This video is a few months old, but I just saw it at Skeptic Dad’s blog. It’s actress Amanda Peet, the anti-Jenny McCarthy, urging parents to vaccinate their kids.
She’s awesome. Nice to see some celebrities using their star-power for good.
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November 5th, 2008 at 2:41 pm
Let’s just a little more clear on Jenny McCarthy’s Stance. She is not anti-vaccine, she is advocating that,” we do believe there is strong evidence to suggest that some of the ingredients may be hazardous and that our children are being given too many, too soon!”
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/02/mccarthy.autsimtreatment/index.html
I am very pro-vaccine, but I thought this discussion could be a little more even handed.
November 5th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Great woman! But the big downer of that video is that they use Comic Sans at the end of the video.
That font is pure concentrated EVIL
November 5th, 2008 at 2:58 pm
I’ve got a woman-crush on her… she’s Teh Awesome: intelligent, beautiful, good actress, educated…
November 5th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
How much is Big Pharma paying her, they’ll ask.
It’s sad.
I agree with Michelle. Ban comic sans. I want it in the Constitution!
November 5th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
I hate to bring you down Phil, but it appears that Amanda Peet will have a starring role in the upcoming film 2012. I guess nobody is perfect, even in Hollywood.
November 5th, 2008 at 4:06 pm
@Ian
We can always hope that she plays the role of the rational thinker who points out the folly of the woo.
November 5th, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Ah yes, the token skeptic who inevitably turns out to be embarrassingly wrong, thereby vindicating the magical thinking of the protagonist. Sometimes dies horribly as a result of his/her skeptical karma.
Yeah, I don’t really think that helps her case.
November 5th, 2008 at 5:41 pm
Ian,
2012 IS when Sarah Palin will likely try to run for president…
November 5th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
Amanda Peet is pretty cool.
eh vaccinates kids and doesn’t afraid of anything.
November 5th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
I’d totally sell out on the 2012 thing to play her love interest. Totally.
November 5th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
@Ian
Many actors, I am told, enjoy playing characters that are completely opposite to what they are like in real life.
November 5th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Amen!! I saw this commercial today and was relieved there’s another celebrity voice out there advocating common sense, although not as loud as Ms. McCarthy’s.
November 5th, 2008 at 10:00 pm
Autism doesn’t have anything to do with vaccines.
It is how the parents raise their children. Jenny McCarthy is an idiot.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/04/02/mccarthy.autsimtreatment/index.html#cnnSTCVideo
November 5th, 2008 at 11:15 pm
Hi, JaredH,
So McCarthy is actually only telling us that she thinks the epidemiologists, pathologists, physiologists, pediatricians, and research findings about the optimum vaccine schedule should all take a back-seat to the misgivings of a bunch of under-educated (in this field) parents?
Yes, that IS a much more intelligent and nuanced position.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:32 am
Some people are not anti vaccination, just anti-MMR
There is a belief that the three in one jab causes some kind of overload, and some parents want the choice of having the vaccines done separately, which is not in the interest of the pharmacutical companies making the MMR three in one vaccine.
November 6th, 2008 at 3:01 am
She was the best thing about the last X-Files movie too.
November 6th, 2008 at 3:05 am
“which is not in the interest of the pharmacutical companies making the MMR three in one vaccine.”
you’re kidding, right? selling stuff independently, and rising the chance of having to do repeat vaccinations (since the combination is more effective than separate shots) would give them MORE profit
no, the reason they’re given as one is because the vaccine is more effective that way, and because it’s 2 fewer stabs to the kids. besides, MMR has fewer active ingredients than the single vaccines of 20 years ago, so this is an ignorant argument.
November 6th, 2008 at 3:24 am
Vaccines do not cause autism.
Anyone who says otherwise is wrong wrong wrong.
JaredH: Jenny McCarthy *is* anti-vaccine, and she’s deeply into the woo. Her stance is doing active damage to children now. Exposing children to life-threatening illnesses like measles is far more dangerous than vaccinating.
November 6th, 2008 at 5:42 am
I was sure BA was where I saw this video a while back.. clearly not!
But yes, YAY Amanda Peet! sock it to those ignorami
November 6th, 2008 at 6:42 am
CNN had a good article yesterday that addressed a lot of the concerns about vaccines and the facts behind them: http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/family/11/05/par.vaccine.kids/index.html
November 6th, 2008 at 7:31 am
There is no question that Jenny is anti-vaccination. When the pro-infectious disease merchants of disability and death realized that they were losing badly on the Thimerosal issue, they went to “safer vaccines” and have yet to put the goal posts down on what is “safer”. They will raise question after question, in perpetuity, to create fear among parents about vaccinations. To any intelligent, science based person, vaccination has been one of the most important advances in medicine in history.
November 6th, 2008 at 9:38 am
To be fair, if Peet really did believe 2012 nonsense, then why make the movie? The world’s going to end anyway.
