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Science

Decade-Long Study: Measles Vaccine Doesn't Cause Autism, Even in High-Risk Kids (reuters.com) 358

The measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine isn't associated with an increased risk of autism even among kids who are at high risk because they have a sibling with the disorder, a Danish study suggests. From a report: Concerns about a potential link between the MMR vaccine and autism have persisted for two decades, since a controversial and ultimately retracted 1998 paper claimed there was a direct connection. Even though subsequent studies haven't tied inoculation to autism, fear about the risk has weighed on parents so much in several communities across Europe and the U.S. that vaccination rates have been too low to prevent a spate of measles outbreaks.

In the current study, researchers examined data on 657,461 children. During this time, 6,517 kids were diagnosed with autism. Kids who got the MMR vaccine were seven percent less likely to develop autism than children who didn't get vaccinated, researchers report in the Annals of Internal Medicine. "Parents should not skip the vaccine out of fear for autism," said lead study author Dr. Anders Hviid of the Statens Serum Institut in Copenhagen, Denmark. "The dangers of not vaccinating includes a resurgence in measles which we are seeing signs of today in the form of outbreaks," Hviid said by email.

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Decade-Long Study: Measles Vaccine Doesn't Cause Autism, Even in High-Risk Kids

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  • But don't worry (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Opportunist ( 166417 ) on Wednesday March 06, 2019 @10:26AM (#58225032)

    The idiots will find a new reason to avoid vaccinations. If anything fails, the study will be dismissed as fake from the pharma industry.

    • The idiots will find a new reason to avoid vaccinations. If anything fails, the study will be dismissed as fake from the pharma industry.

      Ummm, the pharma industry is in favor of vaccines.

      • Ummm, the pharma industry is in favor of vaccines.

        That is only because they want people to live long enough to get more profitable afflictions like cancer and heart disease.

      • Of course they are. That doesn't make the study a forgery, though.

        Even though I'm not that sure that there's more money in preventing diseases than there is in curing them. I mean, are you going to pay 1000 bucks for a vaccination?

        How about a cure for the disease that might kill you?

        I know what I'd more easily be convinced to pay a grand for.

    • by gtall ( 79522 )

      Ah, Rand Paul is already on the case, sez it infringes on individuals' rights to endanger their fellow Americans.

  • I mean, NO SHIT (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday March 06, 2019 @10:27AM (#58225038)

    Morons who don't vaccinate their kids should be dealt with by Child Protective Services.

    • Re:I mean, NO SHIT (Score:4, Insightful)

      by bobbied ( 2522392 ) on Wednesday March 06, 2019 @10:54AM (#58225180)

      Morons who don't vaccinate their kids should be dealt with by Child Protective Services.

      Well... I agree they are generally morons, but I'm a bit leery of sending CPS into haul the kids away for this. It's a bit too close to jackboots and brown shirts for my tastes and CPS tends to be a bit heavy handed at times to start with. Let's not give them another reason to come calling at your house and take your kids first and ask questions later.

      I do support laws just short of making vaccinations mandatory, but there are long standing and closely held religious beliefs that preclude the use of vaccines (along with a host of other medical procedures). So let's make it nearly impossible to get public services, attend public schools or attend government sponsored gatherings of children without vaccines having been given as recommended, except if there are valid and documented medical reasons which make vaccinations inappropriate. IF your religious belief precludes your kids from vaccines, fine, but you don't get to put them in public school, obtain welfare benefits, or use other public services until you vaccinate them (or get the medical waver)...

      • Re:I mean, NO SHIT (Score:5, Insightful)

        by gtall ( 79522 ) on Wednesday March 06, 2019 @11:58AM (#58225672)

        "religious beliefs that preclude the use of vaccines" And just what might those religious beliefs be? Non-belief in modern science and medicine? Belief that kids are parents' property to do unto as they please? Belief in endangering the rest of the pop. that doesn't share those beliefs? Religious beliefs my ass, those holders are deluded if those beliefs constitute religious beliefs. I don't recall any the Bible or the Koran admonishing followers to shun modern medicine of whatever age they live in.

        • Some sects of the Mennonites and most of the Amish hold such views. The so called "Christian Science" church also have long standing closely held religious objections to vaccines and other medical procedures. I'm guessing there are others, but I've not heard of them. The Mennonites and Amish don't really mix with the rest of society so I don't see any issue with letting them alone.

