Crackpot bingo!
This fun little board game comes from the website Crackpot Bingo.
There are all kinds of crazy versions to choose from on the site, from creationists to physics cranks to my favourite, anti-vaxers. As the site says, “Phun phor the whole phamily!” Go check it out.
Whooping cough claims more lives as homeopaths come to the rescue
This image was compiled from figures from the National Centre for Immunisation Research and Surveillance (NCIRS) by Cosmos Magazine.
It gives a good visual overview of the places where vaccination uptake levels are low and hence the likelihood of diseases spreading once they get into the population is high. The term given to protection from disease outbreak when a large percentage of the population is vaccinated is “herd immunity”. In simple terms, it means those who are not vaccinated because they are either too young or may have allergies or be immunocompromised, are protected by other people.
The concept of “herd immunity” as a mechanism for protecting others is often rejected by anti-vaxers, perhaps because they won’t acknowledge they are putting other people’s kids at risk by choosing not to vaccinate.
For an easy to understand explanation of how herd immunity works check out the video on the website Chain Of Protection.
It’s a stark reminder in light of another death from pertussis this week, this time of a 5 week old baby boy in Adelaide – the first since 2001. South Australia has been experiencing a pertussis epidemic for over 12 months now. According to statistics from the SA Department of Health, during the period of 1 January 2010 to 15 June 2010, a total of 2,277 cases were reported, compared to 1,493 cases reported for the same period last year. Being so young, the boy was too young to be vaccinated and may have caught the bacteria from an adult carrying the disease.
Many adults and parents are not aware that their whooping cough vaccine does not last forever and as such, they may need to get a booster shot – especially if they are caring for young children. Some governments offer free booster shots, but the SA government is still considering had lagged behind in this respect.
A story from Adelaide Now reports that SA Health chief medical officer Professor Paddy Phillips said the department was waiting for the release of a report into whooping cough vaccinations.
“There’s a Federal Government working party looking into the issue of subsidy for a whooping cough vaccine for adults … when that party reports, we will take up their recommendations,” he said. The party has been working for a long time it would seem. The McCafferys met with both federal and state governments over a year ago, following the death of their daughter from pertussis, to ask them to instigate an education campaign. Let’s not beat around the bush, while departments pass the buck & blame, kids are dying.
For the Adelaide boy’s parents, vaccination was not an option, but some parents are choosing not to vaccinate. Part of the reason for this trend is the amount of misinformation on the internet – and many people rely on “Google University” to get information these days.
The two lowest areas for vaccine coverage in Australia are the Northern Rivers Region (covering the Byron Bay area and the AVN) and the Eastern Suburbs of Sydney, demographically two very different areas. One is characterised by alternative lifestyle families (one could say hippies) and the other well educated, affluent white collar workers. Whilst the reason the former choose to not vaccinate is probably clear, the other is not. Whatever the reason, vaccination has been a victim of it’s own success in many ways, as people become complacent about the threat of communicable disease. We don’t see kids in calipers or iron lungs these days, so out of mind out of sight.
Yet, there is plenty of accurate information on the internet for concerned parents if you look in the right places. I wrote this article for the launch of the new Australian Skeptics website over 12 months ago but it still serves as a good resource for links to government websites and other accurate information.
HUG ME! I'm vaccinated pendant from SurlyRamics
One example of bad advice, is that offered by homeopaths who are allegedly recommending “unproven” herbal remedies, including belladonna and phosphorus, for whooping cough.
According to an article on Adelaide Today, homeopaths say their treatments can prevent and cure whooping cough, while doctors say that is “complete rubbish”. The newspaper contacted the Australian Homeopaths Association for comment but did not receive a response. For the uninitiated, homeopathy is water which contains no active ingredients at all, so of course it can’t cure or treat any disease. Well, apart from dehydration of that is.
