Scientists are attacking food allergies in new and inventive ways, driven…
Virulent: The Vaccine War (48 min)
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
(Note: an 87 minute version of the film is also available)
VIRULENT: The Vaccine War explores the highly contentious, emotionally fraught firestorm surrounding vaccines, charting the collision between scientists and charlatans, truth and lies.
The filmmakers were on the homestretch of a documentary about vaccine hesitancy, which the World Health Organization had called one of the top ten threats to global health, when COVID-19 struck. The pandemic upended the world and spun the film into uncharted territory.
The vaccine controversy continues to cut across political, cultural, racial and socio-economic lines, engulfing doctors and patients as well as conspiracy theorists, opportunists looking to cash in and celebrities.
Public health experts’ worries that the coronavirus vaccine could create fear of all vaccines appear to have been borne out by the resurgence of previously eradicated childhood diseases including measles and pertussis. Doctors admit that they have not learned how to effectively communicate science to their patients, leaving them susceptible to social media which is expertly manipulated, always pushing toward the extremes, knocking facts aside and never flinching at the terrible cost in suffering these posts inflict.
VIRULENT looks at the ways in which minorities are targeted by anti-vaccine misinformation. This is especially true of Black communities which have paid a cruel and punishing price. Black Americans who contract COVID are one-and-a-half times likelier to die and five times likelier to be hospitalized than their white counterparts. The film examines the “Tuskegee Effect,” the collective memory of a notorious 40-year experiment in which 600 Black sharecroppers infected with syphilis received placebos rather than penicillin, and efforts by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the most prominent anti-vaccine activist, to disseminate bad science to African Americans who still hold his father in high esteem and have reason to distrust government and the medical establishment.
The film also tells the captivating tale of our country at its best, when Americans rolled up their sleeves and worked together to help Dr. Jonas Salk and the March of Dimes defeat polio, the most feared disease of the 20th century.
Taking us deep into these opposing worlds are Dr. Paul Offit, one of the world’s preeminent virologists and the project’s medical advisor; Dr. Peter Salk, Jonas Salk’s physician son; Arthur Caplan, PhD, who founded NYU’s Division of Bioethics and has written extensively about vaccines; New York Times columnist Kevin Roose, who writes about how bad science spreads online; NBC News reporter Brandy Zadrozny, who has exposed how anti-vaxxers target grieving parents and has herself become a target; high school senior Ethan Lindenberger, who made headlines when he had himself vaccinated against his parents’ wishes; and former vaccine skeptics including those who lost children to vaccine-preventable illnesses.
VIRULENT: The Vaccine War is an invitation to think again, exposing the myths and laying bare the facts about vaccine science, its history and what it will take to eradicate the world’s most deadly diseases.
"Informative as well as moving, and frankly quite a bit disturbing." Rob Palmer, Skeptical Inquirer
"Virulent: The Vaccine War shows us what the modern anti-vaccine movement looks like and pushes back with stories of its own...People need to see it." Jonathan Jarry, McGill Office for Science and Society
"This is a well-done portrait of the American anti-vaxx movement as it's developed over time...The personal stories offer food for compassion." Wendy M. Grossman, The Skeptic
"Virulent explores the history of vaccines and the perspectives of those who oppose them in light of the recent pandemic [including] that they cause autism (spoiler: they do not)." Hanna Webster, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"The anti-vaccine movement is more powerful than ever. To paraphrase Virulent, they have been practicing for just such a cataclysmic event [as COVID]. That's why we're happy to be holding a virtual screening...It is very good indeed." Dr. David Gorski, Managing Editor, Science-Based Medicine
"Carnegie Science Center was honored to feature the premiere of Virulent: The Vaccine War...There couldn't have been a better fit for our aspirations to serve as a town square for community dialogue on scientific topics and to showcase regional science and technology advances." Jason C. Brown, Director, Carnegie Science Center, Vice President, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
"Our coalition members were delighted to have the opportunity to view Virulent...The film was received with much enthusiasm with many urging more screenings to a wider audience." L.J. Tan, Chief Policy and Partnerships Officer, Immunize.org
"Virulent does such an effective job combatting vaccine skepticism on so many different fronts." Rob Owen, Trib Total Media
"We made the fortunate decision to host a showing of Virulent: The Vaccine War...Our attendees were deeply moved by the film and the thoroughness with which it addressed the current contention over vaccination, and it provided a strong point of discussion and motivation for the remaining work of our conference." Brian Abramson, Chairman of the first National Vaccine Law Conference, Arlington, VA
"What started as earnest parents with genuine questions about vaccines has morphed into a multimillion-dollar for-profit anti-vax industry that misinforms and endangers children. This documentary tells the story that needs to be told. The threat of infectious diseases is real and our children need vaccines to be healthy and thrive." Lynelle Phillips, Assistant Teaching Professor of Public Health, University of Missouri
"Students need to appreciate the stakes of the argument about vaccination, especially the way infectious disease has caused so much human suffering. We need to awaken these memories. The first movie that terrified me in the 1950s showed kids my age in iron lungs. I hope my grandchildren never have to see that. Perhaps Virulent will help." Jonathan Moreno, Professor of Medical Ethics and Health Policy, Professor of History and Sociology of Science, University of Pennsylvania
"I am astounded by how this documentary summarizes many years of scientific research on vaccine hesitancy into just one film. Virulent tells a compelling story about how vaccine hesitancy started, how it is disseminated, what drives the advocates of vaccine hesitancy, and how it affects the well-being of our society - all based on scientific research that has been validated through rigorous peer-review processes. It is not only informative and educational but also a fun film to share with our children, parents, and neighbors who still have lingering concerns about the safety of vaccines." Young Anna Argyris, Associate Professor of Media and Information, Michigan State University
"Virulent is timely and important. The COVID-19 pandemic made abundantly clear that public health depends as much on what people believe as it does on the state of medicine. Unfortunately, our country's deep, entrenched polarization over vaccines has only increased in the last few years. This documentary explores psychological, political, and medical insights into how and when people choose to vaccinate, and illuminates the role of the internet and social media in driving vaccine resistance. It is critical that we understand vaccine hesitancy, if we want to protect our children's future. Virulent helps us do that." Cailin O'Connor, Professor of Logic and Philosophy of Science, University of California-Irvine, Co-author, The Misinformation Age
Citation
Main credits
Greidanus, Tjardus (film director)
Greidanus, Tjardus (screenwriter)
Greidanus, Tjardus (film producer)
Davis, Laura (film producer)
Other credits
Cinematography, Tjardus Greidanus; music, Gary Lionelli.
Distributor subjects
No distributor subjects provided.Keywords
00:00:04.304 --> 00:00:07.040
-[ Woman speaking Spanish ]
00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:08.775
-[ Woman speaking
foreign language ]
00:00:08.775 --> 00:00:11.077
-[ Man speaking
foreign language ]
00:00:11.077 --> 00:00:13.680
-[ Man speaking German ]
...in Deutschland.
00:00:13.680 --> 00:00:15.115
-Hospitals overwhelmed,
00:00:15.115 --> 00:00:18.718
first responders sick
in extraordinary numbers.
00:00:18.718 --> 00:00:21.521
-Never in anybody's imagination,
in less than a year,
00:00:21.521 --> 00:00:24.691
you would actually have vaccine
going into somebody's arm.
00:00:24.691 --> 00:00:27.193
-I will not be injected
with something
00:00:27.193 --> 00:00:28.762
that you cannot prove is safe.
00:00:28.762 --> 00:00:30.897
What's the point to take
a vaccine
00:00:30.897 --> 00:00:32.732
if they're still gonna
make me wear a mask?
00:00:32.732 --> 00:00:34.234
-Bill Gates is trying
to kill us.
00:00:34.234 --> 00:00:35.635
-This is not communist China.
00:00:35.635 --> 00:00:37.404
This is not Cuba.
This is America.
00:00:37.404 --> 00:00:39.105
-Here I am recovering.
00:00:39.105 --> 00:00:41.608
Am I going to get a vaccine?
No.
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♪♪
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♪♪
00:00:55.555 --> 00:01:03.363 line:1
♪♪
00:01:03.363 --> 00:01:11.271 line:1
♪♪
00:01:11.271 --> 00:01:20.046 line:1
♪♪
00:01:20.046 --> 00:01:21.348
-I have a lot of patients
00:01:21.348 --> 00:01:23.383
that may be hesitant
about vaccines,
00:01:23.383 --> 00:01:25.985 line:1
but when the COVID-19
pandemic hit,
00:01:25.985 --> 00:01:28.955 line:1
it brings reality
and smacks you in the face.
00:01:28.955 --> 00:01:32.559
-[ Chanting indistinctly ]
00:01:32.559 --> 00:01:35.562
-Sadly, the anti-vaccine
community
00:01:35.562 --> 00:01:37.731
started to co-opt the pandemic
00:01:37.731 --> 00:01:40.834
and start spinning conspiracies
on a daily basis.
00:01:40.834 --> 00:01:42.635
-[ Yelling indistinctly ]
00:01:45.472 --> 00:01:49.142
-They have been fighting this
war for more than a decade.
00:01:49.142 --> 00:01:50.543
-...original sin.
00:01:50.543 --> 00:01:52.912
-There are established groups
with established leaders.
00:01:52.912 --> 00:01:55.181
There are established tactics
and strategies.
00:01:57.484 --> 00:02:00.020
And for them, COVID-19
has been the thing
00:02:00.020 --> 00:02:01.688
that they've been
practicing for --
00:02:01.688 --> 00:02:05.492 line:1
is a national conversation
about vaccine safety.
00:02:06.326 --> 00:02:09.629
-[ Chanting indistinctly ]
00:02:11.398 --> 00:02:13.900
-I got the worst horror stories.
00:02:13.900 --> 00:02:18.338
Kids going blind
or intellectually challenged.
00:02:18.338 --> 00:02:21.174
What if I vaccinated
my daughter Katie
00:02:21.174 --> 00:02:24.144
or my son Gabe
and something happened to them?
00:02:24.144 --> 00:02:26.179 line:1
And could I live with that?
00:02:28.915 --> 00:02:31.384
-People who don't vaccinate
love their children
00:02:31.384 --> 00:02:35.021
just as much as people
who do vaccinate.
00:02:35.021 --> 00:02:37.757
Parents who are becoming
more informed,
00:02:37.757 --> 00:02:42.062
us pesky millennials, want to
make a decision for ourselves,
00:02:42.062 --> 00:02:45.331 line:1
and now we're having to go up
against this medical system
00:02:45.331 --> 00:02:47.801 line:1
that is used
to just using authority,
00:02:47.801 --> 00:02:50.603 line:1
and we're not accepting that.
00:02:50.603 --> 00:02:53.973 line:1
-I think that the parents
should have a vote.
00:02:53.973 --> 00:02:55.842 line:1
Perhaps the vote.
