CNN Money has a short video up that makes a point that a few of us have been making for the past few years: much of the vaccine antagonistic message is funded by a few wealthy people. A good discussion can be found at A Snapshot of the Deep Pockets of the Anti-Vaccine Movement on Haprocrates Speaks. The CNN piece is called “The money behind the vaccine skeptics“. I can’t get the video to embed here, but one can find it here.
Here’s a screenshot from CNN showing the organizations, people and money that CNN discusses (click to enlarge)
CNN points out that the self-styled National Vaccine Information Center and others (such as Chris Shaw’s group at the University of British Columbia) get a lot of money from the Dwoskin family. The Dwoskin Family Foundation told CNN that they are not antivaccine but are, instead, advocates for safer vaccines. It’s a story we hear a lot.
Claire Dwoskin is or was a board member of the NVIC and made this statement about vaccines. John Stossel had aired a piece about how his daughter had fought off a whooping cough infection and in her response to one of his producers she stated:
What his daughter went through is NOTHING compared to what the families of autistic children go through every day of their lives. No disease can match this record of human devastation. Vaccines are a holocaust of poison on our children’s brains and immune systems. Shame on you all.
I’m not sure how that sentiment fits in with being “advocates for safer vaccines”. One has to accept that vaccines are safe before advocating for safer vaccines.
Also mentioned is Barry Segal who funds Focus Autism (now Focus for Health) and A Shot of Truth. And Generation Rescue’s JB Handley and Jenny McCarthy. Both Focus Autism and Generation Rescue are noted for funding Andrew Wakefield’s “Strategic Autism Initiative”. All these groups are discussed in previous articles here at Left Brain/Right Brain.
The piece is short and perhaps that’s why they don’t mention Generation Rescue’s hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on full page ads claiming vaccines cause autism, or their poorly performed phone survey on vaccines. Lots of money spent on promoting fear and distrust of vaccines.
I’ve never seen evidence of these groups actually funding work into safer vaccines. I’ve never seen, say, funding for research into a new vaccine or even something simple like improved storage and transportation for vaccines into the developing world to reduce the use of thimerosal, a preservative these groups claim (without good evidence) cause autism and other disabilities.
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Matt Carey
Left Brain Right Brain 
I’ve yet to see any of these multimillionaires fund any research into vaccine safety and research. It’s quite apparent to me the Claire Dwoskin, Barry Segal and J.B. Handley are contributing as private citizens and through their Foundations considerable amounts of money to individual Congressman (Darrell Issa, Bill Posey) for them to promote yet another congressional hearing which spotlights the supposed link between vaccines and the onset of autism.
These three individuals have been joined by wealthy businesswoman Jennifer Larson from the Canary Party and her associate Mark Blaxill with the sole goal to get another of those useless Congressional hearings and to encourage the participation of Congressman Issa and Congressman Posey to appear at the Autism One conference as part of a Congressional Panel.
Barry Segal is now a co sponsor of 2015 Autism One conference. Not to be outdone, J.B. Handey is becoming active again in his Generation Rescue organization which is represented by Jenny McCarthy, who used the GR publicity to revive her all but moribund career as a grade D fading fast celebrity.
Matt Carey’s publishing on Andrew Wakefield’s Strategic Autism Initiative identified the exorbinant salary he received through “donations” from these wealthy benefactors.
It seems to me that we are witnessing the start of another internecine war between Segal and Handley, to win the hearts and minds of gullible parents who continue to blame their children’s autism on vaccines.
Note that Tomljenovic is long gone. If someone was directly financing her postdoc, somebody needs to get on Shaw’s ass pronto for some splainin’.
Where did she end up?
She and Shaw were the organizers for the “Vaccine Safety Conference” in Jamaica. I suspect she could continue to get funding from the Dwoskins. The problem she would run into is the lack of tenure. She might be able to create (or co-create) more junk science with Shaw, but only for a few years.
Perhaps Simpson U. has an open position. They seem to be undiscerning in their selection of science faculty.
It turns out that she’s reappeared at UBC. She was definitely absent from a sitewide search for quite a while.
