Quackery Has Its Rewards

Last week I blogged about a number of either false or misleading statements made by Nancy Snyderman (pictured above) over the years regarding vaccines and infectious illnesses. I was embarrassed for her and thought others would be too. Yet one group, immunize.org, instead of distancing itself from her wild ramblings, has chosen instead to embrace and celebrate them. They thought it fitting to issue Nancy a letter of appreciation for deceiving parents

Here it is:

Letter of appreciation to Dr. Nancy Snyderman, MSNBC's Chief Medical Editor, who appeared on The Today Show to discuss the recent pertussis outbreak in California and the dangers of vaccine exemptors and how they put others around them at risk of disease outbreak as well.

July 29, 2010

To Dr. Snyderman and producers of The Today Show:

On behalf of the entire staff of the Immunization Action Coalition, ... I'd like to thank you for your vigorous advocacy of the power of vaccination to save lives, most recently in your appearance on yesterday's Today Show discussing the current pertussis spike concentrated in California.

The urgency you feel is palpable. We applaud your forthright and fearless condemnation of the false beliefs that lead people to reject vaccination. We wish that all medical correspondents discussed immunization issues with such clarity. It was particularly helpful that you mentioned pertussis vaccination is not just for children, but that adults also need booster doses to protect the infants and immune-compromised individuals around them.

No parent who saw your segment yesterday could fail to appreciate that vaccines are vital and that vaccine refusal is a life -threatening violation of the social compact. While we struggle to communicate this message effectively, you accomplished it with panache. Again, thank you for informing the public so powerfully about the deadly threat of pertussis.

With appreciation,

Lisa H. Randall, JD, MPH
Associate Executive Director


Why shower praise on such demonstrably false statements? Because immunize.org, funded by pharmaceutical companies and advised by Paul Offit,  is interested, not in truth or accuracy when dealing with parents. They're interested in one and one thing only: moving vaccine. Snyderman is simply a tool that can communicate all of the Machine's ridiculous talking points to a wide audience.

Ironically, when the vaccine pushers warn of the "misinformation" on the internet, they, to "protect" us, recommend credible sites from which to garner information. Immunize.org is a mainstay of those lists. So much for credibility.

Snyderman's letter of appreciation further demonstrates that those supporting vaccination are not independent agents all recognizing independently the value of the vaccination. They are instead cogs making up a single, and single-minded, entity: The Vaccine Machine.