vaccines

A new malaria vaccine appears to be working in mice. A study of malaria-resistant children in Tanzania has turned up an antibody that traps the parasite in red blood cells, inspiring the creation of what looks to be a promising vaccine. (J. Kurtis)

Study of 1.3 Million Kids Reveals Vaccines Aren’t Associated with Autism

A meta-analysis including nearly 1.3 million children posted online last week in the journal Vaccine has demonstrated, once again, that there’s no causal link between vaccines and autism. The paper is an online “uncorrected proof.” That means it has already been through peer review and has been accepted, but there could still be a few…

Our New Favorite Website: Spurious Correlations

Here for spreading far and wide is (another) graphical reminder of the important distinction between correlation and causation. Created by Tyler Vigen, “Spurious Correlations” is a website devoted to documenting examples of what are best described as spuriousrelationships – that is, relationships in which two events have no causal link, but still appear to due…

The Great Polio Vaccine Feud

Sixty years ago, polio was infecting tens of thousands of children a year. In the past few years, despite setbacks, it has been brought near eradication. Two different vaccines are responsible for the fight against polio. An inspirational story… if the two people who developed the vaccines hadn’t spent their whole lives hating each other.…

Lack of Immunizations Cause Measles Outbreaks in Calgary and Edmonton

Alberta’s two largest cities, Calgary and Edmonton, have declared a measles outbreak. The province’s health service is asking people who show signs of the disease to stay indoors. Not surprisingly, the outbreak has been linked to dangerously low levels of immunizations. Relatedly, confirmed cases in Washington’s Whatcom County have been link to a current outbreak…

In the 1970s, A Weaponized Version Of Smallpox Got Out Into The Wild

In 1971, a woman in Kazakhstan near the Aral sea died of smallpox. How did she get it? It was harvested, weaponized, let out in a controlled test, and got out of control. Here’s how the USSR saved the world from the smallpox outbreak it caused. The elimination of smallpox can legitimately be considered one…

The Real Reasons that Parents Have Stopped Vaccinating Their Kids

Scientists have a lot of theories — not a lot of them flattering — about why some people have stopped vaccinating their children. But those are just theories. If we want to save lives, it’s time for us to figure out what’s really causing this outbreak of vaccine hesitancy, and do something about it. That’s…

“Big Government” Vaccine Program Has Saved 700,000 Lives

According to a report published today by the CDC, more than 732,000 children’s lives and $1 trillion have been saved in the last 20 years by a government program that was created for kids who didn’t have health insurance that covered vaccinations. The Vaccines for Children (VFC) program was implemented in 1994, following an outbreak…

Your Future Flu Vaccines Could Be Grown Inside a Tobacco Plant

Finally, some good news about tobacco and your health. No, there is no nicotine involved, but there will be lots and lots of virus-like particles. Tobacco plants could be one of the fastest and most effective ways of making the seasonal flu vaccine—much faster than the current method using chicken eggs. The flu shot you…

Chili’s Cancels Fundraising for Anti-Vaccination Autism Group

Chili’s had planned to donate 10% of its customers’ checks on April 7th to the National Autism Association, an organization that claims vaccines “trigger or exacerbate autism in some, if not many, children.” This evening, Chili’s announced it will be canceling the event based on feedback received from its guests. Here’s the full statement from…

Chili’s Will Donate 10% of Customers’ Checks to Anti-Vaxxers on April 7

Chili’s intends to donate 10% of its customers’ checks on April 7th to the National Autism Association, in honor of National Autism Awareness month. The problem? The NAA claims on its website that vaccines can trigger or exacerbate autism in “some, if not many, children.” Dammit not this again. UPDATE 04/06: Chili’s has cancelled its…

Despite anti-vaxxer rhetoric, vaccination rates are higher than ever

Vaccination rates are up and have been for awhile. The public is more convinced than ever of the importance of vaccines. So, why are we hearing so much about the anti-vaccine movement? A new study delves into why — and what we can do about it. Top image: The (consistently high) vaccination rates in the…

All of these outbreaks could have been prevented with vaccines

Vaccines are something most of us take for granted, but as these maps compiled by the Council on Foreign Relations show, we’re still a long way from ensuring everyone’s safe from some of the world’s most dreaded — and preventable — diseases. The CFR is a nonpartisan think tank that’s been tracking news mentions of…

On correlation, causation, and the “real” cause of autism

Here for spreading far and wide is a graphical reminder of the important distinction between correlation and causation. Redditor Jasonp55 writes that he was practicing Graph Pad when he produced the chart above and discovered the “real” cause of autism: organic food. His tongue is obviously planted firmly in his cheek here, but the chart…

Why anti-vaxxers might be creating a world of more dangerous viruses

In science fiction, we see all kinds of nightmare viruses that evolve immunity to vaccinations. The scary part? It could actually happen in real life, especially if anti-vaxxers encourage people not to get vaccinated. Populations with pockets of non-vaccinators are more likely to evolve vaccine-resistant viruses than populations where everybody gets a vaccination. Viruses are…

​The Flu Shot Is Less Effective in Men With High Testosterone

For years, Sabra Klein has been trying to start a conversation about sex. The Johns Hopkins immunologist studies why women have stronger immune systems than men—a phenomenon that underlies the fact that women are three times more likely to develop autoimmune diseases—but are also better protected by vaccines. The latter, however, has gotten very little…

So polio is a thing again in war-ravaged Syria

The vacuous anti-vaccine movement should take notice of what’s going on in Syria. After less than three years of civil war, polio is on the rise — a stark reminder of what happens when societies collapse. The World Health Organization (WHO) recently announced the discovery of 10 children — all under the age of two…

Setting the Record Straight: Debunking All the Flu Vaccine Myths

It’s that time again — that time when dozens of spurious articles pop up all over the web touting all the dangers of the flu vaccine. Articles on unreliable, alarmist, misinformative sites like Natural News, Mercola, chiropractic blogs and other such sites rail against the “toxins” in the vaccine, or claim the flu vaccine doesn’t…

Let’s just debunk every flu-vaccine myth in one fell swoop, shall we?

Here for sharing far and wide is a collection of the most common myths and misconceptions surrounding flu vaccines, debunked point-by-point with lucid, thoroughly referenced explanations. Remember: if you’re going to argue with an anti-vaxxer, it’s important to know your stuff. https://gizmodo.com/dont-forget-to-get-your-flu-shot-1402004133 Top photo by Karoly Arvai via Reuters “I could be wrong,” writes science…

When the Next Flu Pandemic Hits, Keep Your Smartphone to Yourself

At the end of World War I, tens of millions of people died in just a few short years. But these deaths had nothing to do with the bullets and bayonets that had taken so many lives in battle. It was, instead, the Spanish Flu, which killed off about 5% of the world’s population from…