Sid the Science Kid: A Vaccine Hero

I almost fell out of my chair laughing when I saw Kim Stagliano's latest opinion-unsupported-by-evidence essay about "vaccine safety" on HuffPo, because the object of her disapproval is Sid the Science Kid and his 2009 episode Getting a Shot: You Can Do It! Here is what Ms. Stagliano had to say:

"The vaccine safety community doesn't have big gun PR firms to coax the media into doing our bidding. There's no government support via PBS programs like New Sid the Science Kid Flu Vaccination Special Episode Now Available for Free Download on Flu.gov, enticing kids to get vaccines as if you're selling breakfast cereal."

Here's what the episode is actually about:

"In this special episode, Sid explains how vaccines work and shows millions of children what they can do to prevent the spread of the flu," said [Health and Human Services] Secretary Sebelius. "Sid will be a great messenger as we continue to find new and creative ways to reach out to children, adults, and families about how to stay healthy during flu season."

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Association for Prevention Teaching and Research worked with the Henson Company and its partners to create a special episode of which premiered on PBS on Monday, Oct. 26, 2009, with subsequent airings on Nov. 19, Nov. 27, and Dec. 21.

It's been a vaccine-y week here -- the comments at my Shot of Prevention: Why My Child With Autism Is Fully Vaccinated post have been closed at 583, as we kept getting the same two people sputtering at us, with the same tired, outdated misinformation. I'd like to again thank Amy & Christine from ECBT.org for republishing the post, and Liz, Emily, Chris, Tom, SJ, Ellen, Dee, Jen, Kev, Squillo, and everyone else who calmly jumped in with the evidence. If you have the time, the comments are a good read -- and would make an excellent study piece for anyone interested in how conspiracy theory proponents think.

Also, BlogHer syndicated my recent pertussis post, which the editors retitled The Pertussis Epidemic and The Anti-Vaccine Movement. The comment stream there is good reading too, because it contains fresh voices from parents both within and outside the autism community who are vehemently pro-vaccine -- because they are pro-healthy, protected, non-critically-ill children.

I'm going to be chuckling about the Sid-pummeling all week long -- it's almost as awesome as Jerry Falwell railing against Tinky Winky the Teletubby for promoting the homosexual agenda. Almost.

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Full disclosure: Leo's godmother developed and executive produces Sid (and the also-controversial Dinosaur Train). But we didn't know about the Flu episode until it had already been produced.

Antivaccinationist Misinformation and Conflicts of Interest Make Me Swear Out Loud, Too

Ask Kim recently highlighted, not every one with concerns about vaccines should be labeled an "antivaccinationist." And some people have solid reasons not to vaccinate (compromised immunity, etc).

But people who believe the willfully perpetrated misinformation spread by antivaccinationists and let that inform their decisions about vaccinations? That, as Penn and Teller declared in their recent documentary on autism, vaccines, and alternative autism treatments, is Bullshit!

If you know someone who's still on the fence, have them watch this video. P&T capsulize and fatally skewer major autism myths in less than 30 minutes, demonstrating that:

• Vaccines protect our kids, critically -- a modern luxury that should not be taken for granted. If you're crunched for time, watch the first two minutes for a stellar depiction as to why vaccinations are so important, regardless of autism concerns.
• There is no link between autism and vaccines, and yes, scientists have investigated the matter thoroughly.
• Vaccines are not Big Pharma cash cows. But -- ooh irony -- the alternative autism treatment industry is quite the golden goose.
• There is more mercury in a tuna sandwich than there was in an entire lifetime's worth of vaccines -- but the mercury in the vaccine preservative Thimerosal was removed from scheduled vaccines years ago [and anyhow it was ethylmercury, not methylmercury -SR].
• Andrew Wakefield played a very large role in the decline of vaccination rates, and he deserved to have his medical license pulled for shoddy work that harmed children (which he laughed about - on camera).

(Note: peppery profanity plus brief nudity near the end, so, NSFW. Also, click directly on the video's arrow or you'll be redirected.)

I am three weeks behind on everything, so for deeper and more timely takes on P&T's exposé, see Respectful Insolence and Bad Astronomy.

