Take a look at these heat maps of reported cases of various diseases, with the time of introduction of vaccines marked, and you tell me.
Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal
Take a look at these heat maps of reported cases of various diseases, with the time of introduction of vaccines marked, and you tell me.
I can’t believe we have to discuss this shit!
No Minnesota. Must have done the heat map in the winter.
Does that prove that vaccines don’t work in Minnesota? I think it does! QDE!
ice
A clever interactive web-based graphic technique, but it can be misleading when displayed as a screen-shot. Hover your cursor over a cell and you get a display of the state (not all are named on the axis) and you get the state, year, and number of cases.
re 1:
This is something that even though OBVIOUS, is obviously worth repeating (for those who deliberately ignore it).
There appear to be other factors at work as well. Hepatitis A seemed to already be in decline when the vaccine became available. Mumps vaccine took almost a decade to bring it down. Pertussis was high for over 30 years after the vaccine was introduced, but not in Hawaii, Alaska or Mississippi. And the final decline of smallpox with the onset of WWII was most likely connected to vaccination of troops with a vaccine that had been around for many decades. There must be a lot of public health stories behind this data
Introduction of a vaccine does not mean it was universally available or employed from the start. In addition not all vaccines are equally effective, so some might rely more on heard immunity. In those cases the full effect will take time.
Too bad the charts don’t seem to extend to the right enough to show any of the reported resurgences due to the antivax movement.
As if proof would actually sway these idiots. This isn’t about evidence, if that were the case we wouldn’t be having this discussion in the first place. It’s about ignorant peoples right to remain ignorant. And their right to treat their offspring like property.
It would be useful to also see a rate of adoption chart alongside these.
I’m assuming that the striking drop-off in cases of polio and measles right after introduction was driven by high adoption rates due to the widespread fear of those diseases at the time coupled with fairly universal availability.
@5 … You have to look at whether the vaccine administration was widespread.
For example, with pertussis, the vaccine introduced in 1914 was NOT the one put into widespread use in the late 1940s. The initial pertussis vaccines were developed in 1914 but seldom administered (nasty side effects because of purification issues), later versions were effective in controlling epidemic pertussis in the early 1930s but it was only brought out for epidemics. Finally, it was combined with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and recommended for routine administration to children in 1948. And that’s when the rates really dropped.
When did vaccination become a requirement for attending public schools in the US? I’m sure that took some time to implement, but it must have had significant effect. The drop off in polio probably has something to do with the fact that millions of American public school kids got the shot in a relatively short time after it was available in the mid-50s. I know, I was in the first or second grade when I got mine. Tears were flowing everywhere, but it was better than the alternative. I’m pretty sure they showed us movies of people in iron lungs just to steal our resolve for getting the shots.
“I’m assuming that the striking drop-off in cases of polio and measles right after introduction was driven by high adoption rates due to the widespread fear of those diseases at the time coupled with fairly universal availability.”
Not really. That might be true for polio, but definitely not measles. First there were about two or three different measles vaccines introduced in 1963, and at least one was not very good. Second, there was not very good coverage due to socioeconomic issues. In some areas the public health agencies did try mass immunization programs and were surprised at the results. The following are about one such program in the Los Angeles area. The first discusses the “way it was”, and the second is the one following the public health department’s campaign:
Measles epidemiology and vaccine use in Los Angeles County, 1963 and 1966
Mass measles immunization in Los Angeles County
Oh sure, vaccines spur your immune system to fight diseases, but it’s not a natural process, and therefore we should allow our kids to suffer through whooping cough and measles, etc. because we’re should be all about following natural rhythms. Kumbyaa!
(end Marin County, California airhead mode)
The YouTube shamans I consult for medical advice told me that this reduction in disease is just a coincidence. It was the UFOs spreading Bigfoot dander to counteract the chemtrails spread by the lizard Illuminati that did it.
@ 10 Tsu Dho Nimh “Finally, it [pertussis vaccine] was combined with diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and recommended for routine administration to children in 1948.” This was due to the work of a great, unsung vaccine scientist, Pearl Kendrick. She found that diphtheria and tetanus toxoids made great adjuvants and greatly improved the efficacy of the pertussis vaccine. Those toxoids are still used today for making other antigens immunogenic in different vaccines.
@anchor #7: Maybe I’m over-interpreting it, but it does like there’s a slight resurgence visible in the Measles chart, from ~2002 on. Prior to that, it was nearly eradicated (on the chart).
re 13: [interesting synchron, being a supposed “lucky” number]
tell me about it. *grumble*
as a kid, I was subjected to the “homebrew” form of vaccination against rubella (chickenpox). When a kid would develop the disease parents from the neighborhood would bring their kids over to get them the disease while they were still young enough to survive, as adult contraction of rubella was usually disastrous.