According to his own accounting, Shaw collected a cool $859,158 from the Dwoskins from 2011 to 2013. That’s a lot of bread for a few crappy papers.
Like the U.S., Italy has a national vaccine injury compensation program to give some financial support to those people who are injured by compulsory and recommended vaccinations. The Italian infant plaintiff received three doses of GlaxoSmithKline’s Infanrix Hexa, a hexavalent vaccine administered in the first year of life. These doses occurred from March to October 2006. The vaccine is to protect children from polio, diphtheria, tetanus, hepatitis B, pertussis and Haemophilus influenza type B. In addition to these antigens, however, the vaccine then contained thimerosal, the mercury-containing preservative, aluminum, an adjuvant, as well as other toxic ingredients. The child regressed into autism shortly after receiving the three doses. When the parents presented their claim for compensation first to the Ministry of Health, as they were required to do, the Ministry rejected it. Therefore, the family sued the Ministry in a court of general jurisdiction, an option which does not exist in the same form in the U.S.
Based on expert medical testimony, the court concluded that the child more likely than not suffered autism and brain damage because of the neurotoxic mercury, aluminum and his particular susceptibility from a genetic mutation. The Court also noted that Infanrix Hexa contained thimerosal, now banned in Italy because of its neurotoxicity, “in concentrations greatly exceeding the maximum recommended levels for infants weighing only a few kilograms.”
In an extremely revealing recording of the conversation between whistleblower Dr. William Thompson and Dr. Brian Hooker, we can clearly hear Thompson state:
“Thimerosal from vaccines causes tics. You start a campaign and make it your mantra. Do you think a pregnant mother would want to take a vaccine that they knew caused tics? Absolutely not, I would never give my wife a vaccine that I thought caused tics. I can say tics are four times more prevalent in kids with autism. There is a biological plausibility right now to say that Thimerosal causes autism like features!” [4]
These are strong words from the whistleblower, because during that conversation, he actually verified that giving a pregnant women a vaccination containing thimerosal could heighten the risk of their unborn child developing autism as a result.
Interesting how the above comment has nothing to do with the article. I guess you really wanted to discuss this topic.
As to the recent Italian decision, it’s clear to the most casual observer that the judge erred on using the adverse events reported during the clinical trial of a vaccine as though they were caused by the vaccine. It’s much like when people use VAERS and claim that every report is caused by a vaccine, when the disclaimer for VAERS, one that everyone has to acknowledge to access the data, makes it clear that these are not verified as caused, just coincident with the vaccination. In a clinical trial, like the one used as evidence in that court case, all events will be collected and later determined if they are actually causal or if they are events that just happened during the trial.
I can’t do the entire discussion of the Italian decision as much justice as Law Professor Dorit Reiss. That discussion can be found at Italian Court Blames Autism on Vaccine–Relies on an Unreliable Expert
As noted by Prof. Reiss, the report presented to the court also claimed a forearm fracture as an adverse event, even though this clearly is not caused by the vaccine.
“Therefore, the family sued the Ministry in a court of general jurisdiction, an option which does not exist in the same form in the U.S.”
Yes, citizens of the U.S. do not have the option of suing in Italian courts. Nor do we have the option of suing in courts where our scientific arguments go basically unopposed, as occurred in this Italian case. Not Prof. Riess’ discussion of the lack of fact finding in this proceeding.
As noted above, you bring in a comment unrelated to the above article. You then insert a discussion unrelated to your own comment: the unethically recorded statements of Mr. Thompson. In that recording he appears to be coaching Mr. Hooker on how to spread fear of vaccines, “make that your mantra”. And you have taken up the call.
And, I also see how you twist his words. He doesn’t say that giving thimerosal to pregnant women would increase autism risk. Mr. Thompson was a lead author on two thimerosal studies. He doesn’t appear to have given Mr. Hooker any information to discount his autism/thimerosal study. That’s very telling, as Mr. Hooker has long focused on the failed thimerosal argument. Why didn’t Mr. Thompson provide evidence of wrongdoing in his autism study? Simply put, there was none. The data stand.
