TallGuyJohninBKK

US measles total climbs to 800 cases, 10 outbreaks April 19, 2025 Amid a rising number of outbreaks, including a large one centered in West Texas, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in its weekly update reported 88 more measles cases, pushing the national total to 800. The pace of activity in the first 4 months of the year is well on track to pass the 2019 total of 1,274 cases, which was the most since the United States officially eliminated the virus in 2000. ... Half of all US states have reported cases, some of which are linked to international travel. Among illnesses reported so far, 96% of patients were unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status. So far, 85 patients (11%) were hospitalized, with the number of deaths remaining at 3. [emphasis added] (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/measles/us-measles-total-climbs-800-cases-10-outbreaks

RFK Jr. claims 'leaky' measles vaccine wanes over time. Scientists say he's wrong April 16, 2025 Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said the measles vaccine is "leaky" because its effectiveness wanes over time, something medical experts dispute. ... Kennedy suggested the vaccine effectiveness wanes at a rate of nearly 5% a year – an assertion not backed by scientists. ... "People get measles because they don't vaccinate," Kennedy said Tuesday during a press conference. "They get measles because the vaccine wanes. The vaccines wane about 4.8% per year ... So, you know, it's a leaky vaccine, and that problem is always going to be around." ... Scientists disputed Kennedy's claim that the measles vaccine's effectiveness wanes over time. "He's dead wrong," said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "The measles vaccine protects you for the rest of your life. The notion that it's a leaky vaccine is dead wrong." (more) https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2025/04/15/rfk-jr-measles-vaccine-leaky-claims/83099634007/

Health Security Decoded Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security April 17, 2025 As of last week, the United States had recorded more than 700 measles cases, with 93% of cases being related to outbreaks of at least three or more related cases. As of today, the Center for Outbreak Response Innovation (CORI) is reporting 772 cases in 24 states so far this year, with two confirmed deaths and one under investigation. The largest outbreak, centered in western Texas, continues to grow, with 569 cases. Notably, however, many experts, including those with CDC, believe the actual case count is much higher, with many cases either not reported or underreported. A CDC senior scientist this week said the pullback of federal pandemic funding from states has hurt responses, especially in Texas, where CDC is “scraping to find the resources and personnel needed to provide support.” Confusing vaccine messaging HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s inconsistent and unclear statements about measles vaccination also are hampering outbreak control efforts, as well as drawing criticism from infectious disease and vaccine experts. While Secretary Kennedy recently endorsed the vaccine as the best way to prevent the disease, which it is, he continues to amplify unfounded claims about its safety and effectiveness, repeating incorrectly that the shot’s protection wanes rapidly (for most people, two doses provide lifelong protection) and causes illnesses similar to measles itself. He also has downplayed the seriousness of measles in the U.S. Secretary Kennedy’s mixed messaging emboldens vaccine skeptics and undermines trust in vaccination as measles cases rise nationwide. https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Health-Security-Decoded---April-17--2025.html?soid=1107826135286&aid=92m1L77mL2Q

The fact that a senior Trump-appointed U.S. public health figure publicly spouts a lot of nonsense misinformation claims on various topics that have widely proven as false and/or misleading, and you and others here applaud it because it gives voice to your similar nonsense, disproven beliefs, says a lot about the sorry state of U.S. politics and public discourse these days. I'd repost what all the various major medical groups have said about autism and vaccines (no connection between the two), but doing so would just be throwing pearls before the swine, figuratively speaking. Some public health or medical/scientific topics are up for legitimate scientific debate, because the facts and evidence remain uncertain or unknown. But vaccines and autism is not one of those topics. The science is well-settled and established on the point. And those who fail to recognize that are just the blind leading the blind.

You could do what I do, and that is to, among other things, judge what credible sources have to say on the subject -- as opposed to the worthless opinions of anti-vax nonsense peddlers with no professional expertise on the topics at hand. A summary of one part of the OP fact check report I posted above:

Guess this kind of tell us just who the Chinese contractor here was primarily hiring to build this now collapsed Thai government building....

