The War of the Words 

By Hank Silverberg

 I had a chance this past weekend to catch the 1953 production of “The War of the Worlds” on cable TV. The special effects are a bit primitive by today’s standards, but the plot and the acting is much better than the 2005 remake. If you don’t know the story, it’s based on H. G. Wells' novel which sent people all over the country looking for Martians when Orson Wells dramatized it on the radio in 1938.   

 In the 1953 movie the Martians choose the Los Angeles suburbs to land first, instead of New Jersey, and despite the efforts of the military and Dr. Clayton Forester (the late Gene Barry), they start destroying the world.

(watch the trailer here)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8a9uTJAoL0&feature=youtu.be

All is lost until the Martians, exposed to our atmosphere, die from common bacteria to which we are immune, but they are not. The world is saved with the 1950’s twist that it was somehow divine intervention.

So why am I writing about a 66- year-old movie?

As I watched the fake Martian space ships crash into fake L.A. skyline, it brought to mind the current real outbreaks of chicken pox, measles and mumps we have seen across this country over the last few weeks.

There are effective vaccines for all three of those diseases. Chicken pox was close to being eradicated in the United States after a vaccine was developed. Before 1994 there was an average of 105 deaths from the disease each year. Now a death is extremely rare.    

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/231679.php

 It is similar with the measles. It used to kill one person for every 500 or so cases prior to the vaccine. Now a measles death is a rarity.

https://vaxopedia.org/2018/04/15/when-was-the-last-measles-death-in-the-united-states/

 There is also an effective vaccine for the prevention of mumps.

If you have ever had any of these diseases (I had chicken pox as a child) they are not very comfortable.  Because they are all viruses, there is no cure. The vaccines though, have proven very effective in either preventing them or lessening their severity.     

But this year, we have seen outbreaks of children pox, measles and mumps. Why? The answer is simple: a disinformation campaign by a small group of anti-vaxers. They simply refuse to comply with government regulations and more importantly, doctor’s recommendations, to get their children vaccinated. 

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/index.html

The anti-vax movement can be traced to one very discredited source. In 1998, a British doctor named Andrew Wakefield published a study that claimed the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine could trigger Autism. It was a study that was later retracted as a fraud and a large number of studies since have debunked it even more.  In 2004 media reports surfaced that Wakefield’s patent request for his own vaccine was rejected and he had received money from a lawyer trying to sue companies making the MMR vaccine, providing a motive for his fraud.  His claim resurfaced again though, in 2016 when he put out a movie claiming a cover-up by the Centers for Disease Control in an effort to increase Autism among black children. It was all bunk.

https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2017/04/four-vaccine-myths-and-where-they-came

Study after study after study has shown the vaccines are effective and that the side-effects have no connection to Autism. But the myth persists. And that’s why we are in danger.

This year there have been outbreaks of chicken pox, measles and mumps. 

The CDC reports 268 measles cases between January 1st  and March 14th of this year in 15 states.  

About 99 people per year die from the chicken pox even though the vaccine is readily available. The vaccine does not prevent the illness, but here is what the CDC says about it:

“Varicella vaccine is highly effective in protecting against severe chickenpox. Cases of disease due to the wild virus, that may occur in a small proportion of vaccines, are typically very mild with fewer than 50 skin lesions and no fever.”   

https://www.cdc.gov/chickenpox/index.html

So, you would think every parent would want their children to be protected as much as possible. Not so, because of the myths. Even the Governor of Kentucky rejected the vaccine and instead exposed all of his children to the disease and let them catch it. He’s apparently more concerned about government mandates than about his children’s health.  

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/matt-bevin-kentucky-governor-children-got-chickenpox-on-purpose-instead-of-getting-vaccination/

 To make matters worse, the CDC, a federal agency, used to provide the public with a comprehensive list of which states require the MMR vaccines for child care, kindergarten, and middle school. But the Trump Administration, perhaps bowing to the anti-vaxers, had the comprehensive list removed in favor of the list below. You can still check your own state, but this makes it harder to find out what the requirements in your area are.   

MMR

CDC INFORMATION

Requirements for child care

December 2018: CDC has removed this information from its website. IAC is evaluating the best way to make this information available in the future. For now, you'll need to contact state health department immunization program websites to find this information.

Requirements for kindergarten

December 2018: CDC has removed this information from its website. IAC is evaluating the best way to make this information available in the future. For now, you'll need to contact state health department immunization program websites to find this information.

Requirements for middle school

December 2018: CDC has removed this information from its website. IAC is evaluating the best way to make this information available in the future. For now, you'll need to contact state health department immunization program websites to find this information.

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At the same time the national map for exemptions is clear and easy to decipher. 

AC INFORMATION

Exemptions permitted for state  immunization requirements This table was compiled by IAC  using information provided by state health departments. View U.S. map of exemptions (PDF)

There is a small number of people who argue against vaccinations for religious reasons. Exemptions for those children are available, but many of those parents have chosen to home school instead. 

And then there is word from Pittsburgh where a local pediatrics group wanted to promote the HPV vaccine to their patients. The vaccine, given to Pre-teens, can prevent cervical and anal cancer caused by the HPV virus later on in life. But because it involves prevention of a  sexually transmitted illness there's been a lot of opposition to it. It has nothing to do with teenage sexual activity or pregnancy or abortion but the uproar against this group of Pittsburgh doctors on the Internet has been hateful. Again much of the reaction comes from the anti-Vaxers who don't understand just what the vaccine is and why it is important for the long term health of their children. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2019/03/21/anti-vaxxers-trolled-doctors-office-heres-what-scientists-learned-attack/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.6d6f4729327f

By now you are probably saying, "So what. I had my kids vaccinated. Those who don’t do it by choice take the risk. Why should I worry about it?"  And that is where the system fails. There is a significant proportion of the population who have no access to health care, or can’t afford the vaccines. And there are some with other health issues who cannot take the vaccines safely. Their chances of getting the viruses was pretty small when most of the students in elementary schools were vaccinated. Or in the case of  HPV , the vaccine eliminates transmission of the virus through sex as an adult and prevents a deadly cancer. But now, the anti-vaxers have increased the likelihood of an epidemic of diseases that were almost eradicated. Such an epidemic would be expensive and potentially disastrous for our health care system, our economy and our national security.  It is hard to argue with parents about what is best for their children. But the vaccines are safe. That has been proven time and again by some of the greatest scientists in the world over the last 50 years.  We should be doing more to provide the vaccines to people with no health care coverage instead of fighting "The War of the Words" with the anti-vaxers. Not getting any of these shots for your children is irresponsible, both as a parent and as a citizen. Period.                     (Your comments and suggestions are welcome)  Signed copies of my book "The Campaign" can be purchased at a reduced price directly from me by emailing hanksilverberg@gmailcom. Or you can buy them on line at Amazon.com, BN.com or hanksilverbergbooks.com.