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Without evidence of benefit, an intervention should not be presumed to be beneficial or safe.

- Rogue Medic

Sleaze Returns to Times Square with a Vengeance – Part III

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 06:30:13 -0400 by
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Continued from Part I and from Part II.

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Barbara Loe Fisher and Dr. Joe Mercola are running ads that suggest they are providing information about vaccines, but they are providing scare stories about the horrors of vaccines.

I wrote about Barbara Loe Fisher. What about Dr. Joe Mercola?

Dr. Mercola is paying for Barbara Loe Fisher to make the world more dangerous for our families. Dr. Mercola makes his money selling natural remedies. Dr. Mercola pretends that natural medicine is safer than vaccination. Selling natural remedies is very profitable for Dr. Mercola. We should not be surprised by advocacy from this salesman.

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With all websites, newspapers, magazines and other publications offering health advice, with every new multi-million dollar TV ad for another proclaimed miracle drug, with any recommendation offered by traditional and natural physicians, it is essential to answer this question above all others: what is their real motivation?[1]

I agree.

What are Dr. Mercola’s motivations?

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Mercola.com is not, in other words, a tool to get me a bigger house and car, or to run for Senate. I fund this site, and therefore, am not handcuffed to any advertisers, silent partners or corporate parents.[1]

But Dr. Mercola is the millionaire profiting from selling these products.

No conflict of interest in making millions of dollars selling these drugs, while criticizing others for doing the same thing.

Are there any other reasons to believe that Dr. Mercola is a sleaze?

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I don’t doubt Mercola’s sincerity—and I know nothing about how he allocates his income. But I recently made some interesting observations. The word “Mercola” on the labels of his “Dr. Mercola Premium Supplements” is service-marked. Records at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office say that he began using the mark in commerce in 2000, applied to register it in 2009, and was granted registration in 2010. The registration address is for his home in South Barrington, Illinois, which the BlockShopper Chicago Web site states has 5,083 square feet and was purchased by Mercola in 2006 for $2 million. The Bing Maps aerial view indicates that it is quite luxurious.[2]

OK. Dr. Barrett doesn’t doubt Dr. Mercola’s sincerity, but Dr. Barrett is no supporter of Dr. Mercola. Here is some more from Dr. Barrett. Dr. Barrett writes Quackwatch. Dr. Mercola is just one of the quacks Dr. Barrett reports on.

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In 2005, the FDA ordered Mercola and his Optimal Wellness Center to stop making illegal claims for products sold through his Web site [10]. The claims to which the FDA objected involved three products:[2]

The information about these illegal claims made by Dr. Mercola are available at Quackwatch.

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In 2006, the FDA send Mercola and his center a second warning that was based on product labels collected during an inspection at his facility and on claims made on the Optimum Wellness Center Web site [11]. This time the claims to which the FDA objected involve four products:[2]

The information about these illegal claims made by Dr. Mercola are available at Quackwatch.

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In 2011, the FDA ordered Mercola to stop making claims for thermography that go beyond what the equipment he uses (Medtherm2000 infrared camera) was cleared for. The warning letter said that statements on Mercola’s site improperly imply that the Meditherm camera can be used alone to diagnose or screen for various diseases or conditions associated with the breast, they also represent that the sensitivity of the Meditherm Med2000 Telethermographic camera is greater than that of machines used in mammography. The statements to which the FDA objected included:[2]

The information about these illegal claims made by Dr. Mercola are available at Quackwatch.

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There appears to be a pattern of making unsupportable claims to make money for his multi-million dollar business. What a hypocrite.
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Also covered at Respectful Insolence, Skeptical Teacher, and Skepchick.

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Footnotes:

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[1] Dr. Mercola’s Background
mercola.com
Article

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[2] FDA Orders Dr. Joseph Mercola to Stop Illegal Claims
by Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Quackwatch
Article

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Filed Under: Fraud, Heresy, Vaccines

Sleaze Returns to Times Square with a Vengeance – Part II

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 06:30:44 -0400 by
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Continued from Part I.

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Barbara Loe Fisher and Dr. Joe Mercola are running ads that suggest they are providing information about vaccines, but they are providing scare stories about the horrors of vaccines.

Dr. Mercola is a quack who appeals to the Huffington Post and Fox News.

Should you get your medical advice from the Huffington post?

Should you get your medical advice from Fox News?

The NVIC (National Vaccine Information Center) is an organization with a name that suggests safety, but the NVIC only spreads misinformation. The NVIC is run by Barbara Loe Fisher.

Who is Barbara Loe Fisher?

