My friend-- who for other reasons is now an ex-friend-- told me that she was considering skipping vaccinations for her young daughter because of a fear of autism. Apparently, she had just seen Jenny McCarthy on Oprah or Tyra or Dr. Phil or one of the many daytime talk shows designed to scare the piss out of women, spouting ridiculous nonsense (my assessment, not hers) about the connection between the two.
I wanted to write back and say, "Jenny McCarthy is a moron and you're an even bigger moron for believing anything this woman says." Instead, I sent her a few links to medical journals that refuted everything the ex-Playboy model claimed.
The kid got her shots.
Sadly, many other parents choose to skip the vaccinations leaving their children and the rest of society vulnerable to horrible diseases.
Today, Vaccinegate, has been exposed.
A renowned scientific journal has formally retracted a paper that linked the popular MMR vaccine to autism.According to my local newscast, Jenny McCarthy issued a statement supporting the disgraced Dr. Wakefield. Of course, she did.
The paper has been blamed for the drastic drop in the number of children getting the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine in Europe and the U.S. Last week Britain's General Medical Council accused the author, Dr. Andrew Wakefield of presenting his research in a "irresponsible and dishonest" way with "callous disregard" for children.
I had the measles when I was eight. Unfortunately, I was one of a number of kids who received a bad batch of the vaccine. To this day, I vividly remember how sick I was. My ears have not been the same since.
I hope the cause and cure for autism is found one day. But, to make children suffer because of bad science is reprehensible.
To let a B celebrity affect how you care for your kids is mind-boggling.
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