Wednesday Edition: Vaccine Hot Takes

High-profile voices on the right, such as Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have reignited public debates over the alleged link between autism and vaccines. (The Daily Beast)

The latest: Greene, a Georgia Republican, responded Monday to an interview clip of Kennedy claiming vaccines cause autism by tweeting: “I fully believe vaccines cause Autism.”

The research: Numerous large-scale studies have thoroughly examined vaccines and autism and found no causal relationship.

• In fact, one study, which looked at EVERY child born in Denmark over a period of 10 years, found MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccination was linked to lower rates of autism.

• A 2014 meta-analysis published in Vaccine reviewed 10 studies covering over 1.2 million children and concluded there was no link between vaccines and autism.

The infamous Wakefield study: Much of the furor over vaccines and autism can be traced back to a 1998 study by Andrew Wakefield published in the influential medical journal, The Lancet.

• The study, which was retracted in 2010, claimed to find a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism.

• Subsequent investigations showed Wakefield manipulated data to support his claims and had been paid to find a link between MMR and autism.

The White House stance: Speaking to reporters Monday, President-elect Trump took a relatively measured stance on the vaccine issue, saying he dislikes vaccine mandates but believes in the effectiveness of certain types of vaccinations, like polio.

• Trump also said Kennedy, his nominee for Health and Human Services secretary, will be “less radical” than people think.

• In the past, the president-elect has defied the “MAGA” base by championing COVID-19 shots.

If it’s not vaccines, what is it? Overdiagnosis, misdiagnosis, policy changes and greater public awareness are thought to be responsible for a big chunk of the major spike in autism cases since the 1960s.

• For instance, studies have shown parents who are aware of how autism presents are more likely to get their children diagnosed.

• In 2006, the American Academy of Pediatrics updated its guidelines to recommend routine autism screenings for all children at 18 and 24 months.

• Last year, one of the doctors who helped loosen the definition of autism in the DSM-4 told the New York Post he was “very sorry for helping to lower the diagnosis bar.”

Bubba’s Two Cents

Asking questions and being critical about information is a great thing. The public health establishment didn’t exactly crown itself in glory during the pandemic, so I don’t blame anyone for being skeptical about what the experts are saying. But there’s a line between healthy skepticism and a pseudo-religious commitment to contrarianism.

In the wake of yet another school shooting Monday, a new survey sheds light on some misperceptions about gun violence. (The Daily Signal)

The latest: A 15-year-old girl fatally shot a teacher and a fellow student at at Christian school in Madison, Wisconsin.

• The suspect also wounded six others, and then killed herself.

The numbers: According to a new poll conducted by RMG Research Inc., 35% of registered voters wrongly believe school shootings cause more gun deaths than gang violence.

• An RMG Research poll conducted in September found 42% of voters mistakenly believe school shootings are the leading cause of gun deaths in the U.S.

• Per CDC data, less than 0.1% of the 46,000+ gun deaths in 2023 were school shooting-related.

• Only 16% of respondents in RMG’s survey correctly identified suicide as the leading cause of American gun deaths.

On the other hand: According to the gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety, there have been 205 incidents of gunfire on school grounds this year, surpassing the previous record of 199 incidents set in 2021.

• These shootings have resulted in 58 deaths and 156 injuries.

• 95% of U.S. public schools now conduct lockdown drills.

A stable family structure predicts health, wealth and educational benefits. (Deseret News)

A 2024 study published in JAMA Psychiatry: Death rates from deaths of despair (drug overdoses, alcohol-related deaths, suicides) are significantly higher for unmarried individuals, regardless of education level.

• Researchers found marriage provides a strong buffer against deaths of despair, even when other risk factors like education are present.

• For instance, less-educated married people have similar outcomes to higher-educated unmarried individuals.

• The decline of marriage has been especially catastrophic for poorly educated white men, worsening their death rates from despair.

A 2020 meta-analysis of 30 studies and more than 1 million students: The achievement gap, which refers to differences in academic performance between African American and Latino students and white students, completely disappears for black and Latino students who are people of faith and come from two biological parent families.

• This finding holds true even after adjusting for socioeconomic status.

A 2014 Institute for Family Studies report: Men raised in intact families and married as adults earn $17,000 more annually in personal income and $42,000 more in family income by their mid-40s compared to those raised in non-intact families and unmarried.

A 2017 study published in Epidemiol Community Health: At age 60, life expectancy increases by 2 years for men and 1.5 years for women if they have at least one child.

• The mortality gap grows with age, with parents experiencing lower death risks as they grow older compared to childless individuals.

• The longevity benefit persists even when adjusting for factors like age, education, race and socioeconomic status.