Barbara Loe Fisher is the Chicken Little behind the pertussis vaccine scare of the 1970s. She did not understand the difference between cause and coincidence then. She is not any smarter today, but she has made money selling her books and other products.

Barbara Loe Fisher is one of the people responsible for the lawyers telling the doctors how to treat patients. It doesn’t matter that vaccines are probably the safest medicines we have available. If the drug companies can be dragged into court for nothing other than baseless scare tactics, Barbara Loe Fisher will probably do it.

Wait. Maybe Barbara Loe Fisher and the NVIC actually do something to promote safe vaccines. That is what they say that they do, so maybe we should look at the ways that the NVIC and Barbara Loe Fisher promote safe vaccines. We should give her the benefit of the doubt. Right?

That is reasonable. Here is all of the work that is done by the NVIC that is not anti-vaccine, but encouraging the use of the best vaccines that we already have.

Sorry. I could not find any on the NVIC site. The NVIC site is a plethora of paranoid exaggerations about the risks of vaccines.

Consider this comparison. Rather than preventing diseases with vaccines, we would treat our children only after these Barbara Loe Fisher diseases vaccine-preventable illnesses infect our children.

What would be the fatality rate from Measles?

Measles is a leading cause of vaccine-preventable death among children. In 1999, measles killed an estimated 873,000 people globally. The vast majority of measles deaths – 791,000 – were among children under five.[1]

They aren’t Barbara Loe Fisher’s children, so those 873,000 dead people don’t count. Not that measles is the only vaccine-preventable illness that kills a lot of people.

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In developing countries, measles death rates range from 1-5 percent, but in populations with high levels of malnutrition and poor access to health care, the death rate may reach 10-30 percent.[1]

Contrary to what these anti-vaccine propagandists claim, measles and other illnesses are not just annoyances. These illnesses do kill with the assistance of Barbara Loe Fisher.

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The primary reason for the ongoing high number of measles deaths is the failure to deliver at least one dose of measles vaccine to all infants.[1]

Not the only reason, but the primary reason these children die is the failure to deliver at least one dose of measles vaccine to all infants.

Barbara Loe Fisher isn’t working to save lives, because the using vaccines does more to save lives than not using vaccines. Barbara Loe Fisher opposes vaccines.

Your child can die from measles, but Barbara Loe Fisher will do nothing for you. You are her enemy.

Barbara Loe Fisher sues the vaccine manufacturers and makes vaccines unnecessarily expensive.

Barbara Loe Fisher sells books that spread misinformation about vaccines.

Barbara Loe Fisher is not helping keep children safe from disease.

Barbara Loe Fisher is helping keep disease safe from vaccines.

Barbara Loe Fisher is making money spreading germs.

Barbara Loe Fisher is making money protecting germs.

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Also covered at Respectful Insolence, Skeptical Teacher, and Skepchick.

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To be continued in Part III.

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Footnotes:

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[1] Global Measles Initiative
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Vaccines & Immunizations
Article

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Filed Under: Fraud, Heresy, Vaccines

Sleaze Returns to Times Square with a Vengeance – Part I

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 06:30:36 -0400 by
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Do you live in a world of conspiracy theories?

Do you think President Bush is the mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorism?

Do you think President Obama is a Muslim who wan’t born in America?

Then you should be right at home with Barbara Loe Fisher and Dr. Joe Mercola.

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Conspiracy theories are about two things.

1. A lack of understanding (a lack of understanding of coincidence, statistics, science, logic, et cetera).

2. Fear.

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Vaccines save lives.

Barbara Loe Fisher and Dr. Joe Mercola are opposed to vaccines.

The ability of vaccines to save lives can be demonstrated easily. all it takes is a little understanding of the germ theory of disease. The introduction of something that causes an illness (or something that resembles it) will allow the immune system to strengthen itself against that infectious material. If the immune system produces antibodies to that germ, the person will almost always be immune to that germ.

This is where the conspiracy theorists get excited. Almost always. If it isn’t perfect, they consider vaccines to be fatally flawed.

Their alternative to vaccines?

Alternative medicine.

Alternative medicine is definitely not perfect.

Alternative medicine is so not perfect that alternative medicine is not even as good as a placebo.

In other words, alternative medicine is not even as good as kissing it and making it all better, but this is their alternative to real medicine.

What are these two frauds doing to make Times Square even more sleazy?

They are running ads that suggest they are providing information about vaccines, but they are providing scare stories about the horrors of vaccines.

The stories fall into two categories:

1. Not true.

2. Not caused by vaccines.

In other words, no matter how you look at this, these two are telling lies.