00:02:55.842 --> 00:02:59.713 line:1
Don't tell me
how to treat your child.
00:02:59.713 --> 00:03:01.448 line:1
That's not the government's job.
00:03:04.551 --> 00:03:05.985
-There you go, baby.
00:03:05.985 --> 00:03:08.988
Do you want me to say, "Oh,
it's okay to delay your shot?
00:03:08.988 --> 00:03:12.092
Oh, it's okay to take that risk,
your kid getting
00:03:12.092 --> 00:03:15.428
one of these preventable types
of bacterial disease?"
00:03:15.428 --> 00:03:18.298 line:1
No, I don't think
that that's a good idea.
00:03:18.298 --> 00:03:22.635 line:1
♪♪
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-A major concern
00:03:23.937 --> 00:03:28.475
is the hindrance
to routine childhood vaccines.
00:03:28.475 --> 00:03:33.313
If a coronavirus vaccine
creates fear of all vaccines,
00:03:33.313 --> 00:03:35.749 line:1
then we could easily
see a resurgence
00:03:35.749 --> 00:03:37.450 line:1
of these childhood diseases.
00:03:39.853 --> 00:03:41.855
-Could polio come back
into this country?
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Do I think people
who are shedding polio virus
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could walk
into Los Angeles airport
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or LaGuardia airport
in New York? Yes.
00:03:48.328 --> 00:03:50.530
Do I think that could happen
with diphtheria? Sure.
00:03:50.530 --> 00:03:51.931
Do I think that it could happen
00:03:51.931 --> 00:03:54.534
with other rare,
contagious diseases? Sure.
00:03:54.534 --> 00:03:56.836 line:1
These bacteria and viruses
are out there.
00:03:56.836 --> 00:03:59.205 line:1
Let your guard down,
and they'll come back.
00:03:59.205 --> 00:04:01.007 line:1
-You should tell the truth
in this film.
00:04:01.007 --> 00:04:03.443 line:1
See if any of those guys
that you're talking to
00:04:03.443 --> 00:04:06.212 line:1
can defend themselves
against what I just told you?
00:04:06.212 --> 00:04:12.886 line:1
♪♪
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♪♪
00:04:24.064 --> 00:04:32.205 line:1
♪♪
00:04:32.205 --> 00:04:40.347 line:1
♪♪
00:04:40.347 --> 00:04:43.516
-There is no guilt like
the guilt of a mother.
00:04:43.516 --> 00:04:46.619
The mother feels
that every untoward event,
00:04:46.619 --> 00:04:48.288 line:1
whether it's a stubbed toe
00:04:48.288 --> 00:04:52.292 line:1
or difficulty acquiring math
concepts in the third grade,
00:04:52.292 --> 00:04:56.196 line:1
has to, in some way,
lead back to a deficiency
00:04:56.196 --> 00:04:58.765 line:1
in the child rearing
by that mother.
00:04:58.765 --> 00:05:01.301 line:1
-Just the idea of vaccines
seems totally crazy.
00:05:01.301 --> 00:05:03.503 line:1
I have three kids.
I take them to get vaccines
00:05:03.503 --> 00:05:06.039 line:1
and it's like, "You're going
to put that needle into my,
00:05:06.039 --> 00:05:08.041
like, sweet, little baby
who's perfectly healthy
00:05:08.041 --> 00:05:10.310
and you're going to shoot him
with part of the disease
00:05:10.310 --> 00:05:13.680
that we're hoping
that he won't get?"
00:05:13.680 --> 00:05:16.916
That is curious.
That's confusing.
00:05:16.916 --> 00:05:18.785
And to be vaccine hesitant,
00:05:18.785 --> 00:05:22.355
I think every parent
has felt a jolt of that.
00:05:22.355 --> 00:05:26.393
-Natural immunity
sounded really good.
00:05:26.393 --> 00:05:27.827
Why are we injecting things
00:05:27.827 --> 00:05:30.130
into our healthy,
beautiful, perfect babies
00:05:30.130 --> 00:05:32.932
that have just come
out of our bodies?
00:05:32.932 --> 00:05:34.601 line:1
If we say you want to do
what's natural
00:05:34.601 --> 00:05:36.269 line:1
for your baby, right?
00:05:36.269 --> 00:05:40.273 line:1
Well, how is injecting
these mysterious chemicals --
00:05:40.273 --> 00:05:43.276
How is that natural?
00:05:43.276 --> 00:05:45.912
-Disease absolutely is natural.
00:05:45.912 --> 00:05:49.015
In fact,
during the pre-antibiotic era,
00:05:49.015 --> 00:05:52.152
it was natural
that people would die
00:05:52.152 --> 00:05:55.055
as a consequence
of those natural processes.
00:05:55.055 --> 00:06:03.530 line:1
♪♪
00:06:03.530 --> 00:06:07.067 line:1
-Back in the earlier part
of last century,
00:06:07.067 --> 00:06:10.904 line:1
we were plagued
with infectious diseases.
00:06:10.904 --> 00:06:15.442 line:1
And when the first vaccine
against polio came along,
00:06:15.442 --> 00:06:18.044 line:1
there was a huge
lifting of fear.
00:06:18.044 --> 00:06:21.381
The whole country
had been behind that program,
00:06:21.381 --> 00:06:23.917
had contributed
to the March of Dimes.
00:06:23.917 --> 00:06:26.286
This was something
everyone wanted.
00:06:28.655 --> 00:06:31.324
-I was born in the year
of the release
00:06:31.324 --> 00:06:34.561
of the Salk vaccine -- 1955.
00:06:34.561 --> 00:06:36.996
And of course,
during that decade,
00:06:36.996 --> 00:06:40.266
we saw epidemics
of poliomyelitis
00:06:40.266 --> 00:06:43.336
that killed thousands
and crippled tens of thousands.
00:06:45.538 --> 00:06:49.209
Nobody can share with you
the experience of a child
00:06:49.209 --> 00:06:51.144
from a family
in the neighborhood
00:06:51.144 --> 00:06:54.414
who was a star athlete
and now cannot walk.
00:06:54.414 --> 00:06:56.883
Nobody can share that story
because it's a story
00:06:56.883 --> 00:07:00.687
that doesn't occur
in our country any longer.
00:07:00.687 --> 00:07:04.591
-1957, I was probably age 6.
00:07:04.591 --> 00:07:07.927
I was one of the last kids
to get polio
00:07:07.927 --> 00:07:11.831
before they really swept through
with vaccination.
00:07:11.831 --> 00:07:16.536
So that had a very searing
impact because it told me,
00:07:16.536 --> 00:07:18.071
if you're anti-vaccination,
00:07:18.071 --> 00:07:22.008 line:1
if you think that
it's too dangerous to vaccinate,
00:07:22.008 --> 00:07:24.511 line:1
you have no idea what it means
to live through
00:07:24.511 --> 00:07:29.983 line:1
a true, horrific pandemic
for children.
00:07:29.983 --> 00:07:31.918 line:1
-Mother Nature has been
trying to kill us
00:07:31.918 --> 00:07:34.087 line:1
ever since we crawled
out of the ocean onto land.
00:07:34.087 --> 00:07:36.289 line:1
I mean, the only reason
that we live 30 years longer now
00:07:36.289 --> 00:07:37.590 line:1
than we did 100 years ago
00:07:37.590 --> 00:07:42.162 line:1
is we have fought back
actively and hard.
00:07:42.162 --> 00:07:44.798 line:1
We eliminated smallpox --
a disease that's probably killed
00:07:44.798 --> 00:07:47.867 line:1
500 million people
in the world's history.
00:07:47.867 --> 00:07:50.870 line:1
Whooping cough would kill
8,000 children a year.
00:07:50.870 --> 00:07:55.041 line:1
Rubella or German measles would
cause 20,000 to 25,000 cases
00:07:55.041 --> 00:07:57.644 line:1
of birth defects every year.
00:07:57.644 --> 00:08:01.214 line:1
Pneumococcus would cause tens of
thousands of cases of pneumonia,
00:08:01.214 --> 00:08:03.450 line:1
meningitis,
bloodstream infection.
00:08:03.450 --> 00:08:06.119 line:1
So vaccines have saved
their lives
00:08:06.119 --> 00:08:08.088
and have allowed us
to live longer.
00:08:08.088 --> 00:08:11.358
The only reason, frankly,
that we now question them is
00:08:11.358 --> 00:08:12.692
because at some level,
00:08:12.692 --> 00:08:16.029
vaccines have been a victim
of their own success.
00:08:16.029 --> 00:08:18.998
-Just as you had families
line up to receive
00:08:18.998 --> 00:08:23.103
Jonas Salk's vaccine
in areas of Central Africa,
00:08:23.103 --> 00:08:25.839
people are lining up
for experimental vaccines
00:08:25.839 --> 00:08:28.508
against Ebola
because between 10% and 40%
00:08:28.508 --> 00:08:30.977
of people with the Ebola virus
are gonna die.
00:08:32.512 --> 00:08:34.047
-Until this pandemic happened,
00:08:34.047 --> 00:08:37.450
most Americans don't have
that level of experience
00:08:37.450 --> 00:08:40.687
with lots of people dying.
00:08:40.687 --> 00:08:42.889
In Africa, they're not gonna
hesitate about that
00:08:42.889 --> 00:08:44.290 line:1
because they know what death is.
00:08:44.290 --> 00:08:48.228 line:1
They see death
knocking on the door too often.
00:08:48.228 --> 00:08:50.363
-You can put those
who are hesitant
00:08:50.363 --> 00:08:51.598
to get vaccines
into two groups.
00:08:51.598 --> 00:08:53.667
I think one I would call
vaccine-hesitant parents,
00:08:53.667 --> 00:08:55.502
which is to say
they smell the smoke.
00:08:55.502 --> 00:08:57.404
They want to know
whether there's any fire there
00:08:57.404 --> 00:09:00.206
and you can convince them
to vaccinate their children.
00:09:00.206 --> 00:09:02.008
You find out
what their issue is,
00:09:02.008 --> 00:09:03.309
and then in a compassionate
and passionate
00:09:03.309 --> 00:09:05.779
and compelling way,
try and frame the science
00:09:05.779 --> 00:09:08.915
so that it's understandable
and hopefully calms their fears.
00:09:08.915 --> 00:09:10.583
The second group --
and I think it's much smaller,
00:09:10.583 --> 00:09:11.951
much, much smaller component --
00:09:11.951 --> 00:09:14.387
is what I would call
an anti-vaccine activist,
00:09:14.387 --> 00:09:15.855
which is to say
conspiracy theorists
00:09:15.855 --> 00:09:17.457
who just believe
that there are forces out there
00:09:17.457 --> 00:09:19.359
that mean to do them harm.
00:09:19.359 --> 00:09:22.095
And they're not going to believe
anything that you say.
