The Vaccine-Autism Myth Started 20 Years Ago. Here&#39;s Why It Still Endures Today

Jim, Mike M., and Mike B.

You are all bringing back memories of the many trips I made driving from my home in Denver to the various ski slopes, both before and after kids, and before and after the completion of the "Eisenhower Tunnel" (underneath the wicked Loveland Pass - Americas highest continuously open roadway).

We made a couple trips from Ohio before the tunnel, before I-70, and before such places as, Copper Mountian, and Keystone existed. Once (1963?) we travelled with a group of friends from Chicago by train and then drove from Union Station in downtown Denver in a caravan of three rental station wagons into an absolute mess of a snow storm west on old Route 6 (before I-70 was built). We were headed for Vail but the highway patrol had closed Loveland Pass - but only at the top - and had not yet passed the word down below, so that each car had to crawl in slow bumper to bumper traffic all the way to the top, only to be turned around once you reached the summit. It was nail biting! (even as a passenger)

(If you have not experienced Loveland Pass, you've missed a real treat - switchbacks climbing thousands of feet, up to about 14,000, with very few guard rails and no room to pass.)

We finally made it back down to Georgetown (where we had stopped hours before for lunch at the historic "Silver Qqueen" bar. But so many drivers had gotten back to that point before us, there wer no rooms left in town. So we proceeded all the way back to Idaho Springs for rooms in a cheap motel. I think we had driven something like 4 or 5 hours (including lunch), only to get 45 minutes out of Denver. The pass was re-opened the next day.

I had many other doozies including a trip alone one time where I got stopped behind a large truck that had lost his traction, and was forcing me to stop and lose mine as well. I was gradually sliding backwards and towards the edge of a thousand foot drop off with no guard rails. I eventually I backed up onto some rough gravel on the shoulder, regained my traction, and made a risky pass around the stalled truck. Nerve racking!

My kids were with me on many more crazy driving days, headed for the slopes, but by then we had the "tunnel" and avoided the nasty climb over that pass. Or we were headed to Winter Park or Steamboat, and that meant another difficult drive over another wicked pass - Berthoud Pass - in some ways worse than Loveland Pass. But those are all fond memories.

And then there were some wild 4-wheel drives (summer only) up over the back side of Telluride over "Black Bear Pass" into Ouray. Talk about "off-road" driving!

That is Telluride at center right in the distance a few thousand feet below (note the jeep - right center). My other best friend Tom (Smith, not Litzinger) and I drove these trails a few times in the summer of '72 where Mary and I and Tom) lived for one sumer. Tom stayed and is thee big wheel in the Real Estate brokers crowd dealing with the likes of Oprah, Susan St. Anton, the late Dave Brubeck, Ralph Lauren, an Austrian prince, and the list goes on. Telluride is the location of the first "bank withdrawal" that one Robert Leroy Parker made in 1889, before visiting many other banks in many of other towns. Parker's other name was Butch Cassidy.

I believe the operative word here is STEEEEEP!

01/14/20 12:03 PM

#6694

We have a Winter Park down here, in a pretty community dotted by lakes, so many beautiful lakes, just north of Orlando. There's a fabulous museum in the middle of town devoted to the mansion and the stained glass windows of Louis Comfort Tiffany, just down the main drag from the pretty little liberal arts college where I still teach.

In Columbus in the olden days the first childhood car I remember was a Packard. Dark blue, I think. Built like a tank. Then a green Crysler, just as solid. (Remember the thunk of a door being slammed back when cars were built that way?) Then a series of white Chevies in ascending order of fanciness: Biscayne, Bel Air, Imperial.

I had three sisters. We were told to lock the car doors once inside and backing out of the driveway. You'll remember the inside lock on each door was a skinny button mounted on the frame at the bottom of the window. We'd say "ping the pingers" - sounds weird now but that was the command to push down the buttons on either side. With mom and dad in front, all four of us could sit comfortably in the back seat on our way to... was it Knight's Ice Cream, I believe it was, on Indianola, near Morse Road? Turning right on East North Broadway, past Hawley's bar and grocery story and Brody Drugs and the Sinclair station where Mr. Cotter, who fixed the cars, had a face that was always darkened by engine oil, and then past Dinova's little market and Olympic with its fence and turnstiles and the scent of chlorine slipping briefly in the windows and past the pingers as we headed north on Indianola towards a summer treat.

