Australian parents urged to get the real facts on vaccination

Businessman, aviator, and explorer, Dick Smith, has funded an Australian Skeptics’ advertisement to urge parents to access factual information on vaccination, in the wake of the country’s largest Whooping Cough epidemic.

The advertisement warns people to avoid advice from groups such as the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN), which state that they are ‘pro-choice’ but are opposed to vaccination and spread misinformation about the safety and effectiveness of vaccines.

“Dick Smith Foods has funded this advertisement in the public interest, to ensure parents access unbiased, accurate advice from reputable medical sources. The Australian Vaccination Network is no such source,” said Mr Smith.

The advertisement – placed in the Thursday, August 6 edition of The Australian newspaper – warns parents that the AVN is spreading false claims including that vaccines contain toxic quantities of mercury, aluminium, and formaldehyde; that vaccines cause conditions such as autism, and that the AVN is providing incorrect information about the risks of childhood illnesses.

Following the tragic death of three babies to Whooping Cough, Australian Skeptics has established an information page with information on the myths and realities of vaccines and links to reputable sources.

The parents of four-week-old Dana McCaffery, who died from Whooping Cough in March, have welcomed the Skeptics’ actions.

“We implore parents to access reputable sources for information about vaccination. We thank the Australian Skeptics for presenting this information, which informs parents about the risks of preventable illnesses, addresses fears of vaccines with proven evidence, and debunks common myths. It is vital all Australian governments act now and implement comprehensive education campaigns to fully inform parents about the importance of vaccination,” said Toni and David McCaffery.

Eran Segev, president of Australian Skeptics Inc, said: “Australian Skeptics believes strongly that the public should have access to full and factual information so that they can form their opinions and choices in life, not half-truths, mistruths and fantasies.”

The Australian Skeptics has several thousand members across Australia, and investigates paranormal and pseudo-scientific claims from a responsible scientific viewpoint.

Further information: Australian Skeptics

Media contact: Tim Mendham, 0432 713 195

The NSW Committee with Dick Smith, L-R Eran Segev, Philip Peters, Peter Rodgers, John Sweatman, Dick Smith, Richard Saunders, Rachael Dunlop and Peter Bowditch

This month was our biggest month ever with around 100 people attending to see a talk by Dick Smith. Dick is one of the founding members of Australian Skeptics and is known in Australia for his electronics chain Dick Smith Electronics, his “Dick Smith” range of foods (including “Dick Heads matches”) plus his legendary aviation achievements including flying to both poles solo, in a helicopter. Whilst Dick retired from active sceptical service some time ago, he is always around to give us a helping hand.

Pub and Think Tank regulars, Jason Brown (@drunkenmadman), Happy Singer (@HappySinger) and Alan Conradi.

Dick Smith holds the floor

If you are in Sydney, come along on the first Thursday of each month, to the Crown Hotel in central Sydney for a great night of sceptical fun! You can see more photos here.

A very busy pub night, with our youngest sceptic to date!