Measles outbreak in Minnesota linked to anti-vaccination fake news.

Courtesy of Live Science:  

A recent measles outbreak that has thus far sickened dozens of Somali-Americans in Minnesota — nearly all of them children — can be traced to anti-vaccination campaigns that targeted Somali-Americans and suggested that vaccines are linked to autism, health officials said. 

On Friday (May 12), the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) announced that it had confirmed 54 measles cases, 51 of which were in children age 17 or younger — and the majority of those infected were unvaccinated, according to an MDH report published online.

Just a reminder that misinformation has real world consequences, and can even lead to death.

And just in case you were wondering, yes Donald Trump is also an anti-vaxxer.

Autism rates through the roof--why doesn't the Obama administration do something about doctor-inflicted autism. We lose nothing to try.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 22, 2012

Yet another reminder that we need smart, scientifically literate people running our country.

New study of 95,000 children finds, once again, no link between measles vaccinations and autism.

Former Playboy model Jenny McCarthy making another salient point about autism and measles vaccinations.

Courtesy of Vocativ:  

In a study of 95,000 children, researchers were unable to find any association between the measles, mumps rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. The researchers also examined whether each child had a family history of autism; even for children within this high-risk category, they found no association between MMR and autism. 

Not that we needed this study to prove it—there has never been a single high-quality scientific paper to suggest a connection between vaccines and autism. Yet, over the past 15 years, numerous studies have examined vaccines and their ingredients, and consistently found them safe and effective. 

But just in case you were unable to hear the past decade of solid science over Jenny McCarthy’s shrieks, we’ll recap. Back in 2004 the Institute of Medicine examined a large body of epidemiological evidence and confirmed that the MMR vaccine did not cause autism. In 2011, the same group reviewed another eight major vaccines and found, once again, that vaccines don’t cause autism. Two years later, the CDC tracked 256 children with autism and investigated whether they had received the MMR vaccine—no connection. And we stopped even counting pro-thimerosal papers after nine studies from several countries proved that the mercury-containing chemical was entirely safe.

Okay can we FINALLY put this "controversy" to rest?

Children are dying due to misinformation about this topic, and it is vital that the truth gets out there.

Sign seen in pediatrician's office.

This is becoming the new norm.

And this is not the only place that anti-vaxxers are unwelcome, they are also being asked to stay the hell away from the happiest place on earth:

It may be the happiest place on Earth, but California health officials are warning people to stay away from Disneyland unless they're vaccinated.

I myself am somebody who has avoided the flu vaccination for the last twelve years, relying on my own good health and strong natural resistance to see me through the season. And so far so good.

However as somebody who caught both measles and chicken pox as a kid I made sure my daughter got all of her shots and booster shots right on time. Because I love her.

As Americans we are famous for our independent spirit, but when our personal choices put others at terrible risk we have an obligation to put our stubbornness on hold for the good of everybody.

Simply put there is simply NO real scientifically proven connection between vaccinations and autism, despite what disgraced British doctor named Andrew Wakefield and Jenny McCarthy might have you believe.

We put chlorine in our pool water to fight bacteria, pasteurize our milk, and vaccinate our children. And we have never been healthier or safer.

And those are the facts.

Measles outbreak traced to mega-church where televangelist preaches that vaccinations cause autism. Probably just a coincidence.

Courtesy of Dead State:  

Texas health officials have zeroed-in on a megachurch — which has a history of preaching against vaccinations — as the point of origin for a measles outbreak. 

According to a report from ABC’s WFAA 8, a congregant contracted the virus while visiting a foreign country and then attended a service at the church before he knew he was infected. This Thursday, the Tarrant County Health Department announced its 11th measles diagnosis traced to the man, making it the 16th case to emerge statewide. As a result, the Texas Department of Health and Human Services issued a measles outbreak alert — an unprecedented development given that the virus has nearly been eradicated by vaccines for decades. 

Meanwhile this Sunday at Eagle Mountain International Church, Pastor Terri Copeland Pearsons was forced to dedicate most of her sermon to the fact that 11 of the 16 measles cases had been linked to church attendees. 

