The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear by Seth Mnookin

Apr 28, 2011 edh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult, nonfiction

Mnookin's The Panic Virus is an amazing investigation into the culture of vaccinations, and the deadly effects of those too selfish and shortsighted to see how their choices affect others. Stories of young infants too young to yet receive vaccinations die because of young carriers whose parents have decided to "opt out," citing herd immunity as a justification for letting their offspring go unvaccinated. Cases such as this are only growing as more and more families are gripped by the powerful fe...more Mnookin's The Panic Virus is an amazing investigation into the culture of vaccinations, and the deadly effects of those too selfish and shortsighted to see how their choices affect others. Stories of young infants too young to yet receive vaccinations die because of young carriers whose parents have decided to "opt out," citing herd immunity as a justification for letting their offspring go unvaccinated. Cases such as this are only growing as more and more families are gripped by the powerful fear that somehow their children will "catch" autism or other afflictions due to vaccines. Mnookin cites one parent: "...[B]ecause I live in a country where the norm is vaccine, I can delay my vaccines."

It's not just celebrities like Jenny McCarthy who stoke the fears of parents -- Bizarre tales of amateur so-called scientists who experiment in their basements and claim that vaccines cause autism are equally to blame. Cognitive dissonance sets in among those who don't know what "study" to believe, who hear horror stories and urban myths of children becoming unresponsive vegetables immediately following their vaccinations. Perhaps the most reprehensible villains of Mnookin's narrative are the ones taking advantage of "Big Autism," who hawk supposed cures, therapies, diets, and other treatments to desperate parents and have turned vaccination into a cultural debate that would be unrecognizable to those who lived through the polio epidemic. Even the Wakefield paper, which caused the physician in question to lose his license in the UK, was rooted in Dr. Wakefield's pecuniary interests: he was being paid to examine kids "as part of a lawsuit that was being prepared against drug manufacturers." He had also filed his own patent for a vaccine that would compete with the existing MMR. Yeah, no bias there.

It's a well-written book that looks critically at the massive vaccine spin machine, and pulls at the heart with touching stories of those who have been caught in the culture war over vaccination. Well worth the read... and if I ever have a kid, I'll remember little baby Danielle, who died because another family decided vaccines were "too dangerous" for their children, and who helped destroy the herd immunity that would have kept her alive to receive her own vaccines. (less)

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Apr 18, 2012 Christina Dudley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

If this review is incoherent, it's because I stayed up way too late finishing this book...

Seth Mnookin chronicles the history of the feared vaccine-autism connection. Until I read The Panic Virus, I wasn't positive which side the data finally came down on, but now I know. My main take-aways:

1. Only three vaccines ever did contain thimerosal (ethylmercury) as a preservative. Ethylmercury is not the same thing as the decidedly harmful methylmercury. Thimerosal has been phased out of all vaccines s...more If this review is incoherent, it's because I stayed up way too late finishing this book...

Seth Mnookin chronicles the history of the feared vaccine-autism connection. Until I read The Panic Virus, I wasn't positive which side the data finally came down on, but now I know. My main take-aways:

1. Only three vaccines ever did contain thimerosal (ethylmercury) as a preservative. Ethylmercury is not the same thing as the decidedly harmful methylmercury. Thimerosal has been phased out of all vaccines since 2001, and yet autism diagnoses continue to rise.

2. The man who originally raised the MMR-vaccine-causes-autism specter published in The Lancet, but his work failed to be reproducible by any scientific or medical peers and was since discredited. When he produced his study, he himself had patented an oral, measles-only vaccine--the demand for which would surge if the standard MMR combination vaccine was discredited.

3. Despite follow-on studies around the world failing to support any vaccine-autism link, the press and show biz have made it a cause celebre, and vaccine rates have dropped, leading to a rise in cases of preventable infectious disease. (In my own neighborhood, we received two messages from the schools about a whooping cough--pertussis--outbreak.)

4. When vaccination rates drop below 90-95%, the population as a whole loses its "herd immunity." Not only are the deliberately unvaccinated children at risk, but the babies not yet old enough to receive the vaccinations suffer the greatest danger of exposure and make up the highest number of deaths among the infected.

The stories of desperate parents struggling with severely autistic children were heartbreaking. I completely understand the desire for an explanation and for hope of treatment, but after reading this book I hope more energy and funding will go toward pursuing other possible causes and culprits. What on earth does cause the frequent GI issues and allergies that accompany autism??? Are there any peer-reviewed scientific studies supporting the efficacy of strict diets and expensive nutritional supplements peddled to families with autistic children, or only anecdotal evidence?

Mnookin's discussion of the human tendency to fall victim to cognitive biases and to find comfort in conspiracy theories made me question my own tendencies in food writing to consider Big Ag as some kind of evil empire out to kill everyone with pesticides and genetically-modified seeds. Our bodies are complicated things. I imagine all the crap we're eating doesn't help matters, but no one really knows yet what all the factors are. (Would Mnookin consider tackling The Panic Cheeseburger as his next book?)

