539 Comments
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Carol's avatar

your sane, informed analysis is essential. Thank you

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Mary Ellen Carver's avatar

Thank you for information and tirelessly trying to protect everyone despite all misinformation crowd

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Walt French's avatar

As far as I can tell, it’s not illegal—that is, it’s a “personal choice”—for Americans to cut off their noses, smoke 5 packs a day of cigarettes or drink themselves to death

Personal choice, Americans’ ability to define Liberty their own way, is inherent in America’s foundational notions of who we are, our society

But as Dr Offit’s Microbe TV partner Dr Griffin says, “We really want a country where 95% of folks are vaccinated. Why do we do that? Because yeah, your freedom ends at the tip of my nose. It certainly ends at the tip of my child's nose.”

RFKJr is arguing that Americans have an absolute right to risk other people’s lives just to satisfy their own sense of power. And THAT notion is diametrically opposed to ANY notion of society other than the Jungle

At least he’s consistent with the recklessness of the man who put him in power

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Andrea Roberts's avatar

To add to that, in Microbe TV they’ve also mentioned, why do we have speed limits? A drinking age? Gun control laws? We limit our personal freedoms in many areas for the sake of our society

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Walt French's avatar

Stop signs? School Zones?

Exactly; society has no place for people who refuse to respect others’ rights to live. And paradises where people can do whatever they damn well choose, turn into hellholes, human tragedies

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Cia Parker's avatar

My daughter’s life was ruined by the two vaccines which caused autism and bowel disease in her. She is turning 25 in May, but will never be independent. One of millions prevented from ever living a normal, independent life by vaccines. The laws you mention are in no way comparable.

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BillyJoe's avatar

MORE LIES FROM PINOCCHIO PICKNOSE PARKER:

"My daughter’s life was ruined by the two vaccines which caused autism and bowel disease"

LYING HOUND"

- vaccines do not cause autism

- vaccines do not cause bowel disease.

STOP ABUSING YOUR DAUGHTER WITH ANTIVAX BULLLSHIT.

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Cia Parker's avatar

Vaccination seriously endangers people’s lives, minds, and health, and no one may be forced to take that risk.

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BillyJoe's avatar

A message from our friend Care Parker:

INFECTIONS seriously endangers people’s lives, minds, and health, and no one may be forced to take that risk.

But you can prevent these infections

GET VACCINATED,

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John Fontaine, Phm's avatar

Factually & scientifically indisputable!

Yes I am 🇨🇦 and don't live in utopia, we have several outbreaks of measles in Canada & the largest a short bike ride from my home.

Ok not the typical short bike ride 🙂 but less than half hour drive.

How it came about (linked to a gathering in New Brunswick...easy coast) likely had its 'roots' in the same beliefs, doubts & fears many Americans share.

My professional role & my personal conviction to being empathetic to my exchanges with clients, friends & family has not wavered.

I am however challenged with helping those who don't believe in the true science that has saved millions of lives & improved the quality of life for our societies.

The polarization within the US ...as through my lens...compounds the challenge of helping those who mistrust the "science".

The vitriol that too many vent upon Dr. Offit's commitment to speaking truth to truth or power is sad. I can accept many will never change their personal beliefs, yes their given rite but they do not have the rite to misinform those of the wider community... beyond their immediate family, whom I have no reason to believe they act/speak out of love.

There is no simple solution. It's defy's logic a person of zero moral integrity...liar x 1,000's (factually correct), adulter, self absorbed, vendictive (he states his perceived enemies will be punished) & a convicted felon is "commander in chief" yet he holds court daily from the 'bully pulpit'.

My digression is to underscore he has the biggest megaphone to speak the truth yet he cannot & he enabled others to lie & corrupt the true fabric of the US, that being a society that cares about the neighbourhood(s) & the global community.

JJF Phm 🇨🇦

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Cia Parker's avatar

Anyone who hopes to be “protected” by vaccines is free to get any that he wants. If he believes that vaccines are contraindicated for himself for any reason, then he has no justification for trying to force others to risk the reactions he dares not risk for himself.