Not that pesky scientific evidence has got in the way of claims by homeopaths before. Our favourite Aussie fruit-loops over at Homeopathy Plus! issued an e-newsletter this week claiming that criticism of homeopathic vaccines (also known as homeoprophylaxis) was “..an orchestrated campaign in which those hostile to homeopathy are trying to stop patients accessing it through the NHS…” and “Homeopathy has been repeatedly used for protection or treatment during world epidemics and outbreaks. It is inexpensive, quickly distributed, easily administered and safe. Remedies exist for all diseases.”
Yes well, citation needed. Actually none of that is accurate.
Meanwhile, the ninth infant has died from pertussis in California in an epidemic about to break records. And the education campaign about the dangers of pertussis promised by the Australian government has not materialised. This is a preventable tragedy and one that needs action now.
Things your doctor doesn’t want you to know!1!!! But apparently North Korea does.
First up, sorry for a lack of blogging of late. I have been extremely busy flitting across the world to various conventions and conferences and work has been mental.
I’m soon to trek back to the US (for the third time this year) to attend a conference on BMAA and MND, a project I am enjoying working on immensely. I’ve written about this before over at Skeptic Zoners and talked about it on ABC Radio if you are interested to hear more details. No doubt I will have more to report from the picturesque Jackson Hole in Wyoming in early October when I meet with collaborators for the 7th Annual BMAA conference.
In the meantime, I have several manuscripts on the cusp of being returned for final review, after additional experiments were completed to satisfy reviewers’ comments. For a humorous take on how (not to) respond to these critiques, see PhD Comics Addressing Reviewers’ Comments, a copy of which is permanently taped in close proximity to my laptop.
I’m currently also in the midst of doing some research for another unrelated project (the details which I am unable to reveal just yet) and as such have been sorting through my stash of pamphlets, flyers and brochures collected from multiple trips to Mind Body Wallet festivals.
I just came across this one and simply had to share it. It’s a derivative of the old adage of “Things your doctor won’t tell you!!!” or “What the pharmaceutical industry is hiding!!!”. You know the type of screed that steals all the exclamation marks from the internetz.
It’s from a photocopied document entitled “Know Miracle II” which contains some garden variety woo about alkaline water curing everything. It then details how amazing this stuff is, and all the things it can cure. You know the phrase you couldn’t make this shit up? Well don’t worry readers, you don’t have to cause it’s already written here for you!
Okay, I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. Enjoy. My comments follow in blue.
• Human bodies that have been been on Miracle-II (M-2) have been checked through esoteric programs via MD and naturopath….with the report, “Best results of any tests, regardless of age!”
Esoteric? Best results? Wha?
• Radionics machines find M-2 off the chart
Jibberish
• Independent university testing by NE Louisiana University five years ago determined that M-2 neutralizer neutralizes cobra venom and anthrax.
Citation needed
• World governments have contacted the formulator, taking samples home, in an attempt to break the formula….North Korea, China, the President and Health Minister of Liberia, and most recently, a team from Israel.
Jebus, all these scary governments have scary water with an alkaline pH? ARGHH.
But this one truly takes the cake.
• US Biological and Germ Warfare has contacted the formulator demanding he reveal the formula. His answer. “God told me not to tell anyone” still stands.
WTF.
There’s more, but I’m on the floor and unable to breathe.
The Australian Medical Association issues a warning about the AVN
The AMA today issued a warning about anti-vaccination groups reminding parents that vaccines save lives and it is important for parents to immunise their children.
The AVN was targeted in the statement in which AMA Vice President, Dr Steve Hambleton said that recent media reports outlining the views of the AVN show that this organisation has drawn the fire of the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC).
“While we all value freedom of speech in our society, groups that promote what the NSW HCCC has described as misleading, inaccurate and deceptive information about immunisation, under the guise of ‘pro-information’ and ‘pro-choice’, are putting Australians at risk of diseases that can be prevented through vaccination” he said.
The AVN have previously been in legal strife with the AMA. Back in 2007 they published an advertisement on mandatory vaccination of healthcare workers in NSW which made some rather spurious claims about the AMA. The ad had been submitted to NSW Doctor magazine but was rejected upon the committee checking the AVN website and “finding out that we only had one medical practitioner listed amongst our Professional Members”.
