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Dangerous Skepticism
By Richmond Shreve, Sr. Editor (about the author) Page 1 of 1 page(s)
For OpEdNews: Richmond Shreve - Writer
WHY
I BELIEVE IN VACCINATIONS
One
of the more vocal anti-vaccination crowd, Michael Lee, immediately
expressed his skepticism that the benefits of seasonal flu vaccine and
H1N1 vaccine merit the risks he perceives. His comment provides us with
a highly visible example of the dangers of ill-informed
skepticism. Among other debunked scare claims, Lee mentioned
Autism rates, saying they have "skyrocked" and offering the opinion
that vaccination programs are the cause.
As luck would have it, Paul A. Offit, the chief of the infectious
diseases division of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and the
author of “Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine and the
Search for a Cure” published an op-ed article in the New York Times
today ENDORSING VACCINATION.
We were living in rural Oregon in 1955 and my parents decided to wait
until the polio vaccination came to the school there as the shots would
be free. The vaccine was due to arrive the 3rd week in October. I
contracted polio on Oct. 3.(54 years ago last week) I spent 9 months in
the hospital, 6 months in an iron lung, had to learn to walk, talk,
breathe again-that took 7 yrs of physical, occupational and speech
therapy. Lived a fairly normal life, married, had 2 kids, worked full
time and went to school full time. Then in 1990, I noticed weakness on
my left side. By 1999 I was in a wheelchair again with post-polio
syndrome, We are the first generation to live long enough for PPS to
occur-about 40 yrs after the original disease. In 2004 I
"crashed"-nearly died-and am now on a ventilator for life. Sweet
Victor, my second husband, married me even knowing I now have a much
shorter life span than I ever planned. Not how I wanted my life to be,
but we cope. So--do I believe in vaccinations? You betcha.
--Ginger Hastings Chapman
The accidental juxtaposition of these two opinions, Lee's superficial doubts and Offit's expert research,
demonstrates the dangers of failing to read critically when you browse
the internet. Not all opinions are of equal merit.
The danger of not vaccinating is clear. Offit reports, "Since April,
more than a million Americans have caught H1N1 flu, more than 10,000
have been hospitalized, and about 1,000 have died, including 76
children. And it's only the beginning of October. Yet, in a new survey,
41 percent of adults said they will not get vaccinated."
Ill-informed skepticism may be hazardous to your health and to the
health of those you love.
The views expressed in this article are the sole responsibility of the author
and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
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