The American Academy of Pediatrics has written a letter to CBS, the owner of the JumboTron running these ads as paid for by Dr. Joe Mercola.

The AAP and many other child health organizations have worked hard to protect children and their families from unfounded and unscientific misinformation regarding vaccine safety.[1]

and –

Diseases like measles and pertussis (whooping cough) can have serious consequences, including seizures, brain damage and even death. From January 1 through December 31, 2010, 9,477 cases of pertussis (including ten infant deaths) were reported throughout California. This is the most cases reported in 65 years there.[1]

Also covered at Respectful Insolence, Skeptical Teacher, and Skepchick.

To be continued in Part II and later in Part III.

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Footnotes:

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[1] AAP asks CBS to pull anti-vaccine ad
Autism News Beat
April 13th, 2011
Article including letter from the American Academy of Pediatrics

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Filed Under: 'Alternative' Medicine, Fraud, Heresy, Vaccines

Stupidity Is Its Own Reward – I

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 13:00:56 -0500 by
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Too Old To Work, Too Young To Retire points out to us that The Stupid It Hurts.

Apparently, it also kills.

What is more stupid than killing our children?

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The real picture seems to be that the more affluent white counties account for a higher percentage of Pertussis in the groups of children who are of age to be vaccinated.

The CDPH weekly report has been showing for several weeks that whites have the highest rate per 100,000 for whooping cough infection in all age groups over 6 months. Hispanics have the highest rate in infants

It is a dilemma that some of the most highly educated people have some of most notable lack of common sense This is not proof of a causal relationship. The same people would likely lack common sense even without their non-medical college degrees.

This is one of the reasons that the solution to bad paramedics is not simply more time in a classroom a college degree. The answer is better education.

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Research makes it very clear that –

Vaccines are safe.

Vaccines are much safer than the illnesses they protect against.

Being vaccinated is less risky than not being vaccinated.

Increases in the number of vaccines given do not mean increased risk for children.

Thimerosal does not cause autism, so the internet Luddites need to make up other scare stories about vaccines.

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Remember when evaluating the rate of Pertussis in Hispanic children that it’s higher than for whites up until the age where vaccination is recommended. At that point, the rate for Hispanics is lower.

Why do I say it kills? Because the death rate for Pertussis is higher in California than it was for H1N1. Kids are dying at a higher rate from Whooping Cough than they did from the so called H1N1 epidemic.

Common sense for affluent white college graduates appears to be a failure of intelligence.

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Look at how this works.

Even though vaccines are the most effective protection against illness –

We create communities of undervaccinated/unvaccinated people.

We don’t vaccinate our children, or we delay vaccination of our children.

We put our children in those undervaccinated infectious communities.

Is it a surprise that more of our children become sick with vaccine-preventable illnesses?

Is it a surprise that more of our children are killed by vaccine-preventable illnesses?

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More information on vaccines is available at –

AntiAntiVax.

Science-Based Medicine topic section on vaccines.

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Filed Under: Critical Judgment, Heresy, Vaccines

The Flu Shot and Protecting Patients

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 19:57:42 -0400 by
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How does your employer handle those who refuse to get the flu shot, or those who cannot get the flu shot for medical reasons?

For those who who have contact with patients, the approach taken by some employers is to require that unvaccinated employees wear a mask and gloves to protect patients.

What rules your employer have to protect patients?

Does anyone know of any research comparing the infection of patients by vaccinated health care workers and unvaccinated health care workers?

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Filed Under: Critical Judgment, Heresy, Vaccines

The Twisted Mind of Andrew Wakefield

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:39:43 -0500 by
An interesting and very brief post at Black Triangle. It is so brief that I cannot take just a sample, but include the whole post. He has other interesting posts that are worth reading.

The upside of infection

How Wakefield spoke at an US anti-vaccine conference in the early 2000s (transcribed from audiotape sample no longer on web).

the upside of infection, yes the upside of infection, we are survivors of infection, we are here not in spite of infection, but because of infection. Our immune system has been conditioned over millions and millions of years by infection, and if we alter the way in which infection is delivered to our systems we must expect that by changing the ecosystem, there will be a downside, there will be attrition, we will render some children damaged.

That was the whole post.

Andrew Wakefield appears to have an interesting interpretation of evolution.

If we have survived thrived because of an improved intelligence, then we should ignore that and try to survive on the merits of a less capable naturally acquired immunity. Another way of describing natural immunity is those who do not die from an illness that confers immunity.

If we accept that logic, maybe we should stop wearing clothing. . . . we must expect that by changing the ecosystem, there will be a downside, there will be attrition, we will render some children damaged.

