In late October and early November, images like these circulated:
On October 24-25 2018, the US Federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) held a regular meeting, which included several opportunities for public comment.
Evidently, there was an organized effort to get people who are opposed to vaccines, or feel vaccines are unsafe, to come to the meeting to comment.
During one of the public comment periods, a retired hospital technician (not "a nurse") gave a highly emotive, and with that, inaccurate and offensive speech.
Kathy, a vaccine champion, wrote a summary of the speech.
... a retired medical assistant, spoke about how, in her time, children only got 6 vaccines and now her grandchildren get 72. (Sidebar: I am forever unsure why antivaxers think protecting children from more serious diseases is a bad thing. Also, they are very bad at math as children do not get 72 shots.) She also made some appalling statements about adults with severe needs. She asked why were there no adults in diapers in the malls when she was a child? Well, Lori, there were few malls when you were a child and the special needs adults were in institutions. Nobody took them on day trips. They were warehoused like cattle. She also asked why there was no special education in her childhood. Well, Lori, special education laws were first enacted in the USA in 1975, that is why. Before then, no one with any special needs was afforded any rights. Your child who had reading trouble, was failing math, was fitchety and getting sent to the Principal’s office a lot? None of them were treated with any consideration. Your child who could not keep up with the class? He repeated the grade or was kicked out of school. Prior to 1975, the schools did not have to teach anyone who could not keep up with their peers.
Vince Ianelli, a pediatrician and science communicator, went into more depth with the problem with the tech's speech.
First, he showed the flaws in her beliefs about the safety and efficacy of the flu vaccine.
Then, he rightly rebuked her for her vile statements about disabled individuals.
This is everything that is wrong with the modern anti-vaccine movement.
Continuing to push the idea that vaccines are associated with autism and being locked into a deficit model of thinking about autism, so that when you look at your child, all you see is an adult with a “diaper on and helmet,” instead of beautiful autistic 2-year-old.
Amy Pisani has a unique perspective on the ACIP meetings, as she has been the Executive Director of Vaccinate Your Family (formerly, Every Child by Two) since 1996, five years after its founding. She has attended a great many ACIP meetings. Here is her account of the October public comment statements.
Since ACIP is a federal advisory committee, they must include public comment periods. This is a critical step in helping the Committee understand the impact that their vaccine recommendations have on the public. For two decades, I have attended many of these meetings in person or viewed them online. At nearly every meeting, impassioned members of the public have courageously stepped up to the microphone to express their opinions on the vaccines under deliberation or discussion by the ACIP. ,,, Customarily, there is a civil “tone” to the public comment period and speakers show respect for the attendees of the meetings. Sadly, this was not the case at the October meeting.
After listening to presenters discuss the scientific research conducted on vaccines over the course of the meeting, several members of the public came to the microphone. However, instead of offering thoughtful comments on the topics discussed by the Committee, or sharing personal stories, several decided to spew accusations at the Committee and its Workgroup members regarding their motives, and questioned their concern over the welfare of the children of this nation. Their aggressive and threatening statements included false information about the studies conducted on the safety of vaccines, and their lack of confidence in the numerous systems in place that help ensure the safety of vaccines in the U.S.
Is the flu vaccine safe? Yes. Is it as effective as possible? Effectiveness varies by year, but research is ongoing to improve effectiveness. Should health care workers be required to be immunized against influenza, every year? In my view, yes.
I will close with a statement from a scientist/researcher in another field.
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