VACCINE: THERE IS NO INOCULATION AGAINST IGNORANCE.

Destaque para a sempre atenta e oportuna coluna What's New de Robert Park:

"Here we go again. Last week during a debate of Republican presidential candidates, Representative Michele Bachmann characterized human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine as "a potentially dangerous drug," and linked its effect to "mental retardation." There is no medical support for her wildly irresponsible remarks; the HPV vaccine prevents cervical cancer, and an editorial in Nature calls on Bachmann to retract her words, but I don't think she reads Nature. The 1998 claim of British researcher Andrew Wakefield that the common MMR vaccine causes autism set off a revival of the anti-vaccination movement, and a corresponding rise in measles cases. In 2009, however, Wakefield was found to have altered patient’s records to support his claim . Barred from the practice medicine in the UK, Wakefield now operates an autism clinic in Austin, Texas. He doesn't have a US medical license, but such formalities don't much matter in Texas. Rick Perry, the Governor of Texas, differs with Bachmann on HPV, having attempted to mandate the use of the HPV vaccine for 11 and 12-year-old schoolgirls as the Center for Disease Control recommends, which may have something to do with the fact that Merck, the only maker of HPV vaccine, is a major contributor to Perry's campaign."

Robert Park