00:09:24.297 --> 00:09:27.000
I don't think they're --
they're -- they're lying.
00:09:27.000 --> 00:09:28.335
I think that they believe
00:09:28.335 --> 00:09:31.204
that their child was
permanently harmed by a vaccine.
00:09:31.204 --> 00:09:38.345 line:1
♪♪
00:09:38.345 --> 00:09:45.452 line:1
♪♪
00:09:45.452 --> 00:09:48.321
-I can't imagine the grief
that a mother goes through.
00:09:48.321 --> 00:09:50.757
And I imagine that
there are lots of ways
00:09:50.757 --> 00:09:53.693
that that grief can play out,
right?
00:09:53.693 --> 00:09:57.797
And blaming yourself
or blaming someone else.
00:09:57.797 --> 00:10:01.067
-I know a lot of people who feel
that their children
00:10:01.067 --> 00:10:02.669
were vaccine-injured.
00:10:02.669 --> 00:10:05.071
So it's more than believable
00:10:05.071 --> 00:10:08.608
that a parent would
really dig their heels in
00:10:08.608 --> 00:10:11.144
because they would have to admit
to being wrong
00:10:11.144 --> 00:10:13.580
and potentially have put
their children,
00:10:13.580 --> 00:10:15.815
who I absolutely believe
that they love,
00:10:15.815 --> 00:10:18.184
in very real danger.
00:10:20.453 --> 00:10:26.359 line:1
-We as humans are wired
for threat, for risk.
00:10:29.195 --> 00:10:30.430
It's how we've survived.
00:10:30.430 --> 00:10:33.299
It's how we've thrived
as a species.
00:10:33.299 --> 00:10:37.570 line:1
♪♪
00:10:37.570 --> 00:10:39.572
So for a parent to be concerned
00:10:39.572 --> 00:10:42.876
because they're seeing this pop
up all over the Internet,
00:10:42.876 --> 00:10:46.246
I don't fault them
for asking questions.
00:10:46.246 --> 00:10:48.481
-One of the interesting
developments
00:10:48.481 --> 00:10:50.116
in watching social media
00:10:50.116 --> 00:10:53.820
is we're losing that
to the anti-vaccine side,
00:10:53.820 --> 00:10:57.223 line:1
which makes a point
of handling those outlets
00:10:57.223 --> 00:10:59.726 line:1
and using them
to their advantage.
00:10:59.726 --> 00:11:05.198 line:1
♪♪
00:11:05.198 --> 00:11:10.737 line:1
♪♪
00:11:10.737 --> 00:11:14.808
-Unfortunately, the Internet
and more so, social media
00:11:14.808 --> 00:11:19.079
has given a platform
to misinformation about vaccines
00:11:19.079 --> 00:11:21.214
and the diseases they prevent.
00:11:21.214 --> 00:11:22.882
Many of the leaders
of the movement
00:11:22.882 --> 00:11:24.584
profit from the movement itself,
00:11:24.584 --> 00:11:26.686
so it's a business model
for them.
00:11:26.686 --> 00:11:30.757 line:1
And of course, the algorithms
drive people to the extremes.
00:11:30.757 --> 00:11:36.029 line:1
♪♪
00:11:36.029 --> 00:11:38.965 line:1
-There's so much noise.
00:11:38.965 --> 00:11:43.303 line:1
You have to ask the question,
"What is the denominator?"
00:11:43.303 --> 00:11:47.140 line:1
There's that emotional part
that influences our decisions.
00:11:47.140 --> 00:11:52.979 line:1
So when I look at those sites
and I get scared.
00:11:52.979 --> 00:11:56.016
-But it is increasingly clear
to this reporter...
00:11:56.016 --> 00:12:00.453
-There was a time where there
were established gatekeepers
00:12:00.453 --> 00:12:03.990
that most people
turned to for information.
00:12:03.990 --> 00:12:07.060 line:1
And now we're sort of all
in this era where we are
00:12:07.060 --> 00:12:08.962 line:1
trying to assemble our own truth
00:12:08.962 --> 00:12:11.965 line:1
rather than having it
handed to us.
00:12:11.965 --> 00:12:13.500
-It's the world we live in,
right?
00:12:13.500 --> 00:12:15.035
I mean, everybody has a screen
in front of them.
00:12:15.035 --> 00:12:19.439
So as billions and billions of
conversations now become online,
00:12:19.439 --> 00:12:21.141
they start getting funneled
00:12:21.141 --> 00:12:25.111
into relatively few,
precious communication tubes --
00:12:25.111 --> 00:12:27.614
Google, YouTube, Facebook.
00:12:27.614 --> 00:12:30.283
And then they become
easily manipulated.
00:12:30.283 --> 00:12:31.818
Let's monetize it
because it's clickbait
00:12:31.818 --> 00:12:33.987
by they themselves
serving up disinformation
00:12:33.987 --> 00:12:38.258
preferentially to your searches.
00:12:38.258 --> 00:12:41.227
-These anti-vaccine activists
00:12:41.227 --> 00:12:44.097
would go into a group
for new parents
00:12:44.097 --> 00:12:46.666
or they would go into a group
of Tea Party Patriots
00:12:46.666 --> 00:12:47.967 line:1
or a QAnon group, and they would
00:12:47.967 --> 00:12:50.870 line:1
start seeding their messaging
in there,
00:12:50.870 --> 00:12:53.139
each time, sort of calibrating
the message to the community
00:12:53.139 --> 00:12:54.841
they were trying to reach.
00:12:59.079 --> 00:13:01.715 line:1
-The anti-vaxxers,
they're able to make these
00:13:01.715 --> 00:13:05.885 line:1
really strong, emotional appeals
00:13:05.885 --> 00:13:08.521 line:1
and it is very hard
to counter that.
00:13:10.523 --> 00:13:14.127
Once a really scary thought
takes hold,
00:13:14.127 --> 00:13:18.298
it is really hard
to dislodge it.
00:13:18.298 --> 00:13:22.068 line:1
♪♪
00:13:22.068 --> 00:13:27.340 line:1
♪♪
00:13:27.340 --> 00:13:30.143
-The anti-vaccine camp --
00:13:30.143 --> 00:13:32.145
They come from
two schools of thought.
00:13:32.145 --> 00:13:34.948
Liberty or purity, right?
00:13:34.948 --> 00:13:37.550
Liberty -- "You can't tell me
what to do with my body
00:13:37.550 --> 00:13:38.752
or my child's body."
00:13:38.752 --> 00:13:40.520
Or purity -- "I don't want
00:13:40.520 --> 00:13:45.191
toxins and chemicals
injected into my child."
00:13:45.191 --> 00:13:48.528 line:1
-I'm on the side of parents
taking care of their children
00:13:48.528 --> 00:13:52.966 line:1
and not having the government
dictate how you should
00:13:52.966 --> 00:13:55.669 line:1
raise your children.
00:13:55.669 --> 00:13:59.272
How dare you say that I don't
know what's best for my kids.
00:13:59.272 --> 00:14:01.808
-I love the bird.
00:14:01.808 --> 00:14:04.778
In my journey
to being a birth worker,
00:14:04.778 --> 00:14:07.113
many of us in this community
00:14:07.113 --> 00:14:10.016
fell more toward
the naturalist side
00:14:10.016 --> 00:14:13.019
that giving a vaccine
is unnatural.
00:14:13.019 --> 00:14:17.057
When you get these
convincing memes and articles,
00:14:17.057 --> 00:14:19.459
it was confirmation bias
00:14:19.459 --> 00:14:22.028
that the medical community
is not trustworthy
00:14:22.028 --> 00:14:25.298 line:1
and we're just gonna throw
the baby out with the bath water
00:14:25.298 --> 00:14:27.167 line:1
and throw out vaccines
along with the other things
00:14:27.167 --> 00:14:29.636 line:1
that we were pushing against.
00:14:29.636 --> 00:14:31.638
-And then there's
this conspiracy branch.
00:14:31.638 --> 00:14:33.640
And for these people,
the story of vaccines
00:14:33.640 --> 00:14:37.110
is about these global elites
who are trying to control
00:14:37.110 --> 00:14:40.513
the population
through things like microchips,
00:14:40.513 --> 00:14:42.849
through things
like 5G connectivity,
00:14:42.849 --> 00:14:45.685
and now they say
through vaccines.
00:14:47.020 --> 00:14:51.858 line:1
-I think long ago, there were
families that figured out a way
00:14:51.858 --> 00:14:56.363 line:1
to control the United States.
00:14:56.363 --> 00:14:59.566
A section of Jews.
00:14:59.566 --> 00:15:03.803
Maybe they would
fall more into, like, cabal.
00:15:03.803 --> 00:15:06.239
I don't think all Jews.
00:15:06.239 --> 00:15:10.510
I just hope that
the people band together
00:15:10.510 --> 00:15:12.712
and take our freedoms back,
00:15:12.712 --> 00:15:15.148
because that's, to me,
what's at stake here.
00:15:15.148 --> 00:15:18.518
Way more than vaccinations
or viruses or politics.
00:15:18.518 --> 00:15:21.955
It's about freedom
and freedom of choice.
00:15:21.955 --> 00:15:25.091 line:1
-[ Chanting indistinctly ]
00:15:25.091 --> 00:15:26.459 line:1
-The anti-vaccine movement --
00:15:26.459 --> 00:15:28.495 line:1
They are a movement
and you belong to a movement.
00:15:28.495 --> 00:15:31.264
And it's good to build up
a kind of values,
00:15:31.264 --> 00:15:32.966
momentum that makes you feel
00:15:32.966 --> 00:15:35.468
like you belong
to something important.
00:15:35.468 --> 00:15:37.203
And there is a sense that,
00:15:37.203 --> 00:15:39.239
you know,
you're the persecuted minority.
00:15:39.239 --> 00:15:42.308
You're the group that really
isn't being listened to,
00:15:42.308 --> 00:15:44.944
despite the value
of your message.
00:15:44.944 --> 00:15:48.348
-A lot of family members
believed this way.
00:15:48.348 --> 00:15:52.385
So just the solid numbers of,
00:15:52.385 --> 00:15:55.188
"Oh, you guys are doing
the right thing."
00:15:55.188 --> 00:15:56.890
It's very culty, you know.
00:15:56.890 --> 00:16:00.226
By someone telling you
you're doing the right thing,
00:16:00.226 --> 00:16:03.296
we felt like we were doing
the right thing.
00:16:03.296 --> 00:16:06.199
And so we knew
and others didn't know.
00:16:06.199 --> 00:16:08.635
And aren't we smart?
00:16:08.635 --> 00:16:10.670 line:1
-I think for one side
of that -- that coin,
00:16:10.670 --> 00:16:12.472 line:1
you have to point out
misinformed people
00:16:12.472 --> 00:16:16.843 line:1
as empathetic and victims
of just misinformation.