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BillyJoe's avatar

"... he ... he ... himself ... he ... he ..."

What about the other sex? Don't they matter?

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BillyJoe's avatar

BTW, how many lies can you squeeze into one short sentence?

It denies the meaning of "infectious" as in "infectious disease".

It promotes the lie that vaccinations are "forced".

It assumes everyone is capable of assessing risks and benefits.

It assumes the population is not generally science illiterate.

And it exposes your own bias, science illiteracy, and illogic.

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Cia Parker's avatar

How have I denied the meaning of infectious disease? I have not, but deny that vaccines are the only way to approach them. It is necessary for the immune system to take on the less dangerous ones, become more skilled in handling infectious disease, and in the case of many get permanent immunity or partial immunity in the case of those with more than one serotype. Healthy, well-nourished children benefit from getting natural measles, mumps, rubella, and chicken pox. Also pertussis past infancy. Hep-A. Flu. Responsible nursing of them is necessary, though.

You have to consider how dangerous the vaccines are. I think the vaccines for the other vpds are more dangerous than they are protective. Nosodes should be investigated more, and how often they should be given. They are safe and effective.

While not everyone has the same capacity for evaluating risks and benefits, there is no one who has the right to force anyone else to take or reject any vaccine. Force is a correct word. Schoolchildren in California have been forced to take many vaccines since 2015, which has resulted in a steep increase since that year of autism in that population. A few other states offer no personal exemption to the vaccine requirement for school. All other states offer perdonal exemptions, but many parents arent aware of them, and believe that they are forced to get vaccines for their children. Many workers and college students were forced to get the Covid vacvine which has killed or disabled large numbers, while being completely ineffective since 2021.

It is paternalistic to say that many are scientifically illiterate and therefore should be forced to get vaccines. When they are then disabled or killed by vaccines, no help from their supposedly scientific “betters” will be ensuing. You have no right to force anyone to have their lives ruined by vacvines.

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Cia Parker's avatar

It is awkward to keep saying He or she, him or her. I would rather not do so.

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BillyJoe's avatar

Try this:

Everyone who wants to be “protected” against harmful and deadly infectious diseases is free to get all the vaccinations that they want. If they believe that vaccines are contraindicated for themselves for any reason, they should consider that there are experts out there who have studied these things their whole lives and do this as their day job and are extremely likely to be far better informed than they are. And they should also stop using the word "forced" when they have never ever been held down and injected by "force" against their will.

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Walt French's avatar

You’re maybe thinking about inoculation such as Benjamin Franklin regretted not giving his son

Yes, two-plus centuries ago preventing deadly diseases like smallpox entailed enough risk that even the wisest wish they didn’t have to choose

Maybe your brain is stuck in that era. The “endangerment” you claim has no truth to it; so your refusal merely helps cause fatal and disfiguring outbreaks

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Cia Parker's avatar

The smallpox preparation in the nineteenth century killed thousands with TB, syphilus, gangrene, and other diseases transmitted by the pus from infected horse hooves used. It was very reactive even when a real vaccine was used in the twentieth century. Thr first anti vax protests occurred in theni eteenth century, when tens of thousands refused the mandatory vaccine which had killed so many of their children. After 1892, in the US the disease evolved to become mild, for decades most refused to take it, and it killed more children than it saved from smallpoxin the last decades of its use.

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BillyJoe's avatar

As bad at history as science, medicine, and critical thinking.

It's a wonder Pinocchio Parker doesn't explode with the lies proliferating inside her.

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Michael H Standart's avatar

Wrong on all counts.