01/14/20 03:13 PM

#6695

Okay, so my question is, how the hell did a guy who grew up with the discriminate and refined upbringing of a family who said "ping the pingers" end up falling into the clutches of the world of "English Majors".

(Oh, and now I suppose you're gonna tell me there should have been a question mark at the end of that sentence. Do go on with your bad self.)

p.s.

Was it Gus's dad or his uncle that ran the grocery store? First place I can ever recall going to the grocery with my mother - and I got to ride in the cart. Life couldn't get much cooler than that!

And this wonderfully friendly man (Mr. Dinovo, I think) always trying to help mom find the freshest items in the produce deprtment. And he would grind the coffee for her in the machine. He knew every customer by name. And they carried your groceries out to your car for you. Mighty impressive establishment - two, or was it three cash registers. But they only had about 12 parking spaces. For some long forgotten reason, we moved on to Shearer's Market, across from the Beechwold Library and Hardware (which is still there) on High Strreet a few doors up from OLP Church. They must have had at least 24 parking spaces, and you could continue on out the same direction, through the alley in the rear of the lot without having to turn your car around. And I think they must have had four cash registers. So of course........

01/15/20 06:29 AM

#6696

Michael Boulware

Sorry for the late response to Jim (or his new name given to him by Mike McCleod- Dr. J.) . I have a theory: when we were younger we felt invincible. As we aged, we felt more responsible for the people in our car, the others that were on the road at the time, and ourselves.

We are more aware of the dangers of bad weather, too many cocktails, texting, or other outside forces that could distract us from doing a good job driving. I know that I would feel safer being a passenger in the car with Mike Boulware driving as a post 70 driver, then Mike Boulware driving in his teens and twenties.

01/15/20 11:23 AM

#6697

Mike:

I don't know if you noticed but in Dr. J's post about his mountain-country dirt-road drives he casually mentioned one hazard being "the occasional drop-off."

At which point the pit of my stomach casually dropped to the floor.

01/15/20 11:46 AM

#6698

Joseph D. McCarthy

Mike I have to ask an expert this question; since DAVE made that snarky comment about the question mark. Does the period go after the last quote marks, or before the last one ( " ." or " ". )?

01/15/20 12:19 PM

#6699

Bull, texting is, of course, considered the ultimate distracted driving offense. There are so many others that we all have seen that contribute to accidents and death. To name a few of my pet peeves: men shaving, women putting on makeup, smoking, eating, drinking beverages (especially coffee - just look at the drive in lines at Starbucks and Dutch Brothers) and the list goes on. Just a few days ago I read in the news of a truck driver involved in a fatal accident when he looked away to put his coffee into a cup holder.

But, IMHO, one of the biggest distractions is all the gizmos on the modern cars. Multiple knob controls, ever enlarging screens that not only guide you but give you news and other info that often has nothing to do with driving. Also blue tooth. Yes, that technology that is supposed to allow us to conduct business and other things "hands free". Some studies have reported a significant decrease in driving attentiveness when talking on the phone even hands free.

As we age our reflexes become slower and our ability to multi-task decreases. I want - and have - cars that have simple controls and not a cockpit that rivals a jet plane. We have a Garmin which we use rarely and only when both of us are in a car so one navigates and the other drives. It's OK, I have been called worse names than a dinosaur.

What are all of your most hated distractions?

And, to Mike McL, I do still drive those dirt "roads" with drop-offs - VERY CAREFULLY! Often I will get out and walk the area first to make sure my vehicle can fit and there are no rocks or craters that could tip it over.

Jim

01/15/20 02:03 PM

#6700

Jim, (and Mike, and Mike,)

As a loyal fan of the "ping the pingers" school of diving, I couldn't agree with you more about the new cars. As I may have mentioned, I drive a second job for a "black car" service and the new touch control "screens" are enough to drive you nuts - especially the Lincoln MKT's. I hate the touch screens! They are way too complicated, show way too much information, and often reguire the driver to actually read them - which takes your eyes away from the road. Give me the good old dial knob and button controls any day.