One can see Mr. Hooker talking about his own “reanalysis” of the thimerosal/autism work in a video taped lecture made after his contact with Mr. Thompson were made public. Never once does Mr. Hooker bring in Mr. Thompson. Instead he gives a long lecture where Mr. Hooker makes incredibly dishonest claims–he cherry picks parts of an interaction model and claims they are valid to stand on their own (they aren’t). Using his same logic, and the data from the study he used, one could just as easily point out situations where thimerosal is highly protective. That is, one could do that if one were dishonest.
I discussed Mr. Hooker’s dishonest approach to thimerosal at length here: https://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2014/09/25/a-reanalysis-of-the-price-study-on-autism-and-thimerosal-goes-very-wrong/
This is great information, but what do people like the Dwoskins and Barry Segal gain by pumping money into these fear campaigns?
I typically try to avoid claiming to understand the motivations of other people. But, from what I can tell, Mr. Segal appears to believe he’s actually doing good. He has a history of philanthropy, with some good work in Africa. I seem to recall him stating that he got into this through some chance conversation with a mother, but I could very easily be wrong. Mrs. Dwoskin is more difficult to understand.
Dwoskin is a sick, twisted psychotic woman. She thinks being sick, debilitated, or dead is preferable to autism. As a mother of an autistic child I find that concept repugnant.
the choice between public health and autism is not required as vaccines DO NOT cause autism.
(I do agree as to how delusional these people are)
Reblogged this on Utopia – you are standing in it!.
Anybody care to explain why the MMR is delayed until 15 months old? If it is so safe, why not give it early – like 1 hr after birth like the Hepatitis B vaccine?
Because, due to passive immunity passed on from the mother, an infant will not produce a reaction to the vaccine before about 12 months.
Or, to put it simply, if you give an infant the MMR, it doesn’t provide protection.
from wikipedia: Maternal passive immunity is a type of naturally acquired passive immunity, and refers to antibody-mediated immunity conveyed to a fetus by its mother during pregnancy. Immunoglobulin G (the most common in the human body) is the only antibody isotype that can pass through the placenta… Maternal antibodies can inhibit the induction of protective vaccine responses throughout the first year of life. This effect is usually overcome by secondary responses to booster immunization.
Passive immunity is also provided through the transfer of IgA antibodies found in breast milk that are transferred to the gut of the infant, protecting against bacterial infections, until the newborn can synthesize its own antibodies.
Based on this study (http://medind.nic.in/ibl/t03/i1/iblt03i1p8o.pdf – Table 2) it looks like passive immunity protects infants under 10 months old from measles.
So, it seems inconsistent that an infant is given 18 shots before 12 months old for Hep B(x3), rotavirus(x3), diptheria/tetanus/pertussis(x3), haemophilus influenzae b(x2), pneunococcal conjugate(x3), poliovirus(x3), and influenza but the MMR is delayed to 15 months. The CDC schedule even recommends giving the MMR to infants as young as 6 months if traveling outside the US. If the MMR is safe for a traveling 6 month old, it must be safe for a non-traveling 6 month old.
So, why all this talk of at risk infants when breast milk and passive immunity protects those under 6 months and the safe MMR can be given to 6 month olds? If the MMR is safe, why not give it as frequently as rotavirus, polio, hep B, dtap, polio, etc to protect the infants from all the anti-vaxxer diseased kids?
So, you are proposing adding a third MMR dose to the schedule. One can vaccinate a 6 month old infant but one then still needs the other two doses. But you know that since you read that you can vaccinate an infant for travel.
“Administer 1 dose of MMR vaccine to infants aged 6 through 11 months before departure from the United States for international travel. These children should be revaccinated with 2 doses of MMR vaccine, the first at age 12 through 15 months (12 months if the child remains in an area where disease risk is high), and the second dose at least 4 weeks later”
You also know that the recommended age for the MMR is 12 months but you are using 15 months to make it seem like there’s a delay.
Stop playing games. They are obvious.
The vaccine schedule isn’t put together just by throwing darts at a board – there is a robust process involved examining all of the science and related information – including risks vs. benefits, before recommendations are made (or changed).
There are many good reasons for waiting, in general, to give the MMR until 12 months – as have been articulated above, with some leeway if a child is in an area of endemic or high risk of disease exposure.