“We’re going to talk about some things affecting our church. And as we go through it, we remain steadfast that Jesus is more than enough,” Pearsons told the congregation. “There has been a […] confirmed case of the measles from the Tarrant County Health Department. And that’s a really big deal in that America — the United States has been essentially measles-free for, I think it’s 10 years. And so when measles pops up anywhere else in the United States, the health department — well, you know, it excites them.”

Here's the kicker Copeland Parsons is the daughter of televangelist Kenneth Copeland, who has been warning his flock about the dangers of vaccinations and promoting the idea that they are linked to autism, while promoting the power of faith healing.

In short Copeland's ignorance about science, and his proclamation that faith can overcome anything, has put his daughter's congregation in danger and forced her to essentially cover for his stupidity.  

And this my friends is why we get our health information from doctors and scientists and NOT from Evangelical preachers.

Deranged Fox News host claims that Jim Carrey has killed more people than "all rifles combined." Wait, what?

I actually almost missed this inflammatory charge hidden in the midst of "The Five's" Greg Gutfeld's caterwauling and hair pulling over Jim Carrey's brilliant take down of the gun culture. (If you STILL haven't seen it you can see it here. And seriously, why haven't you seen it?)

Here is what he said the other day:  

GUTFELD: “He is the most pathetic tool on the face of the earth. And I hope his career is dead, and he ends up sleeping in a car the way his life began. This video only made me want to go out and only buy a gun. He thinks this is biting satire and going after rural America and a dead man. Let’s talk about Charlton Heston. Charlton Heston was one of the first actors to be behind the civil rights movement and march. What did this jackass Jim Carrey do? He was behind the anti-vaccine panic. There are what, 165,000 people that died from measles last year, according to the World Health Organization.” 

“Jim Carrey has killed more people than all the rifles combined,” Gutfeld continued. “He is a dirty, stinking coward. He is a moral coward.

"165,000 people that died from measles last year?" Gee you would kind of think that a statistic like that would have made huge news and that the nation would essentially be in a panic over such an epidemic. Why haven't we heard of this?

Oh, because it is bullshit.

What Gutfeld is all in a tizzy over is Carrey's 2008 statement's suggesting there was a link between vaccines and autism in this country, a belief that is fairly widely held, especially among parents with autistic children.

Now the science on that proved to be false, and was largely based on a now discredited study conducted by Andrew Wakefield.

However clearly Jim Carrey believed the connection was real and, believing he was doing a public service, used his fame to warn others.

Now did this cause an uptick in measles cases? Well perhaps, but it was nowhere near the number that Gutfield claims. This from the CDC concerning last year's numbers:

Each year, on average, 60 people in the United States are reported to have measles. But, in 2011, the number of reported cases was higher than usual—222 people had the disease. Nearly 40% of these people got measles in other countries, including countries in Europe and Asia. They brought the disease to the United States and spread it to others. This caused 17 measles outbreaks in various U.S. communities.

As you can see only a few hundred caught the disease, many of them while overseas, and no one apparently died from it.

Speaking of overseas, THAT is apparently where Gutfeld went to get his data:

In 2011, there were 158 000 measles deaths globally – about 430 deaths every day or 18 deaths every hour. 

Now the idea of connecting some articles on Huffington Post written by an American actor, as having contributed to thousands of deaths around the world seems like a bridge to nowhere in my mind, but hey this is Fox News, why would they be bothered with researching any of those pesky "facts.?"

However if they had, they might have learned this:

More than 95% of measles deaths occur in low-income countries with weak health infrastructures.

Yes, the outbreaks primarily happen in countries that do not have the luxury of surfing the internet to read Jim Carrey's opinion on vaccinations. Sort of hard to blame them on him, don'tcha think?

So has Jim Carrey actually "killed more people than all rifles combined?" Well unless there have been a whole lot of unreported cases of people laughing themselves to death at his movies, than no, of course not. And anybody who thinks so is an ignorant douchebag. Or watcher of Fox News, assuming there is a difference

Which brings up the question of whether this Greg Gutfeld is the MOST ignorant douchebag over at Fox News?

Well he DOES have some stiff competition....

...but I would say that right now that yes, yes he probably is the biggest douchebag at Fox News right now.

And considering the company he keeps that is really quite an accomplishment.