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Appended 9.6, originally as a comment:

I have to admit, I felt sorry for the two featured antivaccinationist parents -- but they smeared themselves with their own ignorance. Freaked out about ingredients in vaccines? How about researching the reasons why those ingredients are incorporated, and comparing them to those in other over the counter meds? Etc.

Unfortunately, antivaccinationsts are usually not rational thinkers or synthesizers -- qualities necessary to engage in this debate and be taken seriously (P&T qualify; that they set their evidence in a NSFW context is irrelevant). Antivaxxer activists are jackdaw superficialists. Loud ones.

Note: we need to point out group antivax  shortcomings and falsehoods, but it is rarely productive to engage antivaxxers individually. They are interested in spin and agenda, not dialogue -- and certainly not facts.

The Vaccine Song's Take on Jenny McCarthy

Not quite sure how I missed this one, either.

Although it does oversimplify matters Jenny McCarthy, saying we shouldn't listen to her because she's a former Playboy Bunny. I honestly don't care what her background is -- I would listen to her whether she was actively filming porn, or a Christian homeschooler -- if she was able to discuss vaccines intelligently.

Instead she keeps changing her story about what effects she thinks vaccines had on her son, uses her professional performing skills to milk testimonials while attacking scientists and doctors on camera (and if you haven't seen her in action, I strongly recommend clicking that second link), argues against toxins in vaccines while rhapsodizing about Botox, and has poured her considerable passion and power into compromising public health.

I don't think she's an evil person, but I do think she's a credulous person, a passionately misguided person, and given her influence on other credulous and passionately misguided people, a dangerous person. I think she is a skilled performer rather than a skilled thinker.

She can still redeem herself, if starts learning from her mistakes instead of rewriting them -- her audience will stick with her, may even like her better, as they did with Angelina Jolie when she reinvented herself, and flipped from blood-vial wearing "whore" to UNICEF-ambassador "madonna."

Our society needs to value children's health over celebrity hubris.

Please do forward this video along.

What Are You Thinking?

This one's for the autism parents:

To be clear: I opine in this space, at length, usually about autism topics. I have strong opinions, but as those opinions are rooted in experience combined with constant reading and research and conversations, I'd like you to listen to them. But I never expect you to do what I do and repeat what I say. What I hope is that you use the information I give you as a starting point for your own reading, and research, and conversations.

I expect you to think, and think hard. I expect you to acknowledge that neither you nor I have all the answers when it come to autism, and that it's okay to say so - as long as we all keep trying to inform ourselves, as long as we keep listening.

I expect you to question all provocative autism pronouncements -- mine included. Especially when it comes to vaccine-autism causation claims, whether about pig viruses, about destroying the vaccine program, or about the zero, not "thousands" of autism claims awarded by the National Vaccine Injury Compensation program. I expect you to question, examine, and dig as deeply as you can.

I expect you to be a skeptic. Otherwise, you're nothing but a believer. And while belief may bring you solace, it does jack shit for your kid. Step up.

My Child Has Autism and I Vaccinate

That's the title of today's BlogHer post, in which I also come out about watching Law & Order: SVU.

If you've read this blog for the last six years, then you'll be familiar with how my attitude towards vaccinations has changed from anti- to pro-, and the very good reasons why.

And if you do feel moved to comment (and I hope you do), please remember that respectful disagreement is the preferred M.O.

http://www.blogher.com/my-child-has-autism-and-i-vaccinate

Autism, Dentists, and Shots: How to Avoid a Fail

Leo is on spring break. This means the two of us are hiking a lot, and scheduling Leo's medical appointments during what would otherwise be school hours.

Yesterday was Dentist Day, which occurs every six months. We have spent years, literally years, getting Leo used to his wonderful dentist, the exam chair, opening his mouth for prodding and viewing, etc. This is neither the easiest nor quickest solution, and it took a lot of work, but now our former screamer-and-bolter is used to the dentist and her staff and routine. He will, and did, (mostly) comply with the visual exams and cursory teeth cleanings.