You don’t know how passive immunity works do you? You don’t even know how vaccines work. Another credit to the anti-vaxx cause.
Lawrence, you write: “a robust process involved examining all of the science and related information – including risks vs. benefits” – so are you conceding that giving 6mon old kids the MMR generally carries more risks than benefits (except those in a area of endemic or high risk of exposure)? If you are being logical, then the risk to the 6 month old must be great enough to classify them as “too young to vaccinate” (which is strange because the HepB is given at 2hrs old) and thus use them as a convenient shame cudgel against anti-vaxxers. I find the pro-vaxxers “arguments” are illogical they use a lot of biased/convenient exaggeration. In doing so, they are weakening their position and driving a bigger, unnecessary wedge between themselves and concerned parents. If the MMR is on the edge of being safe for the 6 month old such that only in the case of foreign travel is it recommended, then there must be significant risk associated with the MMR that is not being honestly addressed…. The denial of the risk weakens the position. Perhaps you can correct this denial and start the debate down a better path.
Wow, you are making that logical stretch again?
We’ve covered this. And you are playing the same game.
MMR is not delayed due to safety, but due to efficacy. Sure, many will achieve immunity with innoculation at 6 months, but they will need to be re vaccinated at 1 or soon thereafter. For now, thanks to the immunization program, kids 6-12 months have been protected by community immunity.
If those of you who are spreading fear of vaccines get your way, it may make sense to add a third dose of MMR, at 6 months, to protect these vulnerable infants from disease.
“If you are being logical, then the risk to the 6 month old must be great enough to classify them as “too young to vaccinate” (which is strange because the HepB is given at 2hrs old) and thus use them as a convenient shame cudgel against anti-vaxxers. ”
No, it is not strange. They are completely two different kinds of vaccines for completely different diseases.
You really don’t know what you are talking about.
Lawrence – are you able to point me in the direction of the protocol required for setting the vaccine schedule? I haven’t been able to find any links yet.
Once again the anti-vaccine people autistics like me as the spawn of Cthulhu. I greatly question their reasoning skills.
“I’ve never seen evidence of these groups actually funding work into safer vaccines.”
You know, this thread is just full of unsubstantiated rhetoric. Medical peer review is the evidence base for the pro vaccine stance, it is in disrepute, you get what you pay for.
A lot of ordinary public don’t see proper research into vaccine efficacy, the last pandemic flu nonsense was a great example of ‘poor banking practice’ with regard to public health and it was a disgraceful waste of public money with absolutely no benefit. The scaremongering alone was akin to public terrorism with every damn chat show hosting a ‘virologist’ predicting apocalypse.
“If those of you who are spreading fear of vaccines get your way, it may make sense to add a third dose of MMR, at 6 months, to protect these vulnerable infants from disease.” anecdote
This kind of fairy story medico blub is scary – why on earth is it acceptable to believe such utter nonsense. If those of you who are spreading disinformation about the dubious benefit of vaccines get your way we will all be stuffed.
“You know, this thread is just full of unsubstantiated rhetoric.”
How do I substantiate the fact that I’ve never seen them fund research into safer vaccines? You could substantiate your own comment and prove proof that these groups actually do provide research into safer vaccines. But you don’t. I bet you can’t.
Instead you are just using this as an intro into a completely different statement. You do see that, don’t you? I do. You just say I don’t substantiate my claims, quoting a statement I made, then go off into “pandemic flu nonsense”.
Without substantiation, by the way.
I don’t have Orac’s willingness to put up with your sort of trolling.
“so are you conceding that giving 6mon old kids the MMR generally carries more risks than benefits (except those in a area of endemic or high risk of exposure)?” Raz
Well yes, there is no robust evidence that has been funded independently. Areas that are endemic with high mortality are third world countries with appalling sanitation.
So, mortality rates of ~1 in 1000 are not “high”? Or is France (where people die from measles) a “third world country with appalling sanitation”?
Ironic that you complain about lack of substantiation then you throw comment after comment without substantiation. When you are making facts up, it is difficult to substantiate them, isn’t it?
