Jezebel: Vaccines

Some Parents in Queens Think Vaccinations Are Only for Heathen Children

Doug Barry — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 16:45:00 EST

In news that will most likely desiccate the last little puddle of faith you have in human rationality, some enthusiastically religious parents in Queens are asking a judge to nullify a law that would keep their children out of school if classmates are carrying communicable diseases such as measles, mumps, and chicken pox (which, to my daily mounting terror, I've never contracted). Lawsuits filed last week in Queens Supreme Court by parents Fabian Mendoza-Vaca and Nicole Phillips have been transferred to Brooklyn Federal Court and could be resolved as early as next week in an emergency hearing where some secular-minded necromancer will hopefully raise Clarence Darrow from his grave so he can give everyone involved a proper finger-wagging. More »

More Parents Decide Their Kids Don't Really Need To Be Vaccinated

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 23:48:00 EST

Though the idea that vaccines are linked to autism has been disproven by multiple studies, an increasing number of parents are sending their kids off to school without their required vaccines, citing fears over autism and other health problems. Now doctors are concerned that growing resistance to vaccination could lead to a comeback from a variety of retro illnesses they've already beaten. More »

Barbie Will Save Us From Whooping Cough

Erin Gloria Ryan — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 17:00:00 EDT

Remember when it used to be funny to make jokes about getting the whooping cough? Well, it's not anymore — thanks to Jenny McCarthy, scientist, and thousands of other parents who have opted not to vaccinate their kids, this country's experiencing a retro disease craze more powerful than 1,000 lava lamps. One columnist thinks that only Barbie can save us now. Wait, what? More »

California Minors Now Allowed To Get STD Vaccines Without Parents' Permission

Erin Gloria Ryan — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 13:45:00 EDT

California Governor Jerry Brown just signed legislature that allows minors in the state to receive anti-STD vaccines without parental consent. More »

California Bill Would Allow Vaccines For All STDs Without Parental Consent

Anna North — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 16:05:00 EDT

A bill passed by the California legislature this month would allow clinicians to vaccinate kids against HPV without their parents consent — and it could apply to other STDs too. More »

Just Freaking Give Boys The HPV Vaccine Already

Irin Carmon — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 18:40:00 EDT

The facts: Roughly half of adult males in the US are infected with HPV. Some strains, passed along to women through sexual contact, can cause cervical cancer. HPV can also increase the likelihood of penile or anal cancer in men, and can cause genital warts. The FDA has already approved the vaccine for boys. But the CDC is still deliberating over whether boys should get it. A significant decision in the process is expected at a meeting next month. More »

Bioethicist Bets Michele Bachmann $10,000 She's Wrong About HPV

Irin Carmon — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 19:15:00 EDT

Michele Bachmann is continuing to all-out make up stuff about the HPV vaccine, but she never said she's a scientist. As it happens, one of them just bet her $10,000 to prove that there is a real person who developed "mental retardation" from Gardasil. More »

Study Confirms Vaccines Don't Cause Autism, Some Still Disagree

Margaret Hartmann — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 20:03:00 EDT

The researcher who helped popularize the belief that vaccines cause autism has already been discredited several times over, but just to be sure the government had scientists check again. Once again, they found that parents shouldn't be worried about having kids get their recommended shots, but unsurprisingly, anti-vaccine activists are still insisting that the research is wrong. More »

Probably Half Of All Men Have HPV

Irin Carmon — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 12:56:54 EST

A new study of 1,100 men in the U.S., Brazil, and Mexico found that half were infected with HPV, which is quickly being seen as evidence that boys should be vaccinated with Gardasil. More »

Study Linking Autism And Vaccines Was A Total Fraud

Anna North — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 09:45:00 EST

A landmark 1998 study purporting to show a link between vaccines and autism has now been exposed not just as "bad science," but as a fraud. More »

A Gardasil Horror Story?

Sadie Stein — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 18:29:00 EDT

On the one hand, most young women have not reported adverse affects to the widely-recommended HPV vaccine. On the other, when it goes bad, it's really bad. More »

Sexual Politics Help Thwart The HPV Vaccine

Irin Carmon — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 17:53:00 EDT

The HPV vaccine, Gardasil, was expected to be a slam-dunk for pharmaceutical giant Merck. Instead, it's considered a business failure. Among the many reasons: The politicization of inoculating little girls against future STDs. More »

UTI Vaccine Will Be Available In 3-5 Years

Tracie Egan Morrissey — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 20:00:00 EDT

Today, CBS News reported that researchers have developed a vaccine—in the form of a nasal spray—that will prevent urinary tract infections. Sanctioned drug-snorting and unhurt-y pee? I must've died, because this is party girl heaven. More »

Moviegoers Aren't Wooed By Sex • Crack: Even Worse For You Than Before!

