Group Verification Essay

Although the negative claims behind anti-immunization stances are deceptive and discredited, some parents find it difficult to accept that vaccines are necessary and safe. Many of these reasons are due to personal or religious beliefs that have persuaded parents to bypass immunizations for their children. Consequently, health officials are seeing disquieting rises of diseases that are easily preventable. The CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention) has reported hundreds of measles cases in the United States in 2011, the largest number in 15 years (Ben-Joseph, Elana). Essentially, almost all of these cases were in individuals who had not received a vaccine shot. Also found in the article was that a great amount of the quarrel over the shots comes from a 1998 study that tried to connect autism to a type of vaccine that defends against measles. However, there has been no scientific evidence that a vaccine or a combination of any of the shots induces autism. Undoubtedly, the doctor that wrote the article, calling vaccines a “deliberate fraud” ,lost his license for not submitting any evidence of his claim and causing people to neglect shots for that year. Sadly, due to that article, 1 in 4 parents still believe that vaccines are

For years there has been public controversies over the advancements in science and all of the health risks that have been around, but now the use of the media has certainly boosted the amount of confusion throughout the public. Frightening stories regarding the progressions of science have been appearing online and in print. One particular example of this issue was the MMR vaccine debate. The MMR vaccine is an immunization vaccine which fights against rubella, measles, and mumps. During the 1990’s the media played a huge role in the decisions parents made regarding whether or not they allowed their children to get vaccinated. The media portrayed the MMR vaccine as having a possible link between autism. Which left the public worried about the MMR vaccine and having conflicting views and feelings towards the safety of vaccinations. In the MMR vaccine debate scientist and the media played two different roles which helped citizens make decisions regarding vaccination.

Unfortunately, little progress has been made since then, as reports from 2015 show only 72.2 percent of U.S. children are fully vaccinated (KFF, 2017). Healthy People 2020 recommends a national goal of 80 percent to maintain herd immunity (Child Trends Databank, 2015). Despite the life-saving importance of immunization, these stagnant rates show that many mothers of U.S. children do not adhere to vaccination recommendations. These critics and skeptics of vaccines are a part of the anti-vaccination movement. Originating upon the discovery of the first vaccine in 1796, this movement has progressed for hundreds of years. Currently, through media and prominent anti-vax social figures, the public can easily be relayed messages of vaccine controversies rather than scientific facts. Falsehoods include perceived low risk of contracting vaccine-preventable diseases, “overloading” the child’s immune system, mercury in vaccines, reports of negative reactions after vaccination, and the infamously popular myth that vaccines cause autism (Mittenzwei, Morrison, & Williams,

Through this data, the authors make a point that a vaccine's effectiveness depends on the strains they pick—and sometimes they get it wrong. But the bottom line is that vaccines have meant far fewer deaths, hospitalizations, and disabilities than at any other time in history. In turn, the second question is answered by clearly stating that the claims made that autism is linked to MMR vaccine come directly from “one anecdotal study, based on 12 children with autistic spectrum disorders.” And from that alone sparked outward fears and concerns of parents but the main source of this is through broadcasted media on the

Mnookin debunks the claims of major figures in the anti-vaccination movement and sets their beliefs and actions in a larger context. The book posits that scientific credibility has been cast aside due to the self-interest of Andrew Wakefield, panic on the part of parents, and sensationalization by the media.

One such factor helping to manifest these large-scale epidemics is a study from 1998 by Andrew Wakefield, which claimed that there was a direct link between autism and the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine (Smith 1). As a result, many parents refused to vaccinate their children out of fear, and vaccine-preventable diseases like measles began reappearing more in both America and Britain, the place where Wakefield conducted his study (Cohen 2). Although a later investigation by the British Medical Journal discovered that Wakefield had distorted or altered the medical records of all twelve of the study’s participants and that he had been paid $674,000 USD by lawyers attempting to sue vaccine manufacturers, the atmosphere of apprehension surrounding vaccines is still strong among many individuals, and especially parents (Cohen 1-2). But despite all the controversy and the scientifically unsupported arguments of anti-vaccine sympathizers,

There are many rumors and much misinformation that surrounds vaccines, questioning their safety. These claims, however, are not credible. The most common worry is that there is a link between autism- a mental illness that inhibits social interaction- and vaccinations. This is due to research done by a british surgeon named Andrew Wakefield. Following studies, it was proven that, “there is no link between vaccines and autism.”(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, October 27, 2015) and Andrew Wakefield was discredited. There are many historical examples of vaccinations wrongly being accused of being unsafe. Inspection of vaccines before public consumption is mandated by the government. It is tested on animals, and in the 1960s, some animals

