Piper Lowery Died From the Flu?
Tragically, sixth grader Piper Lowery from Port Orchard, Washington died on Sat. Jan. 1, 2016 after a week of illness. Reportedly, she died from H1N1 influenza. She had not gotten a seasonal flu shot. A week earlier, Piper began feeling sick with a high fever and a sore throat. Her mother, Peggy Lowery, also had symptoms of influenza during that time. It was not reported whether Mrs. Lowery had…
Vaccine Primer: A Great Companion for the Journey Down the Rabbit Hole
One of my favorite movie scenes is from “Die Hard 2” when Bruce Willis, in the character of Lt. John McClane, is in a race against terrorists to save his wife who is on a plane approaching to land. As he is waiting frantically for a fax to come through so he can rescue the day, the young and seductive counter clerk begins flirting with him when he shows her his wedding…
How the FDA Controls the Media
Embargoes have been used in journalism since the 1920s. It’s a deal between journalists and their sources, which gives the journalist access to a story on the condition that it’s not published before a certain date and time. Some institutions, including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), further control media coverage by offering briefings to…
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…
CDC Bets Farm on Zika Based on Conclusion of Rasmussen, Jamieson, Honein & Petersen Paper
On Apr. 13, 2016, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confidently announced that its scientists had concluded that, “after careful review of existing evidence,” the Zika virus was indeed “a cause of microcephaly and other severe fetal brain defects.” Within hours, articles appeared in major newspapers around relaying to the world the important news. A headline…
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…
