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4) "Alternate vaccine schedules are not safer and should be obsolete" Contemporary Pediatrics (June 1, 2013) - "Since the days of Edward Jenner, the father of smallpox vaccine, there have been parents who have been vaccine hesitant, and at times vaccine refusers. After Benjamin Franklin's son died of smallpox, he lamented the fact that he had prohibited his son from getting the smallpox vaccine due to his concerns over safety. Vaccines are no different than any other medical therapy. It is essential that patients or their parents make an informed decision whether to immunize. Fortunately, evidence supports the efficacy and safety of the vaccines currently recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)1 and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).2 Immunizations have been noted to be 1 of the 10 great public health achievements in the 20th century.3 But still there are doubts."
5) "Fear of vaccinations 'linked to weak knowledge'" The Press Association (May 17, 2013) - "People who have poor general knowledge about science are more likely to be fearful of getting vaccinations for themselves or their children, a poll has suggested. Those with a weaker knowledge about science are more likely to think the risk of serious side effects from immunisations are "high", according to a Wellcome Trust survey."
6) "Why is lack of evidence so attractive?" News 24 (May 17, 2013) - "There are many illogical, irrational and outrageous things believed by millions of people around the world despite evidence to the contrary. Some are so extreme and obviously false and yet there are people who believe them to be true. Bigfoot, Roswell, homeopathy, water divining and tarot cards to mention a few. Once a belief has taken root in the human brain, it seems very difficult or nearly impossible to remove. Planting the belief in the first place can be as easy as making a passing suggestion. This is a very worrying phenomenon given the plethora of false information available out there."
7) "Media reports used to track global vaccine backlash" Fierce Vaccine (May 15, 2013) - "The viral spread of negative vaccine sentiments online creates problems for manufacturers and public health officials alike. It is now easier than ever for people to be exposed to negative views, but this also makes it possible to track the spread of such sentiments. GlaxoSmithKline ($GSK) made headlines last week when its vaccine message board monitoring program came to light, but it is far from the only group digging deep into online discussions. Data from one such project was published this week in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. The research analyzed one year's worth of media reports--more than 10,000 pieces from 144 countries--to get a sense of where negative vaccine views were most prevalent."
8) "MMR vaccination taken up by more than 50,000 in two months" Wales Online (May 16, 2013) - "More than 50,000 people have received the MMR vaccination in the past two months following the measles outbreak in Swansea, health officials have said. Public Health Wales said that 52,502 non-routine MMR vaccinations were given to people of all ages between the beginning of March and May 13. But they warned against complacency as figures in the epidemic area and in Gwent, where there are increasing concerns about the disease, continue to rise. Cases in the outbreak have now reached 1,105 with a total of 1,292 cases reported across Wales since the beginning of November 2012. In Gwent, there have now been 100 cases of measles."
9) "Taliban drops campaign against polio vaccine" Fierce Vaccines (May 16, 2013) - "When scientists set a 2018 target for eradicating polio last month, fresh memories of the violence against vaccinators offset the optimism. Short, low-profile campaigns--almost guerilla-like--were proposed as the safest way to vaccinate. Now the situation in Afghanistan might be improving. Weeks after the Afghan government began a push to immunize more than 8 million children, one of the main opposition groups--the Taliban--has changed its stance on polio vaccinations. In the past the Taliban was violently opposed to immunization campaigns--forcing the government to stop vaccinating in Nuristan--but it now apparently accepts the need to protect against polio."
10) "Influenza Vaccine: Expert Says So-Called Flu Shot Isn't All It's Cracked Up To Be" Decoded Science (May 16, 2013) - "Getting your influenza vaccine, also known as the 'flu shot' is a common practice during the fall when the influenza season begins. You can get your flu shot at doctor's offices, pharmacies, grocery stores, and even drive-through flu shot clinics. In 1990 there were 32 million flu shots available - and today there are 135 million doses... that's a good thing, right? Maybe not. One doctor is standing out from all the medical and public health experts, and speaking against the conventional wisdom."
11) "Expert questions US public health agency advice on influenza vaccines" Science Codex (May 16, 2013) - "Promotion of influenza vaccines is one of the most visible and aggressive public health policies today, writes Doshi. Today around 135 million doses of influenza vaccine annually enter the US market, with vaccinations administered in drug stores, supermarkets - even some drive-throughs. This enormous growth has not been fuelled by popular demand but instead by a public health campaign that delivers a straightforward message: influenza is a serious disease, we are all at risk of complications from influenza, the flu shot is virtually risk free, and vaccination saves lives. Yet, Doshi argues that the vaccine might be less beneficial and less safe than has been claimed, and the threat of influenza appears overstated."
12) "Calling out false "balance" on vaccines and autism" Respectful Insolence (May 17, 2013) - "Manufactroversy. It's wonderful, made-up word that describes a phenomenon so aptly, so brilliantly, that I like to use it all the time. Basically the word describes a manufactured controversy that is motivated by either extreme ideology (virtually always crank ideology) and/or profit that is intentionally stoked to create public confusion about a scientific issue that is not in dispute. Such efforts are often accompanied by conspiracy theories involving deception and polemic rhetoric (and sometimes fraud)."
13) "Why does Jenny McCarthy need Miss Montana?" Left Brain Right Brain (May 16, 2013) - "...So why has Alexis Wineman accepted Jenny McCarthy's invitation to join a "celebrity panel" at a notorious anti-vaccine conference, breaking gluten-free bread with people who compare autism to a death sentence, and something to be despised? One possible answer can be found in her interview published on Disability Scoop last October."
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