Search This Blog

Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Measles, Vaccines, and Autism

In The Politics of Autism, I look at the discredited notion that vaccines cause autism.  Antivax sentiment has been strong in the Pacific Northwest.

From CDC:
From January 1 to February 7, 2019, 101** individual cases of measles have been confirmed in 10 states. The states that have reported cases to CDC are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.
  • *Cases as of December 29, 2018. Case count is preliminary and subject to change.
  • **Cases as of February 7, 2019. Case count is preliminary and subject to change. Data are updated weekly.

Trends in Measles Cases, 2010-2019

Samantha Putterman at PolitiFact:
A years-old story claims courts have "quietly confirmed" the MMR vaccine causes autism.

The story relies heavily on a 2012 Italian court case, which was based on a retracted and discredited 1998 study. It also incorrectly suggests that U.S. "courts" are quietly paying off families for vaccine-linked autism cases. In fact, the well-known National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program has evaluated vaccine injury claims since 1988.

A link between autism and vaccines has been disproved by court proceedings and several scientific studies. The story misrepresents the relevance of court rulings and provides obscure examples and sparse evidence.

It is Pants on Fire!