Vaccine Wars on the next Frontline.

[steve s]

I just saw an ad for the next Frontline documentary that will air Tuesday, April 27th. It's about the debate over vaccines. Of course Jenny McCarthy was featured in the promo.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/vaccines/

Steve S.

[Estellea]

Leftbrain/Rightbrain (http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2010/04/frontline-the-vaccine-wars/) blogged about that last week. I doubt any new material will be covered and I don't think it will shed a very favourable light on the Jenny McScience brigade since none of the anti-vax/autism blogs are talking about it.

Este

[Fnord]

What with the millions of people dying every day from the "Swine Flu" -- and all because they didn't get the vaccine -- it's a wonder that more people aren't attacking Jenny MaCarthy for her ignorant anti-vaccine rhetoric.

[portlandatheist]

Thanks for the link, I'll definitely be watching it

[Dr. Imago]

What with the millions of people dying every day from the "Swine Flu" -- and all because they didn't get the vaccine -- it's a wonder that more people aren't attacking Jenny MaCarthy for her ignorant anti-vaccine rhetoric.

"Millions of people"? I wasn't aware of this. Do you have a source?

As for Jenny McCarthy... well, that's been beaten to death. Ignorance is not bliss.

~Dr. Imago

[Safe-Keeper]

Already aware of this, and definitely planning to watch it. Which reminds me -- I have to watch their documentary on alternative medicine, too, some day;).

I recommend everyone head over to PBS Frontline and take their survey (http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/vaccines/etc/questions.html) on vaccinations.

[krx]

Holy crap! That commentary section was a scary read! *shudders*

[Safe-Keeper]

Holy crap! That commentary section was a scary read! *shudders* It's always like that. The fringe is always the loudest.

[samanthakayee]

I used to think a few silly things about Vaccines. My husband works for lifeflight and a few years back I was asked by the flight nurse if I also wanted the flu shot. (Hubby has to have the shot) I said no I did not want the flu. This man ate me alive on why I was full of ****. The next day I let him give me and the kids a flu shot.
I still have a few friends on facebook that still thinks all that anti vac stuff. It is very scary.

[Safe-Keeper]

I found it a great program, though it could have delved deeper into certain issues like vaccine ingredients. Anti-vaxxers in the comments field are understandably upset:D.

[pgwenthold]

I found it a great program, though it could have delved deeper into certain issues like vaccine ingredients.

They didn't have to.

Note that vaccine ingredients are no more dangerous than the vaccines themselves. At most, the problems caused by the vaccine ingredients is less than or equal to those caused by the vaccines themselves.

So if the vaccines aren't a problem, then neither are the ingredients.

[Safe-Keeper]

I know that, you know that... but does the average viewer? It wouldn't have taken many seconds to say something like "it's not the compound itself, it's the dose".

[jasonpatterson]

I used to think a few silly things about Vaccines. My husband works for lifeflight and a few years back I was asked by the flight nurse if I also wanted the flu shot. (Hubby has to have the shot) I said no I did not want the flu. This man ate me alive on why I was full of ****. The next day I let him give me and the kids a flu shot.
I still have a few friends on facebook that still thinks all that anti vac stuff. It is very scary.

I'm glad that the guy didn't scare you away from getting the shot. I have to agree that anti-vaxxers are full of crap, but telling someone that to their face aggressively is rarely a good way to change their mind. Once a parent knows the rate at which kids really do die from these diseases once they catch them, they often change their minds. Since I first saw it, I've been showing my high school students a video about vaccinations that really gets the message through well, and I've actually had teen moms thank me for changing their minds about vaccinating their babies. (I'm a physics teacher, and I use the video as part of a critical/scientific thinking exercise.)

NOOOO! I've been out of the classroom for about a year, and now I can't find the video anywhere... I was going to provide a link. If anyone knows where to find it, I'd love the info, it's a powerful piece of work. The video is about the outbreaks of pertussis in Australia, it was done by ABC in 2009 (Aus. BC, that is, of course.) It features the parents of Dana McCaffery, who died from pertussis because she was too young to be vaccinated and herd immunity didn't exist for the disease in her area. It also features the asinine crapbag who is Meryl Dorey, of the Australia Vaccination Network, looking like the evil, heartless hag that she clearly is.

[Safe-Keeper]

NOOOO! I've been out of the classroom for about a year, and now I can't find the video anywhere... I was going to provide a link. If anyone knows where to find it, I'd love the info, it's a powerful piece of work. The video is about the outbreaks of pertussis in Australia, it was done by ABC in 2009 (Aus. BC, that is, of course.) It features the parents of Dana McCaffery, who died from pertussis because she was too young to be vaccinated and herd immunity didn't exist for the disease in her area. It also features the asinine crapbag who is Meryl Dorey, of the Australia Vaccination Network, looking like the evil, heartless hag that she clearly is. You could always just show them this PBS Frontline episode. It has a a rather unpleasant segment on just what can happen to infants if selfish or paranoid parents don't vaccinate their kidfs.

[gabeygoat]

So I watched this today in class, and was wary of people's opinions, but all in all, most people saw through the McCarthy crap and listened to the science. It was a public health class, so i'm sure it was biased, but I was pleasantly surprised at the reactions.