(p.s. our new Chevy Yukon has a much better set of controls - more logical, more intuitive, and greatly simplified.)

-------------

Mike B.

I was a really safe driver at 17 and 18. It wasn't till a few years later, in the cockpit of a rotary-wing aircraft that I turned crazy. Invincibility is a state of mind which infects the central nervous system. Made worse by being in the compnay of a bunch of like-minded guys who are as crazy as you are.

-----------

Joe,

I thought you "left-coast" people could just put your periods and commas whrever you pleased. But it's those nasty dashes and semicolons that get a bit dicey.

Oh where is Sister Constantious when we need her?

01/15/20 02:45 PM

#6701

David Barbour

Dr. J,

Glad you didn't mention men doing make up!

I'm good at lipstick, but have to draw the line at

mascara and eye liner, we need to be reasonable!!!

01/15/20 03:27 PM

#6702

All distractions while driving are risky and dangerous, especially at our age. My mantra is to keep one eye on the road, one eye on the speedometer and one eye each on the rear view and side view mirrors at all times! 👀 👀🤔>p>

(They don't call me "four eyes" just because I wear glasses!)

Jim

01/16/20 12:35 PM

#6703

Michael Boulware

Mike,

I just noticed that I misspelled your name. That is due to fat fingers. One of my best students was a McLeod. Please excuse me.

01/16/20 01:00 PM

#6704

Not to worry, Mike.

Trust me - in all likelihood I have made more mistakes in print than anybody in our class.

Joseph: before. "I appreciate your question," he said.

Punctuation is - this is going to sound weird - a joy to me. It's a bit like playing an instrument and understanding the rhythm of a piece of music. For example, figuring out when to use a dash - and why - is a part of writing I relish. (By the way, the dash someone spoke of above as a means of punctuation was once frowned upon by the high priests of grammar. It has survived their scorn and risen to repectability and is in common usage now -- why? Because it does provide a bit more of a pause, just a shade of difference in inflection, than a stuffy old semicolon. I joke with my student about semicolons. I tell them they are not qualified to use them and they need my permission if they want to do so. They might hurt themselves otherwise. Kids: I'm a professional. don't try this at home!

What a writer wants most of all is for the reader to sense a voice, have the illusion of being spoken to rather than written to -- and punctuation, apart from lending clarity, can give you that sense of the way we as human beings pause for effect or pause unconsciously as we struggle to communicate our thoughts and feelings, particularly difficult ones. That's part of the reason why I love punctuation, whose main purpose is, of course, clarity. But it also establishes a mood.

That is a sad and sobering story and good advice re: driving.

I actually see driving as a test of character. Can you control your emotions? Can you be kind and forgiving? Can you be meticulous? Can you remain focused?

Something that helps me along these lines is having a school-marm girlfriend in the passenger seat. She keeps me in line. I got by with a lot more back in the day with the nuns.