I managed to survive.
Interesting to learn as I approach seniority, that rubella is never eliminated, and will hibernate to break out as Shingles (1 in 3 chance when over 60yo). great. struggling to get a Shingles Vaccine as I approach 60, but until 60, not free and quite expensive before 60yo.
I didn’t wait until 60 to get Shingles, as I was circa 55. A painful six weeks.
re 18:
sympathies.
I have a friend who contracted his at ~35 or so. I understand the virus doesn’t wait until then, yet Medicare won’t subsidize prevention until that age, because occurrences seem to rise around that age.
I guess…
Slithey tove and Nerd of Redhead: Chickenpox is what will give you shingles (it’s a member of the herpes family) but it’s not rubella. Rubella is also called German Measles and can cause very, very serious birth defects if contracted during pregnancy. Congenital rubella is actually a known cause of autism, as well as deafness and blindness.
The shingles virus lives on your nerves, waiting for a bad day when your immune system isn’t looking. I wish I were young enough to have had the vaccine and not a full case of chickenpox.
When you look at the full set of charts, you’ll see that polio increased dramatically from 1945 through mid-1955, when the vaccine was introduced. I wondered about that when I first saw this article about a month ago. Before 1945, there were fewer than 20 cases per year in most states of the US. Does anyone know why it took a massive jump just as the war ended?
Medicare doesn’t “subsidize” the shingles vaccination. It doesn’t pay for any of it. And since my Part D drug plan deductible is $300+, I had to shell out $179 bucks, and that was the least expensive. Shop around; that shot can cost up to $250 around here. Costco was the “cheapest” I found.
Scientismist: indeed, I was disappointed in the lack of analysis to go with the pretty charts. Smallpox was infecting (and killing) people for a century after the vaccine came out; then suddenly, poof — obviously a mass vaccination campaign.
JustaTech: indeed. My chickenpox was apparently bad when I got it as a kid, and then it popped back out in my early 20s. Supposedly that means either you’re in for a life of pain, or it acts like a (painful) booster shot — that was over 10 years ago and I haven’t had a resurgence, so it seems I lucked out.
It was supposedly important to get onto a course of antivirals ASAP after the onset of symptoms: the drug was effective only if started in the first 24 hours. I have no idea if it actually helped, but my symptoms were relatively mild (annoying, not debilitating) and the illness pretty short (a week or so).
I’m thrilled that almost nobody under the age of 20 is going to get chicken pox anymore.
Numerobis: I got the shingles in my teens, I think it was bad but I really don’t remember much of it. I’m in my 40’s now without any relapse so there might be something to the booster theory.
Nemo — I think that resurgence appears to be a reporting artifact. If you hover over those late 90’s blocks, you get a lot of N/A’s, then after 2002 you get a lot of 0.0’s. It looks as if the CDC didn’t require uniform reporting for a while there.
That also appears to be the issue with AK, HI, and MS — those early blank years appear to be N/A rather than 0.
Looking at the modes of transmission, probably very from mild/subclinical cases due military service in WWII spreading it to their families after the war. It was a problem in the ’50s, and I know several people permanently affected by it. The vaccines (Salk and Sabin) made a huge difference.
It has been known for a while now that kindergarten teachers and pediatricians are at reduced risk of getting shingles. The frequent contact with infected children means they are getting the equivalent of booster shots against the virus.
What hasn’t been explained for me, is why not just get a chicken pox shot to protect against shingles?
Wiki says the shingles shot is just a stronger version of the chicken pox shot. It also states that 50% of people reaching age 85 will have an episode of shingles and also that the shingles vaccine is only 50% effective in preventing an occurrance. The symptoms will be milder though. I got mine.
these later day anti-vaccines people remind me of the modern-day Libertarians. Neither could exist in a world without a more or less stable prosperous and healthy society brought to you by government intervention.
without mass immunization programs there would be far fewer of us just one of the benefits of government taxes.
just a bunch of spoiled self centered ignorant jerks
uncle frogy
Increase in children born?
In the UK, you get a free shingles vaccine at 70. A bit late perhaps, but I still look with pity on the whole concept of “deductibles” and “co-pay” that people living without a proper healthcare system take for granted.
If you’ll excuse my current obsession, Trump’s an anti-vaxxer. Check out his tweets if you don’t believe me.
Maybe they could do the same for pasteurization. I’m starting to get a bit sick, pun not intended, of the whole “it’s natural, there good,” bullocks.
@dianne #32:
It’s not an obsession — it’s a natural response.
@Marcus Hill #31:
You can also get a shot at an earlier age from private clinics, costing about £180 (a friend did this as a precaution prior to receiving chemo, although his oncologist told him the odds were against it being necessary).
@anchor #7 – Yes, that would be a good idea.