00:16:16.843 --> 00:16:18.812
So my mom -- her love, affection
and care as a mother
00:16:18.812 --> 00:16:21.948
was really weaponized.
00:16:21.948 --> 00:16:24.984
I grew up understanding
that we were not vaccinated.
00:16:24.984 --> 00:16:26.953
The ideas presented were
the vaccines are very dangerous.
00:16:26.953 --> 00:16:29.422
They can cause autism
and cause brain damage.
00:16:29.422 --> 00:16:31.791
But later on,
once I became 13, 14, 15,
00:16:31.791 --> 00:16:33.226
and I saw online
00:16:33.226 --> 00:16:35.395
that there were a lot of people
disagreed with my mom,
00:16:35.395 --> 00:16:37.797
those questions of seeing
a different perspective
00:16:37.797 --> 00:16:41.001
really sort of slowly build
towards a distrust
00:16:41.001 --> 00:16:42.669
in what my mom was saying.
00:16:42.669 --> 00:16:44.704
I just spoke to my mother.
00:16:44.704 --> 00:16:46.439
"These are the reasons
I need to get my vaccines.
00:16:46.439 --> 00:16:48.942
I don't think you're correct
with the information you have.
00:16:48.942 --> 00:16:50.710
And the medical
community disagrees"
00:16:50.710 --> 00:16:52.479
and went from there
to the public health department
00:16:52.479 --> 00:16:54.014
and got immunizations.
00:16:54.014 --> 00:16:55.682
-I think we're compelled
by anecdotes.
00:16:55.682 --> 00:16:57.083 line:1
I think that it's hard
00:16:57.083 --> 00:16:59.986 line:1
to argue against anecdote
with statistics.
00:16:59.986 --> 00:17:01.688 line:1
So, for example,
there are people
00:17:01.688 --> 00:17:03.890 line:1
who have reported
that a child got a vaccine
00:17:03.890 --> 00:17:05.859 line:1
and turned into
the Incredible Hulk.
00:17:05.859 --> 00:17:08.128 line:1
-[ Yells ]
00:17:08.128 --> 00:17:09.763 line:1
-Anybody can report anything.
00:17:09.763 --> 00:17:11.698 line:1
So that's what you're always
arguing against. It's hard.
00:17:11.698 --> 00:17:13.900
I mean, it's hard
to make statistics
00:17:13.900 --> 00:17:16.736
compelling and passionate
and compassionate and fun
00:17:16.736 --> 00:17:19.606
and convincing...
-[ Roars ]
00:17:19.606 --> 00:17:20.774
-...when people believe
00:17:20.774 --> 00:17:22.776
that their coincidental
experiences
00:17:22.776 --> 00:17:24.611
are causal experience.
00:17:24.611 --> 00:17:26.913
-A conspiracy needs
a good enemy.
00:17:26.913 --> 00:17:29.382
Big Pharma.
It sounds really scary.
00:17:29.382 --> 00:17:32.786
However, it's not true.
00:17:32.786 --> 00:17:34.120
If they didn't make them
tomorrow,
00:17:34.120 --> 00:17:36.923
I'm sure that they would
all be just fine.
00:17:36.923 --> 00:17:38.692 line:1
-If you were looking to make
a lot of money
00:17:38.692 --> 00:17:40.260 line:1
and make a lot of profit,
00:17:40.260 --> 00:17:43.229 line:1
vaccines would be
the last place you would look.
00:17:43.229 --> 00:17:47.634 line:1
You would look to Viagra
or drugs for chronic conditions
00:17:47.634 --> 00:17:49.169 line:1
like high blood pressure
and diabetes.
00:17:49.169 --> 00:17:52.105 line:1
-Ask your doctor
about Trulicity.
00:17:52.105 --> 00:17:54.574
-I don't need any conspiracy
00:17:54.574 --> 00:17:57.043
to create job security
for infectious diseases.
00:17:57.043 --> 00:18:00.080
Nature and the world
create that just fine.
00:18:00.080 --> 00:18:02.882
-Yeah. I don't think
any scientist goes into the lab
00:18:02.882 --> 00:18:06.619
thinking, "This is my way
to sort of get rich."
00:18:06.619 --> 00:18:08.421
I mean, I was fortunate
to work with the team
00:18:08.421 --> 00:18:10.156
at Children's Hospital
Philadelphia
00:18:10.156 --> 00:18:12.158
that created
the rotavirus vaccine.
00:18:12.158 --> 00:18:13.460
Rotavirus in this country --
00:18:13.460 --> 00:18:15.895
it would cause
75,000 hospital admissions
00:18:15.895 --> 00:18:18.698
due to dehydration
and 60 deaths.
00:18:18.698 --> 00:18:21.501
In the world, it causes
2,000 children to die a day.
00:18:21.501 --> 00:18:22.969
The fact that we made
that vaccine
00:18:22.969 --> 00:18:24.337
is the professional
accomplishment
00:18:24.337 --> 00:18:26.773
of which I am most proud.
00:18:26.773 --> 00:18:28.375
It was a 25-year effort
00:18:28.375 --> 00:18:30.510
from which to some extent
I financially benefited,
00:18:30.510 --> 00:18:32.612
but I didn't spend
seven days a week
00:18:32.612 --> 00:18:34.748
in a windowless room
inoculating mice,
00:18:34.748 --> 00:18:36.116
figuring, "If I can
just figure out
00:18:36.116 --> 00:18:38.351
which of these
two viral surface proteins
00:18:38.351 --> 00:18:39.819
evoke neutralizing antibodies,
00:18:39.819 --> 00:18:41.821
I can be rich beyond
my wildest dreams."
00:18:41.821 --> 00:18:45.091
I don't think any reasonable
person does that.
00:18:45.091 --> 00:18:49.162
But I think we've reached an
unfortunate time in our society
00:18:49.162 --> 00:18:51.998
where we vilify expertise
and anybody
00:18:51.998 --> 00:18:54.300
who has any connection
to something that's commercial,
00:18:54.300 --> 00:18:57.303
which is sad because
when vaccines get developed,
00:18:57.303 --> 00:19:00.774
only pharmaceutical companies
have the resources and expertise
00:19:00.774 --> 00:19:02.375
to do the development.
00:19:02.375 --> 00:19:08.214 line:1
♪♪
00:19:08.214 --> 00:19:11.818
-I think that vaccine hesitancy
or reluctance
00:19:11.818 --> 00:19:14.754
has always been there.
00:19:14.754 --> 00:19:18.458 line:1
But the modern
anti-vaccine movement
00:19:18.458 --> 00:19:22.495 line:1
usually goes back to
Andrew Wakefield in the 1990s.
00:19:22.495 --> 00:19:26.099 line:1
♪♪
00:19:26.099 --> 00:19:29.069
-Andrew Wakefield,
who lost his license,
00:19:29.069 --> 00:19:32.272
was paid over half a million
dollars to fake a study
00:19:32.272 --> 00:19:35.342 line:1
and then raised
more money to sell
00:19:35.342 --> 00:19:37.143 line:1
his own version
of the measles vaccine
00:19:37.143 --> 00:19:39.512 line:1
is doing quite handsomely.
00:19:39.512 --> 00:19:42.916
He's giving lectures to people,
spreading misinformation.
00:19:42.916 --> 00:19:45.585
In fact, he seemed to be
at least partially responsible
00:19:45.585 --> 00:19:49.356
for the outbreak in Minnesota
in the Somali community.
00:19:50.824 --> 00:19:54.594
-In 1998, Andrew Wakefield
and 12 other co-workers
00:19:54.594 --> 00:19:56.930
published a paper in
a well-respected medical journal
00:19:56.930 --> 00:19:58.398
called "The Lancet,"
00:19:58.398 --> 00:20:01.067
and he made
the following arguments
00:20:01.067 --> 00:20:04.771
that when children got the
measles, mumps, rubella vaccine,
00:20:04.771 --> 00:20:07.073
they could get autism
for this reason --
00:20:07.073 --> 00:20:09.509
that because the vaccine
was given in combination,
00:20:09.509 --> 00:20:13.146
that that somehow weakened
the immune system.
00:20:13.146 --> 00:20:17.083
He just proposed a series
of sort of wild speculations
00:20:17.083 --> 00:20:19.252
for which he had no evidence.
00:20:21.855 --> 00:20:23.990
This was a testable hypothesis.
00:20:23.990 --> 00:20:27.160
It's been tested now
in 18 different studies
00:20:27.160 --> 00:20:29.462
in seven different countries,
on three different continents,
00:20:29.462 --> 00:20:31.031
involving hundreds
of thousands of children
00:20:31.031 --> 00:20:33.466
who either did
or didn't get that vaccine.
00:20:33.466 --> 00:20:34.968
And what you found is that
00:20:34.968 --> 00:20:36.970
there is no difference
in the incidence of autism
00:20:36.970 --> 00:20:39.639
between those who did
or didn't get the vaccine.
00:20:39.639 --> 00:20:41.007
And so the question
has been answered.
00:20:41.007 --> 00:20:44.344
And most parents of children
with autism believe that.
00:20:44.344 --> 00:20:45.645
-Breaking news tonight.
00:20:45.645 --> 00:20:47.781 line:1
Just hours ago, the British
medical journal "BMJ"
00:20:47.781 --> 00:20:51.117 line:1
did something extremely rare
for a scientific journal.
00:20:51.117 --> 00:20:53.153 line:1
It accused a researcher,
Andrew Wakefield,
00:20:53.153 --> 00:20:54.788 line:1
of outright fraud.
00:20:54.788 --> 00:20:58.591 line:1
-If you read the record
that I have set out in the book,
00:20:58.591 --> 00:21:00.326 line:1
you will see the truth.
00:21:00.326 --> 00:21:02.529 line:1
-But, sir, if you're lying,
then your book is also a lie.
00:21:02.529 --> 00:21:04.531
If your study is a lie,
your book is a lie.
00:21:04.531 --> 00:21:07.334
-He had already received
$800,000 or $1,000,000
00:21:07.334 --> 00:21:08.435
to try and find a link.
00:21:08.435 --> 00:21:09.836
Five years before,
00:21:09.836 --> 00:21:11.671
he was trying to link
vaccines to Crohn's disease.
00:21:11.671 --> 00:21:14.174
I mean, there was all this
fraudulent science behind it.
00:21:14.174 --> 00:21:16.076
So when people start pointing
to, you know,
00:21:16.076 --> 00:21:17.510
cherry picking
a little bit of science
00:21:17.510 --> 00:21:20.313
and a lot of disinformation,
trying to build a case,
00:21:20.313 --> 00:21:22.449
I say,
"Go back to the scientists
00:21:22.449 --> 00:21:25.752
and the people that really have
true data and statistics
00:21:25.752 --> 00:21:27.120
to guide what we do."