Even though the news report here says two former legal officials WERE sentenced to prison, the same news report seems to make NO mention of the outcomes for the former national police chief and several other senior police officials who were all facing charges in the same case... except for the vague reference above to "multiple charge being dismissed." Did the RTP get off scot-free again?

Why don't you post some proof that the autism studies in question were funded by Big Pharma.... Or are you just making up nonsense out of the right-wing anti-vax playbook?

More re RFK Jr, and one of the federal health agencies under his control muzzling (and effectively forcing out) a renowned nutrition scientist whose findings contradict RFK Jr.'s own claims: NIH loses a top nutrition scientist—and that’s bad news "In 2019, Dr. Kevin Hall authored arguably the most important study—a randomized controlled trial, the gold standard—showing that ultra-processed foods (UPF) lead to weight gain. He then did the next natural thing: run studies on why. Was it because UPFs are addictive or something else? A follow-up study of his found that UPF may not be inherently addictive, as indicated by the brain’s dopamine response.... These follow-up studies directly contradict RFK Jr.’s narrative—that UPF is addictive. Hall was initially restricted from publicly sharing the results. Once he was allowed to comment, the NIH press office edited his response, downplaying the significance. So, he announced his early retirement, citing censorship. He has been at NIH for 21 years. What does this mean for you? When scientists are muzzled, it hurts the public’s health and doesn’t move us toward a healthier world and better food system. This also follows a concerning pattern echoing recent departures like Dr. Peter Marks (FDA vaccines) and Kevin Griffis (CDC communications)." https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/ticks-allergies-measles-top-nutrition Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE) is a public health newsletter with one goal: to “translate” the ever-evolving public health science so that people feel well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. This newsletter is owned and operated by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina— an epidemiologist and mom.

No not at all! I absolutely believe his own claim that a worm ate part of his brain. Watch the guy on TV now, and compare it with him 10-15 years ago, and the differences are STARK! But sadly, that's who's leading U.S. non-health policy under Donald Trump. So it comes as absolutely no surprise when he repeatedly spews factually-disproven nonsense on health and medical issues.

It's pretty clear that RFK Jr. has a very like-minded following of nonsense here... RFK Jr. claims a doctor told him a worm ate part of his brain, reports New York Times 05/08/2024 "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claimed numerous health problems, including that a parasite possibly ate part of his brain, during a deposition made during a contentious divorce from his second wife about a decade ago, according to the New York Times. The Times reported that Kennedy told attorneys in 2012 that a surgeon at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital reviewed his brain scans after suffering from memory loss and fogginess. The surgeon, he said, believed the issue “was caused by a worm that got into my brain and ate a portion of it and then died.” POLITICO has not independently reviewed the deposition. ... “I have cognitive problems, clearly … I have short-term memory loss, and I have longer-term memory loss that affects me,” Kennedy said in the deposition. (more) https://www.politico.com/news/2024/05/08/rfk-jr-brain-worm-00156794 The guy and his nonsense rantings gives to meaning to the term "addled." Cue all the like-minded anti-vaxers here...

