Epidemiologist Dr. Seth Berkley spoke to Live Science about the importance of vaccine equity and the obstacles undermining it, as well as the political challenges to vaccines being raised in the U.S.

Home 25-26 Resp Immun Info Manuscript Data tool Viewpoints Reports In the News The Interactive Immunization Data Visualization Tool allows users to explore immunization data and related analyses interactively.

What is the phrase anti-vaxxers and pro-disease individuals like to use? Ah, "Follow the money!".

Indeed, follow the money!

What happens when anti-vax sentiment grows from a seed of doubt into a cultural movement ? And has now their own clinic ? The case of Pia Habersang, a registered nurse, who tells parents that vaccines with small amounts of aluminum salts can accelerate toxicity in the body and worsen the condition of kids who have a genetic predisposition to autism, which has no scientific justification and is wrong in facts. “The autism increase, there has to be a reason,” Habersang who has her clinic, which offers solace to vaccine-hesitant families, in Amarillo, Texas.

https://lnkd.in/eCDujZdx

From tampons to tap water, from cereal boxes to vaccines, nearly every modern health scare rests on the same myth: chemicals are killing us. This fear—chemophobia—has become one of the most powerful engines of misinformation worldwide.

Chemophobia, the irrational fear or aversion to chemicals, is everywhere—whispered in parenting Facebook groups, shouted by influencers, amplified by media outlets that should know better, and weaponized by politicians.

Chemophobia is the hidden language of health misinformation.

You’ve seen it:
• Headlines about “heavy metals in tampons”
• Myths about vaccines containing “toxic” ingredients
• Legislative bans on synthetic food dyes
• Public outcry against fluoride in drinking water
• The Environmental Working Group’s annual Dirty Dozen list, warning about “toxic pesticides” in produce
• “Paraben-free” or “preservative-free” marketing slapped on cosmetics, sunscreens, and even foods

If you didn’t know better, you might think you and your family are in constant danger. You’re not. Instead of protecting people, chemophobia increases costs, reduces safety, harms public health, and stalls lifesaving science.

The World Health Organization (WHO) lists vaccine hesitancy as a top global health threat, but I’d argue that chemophobia is even more pervasive. It’s the common thread that links all forms of science rejection; it fuels fear around vaccines, food, medicine, agriculture, and cosmetics.

Read my latest for more:
🔗 https://lnkd.in/eF7-PmfZ

Or the slightly shorter and less snarky version, originally written for my Skeptical Inquirer magazine column:
🔗 https://lnkd.in/epXH2wAW

#science #chemistry #health #scientist | 39 comments on LinkedIn

Hey! 👋 Me again! Your friendly pediatrician…

Just here to fact check this little tidbit:

Joe Rogan is 58. Born in 1967. He’s just a year older than I am.

We were preventing measles with vaccines then, just as we do now.

So when he says “measles was what everyone got when I was a kid,” he’s either confusing measles with chicken pox (we definitely all got that as we didn’t have that vaccine until the late 90s) or he’s lying.

And even if HE wasn’t vaccinated (which is highly unlikely), the vast majority of children our age were. The US started vaccinating in 1963.

Kids in our generation didn’t get measles if they grew up in this country.

We were protected by measles vaccines, which make you immune for life without putting your life at risk.

#vaccinateyourkids

Merci Chloé Rabs de AFP d’avoir relayé mon 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐚̀ 𝐥𝐚 𝐝𝐞́𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 propagée par un 𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐚𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭, 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭𝐞́ 𝐞𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐞́, qui tente encore 𝐝’𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜
https://lnkd.in/eq9FHD82

👉 Le plus grave, c’est que ces propos irresponsables sont repris 𝗽𝗮𝗿 𝗖𝘆𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗮 𝘀𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝟵, 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝘀 𝗹𝗮 𝗺𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗻𝗶 𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲, et qu’il en rajoute.
Il 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝘁 que, dans ces études, les patients vaccinés sont plus âgés.
Il 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝘁 que l’âge augmente le risque de cancer.
Il 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝘁 qu’il n’existe 𝗮𝘂𝗰𝘂𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗮̀ 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝘁.
Il 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝘁 que la 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 va commencer la semaine prochaine.
Il 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝘁 qu’il peut 𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗽𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗲𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗱𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝘁é 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲.
Il 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝘁 que sa 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀.

Et pourtant, 𝗶𝗹 𝗱é𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗲. 𝗘𝗻 𝘁𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁é.

⚠️ 𝗟’𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗻’𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝘂𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Catherine Vautrin, Benoît LOUTREL, Arcom, Fabrice Moreau, Pr Stéphane OUSTRIC

😳 «Il nous faudra attendre le changement de président pour comprendre ce qu'il s'est passé autour du Covid»

Dans cette nouvelle interview, le professeur Didier Raoult décrit un système où l’argent dicte la règle, où l’expertise médicale s’efface derrière la bureaucratie et où la peur sert d’outil de gouvernance. Le Marseillais explique pourquoi il a recommandé la vaccination des soignants. Au passage, il fustige les études biaisées, l’impunité des «crimes contre l'humanité» de l'industrie pharmaceutique et un certain suicide français. Entretien au vitriol sur une démocratie sanitaire vacillante. Et pas que.

