# 4026
First, an editorial in the prestigious British medical journal The Lancet which speaks to the avalanche of inaccurate information about vaccines being promulgated on the web, in the media, and across our societies.
The full text is available to those who have registered (which is free).
Vaccine safety: informing the misinformed
The Lancet Infectious Diseases, Volume 9, Issue 12, Page 719, December 2009
doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(09)70307-X
At the time of going to press, the first major vaccination campaigns to prevent pandemic H1N1 are getting underway. The vaccine might not have been ready in quite the volume hoped; nonetheless, for the production of vaccine in any substantial quantity in such a short time while still providing seasonal vaccine, those involved—the scientist, the pharmaceutical companies, and the chickens that laid the millions of eggs used—should be applauded.
Towards the end, the author states:
Concerned parents will continue to attend the University of Google; researchers, medical professionals, journalists, and bloggers need to ensure that they get the right tutors.
Next an editorial in The National Post, by Joe Schwarcz, on the ridiculous idea that Hollywood celebrities are our best source of information about vaccine safety.
Joe Schwarcz: An injection of H1N1 reason
Posted: November 17, 2009, 9:00 AM by NP Editor
I think the time has come to panic. But not about catching the H1N1 “swine flu.” And not about the alleged risks of the vaccine that can protect against it. For the vast majority of people, the flu will mean no more than a week or so of misery, not different from previous versions. As far as the risk of the vaccine goes, it’s minimal. However, there is something to panic about: the stunning amount of misinformation being bandied about.
The amount of bad information out there, in the media and particularly on the internet, is nothing less than astounding.
Just as tabloid newspapers use titillation, public fears, or scandal to drive readers to their rag, many bloggers and website owners use similar tactics to attract visitors.
I’m fully aware that wild tales of `chipping’ people with vaccines, or of UN global depopulation plans, or that the H1N1 virus was `engineered’ are more `marketable’ than reporting solid, evidence based, and sometimes `dry’ science.
People love tall tales and intrigue. And playing to people’s fears has always been effective marketing.
But the damage these stories do is significant. Lives may well be lost because someone was swayed by the anti-vaccine propaganda, and decides not to take the vaccine or to get it for their child.
Vaccines have an excellent safety profile, but no vaccine is 100% safe. And I don’t know of any reputable scientist or doctor who would suggest that they are.
But the risks of going unvaccinated far outweigh the risks of vaccination. Thousands have already died from the H1N1 virus, and no doubt thousands more will succumb over this winter. Taking the vaccine would likely prevent a lot of those deaths.
The vaccine isn’t perfect, of course. But it is our best, and safest weapon against an influenza pandemic. And that is the message bloggers, reporters, and medical professionals need to be spreading.
Even if the public thinks the truth about it is kind of boring.
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