I highly, highly recommend this book. Passing it to my husband next and hope to convince my book club to read it when it's out in paperback.(less)

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Jun 26, 2011 Colin Bendell rated it 5 of 5 stars

A fascinating history of vaccines and the generations of opposition to vaccines because of religious conviction and ignorance. People such as Andrew Wakefield, Jenny Mccarthy and Opra are the recent villains in this story using greed, mis-information, bad science and emotive plees to convince well educated and well meaning parents to not vaccinate their children. As a result society's herd immunity has been compromised for viruses that were eliminated decades ago. The deaths of hundreds of child...more

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Apr 11, 2011 Alex rated it 4 of 5 stars

Puts the anti-vaccine movement in its proper context, i.e. anti-science very much like the denial of climate change. Both anti-scientific movements share a common tool: bad and irresponsible journalism. Not sure how many of those opposed to vaccines would actually read this book though.

Seth Mnookin is a very clear and engaging writer. I also immensely enjoyed his book about the Red Sox - Feeding the Monster.

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May 26, 2012 Curt Coman rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book goes a long way toward explaining the history of the anti-vaccine movement...a history that actually extends back to the beginning of the practice of vaccination itself.

Mnookin doesn't go into a great deal of detail about the specifics of the numerous studies showing no causal connection between vaccines and autism, and I think the book could have benefited from delving a bit deeper into that. Also, he doesn't spend a lot of time on what *does* cause autism (or at least our current und...more

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May 02, 2012 Pam Camel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Seth Mnookin does a great job with this book. With all the myths surrounding vaccines he not only says they are in fact myths but has the supporting evidence to support his position. This was a good history of vaccines. Where they came from? What the purpose was? Even some on how they are made?
The author also looks at the anti-vaccine groups. Who they are? Why they started? What is their state in the field. Many anti-vaccine groups claim that vaccines are a government cover up. That they are al...more Seth Mnookin does a great job with this book. With all the myths surrounding vaccines he not only says they are in fact myths but has the supporting evidence to support his position. This was a good history of vaccines. Where they came from? What the purpose was? Even some on how they are made?
The author also looks at the anti-vaccine groups. Who they are? Why they started? What is their state in the field. Many anti-vaccine groups claim that vaccines are a government cover up. That they are all about the money. This idea is not a new one. There is always someone saying the government is out to get you. Mr. Mnookin shows examples in history where the public did shy away from vaccines because they believed they were not needed or were harmful with no real evidence on their side. The reasons have changed but the nay Sayers will always exists.
Never does the author say vaccine injuries do not exist. He looks at the vaccine courts and how they came about. As with any medication or medical procedure there are risks, each person needs to weigh the risks and benefits. To do this you need to know both sides on the story.
Mr. Mnookin also shares some heartbreaking stories of children who were harmed and even died because they contracted diseases that could have been prevented.
The autism vaccine connection came in the 1990's when Wakefield entered the picture. His study and article in The Lancent had people believing the connection. Even today he still has his followers that even after having the paper retracted and losing his medical license people will still say its a conspiracy to take him down from exposing the truth.
This book also touches on Geier, Autism speaks, and Jenny McCarty some of the more conversational players in the area of autism. There is a war of words brewing in the autism community over vaccines. Many of the points used to prove harm are false or misconstrued to prove the persons point. As with any war there will be causalities. For some families the fear from anti-vaccine information has caused them to skip vaccines and then lose their child when they contracted a diseases that was thought to be eradicated.
Anyone who wants to know some history or is looking at the choice to vaccinate or not should read this book. It is a straight forward no drama or fear mongering approach to the pro-vaccine idea.
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Jan 08, 2012 Julie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, author_male, book-club_normal, pub_post-1945, science, type_non-fiction

In this book, the author asks three essential questions: What do we think of as provable? When do we decide something is provable? Whom do we consider capable of proving it? Using these questions, Mnookin lays out the various arguments in favor of and against a connection between autism and vaccines, coming down squarely on the side of the medical establishment, science, and the need to continue to vaccinate all children. His writing style is detailed yet readable and accessible, making for a fa...more

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Sep 30, 2011 Jorge rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science, politics-economics

The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear by Seth Mnookin

“The Panic Virus” is the excellent book on medical alarmism. Journalist/author Seth Mnookin does a wonderful job of capturing how today’s society deal with medical information overload. The book focuses on the anti-vaccine movement and how it relates to public health. This interesting 448-page book is broken out into three parts and twenty-four chapters.

