Summary and Reflection on The Panic Virus
Amid the ongoing dispute that links vaccines with autism, Seth Mnookin has published The Panic Virus in 2011. Due to what must be the success of the book, the author has re-published the book with an afterword in 2012. The book’s purpose is to provide perception of the truth using scientific facts and evidence. The author’s curiosity and interest in the issue grew after the realization of the suspicion of his friends toward the medical establishment and instead rely on journalism and media. Seth Mnookin’s powerful stance on the issue is clear in the chapters of the book; vaccines do not cause autism. Throughout the book, Mnookin approaches the growing controversy by presenting medical facts and proof as support. In this book report, I will summarize the main ideas of the book surrounding the vaccine-autism controversy. Which are the author’s reason for writing the book,
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I have always believed that vaccines are mandatory and benefit more than harm. The Panic Virus has intensified my opinion and allowed me to understand the other party. While I disagree with the anti-vaccine movement and find most, if not all, of their actions and excuses absurd, I can see where they come from. If I were a parent, it will be worrying. Through the several stories in the book, the parents did observe the symptoms after their child received vaccination. Even though that is not evidence that vaccines do cause autism, it is easier to blame vaccines and determine a cause for their child’s illness. What I still find hard to comprehend, is even though it has been proven through several studies that vaccines do not cause autism, the activists still stand their ground and refuse to accept the truth. That is extremely unreasonable. All the activists are doing is start a flaming fire. The media’s position in not of help either and adds fuel to the already flaming
However, in recent times we know that it is also a genetic factor and environmental factor which brings this upon babies. Matsuzaki states, “ genetic and environmental factors play a major role in the development of autism. However, most cases are idiopathic, and no single factor can explain the trends in the pathology and prevalence of autism. At the time of this writing, autism is viewed more as a multifactorial disorder” (Matsuzaki). At the time of the MMR vaccine was being distributed to children it was the age that autism shows most
Throughout the book, Offit’s opinion on the subject is clear. He believes that vaccines save lives and that those that oppose their use or even question them at all are to be classified as uninformed idiots. Beneath all the medical testimony and argued and refuted studies we come down the question of ethics. Do parents have the
28 October 2015. The link between childhood vaccinations and autism is unfounded and can be proven by a plethora of research. MMR vs Autism: A False Choice, written by Alison Knopf, sets out to show the importance of vaccinating children. Not only does the article explain the importance, but it also debunks the myth of the link to autism.
But my problem is that anything could go wrong, and just one child being harmed by these vaccines is enough to convince me not to support them. As Muslims, we are strong disbelievers in vaccinations because they can harm our babies. The essay is very good though in my honest opinion. Delgado essay suggest that he is attempting to make a logical appeal by using various examples of some things we disbelieve and providing statistics to said disbelieved scientific content. He starts by explaining that most scientific achievements correlate with humankind advancement, “The advancement of humankind has always been directly correlated with scientific achievements, from the early years of the world where people built tools to help them hunt, to the Renaissance where people like Leonardo Da Vinci were pushing the bounds of their knowledge” (Delgado
One of the previously mentioned arguments for anti-vaccers was the argument that the vaccine would cause teenagers to act more immorally. This is proven to be false when Dr. Saslow, the lead author of the cancer society’s, updated guidelines and firmly states that there is “no direct connection between the vaccine and sexual activity and no reason to suggest one.” Brody’s mention of the famous doctor effectively persuades the reader to see the truth behind the research. The mention of parents being concerned about the effects these vaccines is considered a rhetorical cannon of relationship. The supposed relationship between the vaccine and physical consequences encountered after being vaccinated is a the main elements behind the anti-vaccers argument.
On the other hand, according to Daniel Salmon, “Compulsory vaccination has contributed to the enormous success of US immunization programs”, so if this is can be taken as fact, then how can vaccinations be causing autism and other disorders (Salmon)? There are many other social variables that could be contributing to the rise in children being diagnosed with autism. Age in pregnancy has been on the rise for many years, and with a rise in age also increases the chance in giving birth to a child with autism. Another variable could be all of the processed foods we eat nowadays. Because of that, one of our founding principles is “respecting minority interests” and that usually involves the majority to bear part of the costs of the minority’s behavior.
