 people around the world will die from measles each year, and it is experiencing quite a resurgence in the UK. The United States has recently seen a drastic increase in whooping cough, which causes around 195,000 deaths per year. The majority of these deaths occur in impoverished regions with very little access to vaccines. In the case of developed areas like the US or UK, they shouldn’t be happening at all.
3But how did it all begin?
4In 1998, Andrew Wakefield released a paper claiming to have linked the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine to the onset of autism. No other scientist was ever able to match Wakefield’s findings, and in the coming years, it became known that Wakefield had a financial conflict of interest. In 2010, an ethics review board found that he had falsified the data in his report, causing an immediate retraction of his original paper and revocation of his medical license. Despite the fact most scientists opposed Wakefield’s “findings” from the start, some people were all too eager to jump on the anti-MMR bandwagon.
5Among those leading the charge against vaccines is Jenny McCarthy, the Playboy Bunny-turned-pseudoscience advocate. McCarthy began speaking out against vaccines in 2007, as she believed they caused her son’s autism. Based on her son’s symptoms, some believe the boy actually has Landau-Kleffner syndrome. She has written a few books (including one with a foreword by Wakefield himself) continually claiming that vaccines cause autism and that she cured her son’s disorder with alternative treatment, without a shred of credible medical evidence. In the face of a possible misdiagnosis and absolutely no scientific evidence to support the claim that vaccines cause autism, she remains unchanged in her opinion. Unfortunately, her celebrity status has given her a platform to use anecdotal (not scientific) evidence to urge parents against vaccines.
6Of course, absolutely nothing is without risk and there can be side effects from vaccines, but those are incredibly rare. Some people are unable to be vaccinated due to allergies or other medical conditions. This makes it altogether more important for those who can get vaccinated to do so, creating a herd immunity for our most vulnerable members of society.
Indicate which statements below are summaries for paragraphs above. Write NI if the information is not included in the essay.
_____ The child of a famous, non-scientist may have autism, and the mother is
blaming her child’s illness on vaccines even though it is not proven.
_____ Vaccinations have saved many lives, but there is a danger that these diseases
will reoccur because of misinformation about the dangers of vaccines.
_____ The United Nations is giving away vaccines to very poor countries and the effect
is very positive.
_____ Many cases of preventable disease are now occurring even in developed
countries where access to the vaccine is easy.
_____ Even though vaccines are not 100% without risk, it is important for the
protection of everyone that as many people as possible get vaccinated.
One paragraph is not summarized above. Work with a partner to write a summary of that paragraph.
______
From
Read more at