So the AVN published it on their website, until the AMA’s lawyers got a gander at it. The AVN was forced to remove the ad and publish a retraction in its place which said (in part):
In particular it has been brought to the attention of the Australian Vaccination Network, the the Australian Vaccination Network accepts, that:
1- AMA (NSW) does not obtain any of its funding from pharmaceutical companies;
2- AMA (NSW) has not published any advertisement or advertorial for a pharmaceutical company in the NSW Doctor for a period of at least four years, and at no time has the advertising in NSW Doctor been almost exclusively that of pharmaceutical companies;
3- AMA (NSW) does not actively censor information made available to its members.
The Australian Vaccination Network unreservedly apologises for any offence or embarassment the publication may have caused AMA (NSW), its officers and employees.
Ads being rejected sight unseen by publishers is something the AVN are also familiar with. Remember when Sydney’s Child also rejected an ad from them back in April?
Today’s statement from the AMA is reproduced in full below. There is a link to the AMA story here.
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Misleading claims about vaccination putting Australian lives at risk
2 August 2010 – 2:15pm
Vice President, Dr Steve Hambleton, said today that the AMA is greatly concerned that groups that are promoting discredited theories about immunisation are exposing Australians to the devastating effects of preventable illnesses.
Dr Hambleton said that recent media reports outlining the views of the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) show that this organisation has drawn the fire of the NSW Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC).
“It is important for parents to have their children immunised. Immunisation saves lives,” Dr Hambleton said.
“While we all value freedom of speech in our society, groups that promote what the NSW HCCC has described as misleading, inaccurate and deceptive information about immunisation, under the guise of ‘pro-information’ and ‘pro-choice’, are putting Australians at risk of diseases that can be prevented through vaccination.
“We are now almost two generations away from deadly diseases such as tetanus, diphtheria and polio. Our grandparents will still remember how bad it was.
“Parents who choose not to immunise their children need to consider that they are putting not only their own children at risk, but they are also risking other children, with potentially fatal consequences.
“If immunisation rates fell because many parents relied on the efforts of other families to vaccinate their children, under the misapprehension that this would provide sufficient protection to the whole community, there would be new epidemics of old illnesses.
“The last outbreak of measles occurred in a school in an area with low immunisation rates. The outbreak was so severe that it interrupted the educational curriculum.
“The NSW HCCC’s findings and concerns regarding the AVN released last month are consistent with the views of the medical profession.
“It is critical that Governments promote the evidence and benefits of full immunisation and run an ongoing public education program that informs the public about the devastating effects of diseases that can be avoided through vaccination.
“The AMA welcomes the announcement last week that seasonal flu vaccination of young children can now be resumed, and commends the Commonwealth Chief Medical Officer for taking early action to investigate this matter and the latest advice, which means we can maintain confidence in our vaccination program,” Dr Hambleton said.
—
Follow the AMA on Twitter.
Image screen capped from Vaccination Awareness and Information Service
Fran Sheffield jumps the shark.
Grab your tin foil hats readers, Fran Sheffield has jumped the shark.
Fran Sheffield runs the woo-fest website that is Homeopathy Plus! The same website that was the subject of a recent Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) investigation which found her website contained misleading information. Including such gems as “homeopathic immunisation” is as effective as vaccination and that homeopathy can treat cancer, AIDS and other terminal diseases.
Regular readers might remember her being responsible for the e-newsletter alerting us to the “homeopathy cures breast cancer study” which myself and David Gorski subsequently took to pieces. Sadly, only a few weeks ago this study ended being tabled as evidence for an EDM submitted by UK MP David Tredinnick (the one who believes blood does not clot under a full moon therefore surgeons do not operate) in the House of Commons. Thanks to the quick action of Simon Singh and Evan Harris, the EDMs were modified pointing out the utter fail that this study is, including the fact that one of the authors publicly dissociated herself from the study in a comment left on my blog.