Positives:
1. This is as well-researched a book as you will find.
2...more

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Sep 21, 2011 Erin rated it 4 of 5 stars

As a parent who has always grown very nervous around the time of vaccinations--to the point where I chose to not give most of them to my second child--this book felt like a breath of fresh air. Mnookin demonstrated with an extremely readable technique the history of vaccine skepticism in this country, as well as the events that led to the current, ongoing doubts many parents still have about the vaccination schedule set forth by the CDC. He spares no one, equally skewering the Ford Administratio...more As a parent who has always grown very nervous around the time of vaccinations--to the point where I chose to not give most of them to my second child--this book felt like a breath of fresh air. Mnookin demonstrated with an extremely readable technique the history of vaccine skepticism in this country, as well as the events that led to the current, ongoing doubts many parents still have about the vaccination schedule set forth by the CDC. He spares no one, equally skewering the Ford Administration for their response to the 1976 Swine Flu "outbreak", the CDC for how they dealt with the thimerosal debate, all the way to every vaccine proponent's favorite target: Jenny McCarthy. And many, many others in between.

What I found most fascinating was his detailed insight into how the panic over mercury in vaccines started. I've read many times about the interest taken by Dan Burton, the Congressman from Indiana who is often looked at as a hero by parents whose children they feel have been injured by vaccines, because of his insistence on investigating whether thimerosal causes Autism. As the grandfather of an autistic child, his interest in its cause is certainly understandable. However, his insistence on thimerosal being the causative agent is put into question a bit when Mnookin points out that Burton is one of the leading believers in the theory that Vince Foster was killed by someone inside the Clinton Administration, that he insisted the House's barber cut his hair with his own set of scissors and that he refuses to eat soup in public for fear of AIDS transmission. He clearly was willing to embrace the connection between Autism and vaccines because he already had a healthy dose of paranoia over what government health officials were saying.

Another interesting group covered is the Academy of American Surgeons and Physicians, a legitimate sounding organization that has also published their own studies making a connection between Autism and vaccines. Except the studies were conducted by one man in his basement. And for all the legitimacy that their title would imply, the group is actually a right wing fringe group, still making proclamations declaring a connection between breast cancer and abortion and asserting that Obama's popularity that led to his election was due to his use of hypnosis on those more susceptible to it (educated people and non-Christians).

I give the book four stars for three reasons:

1. During the course of the book, Mnookin never mentions, nor do any of the public health officials he quotes, the role of breastfeeding and the immune boost it provides. I felt that in a discussion about public health and vaccine skepticism, this is a necessary component. I know many parents who have opted to limit vaccines and without fail, all of them breastfeed and many do so for longer than the AAP recommends. For most of us, our skepticism about vaccines doesn't neatly fall under the vaccines cause Autism meme; rather, research has indicated that for a breastfed baby/child, some of the vaccines that are required may be unnecessary. Hib bacteria, for instance, was not found to be present in the throats of exclusively breastfed or mixed fed (formula and breast milk) babies in a Swedish study. Since it was the disappearance of Hib bacteria with the advent of the vaccine that caused the Pneumococcal bacteria to flourish, parents of breastfed children are also relatively reluctant to give that one. Rotavirus would be another example. The vaccine was created after Paul Offitt saw an influx of babies die of dehydration, which is certainly admirable. But study after study has shown that breastfed babies do much better if they are infected with Rotavirus (which was the case for 95%+ of the population before the vaccine came out) because of the swift rate with which nutrients from breast milk are absorbed, as well as the fact that most infants who breastfeed only want the comfort of the breast when they're ill. I'm not listing these as reasons not to give a child the vaccine, just as reasons for which parents may question whether the vaccine is necessary for their particular child.

2. Mnookin criticizes Autism advocacy organizations, specifically those that seek to establish a link between vaccines and Autism, for being heavy on anecdotal stories that appeal to emotion. Yet, the book is interspersed with the same such stories, only this time they're about children who suffered or died from vaccine preventable diseases. One has to of course then rely on the same self-reporting over which Mnookin is critical. As he stresses when referencing parents of Autistic children: it's not that I doubt their stories or memories, it's just that it's hard to know whether the whole story is being reported. Not to harp on the breastfeeding angle, but when a major study comes out asserting that nearly 1000 deaths per year are directly caused by *not* breastfeeding, it felt like perhaps the story of these children (as well as the stories of the Autistic children) would be more complete if they included a reference to infant feeding practices.

3. Mnookin touches on the fact that red flags were raised about thimerosal in the beginning because of a study that suggested its use as a preservative in vaccines might have been causing higher rates of ADD and ADHD as the number of vaccines children received went up over the years. He also touches on the idea that inundating a child's immune system with a multitude of viruses could then cause auto-immune disorders in the future. While he provides heavy documentation that there is no link between Autism and vaccines, he does not provide the same sort of attention to this theory. Perhaps it is a non-starter. As with Autism, I imagine it'd be impossible to measure whether an auto-immune disorder was triggered by an immune response from years ago versus a build-up of exposure to other things that scientists have pointed to, such as pollutants and inordinate amounts of stress. Still, it'd at least be interesting to read about what scientists have been doing, if anything, to address this particular concern.

