Vaccinations save lives!

Measles is a highly contagious viral infection of the respiratory system, whose symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a generalised skin rash. Typically the incubation period (from initial infection to the onset of symptoms) is around 4 days, after which the disease lasts approximately another 4 days. The patient will usually cough, have a headache, and red eyes as their fever can reach 40 degrees celsius. Not pleasant in the slightest.

Thanks to advances in medical science many people will never contract measles or experience these horrible symptoms. However, what many people do not realise is this modern measles free age is that these diseases also have a darker side. They kill people. According to the World Health Organisation 164,000 people died from measles in 2004. Just think about that for a moment. 450 people every day. 20 people an hour. 1 person every 3 minutes – for an entire year. Dead. More than 95% of them in third world countries who do not have well run, effective, vaccination programs. The statistics are clear – vaccinations save lives!

However, this is set to change if the ironicly named “Australian Vaccination Network” (AVN), headed by chief misinformation lunatic Meryl Dorey, has it’s way. Meryl is one of the many people who has been trapped by the lies manufactured by Andrew Wakefield, whose shonky research initially linked the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) vaccine with autism. Despite an overly small sample size, bad controls, and tenuous correlation, and no discernible causal chain, Mr. Wakefield’s research was also found to be tainted by conflicts of interest, manipulating source data, and other serious ethical transgressions. In short, Mr. Wakefield was struck off the Medical Register in May 2010 making him unable to practice as a doctor, and the British Medical Journal declared the research fraudulent in 2011. The current scientific research indicates there is no link between vaccinations and autism, and the benefits derived from vaccinations far outweigh any risks.

None of this stops Meryl Dorey from spreading her emotive propaganda, however it does force her delusion to evolve into new age conspiracy theories, “one world governments”, the Illuminati, New World Orders, chemtrails, and AIDS denialism. This is the kind of ideology which informs Ms Dorey’s creative reinterpretation of the scientific data.

“While we are already seen as rabid, idiotic fringe-dwellers by so many in the mainstream, it does our argument no good at all to bring in conspiracy theories which, though we may subscribe to them, are unprovable.” – Meryl Dorey, 29 July 2009.

A 12 month investigation into the AVN by the New South Wales Health Care Complaints Commission (HCCC) found the Australian Vaccination Network disseminated incorrect, misleading and biased information from its website, that this information was wholly anti-vaccination and poses a potential threat to public health. In addition the AVN’s fundraising authority was revoked by the NSW Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing for 23 breaches of the Act it administers.

Anyone familiar with the anti-evolution nonsense of creationists will be familiar with the AVN’s strategy of cloaking itself as “presenting both sides of the argument”, “providing an alternative view”, or “free speech”. This last point I find hilarious, since I was banned from the AVN Facebook page sometime ago for politely pointing out some of the information above and asking for a reasonable explanation.

Indeed, “free speech” has been the tactic these vermin have used to gain access to Australia’s largest music event, the iconic Woodford Folk Festival held in Queensland. Each year, between Christmas and New Year, the Festival attracts around 130,000 people to the small town in south-east Queensland. This year, Meryl Dorey of the inappropriately named Australian Vaccination Network was booked for two appearances, but due to public concern about giving the AVN air, the organisers rearranged the schedule to pit Meryl’s titanic intellect against Professor Andreas Suhrbier (Head of the immunovirology laboratory at the Queensland Institute of Medical Research) in a panel discussion moderated by Dr John Parker, a veteran of Doctors without Borders. An epic battle, to be sure.

This is why I am thrilled to report the Stop the AVN group has issued the following media statement:

While unhappy that Ms Dorey will still be speaking at Woodford, the Stop the AVN Facebook group, a loose-knit consortium of concerned citizens, scientists, doctors and nurses, decided to use a little humour in order to have ‘the last word’.

The group has hired an aircraft to fly over the Woodford Folk Festival site during the two hours surrounding Ms Dorey’s appearance.

Between 1.45 and 3.45pm on Thursday, 29 December, the plane will tow a banner with the message: VACCINATION SAVES LIVES.