Trump attacks vaccination
PNG parched Prisoner freed Fraud trial looms
Towards the end of CNN’s highest rated programme in history – Thursday’s interminable Republican Party debate, the leading candidate, Donald Trump, opened a new front in his war on consensus: vaccination.
In his typically rambling way, he linked vaccination schedules to autism, telling an audience of 23 million, ‘‘You take this little beautiful baby, and you pump – I mean, it looks just like it is meant for a horse, not for a child, and we had so many instances, people that work for me, just the other day, two years old, beautiful child went to have the vaccine and came back and a week later got a tremendous fever, got very, very sick, now is autistic.’’
Adding insult to injury for a scientific community that has long been struggling to refute disinformation on the issue, the two medical doctors on the dais with Mr Trump equivocated when asked to comment on the claim.
‘‘Well, let me put it this way,’’ began the famed former paediatric neurosurgeon Dr Ben Carson, ‘‘there has – there have been numerous studies, and they have not demonstrated that there is any correlation between vaccinations and autism.’’
He went on: ‘‘It is true that we are probably giving way too many in too short a period of time, and a lot of paediatricians now recognise that and, I think, are cutting down on the number and the proximity in which those are done.’’
He then linked this (imaginary) imposition of a multitude of unnecessary vaccines to ‘‘big government’’.
Mr Trump saw an opening here and barrelled through it in typical fashion, telling MSNBC the following morning how glad he was Dr Carson had backed him.
The CNN host also put the question to Rand Paul, who in keeping with the popularity of outsiders this election cycle is always sure to introduce himself as an ophthalmologist from Kentucky (which he was) rather than a senator (which he is).
‘‘I’m all for vaccines, but I’m also for freedom,’’ he said, as though the two were somehow antithetical. ‘‘Even if the science doesn’t say bunching them up is a problem, I ought to have the right to say I want to spread them out.’’
The ‘‘debate’’ over the link was immediately dismissed by some high-profile critics.
‘‘There is simply no scientific evidence that links vaccines to autism. Many, many, many studies have confirmed this. The most recent Cochrane systematic review of research on the MMR vaccine included six selfcontrolled case series studies, two ecological studies, one case crossover trial, five time-series trials, 17 case-control studies, 27 cohort studies and five randomised controlled trials. More than 15 million children took part in this research. No one could find evidence that vaccines are associated with autism,’’ wrote Aaron E Carroll, a professor of paediatrics, in a New York Times blog.
The Autistic Self Advocacy Net- work issued a scathing statement of refutation:‘‘Despite a wealth of scientific evidence debunking any link between autism and vaccinations, tonight’s Republican primary debate featured prominent commentary from a leading candidate repeating inaccurate information suggesting a link.
‘‘The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is disappointed that long after the science has spoken, politicians and pundits continue to focus on causation, distracting from the real and pressing issues facing the autistic community.
‘‘While no link exists between autism and vaccines, of greater concern is the willingness of those who promote this theory to suggest that exposing children to deadly diseases would be a better outcome than an autistic child.
‘‘Vaccinations do not cause autism – but the use of autism as a means of scaring parents from safeguarding their children from life-threatening illness demonstrates the depths of prejudice and fear that still surrounds our disability.’’
They were strong statements, but it is unlikely they were heard by the 23 million who tuned in for the debate.
Fairfax
Papua New Guinea is facing its worst drought in 20 years and a looming food crisis, but Prime Minister Peter O’Neill insists the situation is under control for now. El Nino conditions have created unusually dry conditions and frosts, destroying the vegetable gardens of subsistence farmers in highlands provinces. The government is sending emergency food rations to the worst affected-areas.
Another Guantanamo Bay prisoner has been released as part of the drawn-out effort to eventually close the detention centre at the United States military base in Cuba. Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri was sent to his native Morocco after more than 13 years in custody. His release, which followed an intensive security review, was the first from the prison since June. Chekkouri, 47, was captured by Pakistan in December 2001.
Romania’s prime minister has been indicted on charges of forgery, money laundering and being an accessory to tax evasion. Victor Ponta has dismissed the accusations and resisted calls to resign. He hit out at a ‘‘totally unprofessional’’ prosecutor, saying the charges had been fabricated. The case will now go to Romania’s top court.