November 6th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
So, Amanda is ‘cool’ simply because she gave voice to an opinion you favor? If Amanda wasn’t being paid THEN maybe she’d be cool but I seriously doubt she wasn’t paid. Do you really believe every spokesperson in obvious advertisements? I’ll bet you think Donald Trump really uses his Visa Check Card or at least cares enough about it to go dumpster-diving, hmmm?
Don’t get me wrong. I think vaccinations are good in general but also think we may be overdoing things more than just a bit. I’ve had measles three times (different strains apparently) but never had mumps or rubella even after definite multiple exposures. The results of all three mostly mean a few days off from school for most is the U.S., anyway. So what’s with all of the energy being expended on this issue? Sure it’s a leading cause of death in Africa but not here. According to WHO, “The overwhelming majority (more than 95%) of measles deaths occur in countries with per capita Gross National Income of less than US$ 1000 and weak health infrastructure.”
November 6th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
M Pltx, search this blog for Amanda Peet. I do in fact think she is cool, because she has been promoting vaccines in interviews for some time. Give me some credit.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:08 pm
@M Pltx
That’s due to the combination of the U.S.’s vaccination program and higher quality of care.
I agree that for most of the U.S. the results of measles, mumps and rubella is just a few days off from school. However, the results are quite different for those who are exposed to it and have compromised immune systems (people with AIDS, transplant recipients, infants, etc.). Also bear in mind that death is not the only outcome. There are a number of other, very serious, complications stemming from these diseases.
November 6th, 2008 at 2:18 pm
@The Chemist
“comic sans. I want it in the Constitution!”
You want to re-write the constitution in comic sans! You Sir, disgust me.
I think I like quote mining.
November 6th, 2008 at 10:09 pm
@M Pltx said:
“The results of all three mostly mean a few days off from school for most is the U.S., anyway”
I don’t remember a lot from my early childhood, but I do recall the very painful effects of mumps, and though I would think that measles were also painful, I only remember the intense itching. I wish that those vaccines were around when I was a kid.
November 7th, 2008 at 12:08 am
[sexist jerk]Easy on the eyes, too![/sexist jerk]
November 7th, 2008 at 12:37 am
So that’s why Los Alamos didn’t contact me. I used Comic Sans in cover letter and résumé.
If only I had used Courier New!
November 7th, 2008 at 10:40 am
Likelihood of death by measles in America, last time I checked: 1 in 2000 or so. Even with that small number, an epidemic caused by a breakdown in herd immunity would be quite deadly. And that’s before you consider stuff like blindness and deafness.
November 7th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Todd W. Says:
No it isn’t due to the vaccine. Prior to 1963, almost everyone got measles; it was an expected life event. Each year in the United States, there were approximately three to four million cases and less than 450 deaths. More than half the population had measles by the time they were six years old, and 90 percent had the disease by the time they were 15 years old. To put things in perspective, the “common” cold and influenza account for some 20,000 annual deaths. The pre-1963 cases are ALL pre-measles vaccine.
Getting the vaccine isn’t necessarily contributing to safety like donning a bicycle helmet would be. There can be serious complications stemming from the vaccination itself. Knowing ahead of time if the receiver is susceptible to vaccination complications is extremely difficult. When do the risks of vaccination outweigh the risks arising from contraction?
Sure, some people are more susceptible and that changes the balance for them but does that justify advocating knee jerk general vaccination? I think not.
All the same, I don’t think the people claiming MMR is tantamount to inducing autism have a leg to stand on. But many who DO believe it are simply running with what they’ve heard. Many here running in the opposite direction have almost identical reasons. Just because they are correct doesn’t make them right. Those who would giggle and snark at another’s misconceptions should should seriously assay their own positions. To those who would further claim “That’s not ME!” I ask: what makes you so sure?
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Bronze Dog Says:
When I was a kid many decades ago (and got measles thrice) it was still next to unheard of for anyone to incur blindness or deafness from the disease let alone die from it. How long has the MMR vaccine been around? The 1:2000 number IS the herd immunity for all practical purposes WITHOUT the vaccination.
BTW: that number seems extraordinarily high. According to the WHO, “In 2006, it was estimated that there were 242,000 measles deaths globally” — which is generously closer to 1:12000 assuming only HALF the world is at risk — and “The overwhelming majority (more than 95%) of measles deaths occur in countries with per capita Gross National Income of less than US$ 1000 and weak health infrastructure.” So, the incidence of death in the U.S. must be much much lower than the 1:2000 — WITHOUT the vaccine it seems.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:02 pm
@M Pltx
You seem to have not paid attention to the “and higher quality of care” part of my comment. The two combined have had an impact on disease in this country.
I also never said that vaccines were 100% risk free. They do carry risks, and there are some conditions that are detectable that preclude vaccination. For the average person, however, the risk of injury or death from a vaccine is significantly lower than that from the disease itself. Click on my name for info from the CDC. Scroll down for a comparison of disease risks vs. vaccine risks.