Katy Kelleher — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:30:00 EST

• Sex doesn't sell movie tickets, according to a new study out of California. Apparently, kids today don't want to watch hot and heavy scenes, and prefer the chaste sexuality of Twilight and Jane Austen. • More »

All Hands On Deck

Anna Holmes — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:10:00 EDT

[Provo, October 27. Image via Getty]

Gardasil For Boys: Not Likely

Katy Kelleher — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 18:30:00 EDT

The FDA may not approve Gardasil for boys because it is not cost effective. "If coverage in girls ends up being low, then vaccinating boys became much more attractive," said researcher Jane Kim. [Reuters] More »

Cervical Cancer Could Be Eradicated

Katy Kelleher — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 09:40:00 EDT

According to a leading expert, cervical cancer may be completely wiped out in the next fifty years. Several new vaccines in development, along with advanced screening techniques, will hopefully make the disease a thing of the past. [Independent] More »

Double/Dutch

Anna Holmes — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 12:10:00 EDT

[Rotterdam, September 30. Image via Getty]

Lonely Women Risk Heart Failure • Abortion Pill Has Not Increased Access

Katy Kelleher — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 18:00:00 EDT

• A recent study found that feeling lonely increases the risk of heart disease by 80% in women. Which means, if the tabloids are to be believed, that Jennifer Aniston has only about a month to live. • More »

HPV Vaccine Approved For Women In Developing Countries

Katy Kelleher — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:40:00 EDT

The World Health Organization has approved Cervarix, a second cervical cancer vaccine, made by GlaxoSmithKline. This will hopefully mean good things for women in developing countries. More »

Is Oprah Selling Snake Oil?

Anna North — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 15:20:00 EDT

Oprah responded yesterday to Newsweek's recent claim that her health advice is irresponsible, but the criticisms of her embrace of homeopathy and other non-scientifically proven cures keep coming. More »

Vaccine Shot Rubs Funnyman The Wrong Way

Anna Holmes — Mon, 18 May 2009 12:50:00 EDT

[Cannes, May 18. Image via Bauer-Griffin]

Doctor Lied About Vaccine Dangers

Anna North — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 11:40:00 EST

The vaccine-autism link just got even weaker, with news that the doctor who sparked fears about the MMR vaccine actually falsified his results. [TimesOnline] More »

Spike TV Makes Us Stabby • Woman Arrested For Streaking In IHOP

Katy Kelleher — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:30:00 EST

• The douche-y dudes at Spike have compiled a list of the top 7 "Butterbodies" (you can guess what that means). Their absurd roundup includes the impeccably gorgeous Salma Hayek. What are they smoking? • More »

Drugmaker Seeks FDA Approval For Gardasil For Males

Katy Kelleher — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 12:40:00 EST

Drugmaker Merck has asked the FDA to approve the Gardasil vaccine’s use for boys ages 9 to 26. For those who don’t know, Gardasil is a vaccine that protects against HPV and cervical cancer. More »

Measles Vaccine Does Not Cause Autism, Researchers Report

Jessica G. — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 09:30:00 EDT

When it comes to vaccinating children, pro-vaccine Amanda Peet has science on her side. Despite fellow star Jenny McCarthy's very public claims that vaccines contributed to her son's autism, a new study from Columbia University reports that there is no link between the measles vaccine and the disorder. Lead author on the study, epidemiologist W. Ian Lipkin, says, "We are confident that there is no link between [the measles vaccine] and autism." According to the WaPo, a previous 1998 study of only 12 children with autism, "suggested the onset of their behavioral abnormalities was linked to receiving the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine," but this has been thoroughly debunked by the new research. More »

According to news reports, the FDA will...

Jessica G. — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 12:45:00 EDT

According to news reports, the FDA will decide whether or not to extend the the administration of Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, to women ages 27-45, by this summer. Currently, Gardasil is only approved for use in women ages 9-26. A spokeswoman for Merck, the company that produces Gardasil, emphasized that the vaccine prevents four different strains of HPV, so even women who already have HPV can consider getting the Gardasil shots in order to prevent strains they do not have. The current HPV tests do not differentiate between the types of the virus. [Gardasil] More »

Gardisil For Guys: Will Boys Get It?

Jessica G. — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:30:00 EST

We were aware that Gardasil, the HPV vaccine, was being tested on men back in November when our Jezegay Ryan wrote about his experience as a guinea pig in a clinical study testing the vaccine on dudes. Penis-scraping and ass-poking aside, Ryan was overjoyed that he would be immunized against anal warts, and now it seems that by 2009, other males can feel the distinct thrill of being wart-resistant. But will males actually get the Garadsil shots, even if they're readily available? Except for the warts, straight men do not have to deal with the repercussions of HPV, which can cause cervical cancer in women. (In the United States, 3,700 women die from cervical cancer each year.) Over the weekend, the New York Times asked parents of tween boys if they would allow their children to be given Gardasil, and the results were a mixed bag. More »

Cervical Cancer Vaccine "Burns," But Genital Warts Burn More

Jessica G. — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 09:30:00 EST

Gardasil, the which helps prevent cervical cancer, is the subject of several complaints from the young women who have received it. "It burns!" whines 18-year-old Lauren Fant, and according to the AP, the burning is worse than with other kinds of shots. "Some teens say it's uncomfortable driving with or sleeping on the injected arm for up to a day after getting the shot." Many teens are also fainting after receiving Gardasil, but it's unclear whether they're passing out from nerves or the fear of needles as opposed to the relative sting of the vaccine. As someone who has received two out of the three prescribed Gardasil shots so far, I think these girls need to suck it up! Sure, my arm ached for a day or two following the shot, but it's a shot! Did these nancy adolescents think that it would be like sunshine and lollies flowing out of that syringe? More »

President Bush Still Controls Our Ovaries

Anna Holmes — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 17:15:32 EDT

Just a few hours after President Bush vetoed another bill in favor of stem-cell research, ABC News is reporting that women undergoing fertility treatments would be willing to donate their unused embryos to research if given the opportunity. [ABCNews]