01/16/20 03:16 PM

#6705

John Maxwell

More facinating yet unusual topics. Driving and punctuation. Do we drive to be puntual?
I've logged over a million miles behind the wheel. I've had a few fender benders, due to distractions. I once rearended a pickup while watching an eighty year old woman take a tumble on the sidewalk to my right, by the time I returned my attention to the road I had just enough time to slam on the brakes and soften the blow. My entire life flashed before my eyes, mostly focused on how and what I learned when I began driving. I was taught that the test for driving was a written test about the rules, (laws), of the road. And the probable tasks of the road test, and parking. Many years later I asked myself, am I a good driver? Not really. My knowledge base was lacking. There is a great deal of science applied to the operation of a machine that exceeds the limits of all the rules of the road. Knowing the rules and laws is really not enough training to propel yourself, contained in a restricted space with limited vision. First off, the weight of your vehicle and the speed of travel and how all this weight behaves while manuvering in various weather conditions might be a good thing to know. There so many forces at work at the same time, and being aware of that, and at the same time, of the physics of wet pavement versus dry determines the level of attention that must be given in every situation. Many of the driving programs I've conducted for both dealerships and general public, were set up to feature safety benefits, as well as avoidance and speed monitoring. We even did simulations proving that alcohol and driving are a bad mix. Something that many learn the hard way. The roads are engineered to be safe, but they deteriorate or are poorly maintained to begin with, so it is always a good idea to know the road you're travelling. There are available, at local race tracks, pro drivers who conduct and demonstrate what can happen in different situations. Things like controlling skidding, and emergency avoidance. You can learn how to feel comfortable driving fast in traffic. You can learn how to determine the "line" that is most optimal for your vehicle's performance. You can actually learn how to optimize your tires' life, and fuel economy. What to do in a slide, to avoid or minimize impact. I'm not saying to learn how to drive a race car, just how to drive with more confidence. Not just your own ability but the vehicle's limitations and abilities. If anyone is interested in learning more about being a safer motorist check out your local road course racing facility. They may be able to direct you to a safe driving course. Remember cleanliness is next to good motoring. So, check your oil, tire pressure, brakes, and top off you fluids before taking a trip. Or you can just hop in and go hoping you don't break down or worse. Like you always do. I happen to think driving is fun, specially when you know what you can do with a car in any situation. I hope you all stay safe when on the road. Happy motoring.

01/16/20 03:37 PM

#6706

Hey I have another "ask Dr. J." question:

Do you have any experience with/opinion about vaccine disinformation? I have educated friends - well just one - who believes childhood vaccinations can cause mental deficiencies in children. There are plenty of people out there who would agree with her; I have also seen posts about "laboratory evidence" to that effect which I believe are fraudulent.

My friend also won't get flu shots - I forget her reasoning for that.

01/16/20 10:16 PM

#6707

Mike McL,

It is very troubling and dangerous that the anti-vaxers and others have introduced such a fear factor regarding vaccines. The recent measles (Rubiola) outbreaks across the world and in this country is partially due to that fear and the number of unimmunized school children that has resulted.

The most common misconception is that vaccines cause autism. Those who believe that have blamed it on the presence of thimerosol - a preservative which contains trace amounts of mercury compounds - that helps prevent bacterial growth in many vaccines. There have been numerous good, legitimate scientific studies that have found no evidence that either the vaccine or the thimerosol in them causes autism.

Across the centuries and across the world vaccines have saved countless lives and prevented epidemics of many contagious diseases. New vaccines are on the horizon to continue that trend and are greatly needed. Some of the newest which may (hopefully) soon be available are Ebola, TB and Malaria. There is also a resurgence of research into a new smallpox vaccine - one that does not entail the old scarification technique that we all received decades ago. Smallpox was thought to be eliminated in the world but, in this era of concern over biological weapons, that may no longer be true. Also some forms of monkeypox viruses are now able to infect humans.

In regard to influenza vaccine that picture is extremely complex since influenza viruses are constantly mutating and vaccines are based on predicted prevalence of what strains will be predominant each year. That is difficult and sometimes the predictions are not totally correct. Some things, however, are good to know: there is often some degree of cross protection from antibodies to strains in the vaccine against strains that occur but are not covered by that year's vaccine. Also those who have received flu shots yearly have more of that kind of protection. These result in the fact that if one does get the flu, it may not be as severe, as fatal or require hospitalization.

There are those who say "the flu shots give me the flu". That does not happen. Side effects from many vaccines can include low grade fever, muscle aches (myalgias), headaches and soreness. These are mild, short in duration and not that common considering the millions of people who do get vaccinated. True allergies to flu shots are very rare. Persons who delay getting a shot until someone close to them gets the flu may already be incubating the virus. It takes about two weeks after the vaccine to develop a good immunity.

Bottom line: vaccines save lives and prevent disease, unfounded fear of vaccines contribute to death and disease outbreaks.

