The Vaccine Debate
Episode description
The recent outbreak of measles in the United States has cast a small segment of the population that chooses not vaccinate into the spotlight. In this podcast Darren, a vaccine advocate, has a civil yet pointed debate with Neil Z. Miller.
Neil is a medical research journalist and the Director of the Thinktwice Global Vaccine Institute and the author of sevral books that incourage parents to question conventional medical advice about vaccination.
Resources
The CDC Vaccine Site National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program What is “Pseudoscience”? 7 Biggest Lies Spread by the Anti-Vaccine Movement, Debunked by Science
Follow-Up Resources from the Interview
Throughout the interview both Neil and Darren promised to provide citations for claims made.
Was there a CDC Coverup? NO
Neil Reference: Methodological Issues and Evidence of Malfeasance in Research Purporting to Show Thimerosal in Vaccines Is Safe
Darren Reference: Snopes Rebuttal • Science Blogs Rebuttal
Do vaccinations make children less healthy? NO
Neil Reference: Relative trends in hospitalizations and mortality
Darren Reference: Vaccination Status and Health in Children and Adolescents (peer reviewed)
Does the measles cure/prevent cancer? NO Neil Reference: Measles (MMR) Vaccination and Increased Rates of Cancer
Darren Reference: Could measles cure cancer? Uh, not exactly…