All in all, though, this was a very compelling read.(less)

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Jun 02, 2011 Shauna rated it 5 of 5 stars

A book that explains clearly the science behind vaccines and the problems--real and wholly manufactured--with vaccines and vaccination programs. I give it five stars especially in hopes that if you have children (or plan to), you will read this or investigate the science before you decide to forgo vaccinating your children. Andrew Wakefield was lucky just to be stripped of his medical certification, in my opinion. What he has wrought with his "studies" is endangering our children. Vaccination is...more

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May 21, 2011 Katie rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an excellent book that attempts to set the record straight about the nonexistent link between vaccines and autism. This subject interests me greatly but it also makes me extremely angry--it makes me see red that a bunch of conspiracy-theory-obsessed parents blindly following everything Jenny McCarthy says are choosing to cause potentially a massive public health crisis by not vaccinating their children. So, I knew that reading this book would be fascinating but would make my blood boil,...more

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Apr 09, 2011 Pumpkinbear rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: parenting

If this book had been written seven years ago, it would have saved me seven years' worth of stress as a parent. I have always kept my children up to date with their immnunizations, but I have done so knowing that it was the best practice for society as a whole, but fearing that autism link in regards to my own babies. Until this year I had always declined to have my children immunized against the flu, again because of worries about thimerosol and autism. I did extensive research into the issue,...more

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Apr 08, 2011 Linda rated it 4 of 5 stars

Extremely well-written and comprehensive analysis of the anti-vaccine panic that has frightened far too many new parents over the last decade. It begins with a solid recounting of the history of vaccines, their remarkable successes and a few tragic failures. The author then details how a series of unproven hypotheses captured the imagination of patient advocates and "mercury moms" who understandably are on a desperate search for answers, and how one doctor's shoddy publications (now discredited)...more

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Feb 22, 2011 Marya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: adult-nonfiction

Mnookin traces the history of vaccination programs in the United States going all the way back to the small pox vaccine. According to Mnookin, even our own beloved spider preacher, Cotton Mather, had his house firebombed when he dared recommend that people vaccinate against dreaded diseases. From there, Mnookin shows how national vaccination programs have always had a number of detractors, and how between the spin of the sensationalist media and the inability of public and scientific officials t...more Mnookin traces the history of vaccination programs in the United States going all the way back to the small pox vaccine. According to Mnookin, even our own beloved spider preacher, Cotton Mather, had his house firebombed when he dared recommend that people vaccinate against dreaded diseases. From there, Mnookin shows how national vaccination programs have always had a number of detractors, and how between the spin of the sensationalist media and the inability of public and scientific officials to communicate effectively, those detractors have gained ground. Mnookin's real concern is the modern movement to ignore or delay vaccinations based on the perceived threat of autism. Most of the book chronicles the numerous times this hypothesis (actually more than one specific hypothesis, since it keeps changing) is tested with no positive results to show for it. He then looks at the how and why individuals (and the mainstream media) continue to echo that claim. It's easy to tell where Mnookin's sympathies lie. His depictions of autism activists struggling with their children's diagnosis is surprisingly kind, while his portraits of those who make money off said parents' hopes and fears is much less generous.
Like the mainstream media with its horror stories of children developing autism supposedly after vaccination, Mnookin relates his own horror stories of children dying or becoming deathly ill because of other children not receiving vaccinations (lack of vaccination causes previously manageable diseases to gain a foothold and children too young or immunocompromised to get vaccinations themselves are the ones to suffer). Yet, as he wants to distance himself from the spin of sensationalist media reports, Mnookin's horror stories have a sadder, violin-playing-in-the-background kind of tone. They lack the dramatic crescendos of the vaccine equals autism media reports. As a result, readers leave the book despondent that their children too will suffer severe illness or die because of catching a dread disease now coming back due to lack of vaccinations. That kind of tone of sad fear doesn't lead to letter writing campaigns like the mad-fear autism reports. On this front, Mnookin's book looses ground to the very institution (the mainstream media) he seeks to challenge.(less)

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Feb 21, 2011 Mazola1 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Confronted with overwhelming scientific evidence that vaccines do not cause autism, anti- vaccine activist and celebrity spokesperson Jenny McCarthy refudiated that evidence with her own proof: "Evan is my science."

This remark explains much about the anti-vaccine movement, the modern anti-science crusade which Seth Mnookian explores in The Scare Virus. McCarthy was referring to her autistic son, and her own observations of him, which formed the foundation of her firmly held belief that his auti...more

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Feb 17, 2011 Mary Ronan Drew rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: library-book

After clean water, vaccination is the most important tool we have in preventing disease. And yet, in the year 2011, so many parents are refusing to have their children immunized that ever-increasing numbers of children are suffering from easily preventable childhood diseases and the resulting permanent harm and even death that they sometimes bring.

