As an immunologist I despair at seeing so much scientific progress being undermined by false claims made by non-experts in the field for what appear to be spurious ideological reasons. Our immune systems have evolved to deal with an environment filled with enormous numbers of different pathogens and their associated antigens which we encounter almost daily, so combining vaccines isn't likely to overwhelm the immune system, and has the advantage as you say of reducing the total number of visits to become fully vaccinated.
Particularly with the highly infectious Measles virus, which has the potential to cause immune amnesia by wiping out memory of other infections and vaccinations, there is an imperative to ensure that the child is protected from an early age. Anything that makes it less likely that parents will be non-compliant with the full schedule of vaccination is thus undesirable.
Finally what happens in the USA has a knock-on effect around the world, because most pharmaceutical companies prefer to market similar formulations across global markets for obvious commercial reasons of scale, reproducibility and profit margins. So even though I don't see any evidence of our NHS changing guidelines and recommendations for vaccinations, will all the products continue to be manufactured and available and at a reasonable price into the future?
Beautiful commentary!! What is wrong with Kennedy? Is he that greedy or does he need to be put on a pedestal and admired. Why can’t he see what he is doing. Reminds me of Alex Guinness in bridge over the river Kauai when he said “ oh my God what have I done “.
You do an incredible job of making sense of this chaos. Thank you for exposing these nefarious people and their undermining of the public’s health. It’s so infuriating!
It's worth pointing out the insanity of having Jim O'Neill as the acting director of CDC. He has absolutely no qualification for the role, but apparently that does not stop him from parroting the fever dreams of Donald Trump and RFK Jr. He should have heeded Mark Twain's advice: "It is better to stay silent and have some think you a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
"Not only will millions get measles, but the resulting immune amnesia at scale will predispose huge populations to other infections. People will die of SSPE caused by measles decades after being infected as unvaccinated children"
I convey these concerns when ever someone engages in a discussion about childhood vaccinations, hoping to underscore their importance.
I am also very concerned, given the unacceptable cases of measles in the USA & tragically the much larger number of cases in Canada...frankly worldwide.
Trump's suggestion of delaying the 1st dose of MMR would be profoundly tragic.
My concern is for a variety of reasons & particularly with the 'false' assumption of passive immunity from pregnant women to their newborn's.
The paradigm that adequate maternal antibodies exist for 9-12 months should be question (more). From my reading maternal antibodies wane considerably within 3-6 months...please clarify or correct my understanding. There is also varied protective antibodies transferred to the fetus (very little postpartum... lactation) depending upon the mother's source of immunity, natural infection or immunization.
I believe the future is very precarious for vast populations of newborns.
What a caring and considerate suggestion…Let’s give kiddos 3 shots instead of just the one because they love getting injections. Uh there’s a reason the components were put into one vaccination, D’uh!
If the MMR vaccine didn't work, then Measles should still be endemic and people would be getting 'natural' immunity by getting measles (which is not happening).
As an immunologist I despair at seeing so much scientific progress being undermined by false claims made by non-experts in the field for what appear to be spurious ideological reasons. Our immune systems have evolved to deal with an environment filled with enormous numbers of different pathogens and their associated antigens which we encounter almost daily, so combining vaccines isn't likely to overwhelm the immune system, and has the advantage as you say of reducing the total number of visits to become fully vaccinated.
Particularly with the highly infectious Measles virus, which has the potential to cause immune amnesia by wiping out memory of other infections and vaccinations, there is an imperative to ensure that the child is protected from an early age. Anything that makes it less likely that parents will be non-compliant with the full schedule of vaccination is thus undesirable.
Finally what happens in the USA has a knock-on effect around the world, because most pharmaceutical companies prefer to market similar formulations across global markets for obvious commercial reasons of scale, reproducibility and profit margins. So even though I don't see any evidence of our NHS changing guidelines and recommendations for vaccinations, will all the products continue to be manufactured and available and at a reasonable price into the future?
Beautiful commentary!! What is wrong with Kennedy? Is he that greedy or does he need to be put on a pedestal and admired. Why can’t he see what he is doing. Reminds me of Alex Guinness in bridge over the river Kauai when he said “ oh my God what have I done “.
His motivations are irrelevant: whether he’s deluded or “just” a grifter, what matters are his actions and their effects.
Thank you for taking the time for this update. Yes USA, right or wrong, influences the world.
You do an incredible job of making sense of this chaos. Thank you for exposing these nefarious people and their undermining of the public’s health. It’s so infuriating!
It's worth pointing out the insanity of having Jim O'Neill as the acting director of CDC. He has absolutely no qualification for the role, but apparently that does not stop him from parroting the fever dreams of Donald Trump and RFK Jr. He should have heeded Mark Twain's advice: "It is better to stay silent and have some think you a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
"Not only will millions get measles, but the resulting immune amnesia at scale will predispose huge populations to other infections. People will die of SSPE caused by measles decades after being infected as unvaccinated children"
I convey these concerns when ever someone engages in a discussion about childhood vaccinations, hoping to underscore their importance.
I am also very concerned, given the unacceptable cases of measles in the USA & tragically the much larger number of cases in Canada...frankly worldwide.
Trump's suggestion of delaying the 1st dose of MMR would be profoundly tragic.
My concern is for a variety of reasons & particularly with the 'false' assumption of passive immunity from pregnant women to their newborn's.
The paradigm that adequate maternal antibodies exist for 9-12 months should be question (more). From my reading maternal antibodies wane considerably within 3-6 months...please clarify or correct my understanding. There is also varied protective antibodies transferred to the fetus (very little postpartum... lactation) depending upon the mother's source of immunity, natural infection or immunization.
I believe the future is very precarious for vast populations of newborns.
JJF Phm 🇨🇦
What a caring and considerate suggestion…Let’s give kiddos 3 shots instead of just the one because they love getting injections. Uh there’s a reason the components were put into one vaccination, D’uh!
If the MMR vaccine didn't work, then Measles should still be endemic and people would be getting 'natural' immunity by getting measles (which is not happening).
Exactly! Well put.