Michele Bachmann vs. Science: Vaccine Edition

On Tuesday, while talking with Matt Lauer on the Today show, Representative Michele Bachmann said the HPV vaccine is “a very dangerous drug.” She continued:

I had a mother come up to me last night here in Tampa, Fla., after the debate. She told me that her little daughter took that vaccine, that injection. And she suffered from mental retardation thereafter. The mother was crying when she came up to me last night. I didn’t know who she was before the debate. This is the very real concern and people have to draw their own conclusions.

Instead of making the very obvious “well, then, I guess Michele Bachmann must have gotten the HPV vaccine” joke, I will just point out that “mental retardation” is not a “very real concern” when it comes to vaccination. The alleged connection between vaccines and mental disability (namely, autism) has been repeatedly debunked.

In August, a report by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) analyzed all the available data on the adverse effects associated with eight childhood vaccines. The IOM report included data on the HPV vaccine, finding some evidence that the side effect of fainting is a concern, but it did not find enough evidence to support any side effects involving development such as mental retardation.

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, mental retardation is not a side effect of the vaccine.

In a statement Tuesday, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) admonished Bachmann, saying her claims about the HPV vaccine have “absolutely no scientific validity.” “Since the vaccine has been introduced, more than 35 million doses have been administered, and it has an excellent safety record,” the statement reads.

“Congresswoman Bachmann’s decision to spread fear of vaccines is dangerous and irresponsible,” said Evan Siegfried, a spokesman for the Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership. “There is zero credible scientific evidence that vaccines cause mental retardation or autism. She should cease trying to foment fear in order to advance her political agenda.”

So in review, that’s the IOM, the CDC, the AAP, and the GRASP who disagree with Michele Bachmann. But, given that this is the same woman who does not believe in evolution, I’m willing to bet that she won’t take the word of scientists on this issue, either.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/09/13/vaccination-causes-mental-retardation-fact-checking-michele-bachmanns-claim/#ixzz1XxwvF0Og

Related articles

• Doubling Down: Michele Bachmann Claims HPV Vaccine Causes ‘Mental Retardation’ (mediaite.com)
• Michele Bachmann Is Not a Doctor (she reveals), But Pediatricians Are (survivorpediatrics.wordpress.com)
• Michele Bachmann, the HPV vaccine and the Republican landscape (guardian.co.uk)
• Michelle Bachmann Claims HPV Vaccine Might Cause ‘Mental Retardation’ (fledgelingskeptic.com)
• Michele Bachmann Proves She’s an Anti-Science Idiot (reason.com)