Conservatives get a lot of blame for ignoring or denying science, notably on climate change, said Samantha Bee on Monday night's Daily Show, but science denial isn't exclusive to the political right. Case in point: the return of measles, mumps, rubella. Of the 288 new measles cases reported in the U.S. this year, 166 of them are in Ohio's Amish community. But lots of the other cases of these preventable diseases are found in white, upper middle class, liberal enclaves.
Dr. Paul Offit at the Vaccine Education Center certainly lays the blame on liberals, especially well-educated ones who "believe simply by googling the term 'vaccine' on the internet they can know as much if not more than anyone who's giving them advice," he told Bee. The foil in this episode is Sarah Pope, a health and nutrition blogger who opposes vaccinations, and The Daily Show gave her plenty of time to prove Offit's case. Eventually, Offit said, the real human cost of these diseases returning will win the day. "So there is a cure for science denial," Bee concluded, hopefully. "Once Florida is underwater and we all have polio, it'll be better." --Peter Weber
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
The six-seven meme that has taken over the worldIn the Spotlight With roots in rap and basketball, the phrase has young people obsessed, and it could be here to stay
-
Five takeaways from Plaid Cymru’s historic Caerphilly by-election winThe Explainer The ‘big beasts’ were ‘humbled’ but there was disappointment for second-placed Reform too
-
A journey through Trinidad’s wild heartThe Week Recommends Experience the island’s natural wonders, from watching baby turtles hatch to visiting an ancient bat cave
-
FDA OKs generic abortion pill, riling the rightSpeed Read The drug in question is a generic version of mifepristone, used to carry out two-thirds of US abortions
-
RFK Jr. vaccine panel advises restricting MMRV shotSpeed Read The committee voted to restrict access to a childhood vaccine against chickenpox
-
Texas declares end to measles outbreakSpeed Read The vaccine-preventable disease is still spreading in neighboring states, Mexico and Canada
-
RFK Jr. shuts down mRNA vaccine funding at agencySpeed Read The decision canceled or modified 22 projects, primarily for work on vaccines and therapeutics for respiratory viruses
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year highSpeed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, changeSpeed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panelspeed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kidsSpeed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