00:21:27.120 --> 00:21:31.024
-The allegations against me
and against my colleagues
00:21:31.024 --> 00:21:34.461
are both unfounded and unjust.
00:21:34.461 --> 00:21:37.464
I repeat, unfounded and unjust.
00:21:37.464 --> 00:21:39.399
-All the evidence to date
points to the notion
00:21:39.399 --> 00:21:41.901
that autism
is a genetic disorder
00:21:41.901 --> 00:21:43.470
and that if you're autistic
at 5,
00:21:43.470 --> 00:21:45.972
you're autistic at 2, you're
autistic when you're born.
00:21:45.972 --> 00:21:49.109
But it's not unusual
when a disease doesn't have
00:21:49.109 --> 00:21:51.978
an obvious cause or a cure
that it could be subject
00:21:51.978 --> 00:21:54.414
to a lot of charlatan-ism
and quackery.
00:21:54.414 --> 00:21:56.483
And that's true with a disease
like autism,
00:21:56.483 --> 00:21:58.518
where you see people
that subject themselves
00:21:58.518 --> 00:22:02.088
to elimination diets
or to baths and magnetic clay
00:22:02.088 --> 00:22:05.625
or to stem-cell transplantation
or to chelation therapy,
00:22:05.625 --> 00:22:08.261
all of which, you know, doctors
are perfectly willing to do
00:22:08.261 --> 00:22:11.097
and to be paid for out
of pocket, taking advantage,
00:22:11.097 --> 00:22:13.566
I think, of the parents'
desperate desire
00:22:13.566 --> 00:22:16.636
to do something
to make their child better.
00:22:16.636 --> 00:22:21.541 line:1
-It's such
a life-altering thing
00:22:21.541 --> 00:22:23.176 line:1
when you have
a special-needs child.
00:22:23.176 --> 00:22:26.012 line:1
It really is.
Just your life is altered.
00:22:26.012 --> 00:22:28.448
And I think parents just need
to have an understanding
00:22:28.448 --> 00:22:30.216
as to why.
00:22:30.216 --> 00:22:31.785
"Why is my child like this?"
00:22:31.785 --> 00:22:33.353
That was really ridiculous.
00:22:33.353 --> 00:22:36.256
You have this special bond,
00:22:36.256 --> 00:22:38.792
and then something
is not right with them.
00:22:38.792 --> 00:22:44.664
And what's kind of cruel is,
is it really unfolds
00:22:44.664 --> 00:22:47.500
in really the worst possible way
00:22:47.500 --> 00:22:49.769
because it's kind
of a slow burn.
00:22:49.769 --> 00:22:52.238
You know, other kids
are hitting milestones
00:22:52.238 --> 00:22:54.174
and your kid may not be
hitting milestones.
00:22:54.174 --> 00:22:56.176
And then finally
they get the diagnosis.
00:22:56.176 --> 00:22:58.244
And it just is, it's painful.
00:22:58.244 --> 00:22:59.546
-Go get 'em.
00:22:59.546 --> 00:23:03.316
-So I can understand
why parents want to know why.
00:23:03.316 --> 00:23:06.152
Like, "Why?
"Why -- Why me? Why us?"
00:23:06.152 --> 00:23:08.788
-Autism is typically first
recognized between one
00:23:08.788 --> 00:23:10.990
and two years of age,
and that's around the time
00:23:10.990 --> 00:23:12.659
that you're getting
a number of vaccines.
00:23:12.659 --> 00:23:14.728
So it's very easy
to make that association.
00:23:14.728 --> 00:23:16.896 line:1
I mean, you know,
the rooster crows,
00:23:16.896 --> 00:23:19.265 line:1
the sun comes up, the rooster
crows, the sun comes up.
00:23:19.265 --> 00:23:21.935 line:1
Is the rooster causing
the sun to come up?
00:23:21.935 --> 00:23:23.970 line:1
If you don't allow
the rooster to crow,
00:23:23.970 --> 00:23:26.172 line:1
will the sun still come up?
Yes.
00:23:26.172 --> 00:23:28.308 line:1
If you don't give people
MMR vaccine,
00:23:28.308 --> 00:23:30.410 line:1
will they still have
the same incidence of autism?
00:23:30.410 --> 00:23:31.611 line:1
Yes.
00:23:31.611 --> 00:23:34.214 line:1
-We do not know
what causes autism.
00:23:34.214 --> 00:23:36.316 line:1
We do not know.
00:23:36.316 --> 00:23:38.084 line:1
Now, to make the claim
00:23:38.084 --> 00:23:42.689 line:1
that vaccines
may cause autism is false.
00:23:42.689 --> 00:23:47.260
That is a false claim because
that very specific question
00:23:47.260 --> 00:23:50.530
has been answered
through very large,
00:23:50.530 --> 00:23:54.134
carefully conducted studies
of hundreds of thousands
00:23:54.134 --> 00:23:55.902
of children
throughout the world.
00:23:55.902 --> 00:24:00.740
And no link between vaccines
and autism has been established.
00:24:00.740 --> 00:24:01.975
-Science isn't politics.
00:24:01.975 --> 00:24:03.977
It's not philosophy,
it's not religion.
00:24:03.977 --> 00:24:05.278
There's not two sides.
00:24:05.278 --> 00:24:07.313
There's really,
as the truth emerges,
00:24:07.313 --> 00:24:09.649
only one side.
00:24:09.649 --> 00:24:11.051
-[ Chanting indistinctly ]
00:24:11.051 --> 00:24:14.254
-But that story has been
taken hostage by a group
00:24:14.254 --> 00:24:17.323
of people who believe that
vaccines are the cause.
00:24:17.323 --> 00:24:20.727 line:1
I think the media allows for
and lawyers enable
00:24:20.727 --> 00:24:24.264 line:1
and I think politicians
enable small splinter groups
00:24:24.264 --> 00:24:26.066 line:1
to become very powerful
00:24:26.066 --> 00:24:28.802 line:1
and the only groups
that you hear from.
00:24:28.802 --> 00:24:30.904 line:1
-We're two decades down the road
00:24:30.904 --> 00:24:34.574 line:1
from when Wakefield
unleashed his conspiracy.
00:24:34.574 --> 00:24:36.576
And even though all the other
scientists on that paper
00:24:36.576 --> 00:24:38.011
said the data wasn't true,
00:24:38.011 --> 00:24:40.347
there have been multiple studies
that have tried to repeat it,
00:24:40.347 --> 00:24:43.416
he lost his license,
he's completely discredited...
00:24:45.685 --> 00:24:47.554
...and two decades later,
people will still say,
00:24:47.554 --> 00:24:50.190
"But what about vaccines
and autism?"
00:24:50.190 --> 00:24:51.624
-What other thing?
00:24:51.624 --> 00:24:55.462
There were 13 authors on that
paper and 8 study subjects.
00:24:55.462 --> 00:24:57.497
Just as a tip
to future epidemiologists,
00:24:57.497 --> 00:25:00.767
you should always have more
study subjects than authors.
00:25:02.635 --> 00:25:05.438
-Then a lot of individuals
that are really big leaders
00:25:05.438 --> 00:25:07.040
in the anti-vax world.
00:25:07.040 --> 00:25:10.043
You can talk about Del Bigtree,
Kennedy Jr.,
00:25:10.043 --> 00:25:12.545
even celebrities like Robert
De Niro and Jenny McCarthy.
00:25:12.545 --> 00:25:16.082 line:1
And all of them have such a big
sway and influence
00:25:16.082 --> 00:25:18.585 line:1
over this world
of the anti-vaxxing community.
00:25:20.253 --> 00:25:23.723 line:1
-Tonight, exclusive Jim Carrey
and Jenny McCarthy,
00:25:23.723 --> 00:25:26.059 line:1
partners in life
and partners in the search
00:25:26.059 --> 00:25:27.727 line:1
for answers to autism.
00:25:27.727 --> 00:25:30.497 line:1
Isn't the problem here, Jenny,
that people
00:25:30.497 --> 00:25:33.366
are gonna panic
and not vaccine at all?
00:25:33.366 --> 00:25:35.468
-Probably.
00:25:35.468 --> 00:25:38.071
But guess what?
It's not my fault.
00:25:38.071 --> 00:25:39.739
The reason why
they're not vaccinating
00:25:39.739 --> 00:25:42.409
is because the vaccines
are not safe.
00:25:42.409 --> 00:25:46.112
-Jenny McCarthy really
brought us to this moment.
00:25:46.112 --> 00:25:49.649
She was the first
to have a platform
00:25:49.649 --> 00:25:53.319
and say, "My child was hurt
by vaccines,"
00:25:53.319 --> 00:25:55.789
and you don't want to go up
against a mother
00:25:55.789 --> 00:25:57.424
who thinks that her child
was hurt by vaccines.
00:25:57.424 --> 00:26:00.627 line:1
Like, who are you? You're
automatically the bad guy.
00:26:00.627 --> 00:26:03.863
-What we are saying is that
the number of vaccines given
00:26:03.863 --> 00:26:07.000
and the ingredients,
like the freaking mercury...
00:26:07.000 --> 00:26:10.637
-Expertise is no match
for a good story
00:26:10.637 --> 00:26:15.075
told by a beautiful,
articulate, blond bombshell,
00:26:15.075 --> 00:26:16.910
who is giving you this message.
00:26:16.910 --> 00:26:21.147
-My science is named Evan
and he's at home.
00:26:21.147 --> 00:26:22.782
That's my son.
[ Cheers and applause ]
00:26:22.782 --> 00:26:24.184
-Here's one thing, Jenny.
00:26:24.184 --> 00:26:25.885
And you know
I've got an open mind.
00:26:25.885 --> 00:26:28.588
For people to stop
vaccinating --
00:26:28.588 --> 00:26:31.725
Because we'll start seeing kids
die of polio again.
00:26:31.725 --> 00:26:34.027
-Okay, let me tell you this.
00:26:34.027 --> 00:26:36.896
We do not need
that many vaccines.
00:26:36.896 --> 00:26:39.332
-Yeah, I think
this is a common pitfall.
00:26:39.332 --> 00:26:42.569 line:1
The idea that, "Well,
we have to let both sides
00:26:42.569 --> 00:26:44.237 line:1
have an equal presentation."
00:26:44.237 --> 00:26:48.341 line:1
Look, if we're talking about
matters of opinion or faith,
00:26:48.341 --> 00:26:49.976 line:1
I'm all for that.
00:26:49.976 --> 00:26:52.379 line:1
But it's a fallacy to say,
00:26:52.379 --> 00:26:55.548 line:1
"Well, we're gonna give
equal weight with somebody
00:26:55.548 --> 00:26:58.718
who has no education
or specialization in that area
00:26:58.718 --> 00:27:01.087
and is just talking about
their own feelings."