The concerns of parents about vaccines are primarily based on the perception that MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanu...more After clean water, vaccination is the most important tool we have in preventing disease. And yet, in the year 2011, so many parents are refusing to have their children immunized that ever-increasing numbers of children are suffering from easily preventable childhood diseases and the resulting permanent harm and even death that they sometimes bring.

The concerns of parents about vaccines are primarily based on the perception that MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus) inoculations cause autism because they contain a type of mercury. They do not contain mercury of any kind and there is not a shred of scientific evidence that autism has any relationship to vaccinations.

In 1998 a doctor, who was in the pay of lawyers preparing class action suits alleging their clients’ children were autistic because of the inoculations they had received, published a paper in the highly-respected medical journal, Lancet, claiming he had detected a relationship between shots and autism. This claim has since been proven to be entirely fabricated, he has lost his license to practice in England, and he is in disgrace with the medical community.

Nonetheless, every day books are published and magazine articles written, news stories are broadcast and radio and TV interviews are conducted in which passionate parents of children with autism are presented sympathetically when they claim, with no scientific evidence at all, that there have been studies that have shown that “jabs” cause autism and that their own children became autistic within hours or days of being innoculated.

From the book: “Anecdotes and suppositions, no matter how right they feel, don’t lead to universal truths; experiments that can be independently confirmed by impartial observers do. Intuition leads to the flat earth society and bloodletting; experiments lead to men on the moon and microsurgery.”

This is one of the saddest stories of our day. The parents who believe this myth about autism and refuse to have their children inoculated are not living in depressed inner city neighborhoods. They are not high-school dropouts. They are upper middle class parents, people with advanced degrees and professional training, lawyers, businesswomen, nurses, who should know how to differentiate between old wives tales and scientific experimentation. And there are enough of them that for some diseases we no longer have what’s called herd immunity. Not enough of us have been vaccinated against diseases like Hib, whooping cough, and measles to prevent epidemics. Our family doctor gave my husband a pertussis shot the other day because so many parents have refused to have their children inoculated that whooping cough is now epidemic in Washington state.

Measles is the most infectious microbe known to man and has killed more children than any other disease in history. And we are no longer protected against it because people who should know better are relying on “gut feelings” and their “mommy instinct” instead of clear and repeatedly proven scientific evidence. The result is numbers of cases of measles that, according to the Center for Disease Control's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly are beyond historical limits.

This fine book explains clearly and with extensive footnotes to reliable sources how this appalling situation came about and the resulting tragedies that have ensued. He quotes psychologists who have studied mob behavior and phenomena such as cognitive dissonance, availability cascades, and confirmation bias. He describes the growing market offering alternative medicines, unproven procedures, and other costly but ineffective treatments that are touted to “cure” autism. He examines the thousands of class action suits that have been brought to the US Vaccine Court. He quotes experts from the Centers for Disease Control, the American Medical Association, the National Institutes of Health, the American Academy of Pediatriacs – scientists and doctors specialising in vaccinology, immunology, communicable disease, autism, toxicology. All of them, without exception, deny there is evidence connecting autism with vaccinations.

The author speaks of his young son: “As my son grows older, I hope that . . . he will feel empowered to make his own decisions and will have the self-confidence to challenge traditional wisdom. I also hope that he learns the difference between critical thinking and getting swept up in a wave of self-righteous hysteria and I hope he considers the effects of his actions on those around him. Finally, for his sake and for that of everyone else alive, I hope he grows up in a world where science is acknowledged not as an ideology but as the best tool we have for understanding the universe, and where striving for the truth is recognized as the most noble quest humankind will ever undertake.”

2011 No 31
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Feb 18, 2011 Josephine rated it 5 of 5 stars

While Seth Mnookin’s The Panic Virus is about the autism/vaccine controversy, I’d argue that it’s also partly about irresponsible journalism perpetuated by the likes of Oprah and any number of reporters who fail to do the proper research and wind up writing misleading articles which might prove to be compelling reading, but which also misinform.

See — that’s what I don’t get.

I lost respect for Oprah a long time ago because she’s the sort of public figure who doesn’t own up to her responsibility...more

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Feb 17, 2011 Asha Tenbroeke rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-non-fiction

How come so many smart, well-educated parents today choose not to vaccinate their children, despite all the obvious advantages (like not having to watch your child suffer or even die from a number of terrifying diseases)? That's the question with which science writer Seth Mnookin starts his the quest that led to this wonderful book about vaccine-scares and the autism-lobby. We have always been a little oneasy about vaccines, as Mnookin shows, even when diseases such as polio were still posing a...more How come so many smart, well-educated parents today choose not to vaccinate their children, despite all the obvious advantages (like not having to watch your child suffer or even die from a number of terrifying diseases)? That's the question with which science writer Seth Mnookin starts his the quest that led to this wonderful book about vaccine-scares and the autism-lobby. We have always been a little oneasy about vaccines, as Mnookin shows, even when diseases such as polio were still posing a 'clear and present danger'. There just is something very counterintuitive about jabbing your child with a needle and injecting her with something that would otherwise make her sick, for her own good. It is no wonder that desperate parents, already mildly scared of 'the jab', start go blame vaccines when presented with a very sick child with a hopeless diagnoses (autism), especially when they are revved up by anti- vaccine talk via the internet or on tv.