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Walt French's avatar

Actual science showed evolution of the smallpox virus going back maybe tens of thousands of years ago

The 20th century change you refer to was not recent evolution but the wider spread of the less deadly “Variola Minor” form because people who contracted it didn’t die so frequently, so spread it to the US

The virulent Variola major form continued as deadly as before. It did not evolve to become less deadly; but ☞thanks to vaccination campaigns where it was rampant☜ the deadlier form was seen less often. People who escaped dying after being infected with either, AND those able/smart enough to get vaccinated, were spared from the deadliest disease in human history

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Cia Parker's avatar

In the nineteenth century it was rare to vaccinate with cowpox, which usually did no good anyway. Instead many rotten animal exudates were used, which often killed or disabled vaccine recipients, or infected them with a variety of pathogens in the substance used to vaccinate. In the twentieth century, a vaccine was made using the smallpox virus. But yes, in North America after 1897, smallpox evolved to become no longer dangerous.

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Walt French's avatar

Go ahead and cite statistics that shows the primitive inoculations with cowpox—a milder virus that’s similar enough to smallpox that our immune systems can leverage their recognition of it to completely defeat smallpox—we’re more dangerous smallpox, which caused terrible suffering and a horrible, 30% fatality rate

Because of people who lived in that time, an increasing share chose to subject their kids to a low risk of serious disease from the primitive inoculation versus the near-certainty of horrific smallpox. They saw what happened if they didn’t vax, versus if they did

Now that we have 1000X the understanding of how bacteria, viruses and immunity work, it’s even more obvious what risks you expose your kids to by delaying or refusing vaccinations. ALMOST qualifies as child abuse. And if you include the INTENTIONAL LIES by RFKJr and his ilk, it IS child abuse

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Walt French's avatar

Of course we are all sorry for your daughter. But regurgitating🤮LIES—known FALSE claims by grifters like Wakefield and RFKJr, made to promote their snakeoil and power—won’t help her

And it’ll ALSO confuse millions more into damaging their kids’ lives

We’ve already had the denouement of several of Trumpism’s total lies (that he’d fix egg prices, that he’d bring peace to Ukraine in one day, that his SecDef was fit to serve)

Now, RFKJr’s claim that he’d solve a centuries-old condition in months by firing everyone who’s done all the basic science, means the spotlight is shining on RFKJr’s train wreck-in-progress. Your 15 milliseconds of internet infamy is soon to end in disgrace

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Cia Parker's avatar

Autism is not centuries old. There was none in 1930. It started with mercury added to the diphtheria vaccine in 1932. But just plain vaccine encephalitis, in which the immune system reacts to injected vaccine ingredients (not always the antigens) with a violent inflammatory reaction which often manifests as vaccine encephalitis and brain damage, has taken up the slack left by removing mercury from most caccines.

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Cia Parker's avatar

Most of you don’t care a particle about my daughter.

Wakefield was right, Kennedy is right in the big picture. Vaccines as a group do more harm than good. And they ARE the cause of over half of (vaxxed) children having allergic, autoimmune disease, autism, asthma, and/or seizure disorders. Every parent will have to inform himself and make a choice. Once people see how much healthier unvaxxed children are, more and more will choose to reject vacvines.

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Mike S's avatar

Well, …infectious diseases do need a break!

For several decades now they have been on the decline, remorselessly throttled by a combination of vaccination and public health controls.

Some, like polio, were hanging on by the skin of their capsids for their very existence, being just a few successful vaccine campaigns away from oblivion.

Enough! …Cry Havoc, and let slip the dogs of war! RFKjr has weaponised them again.

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Anubis's avatar

https://vaclib.org/sites/debate/web1.html

Polio is DDT and LEAD ARSENATE

http://i.sstatic.net/jC0nl.gif

It disappeared with the ban. All new cases stem from the polio vaccines - when symptoms arent redefined as meningitis or acute flaccid paralysis

https://21stcenturywire.com/2020/09/04/who-forced-to-admit-gates-funded-vaccine-is-causing-polio-outbreak-in-africa

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BillyJoe's avatar

Aldo Blackdog is a conspiracy theorist.

NOTHING TO SEE HERE

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Mike S's avatar

So…polio plummeted in the early 1950s, coincident with the rollout of vaccination.

DDT was banned in 1972.

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Anubis's avatar

The "Fact Checker" Scam

https://www.lewrockwell.com/2022/09/thomas-woods/the-fact-checker-scam/

From the article:

One of the most laughable developments of recent years has been the rise of the “fact-checker.”