Even though he's now the U.S. HHS Secretary appointed by Donald Trump, RFK Jr. has been continuing his longstanding habit of spewing false vaccine misinformation he established during his prior leadership of the non-credible anti-vax group Children's Health Defense. The latest example of RFK Jr's anti-vax misinformation nonsense, and its ensuing spread into the right-wing anti-vax misinformation sphere that now includes this unfortunate forum, follows below: RFK Jr. Sparks False Claim Generating Millions of Views that Vaccine/Autism Studies Never Compared Vaccinated to Unvaccinated Children "What happened: Some X and Telegram users, citing comments by U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are falsely claiming that studies debunking the link between vaccines and autism are not comprehensive because they do not compare outcomes in vaccinated versus unvaccinated children. ... Kennedy’s claim was soon cited in articles on websites that NewsGuard has found to have repeatedly published false or egregiously misleading content, including TheBurningPlatform.com (Trust Score: 7.5/100) and ChildrensHealthDefense.org (Trust Score: 17.5/100), the site of an anti-vaccine group founded by Kennedy. ... Actually: Multiple peer-reviewed studies dating to the 1990s that found no link between vaccines and autism did, in fact, compare vaccinated and unvaccinated children. For example, a March 2019 study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal compared autism rates in Denmark among 625,000 children who received the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines to 31,000 unvaccinated children. The prevalence of autism was found to be lower among the vaccinated population." (more) https://www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/i/161818068/rfk-jr-sparks-false-claim-generating-millions-of-views-that-vaccineautism-studies-never-compared-vaccinated-to-unvaccinated-children As the above fact check report debunking Kennedy's false comments notes, the World Health Organization and many other health and science groups, including the U.K. National Health Service and the Infectious Diseases Society of America, have repeatedly stated that there is no link between vaccines and autism, based on an abundance of scientific evidence. But hey, that won't stop certain posters here with flooding the forum with loads of anti-vax nonsense sourced from nobodies who post their delusional, fact-free rantings on their own Substack blogs to fanfare from the anti-vaxer world, of which, RFK Jr. certainly appears to be the continuing de facto leader.

Whack-job anti-vaxer on a post-Songkran rampage... Yeesh!!! And an OP post quoting a guy who has no qualifications as a doctor, public health expert, vaccine researcher, etc etc... Just another whack-job guy on the internet with his own anti-vax Substack rantings. This kind of stuff is SO far "Off the Beaten Track" that once you go down that deep dark hole, there's no coming back from it....

It also would seem no coincidence that MANY of these kinds of horrible crashes seem to happen in the early morning hours overnight -- and not in the daytime, broad daylight or even early evening periods. One might assume that has something to do with the reduced attention / nodding off of the involved bus drivers during those overnight hours in some way contributing to the fatal end results.

I'm glad the police nabbed this guy and any others (Thai or Chinese) who have culpability in the collapse of the SAOB.... But there's still something particularly Thailand-esque given what's occurred about the guy facing, of all things, charges for illegal nominee shareholding.... And nothing so far about the deaths of the 50-100 people who died, or will end up being found dead, in the rubble of the collapsed building. Those people deserve at least manslaughter charges against those responsible, if not more.

I have Medicare Part D and a Medicare Supplement plan, so I believe I'm covered for the Shingles vax under Part D. I also have been considering the RSV vax, but it's probably a lower priority for me, in part because I'm on the low end of the age range that it has been recommended for in the U.S. I also have seen some reporting lately on findings that it can have a somewhat increased risk (though still very small) for GBS... But haven't had time to dig into the details of that issue as yet to know what to make of it.

Still No Evidence COVID-19 Vaccination Increases Cancer Risk, Despite Posts May 3, 2024 "It has not been shown that COVID-19 vaccines cause or accelerate cancer. Yet opponents of the vaccines say a new review article “has found that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines could aid cancer development.” The review conclusions are mainly based on the misinterpretation of a study on mRNA cancer vaccines in mice. [emphasis added] Clinical trials, involving thousands of people, and multiple studies have shown that the mRNA COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna are safe. Hundreds of millions of doses have been administered under close monitoring systems that have found serious side effects are rare. Studies have also shown that the vaccines work very well in preventing severe COVID-19 disease and death, saving millions of lives across the globe. There is no evidence to support a link between COVID-19 vaccines and cancer, as we’ve reported. Both the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society have stated there’s no information that suggests COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer, make it more aggressive or lead to recurrence of cancer." https://www.factcheck.org/2024/05/still-no-evidence-covid-19-vaccination-increases-cancer-risk-despite-posts/