Jim

01/17/20 03:35 PM

#6708

Mary Margaret Clark (Schultheis)

Jim and Mike,

I think this is where the current controversy began, back in 1998 with a British Doctor named Wakefield, who was a complete fraud and was eventually banned from practice, and his articles retracted by the publisher (too late to help, it would seem). But his claims took hold with a huge number of people and have continued to find feritle ground in the minds of Millions of the ignorant and uneducated.

I have underlined the key paragraph

(And I have no idea why this is printing in all caps)

** Oh, and this is from a Time Magazine Article in 2018.

The Vaccine-Autism Myth Started 20 Years Ago. Here's Why It Still Endures Today

BY JONATHAN D. QUICK, MD, MPH AND HEIDI LARSON

FEBRUARY 28, 2018

Anti-vaccination headlines—like “HPV vaccine leaves another 17-year-old-girl paralyzed”—populate the Internet. That, and “Mom researches vaccines, discovers vaccination horrors, goes vaccine free,” are just a few examples of the fake science news stories shared this month on Facebook.

If you are a parent on social media, you’ve likely seen many posts just like these. Maybe you’ve even clicked on one, curious. What’s the harm, right? As a family physician with four decades of experience fighting preventable disease around the globe and a professor of anthropology, risk and decision science studying global vaccine confidence, we’ve seen the deadly harm that fraudulent science and unfounded claims can cause.

The vaccine-autism myth is one chilling example of fraudulent science. February 28, 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of an infamous article published in the prestigious medical journal, The Lancet, in which Andrew Wakefield, a former British doctor, falsely linked the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine to autism. The paper eventually was retracted by the co-authors and the journal. Wakefield was de-licensed by medical authorities for his deceit and “callous disregard” for children in his care. It took nearly two decades for the UK immunization rates to recover. By the end, UK families had experienced more than 12,000 cases of measles, hundreds of hospitalizations — many with serious complications — and at least three deaths.Stunningly, the vaccine-autism myth still persists. It was amplified by the British media during its early years, later by celebrity endorsement and more recently by worldwide social media. Wakefield has continued his own relentless personal campaigning, moving well beyond the initial MMR vaccine scaremongering to attacking the CDC in his controversial film Vaxxed. The film was pulled before screening at the Tribeca Film Festival but found its way into independent theaters in the U.S. and Europe. Europe’s four-fold increase in measles cases and 35 measles-related deaths in 2017 — due largely to people not getting vaccinated — also reflects how Wakefield’s vaccine-autism scare can spark vaccine refusals that lead to debilitating and fatal cases of measles.

01/18/20 10:58 AM

#6709

"Pardon the interruption", as Tony Kornheiser would say.

I would like to share a page from my 17 year old niece's journal that she began writing when it was learned a year and a half ago that the father of her best friend had been grooming her and several other players on her soccer team to be sexually molested. It is a long story, but once one girl came forward, so did my niece and the other girls. After many agonizing months and a trial, the man was given a 3 year prison sentence and must identify as a sexual predator. WIth that as a background, I share these wise words she found to reflect upon. BTW, she texted me this morning to thank me for helping her with her essay for her application to the nursing program at UC, and to let me know that yesterday she received her acceptance notification.

Have a happy weekend, everyone.

01/18/20 02:21 PM

#6710

That's a lovely essay, mm.

Thanks for that post about anti-vacs, Dave.

I may use it in my class. I'm having them write their term papers about disinformation campaigns and the spread of unfounded rumors and falsehoods.

01/18/20 02:47 PM

#6711

Janie Albright (Blank)

MM, that is so beautiful. Thank God that your granddaughter has grown up in such a strong and faith grounded home and family. Many might not be able to handle this as she has.

01/18/20 04:35 PM

#6712

MM,

Out of tragedy comes this sweet post.

p.s. sadly, not the only one of these stories in our class.

01/18/20 08:50 PM

#6713

David Barbour

Fabulous sunset photo, Janie, you must enjoy fomenting jealousy amongst your classmates!