If we accept that logic, maybe we should stop taking medicine. . . . we must expect that by changing the ecosystem, there will be a downside, there will be attrition, we will render some children damaged.

If we accept that logic, maybe we should stop using technology. . . . we must expect that by changing the ecosystem, there will be a downside, there will be attrition, we will render some children damaged.

If we accept that logic, maybe we should stop using research. . . . we must expect that by changing the ecosystem, there will be a downside, there will be attrition, we will render some children damaged.

If we accept that logic, maybe we should stop using money. What? I must be taking this logic thing a bit too far. Andrew Wakefield would never give up those things he feels he has a natural right to – or maybe that he earned with his dishonesty and irresponsibility.

An alternative is to understand that the reason we appear to be the dominant species on the planet. We use our intelligence to modify our environments.

We wear clothing that allows us to live almost anywhere we desire. Does clothing work against evolution? That depends on whether we think that intelligence is evolutionary.

We take medicine that allows us to live longer, healthier lives than would be possible without medicine. Does medicine work against evolution? That depends on whether we think that intelligence is evolutionary.

We use technology that also allows us to live longer, healthier lives. Does technology work against evolution? That also depends on whether we think that intelligence is evolutionary.

We also use research that allows us to live longer, healthier lives. Does research work against evolution? That similarly depends on whether we think that intelligence is evolutionary.

Certainly arguments can be made that individuals, or even groups of people should not survive, because they pass on genes that decrease the likelihood of the species surviving. Yet, with our intelligence, we make it possible for them to pass on their genes. We defeat evolution.

However, the same could be said for just about any other evolutionary change. There is advantage and disadvantage. What evolution does is select for changes that overall increase the chances of survival of the species in that particular environment. Individuals, or even small groups, do not prevent that.

If we believe that research is contrary to the survival of humans, then maybe we should make Andrew Wakefield do some honest physical labor, instead of taking advantage of his evolutionary superiors.

If we believe that taking care of our fellow human beings is an evolutionary flaw, then we agree with Andrew Wakefield. Screw the kids! It’s their own fault they died. Protecting children is wrong.

I do not agree with Andrew Wakefield.

I think that intelligence is important.

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Filed Under: Critical Judgment, Ethics, Heresy, Vaccines Tagged With: , ,

Andrew Wakefield and Cognitive Dissonance.

Thu, 04 Feb 2010 06:30:32 -0500 by
He made up a syndrome.

He performed unnecessary and risky medical procedures on children.

He received hundreds of thousands of pounds from lawyers for a study to look for that imaginary syndrome, because the imaginary syndrome could make the lawyers a lot of money.

He was horribly incompetent in his research methods.

He lied about what he did.

He sued Brian Deer, the investigative reporter who uncovered most of the fraud. He had to withdraw the law suit and pay the expenses of Brian Deer.

In 2004, when they became aware of the fraud, 10 of the 13 authors of the study had their names removed from that study.

On January 28, 2010, a little over a week ago, The General Medical Council released its verdict.

The Fitness to Practise Panel has heard this case under The General Medical Council Preliminary Proceedings Committee and Professional Conduct Committee (Procedure) Rules Order of Council 1988. It has considered which, if any of the facts not admitted by Dr Andrew Wakefield, Professor John Walker-Smith and Dr (now Professor) Simon Murch have been found proved and then went on to consider whether such facts found proved together with those admitted, would be insufficient to support a finding of serious professional misconduct.[1]

The Panel has accepted in full the advice of the Legal Assessor as to the approach to be taken. The three doctors have nothing to prove, the burden of proof is on the GMC throughout. If the Panel were not sure beyond reasonable doubt, the sub-head of charge was found not proved in favour of the doctor, in accordance with the criminal, as opposed to the civil, standard of proof.[1]

A lot of findings of Admitted and found proved.

A lot of findings of Found proved.

The occasional finding of Found not proved.

A lot of irresponsible – Found proved.

A lot of dishonest – Found proved.

Some crazy people are still defending Andrew Wakefield.

You would have to be crazy to defend that fraud.

Or dishonest and irresponsible.

These people have convinced themselves that vaccines cause autism, even though research has repeatedly shown no connection.

So, in order to protect themselves from having to admit that they endangered their children and other children, they need to defend this, even though Andrew Wakefield has admitted some of the fraud and a court has determined that he is guilty of a lot more.

When people should admit that they made a mistake, some will actually become even more defensive of their clearly mistaken position.

