4.0
The Panic Virus
ByPublisher Description
WHO DECIDES WHICH FACTS ARE TRUE?
In 1998 Andrew Wakefield, a British gastroenterologist with a history of self-promotion, published a paper with a shocking allegation: the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine might cause autism. The media seized hold of the story and, in the process, helped to launch one of the most devastating health scares ever. In the years to come Wakefield would be revealed as a profiteer in league with class-action lawyers, and he would eventually lose his medical license. Meanwhile one study after another failed to find any link between childhood vaccines and autism.
Yet the myth that vaccines somehow cause developmental disorders lives on. Despite the lack of corroborating evidence, it has been popularized by media personalities such as Oprah Winfrey and Jenny McCarthy and legitimized by journalists who claim that they are just being fair to “both sides” of an issue about which there is little debate. Meanwhile millions of dollars have been diverted from potential breakthroughs in autism research, families have spent their savings on ineffective “miracle cures,” and declining vaccination rates have led to outbreaks of deadly illnesses like Hib, measles, and whooping cough. Most tragic of all is the increasing number of children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases.
In The Panic Virus Seth Mnookin draws on interviews with parents, public-health advocates, scientists, and anti-vaccine activists to tackle a fundamental question: How do we decide what the truth is? The fascinating answer helps explain everything from the persistence of conspiracy theories about 9/11 to the appeal of talk-show hosts who demand that President Obama “prove” he was born in America.
The Panic Virus is a riveting and sometimes heart-breaking medical detective story that explores the limits of rational thought. It is the ultimate cautionary tale for our time.
In 1998 Andrew Wakefield, a British gastroenterologist with a history of self-promotion, published a paper with a shocking allegation: the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine might cause autism. The media seized hold of the story and, in the process, helped to launch one of the most devastating health scares ever. In the years to come Wakefield would be revealed as a profiteer in league with class-action lawyers, and he would eventually lose his medical license. Meanwhile one study after another failed to find any link between childhood vaccines and autism.
Yet the myth that vaccines somehow cause developmental disorders lives on. Despite the lack of corroborating evidence, it has been popularized by media personalities such as Oprah Winfrey and Jenny McCarthy and legitimized by journalists who claim that they are just being fair to “both sides” of an issue about which there is little debate. Meanwhile millions of dollars have been diverted from potential breakthroughs in autism research, families have spent their savings on ineffective “miracle cures,” and declining vaccination rates have led to outbreaks of deadly illnesses like Hib, measles, and whooping cough. Most tragic of all is the increasing number of children dying from vaccine-preventable diseases.
In The Panic Virus Seth Mnookin draws on interviews with parents, public-health advocates, scientists, and anti-vaccine activists to tackle a fundamental question: How do we decide what the truth is? The fascinating answer helps explain everything from the persistence of conspiracy theories about 9/11 to the appeal of talk-show hosts who demand that President Obama “prove” he was born in America.
The Panic Virus is a riveting and sometimes heart-breaking medical detective story that explores the limits of rational thought. It is the ultimate cautionary tale for our time.
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Meet readers like you in the Fable For You feed, designed to build bookish communitiesThe Panic Virus Reviews
4.0
Pollyanna Ford
Created 2 months agoShare
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Lennie
Created 4 months agoShare
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Tara Schmehr
Created 5 months agoShare
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CO.Book.Bestie
Created 9 months agoShare
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“What a highly relevant book right now. It was interested to hear the backstory on where the 'vaccine causes autism' theory originated. Seth does an excellent job at laying out facts and explaining science. He reiterates that there is no scientific evidence that links vaccines to autism while also diving into the problem being that there is also no scientific evidence that proves it does not cause autism. He compares it to the theory of gravity; scientists know it exists but there is no way of proving without a doubt that it does not so you can't be 100% sure.
Looking into the history of vaccines and the different vaccine scares that have happened throughout the years in both the US and other countries you can clearly see that the guilty party in stoking fears is the media. Parents being scared and needing someone or something to blame makes for good stories and high ratings. Celebrities and "medical professionals" aka influencers/con-artists use these stories for their own benefit. Seth talks about Jenny McCarthy who came up with her supposed "cure" for Autism but really it was just 5000 different things that parents needed to spend money on. He talks about how Oprah gave screen time and promoted those like McCarthy who believe that vaccines caused Autism, yet didn't even bother responding to a family who reached out because their daughter, who was 2 weeks shy of being old enough for her Pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine DIED due to whooping cough. He discussed how high profile individuals, such as RFK, pick and choose parts of a conference and reports to share; deliberately sharing statements and research out of order so that it fits their agenda. He did also try to contact RFK to talk to him and get his side of things however was constantly met with excuses.
I think this is an excellent and must read book especially right now! Seth really takes the time to evaluate everything and talk to those who are both pro-vaccine and anti-vaccine. It's important to note that many of these 'medical professionals' who continued this autism-vaccine link did so by utilizing very harmful methods and just overall being incredibly deceitful; taking blood from your child's friends during a birthday party is NOT the way to conduct research. Individuals like Wakefield, RFK, Oprah, and Jenny McCarthy have all contributed to the rise in these preventable, deadly illnesses.”Ellora Kamineni
Created 11 months agoShare
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About Seth Mnookin
Seth Mnookin is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and a former senior writer for Newsweek, where he covered media, politics, and popular culture. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, New York magazine, and many other publications. He is the author of The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear; Feeding the Monster: How Money, Smarts, and Nerve Took a Team to the Top and Hard News: The Scandals at The New York Times and Their Meaning for American Media. He lives in Brooklyn, New York.
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