As a result of an investigation into the HP! site, the TGA recommended Fran Sheffield publish a retraction in a prominent position on her website. But as is her want, she has refused to do so and since the TGA have no powers to enforce the ruling, so her website remains unchanged.
Following the finding by the TGA, Steve Cannane’s Lateline did a story where he interviewed Fran Sheffield about her reasons for not putting up the retraction. It was clear to me from the story that she sincerely believed the nonsense spouted on her website, thus saw no reason why she should conform with a TGA ruling to the contrary.
But it seems that since the TGA ruling and Lateline story, Fran has made even more outrageous claims and jumped the shark.
She even wrote a response on her website to the Lateline story where she Gish galloped references in support of homeopathy as an effective treatment for cancer and AIDS.
In her most recent flyer (below) for a seminar running in early August she claims homeopathy works for fractures (ummmm, okay), fear of flying (??), workaholism (huh?) and nose bleeds (I have one from reading this BS).
To be fair, she does get some things right. She says homeopathy works for hangovers – well sure it does, a nice big glass of water can be great for dehydration resulting from excessive alcohol consumption. And homepathy is good for plants – I add homeopathy/water to my plants water about once a week, they love it!
But seriously, Fran Sheffield, if I fractured a bone in my body, I reckon the first place I would go is a hospital, for some good old fashioned plaster – not run my leg under the tap. This information is wrong and dangerous. About the only thing homeopathy is good for is dehydration. And the TGA sits back doing nothing. Disgraceful.
Speaking of homeopathy for burns, Arnica Montana made these claims for the victims of the the Bali bombings and the Victorian bushfires back in February 2009.
The AVN shoots themselves in the foot.
There has been extensive coverage of the HCCC public warning issued following the AVNs refusal to post a disclaimer on their website.
One wonders if Meryl Dorey would have saved herself a lot of bad publicity had she just quietly posted the disclaimer as requested. As it turns out, there have now been two waves of bad publicity for the AVN. The first, after the HCCC report was released some two weeks ago and now the second wave with the refusal to post the disclaimer.
It seems the tide has definitely turned in the media with respect to the AVN. Previously the majority of the reporting was staunchly about “balance” never referring to the AVN as anti-vax and generally giving Meryl a pretty easy ride when it came to her avoiding the question of “you say you’re not anti-vax but which vaccines do you recommend?”.
And if you don’t believe me, listen to Steve Liebermann – who reckons the AVN should be shut down – tear shreds off the AVN on radio 2UE.
In the extensive coverage of the last few weeks, there has only been one example of television that I have seen the term “balanced” used and that was on the frothy morning show Sunrise (not known for hard hitting journalism). This morning the show interviewed both Meryl Dorey and Prof. Booy, who had both previously appeared on Radio ABC 702 Sydney. Even when Meryl got a pretty easy ride from the interviewer, there was no misunderstanding about the agenda of the AVN, as Prof Booy made it abundantly clear by referring to the AVN at least twice as the Anti-Vaccination Network.
You can watch the full story here.
And whilst there was a follow up story in today’s SMH, (following yesterdays front page criticism), interviewing Dorey and detailing her reasons for starting on her anti-vax crusade, it was juxtaposed with a series of rather loopy quotes from Dorey. In a column entitled “Dorey on vaccines” four quotations were published. Although they’re certainly not the most loopy I have seen from Meryl, they nonetheless do not make her look particularly “balanced” and “pro-information” (as she is still feebly clinging to BTW).
“I don’t see that the measles vaccine has done anything for Australia”
“Make no mistakes folks, this measles “outbreak” has been orchestrated for one reason and one reason only – to force the issue of compulsory vaccination.”
More conspiracy nonsense from Meryl, directly contradicting one of my favourite quotes from her;
“…we are already seen as rabid, idiotic fringe dwellers by so many in the mainstream, it does our cause no good at all to bring in conspiracy theories, which though we may subscribe to them, are unprovable.”