The fact-checker, in the fantasy version, is a nonpartisan, dispassionate expert who wants to prevent people from being misled.

In the planet-Earth version, the fact checker is a **hyperpartisan fanatic who wants to prevent people from entertaining thoughts at odds with the narrative the regime is trying to present.**

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Mike S's avatar

You have referenced a crank website which (which, surprise,surprise ...fact checkers have shown is a crank website). So of course it will be dismissive of fact checkers.

So how about you look at the citations and references referenced in the factcheck site, and then you can refute their findings.

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Mike S's avatar

Nice try, but this is a criticism of a Facebook contractor named Lead Stories, and not a criticism of Factcheck.org.

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Kris Mamula's avatar

Excellent, excellent analysis. Keep up the great work.

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M. Stankovich, MD, MSW's avatar

MSNBC is reporting - with a video interview starting at approximately the 4:00 mark [https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/-how-is-it-possible-that-you-have-this-job-rfk-jr-s-incompetence-becomes-too-glaring-to-overlook-237213765616] - that Dr. Ben Edwards, a family medicine physician and ally of the Children's Health Defense that RFK Jr. has referred to as a "hero" in the battle against measles in TX - is actively treating patients in his makeshift "clinic" in Lubbock, TX while actively infected with measles himself. He tells an interviewer that the previous day he was "feeling pretty achy" and the "red spots" from measles "appeared today." Despite the fact that measles virus is known to be one of the most virulent viruses known, and the CDC indicates that 90% of those who are unvaccinated & exposed will contract measles, Dr. Edwards is pictured "caring" for various infants, young children, and their parents. MSNBC reports that local physicians & healthcare professionals have reported Dr. Edwards to the TX Boards of Health for disciplinary action.

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Anubis's avatar

Because measles is not a treat to healthy children. And natural immunity through ecposure trumps everything

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BillyJoe's avatar

"measles is not a treat to healthy children"

FV<K!NG L!AR

"And natural immunity through ecposure trumps everything"'

F!LTHY FV<ING L!AR.

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Anubis's avatar

The truth doesnt care about your feelings. But sure cope harder

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BillyJoe's avatar

Morbidity and risk factors increase the threat but measles is also a threat to healthy children. THAT is a fact.

According to their treating hospital specialists, the two children who have already died of measles pneumonia were healthy prior to their becoming infected.

It they had been vaccinated they would have been 90% prevented from contracting the infection and, if they fell into the unfortunate 10%, they would have been far more likely never to have required admission to hospital let alone admitted to ICU, attached to a respirator and die by slowly drowning in their respiratory secretions. THAT is a fact.

And those FACTS do not care about YOUR feelings.

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Anubis's avatar

Thats nonsense and easily proven.

The Texas girls siblings all contracted and passed through measles at the same time she did. None where vaccinated

Nice try though.

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BillyJoe's avatar

Well, it is a waste of time talking to an ignorant fool, but let's give it a go.

The mortality rate of measles infection in an unvaccinated person is 1 in 1000.

That means that, on average, for every 1000 unvaccinated people who become infected with the measles virus, 1 will die.

And that the probability is 1 in 250 that 1 of the unvaccinated children in a family of four unvaccinated children would die if they all got infected with the measles virus.

In other words, if there were 250 families of 4 children who were unvaccinated and who became infected with the measles virus, only 1 of those 250 families would have 1 unvaccinated child who died.

Nope, what the hell was I thinking. I'm talking to an uneducated idiot who is not even familiar with basic probability theory.

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Edward's avatar

Offit it is time for you to take a break. You've had your say. You've made your money. Your mentor Plotnik is proud of you. You both did great job with vax propaganda. You've made millions on fraud---give it a break now. Thanks!

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John Collis's avatar

Doesn’t your suggestion breach the first amendment? What fraud by the way? Are you accusing someone of a criminal offence? Is that not libellous?

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Edward's avatar

Also not a suggestion— fact!