00:27:02.922 --> 00:27:06.793
[ Cheers and applause ]
00:27:06.793 --> 00:27:11.064
-Now I want to introduce
Robert Kennedy Jr.
00:27:11.064 --> 00:27:13.600
[ Cheers and applause ]
00:27:13.600 --> 00:27:16.403
-There's this kind of
Kafka-esque censorship
00:27:16.403 --> 00:27:20.340
in the news about having
a reasonable debate.
00:27:20.340 --> 00:27:23.843 line:1
So they call us anti-vaccine,
they call us hysterical,
00:27:23.843 --> 00:27:25.812 line:1
they call us
conspiracy theorists.
00:27:25.812 --> 00:27:28.148 line:1
I wouldn't characterize myself
as anti-vaccine.
00:27:28.148 --> 00:27:32.419 line:1
That's something that is
a pejorative that other people
00:27:32.419 --> 00:27:36.923 line:1
use to characterize me
and, you know,
00:27:36.923 --> 00:27:42.662 line:1
the movement as a way
to discredit or to silence us.
00:27:42.662 --> 00:27:45.632
Because, you know,
if you say they're anti-vaccine,
00:27:45.632 --> 00:27:47.834
it sounds like you're crazy.
00:27:47.834 --> 00:27:50.070
And that's a way of masking
00:27:50.070 --> 00:27:52.205
the injuries
that are caused by the vaccine.
00:27:52.205 --> 00:27:55.942
And it's not science,
it's just marketing.
00:27:55.942 --> 00:27:59.446
There are four companies
in this country
00:27:59.446 --> 00:28:02.916
make all 72 vaccines that are
mandated to our children,
00:28:02.916 --> 00:28:07.520 line:1
and all four of them
are serial felons.
00:28:07.520 --> 00:28:09.856
-I talked to RFK
a couple of years ago
00:28:09.856 --> 00:28:12.492
because he wanted
to write something
00:28:12.492 --> 00:28:13.993
and he was asking us
to publish it.
00:28:13.993 --> 00:28:16.996
And because of my librarian
background, when, you know,
00:28:16.996 --> 00:28:19.265
when RFK comes and says,
"Can we run this?"
00:28:19.265 --> 00:28:20.800
I can fact-check it, right?
00:28:20.800 --> 00:28:23.136
And so I called all the people
that wrote the studies
00:28:23.136 --> 00:28:25.905
and I said, "Can you tell me,
is he getting this right?"
00:28:25.905 --> 00:28:27.474 line:1
And so there are two camps --
00:28:27.474 --> 00:28:29.709 line:1
people who wouldn't speak to me
at all and said,
00:28:29.709 --> 00:28:31.511 line:1
"I know how this research
is being used.
00:28:31.511 --> 00:28:34.581 line:1
I don't support it, but I can't
say anything because if I do,
00:28:34.581 --> 00:28:36.649 line:1
they will come for me."
00:28:36.649 --> 00:28:38.785
And then there was
this CDC statistician
00:28:38.785 --> 00:28:40.553
whose work he used that said,
00:28:40.553 --> 00:28:42.989
"This is wrong.
I've retired a month ago.
00:28:42.989 --> 00:28:44.858
So, yeah, I'll tell you
all the ways that are so wrong
00:28:44.858 --> 00:28:47.560
and how he's grossly
misinterpreting my work."
00:28:47.560 --> 00:28:49.129 line:1
-They haven't done
a very good job
00:28:49.129 --> 00:28:51.431 line:1
about protecting public health,
00:28:51.431 --> 00:28:55.635 line:1
but they've done a very good job
at using the quarantine
00:28:55.635 --> 00:28:59.205
to bring 5G
into all of our communities.
00:28:59.205 --> 00:29:03.576
The reason is for surveillance
and data harvesting.
00:29:03.576 --> 00:29:06.346
It's not for you and me,
it's for Bill Gates
00:29:06.346 --> 00:29:08.281
and all
of the other billionaires.
00:29:11.051 --> 00:29:12.585
Bill Gates.
00:29:12.585 --> 00:29:16.022
Number-one vaccine producer
on Earth.
00:29:16.022 --> 00:29:17.791
That's what he does with
00:29:17.791 --> 00:29:20.393
all of his, you know,
"charities."
00:29:20.393 --> 00:29:23.463
He gets the technology,
then they go to Africa
00:29:23.463 --> 00:29:26.733
and he uses his control over
the World Health Organization
00:29:26.733 --> 00:29:31.471
and UNICEF that impose
these profitable technologies
00:29:31.471 --> 00:29:35.675
on developing nations
and makes a killing doing it.
00:29:35.675 --> 00:29:38.778 line:1
-If anything kills
over 10 million people,
00:29:38.778 --> 00:29:40.347 line:1
it's most likely to be
00:29:40.347 --> 00:29:44.217 line:1
a highly infectious virus
rather than a war.
00:29:44.217 --> 00:29:47.620
-Bill Gates, when he amassed
a fortune, what he decided was,
00:29:47.620 --> 00:29:50.357
"What can I do to make
this world a better place?"
00:29:50.357 --> 00:29:52.892
And he settled correctly
on vaccines.
00:29:56.363 --> 00:29:58.231
How exactly does
Bobby Kennedy Jr.
00:29:58.231 --> 00:29:59.499
make this world a better place?
00:29:59.499 --> 00:30:01.835
Please tell me that
because he was given everything.
00:30:01.835 --> 00:30:04.170
He's a wealthy man
who has a great name.
00:30:04.170 --> 00:30:05.705
And what does he do?
00:30:05.705 --> 00:30:07.841
He stands up there
and lies about vaccines
00:30:07.841 --> 00:30:12.212
that causes children
to be put in harm's way.
00:30:12.212 --> 00:30:15.415 line:1
Please tell me,
what do vaccines do
00:30:15.415 --> 00:30:17.484 line:1
that causes chronic disease?
00:30:17.484 --> 00:30:19.519
Is it autism?
Is it diabetes?
00:30:19.519 --> 00:30:20.987
Is it multiple sclerosis?
00:30:20.987 --> 00:30:22.889
Is it attention
deficit disorder?
00:30:22.889 --> 00:30:24.958
Is it all the things
that Bobby Kennedy Jr.
00:30:24.958 --> 00:30:27.160
claims to be true
that have clearly been shown
00:30:27.160 --> 00:30:31.398
definitively, reproducibly,
redundantly not to be true?
00:30:31.398 --> 00:30:34.200
He just makes it up.
00:30:38.838 --> 00:30:40.740
-But now we've seen
anti-vaccine communities
00:30:40.740 --> 00:30:43.743
using really horrendous tactics
00:30:43.743 --> 00:30:46.479
to go into the Somali population
in Minnesota,
00:30:46.479 --> 00:30:49.082
to go into the Jewish
population in New York.
00:30:49.082 --> 00:30:52.552
They're now in Harlem using
really smart tactics to say,
00:30:52.552 --> 00:30:54.688
"Hey, this is like Tuskegee
again.
00:30:54.688 --> 00:30:58.958
Pharma and doctors are
experimenting on your kids."
00:30:58.958 --> 00:31:04.931
-Because of our history
with healthcare in America,
00:31:04.931 --> 00:31:07.600
there is a lack of trust.
00:31:07.600 --> 00:31:10.103
And because of that
lack of trust,
00:31:10.103 --> 00:31:11.805
more Black kids are gonna die
00:31:11.805 --> 00:31:15.642
from one of these preventable
types of bacterial disease.
00:31:15.642 --> 00:31:20.513 line:1
♪♪
00:31:20.513 --> 00:31:23.616 line:1
-The so-called Tuskegee
experiment.
00:31:23.616 --> 00:31:26.386 line:1
It began as a noble cause.
00:31:26.386 --> 00:31:29.389 line:1
Foundations in the 1930s said,
00:31:29.389 --> 00:31:31.825 line:1
"Venereal disease,
in particular syphilis,
00:31:31.825 --> 00:31:33.593
is not getting attention
00:31:33.593 --> 00:31:37.364
among African-Americans
because of racism."
00:31:37.364 --> 00:31:39.566
Nobody was given syphilis,
00:31:39.566 --> 00:31:42.268
but the work was handed off
to the U.S. government.
00:31:42.268 --> 00:31:46.606
And what made Tuskegee horrible
was that in World War II,
00:31:46.606 --> 00:31:49.175
people found a drug --
penicillin --
00:31:49.175 --> 00:31:52.412
and pretty soon
there was a treatment.
00:31:52.412 --> 00:31:56.416
So for decades, these men were
studied when there was a cure
00:31:56.416 --> 00:31:59.185
and they were lied to and told
they were getting a cure,
00:31:59.185 --> 00:32:01.254
and many of them
got sick and died.
00:32:04.691 --> 00:32:07.360
-I think you have
to face it squarely.
00:32:07.360 --> 00:32:09.863
The observation of men
with syphilis without treatment
00:32:09.863 --> 00:32:12.932
to understand the natural
history of the disease
00:32:12.932 --> 00:32:14.901
is immoral.
And that happened.
00:32:14.901 --> 00:32:16.970
And it just did.
00:32:16.970 --> 00:32:18.772
-And we can't dismiss it.
00:32:18.772 --> 00:32:20.907
That's -- that's the thing
that's important,
00:32:20.907 --> 00:32:23.143
because when you have
great distrust,
00:32:23.143 --> 00:32:27.247 line:1
particularly in communities
that have great despair,
00:32:27.247 --> 00:32:29.249 line:1
you need to reflect
those communities.
00:32:33.620 --> 00:32:35.221
We've got to get beyond
these stories,
00:32:35.221 --> 00:32:36.923
because here's what I know.
00:32:36.923 --> 00:32:41.061
COVID knows no end
and it's indiscriminate
00:32:41.061 --> 00:32:44.297
and it's much higher probability
amongst African-Americans
00:32:44.297 --> 00:32:45.832
because of some
of the modalities
00:32:45.832 --> 00:32:49.402
associated with our community,
health-wise, that you'll die.
00:32:49.402 --> 00:32:50.970
[ Cheers and applause ]
00:32:50.970 --> 00:32:55.709
-Anti-vaccination is primarily
an upper-class White movement.
00:32:55.709 --> 00:32:56.976
-...for our children.
00:32:56.976 --> 00:33:00.380
-And the anti-vaxxers
could be among the worst.
00:33:00.380 --> 00:33:04.451
Death threats
and having to notify the cops
00:33:04.451 --> 00:33:07.620
and warning my family
not to answer the phone.
00:33:07.620 --> 00:33:11.958
It's part of the movement
to shut up your opposition.
00:33:11.958 --> 00:33:14.160
-[ Chanting indistinctly ]
00:33:14.160 --> 00:33:19.165 line:1
♪♪
00:33:19.165 --> 00:33:21.668 line:1
-They're angry,
and so they want to make sure
00:33:21.668 --> 00:33:24.204 line:1
that anybody who stands up
in defense of vaccines
00:33:24.204 --> 00:33:26.339 line:1
or vaccine safety is punished.
