So, obviously, autism - which is the key in this - is a very big problem. We need more studies about it. We certainly have to try to figure out what causes it and why and do something about it. But to tab it to vaccines, I think, is a real mistake. Not only is there no evidence, but what it leads to is larger numbers of unvaccinated children. And that's not only a problem for polio. It's a problem for a wide range of vaccine-preventable diseases.
David OshinskySo, obviously, autism - which is the key in this - is a very big problem. We need more studies about it. We certainly have to try to figure out what causes it and why and do something about it. But to tab it to vaccines, I think, is a real mistake. Not only is there no evidence, but what it leads to is larger numbers of unvaccinated children. And that's not only a problem for polio. It's a problem for a wide range of vaccine-preventable diseases.
David OshinskyI read Norman Lockโs The Boy in His Winter with delight and amazement. Styled in the vernacular of a rapidly changing America, it stays true to the themes of Mark Twainโs original: class relations, race and slavery, childhood innocence, moral hypocrisyโand, of course, the stark beauty and unforgiving nature of Americaโs greatest river. I finished this absolutely elegant narrative feeling that Huck Finn has never been more alive.
David OshinskyThe main problem, certainly, for the people who will not get vaccinated with Thimerosal, which was put into polio vaccine. And the belief was that it may cause autism. And there's been an awful lot done in terms of studies in Western Europe, Canada, the United States, and no correlation was found between Thimerosal and autism from those children who took vaccines. Indeed, when Thimerosal was taken out of many of these vaccines, the autism rate in the United States still rose.
David OshinskyVaccines [measles] have been proven to be safe, and what happens if you don't take vaccines is children get measles and die. So the anti-vaccine crowd has, you know, kept measles around in a way that - you know, it's a tragedy, because so much is done to make sure these things are safe.
David Oshinsky