Celebrities give unwarranted boost to science-averse anti-vaccine groups

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Celebrities give unwarranted boost to science-averse anti-vaccine groups

Vancouver SunMay 16, 2009

Among the many measures that could contain the latest influenza outbreak, and

hence prevent the development of a pandemic, none is more important than finding

a vaccine.

Indeed, vaccination is one of the most important public health measures ever

developed, as vaccines have saved countless people from disease and death, and

have all but eradicated a number of deadly diseases.

Consequently, scientists are working around the clock to develop a vaccine for

the A, H1N1 virus. Yet while they do so, another group of people are working

just as hard at promoting skepticism of vaccines.

This group, composed of celebrities, lawyers and many parents of sick children,

suggests that, far from preventing disease transmission, vaccines actually cause

a variety of medical and psychological ills.

Such sentiments are far from new, since " anti-vaccinationists " have been around

for as long as vaccines. But with the Internet's unparalleled ability to spread

rumours, innuendo and conspiracy theories, and with celebrities taking a leading

role in the anti-vaccionationist movement, stories about the damage allegedly

caused by vaccines are receiving more publicity than ever.

Former Playboy model McCarthy is now the highest-profile spokesperson for

the thoroughly discredited vaccine-autism theory, with recent appearances on

Larry King Live and the Oprah Winfrey Show.

McCarthy, who claims her son was autistic (though the diagnosis is disputed),

has now received a book deal from Oprah, which guarantees that the

vaccine-autism theory will live on in the minds of many.

This is unfortunate, since there is simply no scientific evidence to

substantiate it. The theory began with the publication of a 1998 study in the

medical journal The Lancet. Gastroenterologist Wakefield and his

colleagues suggested that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine could cause

bowel problems in children, and that that could ultimately lead to autism.

Since publication of that study, Wakefield has come under fire for failing to

reveal conflicts of interest -- his work was funded by parents of autistic

children who were seeking damages in court -- and the Sunday Times newspaper

reported earlier this year that Wakefield had manipulated the results in his

paper.

The Lancet and Wakefield's colleagues have now distanced themselves from the

study, but the vaccine-autism theory continues to occupy the popular

imagination.

Some people have theorized that the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal,

formerly present in the MMR vaccine, could cause autism, while others have

suggested that immunizing children for three different diseases at once could

overload their immune systems.

These hypotheses have been repeatedly tested, and there is no evidence to

support them. Consequently, every major medical and scientific group, including

the World Health Organization, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and its

Institute of Medicine, and the Cochrane Collaboration (which performs reviews of

academic literature) have affirmed that there is no evidence of any link between

the MMR vaccine and autism.

Despite this, the vaccine-autism theory still has its believers, which suggests

that proponents of the theory aren't interested in what the science says.

Similarly, they're not interested in what courts say, as a recent finding by an

American " vaccine court " that the MMR vaccine didn't cause autism in the

children of the plaintiffs failed to change the believers' minds.

This is unfortunate, since, in contrast to the lack of evidence for the

vaccine-autism theory, there is abundant evidence that the failure to vaccinate

can and has led to serious outbreaks of disease.

And while nothing, including vaccines, is completely risk free, vaccines rarely

cause complications beyond some irritation at the injection site or a brief

fever.

Consequently, while McCarthy and other celebrities might have popular

appeal, if we really want to know the truth about vaccines, and if we're really

committed to protecting public health, it's better to look at the science.

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