As for Dalgleish's anecdotal cancer claims: Possible increases in cancer rates and lower life expectancy in 2021 are primarily driven by effects of COVID-19, not vaccination ... "Mercola’s article cited a letter by oncologist Angus Dalgleish published in the Daily Sceptic on 26 November 2022. Addressing the British Medical Journal’s editor-in-chief, Dalgleish claimed to have observed new cancer cases or worsening disease among people who had received COVID-19 vaccine boosters. Based on personal observations of patients and colleagues, Dalgleish mentioned a few cases of people who had developed leukemia, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and metastatic cancer after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine booster. However, claims based on anecdotes are unreliable without further data that support them. As neurologist Steven Novella explained on Science-Based Medicine, anecdotes are subject to multiple biases, including the fallibility of human memory, reporting bias, and confirmation bias, which make them extremely difficult to interpret and attribute to a specific cause. Therefore, Dalgleish’s testimony alone is insufficient evidence to support the claim that COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer or make it worse." https://healthfeedback.org/claimreview/possible-increases-cancer-rates-lower-life-expectancy-2021-primarily-effects-of-covid-19-not-vaccination/

The debunked cancer claims are a common weapon used by the anti-vax community, even though there's no credible science to support their claims, as my prior posts above make clear: Turbo cancer is not a thing Katelyn Jetelina and Kristen Panthagani, MD, PhD Mar 28, 2024 ... Bottom line "The pandemic caused a significant disruption in cancer screenings, and tragically, that meant many people’s cancer diagnoses were delayed, only to be found when they were late-stage. This started well before Covid-19 vaccines were rolled out, and there is no evidence to suggest Covid-19 vaccines are causing a surge in cancer. Even among younger people like Kate Middleton, who unfortunately, are increasingly being diagnosed with cancer." [emphasis added] Kristen Panthagani, MD, PhD, is a resident physician and Yale Emergency Scholar, completing a combined Emergency Medicine residency and research fellowship focusing on health literacy and communication. “Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE)” is written by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, M.P.H. Ph.D.—an epidemiologist, wife, and mom of two little girls. During the day, she is a senior scientific consultant to several organizations, including CDC. https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/p/turbo-cancer-is-not-a-thing

As for Dalgleish's claims about COVID vaccines and cancer, here's what the more credible sources have to say: U.S. National Cancer Institute: Can COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer? Can the vaccines cause cancer to recur or make it more aggressive? There is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer, lead to recurrence, or lead to disease progression. Furthermore, COVID-19 vaccines do not change your DNA (i.e., your genetic code). [emphasis added] ... CDC, NCCN, and other cancer-related organizations urge cancer patients to get COVID-19 vaccinations and booster shots. Why? Data show that people with cancer and others with weakened immune systems are at high risk for severe complications from COVID-19. Vaccines have been shown to decrease the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19, even among people with cancer. Plus, we have evidence that the virus can persist in immunocompromised people, which may lead to the rise of new variants. Therefore, vaccinating these individuals—and the population as a whole—continues to be important to slow the spread of the virus and save lives. Updated: October 10, 2023 https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines-people-with-cancer#:~:text=Can COVID-19,your genetic code). AND American Cancer Society: Can COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer or make cancer grow? There is no information that suggests that COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer. There is also no information that suggests these vaccines can make cancer grow or recur (come back). [emphasis added] Last Revised: September 9, 2024 https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/coronavirus-covid-19-and-cancer/covid-19-vaccines-in-people-with-cancer.html#:~:text=Can COVID-19 vaccines cause cancer or make cancer grow%3F

Dalgleish himself is a UK right-wing anti-vaxer: "In November 2024, Dalgleish was interviewed in Australia on 2GB and repeated his views on the COVID-19 pandemic. He believed the lockdowns and mask mandates in many countries had been "total madness" and that the "vaccines" were wrongly named and had been "largely ineffective at saving lives" while causing many adverse reactions. Australia's pandemic response had been "absolutely appalling". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angus_Dalgleish