Thanks to the hard work of Steve Cannane who kicked this campaign off with the awesome report on Lateline some 2 weeks ago, the tone has been set in the media. Steve did a follow up story last night, this time covering the government’s seemingly disinterest in instigating the vaccination education campaign they have been promising for what seems like an eternity.
In the meantime the McCafferys (who have been extremely brave and stoic throughout this entire nightmare) have contributed to a website in collaboration with Professor Booy called Chain of Protection
Meanwhile Meryl continues unabated. She continues to bleat they are not anti-vax, that the HCCC does not have jurisdiction over them, that she is seeking legal advice etc etc. It’s like a broken record.
Pro-tip Meryl, saying it over and over again will not make it right. And because you arrogantly refused to put up the disclaimer, many more people now know just that.
Below is some of the coverage I have collected from the past few days. If you come across anything else, please leave a comment and I’ll add it here.
HCCC Public Warning about the AVN
SMH Anti-vaccine Group a Threat
SMH Parents who lost baby stonewalled
SMH Still No Warning on Whooping Cough
The Medical News Anti-vaccination Group Declared Unsafe
Northern Star Warning Issued About AVN
ABC News Vaccine Group Needles Opponents
Anti-Vaccination Campaigners Slapped with Warning
Meryl Dorey and Professor Booy on Sunrise (video)
New Scientist Anti-Vaccination Website Poses a Risk
International Business Times HCCC Warns Public on Anti-Vaccine Group
Medical Observer Public Warning Against Anti-Vaccination Website
Meryl and Professor Buoy on Sunrise (video)
Saturday AM with Tony Eastley
2UE Steve Lieberman interviews Ken McLeod
AVN a risk to public health and safety – HCCC warning
The HCCC issued a press release earlier today, describing the AVN as a risk to public health and safety and warning the public that they provide information that is inaccurate and misleading.
The public statement was issued after a fortnight’s grace during which time the AVN were instructed to issue a disclaimer on their website stating that;
- • The AVN’s purpose is to provide information against vaccination, in order to balance what it believes is the substantial amount of pro-vaccination information available elsewhere.
- • The information provided by the AVN should not be read as medical advice.
The public warning follows a 12 month investigation into the AVN after 2 complaints were received.
The Commission’s investigation of the complaints focussed on the material presented by the AVN on its website www.avn.org.au. The Commission established that the AVN website:
- • provides information that is solely anti-vaccination
- • contains information that is incorrect and misleading
- • quotes selectively from research to suggest that vaccination may be dangerous.
The AVN was given 2 weeks to post the disclaimer in a prominent position on their website. When the deadline passed, the HCCC was forced to issue the public statement.
Meryl Dorey, media spokesperson and immediate past president of the AVN responded by repeating she does not believe the HCCC has jurisdiction over the AVN and she is seeking legal advice in this regard. (She has been “seeking legal advice” about this matter for what seems like the duration of the investigation).
In a blog post entitled “AVN vigorously opposses HCCC notice” Meryl (who refers to the AVN as a “consumer advocacy and vaccine safety watchdog group”), states:
“Three times since this investigation started last September, the AVN has provided the HCCC with information on their lack of jurisdiction. Each time, this information has been ignored.”
“The HCCC states that our information is misleading because we do not include data on the benefits of vaccination,…..nobody would expect……those who argue against fluoridation of the water supply to write reports about the benefits of mass medication without individual consent.”
So apparently fluoride in drinking water is “mass medication” now?
But it gets even more hilarious.
- “The AVN is currently in discussions with our legal advisors….. to defend against the unsubstantiated allegations that our information is anything but complete, unbiased and fully-referenced from the medical literature.” (emphasis mine).
Unbiased and fully-referenced? Meryl, surely you jest. Even you have admitted you don’t tell both sides of the story. And as for fully referenced? Well the HCCC had something to say about that too.
Fully referenced also might not mean what you think it means Meryl. For example, copying and pasting incorrectly attributed references from whale.to is not considered “fully referenced”.
