Q Toon: Scoff Drops

Leo and Max, my heteropolitical homosexual couple, are back. And they have a dog!

Earlier this month, the CDC website under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Felcher Kennedy Jr. began promoting the unfounded fantasy that vaccines cause autism. Turning 180 degrees from its previous position, the U.S. public health agency's now purports, "The claim 'vaccines do not cause autism' is not an evidence-based claim because studies have not ruled out the possibility that infant vaccines cause autism."

RFK and a cottage industry of flat-earthers and alien abductees have been promoting a link between vaccines (the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine in particular, but not exclusively) based on a 1998 study which has long since and many times been discredited. The Lancet, which had published it, formally retracted its claims in 2010. Ten of its 13 authors had earlier done likewise. Its primary author, Andrew Wakefield, has since been stripped of his medical license in his native Britain for falsifying timelines and misrepresenting the case histories of his study's subjects.

But the present U.S. kakistocracy has replaced medical professionals at HHS and the CDC with unqualified bamboozlers whose main qualifications are that they claim know where Elvis lives and recommend sugar-loaded gum for patients who brush their teeth. Having brain worms, a history of drug abuse, and a penchant for cringeworthy love "poetry" is a plus.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine has issued a statement criticizing the CDC's new language:

It is important to point out that the 2012 Institute of Medicine report assessing adverse effects of vaccines and cited by the CDC, found that very few health problems are caused by or clearly associated with vaccines. Further, based on our body of work on this topic and the overwhelming scientific consensus, we support the statement that vaccines do not cause autism.

There is a substantial body of work, including expert reports from the National Academies, dating back decades analyzing data and providing guidance on the important question of childhood vaccine safety.  That work has affirmed that childhood vaccines are safe for the general population with long-established benefits of preventing illness and averting death.

For a second opinion, the American Medical Association concurs:

"Vaccination is essential to protect individuals and communities from preventable diseases, making it a fundamental element of public health. The AMA is deeply concerned that perpetuating misleading claims on vaccines will lead to further confusion, distrust, and ultimately, dangerous consequences for individuals and public health.”

And from the American Association of Pediatrics:

 “The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website has been changed to promote false information suggesting vaccines cause autism. Since 1998, independent researchers across seven countries have conducted more than 40 high-quality studies involving over 5.6 million people. The conclusion is clear and unambiguous: There’s no link between vaccines and autism. Anyone repeating this harmful myth is misinformed or intentionally trying to mislead parents. 

"We call on the CDC to stop wasting government resources to amplify false claims that sow doubt in one of the best tools we have to keep children healthy and thriving: routine immunizations. The American Academy of Pediatrics stands with members of the autism community who have asked for support in stopping this rumor from spreading any further.”