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Ben Prickril's avatar

I think not. Offit is putting his name and opinions out there for all to see, reflect on, or respond to. As for you, all I see is “Edward” and “Attorney”. You can do better than that can’t you?

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Albus's avatar

Here is an actual fact: no one with a middle school education could honestly miss the lies in the substack you posted.

So why did you post it?

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Bill is Here's avatar

An actual fact?

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steve's avatar

Propaganda?? What nonsense. You know nothing about vaccines and infectious disease, so to call this propaganda is to engage in your own while trying to deflect your lies. Shame on you!!

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Michael H Standart's avatar

In other words, you can't refute anything he said.

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steve's avatar

he didn't even try!!

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Carol Ann Conners's avatar

^troll alert

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Coprophilic Wellness's avatar

It's time for you to livestream yourself banging your tiny dick in a car door, repeatedly.

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steve's avatar

You are disgusting and your comment contributes NOTHING here....go away....

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Coprophilic Wellness's avatar

Better than the little crew of lying lunatic vaccine-phobic regulars compelled to paste their sewage

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steve's avatar

No, much worse. You contribute NOTHING of interest here, but just spew vile hatred that has no message. You are sick...

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User's avatar
Comment deleted
Apr 16
Comment deleted
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steve's avatar

You contribute NOTHING of interest here, but just spew vile hatred that has no message. You are sick...

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Albus's avatar

It is long since past time for you to offering something rational and honest.

Got anything at all?

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Frau Katze's avatar

Get lost troll.

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BillyJoe's avatar

Those who shout the loudest about being silenced - when they are actually just having their misunderstandings and lies corrected - are the first to call for others to be silenced.

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Tonya's avatar

After 7 days, this post only has 177 likes, 37 replies, and 40 restocks. He certainly doesn't have the reach on here that even makes it worth his effort. His real power is at CHOP.

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Ben Prickril's avatar

You’re correct. Anyway nearly all of his responses are knee-jerk chatter from antivax people like Edward, or schoolyard-level arguments. Only a handful are substantive.

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Edward's avatar

not if it true! sue me! let’s find out!

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steve's avatar

LOL, you are really immature....

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Anubis's avatar

😃

Hes reaping rewards from.his Merck.apointed chair abd his rotavirus vaccine on the CDC schedule

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Edward's avatar

yea. he’s panicked that he’s being knocked off his “i’m a medical hero pedestal” thankfully, RFK kicking him to curb from vax committees. dude is unhinged! “rotovirus!? give me a break.

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Edward's avatar

of course he gets awards— huge money maker… he’s the “court jester” of vax religion. completely full

of bs

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Edward's avatar

Not quite millions, but at least she didn’t make million poisoning kids

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Albus's avatar

Anti-vaccs really just can't understand big words like "poisoning".

Folks with basic reading skills are laughing at you!

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Edward's avatar

oh gosh. i’m so embarrassed! you vax’rs so smart! you win! i’m getting my kootie boosters! boy what a dummy me! what a true medical hero this Offit! my sincere apolopgy

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William's avatar

Thank you Dr. Offit. I appreciate your hard work on behalf of public health, promoting good practices and countering misinformation. It’s not an easy role in our times.

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Chris's avatar

Thanks again for being a reason in defense of science. Trumpism is not just fascism. It is fascism combined with idiocracy. Scary times.

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Open Letters by Mersault's avatar

For centuries, humanity waged war to eradicate us, but you, dear Trump supporter, have done everything in your power to welcome us back. You have gutted public health infrastructure, sabotaged disease research, and convinced yourselves that modern medicine is a plot against you. Truly, it is rare to find a species so deliberately self-destructive, and for that, I must extend my deepest appreciation.