          Just because you don't agree with their views it doesn't give the government the right to interfere without *really* good re

        • by lgw ( 121541 )

          There are definitely religious beliefs that reject modern medicine. It's a hard problem of the boundary of state power. It's really a bad road to start down having the government tell parents that they're wrong, but here they're so clearly wrong. It's not an easy situation for the courts.

  • by fluffernutter ( 1411889 ) on Wednesday March 06, 2019 @10:30AM (#58225058)
    Will this convince anyone? It seems anti-vaxxers have already decided to make up their mind independent of scientific studies.
    • It might help a very small number of anti-vaxxers realize they were wrong.

      The vast majority of anti-vaxxers are so wedded to being 'special' that no evidence will change their mind.

      But you're not really trying to convince anti-vaxxers with this study. You're trying to prevent more people from becoming anti-vaxxers.

      • by gtall ( 79522 )

        It may also help kids to realize their anti-vaxxer parents are whack-jobs and to go get themselves vaccinated.

    • Or you are not looking at all the studies.
  • by Artem S. Tashkinov ( 764309 ) on Wednesday March 06, 2019 @10:42AM (#58225116) Homepage
    As with every other bias this study won't convince most of the anti-vaxers because they've already formed a strong belief and they will only accept the "information" which furthers their irrational point of view which is lacking any reasoning and is not based on facts.
    • by gweihir ( 88907 )

      It is time to either force them to move to their own isolated island or be vaccinated by law. They are threatening any kid that cannot get vaccinated for medial reasons and there are a few of those.

    • Re:Great but (Score:5, Insightful)

      by bobbied ( 2522392 ) on Wednesday March 06, 2019 @11:11AM (#58225334)

      They have their ONE study, performed by a now discredited doctor who lost his medical license for his lack of ethical research techniques and lack of effective peer reviews. The study has been condemned as wrong for decades, but you can bet they will quote from that one....

      In the mean time, 120,000 kids a year die around the world from the illness prevented by the MMR vaccine.

  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
  • ... from their parents constantly screeching about vaccines, government plots, chemtrails, etc.

  • by PopeRatzo ( 965947 ) on Wednesday March 06, 2019 @10:56AM (#58225190) Journal

    Reminder: Donald Trump is an anti-vaxxer.

    https://www.independent.co.uk/... [independent.co.uk]

    The wife of Bill Shine, Trump's communications chief of staff, is also an anti-vaxxer.

    https://www.usnews.com/news/po... [usnews.com]

    Rand Paul is an anti-vaxxer.

    https://thehill.com/policy/hea... [thehill.com]

    • by gweihir ( 88907 ) on Wednesday March 06, 2019 @11:06AM (#58225282)

      Fine collection of terminally stupid people you have there. With followers of the same nature.

    • by gtall ( 79522 )

      In Rand Paul's defense, his kids have been vaccinated, and he believes vaccination works. However, he wants individuals to be allowed the right to be predators on the rest of society by refusing to get themselves or their kids vaxxed. You see, it is a principled defense of How to be an Idiot.

    • by ljw1004 ( 764174 )

      Rand Paul is an anti-vaxxer. https://thehill.com/policy/hea... [thehill.com]

      From the article you linked, Rand Paul says: "I believe that the benefits of vaccines greatly outweigh the risks".

      I wonder what definition of "anti-vaxxer" you're using?

      Rand Paul explained that although he thought vaccines are the right thing to do (and had his kids vaccinated) he believed that government persuasion rather than government force is the right means to achieve that. "I think it's important to remember that force is not consistent with the American story".

      Do you define an "anti-vaxxer" as anyon

  • You don't say... (Score:4, Insightful)

    by gweihir ( 88907 ) on Wednesday March 06, 2019 @11:03AM (#58225256)

    Incidentally, the original "study" (long since found to be scientific fraud) the anti-vaxxers like to use for their "arguments" did not claim that either. It claimed that a specific competing product had that flaw but their own did not. Hence there never actually was a study that claimed that in general measles vaccination cause autism.

    But anti-vaxxers do not live in this reality. They cannot recognize a fact when it stares them in the face.

    • Exactly. Wakefield wasn't an anti-vaxxer originally. He wanted the MMR banned so his competing vaccine would rake in cash. When that didn't work and he smelled money from anti-vaxxers, he jumped on their bandwagon and started selling them snake oil.