00:33:26.339 --> 00:33:29.109
And so they will send hate mail
or they'll scream at you,
00:33:29.109 --> 00:33:31.111
or they'll occasionally
send death threats
00:33:31.111 --> 00:33:32.178
or they'll throw blood,
00:33:32.178 --> 00:33:33.980
which is what happened
in California.
00:33:36.216 --> 00:33:39.452
-It's a very toxic space,
especially online.
00:33:39.452 --> 00:33:41.521
I expected it.
00:33:41.521 --> 00:33:44.224 line:1
People think I'm killing
children by defending vaccines.
00:33:44.224 --> 00:33:47.427 line:1
So they're very upset and
they really want me to stop it.
00:33:47.427 --> 00:33:49.029
I've gotten death threats,
harassment,
00:33:49.029 --> 00:33:51.598
everything to my appearance
and the way I talk.
00:33:51.598 --> 00:33:53.566
Any attacks that can be made
personally
00:33:53.566 --> 00:33:55.168
or about the arguments
I make
00:33:55.168 --> 00:33:57.137
has been said
and will be said again.
00:33:57.137 --> 00:34:00.140
-You get bombarded with tweets,
you get bombarded with e-mails.
00:34:00.140 --> 00:34:02.676
You get people launching
social-media campaigns,
00:34:02.676 --> 00:34:06.146
sending me e-mails
that are just unhinged
00:34:06.146 --> 00:34:10.517
and saying that I am in a plot
to harm their children.
00:34:10.517 --> 00:34:13.420
And, you know, and threats
against my own children.
00:34:13.420 --> 00:34:17.424
And so, you know, it becomes --
It becomes difficult
00:34:17.424 --> 00:34:20.427
to report on these things
and not let that get to you.
00:34:20.427 --> 00:34:24.164 line:1
-I was told that
I was killing babies.
00:34:24.164 --> 00:34:27.434 line:1
Somebody compared me to Hitler.
00:34:27.434 --> 00:34:30.103 line:1
You want your reporting
to land with people
00:34:30.103 --> 00:34:32.706 line:1
and you want to do
the public good.
00:34:32.706 --> 00:34:38.978 line:1
But to feel that vitriol so
aggressively was hard sometimes.
00:34:44.017 --> 00:34:46.286
-Proponents
of mandatory vaccinations
00:34:46.286 --> 00:34:49.289
point to California,
where state lawmakers removed
00:34:49.289 --> 00:34:51.491
personal-belief
vaccine exemptions
00:34:51.491 --> 00:34:54.194 line:1
after a measles outbreak
at Disneyland
00:34:54.194 --> 00:34:57.897 line:1
sickened 147 people in 2015.
00:34:57.897 --> 00:35:01.835 line:1
-Vaccines are one of the very
few interventions where,
00:35:01.835 --> 00:35:04.571 line:1
in order to protect
a society as a whole,
00:35:04.571 --> 00:35:05.939 line:1
to help our most vulnerable,
00:35:05.939 --> 00:35:08.041 line:1
the people who cannot
get vaccinated,
00:35:08.041 --> 00:35:10.910
we are going to vaccinate
all of these healthy people,
00:35:10.910 --> 00:35:15.181
like in a school
or in a daycare.
00:35:15.181 --> 00:35:18.284
-We have kids and grandparents
and parents and neighbors
00:35:18.284 --> 00:35:21.154
who are on chemotherapy or who
have had an organ transplant.
00:35:21.154 --> 00:35:23.590
I have a kid in our practice
who doesn't make antibodies.
00:35:23.590 --> 00:35:26.459
I mean, he just congenitally
just does make --
00:35:26.459 --> 00:35:29.529
He could die, right?
Any of these people could die.
00:35:29.529 --> 00:35:32.365
They want vaccines.
They can't get the vaccines.
00:35:32.365 --> 00:35:34.801
That's the beauty
of herd immunity.
00:35:34.801 --> 00:35:37.404
-To have really the full benefit
of herd immunity,
00:35:37.404 --> 00:35:40.306 line:1
you need more than 90% of people
to be immune.
00:35:40.306 --> 00:35:42.842 line:1
And so it's just not
good enough to say,
00:35:42.842 --> 00:35:45.979 line:1
"Well, let's get three quarters
of people vaccinated
00:35:45.979 --> 00:35:47.213
and hope for the best."
00:35:47.213 --> 00:35:49.449
That means kids
are gonna suffer and die.
00:35:49.449 --> 00:35:51.184
-And some parents,
it's just that,
00:35:51.184 --> 00:35:53.019
"Well, I'm not gonna
expose my child
00:35:53.019 --> 00:35:55.321
to something
that I perceive as harmful
00:35:55.321 --> 00:35:58.725
because your child has
a compromised immune system.
00:35:58.725 --> 00:36:03.496
That's your responsibility
to limit any kind of exposure."
00:36:03.496 --> 00:36:04.998
-They're giving her oxygen.
00:36:04.998 --> 00:36:08.768
-I would hope that people
would have some generosity
00:36:08.768 --> 00:36:12.305
towards those who do not have
immune systems
00:36:12.305 --> 00:36:14.908
that are capable
of fighting off infection.
00:36:14.908 --> 00:36:16.643
These kids can't help that,
00:36:16.643 --> 00:36:20.647 line:1
but they're not able,
in some cases, to be vaccinated
00:36:20.647 --> 00:36:23.650 line:1
and are walking around
unprotected.
00:36:27.554 --> 00:36:29.823
-It's why it's a really
hard topic.
00:36:29.823 --> 00:36:32.525
Something I fight for
is bodily autonomy
00:36:32.525 --> 00:36:34.494
and that we should all be able
to make decisions
00:36:34.494 --> 00:36:36.763
about what goes into our bodies.
00:36:36.763 --> 00:36:39.933
So it is hard for me to wrap
my mind around that sometimes,
00:36:39.933 --> 00:36:42.836
even that I could possibly
support something
00:36:42.836 --> 00:36:45.672
that takes away the choice.
00:36:47.807 --> 00:36:49.876
-I'm really on the fence
with being told
00:36:49.876 --> 00:36:52.679
what to do with your children.
00:36:52.679 --> 00:36:54.614
But having
an immune-suppressed child
00:36:54.614 --> 00:36:59.352
who would benefit greatly
from mandatory vaccinations,
00:36:59.352 --> 00:37:01.321 line:1
that profoundly changes --
00:37:01.321 --> 00:37:03.857 line:1
I call it "It changed my DNA."
00:37:03.857 --> 00:37:07.494 line:1
It just changed
everything about me.
00:37:11.197 --> 00:37:12.866
[ Monitor beeping ]
00:37:16.870 --> 00:37:20.473
-I was born with hypoplastic
left heart.
00:37:20.473 --> 00:37:23.777
I take medication
and that medication
00:37:23.777 --> 00:37:26.513 line:1
makes my immune system low
00:37:26.513 --> 00:37:30.316 line:1
in order for my body
to accept my heart.
00:37:32.786 --> 00:37:35.822
So my body takes twice
as long to recover
00:37:35.822 --> 00:37:38.958
from a cough or from a fever.
00:37:38.958 --> 00:37:40.894
So people don't know
who they're around.
00:37:40.894 --> 00:37:42.462
And they could easily
get somebody sick
00:37:42.462 --> 00:37:44.597
if they're not fully vaccinated.
00:37:44.597 --> 00:37:45.699
-Thanks.
00:37:45.699 --> 00:37:47.033
I was pregnant with Hannah
00:37:47.033 --> 00:37:50.537
when we found out
she needed a heart transplant.
00:37:50.537 --> 00:37:54.074 line:1
She had the same heart defect
that my son passed away from.
00:37:58.144 --> 00:37:59.979
And I gave birth to Hannah.
00:37:59.979 --> 00:38:03.550
And thankfully,
11 days after her birth,
00:38:03.550 --> 00:38:05.218
a heart became available.
00:38:10.657 --> 00:38:12.659
We're just going over
a medical checklist...
00:38:12.659 --> 00:38:15.729
-You can go upstairs
for echo and EKG, 7:30,
00:38:15.729 --> 00:38:18.898
-...and the immunologist
got to immunizations
00:38:18.898 --> 00:38:21.434
and said, "Well, of course, now,
the kids are immunized."
00:38:21.434 --> 00:38:24.537
So I...I kind of went, uh...
00:38:24.537 --> 00:38:25.939
He said,
"Let's stop right there.
00:38:25.939 --> 00:38:27.540
They're not?"
00:38:27.540 --> 00:38:31.711
At first I felt embarrassed
and I felt kind of silly
00:38:31.711 --> 00:38:33.546
and uneducated.
00:38:33.546 --> 00:38:35.515
And my husband and I
had to really own up
00:38:35.515 --> 00:38:37.851
to the reasons why they're not.
00:38:37.851 --> 00:38:40.520
And, of course,
she was very graceful
00:38:40.520 --> 00:38:43.423
and just non-judgmental.
00:38:43.423 --> 00:38:46.459
And she explained
to us herd immunity
00:38:46.459 --> 00:38:49.729
and how important
that was for Hannah.
00:38:49.729 --> 00:38:53.767
So we had to start the younger
children on a schedule
00:38:53.767 --> 00:38:55.769
and got them fully vaccinated.
00:38:55.769 --> 00:38:58.538
You can open your eyes.
Can you open your eyes?
00:38:58.538 --> 00:39:00.640
-I just think that
if people knew
00:39:00.640 --> 00:39:04.878
what low-immune-system patients
have to go through
00:39:04.878 --> 00:39:08.214
in order to survive,
in order to live,
00:39:08.214 --> 00:39:12.852
they would feel a little bit
differently about vaccination.
00:39:12.852 --> 00:39:17.057
And so if you have the power
to not cause any harm
00:39:17.057 --> 00:39:19.125
to anybody else,
you should use that.
00:39:21.561 --> 00:39:24.464
-There is a line
from an historian
00:39:24.464 --> 00:39:26.800
that goes something like,
"The history of drug development
00:39:26.800 --> 00:39:28.968
is built on tombstones."
That is true.
00:39:31.571 --> 00:39:35.875 line:1
-There is a price for knowledge.
00:39:35.875 --> 00:39:37.944 line:1
When we say that a vaccine
is effective,
00:39:37.944 --> 00:39:40.280 line:1
there is a price for that.
00:39:40.280 --> 00:39:41.981 line:1
And there's probably
no better example
00:39:41.981 --> 00:39:43.950 line:1
of that than the polio story.
00:39:46.419 --> 00:39:48.888 line:1
When Jonas Salk made
his polio vaccine,
00:39:48.888 --> 00:39:51.624
there was going to be a big
so-called phase-3 trial.