𝗔 𝗟𝗼𝘃𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗔 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗹𝘆 𝗩𝗶𝗿𝘂𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗠𝗔𝗚𝗔 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗲𝘀, 𝗧𝗿𝘂𝗺𝗽 𝗟𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗥𝗙𝗞 𝗝𝗿. 𝗘𝗻𝘁𝗵𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗮𝘀𝘁𝘀

𝘛𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘯𝘷𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘍𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩𝘧𝘶𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘚𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐𝘯𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯—𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘐𝘨𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘐𝘴 𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘨𝘵𝘩!

https://patricemersault.substack.com/p/a-love-letter-from-a-deadly-virus?r=4d7sow

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Chris's avatar

When we inevitably do have the next pandemic, it will not matter. Trump/RFK will claim without any basis that they actually saved the lives of tens of millions. Or, even worse, will just ascribe it to "god's will". I blame Fox News. They turned the lunatic fringe into the mainstream.

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DBB's avatar

Assuming they left brain worm research intact?

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Carol Ann Conners's avatar

Thank you.

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Dr Colin Bannon's avatar

Many many thanks again.

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WC's avatar
Apr 16Edited

Thank God for RFK Jr.

I can deal with someone occasionally being wrong as long as the intentions are good and the goal is to protect people from profit seeking vermin at major corporations or bought and paid for job/career seekers at govt agencies.

I can't deal with wildly arrogant and in many cases corrupt people spinning, lying and propagandizing for career and profit. We have all too many of those in the media and in revolving door jobs in healthcare.

RFK JR: "We're going to announce a series of new studies to identify precisely what the environment toxins are that are causing [autism]. This has not been done before..."

https://x.com/Breaking911/status/1912557979133485298

Hopefully these studies will be of the highest quality and include longer term studies on vaccines including megadosing various combinations over short periods for the very young.

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Albus's avatar

Thank God all it takes is basic reading skills to see he is shoveling BS.

Hopefully someday all people will care enough about our children to look at the facts.

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BillyJoe's avatar

I'm sorry, Water Closet (we call them toilets), but

Antivaxxers are the idiots boosting drug company profits. Vaccinations are about 8% of profits with a far greater percentage being for products used to treat infections and the complications of infections.

Provaxxers, on the other hand, want to restrain drug company profits by:

- favouring vaccinations over infections

- maximum government regulation

- maximum fines for not abiding by those regulations.

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Anubis's avatar

https://www.statista.com/outlook/hmo/pharmaceuticals/vaccines/worldwide

United States is anticipated to generate the highest revenue in the Vaccines market, with US$29.97bn in 2025.

And for some companies like MODERNA it's 100% of their revenue stream

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BillyJoe's avatar

You seem to have misunderstood the claim, son:

Here it is again:

Vaccines prevent infectious diseases and represent 8% of drug company profits.

They make more money from selling products that treat infectious diseases.

So antivaxxers are promoting drug company profits by agitating against vaccines.

Maybe it's time for you to go to bed.

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Anubis's avatar

Nothing you said is true. All regurgitated lies.

Lets see what the Sec HHS has to say

https://x.com/VigilantFox/status/1913075654251118789

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Frau Katze's avatar

Get lost!

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M. Stankovich, MD, MSW's avatar

How about we start here, with what we have known to be upwards of 80% contributory to the development of ASD since 2001, and then examine what might be the co-epigenetic variables that further contribute:

AUTISM

Alternative titles; symbols:

AUTISTIC DISORDER

Other entities represented in this entry:

AUTISM, SUSCEPTIBILITY TO, 1, INCLUDED; AUTS1, INCLUDED

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER, INCLUDED; ASD, INCLUDED

SNOMEDCT: 408857007, 43614003; ICD10CM: F84.0; ICD9CM: 299.0; DO: 12849;

Cytogenetic location: 7q22 Genomic coordinates (GRCh38) :

7:98,400,001-107,800,000

Gene-Phenotype Relationships

Location Phenotype

Phenotype

MIM number Inheritance

Phenotype

mapping key

7q22 {Autism susceptibility 1} 209850 Isolated cases; Multifactorial 2

TEXT

Description

Autism, the prototypic pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), is usually apparent by 3 years of age. It is characterized by a triad of limited or absent verbal

communication, a lack of reciprocal social interaction or responsiveness, and restricted, stereotypic, and ritualized patterns of interests and behavior (Bailey et al.,

