Reading List

It's been a while since my last book related post, but that does not mean I haven't done my regular share of reading. Therefore, it is high time to present some of my 2011, 1st quarter recommendations.
Since we are just getting into April, and April is Autism Awareness Month, the first set of books is related to that topic. Unfortunately, for little more than a decade, autism goes hand in hand with vaccines, especially in the eye of the public. After much good news from the rational side of the "debate" last year, we saw more of the same at the beginning of this year, with the series of articles by Brian Deer in the British Medical Journal.
I mentioned those two books earlier, but now after actually reading both of them, I can safely recommend them.
The first one is Paul Offit's "Deadly Choices":















This is like getting your info from the very best source. Dr Offit's earlier books on the topic were as informative as this one is, and now we have the latest info included. He traces the history of the anti-vax movement in this and other countries, from its beginnings in the mid 19th Century to the latest Wakefield scam-induced craze. He also presents all the scientific, research-based facts about all the possible problems our society (and especially our children) would face, if we failed to contain the unreasonable and plain crazy arguments for the anti-vax side.
A logical follow-up to Offit's book is another one that came out almost at the same time: Seth Mnookin's "The Panic Virus".















While, some of the information in this book is similar to what's covered in the previous one, Mnookin, in addition to showing the history of the anti-vax movement, goes with much more details into specifics of the current autism/vaccine connection controversy and the associated social movements in the USA. It is very informative to see how various "parent" organizations that start off as grassroots movements, end up being a part of much greater industry, industry that makes millions every year selling unproven, costly, and sometimes deadly "medical" interventions. Another part is the "litigation" industry: law firms, lawyers, corrupt scientists, witnesses-for-hire and parents (some of them with good intentions), who are willing to make up facts and research in order to make money trying to prove the links that never existed. It is also heartbreaking to see how parents of autistic children are manipulated and given false hopes, just to drive this multi-million scam.

There is another angle to Mnookin's book that I find fascinating. Ever time I speak with someone about the alternative medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, chiropractic, etc, one of the main arguments in their arsenal is the "big pharma" making all the cash from us, pushing the traditional medical treatments, vs. good, alternative modalities and practitioners just caring about our well being. It takes some skillful research, like Mnookin's, to untangle the web of connections in the world of "alternative" autism research and treatments. The parallels are obvious and difficult to miss. The alt-med world is in it for profit as much as the big pharma is, the difference is they do not have to worry about anyone controlling them and they don't have to prove that any of their claims actually work.

Flu Season Is Here

Another flu season is upon us, and for some that means a new seasonal influenza vaccine.
As always, it is important to know the facts, evaluate your own risks and make sure that you make an informed decision. I myself have been exposed to some misinformation already, even thought the amount of noise is nowhere close to the levels from the last year, when we were in the midst of the "swine" flu (H1N1) pandemic.
The most prevalent piece of misunderstanding comes from the fact that this year's seasonal flu vaccine has the H1N1 component already included (see CDC: Vaccine Selection for the 2010–2011 Influenza Season), which was not the case last year (that's because last year's vaccine components were selected long before the H1N1 pandemic appeared). What I keep hearing is that this component is the same "untested" vaccine that we were using last year, which is partially true: it is the same H1N1 strain. However, one can not get any better testing for the vaccine strain than what we got last year, with tens of millions receiving the H1N1 shot, and almost no serious side effects reported by the CDC (discussion here: Vaccine Safety).
What is really worring from my point of view is the fact that the misinformation about flu vaccines, and about vaccines in general, comes not from regular, untrained people like myself. The real problem are professionals on the fringe, who for various ideological reasons still buy into the whole conspiracy theory, and claim "facts" about vaccines that are not true (like mercury in childhood vaccines) to scare people from getting the shots they might need to save their lives.

Some good resources from CDC to help you make up your mind:

• http://www.cdc.gov/flu/
• 2010-2011 Flu Season
• Vaccine Selection for the 2010–2011 Influenza Season
• People at High Risk of Developing Flu–Related Complications
• Flu Information for Parents

Stay informed!

Is Herd Immunity Important? You Bet!!!

As we live in the increasingly connected world, our everyday interactions with others also increase (surprise, surprise!!!) and our individual decisions can have a deep impact on others. This has been especially evident since last year's swine flu outbreak, when we all suddenly realized that what each of us does every day may have very real influence on our families, friends and co-workers.
For some reason, this is not so evident to many when it comes to simple vaccines. I keep hearing from many around me that they would never take the seasonal (or H1N1) flu shot, because they are strong and healthy, and it's up to those who are not to protect themselves. The same selfish attitude is also present with some parents, who refuse to vaccinate their children due to some silly and long-ago-proven-false reasons, just because they feel their kids are healthy. Unfortunately, they do not understand a simple concept of "herd immunity", in which keeping the majority vaccinated and healthy, eliminates increased risks to those who can't get vaccinated due to real health problems, or who don't respond to vaccines well.
Maybe the term itself is not the best, as I have seen comments in some on-line discussions, stating that "we will not let them turn us into a herd of animals", but the concept is very real, proven scientifically, and can one day save YOUR life (when you are 64 (!) and you don't respond to the flu vaccine as well as you do today).

Thankfully, the mainstream media is beginning to cover this issue, as it is in the recent USA Today article: Missed vaccines weaken 'herd immunity' in children

Very good explanation with some additional info can be found on the (always reliable) Respectful Insolence Blog: The price exacted by the anti-vaccine movement

We can only hope that parents and general public will soon understand this important issue.

I'm a Pig

I got my H1N1 jab today... oink!!! Now, time to get some good pork chops for dinner.

Some Sad Statistics

If you think A/H1N1 is not that bad, look at these statistics:

http://www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly/weeklyarchives2009-2010/IPD47.htm

Watching the Local News

Bad idea if you concerned about your sanity and intelligence levels!
So, I'm watching the local news last night (I think it was WFLA - local NBC affiliate), and I see this report on some scientists out of Netherlands, who say that getting a regular, seasonal flu shot for kids, prevents them from developing immunity to the swine flu (H1N1).
Of course, in the best tradition of crappy reporting, this piece only mentions that it is "still a controversial research", not saying that it was published as an opinion piece, and that other scientists completely dismissed it, as unfounded and without any research basis.

Now, what would 99% of people who watch the nightly news and trust them do? Skip the shots, I bet.

Here is the news:
Do seasonal flu shots impede little kids' ability to fight off pandemic flu?
Flu jab 'may prevent children developing swine flu immunity'
and the original article in the Lancet: Yearly influenza vaccinations: a double-edged sword?

Bad Flu Stats

If you still have any doubts, read this short piece of news: CDC: 86 Children Dead From H1N1

The swine flu is causing an unprecedented amount of illness for this early in the fall, with the deaths of 11 more children reported in the past week. And less vaccine than expected will be ready by month's end, federal health officials said Friday.

The dumb and completely irresponsible tone from some, who claim that this is "just another flu" makes me MAD!!!

Homeopathy: How Low Do You Go?

I have been watching some homeopathy "developments" in my own backyard, where a homeopathic "doctor" is milking someone I know from hard-earned cash, giving them expensive consultations and worthless sugar pills (or water in a bottle - same thing).

But, today, I've noticed something more worrisome: homeopathic practitioners are trying to cash in on the spreading swine flu scare. That's just plain scary and criminal!

Take a look here:
http://www.hpathy.com/poll/index.asp?txtPollId=59

This is a serious concern, since taking sugar pills instead of real medicines for flu, could kill you.

Young (corrected!) Australian Skeptics have a nice poster:
http://www.youngausskeptics.com/2009/04/important-message-swine-flu/