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A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear
Simon & Schuster
January 2011
On Sale: January 11, 2011
448 pages
ISBN: 1439158649
EAN: 9781439158647
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
WHO DECIDES WHICH FACTS ARE TRUE? 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, in the
process, helped to launch one of the most devastating health
scares ever. In the years to come Wakefield would be
revealed as a profiteer in league with class-action lawyers,
and he would eventually lose his medical license. Meanwhile
one study after another failed to find any link between
childhood vaccines and autism. Yet the myth that vaccines somehow cause developmental
disorders lives on. Despite the lack of corroborating
evidence, it has been popularized by media personalities
such as Oprah Winfrey and Jenny McCarthy and legitimized by
journalists who claim that they are just being fair to “both
sides” of an issue about which there is little debate.
Meanwhile millions of dollars have been diverted from
potential breakthroughs in autism research, families have
spent their savings on ineffective “miracle cures,” and
declining vaccination rates have led to outbreaks of deadly
illnesses like Hib, measles, and whooping cough. Most tragic
of all is the increasing number of children dying from
vaccine-preventable diseases. In The Panic Virus Seth Mnookin draws on interviews with
parents, public-health advocates, scientists, and
anti-vaccine activists to tackle a fundamental question: How
do we decide what the truth is? The fascinating answer helps
explain everything from the persistence of conspiracy
theories about 9/11 to the appeal of talk-show hosts who
demand that President Obama “prove” he was born in America. The Panic Virus is a riveting and sometimes heart-breaking
medical detective story that explores the limits of rational
thought. It is the ultimate cautionary tale for our time.
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