The Panic Virus : A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear

WHO DECIDES WHICH FACTS ARE TRUE? In 1998 Andrew Wakefield, a British gastroenterologist with a history of self-promotion, published a paper with a shocking allegation: the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine might cause autism. The media seized hold of the story and, in the process, helped to launch one of the most devastating health scares ever. In the years to come Wakefield would be revealed as a profiteer in league with class-action lawyers, and he would eventually lose his medical license. Meanwhile one study after another failed to find any link between childhood vaccines and autism. Yet the myth that vaccines somehow cause developmental disorders lives on. Despite the lack of corroborating evidence, it has been popularized by media personalities such as Oprah Winfrey and Jenny McCarthy and legitimized by journalists who claim that they are just being fair to “both sides” of an issue about which there is little debate. Meanwhile millions of dollars have been diverted from potential breakthroughs in autism research, families have spent their savings on ineffective “miracle cures,” and declining vaccination rates have led to outbreaks of deadly illnesses like Hib, measles, and whooping cough. Most tragic of all is the increasing number of children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases. In The Panic Virus Seth Mnookin draws on interviews with parents, public-health advocates, scientists, and anti-vaccine activists to tackle a fundamental question: How do we decide what the truth is? The fascinating answer helps explain everything from the persistence of conspiracy theories about 9/11 to the appeal of talk-show hosts who demand that President Obama “prove” he was born in America. The Panic Virus is a riveting and sometimes heart-breaking medical detective story that explores the limits of rational thought. It is the ultimate cautionary tale for our time A riveting medical detective story that explores the limits of rational thought In 1998, Andrew Wakefield, a British gastroenterologist with a history of self-promotion, published a paper with a shocking allegation: the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine might cause autism. The media seized hold of the story and, in the process, helped to launch one of the most devastating health scares ever. In the years to come Wakefield would be revealed as a profiteer in league with class-action lawyers, and he would eventually lose his medical license. Meanwhile, one study after another failed to find any link between childhood vaccines and autism. Yet the myth that vaccines somehow cause developmental disorders lives on. Despite the lack of corroborating evidence, it has been popularized by media personalities such as Oprah Winfrey and Jenny McCarthy and legitimized by journalists who claim that they are just being fair to both sides of an issue about which there is little debate. Meanwhile, millions of dollars have been diverted from potential breakthroughs in autism research; families have spent their savings on ineffective miracle cures"; and declining vaccination rates have led to outbreaks of deadly illnesses like Hib, measles, and whooping cough. Most tragic of all is the increasing number of children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases. In The Panic Virus Seth Mnookin draws on interviews with parents, public-health advocates, scientists, and anti-vaccine activists to tackle a fundamental question: How do we decide what the truth is? The fascinating answer helps explain everything from the persistence of conspiracy theories about 9/11 to the appeal of talk-show hosts who demand that President Obama prove he was born in America. The Panic Virus is the ultimate cautionary tale for our time. A Searing Account Of How Vaccine Opponents Have Used The Media To Spread Their Message Of Panic, Despite No Scientific Evidence To Support Them. In This Searching Exposé, The Recent Hysteria Over Childhood Vaccinations And Their Alleged Link To Autism Becomes A Cautionary Tale Of Bad Science Amplified By Media Sensationalism. The Spotted Pimple Of Death -- Milkmaid Envy And A Fear Of Modernity --the Polio Vaccine : From Medical Miracle To Public Health Catastrophe -- Fluoride Scares And Swine Flu Scandals -- Vaccine Roulette -- Autism's Evoloving Identities -- Help! There Are Fibers Growing Out Of My Eyeballs! -- Enter Andrew Wakefield -- The Lancet Paper -- Thimerosal And The Mystery Of Minamata's Dancing Cats -- The Mercury Moms -- The Simpsonwood Conference And The Speed Of Light : A Brief History Of Science -- The Media And Its Messages -- Mark Geier, Witness For Hire -- The Case Of Michelle Cedillo -- Cognitive Biases And Availability Cascades -- How To Turn A Lack Of Evidence Into Evidence Of Harm -- A Conspiracy Of Dunces -- Autism Speaks -- Katie Wright's Accidental Manifesto -- Jenny Mccarthy's Mommy Instinct -- Medical Nimbyism And Faith-based Metaphysics -- Baby Brie -- Casualties Of A War Built On Lies. Seth Mnookin. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 373-410) And Index. The spotted pimple of death -- Milkmaid envy and a fear of modernity --The polio vaccine : from medical miracle to public health catastrophe -- Fluoride scares and swine flu scandals -- "Vaccine roulette"--Autism's evoloving identities -- Help! there are fibers growing out of my eyeballs! -- Enter Andrew Wakefield -- The Lancet paper -- Thimerosal and the mystery of Minamata's dancing cats -- The mercury moms -- The Simpsonwood Conference and the speed of light : a brief history of science -- The media and its messages -- Mark Geier, witness for hire -- The case of Michelle Cedillo -- Cognitive biases and availability cascades -- How to turn a lack of evidence into evidence of harm -- A conspiracy of dunces -- Autism speaks -- Katie Wright's accidental manifesto -- Jenny McCarthy's mommy instinct -- Medical NIMBYism and faith-based metaphysics -- Baby Brie -- Casualties of a war built on lies. - A searing account of how vaccine opponents have used the media to spread their message of panic, despite no scientific evidence to support them. In this searching exposé, the recent hysteria over childhood vaccinations and their alleged link to autism becomes a cautionary tale of bad science amplified by media sensationalism The spotted pimple of death Milkmaids and fear of modernity The polio vaccine : from medical miracle to public health catastrophe Fluoride scares and swine flu scandals Vaccine roulette Autism, SIDS, and society Help! there are fibers growing out of my eyeballs! Enter Andrew Wakefield The Lancet paper Thimerosal and the mystery of Minamata's dancing cats The mercury moms Black swans and the speed of light : a brief history of science The media and its messages Mark Geier, witness for hire The case of Michelle Cedillo Cognitive biases and availability cascades How to turn a lack of evidence into evidence of harm A conspiracy of dunces Autism speaks Katie Wright's accidental manifesto Jenny McCarthy's mommy instinct Medical NIMBYism and faith-based metaphysics Baby Brie Casualties of a war built on lies. It might be possible to view Mnookin's book as the final nail in the coffin for the contemporary antivaccine movement, given its recent scientific and legal setbacks. But Mnookin's own conclusions would likely deny this; as several reviewers approvingly observed, The Panic Virus is just as much about how today's society deals with information overload as it is about how it confronts disease. Many reviews echoed Mnookin's condemnation of the American media for allowing false antivaccine findings to flower. Yet they also praised him for avoiding heavy-handedness and unnecessary jargon, even if the book breaks little new ground in the vaccine debate. Critics strongly recommended the book to anyone interested in medicine and public health, as well as to parents who may fear that booster shot