Paul Offit on the Flu Vaccine

In his book Autism’s False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure, Paul Offit makes a scientific and medical case against those who have claimed a link between autism and vaccines.

Fear has now spread to vaccines for the H1N1 flu, and as Paul Offit describes in a recent New York Times op-ed, several myths are making the rounds.

In the op-ed, Offit looks to scientific data to argue that the flu vaccines is safe, has been tested, has no adjuvant, and does not contain a dangerous preservative. Offit concludes,

New myths will inevitably arise as some of the millions of people who are inoculated against H1N1 flu suffer unrelated illnesses. Health officials will keep a close eye out for any real problems. One can only hope that the American public will understand that subsequence isn’t necessarily consequence, and not be scared away from a vaccine that can save lives.