tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post2602760736358123010..comments2024-02-29T03:57:00.088-05:00Comments on The Mermaid's Tale: The value of education?Anne Buchananhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09212151396672651221noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-34069727024193716592011-01-25T10:15:28.978-05:002011-01-25T10:15:28.978-05:00"So it's not surprising that if a child d..."So it's not surprising that if a child develops--or is first diagnosed with--autism after a vaccination, the parents might put 2 and 2 together. Separating cause from chance is not easy in such situations."<br /><br />After I posted, I thought that I should add something along these lines.James Goetzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02412501436355228925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-80033858285098638632011-01-25T07:19:19.183-05:002011-01-25T07:19:19.183-05:00Well, the problem is trust, isn't it? Estimat...Well, the problem is trust, isn't it? Estimating miniscule risks is not easy, and if your child has been an unlucky one, you're certainly not going to be very sanguine about the argument that overall the risk-benefit calculus favors vaccination.<br /><br />And in a culture awash with vested interests, and the usual suspicions of self-interest on the part of those in power or wealth, it's not surprising that people will be hard to persuade when those same authorities deny wrongdoing and say that what they are promoting (in this case, the vaccinations) is perfectly fine.<br /><br />There are diseases that first appear suddenly after some event, even though no clear biological reason for it--epilepsy in the case of trauma or just seeing a strobe light, some autoimmune diseases after an apparently unrelated infectious disease. So it's not surprising that if a child develops--or is first diagnosed with--autism after a vaccination, the parents might put 2 and 2 together. Separating cause from chance is not easy in such situations.<br /><br />Many times the distrust of the System is warranted. So it's an uphill climb for those who are on the side of truth in such a situation, even if, in this case, the truth seems to lie on the side of the safety of the vaccines.Ken Weisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02049713123559138421noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1812431336777691886.post-829979238935186752011-01-25T00:23:42.592-05:002011-01-25T00:23:42.592-05:00Not only was the original study retracted, but acc...Not only was the original study retracted, but according to a CNN article, 'Since that time, 18 controlled epidemiological studies have investigated the possible connection between autism and vaccines, and "they have all come back showing the same thing," says Alison Singer, founder and president of the Autism Science Foundation, and a mother of a 13-year-old with autism. "There is no link between vaccines and autism."'<br /><br />I suppose that this is a highly emotionally charged topic for anybody that knows an autistic person. And I know one autistic child who first began symptoms of autism after a vaccine. That deeply impressed me. However, I still thought that if a minuscule percentage of children had bad side effects from immunizations, then the overall protection was worthwhile. But now I see that there's no significant evidence for even a minuscule percentage.<br /><br />Also, many chiropractors are anti-vaccine. And people subject to that anti-vaccine PR might need a lot of counter evidence.James Goetzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02412501436355228925noreply@blogger.com