Does Trump's White House even remember what he says on these kinds of topics, or just expects everyone to simply ignore the facts of history, as he so often does: Remarks by President Trump at the Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Summit December 8, 2020 "I’m honored to welcome doctors, scientists, industry executives, and state and local leaders to our historic Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Summit. It’s been some journey for all of us. It’s been an incredible success. ... We’re here to discuss a monumental national achievement. From the instant the coronavirus invaded our shores, we raced into action to develop a safe and effective vaccine at breakneck speed. It would normally take five years, six years, seven years, or even more. In order to achieve this goal, we harnessed the full power of government, the genius of American scientists, and the might of American industry to save millions and millions of lives all over the world. We’re just days away from authorization from the FDA, and we’re pushing them hard, at which point we will immediately begin mass distribution. Before Operation Warp Speed, the typical timeframe for development and approval, as you know, could be infinity. And we were very, very happy that we were able to get things done at a level that nobody has ever seen before. The gold standard vaccine has been done in less than nine months." [emphasis added] (more) https://trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-operation-warp-speed-vaccine-summit/

Quarter of US COVID-19 deaths could have been prevented by [more] vaccination: analysis 04/22/22 A new analysis finds that approximately 234,000 U.S. deaths from COVID-19 since June 2021 could have been prevented if [more] people had been vaccinated. The analysis from the Peterson Center on Healthcare and the Kaiser Family Foundation underscores the importance of vaccination, and indicates a significant portion of the heavy toll from the virus could have been prevented. ... “Since vaccines became widely available last summer, a total of 389,000 adults in the United States have died of COVID-19, and 6 in 10 of those deaths – about 234,000 deaths – could have been prevented by timely vaccinations,” the analysis states. “This analysis underscores the importance of continued efforts to increase the number of people vaccinated and boosted against COVID-19.” (more) https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/3459664-quarter-of-us-covid-19-deaths-could-have-been-prevented-by-vaccination-analysis/

Is this Trump and the right wing's payback for COVID vaccines that saved millions of Americans' lives during the pandemic? -- COVID vaccines that Trump in his first term kind of helped shepherd forward via the U.S.'s Operation Warp Speed program. It would seem so, apart from just being increasingly anti-science and anti-public health. Report: COVID-19 vaccines saved US $1.15 trillion, 3 million lives December 14, 2022 A Commonwealth Fund study estimates that, through November 2022, COVID-19 vaccines prevented more than 18.5 million US hospitalizations and 3.2 million deaths and saved the country $1.15 trillion. The modeling study estimated hospitalizations and deaths averted through the end of November 2022, at a time when 80% of the US population had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. ... "Without vaccination the U.S. would have experienced 1.5 times more infections, 3.8 times more hospitalizations, and 4.1 times more deaths," the authors wrote. "These losses would have been accompanied by more than $1 trillion in additional medical costs that were averted because of fewer infections, hospitalizations, and deaths." (more) https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/report-covid-19-vaccines-saved-us-115-trillion-3-million-lives

Anti-science and anti-public health stuff popping up all over the anti-science and anti-public health Trump Admin: Internal Trump administration document reveals massive budget cut proposal for federal health agencies (CNN) -- The Trump administration is formulating plans to cut roughly a third of the federal health budget, eliminate dozens of programs and vastly whittle down health agencies, according to an internal document reviewed by CNN. ... The plan calls for steep cuts to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which would see its budget reduced by more than 40% under the administration’s proposal. It also eliminates CDC’s global health center and programs focused on chronic disease prevention, and domestic HIV/AIDS prevention. While some of the agency’s work would be moved into new AHA centers, programs on gun violence, injury prevention, youth violence prevention, drowning, minority health and others would be eliminated entirely. (more) https://www.cnn.com/2025/04/16/politics/trump-rfk-jr-budget-cut-health/index.html