Meanwhile Meryl is still screeching “free speech” and “democracy”. A comment left on her blog offered a much more sinister reason for the HCCC “witch hunt”.
Tracy says:
July 25, 2010 at 11:51
Doctors are hired assassins for the pharmaceutical companies and the government. Paid to kill and injure … method of death and grievous bodily harm … vaccinations. I tell you, there is something very sinister going on that they are going to such extraordinary lengths to silence the truth!
Hold on to your tin foil hats people!
Not only do the Australian public now know the true nature of the AVN‘s agenda, Meryl appears to have got herself in some hot water over scanning and posting a pro-vaccine magazine article on her blog. The article, published in Cosmos Magazine, got her ire when she was apparently misquoted after declining to be interviewed. The publishers are now seeking legal advice about the breach of copyright and will be taking action to have the article removed.
And in another schemozzle, Meryl appears to have passed on the email list from her subscriber base to a third party, which breaches email privacy laws in Australia. Although in a blog post published today she denies this is the case.
This came about with the distribution of a media release from the International Medical Council on Vaccination, announcing their support for the AVN and “condemning the attempts of an Australian Government body to censor and suppress their work.” It was signed by well known anti-vaxers Sherri Tenpenny, VacTruth, Moms Against Mercury, and even Judy Wilyman, amongst others.
AVN readers have already begun to write to the HCCC complaining about the findings. One suggested:
- “The HCCC’s purpose is to provide misleading information about the importance and efficacy of vaccination, in order to perpetuate the substantial amount of one-sided, pro-vaccination information available everywhere.”
Or perhaps the science tells us that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks? There’s no debate about that.
Meryl gives me a shout out on Howard Sattler 6PR!
I got a heads up to Meryl being on the Howard Sattler show on Radio 6PR Perth today.
Meryl is in town for her second anti-vaccination seminar at the WA State Library. I tweeted it so everyone else could experience the joy of Meryl’s inaccurate and misleading information about vaccines (share the love and all that).
My tweet was seen by someone on Howard Sattler’s show and Howard asked Meryl if she knew of a “Dr Rachael Dunlop” who has been tweeting that she was on. Meryl said she did know of me and I was “not a medical doctor”.
Well no, I’m not and I’ve never said I was Meryl. My qualifications are not hard to find.
Which leads me to enquire, what kind of doctor are you Meryl?
*crickets*
You can hear the full audio here.
It includes the same nonsense we have come to expect from “Australia’s leading expert on vaccination” including the corker that vaccines are not sugar water, then applauding a parent for choosing sugar water (ie homeopathy) to vaccinate their kids.
Meryl, you keep bleating about “freedom of speech” and “democracy” but when people’s health is at risk these things do not apply. What if I want to exercise my right to free speech by yelling “BOMB!” on a plane? Well I can’t (and I wouldn’t) because it potentially puts people’s lives at risk. Same goes for yelling “FIRE!” in a crowded cinema when there is not one. Laws exist in our society for the safety of the masses and this includes HCCC rulings about what constitutes medical advice.
The HCCC has ruled against you Meryl. This doesn’t mean you can’t spout your opinions – you just have to make everybody aware they are opinions and should not be construed as medical advice. And hey, if you want that to change enrol in uni, do a post-grad medicine course. With 20 years of research behind you already it should be a doddle.
Cosmetics companies – they make shit up
I showed this video during my science based medicine workshop at TAM8, Las Vegas. Many people asked me for a copy, so here ’tis!
Credit goes to Choice Australia who put this together for their Shonky Awards, an annual event that recognises Australia’s dodgiest products. You can see the full list here.
The AVN’s reputation is in tatters.
“I think it’s actually the wrong name; it shouldn’t be the Australian Vaccine network, it should be the anti-Australian vaccine network”, Radio Host 2UE radio, Sydney Australia.
Initially I was somewhat disappointed to learn the ruling from the HCCC was no more than a requirement to post a disclaimer on the AVN website, but as the news has spread, I am somewhat buoyed by what has been happening.
