Ars TechnicaAnti-vaccine nonsense will likely kill thousands this season, FDA officials say
Top regulatory officials call for clinicians to speak up and drown out misinformation.
birdpoofExcept that some people who work *at clinics* actively discourage vaccines too. There are tons of non-medical people working in the healthcare industry.
A friend was convinced by a clinic scheduler that the COVID booster wasn't needed because she got the FIRST SERIES of vaccines years ago.
Dragon Daddy@birdpoof @arstechnica I recently had a doctor say that I didn’t need it when I was proactively going for a booster. ✌️
Ryan2one3@arstechnica they can't vote when they're dead. Well, most of them can't. 😂
Poppamunz 
@ryan2one3 @arstechnica neither can the innocent people they infect
Flit 🦊 ❄️@arstechnica content warning please!!!
Edelruth, PBS Passport HolderThe AMA for one, is a critical voice missing from public discourse on health issues that should not be controversial.
It is not controversial to state that a non-physician is practicing medicine without a license when they make rules about medical matters: anything to do with gestation; vaccine/vaccination; other disease-transmission issues; the granting of personhood to corporations.
Conservative physicians abandoned us, and are now losing their identity as the voice of med.
ninavizz@arstechnica Did this article need to include an image of a nearly nude child?
Debbie Belair@arstechnica Society has a way of eliminating stupid people. Most people I know have chosen not to listen. What can you do? Most of them don't want to change their lives, that's the problem.
Forrest Tanaka@arstechnica Thank you for this article. While many #ConspiracyTheorists say that certain treatments exist only to make “Big Pharma” rich — certainly some pharmaceutical companies have been guilty of unfair profiteering — but we have to also remember why #ConspiracyTheories exist: to make a small number of people wealthy. #JoeMercola, #AlexJones, #MehmetOz, #JoeRogan — all making their money off the backs of the gullible.
Canadian Crone
ScottS@arstechnica We weren’t against vaccines until Trump called them into question… and then all the mindless Trumpettes fell into line. Vaccines have NEVER been 100%, but they greatly reduce the impacts. https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/one-vaccinated-one-not-smallpox/
Joe Hill 🇵🇸🇺🇦@Scotts @arstechnica Well, that’s not quite true. There have been anti-vaxxers for 30-40 years. It has certainly exploded in #trump #PostTruthEra though.
Cassandra -2024@Joe_Hill @Scotts @arstechnica
I remember it really taking hold in the early 2000's when Jenny McCarthy claimed that a vaccine caused her child's autism. Interestingly, it seemed to be more common in far left parenting back then, but that changed after Trump's presidency.
I remember it really taking hold in the early 2000's when Jenny McCarthy claimed that a vaccine caused her child's autism. Interestingly, it seemed to be more common in far left parenting back then, but that changed after Trump's presidency.
Chancerubbage@arstechnica When I grew up doctors said, you need vaccination, time for your vaccination!, and we said ‘Garsh! Yup! Of course, doc, stick me!
Today In deep red America, clinicians are afraid to bring up the topic, as it might raise controversy, or worse, they believe the conspiracy angles themselves.
cameronbosch 
@arstechnica Honestly, if a family have kids and they refuse to get them their required vaccines for any reason apart from a valid medical reason (such as an allergic reaction to a previous dose or to the vaccine ingredients), then they should be charged with endangering the welfare of a child and have their kids removed from their home. This s**t is f**king insand with Typhoid Karens and Cultists.
Real Name TBA@arstechnica The anti-mRNA talk could be ended if *all* the test data, before approval and since, were made public. All of it. Suppose that will happen?
AskPippa🇨🇦@RealNameTBA @arstechnica The mRNA #vaccines have about 30 years worth of research behind them. Tens of thousands of published studies are available relating to them.
The one for COVID is now the most studied vaccine in history. Prior to that, they were being studied for use mostly in cancer, but it was easy to switch to vaccines because of what they do and how they work -- and some work had already started looking at mRNA tech for vaccines.
