If you want to know why vaccines work, read this

Today we turn our blog over lock, stock and barrel to that admirable website Nature Briefing, whose links we have posted before and will do so again. This main piece from them explains we have done so:

Vaccines have given many families in wealthy nations the luxury of forgetting about the toll of some infectious diseases. But for some, that is changing: a second unvaccinated child in Texas died this week from measles. Anti-vaccine misinformation is rampant, not least from members of the administration of US president Donald Trump. Globally, many children still die because they can’t get the immunizations that they should, and cuts to international aid put progress at risk.

At the same time, vaccines are reaching new heights of success: the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine appears to prevent almost all cervical cancers. Vaccines against COVID-19 were developed with unprecedented speed and saved millions of lives. And from a scientific standpoint, the future looks bright, with mRNA technology, unlocked by pandemic-era research, offering hope for new jabs against viruses such as monkeypox, and therapeutic vaccines against cancer.Nature | 6 min read

Please add briefing@nature.com to your address book.!!!! Please !!!!

The piece follows with some excellent, easy to understand graphics, which you will have to click on their website to look at, and which obviously we can’t reproduce here. To extract some killer facts: by eliminating smallpox, vaccines have saved 5 million lives a year. By eliminating other scourges including measles, tetanus and TB they have probably saved about 154m lives overall since 1975. That anti-vaxxers must now march their legions against HPV vaccines raises deep questions about misogyny as well as the public understanding of science.

But it’s that quote at the beginning of the nature article which as got the hook in us. “Vaccines have given many families in wealthy nations the luxury of forgetting about the toll of some infectious diseases.” Yep, it’s that word luxury. It’s often associated with the word Vanity. And we need a bonfire of many of those very soon.

Once again, if you want to see the graphics, do this!

Please add briefing@nature.com to your address book.

Vaccine Doubts, Rational Fears

One of the curses of being an LSS reader is that we tend to see how everything is connected. The current dismays in politics, international affairs, popular perceptions of science and economics all merge into each other, meaning we cannot escape. Not even into the quiet groves and ivory towers of Académe. Not even for a moment.

Proof of this came from our reading of an excellent article in The Conversation from the learned Professor Sven Bōlte,[1] who has been investigating the depressing reasons that people, including the President-Elect of the United States of America still obdurately refuse to let go of: the idea that vaccines cause Autism. Because every one of the reasons he cites can also be cited to explain the decay of democracy. Let’s look at a few, and you’ll see what we mean

Unawareness of Evidence

“Reliably and accurately communicating research results to the public is difficult,” states Sven, “Popular media is typically superficial and often primarily interested in controversy that generates public attention.”

For research results read political issues Remember the £350 million on the side of the bus in the UK Referendum campaign? Quod erat demonstrandum

Challenges Understanding Science (shouldn’t that be “to understanding”?-ed)

“Science is complicated and in medicine there are rarely absolute truths. The public, however, might expect clear consensus or have difficulty grasping the precise nuance of the science and its findings”.

For science read economics or law. Yes they do struggle a bit with nuance, don’t they?

Doubts of science

“The human need for immediate and simple explanations for complex issues fuels misbelief”.

The word “research” does not mean sitting on the internet for 30 minutes and pasting up your favourite clicks.

Invisible success of vaccine programmes.

“Vaccination programmes are among the most cost-effective public health interventions available and have averted deaths and long-term disease on a global level in the last decades.

They take it all for granted when it works. Like everything else we’ve given them since The Enlightenment. You know. Soap, Schools. Scooters. Computers. Machines upon which to play their popular musical ditties. A certain entitlement has crept in; and a price must always be paid for that.

We could go on, and you may read the whole article for yourself, gentle reader, by clicking on the link. Does all the above suggest the bulk of humanity lacks the cognitive ability to live in a post industrial world? Or are they just festering with resentment because we stopped them from smoking and burning witches? We await your thoughts.

[1]https://theconversation.com/why-do-false-claims-that-vaccines-cause-autism-refuse-to-die-here-are-nine-reasons-246360?

#autism #vaccines #science #medicine #evidence #conspiracy #reason #emotion

An apology to Dr Joseph Ladapo,and all our readers: now, will our staff please come in from the car park?

Croydon Tram by Peter Trimming is licensed under CC-BY-SA 2.0

Today we published a blog which discussed the controversies around Dr Joseph Ladapo, [1]the Surgeon General of the State of Florida. We hope that the report was fair to both sides. Unfortunately, we committed one unforgiveable error. We got the name of poor Dr Ladapo slightly wrong, spelling it, for the most part, as Dr Lapado. We hope this oversight, this careless Spoonerism, will not cause unnecessary distress or anguish to Dr Ladapo, and undertake to be more careful in future. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop there.

Upon learning of this very understandable error, nearly all the staff have walked out. They now occupy a position roughly between the car park and George Street. Moreover some reckless spirits among them have raised vulgar and garish placards, bearing simplistic slogans like: NO MORE MISTAKES AT LSS WE WANT TO WORK FOR A REPUTABLE BOSS and even PAY RISE NOW . This has excited unfavourable and ribald comments from passers by and has brought the company’s reputation even lower in Croydon. And it wasn’t very high after the Christmas Party.

Okay we’re sorry. It was the Board that got it wrong, not any of you lot. We know we’re paid a lot more than most of you, but that is the market rate for Company Directors. Obviously it’s very different to that for an average worker in ,say, IT, HR, telephone sales, or even comparable professions like nurses, teachers and delivery drivers. And the reason people like us get a lot more is because of the heavy burden of responsibilities we carry as the Directorial Classes. And this would be the same if we worked in, let’s see, a water company, the :Post Office or in a large Private bank, for example. And it’s because of all that work that mistakes creep in, like the one we made today. But look, you’ve made your point. Maybe we can look at new drinks machines and new chairs and tables. Maybe more money could be found to fix that leak in the third floor kitchen. But please come in. Please come back to work. We promise not to do it again. And be kinder and more considerate in the next pay round. Please?

THE EDITORIAL BOARD

[1]https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/03/florida-measles-outbreak-preventable