There have been problems with some vaccines, but overall it is a good. Information about vaccines:MICHELLE MALKIN DISAGREES WITH ME ON VACCINES: "Is there junk science on the anti-vaccine side? Absolutely. But you can’t address this issue without also addressing the problem with physicians who are unwilling to discuss the full risks of vaccines as well as the benefits." Read the whole thing.
UPDATE: Steven Den Beste emails:
Vaccination refusal is an example of the free rider problem. That's because of herd immunity. If everyone except Bridget vaccinates their kids, Bridget's kids benefit from not ever being exposed to the diseases, but they don't share the (small but nonzero) risk of being vaccinated.
The problem is that like all cases of free riding, too much of it destroys the system. When a large percentage of the population refuses to vaccinate, then herd immunity no longer functions and the diseases return.
And that can negatively affect those who did vaccinate, too, because vaccination doesn't always work. People who vaccinated their kids, and thus accepted their share of the risk, might still have their kids become sick.
If no one free rides, the failure rate isn't high enough to be a problem. Herd immunity protects even the kids for whom vaccination failed.
In my case, let people do what they want -- but shame them a bit for free-riding based on no actual science. Megan McArdle would be . . . a bit less laissez faire. And I still think McCain needs to take back his dumb remarks on the subject. You don't want to be making health policy based on Don Imus.
STILL MORE: A followup email from Dr. George Milonas:
For all those people who claim they have no risk factors for HPV (Gardasil) which causes cervical cancer or Hepatitis B which causes liver problems (and more), I have had plenty of moms in my office who have told me that their virgin husbands gave them these diseases on their wedding nights. Here’s a truth for all women: men lie, some men lie all the time. It is far better to protect your innocent daughters from preventable diseases than to blindly trust men.
Here are two links that I think are very useful in the vaccine/autism debate. Please note there is little disagreement amongst clinicians or researchers. The debate involves lay people.
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