This gives a nice summary of the history of their development.
https://www.statnews.com/2020/11/10/the-story-of-mrna-how-a-once-dismissed-idea-became-a-leading-technology-in-the-covid-vaccine-race/
The one for COVID is now the most studied vaccine in history. Prior to that, they were being studied for use mostly in cancer, but it was easy to switch to vaccines because of what they do and how they work -- and some work had already started looking at mRNA tech for vaccines.
This gives a nice summary of the history of their development.
https://www.statnews.com/2020/11/10/the-story-of-mrna-how-a-once-dismissed-idea-became-a-leading-technology-in-the-covid-vaccine-race/
Raymond@RealNameTBA @arstechnica There's already enough data released for many other vaccines, but that didn't stop claims of weakening the immune system, or claims about it shedding to others.
The result is catching measles, mumps, rubella, viral meningitis, scarlatina, whooping cough, yearly tonsillitis, and chickenpox.
@arem Problem is that mRNA vaccine, which had never been good for anything, was given C19 as an opportunity to get shoved out the door to, at best, mixed results and many questions. This soured a lot of people against vaccination in general, and it is the industry's (and government's) own fault, and now it's up to them to fix it. Didn't have this kind of problem with Salk or Sabin. (Nor is there evidence that our government gave another country money that aided in the development of polio.)
theMamiyaMan 🇺🇦 🇨🇦@arstechnica Ya know....maybe it's time to cull the herd.
Aaron Davis@arstechnica Oh boy. This picture sure does bring back a lot of memories.
@arstechnica I just hate the unnecessary, sensationalized photo of a young boy on the front.
cherrybombspice@arstechnica Vaccine hesitancy, misinfo, injuries & the anti vaccine movement will continue to be an issue if not properly addressed.
This is also a consequence of not handling misinfo & disinfo, or for spreading it throughout this ongoing pandemic. As is corruption, abandonment & malfeasance from officials, outlets & institutions.
There is too the matter of a society drenched in messages and media, w/out teaching or prioritizing media & comms literacy. Science literacy is also a major issue.
@arstechnica I also want to point out a less obvious thing that I once read which is in a society horrible healthcare access, &disparities (e.g. medical abuse, bias, trauma, etc) ppl are more prone to home care or remedies.
So you have ppl who can't get care, have likely had experiences w/HCWs so they're mistrustful, understand HC profits mercilessly on ppl, & want solutions that aren't costly, & or don't involve the medical system or companies. & wellness industry & anti vaxx prey on some.
@arstechnica Not to say this is the only things that draw ppl into movements or disinfo/misinfo. It doesn't help our officials keep saying SARS-CoV-2 is milder, or some ppl insisting getting sick purposefully is what is needed to keep our immune systems strong or develop kids immunity. Lots of problems. Lots of chickens coming to roost all around. Plus all the fascism, eugenics, ableism, racism, transphobia, homophobia, etc on the rise.
@cherrybombspice @arstechnica
Other than pandering to their base, I wonder what benefits proponents of vaccine disinformation gain. Is there some kind of financial gain from telling people not to get vaccinated? To me, it seems like the GOP is killing off their own base, but someone, somewhere, must be benefitting from this.
Other than pandering to their base, I wonder what benefits proponents of vaccine disinformation gain. Is there some kind of financial gain from telling people not to get vaccinated? To me, it seems like the GOP is killing off their own base, but someone, somewhere, must be benefitting from this.
7islucky@arstechnica I will never understand antivaccers
Sir David Nielsen@arstechnica @lisamelton we need to start charging those anti-vaxxers as being accessories to murder and with reckless endangerment.
I am also heavily in favor of a federal mandate to be vaccinated, which means making them free (which isn’t a problem, every study says that it is one of the best investments a society can make, which easily pays for itself many times over.)
Finally, we need federal mandates governing indoor airflow management, to reduce spread and increase productivity.