A clear case of cognitive dissonance.[2]

If you wish to read about the research that has been done on autism and vaccines, there are scores of studies.[3] Studies paid for by many different organizations – governments, universities, non-profit groups, and even drug companies. They don’t find any connection between vaccines and autism.

Andrew Wakefield was receiving hundreds of thousands of pounds from lawyers to show a connection. Is it surprising that he did?

Andrew Wakefield was working on a vaccine to compete with the MMR vaccine, so he has another reason he might benefit financially from making false accusations about the MMR.

Andrew Wakefield has shown that he is willing to subject children to risky procedures for no benefit to the children, as long as he makes his money.

There has been a lot written by others on the topic. In the comments the anti-vaccinationists will try all sorts of misleading approaches. Some will claim that they are not anti-vaccinationists, but that they only want safe vaccines.

Vaccines are safe.

How much safer could vaccines be?

There are a some examples in response to Dear Jenny McCarthy . . . at A Day In The Life Of An Ambulance Driver. Another is at Asshole doctor responsible for false MMR/autism claim gets his at Cranky Epistles.

In The martyrdom of St. Andy at Respectful Insolence, there is far more detail about the dishonest and irresponsible conspiracy to link autism and vaccines. A listing of a lot of posts on this topic, even some defending the fraud, can be found in On The Lancet’s Retraction of Wakefield’s 1998 Paper Alleging A Connection Between the MMR Vaccine and Autism at I Speak of Dreams.

The unfortunate thing is that Andrew Wakefield is still making over a quarter of a million dollars a year to spread his lies for Thoughtful House, an anti-vaccination organization in Texas. When it comes to Andrew Wakefield, follow the money – he does. He came to the US, but he is not a doctor in the US.

If you know of Andrew Wakefield pretending to be a doctor, call the police.

And vaccinate your children for their sake.

More information is available at Brian Deer’s website.

Footnotes:

^ 1 Fitness to Practice Panel Hearing
UK General Medical Council
January 28, 2010
Free Full Text

^ 2 Cognitive dissonance
Wikipedia
Article

^ 3 Vaccines and Autism
Science-Based Medicine
Article

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Filed Under: Ethics, Fraud, Heresy, Malpractice, Mythology, Research, Vaccines Tagged With: , , , , ,

March of Dimes and Jennifer Lopez Encourage Adult Vaccination for Pertussis

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:50:57 -0500 by

The second video starts out with no sound for 22 seconds, just a title card – Clinical Examples of Pertussis. However, once it gets started, it gives several examples of whooping cough, for those who may not be familiar with whooping cough. Expect to see more children like this, because compromised airways are what the anti-vaccine mob wants for our children.

Jenny McCarthy – an ignorant mother just knows that respiratory distress is what’s best for a child.

Coughing fits are sometimes followed by vomiting, which can lead to malnutrition. Fits can occur on their own or can be triggered by yawning, stretching, laughing, eating or yelling; they usually occur in groups, with multiple episodes every hour around the clock. This stage lasts two to eight weeks, or sometimes longer. A gradual transition then occurs to the convalescent stage, which usually lasts one to two weeks. Common complications of the disease include pneumonia, encephalopathy, earache, or seizures. Infection in newborns is particularly severe, with a death risk of up to 3%, often caused by severe pulmonary hypertension.[3][1]

Below is a link to the first video and other information on pertussis. This is a video that has been around since April, but I only just saw it. Unfortunately, it starts playing as soon as the page opens.

sounds of pertussis

This is a one minute video with Jennifer Lopez talking about the importance of adult vaccination for pertussis. This is a video from Sanofi-Pasteur and the March of Dimes. The March of Dimes was instrumental in eliminating the need for us to worry about polio. Sorry, Jenny.

Due to Jenny McCarthy and other anti-science pro-disease endanger your child so we can sell T-shirts, books, and supplements people, this deadly disease is making a comeback.

I am seeing children with diseases that should have been eradicated, but the disease peddlers are playing God with the lives of our children.

Watch the video of the children trying to breathe. This is preventable by vaccinating our children, but there are people trying to get us to bring this disease back. They are succeeding. They claim that they know what is best for our children.

What should you do to somebody who made it so that your child can barely breathe?

Buy their book?

Take their advice?

March to help them do this to other children?

The behavior of Jenny McCarthy, Dr. Jay Gordon, Andrew Wakefield, et cetera is contemptible. Do not listen to these child abusers. Do not encourage these child killers.

Footnotes:

^ 1 Pertussis
Wikipedia
Article

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Filed Under: Ethics, Heresy, Vaccines Tagged With: ,
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