Mnookin does a wonderful job in not blaming these worried, lost parents for their irrational behavior, and a even better one at blaming everyone else involved. In each chapter he unravelles another bit of the story: a book published on the thimerosal-autism link, how that book contributed to more media uproar, how a new theory saw the light everytime an old one was debunked, how the lead stars spoke of government conspiracies and cover ups without a shred of proof. Because lack of proof is what the anti-vaccine movement is all about: as Mnookin convincingly shows, not a single properly conducted scientific study to date has proven that autism is in any way caused by vaccinations, measles viruses, mercury additives or anything else put injected in infants by a pediatrician. And because of this Andrew Wakefield gets a well deserved smack down, and so do celebrity advocates of the anti-vaccine movement like Jenny Mccarthy. Mnooking also comes down hard on 'media enablers' such as Oprah Winfrey, who failed to pose a single sceptical question when confronted with pseudoscience and plain lies, because they were covered in personal tragedy.

But what about the other personal tragedies, Mnookin asks as he lays down the story of little baby Brie, who cought whooping cough - a disease that thanks to vaccination programs was all but eradicated in de US, until so many parents stopped vaccinating their children that in some areas herd immunity was lost. Herd immunity protects the those in a community that haven't been vaccinated because they are too young or too ill, and those for whome for some mysterious reason the vaccine didn't catch on by a simple mechanism: if everyone around you is immune, the virux cannot get to you to make you sick. Tragically, Brie's 'herd' wasn't immune enough. She died four days before she would have been old enough to be vaccinated.

This is what really worries Mnookin, and it worries me too, as I look at my sleeping 3-week old daughter: if those intelligent, assertive parents keep on letting an unproven, scientifically bogus theory about vaccine-related autism scare them out of vaccinating their children, they are not only risking the lives of their sons and daughters, but of all our sons and daughters as well. For the benefit of the entire herd, we have to stop being intuitive and start being rational. (less)

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May 26, 2011 Greyskylark rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: popular-science, public-health

Excellent! Seth's book offers a broader take on the autism-vaccine crisis than Paul A. Offit's Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure - in itself a great book on the topic. Seth embeds the autism-vaccine story in a larger discussion of the (US and UK) public's often skeptical reaction to scientific experts and explores significant events leading to the current status quo. Like Paul, Seth points out the clear financial windfall made by many proponents of '...more

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Jan 13, 2012 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is a difficult book to rate. On the one hand, it conveys vital information. On the other, I don't think it managed what it set out to do (explaining why many people believe that certain vaccine's cause autism in flagrant disregard of the evidence--to wit, why they are and stay misinformed in the face of contrary evidence).

Part of the book is focused on setting out that information, but part of the book, I think Mnookin's main goal, really, is to mirror the anti-vaccine's arguments, their m...more

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Jun 24, 2011 Lisa Eirene rated it 5 of 5 stars

It’s a good book! I was having a hard time putting the book down. It’s really interesting: “In 1998 Andrew Wakefield, a British gastroenterologist with a history of self-promotion published a paper with a shocking allegation: the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine might cause autism. The media seized hold of the story and launched one of the most devastating health scares ever.” Wakefield was later revealed to be a profiteer in league with class-action lawyers, he would eventually lose his medical li...more

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Feb 09, 2012 Todd Martin rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: environment-science

The Panic Virus examines the history of the anti-vaccination movement and their deluded notion that vaccines (or the mercury within them) cause autism and other childhood development problems. They do not, and this conclusion is based on extensive and thorough scientific studies that have conclusively demonstrated no connection whatsoever. In fact, when you look at the individuals who have promoted such a link (such as Dr. Andrew Wakefield and his ilk) you find that they have a history of bad sc...more The Panic Virus examines the history of the anti-vaccination movement and their deluded notion that vaccines (or the mercury within them) cause autism and other childhood development problems. They do not, and this conclusion is based on extensive and thorough scientific studies that have conclusively demonstrated no connection whatsoever. In fact, when you look at the individuals who have promoted such a link (such as Dr. Andrew Wakefield and his ilk) you find that they have a history of bad science, shoddy research and conflicts of interest. His research paper in The Lancet which initially spawned the controversy has been described by his peers as an “elaborate fraud” and “probably the worst paper that’s ever been published in the history of [The Lancet]”.

