An op-ed in the February 2011 edition of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN laments recent increases in pertussis, or whooping cough, in California, suggesting the trend may result from parents’ growing reluctance to permit their children to receive vaccines. For those of us not familiar – yet – with whooping cough, the magazine describes the disease as “known…for the distinctive sound its victims make when gasping for air after a fit of paroxysmal coughing…”
There’s nothing wrong with a good measure of healthy skepticism about even long-proven medical treatments and procedures. But why do so many people favor fear over solid science and their own pediatrician’s recommendations?
Here’s one reason: When the television icon of the past quarter century and her Hollywood autism spokesmodel say it’s so, many parents can’t help but agree there must be some, any kind of connection. After all, goes the TV wisdom, a child is perfectly healthy before the vaccine, and just look now.