The HCCC ruling states that the AVN has 14 days to post a disclaimer clearly stating their website is anti-vaccine and that any information on the website should not be construed as medical advice.
—-
For more detailed information go here and here.
The McCafferys have posted a media release here where you can also find a statement from Ken McLeod who submitted the original complaint.
—-
Seems like a slap on the wrist right? At first yes, but since the story has spread across the webosphere, an unexpected result has emerged and one that makes me very pleased indeed. (I even happy-danced with @skepticzone in Las Vegas airport yesterday, apologies if you had to witness it).
Everywhere across the media, the AVN are now being referred to as anti-vaccine. Australia’s anti-vaccine organisation, the anti-vaccination network, and asked repeatedly why they are anti-vaccine. Regular readers of this blog will shrug and say, yeah we already knew they were anti-vaccine Maggie, so what? But what you may not know is that many people, especially vulnerable non-science educated parents and the media did not.
Like the majority of anti-vaccine groups, the AVN have gone to great lengths to conceal their true beliefs from the public and especially the media – and the reasons why are obvious. Their rhetoric generally consists of “we are pro-choice”, “we want to empower parents to make a decision by providing both sides of the story”, “we provide a balance”, “we are pro-information, blah blah informed choice” etc. You know the drill.
And although it has been blindingly obvious to anyone who knows how to use teh internets, for many busy producers, journalists and the like, the AVN has been their first port of call for “balance” (or rather false balance) simply because they didn’t know any better. Well, never fear dear readers, things they are a-changing.
Even before the HCCC fallout, Meryl appeared to be concerned about the public perception of the AVN. In July 2009 (Yahoo! Group message # 44295) she wrote;
“….While we are already seen as rabid, idiotic fringe-dwellers by so many in the mainstream, it does our argument no good at all to bring in conspiracy theories which, though we may subscribe to them, are unprovable…”
But as they say, the truth eventually comes out and it seems the game is up for Meryl “I’m pro-choice” Dorey. Even the normally sympathetic morning television host Kerry Anne Kennelly, whose show consists largely of light entertainment and info–mercials, apparently asked Meryl twice why she was anti-vaccine.
In an email sent to her Yahoo Group, Meryl described how she had initially refused to appear on the show, eventually relenting under the condition that she was given 6 minutes to discuss the HCCC findings and that she was to have the questions ahead of time.
(Coincidentally the website 6minutes were the first to break the news of the HCCC report and wrote a less than flattering piece about the AVN).
But according to her email the questions were changed;
“Turns out not one of the questions they read to me last night was actually asked and kerri anne asked me twice why we were anti-vaccine!”
Why the exclamation mark Meryl? I’ve mentioned this before, but remember when you appeared on radio to defend your Australian Skeptics Bent Spoon Award?
Interviewer: “Which vaccines do you think are good then in Aust..?
.Meryl: “I think that all vaccines are up to the parents and…”
.Interviewer: “That wasn’t what I asked though was it. Which vaccines are good? This was the point I think the Skeptics were making is that you’ve never actually said, which vaccine is worthwhile, which scientific designed vaccine is good, worthwhile.
.Meryl: “It is not, it is not my role, nor is it the role of the Australian Vaccination Network to tell anyone what to they should or should not do when it comes to vaccination…”
Blah blah blah, rhetoric, rhetoric, deflecting the question. (You can hear the full audio here).
But c’mon, I’m just being a big meany. And afterall this is only one example. And as a scientist I require repeatable results. Oh wait a sec..
In an email sent to the AVN Yahoo! Group on Tue Dec 16, 2008 9:08 pm Message #36449 Meryl wrote:
“There will come a time – I pray to God that it will happen in my lifetime – when those who have pushed vaccines upon innocent, helpless babies – doctors, pharmaceutical companies, government officials – will be proven to have lied and cheated these instruments of death into our children’s bloodstream. When that occurs, the outcry will be heard around the world and there will not be enough hiding places on the globe for these murderers to hide or enough money to pay for compensation. Of course, it will be too late for the babies, like this poor child, to be saved. But we will be able to take satisfaction from the fact that never again will anyone have to be pushed to poison their child because for once and for all, it will be known as poison and we will all wonder how it was we fell for the vaccine lie for as long as we did”.