First off, it’s worth noting that the parents of autistic children are in large part the victims of this hoax. They have been preyed upon and deceived by pseudo-scientists, true believers, conspiracy theorists and hucksters to believing that there is an easy answer to the cause of their troubles and a clear external scapegoat on which to place the blame. Bad science, coupled with a popular media that is drawn to sensation over accurate reporting have placed bad ideas into the public sphere that are, in turn, seized upon by desperate parents groping for an answer.

Unfortunately this misplaced anger fails to provide meaningful treatment for the child and, in fact, can cause tremendous damage to society at large. Fear mongering results in lower vaccination rates which not only endangers the un-immunized child, but could result in a loss of herd immunity, placing many more individuals at risk. Outbreaks of measles and whooping cough are already occurring and deaths from these preventable diseases are on the rise. In addition, dollars for medical research are limited. If they are wasted on phony treatments and continued investigation of already discredited ideas, it will drain funds from research that holds actual promises of success.

This isn’t to say that immunization is not without risk. Every medical treatment has some level of risk and efforts should continue to make vaccines as safe as possible. But since vaccines have proven to be one of the most successful medical interventions in human history (virtually eliminating ravaging diseases such as small pox and polio), their continued use is critical in order to realize these benefits.

The mainstream media outlets has done a poor job reporting how badly the anti-vaccine movement is serving society, The Panic Virus does a very good job in setting the record straight.
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Apr 08, 2011 Anita rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction-read

The earth is flat, the sun revolves around the earth, and vaccines are part of a government, AMA, pharmaceutical conspiracy to make money and hurt people. This is a conspiracy theory that is dangerous to all of us. Herd immunity affects me and my family. If you don't believe it, see the news today of measles at Olympus High School. Vaccinations have been so effective that we have forgotten how terrible the diseases they have nearly eradicated are. Polio is making a comeback in Africa because it...more The earth is flat, the sun revolves around the earth, and vaccines are part of a government, AMA, pharmaceutical conspiracy to make money and hurt people. This is a conspiracy theory that is dangerous to all of us. Herd immunity affects me and my family. If you don't believe it, see the news today of measles at Olympus High School. Vaccinations have been so effective that we have forgotten how terrible the diseases they have nearly eradicated are. Polio is making a comeback in Africa because it is rumored to be a U.S. plot to kill them. We think those are superstitious, backwards people. On the other hand we listen to Jenny McCarthy and debunked doctors and thoroughly disproven studies (by those who profit from the results) who claim that MMR triggers autism. I remember a boy in my neighborhood who was born deaf thanks to the Rubella his mother had while pregnant. My mother is in a wheelchair thanks to polio. Fortunately we don't have enough of these examples to remember the devastation of these diseases. Instead we are seeing a resurgence of Whooping Cough that is needlessly killing children here and in England that rival rates in third world countries.

This book is a must read for anyone who has questions about vaccinating their children or has an autistic child. I found this book interesting on the history of vaccines and the public distrust of them. I also now understand what is meant by herd immunity and understand the controversy over Autism and vaccines. The tragedy is that charlatans are preying on desperate parents dealing with a terrible condition and are willing to try anything to understand and treat their children. The even greater tragedy is that by keeping this issue alive, money and time are being funneled away from research and treatment that could help.

I didn't rate this book higher because I thought it bogged down in the middle. I thought it was at its best when it used case histories to tell the story--Pertussis and HIB victims etc. I know he wanted to prove his points with the research and the facts and not just tell anecdotal case studies, but that is where the interest comes from to tell the story. Of course that is just what the snake oil salesmen do, so maybe I'm part of the problem. Those with an interest in this subject will probably find plenty to interest them throughout. Anyone who doesn't want to vaccinate their kids should read this. Apparently we haven't come much further since goat testicles were considered treatment for most anything in the thirties.(Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam)
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Jan 01, 2013 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2012

Excellent explanation of the two sides of the vaccination debate, with a lot of information I was unaware of. I always thought that the "vaccines cause autism" debate was started when one study showed a connection, but it turns out there has never been a scientifically sound study that showed any connection at all. This book offers an examination of why otherwise intelligent people decide not to vaccinate their children and how gullible people are when they don't have a basic understanding of sc...more

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Feb 13, 2012 Lauren rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: science, non-fiction

Seth Mnookin presents a truly balanced look at the so-called "vaccine controversy". He's obviously pro-science, but he doesn't shy away from pointing out mistakes made by our government while promoting vaccination. This book is a must read for anyone who is on the fence about getting their child vaccinated; Mnookin demonstrates the danger unvaccinated people can pose to others. I found shocking the attitude of some of the anti-vaccine doctors--"Don't worry about infectious disease," they tell pa...more

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Mar 02, 2011 Carol rated it 3 of 5 stars

