-
+22 +1
Anti-vaxxers are burdening the economy, NIH doctor says as measles outbreak spreads
The agenda of anti-vaccination activists may be causing a drag on the U.S. economy as the measles outbreak forces people to stay out of work and seek medical care, the director for the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said Monday. “If you wind up getting more infections and diseases that were vaccine-preventable, those are entirely avoidable burdens on the economy,” Dr. Anthony Fauci told CNBC. “When people get sick, they lose work, they lose their finances from work, [and] they have hospital costs.”
-
+4 +1
Anti-vaxxers have 'blood on their hands', says health secretary
People who spread myths about the harms of vaccines have “blood on their hands” the health secretary has said as he refused to rule out compulsory immunisations. While Matt Hancock downplayed suggestions that it would be made illegal not to vaccinate children, he said it could be considered if stalling immunisation rates are not addressed.
-
+2 +1
Texas Republican says vaccines are "sorcery," claims "parental rights" are more important
An anti-vaxxer Texas lawmaker is facing criticism for attacking a prominent vaccinologist and branding inoculations “sorcery.” Republican Rep. Jonathan Stickland—who left the hardline conservative Freedom Caucus last week—began a Twitter spat with Peter Hotez, a professor at the Baylor College of Medicine, on Tuesday, the Houston Chronicle reported.
-
+26 +1
Instagram blocks vaccine hoax hashtags
Instagram will block hashtags spreading "verifiably false" information about vaccinations. The social network already blocks hashtags that are themselves false claims, such as #vaccinescauseautism.
-
+4 +1
Where Will Measles Break Out Next? Chicago, Los Angeles or Miami, Scientists Predict
A new study ranks the risks in U.S. counties by the numbers of unvaccinated children and proximity to international airports. But no one predicted the outbreak in Brooklyn. Chicago, Los Angeles and Miami are the cities most likely to see the next measles outbreaks, according to an unusual new study. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin and Johns Hopkins University mapped the 25 American counties most at risk of measles because of their vaccine-exemption rates and proximity to airports.
-
+18 +1
Despite Measles Warnings, Anti-Vaccine Rally Draws Hundreds of Ultra-Orthodox Jews
An ultra-Orthodox rabbi falsely described the measles outbreak among Jews as part of an elaborate plan concocted by Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York to deflect attention from “more serious” diseases brought by Central American migrants.
-
+4 +1
'Vast Majority' of Online Anti-Vaxxers Are Women
The "vast majority" of people commenting, sharing and liking anti-vaccination information on Facebook are women, a new study finds. Researchers dug into the world of anti-vaccination people — better known as anti-vaxxers — by looking at data from six of the largest, public anti-vaxxer pages on Facebook. By analyzing two years' worth of data from these pages, the researchers determined that these communities are extremely active, negative in tone and primarily female.
-
+9 +1
Jessica Biel Insists She's "Not Against Vaccinations"
The actress explained her controversial lobbying against California's anti-vaccine bill. Just hours after Jessica Biel raised eyebrows by seemingly becoming the latest Hollywood star to lend a voice to anti-vaccine views, when she joined Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to lobby against a California state bill that would limit medical exemptions for immunizations without approval from a public health officer, the actress took to Instagram to clarify her position.
-
+4 +1
New York ends religious exemption to vaccine mandate for schoolchildren
New York eliminated the religious exemption to vaccine requirements for schoolchildren Thursday, as the country’s worst measles outbreak in decades prompts states to reconsider giving parents ways to opt out of immunization rules. The Democratic-led state senate and assembly voted Thursday to repeal the exemption, which allows parents to cite religious beliefs to forego getting their child the vaccines required for school enrollment.
-
+39 +1
By the Numbers: Vaccines Are Safe
Americans have received billions of doses of vaccines for everything from measles to the flu. In 30 years, very few injury claims have been filed with the federal government.
-
+7 +1
Antivaxxers turn to homeschooling to avoid protecting their kids’ health
One anti-vaccine parent planned to quit her part-time job to "become an educator."
-
+9 +1
What makes some people more receptive to the idea of being vaccinated against infectious disease?
Fear, trust, and the likelihood of exposure are three leading factors that influence whether people are willing to be vaccinated against a virulent disease, according to a new study in the journal Heliyon, published by Elsevier.
-
+28 +1
Anti-extremism software to be used to tackle vaccine disinformation
Redirection tool that confronts anti-vax theories under development by UK’s Moonshot
-
+15 +1
The original anti-vaxxers
Jenner’s earliest and most vocal opponents had been men of the church, who reasoned that smallpox was a God-given fact of life and death. If the Almighty had decided that someone would be smitten by smallpox, then any attempt to subvert this divine intention was blasphemy.
-
+20 +1
U of I Study: Some Vaccine Doubters Swayed by Outbreaks
MOSCOW, Idaho — Aug. 28, 2019 — People skeptical of the medical establishment who live close to a measles outbreak have a greater chance of changing their mind, according to a University of Idaho study.
-
+24 +1
Get Vaccinated or Leave School: 26,000 N.Y. Children Face a Choice
Jacquelynn Vance-Pauls, a real-estate lawyer in upstate New York, has a 14-year-old son with autism who was recently kicked out of his private special needs school. Her 9-year-old twins and her high-school senior are also on the verge of being expelled from their public schools.
-
+23 +1
Facebook to direct vaccine searches to public health pages
Facebook is to take a stand against vaccine denial by directing people searching for information or using vaccine hashtags to web pages set up by public health bodies. People who access Facebook and Instagram pages and groups that discuss vaccines, as well as those searching or using relevant hashtags, will see an educational module about vaccine safety. Links will take them to a page provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the United States and to the World Health Organization elsewhere in the world.
-
+17 +1
Why there's more to the anti-vaxxing narrative than meets the eye
One recent morning in northwest London, a group of mothers and toddlers met up in a terraced house on a quiet road. Over fruit and biscuits, they discussed the weather, breastfeeding older children, and the fact that they all refuse to vaccinate their children. The parents are part of Arnica, which brands itself as a “natural health” group for parents concerned about mainstream medicine. Arnica has a Facebook group with 37,000 members, nearly four times what it was five years ago, and has become one of the largest organisations pushing an anti-vaccination message online.
-
+1 +1
Anti-vaxxers wage war in Conn., lawmaker calls vaccines “witches brew”
The battle over vaccinations ramped up in Connecticut this week as state lawmakers narrowly advanced a bill—with last-minute amendments—aimed at banning religious vaccine exemptions for children. If passed, the measure will no longer allow parents to cite their religious beliefs as a valid reason not to provide their children with life-saving immunizations, which are otherwise required for entry into public and private schools and daycares.
-
+17 +1
New study finds Trump's tweets intensify anti-vaccine attitudes among his supporters
New research has found that Americans who voted for Donald Trump in 2016 are particularly prone to anti-vaccination attitudes and that these attitudes can be exacerbated by the president’s tweets. The findings have been published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
Submit a link
Start a discussion