Does that sound like a pro-choice message to you?
Or how about this one? The t-shirts they sell on their website say;
“Love them, protect them, never inject them”.
And another; Yahoo! Group message #41806 sent Thu Jan 14, 2010 9:24 pm
“This is a sort-of off-topic question. I would like to donate to the efforts to help in Haiti but I don’t want ANY of my money going towards vaccines so that red cross and Unicef are out. Does anyone know of an organisation doing work on the ground there helping without vaccines?”
(Thanks to Scott Lewis and Podblack for alerting me to this one)
From a quick perusal of the blogosphere parents and babies’ blogs are also starting to cotton on. Mia Freedman who blogs at Mamamia, writing “A website of deception” described her reaction as she watched the Lateline story;
“I watched the report with tears in my eyes and my jaw dropped somewhere near the floor. Tears for the McCaffery family whose baby Dana died of whooping cough at only 32 days, and dropped jaw for the extraordinary cruelty and misleading dogmatism of the Australian Vaccination Network.”
Since then the story has been lodged with news aggregator AAP, meaning it will soon be distributed even further. And so far, every story I have seen refers to the AVN as antivax. Here are just a few of the headlines I have collected:
Anti-vaccine group rapped for false information
.
Anti-vaccine group accused of harassing parents
.
Top doctor backs disclaimer for anti-vaccination site
.
Warning order for anti-vaccine website
So not only are parents finding out that the AVN has not been completely truthful about their agenda, they also harassed the parents of a 4 week old baby who died from complications associated with a vaccine preventable disease.
Pro-tip: this is unlikely to endear you to parents Meryl. Just saying’.
If you haven’t seen the Lateline piece, DOET NOAW. It is a thoroughly researched and sensitively compiled piece by award winning journalist Steve Cannane (insert fan-girl squeeing here).
In addition, Meryl was totally pwned on radio 2UE where she was asked repeatedly why she was anti-vaccine and tried to avoid the question by saying the AVN does not tell parents what to do, but simply offer the “other side of the story”.
Interviewer: “Are you medically qualified Meryl?” “What on earth gives you any sort of qualification to make any informed comment on this at all..”
.Meryl Dorey: “20 years of research”
.Interviewer: “Well, 20 years of research? Well big deal, give me a break, please.”
.“You’d know a guy called Andrew Wakefield? Do you guys still support him?…..he was struck off the UK medical register…”
.“What qualifications do you have to disagree with the HCCC here in Australia and the UK medical registry? All of a sudden what you are saying is far superior that what these two credible worldwide organisations are?”
Man, it is refreshing to see the credulity gone from the media with respect to the AVN. Only a few months ago, they were unquestionably called upon to offer the “other side of the story” (in other words, false balance) to the vaccine “debate” (there is no debate – the risks from contracting a disease far outweigh the risks of having an adverse reaction to a vaccine).
But, I gotta hand it to Meryl, she is nothing if not consistent. That is, consistently wrong and consistently dogmatic. She continues to wheel out the canards like the incidence of communicable diseases fell before vaccines were introduced, whooping cough notifications are at their highest levels despite equally high levels of vaccination, Big Pharma Shill, conspiracy, vendetta, septics, etc…
*Boom*
That was the sound of Meryl’s head asploding. And the AVN’s house of cards crashing down.
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Congrats to Ken McLeod for compiling the HCCC complaint and to everyone who submitted supporting material along the way and to the HCCC for carefully considering and responsibly ruling on the complaint. To Stop the AVN for all their hard work, all the other bloggers and tweeters who have constantly kept the pressure on, and to Steve Cannane for the brilliant story on Lateline.
Lets keep slamming that oyster shut. One day it might get permanently jammed.