I worry that books like this -- Mnookin's account of how well-educated parents in both the U.S. and England have decided in recent years not to vaccinate their children due to fears that vaccines cause autism -- simply preach to the choir. If you really believe that a vaccination can harm your child, you probably won't read this book. And if a few of Mnookin's editorial comments strike me, a staunchly pro-vaccine adherent, as a bit much, then those who think differently would likely react even m...more

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Feb 08, 2011 Bookmarks Magazine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mar-apr-2011

It might be possible to view Mnookin's book as the final nail in the coffin for the contemporary antivaccine movement, given its recent scientific and legal setbacks. But Mnookin's own conclusions would likely deny this; as several reviewers approvingly observed, The Panic Virus is just as much about how today's society deals with information overload as it is about how it confronts disease. Many reviews echoed Mnookin's condemnation of the American media for allowing false antivaccine findings...more

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Dec 10, 2011 Catherine Woodman rated it 4 of 5 stars

I just saw Seth Mnookin speak at a national meeting about this book, which I read in preparation for his talk. He tackles the topic of vaccine safety, focusing primarily on the alleged connection between vaccines and autism as the center of his exploration, but does cover other reasons people avoid vaccines, and then closes with the consequences of not vaccinating children--both for those who chose that route, but also for those who are innocent bystanders--like children who are too young for a...more
I just saw Seth Mnookin speak at a national meeting about this book, which I read in preparation for his talk. He tackles the topic of vaccine safety, focusing primarily on the alleged connection between vaccines and autism as the center of his exploration, but does cover other reasons people avoid vaccines, and then closes with the consequences of not vaccinating children--both for those who chose that route, but also for those who are innocent bystanders--like children who are too young for a particular vaccine.
Mr. Mnookin is impressed that so many well-educated Americans are so deeply skeptical of established power. Whether the target is agribusiness, Big Pharma or the government, citizens who benefit most from "the system" are concluding not only that it's broken, but also that it's out to harm us as well. He became intrigued with this paradoxical social phenomenon after attending a dinner party in 2008. At this gathering he listened to a first-time father explain that he was delaying his infant's measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine on the grounds that he felt it was unsafe. According to what system of logic, Mnookin wondered, would an otherwise sensible man with absolutely no medical authority feel vaccination was unsafe? And why were so many intelligent people who "lived in college towns like Ann Arbor and Austin" eschewing standard pediatric procedures based on gut feelings rather than hard evidence?
That and subsequent conversations led him down the path to this book, a meticulously researched investigation into the popular belief that certain vaccines can cause autism. Combining narrative talent (so you can actually enjoy and understand the facts you are presented with) with assiduous reporting he explores "a manner of thinking" that not only runs "counter to the principles of deductive reasoning," but also threatens those of us who vaccinate our kids.
It takes guts to write a book informing a group of aggrieved parents that they're wrong about the source of their child's disorder. While Mnookin is consistently respectful of the emotional pain that autism can cause, he pulls no punches. Balancing sensitivity and science, he makes a devastating case that parents who reject vaccines for fear of autism are "casualties of a war built on lies." And he has become a target of zealous parents who passionately believe he is wrong, and has damaged their world with his assertion that there is no connection.
Mnookin tells his story from an impressive number of angles, but his primary emphasis centers on the social-psychological processes underscoring the widespread misperception that vaccines cause autism. At the core of his analysis is a basic scientific truism, one that we tend to forget: It's virtually impossible to immunize millions of people without experiencing a small percentage of random adverse reactions. Put simply, some kids are always going to react badly to their "jabs." Sometimes very badly. But overall the risk is greatly outweighed by the benefit, and Mnookin includes several heartbreaking stories of people whose children died as a result of not being vaccinated.
The story is a good one, and it is well told. In his talk, Mnookin admited that there is no convincing those who adamantly believe their children were damaged by vaccines, but does have some suggestions to help battle the growing number of parents skeptical about vaccines--one good one, I thought, was to have information groups for parents prenatally where they could talk about vaccines, their concerns and address them before they are incredibly sleep deprived and have to bring their infants into the doctor's office at 2 months of age for the first round of immunizations. The book is a great contribution to public health. (less)

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Mar 06, 2011 Dan rated it 4 of 5 stars

Seth Mnookin wrote a tremendous book and I am so happy to have read it. This book stands up for science and shows, in great detail, how there are no links between vaccines and autism. The author does a great job of showing the evidence for the benefits of vaccines and how groups claiming vaccines are bad have no evidence at all. The book covers the international epidemiological studies, the Special Masters decision of 2008, the decades of disease prevention, and many, many other examples of scie...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Lisa rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science

Hard-hitting diatribe against the "anti-vaccine" movement. Mnookin nicely balanced the scientific detail with relevant background on the main personalities, surrounding politics and media involvement. A surprisingly quick read, but one that will stay with me for a long time.

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