L'interview de Didier Raoult est à lire, en libre accès, sur L'Impertinent, via le lien en commentaire 👇️

#SantéPublique #Données #Pharmaceutique #Vaccins #PolitiquesDeSanté #DémocratieSanitaire #SouverainetéSanitaire #LImpertinent | 47 comments on LinkedIn

Understanding the Antivaccine Movement: From Hesitancy to Evidence-Based Communication.

This month’s Vaccines Beat explores how antivaccine sentiments—rooted in history since the first smallpox vaccine—continue to evolve through waves of misinformation and mistrust. Between opposition and acceptance lies a critical “gray zone” of vaccine hesitancy, where science and communication intersect.

Through five illustrative case studies—smallpox, pertussis, measles, HPV, and SARS-CoV-2—this narrative review examines the origins of hesitancy, its driving forces (internet and misinformation, data vs. sentiments, communication engagement, the decline of sustained critical thinking, politics, vaccine fatigue, and the evidence-based strategies needed to rebuild confidence and strengthen vaccination coverage worldwide.

Subscribe for free and stay informed!

https://lnkd.in/gng92W9c

Vaccines Beat
Americas Health Foundation
Dick Salvatierra
Felicitas Colombo

#vaccinehesitancy
#vaccinemistrust

Public health is under attack by a deluge of misinformation. We offer a consensus report from the American Psychological Association summarizing what we know about the psychology of health misinformation, why do people believe it, how does it spread, and what interventions are effective in countering it. We provide 8 concrete recommendations. Open-access.

Thanks to the entire all-star panel👏 Dolores Albarracin Lisa Fazio Briony Swire-Thompson Deen Freelon Jay Van Bavel, PhD Jon Roozenbeek

And grateful to Mitch Prinstein at APA!

https://lnkd.in/ekZPKbk4

Do share with anyone whom you think could benefit from this!

At least Canadians are protected by their Health authorities. Not sure the same could be said of RFK Jr in the USA…

Why do people distrust science, especially when lives are at stake?
This powerful discussion, convened by the @Harvard Global Health Institute, unpacks how misinformation spreads faster than facts, and what we can do about it.

 Watch now: https://lnkd.in/ddM-tb8w
#ScienceTrust #Misinformation #PublicHealth #VaccineConfidence #HealthLiteracy

After a whooping cough outbreak killed two infants, Louisiana health officials waited months to officially alert physicians or do public outreach. That's not the typical public health response.

And how it should be a right - something we talk about openly, at the dinner table, in our communities, and most of all, in the doctor’s office.

Good riddance! Let's hope Heliyon follows the same path (*). These two "mega-journals" have been plagued by fake papers. Cureus published 25,000 research and review articles in 2024. This medical journal was acquired by Springer Nature in 2022. Heliyon belongs to Elsevier.

Note that, as scientists, we should be worried about a private company, Clarivate analytics, deciding which journal is worthy or not, but in this case... can't argue with this decision. Actually celebrating it.

Links in comments.

(*) Disclaimer: Never published in these two journals... and hopefully never will.

[7.6k impressions] La Chine vient d'interdire les conseils médicaux sur les réseaux sociaux pour les créateurs de contenus sans diplômes.

Une décision qui devrait faire réfléchir le monde entier ?

L'annonce avait été faite en août et les créateurs de contenus avaient 2 mois pour fournir leurs diplômes.

Depuis ce mois-ci donc, impossible de donner des conseils de santé en Chine sur les réseaux sociaux sans être un professionnel.

❌ Plus de publicités cachées pour des compléments douteux
❌ Plus de conseils dangereux déguisés en contenu éducatif
❌ Plus d'IA générant de fausses informations médicales
❌ Plus de faux médecins sur les plateformes

À la place, un cadre strict :

✅ Sanctions immédiates en cas de non-respect
✅ Affichage public des certifications et spécialités
✅ Vérification obligatoire des qualifications professionnelles
✅ Sources rigoureusement indiquées pour chaque information

Les mesures couvrent tous les professionnels :

1. Médecins et infirmiers certifiés

2. Personnel des écoles de médecine

3. Chercheurs en santé publique

4. Pharmaciens et techniciens

Attention, ici il ne s'agit pas seulement de liberté d'expression,
Mais de protection de la santé publique.

Alors que nos plateformes regorgent encore de conseils douteux avec des conseils de grands-mères parfois dangereux…

La Chine impose une compétence vérifiée.

