4 ms·

On the one hand, I'd love to believe that people were rational and would actually examine the data before rushing to follow some advice they got on a site like

On the one hand, I'd love to believe that people were rational and would actually examine the data before rushing to follow some advice they got on a site like seeking alpha, so that bad actors wouldn't be able to profit by spreading false accusations. Not having to rely on a drawn-out (and sometimes unreliable) legal process would be great. On the other hand, we have plenty of evidence that people are really bad at being suspicious of the often unreliable stuff they read on the internet. For example, measles has made a roaring comeback in the USA, so even when their own children's health is involved, it seems people aren't willing to actually read farther than a couple of emotionally-charged blog posts before making decisions.

fnordfnordfnord 12y ago
The trend in measles cases is troubling, but to call it a "roaring" comeback is hyperbole. http://www.vox.com/2015/1/29/7929791/measles-outbreak-2014 http://www.vox.com/2015/1/29/7929791/measles-outbreak-2014 tl;dr Measles was imported to a group of unvaccinated Amish by a resident returning from a missionary trip. The Amish accounted for a large portion of those infected in the US. The good news is that many Amish opted to take the vaccine after seeing the effect of measles in their community. Here is an older article (2024) http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/30/health/measles-cases-in-us-hit-a-20-year-high.html http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/30/health/measles-cases-in-us... A few snippets from the article. * There were fewer than 200 cases last year (2013); the record low was 37 cases in 2004. * Eighty-five percent of this year’s cases were in people not vaccinated because of religious, philosophical or personal objections, Dr. Schuchat said. * Almost half the cases were part of a continuing outbreak in Amish communities in Ohio * In an unusual twist, over half were ages 20 or older. They may have included adults whose parents refused to vaccinate them years ago, she said. * Forty-three of the 288 who contracted the virus were hospitalized, most with pneumonia. None died. * There were 60 cases in California, mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Orange County, where large numbers of wealthy parents refuse to vaccinate their children. And to put it in perspective * France, the world’s most popular tourist destination, had an outbreak of 20,000 cases from 2008 to 2011. The 2014 CDC MMWR report if you want http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6322a4.htm?s_cid=mm6322a4_w http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6322a4.htm?s_cid=...
- joezydeco 12y ago
  I prefer this graph: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=http://img.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/files/2015/01/measles.png&w=1484 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=http://im...

fnordfnordfnord 12y ago

The trend in measles cases is troubling, but to call it a "roaring" comeback is hyperbole. http://www.vox.com/2015/1/29/7929791/measles-outbreak-2014 http://www.vox.com/2015/1/29/7929791/measles-outbreak-2014 tl;dr Measles was imported to a group of unvaccinated Amish by a resident returning from a missionary trip. The Amish accounted for a large portion of those infected in the US. The good news is that many Amish opted to take the vaccine after seeing the effect of measles in their community. Here is an older article (2024) http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/30/health/measles-cases-in-us-hit-a-20-year-high.html http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/30/health/measles-cases-in-us... A few snippets from the article. * There were fewer than 200 cases last year (2013); the record low was 37 cases in 2004. * Eighty-five percent of this year’s cases were in people not vaccinated because of religious, philosophical or personal objections, Dr. Schuchat said. * Almost half the cases were part of a continuing outbreak in Amish communities in Ohio * In an unusual twist, over half were ages 20 or older. They may have included adults whose parents refused to vaccinate them years ago, she said. * Forty-three of the 288 who contracted the virus were hospitalized, most with pneumonia. None died. * There were 60 cases in California, mostly in the San Francisco Bay Area and in Orange County, where large numbers of wealthy parents refuse to vaccinate their children. And to put it in perspective * France, the world’s most popular tourist destination, had an outbreak of 20,000 cases from 2008 to 2011. The 2014 CDC MMWR report if you want http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6322a4.htm?s_cid=mm6322a4_w http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6322a4.htm?s_cid=...

joezydeco 12y ago
I prefer this graph: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=http://img.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/files/2015/01/measles.png&w=1484 http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=http://im...