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/19/3/12-1360_article
10 deaths in about 20,000 infections. Mortality rate about (or a bit higher) than 1 in 2000.
That’s high, considering especially that it could have been prevented with a vaccine.
“You don’t even know how vaccines work.” science mom
Well nor does anyone – when it doesn’t work, and that is more often, we have lots of excuses blaming the patient or the process or the batch. Perhaps you would like to tell us how vaccines are supposed to work.
In anti-science, as in politics, just follow the money – and, if you see where it’s going, […]
Well this is especially true of vaccination – no science, plenty of politics
“Anybody care to explain why the MMR is delayed until 15 months old? If it is so safe, why not give it early – like 1 hr after birth like the Hepatitis B vaccine? Razor
Well they give the BCG like that, but only to Asian people in the UK. That is why there is an increased amount of TB in Asian people. God knows what would happen if they started pumping crap like the MMR into newborns, it causes enough havoc later.
“the choice between public health and autism is not required as vaccines DO NOT cause autism.
(I do agree as to how delusional these people are)” Hawai doc
Well, for a start medical peer reviewed evidence is about as delusional as you can get, so you don’t have a leg to stand on.
https://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/slay-peer-review-sacred-cow-says-former-bmj-chief/2019812.article
“This is great information, but what do people like the Dwoskins and Barry Segal gain by pumping money into these fear campaigns?” Pancho
So what is your point, pro vaxxers wasted billions on the fear swine flu pandemic and left 800 kids with narcolepsy to boot. What do people like Bill Gates gain from renaming polio to ‘get rid of it’. There are plenty of examples of woo vaccine programmes funded by the tax payer – I’ll tell you what they get out of it – Money. And an underwrite that means anyone who is harmed can’t claim………………
“I’ve yet to see any of these multimillionaires fund any research into vaccine safety and research.” Lilady
Well that’s because vaccine safety is a joke! It’s like researching into lion petting!
Did you get tired of RI, Johnny? Felt like you needed to go somewhere else to necro around a thread?
Does he make sense at RI?
No. I just scroll by them.
Not anymore. Just added them all to the spam bucket.
Johnny had a chance. And simple rules. And s/he abused the chance.
Goodbye Johnny.
That’s a funny comment. Pointing out that medical peer review is akin to hearsay has to be part of the narrative. It’s no good trying to troll that those who oppose vaccination have nothing to say!
The fear of pretend pandemics and appeals to emotion about vaccinate or die need holding up as the woo they are. I don’t have a problem seeing the double standard here.
There is no absolute truth, unless you are a religious zealot, vaccination doesn’t have a carte blanc. Perhaps you would like to join in the discussion instead of putting up a septic smokescreen. Go on, have a go, it will do you good.
“. In that recording he appears to be coaching Mr. Hooker on how to spread fear of vaccines, “make that your mantra”. And you have taken up the call.” Matt Carey
I mean take this comment on the Italian job. Virtually every prime time tv programme in the world was pumping swine flu mass death – and it simply did not happen. If it was IS putting this out we would call it propaganda/terrorism.
You can’t start a thread on this subject and then ‘moderate’ people who are pointing out where the pants are down – that’s hypocrisy.
I might as well be an acupuncturist or a homeopath or a doctor.
I have no idea what you are trying to say.
Add to that you are spamming this site.
Contribute more than trolling and your comments will get out of moderation. Otherwise, have a nice day wherever you end up.
Well, what else would you expect from phillip hills, owner of the Hope Osteopath and Acupuncture Clinic. He is a liar and would rather have children suffer from preventable diseases and cares not one whit for autistic individuals.
Yes Sullivan – this is his typical behavior…with his adoption of this new moniker as an additional “low-light.”
Yawn.
Obvious troll is boring.
Obvious sock puppet is still a boring troll.
Johnny,
here’s the thing. It’s obviously you under a different name. And I mean obviously, as I can see you are using the same IP address.
Multiple Johnny comments deleted without reading since he refused to accept the terms I set. Changing his email address just to avoid going into the moderation queue is not going to be allowed.
BS…there is lots of input on safer vaccines and schedules…