Brazil Study Raises Major Doubts About Zika-Microcephaly Link
On Sept. 16, 2016, NBC News published an article by Maggie Fox titled “This Study Removes Any Doubt Zika Virus Causes Birth Defect”. The words “removes any doubt” are so strong, so conclusive sounding that one cannot help but be drawn to the article and the study on which it is based. During the past nine months, however, I have written so much…
Native Advertising for Vaccines in The Washington Post?
On March 5, 2013, The Washington Post entered the native advertising business by launching an initiative called “BrandConnect.” According to the Post, “The new native advertising feature invites organizations to publish commentary and opinion pieces that are featured in The Post’s Opinions online section.” I’ve previously written about the concept of native advertising, and I cited…
Microcephaly Cases in Brazil Vastly Overestimated
A study published in the The Lancet on Feb. 6, 2016, reported that, prior to 2015, the number of reported suspected cases of microcephaly in infants born in Brazil had remained “consistently below 200” each year. Between mid-2015 and Jan. 30, 2016, the number of suspected cases of microcephaly reported totaled 4,783. Thus, in just half a year, the total number of suspected…
WHO Wants to Market Vaccines Like Burgers and Soda
On August 18, 2015, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a press release from Geneva, Switzerland titled “Vaccine hesitancy: A growing challenge for immunization programmes.” The focus of the release was to highlight views expressed by public health officials in special edition of the journal Vaccine, which was “guest-edited” and published by the WHO.
Media Struggles to Pin Stupid Label on Well-Educated Vaccine Dissenters
There have been numerous articles in mainstream newspapers and magazines with titles that disparage anyone who questions the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, disagrees (in part or in total) with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommended schedule of vaccines, or opposes the idea of forcing people to get vaccinated against their will.
Jumping the Gun on the Zika-Microcephaly Connection
On January 21, 2016, TIME magazine published an article titled “The Brazilian Birth-Defect Rate Is Soaring Dramatically, Possibly Due to the Zika Virus. The article, written by Nash Jenkins, opens with the following paragraph: “Brazilian authorities have reported a huge increase in the number of babies born in the country with uncommonly small heads, and suspect…