1996; Risch et al., 1999). 'Autism spectrum disorder,' sometimes referred to as ASD, is a broader phenotype encompassing the less severe disorders Asperger

syndrome (see ASPG1; 608638) and pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). 'Broad autism phenotype' includes individuals with

some symptoms of autism, but who do not meet the full criteria for autism or other disorders. Mental retardation coexists in approximately two-thirds of

individuals with ASD, except for Asperger syndrome, in which mental retardation is conspicuously absent (Jones et al., 2008). Genetic studies in autism often

include family members with these less stringent diagnoses (Schellenberg et al., 2006).

Levy et al. (2009) provided a general review of autism and autism spectrum disorder, including epidemiology, characteristics of the disorder, diagnosis,

neurobiologic hypotheses for the etiology, genetics, and treatment options.

Genetic Heterogeneity of Autism

Autism is considered to be a complex multifactorial disorder involving many genes. Accordingly, several loci have been identified, some or all of which may

contribute to the phenotype. Included in this entry is AUTS1, which has been mapped to chromosome 7q22.

Other susceptibility loci include AUTS3 (608049), which maps to chromosome 13q14; AUTS4 (608636), which maps to chromosome 15q11; AUTS6 (609378), which

maps to chromosome 17q11; AUTS7 (610676), which maps to chromosome 17q21; AUTS8 (607373), which maps to chromosome 3q25-q27; AUTS9 (611015), which

maps to chromosome 7q31; AUTS10 (611016), which maps to chromosome 7q36; AUTS11 (610836), which maps to chromosome 1q41; AUTS12 (610838), which

maps to chromosome 21p13-q11; AUTS13 (610908), which maps to chromosome 12q14; AUTS14A (611913), which has been found in patients with a deletion of a

region of 16p11.2; AUTS14B (614671), which has been found in patients with a duplication of a region of 16p11.2; AUTS15 (612100), associated with mutation in the

CNTNAP2 gene (604569) on chromosome 7q35-q36; AUTS16 (613410), associated with mutation in the SLC9A9 gene (608396) on chromosome 3q24; AUTS17

(613436), associated with mutation in the SHANK2 gene (603290) on chromosome 11q13; AUTS18 (615032), associated with mutation in the CHD8 gene (610528) on

chromosome 14q11; AUTS19 (615091), associated with mutation in the EIF4E gene (133440) on chromosome 4q23; and AUTS20 (618830), associated with mutation

in the NLGN1 gene (600568) on chromosome 3q26. (NOTE: the symbol 'AUTS2' has been used to refer to a gene on chromosome 7q11 (KIAA0442; 607270) and

therefore is not used as a part of this autism locus series.)

There are several X-linked forms of autism susceptibility: AUTSX1 (300425), associated with mutations in the NLGN3 gene (300336); AUTSX2 (300495), associatedwith mutations in NLGN4 (300427); AUTSX3 (300496), associated with mutations in MECP2 (300005); AUTSX4 (300830), associated with variation in the region on chromosome Xp22.11 containing the PTCHD1 gene (300828); AUTSX5 (300847), associated with mutations in the RPL10 gene (312173); and AUTSX6 (300872), associated with mutation in the TMLHE gene (300777).

A locus on chromosome 2q (606053) associated with a phenotype including intellectual disability and speech deficits was formerly designated AUTS5.

Folstein and Rosen-Sheidley (2001) reviewed the genetics of autism.

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BillyJoe's avatar

Are you serious?

You think anyone is going to read what you wrote?

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Illona Campbell's avatar

Is he really so stupid that he doesn’t understand what a virus is? What a bacteria is? Does he understand that viruses and bacteria don’t give a damn whether a human being is Democrat or Republican? Did these guys somehow managed to skip biology in high school? Or biology 101 in college? Do they think that the millions of deaths from Covid, the graves that were dug, the cremations that occurred – do they think those were a hoax? Have human beings really started to lose their minds en masse??

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