James Gleick

This astounding, terrible, unforgivable thing isn’t just happening. It’s a choice made by one of America’s two major political parties. I still have trouble wrapping my mind around that

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2022/12/26/vaccine-hesitancy-measles-chickenpox-polio-flu/

Growing vaccine hesitancy fuels measles, chickenpox resurgence in U.S.

An Ohio measles outbreak among unvaccinated children comes at a time of heightened concern about the public health consequences of anti-vaccine sentiment.

The Washington Post
Dec 26, 2022 at 5:35pmWeb
Show threadHammancheezDec 26, 2022
@JamesGleick my dude they went on camera in 2020 and literally said “grandparents should die so Applebees can stay open”
Show threadBrett Glass - WY7BGDec 26, 2022
@JamesGleick Insane. A political party is threatening our democracy AND our health. This is what happens when we give ruthless, amoral, power-hungry gangs control of our government.
Show threadTom LevensonDec 26, 2022

@JamesGleick Yes. I am literally looking at the chapter I'm working on in my upcoming book on germ theory when vaccination first gets figured out. I'm about to tell the TB microbe story, and segue into the cholera pandemic--and the public health idea that flowed from identifying V. cholerae.

It was all understood then as perhaps the greatest single advance in human flourishing ever. (It was and is).

And these vicious, power-hungry idiots are throwing it away.

Show threadFemme MalheureuseDec 26, 2022

@tomlevenson @JamesGleick What amazes me now that we have the power of Big Data to look decades of vaccine outcomes is that they'll use the internet to excuse their petty fears but not use it to look at the picture Big Data tells us.

Specifically, child mortality from all childhood infectious diseases dropped dramatically once the measles vaccine was introduced.

Article: https://theconversation.com/a-measles-mystery-how-could-the-vaccine-prevent-deaths-from-other-diseases-too-41408

Paper: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aaa3662

More: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(22)00197-3/fulltext#%20

A measles mystery: how could the vaccine prevent deaths from other diseases too?

When the measles vaccine was introduced, it was associated with reductions in more childhood disease deaths than were actually caused by the measles. How does that work?

The Conversation
Show threadDRA69Dec 26, 2022

@femme_mal @tomlevenson @JamesGleick
The argument being made is mainly on personal liberty - that government shouldn’t mandate things like vaccinations - not whether the science backs up the decision.

The counter argument needs to be along the continuum of personal liberty vs public good.

Show threadDavid SchwartzDec 26, 2022
@tomlevenson @JamesGleick Indeed how many millions - perhaps billions - of lives saved by these breakthroughs.
Show threadBrent, in a jarDec 26, 2022
@dschwa8059 @tomlevenson @JamesGleick Which makes me wonder about linkage between vaccines and climate change! No, not really, but the new Hansen paper is a bring down. Without those extra billion or so people, we'd still have massive income inequality and consumer capitalism rushing to destroy the planet, it just wouldn't get to warming by 4 degrees C as quickly.
Show threadJRDec 26, 2022
@tomlevenson @JamesGleick Punch it up, cut idiots and go with twits and buffoons.
Show threadNick AliDec 26, 2022
@JamesGleick If a person thinks in slogans, like the guy not understanding the difference of ‘my body my choice’ on an individual level versus a fast spreading airborne virus context, how do you fix that? It’s a lack of critical thinking skills, isn’t it? And not something that can be fixed quickly.
Show threadAviva GaryDec 26, 2022
@JamesGleick They think it won't get to them so it's fine. They have no empathy and think even if it does get them... they will always be taken care of.
Show threadSkiBumMeDec 26, 2022
@JamesGleick ugh I would chalk it up to Darwin’s laws of evolution (let these misguided Republicans chose to make themselves sick if they so choose), but these anti science idiots are also putting the rest of us at risk.
Show threadJanet Rosenbaum (she/her)Dec 26, 2022
@JamesGleick The seeds of this larger vaccine refusal were planted even several years ago when I had a baby and saw how vaccines were among the topics considered not for polite conversation among parents. As soon as vaccines were treated like religion and politics instead of like science among people who should know better, science lost. Nova happened to document the extent in 2014. Now it's worse, and one political side has harnessed this movement for gain, but it follows clearly.
Show threadAphrodite (recharging)Dec 26, 2022

@janet1 @JamesGleick

“Vaccine hesitancy” predates vaccines.

Back when smallpox inoculation was still around, there was criticism over a procedure that had 1/10 the mortality of the disease.

In the modern era, though, where negative post vaccination sequelae are orders of magnitude rarer and safer, unless there’s a legit medical contraindication there’s no excuse that isn’t basically the Calvinist hew and cry that ill health is deserved as a punishment from SkyGod™.

Show threadJanet Rosenbaum (she/her)Dec 27, 2022
@Aphrodite Just imagine if all the people refusing vaccines and fluoride would put the same energy into lobbying for improved environmental standards. None of them are lobbying for reduced NOx exposure, only against fabricated dangers perpetuated in disinformation.
Show threadAphrodite (recharging)Dec 28, 2022

@janet1

tldr: they can’t put that energy into societally positive purposes unless those purposes are reframed to give them the illusion or delusion of personal benefit

there is a fundamental selfishness in those actions that is exploited by malevolent actors

that selfishness is deeply baked into the us context due to the idea that health and wealth are signs of favour by $deity, and grifters exploit that mindset

like everyone in studio on Fox News is vaxxed; they push antivax bs to profit

Show threadJo QatanaDec 26, 2022
@JamesGleick nobody listened to autistic people 13 years ago, either
Show threaddr 🛠️🛰️📡🎧Dec 26, 2022
@JamesGleick It isn't just vaccines. Republicans are looking to see what science says so they can say the opposite. It's the only way to explain how they are backwards on literally every topic of import today.
Show threadBonnie SchwertnerDec 26, 2022
@JamesGleick My sympathies for all the innocents losing their lives or health because of incompetent parents.
Show threadCaffe NekoDec 27, 2022
@JamesGleick the quiet part is that they don't care - they see these deaths as clearing out the eldergy, people of color, the disabled. It's a Nazi mentality but is also tied to their efforts to dismantle social security/medicare and privatize everything.
Show threadBarbara 🇺🇦Dec 27, 2022

@JamesGleick Just unbelievable decadence. Meanwhile,

https://www.science.org/content/article/unprotected-african-health-workers-die-rich-countries-buy-covid-19-vaccines

Unprotected African health workers die as rich countries buy up COVID-19 vaccines

Growing toll on fragile health systems prompts calls for more global equity

Show threadStacy 🇺🇦🇺🇸 (he/him)Dec 27, 2022
@JamesGleick You can’t fix stupid
Show threadJeffDec 27, 2022
@JamesGleick sacrifice their children for Fox
Show threadPeteDec 27, 2022
@JamesGleick The path through the years ahead, near and long-term are looking very challenging.