Skeptical Kiwi

2019 Health Threat Some of us may remember earlier in the year, when the World Health Organisation named Vaccine Hesitancy amongst the  Top 10 Health Threats of 2019 . Antivaxers took this as a joke. As a challenge. The #2019HealthThreat hashtag took off amongst the sociopaths of social  media. Some even made t-shirts with the label on it (Heather "Pointless Poll Every Week" Simpson). They took it and ran with it for a while. Measles has killed over 5000 people this year I don't know if they're still laughing after the year that Measles has had. I'm at a loss to try and figure out that their aim is.  5000 deaths world wide from measles is not a joke to me. The World Health Organisation knew what they were talking about. A post made by Edwin Tamasese in 2018 in an antivax group. Taylor and RFK together in Samoa At time of writing, there have been 55 deaths in Samoa from Measles and over 3000 cases . Antivaxers are not f...

Measles outbreaks in New Zealand and What That Means For You Unless you've been living under a rock, you will be aware of measles cases across New Zealand, in Canterbury, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Auckland. Cases have been detected in Wellington, and Lakes, Northland as well. The rates are alarming, with a large number of the infected being unvaccinated, 86%, including children under the age of 15 months (the age at which the first MMR shot is given).  ESR Report: Week 19 May 4 - May 19 Let's talk about what Measles is, what these numbers mean, try to dispel some myths, and why you should get vaccinated.  What is Measles? Measles is caused by the Measles virus. Symptoms, as described by the Ministry of Health , include a fever, cough, runny nose, sore/watery eyes and the characteristic red rash, with white (Koplik spots). Complications can be serious and 1 in 10 infected will need hospitalisation. The complications can include ear infections (which ca...

  Mandatory Vaccination Courtesy of Cartoons By Kristin Death threats, outbreaks, denial and pseudoscience Introduction High rates of vaccination are important for a safe, happy and healthy society. When these decisions are left up to personal choice, however, misinformation, emotions, and misled opinions abound. Providing facts and studies is not enough anymore. Too many people distrust science and don’t possess the ability to understand it, or simply don’t believe the experts. This has lead to a drop in vaccination rates and consequently, outbreaks. I recommend mandatory vaccination as the right course of action. Mandatory does not mean forced. There is still a choice. If the mandates suggested here are upsetting to you, the solution is easy; vaccinate your children . I’m proposing that vaccination becomes mandatory for those seeking to enrol their children into 1. Public School 2. Daycare/Kindergarten facilities 3. Doctor and hospital admission Full im...

The creative logo for the Facebook group. Notice the skull & crossbones in lieu of the other '0'? In the last two posts, I threw some stuff together about 1080, one a general overview  and the other a slightly more in-depth look at 1080 the poison , how it works and the risks that come with it. This time, I want to look at the anti1080 people. They are the reason I've written these three posts. So what are their arguments? Why do they do this?  Who are they and what do they want? It seems to me that with every success in science, there is an opposition to it. Vaccines, medicine in general, glyphosate, artificial sweeteners, water-fluoridation, GMOs, the moon landing, and 1080 is no exception. There is a growing amount of people who seem to be against it. They've threatened to shoot down helicopters and poison swimming pools, they've threatened to poison baby formula and even sent in a sample of poisoned baby formula to show they weren't messing ...