I’ve never had a problem with celebrities talking politics or pushing causes. I don’t feel quite the same about Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey spreading their vaccine gospel. McCarthy believes that vaccines are connected to her son’s autism.
Why is this different? For two reasons. First, we don’t spend a lot of time listening to scientific discussions regarding vaccines and other medications. So when we do hear a loud and clear message from super-famous people, it holds a disproportionate weight. Second, it really does seem like the preponderance of evidence is on the absolute opposite end of the spectrum from McCarthy’s version of things.
There is abundant evidence that vaccines don’t cause autism. More than a dozen studies, as well as trend data from California and other states, show that neither the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal nor the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine causes autism … McCarthy’s popularity has created a lot of anger and disbelief in that tiny sliver of society that believes in evidence-based medicine. One person who’s feeling particularly frustrated is David T. Tayloe, president of the 60,000-member American Academy of Pediatricians. (Remember them? A pediatrician is a person with a medical degree who takes care of children. Some of them are said to trust science more than celebrities when it comes to health care.)
“I think show business crosses the line when they give contracts to people like Jenny McCarthy,” Tayloe says. “If you give her a bully pulpit, McCarty is going to make people hesitate to vaccinate their children. She has no medical or scientific credentials.
Now the above referenced article is written by a guy who is the author of a book called Vaccine: The Controversial Story of Medicine’s Greatest Lifesaver, so on its own, perhaps it should be taken with a grain of salt-substitute. But what he says is exactly what our pediatrician says which is exactly what every doctor I know says.
You can also check out McCarthy’s website for her version of things. I find her vaccine page particularly troubling because of this key contradiction. In the lead paragraph, the site warns:
“The pressure is on most pediatricians to always counsel that the “benefits outweigh the risks” when it comes to vaccinating children.”
Later, she gives her very detailed advice for parents “contemplating” vaccinations, but admits:
“Please note that we are parents, not doctors. What follows is not medical advice, it is the opinion of parents. Anything written here should be reviewed with a qualified physician. We are not giving you medical advice nor are we qualified to do so.”
So you can’t trust your doctor, but check with him or her to make sure what we’re saying is right.
Come on now, you had me at. “Nor are we qualified to do so.”
I am not one to shy away from the notion that we wildly overmedicate (and over-diagnose) kids. But I’d trust my pediatrician over any of these folks (by about 50x). My concern is that a lot of parents might not see it that way.
Update: Thankfully, a just-released study indicates that most parents tend to listen to their health care providers on this one. Interestingly, 40% of pediatricians will not take a patient who doesn’t get their vaccines at the recommended time.