You mention that it can be difficult to tell who is at risk for vaccine complications, yet the examples I gave (people with AIDS, transplant recipients, infants, etc.) had nothing to do with them receiving a vaccination, but rather being exposed to the disease. Without vaccinations, herd immunity goes down precipitously (see the U.K.’s outbreak after MMR vaccinations dropped as just one example) and the types of people I mention are at serious risk of serious, permanent injury or death. While a healthy individual may get off with only missing a few days of school, they are a carrier and, when in the public while they are contagious, could spread the disease to someone who is, for instance, taking immunosuppressants due to a transplant. That victim is going to have a very, very bad time of it and is not likely to fare nearly so well as that healthy person. Similarly, infants who have not yet received the vaccination are at high risk of bad things happening to them when someone who has the disease visits, say, the pediatrician’s office.
All right, who cares if a few sick people have a worse time of things, right? If they die, not a very big impact on society. However, if they survive but suffer permanent injury, now they put a strain on health care. They suck up more resources (Dr.’s time, clinic space, bed space if inpatient). Their increased costs of health care also bump up insurance costs, as the insurance companies need to spread their liability around to all of their subscribers. These people are also likely to have more sick days out from work, putting strain on their employers, or may not be able to work at all, putting strain on the welfare system.
So, vaccination programs have risks. No one denies that. But, the risks to the individual far outweigh the benefits to that same individual and are significantly less than the risks from the disease itself. Additionally, strong vaccination programs have big benefits for many areas of society. I’d hardly say that we are “overdoing” it, at least from a public health perspective.
November 7th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
Phil Plait Says:
FWIW: According to Salon: “Peet is now a spokeswoman for Every Child by Two, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting vaccines founded by former First Lady Rosalynn Carter” What isn’t mentioned is whether this is Peet’s own belief or that of her employer.
Let’s give her the benefit of the doubt. It’s one thing to counter misinformation and quite another to advocate what may be excessive action. The latter is “uncool” in my book. Doing so while downplaying all negative complications is doubly “uncool”. YMMV of course.
November 7th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Todd:
Your right I didn’t specifically mention it except in passing. You in turn apparently missed the pre-vaccine part of what I said.
The reason for “measles is expected inconvenience” vs. “measles is flirting with death” was due to the higher quality of care in 1963. It may surprise you but there has been little improvement since then.
Yes. I know that. Look carefully at what I said regarding that.
Ahh! The mantra is the message? If it does indeed drop precipitously why wouldn’t it just go back to the pre-vaccine levels?
Hmmm… Now you resort to emotional appeal. Stop that! You seem to forget I’m from the pre-vaccine era myself. You are trying to scare me with what I KNOW is a false image. In my three cases of measles and those of my sisters (who managed to catch mumps and rubella as well) I went to the doctor mostly once for a requisite pain-in-the-butt penicillin shot and spent the rest of the time at home. From what I gathered from my schoolmates this was par for the course. What is your definition of “health system strain?”
The low impact of these diseases on most of the population in the pre-1963 days was due to the level of health care available and to some level of natural immunity that reduced the impact to largely an annoying inconvenience. I’ll grant you one thing: if that has changed then it was BECAUSE of the vaccine and as such would indicate the folly of general vaccination just to eliminate a nasty three-four days of misery and the attention required by harried parents to attend to the inflicted — the latter likely the true impetus for administering the vaccine in the 70’s and 80’s.
November 8th, 2008 at 7:27 pm
@M Pltx
I wasn’t aware that I was resorting to emotional appeals. My examples of the burdens to society were, I thought, well-reasoned possibilities that should be considered. I also thought that I had given examples of how the healthcare system and society can be strained unnecessarily: increased demand for resources, increased costs to insurance companies which translates to higher costs for subscribers, increased usage of inpatient resources for more severe cases.
I do not deny that the majority of measles cases will be mild, but I am also aware of the complications that can crop up. Now, in your personal experience, you may not have seen any of these more severe cases. From the tone of your response, I’m assuming that you did not take a look at the web site I linked to (click on my name in my previous post on Nov. 7, 2:02pm, above) which shows the relative risks of vaccines vs. the diseases they prevent.
I will also offer up this bit of info regarding the history of measles:
You can find the full text by clicking on my name for this post. I hope that this illustrates the impact that not vaccinating can have, and this is on a disease that, while not benign, is among the “lesser” diseases that can be prevented by vaccines. There are other diseases that have much more serious consequences (e.g., polio [basically eradicated in the U.S. thanks to vaccines] or tetanus).
I have offered a number of reasons why vaccinations are beneficial, not only to individuals, but also to society at large, and how having a vaccination program is better than having no program. You said that you think we are overdoing vaccinations a bit, yet you haven’t offered any real arguments explaining your position other than implying that measles is a mild disease. How, exactly, are we overdoing it? What are your recommendations for how it should be changed? How did you reach your conclusions?