00:39:51.624 --> 00:39:54.327
420,000 children
were gonna get his vaccine.
00:39:54.327 --> 00:39:56.696
200,000 children
were gonna get placebo.
00:39:58.698 --> 00:40:00.166
And so the trial was completed
00:40:00.166 --> 00:40:02.836
and it was found to be
remarkably safe and effective.
00:40:02.836 --> 00:40:05.138
And Thomas Francis
stood up on the podium
00:40:05.138 --> 00:40:09.275
and had said three words --
safe, potent, and effective.
00:40:09.275 --> 00:40:11.244
[ Applause ]
00:40:11.244 --> 00:40:14.848
He knew it was effective because
16 children died from polio
00:40:14.848 --> 00:40:16.516
all in the placebo group.
00:40:16.516 --> 00:40:19.486
He knew it was effective
because 36 children
00:40:19.486 --> 00:40:22.455
were permanently paralyzed
in the placebo group.
00:40:25.258 --> 00:40:27.894
That broke Jonas Salk's heart.
00:40:27.894 --> 00:40:32.465
He couldn't conscience giving
200,000 children salt water
00:40:32.465 --> 00:40:36.202
in the midst of what he knew
was a yearly polio epidemic.
00:40:36.202 --> 00:40:38.905
So it's those gentle heroes
that we left behind
00:40:38.905 --> 00:40:40.206
that were never acknowledged
00:40:40.206 --> 00:40:43.176
because we were so busy
celebrating that vaccine
00:40:43.176 --> 00:40:46.513
that we forgot exactly how
we knew that it was effective.
00:40:46.513 --> 00:40:55.288 line:1
♪♪
00:40:55.288 --> 00:40:59.826
-Polio was a horrific pandemic
for children.
00:40:59.826 --> 00:41:05.732
We have COVID, and it's
a horrific pandemic for adults.
00:41:05.732 --> 00:41:08.134
COVID appeared just at the time
00:41:08.134 --> 00:41:09.969
when there was
a significant shift
00:41:09.969 --> 00:41:12.972
in anti-vaccination propaganda,
00:41:12.972 --> 00:41:16.476
personal choice,
personal self-determination.
00:41:16.476 --> 00:41:19.245
So while the science
was there to help us,
00:41:19.245 --> 00:41:22.749
our values prevented us
from using it
00:41:22.749 --> 00:41:24.451
as fast as we could have.
00:41:24.451 --> 00:41:27.287
And it was that shift
that led us
00:41:27.287 --> 00:41:31.758
to have hundreds of thousands
of preventable deaths.
00:41:31.758 --> 00:41:38.898 line:1
♪♪
00:41:38.898 --> 00:41:41.434
-The new push to get
more Americans vaccinated
00:41:41.434 --> 00:41:44.337
as the U.S. is moving
in the wrong direction.
00:41:44.337 --> 00:41:47.040
-We have a storm coming.
I would call it a hurricane.
00:41:47.040 --> 00:41:49.976
-We're already seeing
a blue state/red state divide.
00:41:49.976 --> 00:41:53.680
-No one should be forced to take
a vaccine against their will.
00:41:53.680 --> 00:41:57.951
-Far-right politics is king
here. Science the villain.
00:41:57.951 --> 00:41:59.386
-Why should I trust science?
00:41:59.386 --> 00:42:01.321
Does that mean
I'm not trusting God?
00:42:01.321 --> 00:42:04.257
-This Delta variant,
we're seeing skyrocketing cases
00:42:04.257 --> 00:42:07.193
of children sicker
than they ever have been.
00:42:07.193 --> 00:42:08.895
-One sick child needs to die
00:42:08.895 --> 00:42:11.564
before another sick child
gets an ICU bed.
00:42:11.564 --> 00:42:13.633
Think about that.
This is America.
00:42:17.971 --> 00:42:22.609
-Polio's impact was known,
predictable, and terrifying.
00:42:22.609 --> 00:42:26.846
And with COVID, there's so many
extra overlays of the politics
00:42:26.846 --> 00:42:29.649
and the economics
that I don't know.
00:42:29.649 --> 00:42:30.850
It's a weirder time.
00:42:30.850 --> 00:42:33.353
Back then, in the '50s,
we prized science.
00:42:33.353 --> 00:42:35.188
We were trying to get in space
00:42:35.188 --> 00:42:37.724
and holding our scientists up
as role models.
00:42:37.724 --> 00:42:40.694 line:1
And here the political
and conspiracy theorists
00:42:40.694 --> 00:42:43.430 line:1
are now just trying
to attack science.
00:42:43.430 --> 00:42:45.532 line:1
-One of the things
that we're seeing
00:42:45.532 --> 00:42:47.701
in a time
when we desperately need
00:42:47.701 --> 00:42:51.571
a large mobilization
around something like a vaccine
00:42:51.571 --> 00:42:54.140
is that there is no single
source of authority
00:42:54.140 --> 00:42:55.809
that can pull people together.
00:42:55.809 --> 00:42:58.011
And so not only do
we have to marshal
00:42:58.011 --> 00:43:00.180
our scientific resources,
00:43:00.180 --> 00:43:01.781
but we have to start
laying the groundwork
00:43:01.781 --> 00:43:03.350
so that when
these things do emerge,
00:43:03.350 --> 00:43:05.952
people will actually
believe in them.
00:43:05.952 --> 00:43:09.589
-You need to meet the people
where they are.
00:43:09.589 --> 00:43:11.825
Wouldn't it be nice
to be able to go
00:43:11.825 --> 00:43:16.529
to your kid's college graduation
or to have that family reunion
00:43:16.529 --> 00:43:19.299
or for the grandparents
to see the grandchildren?
00:43:19.299 --> 00:43:21.701
And if you get the vaccine,
guess what?
00:43:21.701 --> 00:43:24.137
You're protected
and they're protected.
00:43:26.206 --> 00:43:28.174
-We're all in this together.
00:43:28.174 --> 00:43:31.244
The planet Earth,
the big ship that we ride,
00:43:31.244 --> 00:43:34.247
carries us all on a journey
in which we are interdependent.
00:43:36.683 --> 00:43:38.718
In this time of COVID-19,
00:43:38.718 --> 00:43:41.654
these controversies,
like vaccines,
00:43:41.654 --> 00:43:47.360
can be helped by a strong drive
to seek first, to understand,
00:43:47.360 --> 00:43:50.697
to try and understand,
try and engage as people.
00:43:50.697 --> 00:43:53.466
-We've seen with the coronavirus
that it was across
00:43:53.466 --> 00:43:56.603
our entire nation
in less than a month.
00:43:56.603 --> 00:44:01.174
The world is small, and so
if we were to stop vaccinating,
00:44:01.174 --> 00:44:06.513
we would have major outbreaks
within a month here in the U.S.
00:44:06.513 --> 00:44:07.814
-Here we go.
00:44:07.814 --> 00:44:12.118
I do not want to be
at the bedside of parents
00:44:12.118 --> 00:44:14.320
with something
that they could have prevented.
00:44:14.320 --> 00:44:18.692
I don't want them to think
for a nanosecond
00:44:18.692 --> 00:44:21.695
that this risk is worth taking.
00:44:21.695 --> 00:44:23.029
Perfect.
00:44:23.029 --> 00:44:27.767
I immunize my kids
without any hesitation.
00:44:27.767 --> 00:44:30.737
All of my colleagues
have done the same.
00:44:30.737 --> 00:44:38.812 line:1
♪♪
00:44:38.812 --> 00:44:41.181
-Here it comes. Whoo!
00:44:41.181 --> 00:44:44.217
I value objectivity,
and I think that
00:44:44.217 --> 00:44:46.519
if you're presented
with different evidence
00:44:46.519 --> 00:44:49.255
that you should
change your mind.
00:44:49.255 --> 00:44:52.225
That if in our conversation
you figure out
00:44:52.225 --> 00:44:55.562
that what you have been teaching
or what you believe is wrong,
00:44:55.562 --> 00:44:57.731
that you're willing
to accept the evidence.
00:45:00.867 --> 00:45:03.169
-You never know what's gonna
flip someone's switch.
00:45:03.169 --> 00:45:04.270
You never know what it is.
00:45:04.270 --> 00:45:06.206
For us, it was dramatic.
00:45:06.206 --> 00:45:08.074
It was dramatic.
00:45:08.074 --> 00:45:13.380
When you get wrong information
and then you have to change,
00:45:13.380 --> 00:45:15.515
you just have to own up to it.
00:45:15.515 --> 00:45:18.151
When you know better,
you do better.
00:45:18.151 --> 00:45:21.988
-Anybody who's alive today
has been able to witness
00:45:21.988 --> 00:45:25.658
the enormous impact
that vaccines have made.
00:45:25.658 --> 00:45:27.494
But I think that
because of that impact,
00:45:27.494 --> 00:45:29.996
we become willing
to ignore that effect.
00:45:29.996 --> 00:45:31.631
And if we let our guard down,
00:45:31.631 --> 00:45:32.932
these vaccine-preventable
diseases
00:45:32.932 --> 00:45:35.468
can certainly come roaring back.
00:45:35.468 --> 00:45:39.773 line:1
♪♪
00:45:39.773 --> 00:45:42.442
-Public-health crises,
like COVID,
00:45:42.442 --> 00:45:44.878
I've learned, and I think
we all should learn
00:45:44.878 --> 00:45:48.415
are really as much about ethics
as they are about science.
00:45:48.415 --> 00:45:50.483
You can have all
the science you want.
00:45:50.483 --> 00:45:53.787
If people don't buy
the underlying ethics framework,
00:45:53.787 --> 00:45:58.191
the underlying values framework
to achieve community health,
00:45:58.191 --> 00:46:01.127
then we have a problem
because there will be others.
00:46:01.127 --> 00:46:04.030
More will come.
00:46:04.030 --> 00:46:07.067
Public health
needs pulling together
00:46:07.067 --> 00:46:09.736
needs community,
needs some sense
00:46:09.736 --> 00:46:11.538
that you're gonna watch out
for each other
00:46:11.538 --> 00:46:13.707
to make it happen.
00:46:13.707 --> 00:46:18.078 line:1
♪♪
00:46:18.078 --> 00:46:20.080
[ Child laughing,
waves lapping ]
00:46:36.062 --> 00:46:43.870 line:1
♪♪
00:46:43.870 --> 00:46:52.746 line:1
♪♪
00:46:52.746 --> 00:47:02.022 line:1
♪♪
00:47:02.022 --> 00:47:11.598 line:1
♪♪
00:47:11.598 --> 00:47:13.600 line:1
♪♪
Distributor: Bullfrog Films
Length: 48 minutes
Date: 2024
Genre: Expository
Language: English
Grade: 9-12, College, Adults
Color/BW: /
Closed Captioning: Available
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