01/19/20 11:07 AM

#6714

Frank Ganley

Mike M, your assigment to your class should be exciting to read! the essays on falsehoods and misinformation should be interesting in the diversity of subjects that college students will come up with.Just wondering how one will be graded when their subject of over three years of lying and misinformation about the complete assault of our great President Donald J Trump. Now that's a subject one could really sink your teeth into. From hours after he was elected where many of the Dems immediately called for a recall vote to Maxine the Mouth demanding her minions to do anything and everything to browbeat any person who supports Trump and continueing even after the Mueller report confirmed his innocence. To that guardian of truth "Shifty"Shiff discovering new witnesses always at the last moment.How one side can do that from day 1 when they had no more reason than hate of the man to Russian interference; to now the famous words we all have come to know and love"quid pro quo".

01/19/20 01:19 PM

#6715

Frank:

They'll be using footnoted, verifiable facts, not grade-school level thinking, name-calling and insults. Apart from that I'll mark out broader issues of systematic disinformation campaigns that predate Trump. There aren't enough scholarly references about the recent present-day mishmash of faux-facting for them to dig into as researchers. That's all for future historians, at least at this level of scholarship.

01/19/20 05:10 PM

#6716

TAKING IT TO HEART

February is heart month and I don't mean just because of Valentine's Day. Over the years I have been asked by several individuals to discuss certain topics regarding the heart and, as February approaches, I think this is a good time. We are now all in our 70's and it is a given that heart problems increase as we age. Some in our class have already experienced such maladies and others of us will undoubtedly encounter these in this decade. It is just statistacally true. In this and a future post I shall talk about two cardiac conditions that are common and some of us have or are likely to experience in the future: Heart Failure (HF) and Atrial Fibrillation (AF).

When I was in my training years and for sometime after, heart failure was a disease that had about a 50% mortality rate within 5 years after initial diagnosis. It was usually called Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) since it was mostly diagnosed fairly late in its course when fluids were backing up into the lungs and even the liver (congestion) from a very weakened left ventricle (LV).

The ejection fraction (EF) of a normal heart is usually about 50-70% of the volume of blood in the LV with each contraction. When it decreases to <40% HF is considered present. This happens over a period of time and can be caused by a myriad of different conditions including vascular, rhythm, valvular, cardiac muscle ("cardiomyopathies"), genetics, systemic deases, congenital problems, infections, substance abuse (alcohol, drugs) and other processes.

As medicine advances we tend to make things more difficult and tend to compartmentalize things into many subsets. Today we talk about systolic failure, diastolic dysfunction, heart failure with preserved EF, heart failure with reduced EF, advanced heart failure etc. (Systole is when the heart contracts, diastole is when it relaxes.) There is also a New York Heart Association classification of I-IV based on a patient's symptoms at certain levels of actvity, stage IV being the worst.

It is my opinion that if a patient's heart EF is less than 50 and/or having appropriate symptoms referable to the heart, a cardiologist should in invoved in his or her care. I say this as it is not only good practice, but also there is a plethora of medications and invasive devices that can help improve cardiac function, the patient's symptoms, help prevent arrythmias and other complications including sudden death, and significantly prolong an active life.

In the 1970's about the only treatments we had to offer for CHF were salt restriction, diuretics (usually furosemide - brand name Lasix) and digitalis. Later on if a patient would "decompensate" admission to the hospital for a few days of intravenous therapy with a drug called dobutamine - a medication that increased the force of contraction of the heart ("positive inotrope") - could be used. Heart transplantation was a final option when it became more available and as a last resort.

Today the number of good medicines are enormous and can be tailored to an individual patient's needs. Revascularization if significant coronary artery disease is present by stents or bypass surgery may be needed. There are also electrical therapies including traditional pacemakers, resyncronization pacemakers, implantable cardiodefibrillators, left ventricular assist devices (LVAD's - like Dick Cheney had before his transplant - and some newer ones) and, of course, more available transplants. Truely "artificial hearts" (?3-D printer technology) may be on the horizon.

The bottom line is that heart failure, in the majority of patients, can be managed quite well today and in the future even better. It is best managed by a team that incudes a cardiologist. Professionals including Physical Therapists, Pharm-D's and others are also important members.

Happy Heart Month,

Jim

01/19/20 11:30 PM

#6717