With hundreds of reports, journals and other literature, the stand point of these professionals is that the benefit of herd and singular immunisation outweigh the risks (screening for good health 2009 pg50, Para 2). Ever since the immunisation program became available to the masses there have been objection and arguments. The argument that is most widely known is that vaccines may cause autism. This argument was legitimised when a paper was published in 1998 stating that there is a link between vaccines that were given to the mother while pregnant and to the child in the their first year leading to the development of autism. In 2004 the paper was retracted from the lancet, (the journal where published) after 10 of the 13 authors agreed that their research had been disproved. They believed that the thiomersal (the part with the mercury) is the cause, though each dose only contains 2 micrograms, which is considered safe. But this reasoning is now void because thiomersal was discontinued in the production of vaccines intended for children in the year 2000 (Immunise Australia program 2015, Para 10). Unfortunately fear keeps this story alive, and when you have celebrities who people admire and trust advocating the anti-vaccination movement the fear becomes

The current issue I have selected to discuss is vaccinations. In particular, I will be addressing the anti-vaccination movement that has gained popularity in recent years and the contributing biases that influenced its emergence. One event stands out at as a major contributing factor to the growth of the anti-vaccination movement, the 1998 study by Andrew Wakefield that was published by the English medical journal, Lancet. This study claimed to show a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism. Even though it was just one small study, the media picked it up and it became hugely publicized.

This controversy started when “The Lancet” published a research made by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who suggested the vaccine can cause autism. After investigation the British medical journal published an article criticizing Dr.Wakefield and accusing him of fraud. As a result “The Lancet” retracted the research. The dishonest research and violation of ethic caused Dr. Wakefield to lose his medical license. However, Dr. Wakefield’s research made a big impact in the way some American parents view vaccines. These parents now refuse to have their children vaccinate and blame the vaccine for their developmental

When most people are asked who is more reliable about vaccinations a doctor or a former Playboy bunny there answer usually should be a doctor. However, in 2007 that was not the case when Playboy bunny, Jenny Mccarthy, a woman with a self-called “mommy instinct” told the media her son’s Autism was caused by the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella or MMR vaccine. This resulted in the anti-vaccination movement that is still present today. The movement caused parents to begin to question vaccines and soon some began to refuse to get their children vaccinated. The result of this refusal is a deadly one, as more illness is spread even to children who are vaccinated and the only way to prevent this is for required vaccinations. The media’s promotion of the

Now, as stated above, misinformation fuels the anti-vaccination movement. The largest source of said misinformation is the abundance of zany conspiracy theories that pervade the Internet. Although there are many stories vaccination opponents cling to, the primary source of modern falsehoods is a fraudulent article published in 1998 by Dr. Andrew Wakefield in The Lancet, a renowned peer-reviewed medical journal. In his article, Wakefield described how his research showed a correlation between the onset of autism symptoms in children and the injection of the mumps, measles, and rubella vaccine. However, as Wakefield was found to have a slew of undeclared conflicts of interest and heavily manipulated results, The Lancet fully retracted his article in 2010, and his medical license was revoked (Douglas et al, 2014). At this point, however, the damage had already been done. The media carelessly circulated stories about Wakefield’s now-discredited article using sensationalist, fear-mongering headlines. The remnants of this massive reporting blunder now float in cyberspace like asteroids, colliding with parents worried about the safety of their children. These “asteroids” often convince naïve parents that childhood vaccinations are dangerous by implementing vicious scare tactics. Needless to say, nobody

There are diseases such as autism that is frequently linked with vaccinations. This has been a recent topic in the news and has cause quite the uproar. In a recent program on PBS, the topic of vaccinations and their actual relation to autism is discussed. The program initially focuses on “our faulty risk perceptions around vaccines, how many people are vastly more scared than they ought to be of a tiny risk (vaccination) while ignoring a huge one, the return of deadly diseases” (Mooney). The program shows a “tough scene of a tiny infant suffering from whooping cough, its mother weeping, nurses running in constantly to sit the baby up (he cannot even raise himself) so that he does not choke” (Mooney). The episode then takes a turn to focus on an autistic 16-year-old living in the United States. Her condition was initially, said to be caused from the MMR vaccination she received at birth. The mother of the girl says how “the studies that were originally thought to link the MMR vaccination to autism were proven false” (Mooney). This documentary lays out the “overwhelming science demonstrating the safety of vaccines and also shows you how the immune system

In 1998 Dr. Andrew Wakefield published a study in the Lancet showing a connection between vaccines and autism. Daley and Glanz explain that this appears to be the beginning of the doubts surrounding vaccinations. Here Daley and Glanz do not pull any punches. Daley and Glanz use crippling words to destroy Dr. Wakefield’s corrupt study. Each sentence in this paragraph digs Wakefield’s study a deeper and deeper hole. By doing this, Daley and Glanz paint an image that the whole anti-vaccine movement is constructed on a non-existent

In 1998, Dr. Andrew Wakefield published a paper that linked the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and the appearance of autism. This paper ignited widespread panic of the so-called dangerous side effects of common vaccines. In 2004, after an investigation, it was found that his paper was fraudulent and Wakefield was found guilty of misconduct and was subsequently removed from the UK medical register. Unfortunately, in 2017, many people still believe that vaccines cause dangerous side effects and refuse to vaccinate themselves and their children. Certain celebrities have pushed this false narrative and caused the anti-vaccine movement to spread even further. Despite a multitude of evidence people have taken this wonderful science for granted