  • by Kevoco ( 64263 ) on Wednesday March 06, 2019 @11:04AM (#58225260)

    We should definitely just walk around

  • by rsilvergun ( 571051 ) on Wednesday March 06, 2019 @11:07AM (#58225286)
    we've got talented people researching nonsense like this where the answer is already well known because we figured that out in the clinical trials before the vaccine went into use.

    My mom, God rest her, was an anti-vaxxer and a nurse. A well trained Research Nurse for Pete's sake. This isn't anything new.

    I'd like to figure out why the anti-vaxxer crowd believes this crap. Not the ones selling books and movies, those guys are in it for the money. I mean the rank and file. They're not just stupid. Heck, a lot of them have college degrees. If anything that's what we need to research, how do you get so many people to believe something so wrong?
    • by sheramil ( 921315 ) on Wednesday March 06, 2019 @11:27AM (#58225450)

      I'd like to figure out why the anti-vaxxer crowd believes this crap. Not the ones selling books and movies, those guys are in it for the money. I mean the rank and file. They're not just stupid.

      First, i thought we'd all agreed to stop calling them "anti-vaxxers" and to start calling them "pro-plague-ers". Second, they can either believe there's something wrong with their genetics, or they can believe it was something that was done to them by Big Pharma. Guess which option is more attractive, to hell with the evidence?

    • They're not just stupid. Heck, a lot of them have college degrees.

      It's so cute and hilarious that you think those are mutually exclusive ...

    • Comment removed (Score:4, Insightful)

      by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Wednesday March 06, 2019 @11:32AM (#58225480)
      Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • by Registered Coward v2 ( 447531 ) on Wednesday March 06, 2019 @11:32AM (#58225482)

      My mom, God rest her, was an anti-vaxxer and a nurse. A well trained Research Nurse for Pete's sake. This isn't anything new. I'd like to figure out why the anti-vaxxer crowd believes this crap. Not the ones selling books and movies, those guys are in it for the money. I mean the rank and file. They're not just stupid. Heck, a lot of them have college degrees. If anything that's what we need to research, how do you get so many people to believe something so wrong?

      I wish I knew as well. It's not, IMHO, a function of education but fear and guilt that drives the anti-vaxers and gets people caught up in it. I knew and educated couple whose daughter was autistic. They blamed in on vaccines since she was diagnosed right after she was vaccinated. Trying to explain that correlation does not imply causation and that autism symptoms tend to be first noticed around the age kids get vaccinated was useless; all it did was cement their belief they were right. I would guess they did not want to believe they rolled the genetic dice and lost; they also believed their daughter would be cured if only the school system did what they wanted. I understand their anguish what I found bad was the mom would hand out anti-vax pamphlets to parents of young kids she saw at the bus stop "So they would not have the same thing happen to them." She did not like it when someone points out she is full of shit.

      Wanting to believe something else was at fault, and not nature, is a powerful force. Add in the guilt form thinking you did something to harm your child is also a powerful motivator to strike back at the cause of the problem, even if it is not really the cause. Then you have celebrities that push your opinion and thus reenforce it; because by God if they are celebrities they have to be right and everyone knows the common man or women is smarter than some pointy headed intellectual .that has no common sense and is spending too much time in an ivory tower to see what is really happening.

      Sometimes education can be a detriment, as you see patterns that aren't there because you are used to seeing patterns and drawing conclusions; and may have a world view where a giant vaccine conspiracy by big pharma makes sense. I've also run into plenty of highly educated idiots as well.

  • Measles can kill you. The mortality under very best conditions is 1 out of a thousand. Complications may include pneumonia, ear infections, bronchitis (either viral bronchitis or secondary bacterial bronchitis), and brain inflammation.[64] Brain inflammation from measles has a mortality rate of 15%. While there is no specific treatment for brain inflammation from measles, antibiotics are required for bacterial pneumonia, sinusitis, and bronchitis that can follow measles.
  • Studies like these, no matter how definitive, no longer matter in the US. Decades is slashing taxes, gutting education, economic stratification, demise of stable middle class, and oligarchical fed misinformation has eviscerated critical thinking skills for the general population.
    Exacerbated by the rise of the web giving any dolt the power to publish any crazy unsubstantiated thought, armchair WebMD physicians, and instant gratification un-social media the US has plunged into ignorant tribalism. The

"Facts are stupid things." -- President Ronald Reagan (a blooper from his speeach at the '88 GOP convention)

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