Well, ain't that a shot in the arm?

7 thoughts on “Well, ain't that a shot in the arm?”

1. They should include changes in autism. Do we have figures for those back then? I suppose not.

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2. +Scott Randel One thing that has been leapt upon to lend credence to the anti-vaxxer movement is the rise in reported cases of autism. But there seems to be every indication that most or all of that is coming from much earlier diagnosis of the condition, and expanded definitions of what qualifies as autism or autism-like conditions (e.g., http://www.cbsnews.com/news/as-number-of-cases-of-autism-soar-parents-say-early-diagnosis-is-key/).

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3. Yes, you'd have to correct for that. I suppose opponents would see that as tampering.

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4. If it weren't for the fact that they put everyone else at risk, I'd be fine with the anti-vaccination crowd deciding not to get vaccinated. Sure, I'd feel bad for their kids, but if mom and dad are dead set on taking their chances with them getting polio then so be it I suppose.

   As for autism, there has been no good evidence linking vaccines and autism. Correlation is not causation, etc. etc. etc. The increase in video game popularity plays out over the same time period as the rise in autism. You could just as well claim it's caused by video games.

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5. +Scott Randel "You're being all statistical on our statistics! What are you trying to hide?"

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6. +Les Jenkins Yeah, because we want to encourage the anti-gamers, too …

   I agree with you on it being tempting, except (a) as you note, it weakens herd immunity, putting everyone at risk, (b) the kids involved shouldn't most immediately suffer for the buffoonery of the parents (more than they already do, at least), and (c) I'd just as soon not see people get hurt, even if they are buffoons.

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7. I'd rather folks not get hurt as well, but some folks seem to only be able to learn at the school of hard knocks.

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