Fortunately, according to the dentist, he has the teeth we want all of our children to have -- the strong, plaque-repelling ones. But he's still not had x-rays or a proper, deep teeth cleaning, so we agreed that he would undergo sedation for his next visit. I'm not thrilled, but it's necessary, as we need to know if he has any cavities between his teeth or issues with incoming adult teeth. (Bonus: if we need to draw blood for any other, non-dental medical needs, we can do it then, too.)

We also confirmed that his "It hurts, my mouf, I want Tylenol pleeease" talk that had been making me nervous this past week is due to a loose front tooth. Seymour and I can't wait to see what he looks like with gappy teeth, so expect lots of pictures when it falls out.

Today was more complicated: Injection Day. Leo is behind in his vaccinations due to years of hesitance and vaccine/autism mulling. Since I no longer believe vaccines had anything to do with who Leo is, I decided it would be easier to for him to have four shots at once instead of spacing them out.

Leo hates shots. Hates them. And he is big and strong and non-compliant. But as our local medical office has historically shown skill and compassion with my kids, I felt confident that Leo would actually receive his shots.

Even more important to me, though, was his not being terrified during the procedure and heartbroken afterwards. I wanted him to know what was coming, and to understand that it would pass quickly and that there would be a treat for him afterwards (compliant boy or not). So I set up his portable visual schedule with a hastily created "Doctor" icon followed by the usual ones for "Car" and "Snack."

We discussed his schedule several times before leaving the house, and again in the car. He really got it, and announced, "Doctor Time!" when we arrived at the office. I checked us in, confirming the "extra nurses" accomodation I'd requested while making his appointment. They called us into the exam room and sat Leo on the table. I reminded him for the last time that the doctor would be coming in to give him shots, and mimed injecting him in the arm.

Three nurses came in to help with the four injections -- all people who understood that Leo needed cheerfulness, minimal talk, strength, and speed. (This is unfortunately not always the case -- nurses often try to talk Leo through the procedure beforehand, which freaks him out, and then they try to talk him down, which makes him even more upset.)

They delivered three injections before he knew what what happening. By being calm, kind, and firm, they were even able to do a sub-cutaneous TB test injection without him entirely losing his shit.

(At least, not in the exam room. There is still no laxative more effective for our boy than a trip to a doctor's office. He left large deposits -- in the proper receptacles -- before leaving both the doctor's and the dentist's offices.)

Everything happened so quickly that Leo didn't have time to get truly upset. As soon as the bandaids were slapped over the injection sites, he was completely recovered, and ready to go get his snack. Which means I didn't crave a strong drink. Win-win!

Going Begging

The search for a local pediatrician starts now. While my friend mb has found a doctor willing to delay or avoid vaccinations, said doctor is just far enough away for me to want to find someone more local. I have targeted two candidates in Deadwood Shores, but their receptionist won't let me talk to them unless I switch to their practice (fucker!).

I am going to write to them instead. Feedback on the letter below would be most appreciated.

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Dr. Pediatrician,

I am writing to ask if you would permit my children to be seen at your office.

I have three children: a six-year-old daughter, Isobel; a four-year-old autistic son, Leelo; and a four-month-old daughter, Mali.

We love Leelo dearly, but do not wish to have another autistic child, and so are trying to eliminate risk factors for Mali. Specifically, we would like to delay her vaccinations until we know whether or not she has autism.

We are aware that pediatric vaccines no longer contain Thimerosal. Our research has brought us to question the vaccines themselves. Unfortunately, the vaccine/autism linking studies we have read are preliminary findings; they have not gone through enough trials to make definitive pronouncements. In the meantime, we are unwilling to gamble with Mali's neurological health.

Mali is a subject in the MIND Institute Infant Siblings of Autistic Children research program. She will be evaluated twice yearly, starting at age 6 months, so we should know her developmental status by age 24 months--—well before she starts preschool.

Again, we do want to get Mali vaccinated. We believe in the social contract [yes, I stole that from Julie] of immunization. But I hope you will agree that our circumstances warrant a modified approach.

Thank you for your time. I would be grateful if you would contact me no matter what your decision.

Regards,

Squid Rosenberg