Their young daughter became a victim of a non-discriminating virus that attacks with no mercy. As they sooth her whimpers they question their decision not to vaccinate their child. They had discussed it so many times, whether to vaccinate or not, what about the rumors of autism? They had been lucky and avoided rubella as a child, perhaps it spare their child too. Now, they are not so sure they made
To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? That is the question. Vaccination has sparked heated debate since its development amongst the following groups; parents, naturopaths, medical professionals, etc. Fuel has been added to the fire of the vaccine debate by the media and anti-vaxxer fear mongering tactics, making it hard for those considering vaccination, to decipher fact from myth. It is vital that we first understand the facts rather than believing the latest rumor before making an informed decision to vaccinate or not.
The topic I read about was weather there is a relation between Autism and the vaccinations that those who have the disorder may have received. Autism is a brain disorder that normally shows by age three, people tend to have impaired communication and interpersonal skills along with so restricted or repetitive behavior. The two articles go over how a key ingredient in vaccines may cause this disorder, while the other aims to show how the relation is nothing more than a myth. The first article was on how autism is caused by vaccines, and is called “Deadly Immunity” by Robert E Kennedy Jr. One of the main points of this article was how one of the main ingredients called thimerosal and its main ingredient ethylmercury which was in most vaccines until the early 2000’s is the main cause for autism in child, because it’s a toxic chemical. There have been studies that have proven thimerosal accumulates in the brains of animals after they had been vaccinated, also even small amount of the ethylmercury can cause brain damage even years later.
Vaccination Nation is about the controversy of vaccinations causing autism. The United States federal court denied any link between autism and vaccines, more specifically the MMR vaccine. Vaccines causing autism has been the talk on news, celebrities and magazines. Despite scientist denying that there is no connection this topic has gained several legal claims against vaccines. This has led parents into panic about autism.
Studies have proven that vaccines are not the cause of mental illnesses. The United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled (3-0) that immunizations do not cause autism in the case of Cedillo v. Secretary of Health and Human Services (ProCon). This ruling confirmed two previous rulings as well that also stated mental disabilities were not outcomes of protecting one’s immune system. The repercussions of not vaccinating a child, or even an adult, exceed the possibilities of catching a cold after receiving a vaccine, which could potentially save one’s life. Immunizations have more positive outcomes than those that are negative.
News Flash! Recent outbreaks of what the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) call vaccine-preventable diseases demonstrate the effects of the anti-vaccination movement. “Antivaxxers” as they’ve come to be called, as noticed on this author's Facebook page, are a population of parents who make a conscious decision not to vaccinate their children. The goal of this paper is to shed some light on the Antivaxxers, their arguments for choosing not to vaccinate their children, and research that proves the Antivaxxers’ theories are wrong. After all, vaccines aren’t something to be concerned about, they are proven to be effective.
Throughout the understanding of vaccination, there has always been that speculation that early vaccinations can cause the development of autism or negative side effects. Vaccinations, may be effective but “vaccines are only as effective as your immune system is when the invader returns. If your immune system isn't very strong, even if told by your "vaccinated memory" in plenty of time that an old enemy has returned, your immune system just might not be capable of ramping up a strong response in a short period of time” (Barron, J. (2017)). Therefore, it can be safe to say that, yes vaccinations have benefits, but individuals should not solely rely on vaccinations to prevent all diseases because it can affect a child differently. For instance, a specific vaccination can be very helpful to a child in preventing an illness but in contrast, another child might not be affected by the vaccination at all and can get very sick.
However, there are more resounding evidence that disproves the relationship between vaccines and autism that can’t be ignored. The study, published by the Lancet in 1998, conducted by Dr. Andrew Wakefield ignited a controversy in the medical world. 12 children believed to have developed autism participated in a study that reviewed their medical histories and evaluated their developments. They were reviewed for any underlying biological/physiological factors that could affect the child’s health.
Unfortunately, the anti-vaccination movement is becoming increasingly popular due to individuals’ unfounded fears and imagined consequences associated with the idea of purposely inserting a disease into one’s body. However, despite one’s beliefs, vaccines are essential not only to a person’s well-being, but to the health of those around them. Mandatory vaccinations do not cause autism; rather, they save lives while upholding values of