Ce qui pose la question de savoir : est-ce que nous devrions être plus soucieux de protéger la science et la santé en France ?

Source : https://lnkd.in/eEDb4A2S | 34 comments on LinkedIn

This is worth a read over your morning coffee. So proud of Tina D Purnat!

We have seen McCullough Foundation posting about the case of a death 555 days post COVID vaccination and trying to link this to mRNA vaccine. Well, one wonders how embarrassing is such claim especially that the patient appeared to have died from acute pulmonary hemorrhage a few days after a viral infection as stated by the authors themselves. We do know that pulmonary hemorrhage after a viral infection occurs when the infection damages the lungs, leading to bleeding into the air sacs (alveoli). This can be a serious complication of severe viral pneumonia, such as from influenza (especially H1N1), dengue, or COVID-19. That such happens a few days post such viral infection rather than 555 days post vaccination makes the viral infection the likely culprit not the vaccine. One wonders why any decent scientific journal would even publish such a trash paper. But when looking at the International Journal of Innovative Research in Medical Science ones wonders about the credibility of both the journal, its editorial board and what it publishes…
https://lnkd.in/eETJr4sF

Editors CornerUnderstanding the Antivaccine Movement: Sentiments, Hesitancy, Misinformation, and Strategies for Evidence-Based CommunicationUnderstanding the Antivaccine Movement: Sentiments, Hesitancy, Misinformation, and Strategies for Evidence-Based CommunicationOctober 20, 202594Share...

Tired of vaccine misinformation? Here's a calm, practical guide to protect kids—what to ask your clinician, how to weigh the risks, and why public health works.

Young adults in their 20s have shown slower uptake of COVID-19 vaccines relative to older adults, potentially endangering themselves and their communities. Despite this, little vaccine communication has specifically targeted this age group. This study explored why "20-somethings" in British Columbia …

Aujourd’hui, la sénatrice Laurence Muller Bronn organise au Palais du Luxembourg, avec la société AleVia Conseil, une « journée inédite consacrée aux thérapeutiques sans médicament ». Une rencontre qui « pose une question simple et urgente : et si innover, c’était aussi apprendre à soigner autrement ? ». Allons dans le détail de l'événement.

Parmi les participants, on trouve notamment le Syndicat des Professionnels de la Naturopathie - SPN. Créé en 2016 par Alexandra Attalauziti, cet organisme se cache de moins en moins de sa proximité plus qu’étroite avec des laboratoires de compléments alimentaires - Terra Vita, NaturaMedicatrix, Nutrilab… Le SPN a également des « écoles partenaires », notamment le centre de formation en naturopathie ADNR. Créé, lui aussi, par Alexandra Attalauziti. L’an dernier, au congrès du SPN, elle avait regretté, aux côtés de représentants industriels, que « des naturopathes n’osent pas envoyer leurs clients en pharmacie, alors qu’il faut le faire ! ».

AleVia Conseil, de son côté, travaille aussi souvent avec Medoucine.com, dont la présidente, Solange Arnaud, est conviée aujourd'hui. Nicole Tortello Duban, présidente d’AleVia Conseil, était notamment internvenante aux Assises des pratiques complémentaires organisées par médoucine en 2024. Médoucine, c’est donc le fameux « Doctolib des médecines douces », qui propose des formations à des centaines, si ce n’est milliers d’euros, dont nombre de pseudo-thérapeutes dénoncent les « arnaques ». Le site a déjà reçu une injonction par la répression des fraudes pour pratiques commerciales trompeuses.

Quant à Laurence Muller Bronn, elle partage encore fréquemment des contenus de France Soir, site qui relaie depuis des années des fausses informations et contenus complotistes, et a perdu son statut de service de presse en ligne. Elle continue d’alerter sur les prétendus effets secondaires des vaccins anti-Covid.

Conclusion : depuis que Naturopathie, l’imposture scientifique, est paru, on me demande beaucoup “Pourquoi j’alerte sur un possible encadrement”. Cette rencontre donne la réponse : les militants de la reconnaissance de la naturopathie et autres ont aujourd’hui, pour la plupart, des intérêts commerciaux dans la manœuvre. Derrière la mention de "thérapeutiques non médicamenteuses", cet événement fédère scientifiques, charlatans et industriels autour de pratiques charlatanesques. | 39 comments on LinkedIn

How reliable are the safety studies behind the IPV (polio) vaccine?

A review by the Institute of Medicine found that existing studies lack the statistical power to rule out links to serious outcomes like SIDS and Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Parents and health advocates deserve the full picture. Learn more: picdata.org/polio-vrs/

#vaccines #publichealth

💉 “Big Pharma” gets a lot of hate, but did you know the wellness industry is more than 3x larger and barely regulated. 💊