Dr. Offit Quotes: Top 10 List
My favorite late night television host of all time was David Letterman. He was on the air for 33 years, from 1982 to 2015. I thoroughly enjoyed his wacky, cutting edge, biting humor. He was definitely not palatable to everyone’s taste—certainly not like Johnny Carson. But you just had to love his Stupid Pet Tricks segment or crazy stunts like the time he had the U.S. women’s soccer team…
Getting A Flu Shot: No Guarantee It Will Work
Like a lot of people, in January when I suddenly developed a high fever (101 F), body aches, fatigue, nasal congestion and cough, I thought for sure it was influenza, which I had not experienced for decades. Turns out, according to a recently released CDC report, in the 2016-2017 flu season the odds are only about one in 10 that flu like illness…
Study: DTP Vaccine Associated With 212% Increased Infant Mortality Risk
An observational study from the West African country Guinea-Bissau titled, “The Introduction of Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis and Among Young Infants in an Urban African Community: A Natural Experiment,” examined the introduction of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) and oral polio vaccine…
Needle-Free Vaccines Backed by Gates Foundation
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation recently awarded two grants worth a total of $6 million to the Boston-based life sciences company Vaxess Technologies, Inc. The grants will support research to create two micro-needle vaccine “patches” that simplify delivery of the inactivated polio (IPV) and live attenuated measles rubella (M-R) vaccines through needle-free delivery systems and […]
Dr. Peter Hotez: “Snuff Out” Anti-Vaccine Movement
Occasionally, I come across an article that really riles me. Okay fine, when it comes to vaccine science and vaccination policy, I’ll admit this happens almost every day. Still, there was an opinion published recently in Scientific American that I found particularly annoying. It’s titled “Will an American-Led Anti-Vaccine Movement Subvert…
Did Payton Pierson Die of Influenza?
Ten-year old Payton Elizabeth Pierson was reported to have died of influenza on Feb. 9, 2017, according to media sources. The girl, a third grade student at Trinity South Elementary School in Washington, PA, was diagnosed with influenza on the evening of Feb. 4 by doctors at Washington Hospital. Following the diagnosis, which was made through the use of a “rapid nasal test,” Payton…