Vaccines – David Bradley

Measles and immunity

The antivax brigade has a lot to answer for, not least the rise and rise of measles, which can be lethal, but is so easily staved off with vaccination. Even if it is not lethal for many, it can be a very problematic disease not least because in some ways it makes your immune system lose its memory of how to protect you from other diseases. While this effect may only be temporary in most cases, temporary can be long enough for another potentially lethal pathogen to take hold while you are vulnerable.

I’ve seen mention on social media of the notion that measles can delete your immune system’s memory of other diseases, and so its ability to fight infection. It’s not quite that simple, but the bottom line is that you are better off being vaccinated against it than not, as are your children.

I asked an immunologist contact to verify the following, which she did:

Measles infection itself does not delete your immune system memory, but it can have significant effects on the immune system that may indirectly impact immune memory. Measles is a highly contagious viral infection caused by the measles virus. The virus primarily targets and infects immune cells, particularly those involved in the adaptive immune response, such as memory B cells and T cells.

The immune system relies on memory cells to “remember” previous encounters with pathogens and mount a faster and more effective response upon re-exposure. In the case of measles, the virus can infect and destroy memory B cells, which are responsible for producing antibodies against specific pathogens. This can lead to a temporary weakening of the immune response and an increased susceptibility to other infections.

Additionally, measles can suppress the overall function of the immune system, leaving the individual more vulnerable to opportunistic infections. The severity of these effects can depend on various factors, including the individual’s overall health, nutritional status, and the presence of any underlying medical conditions.

It is important to note that while measles can have a negative impact on the immune system, the immune system is generally resilient, and in many cases, it can recover over time. Vaccination against measles is a highly effective preventive measure, not only protecting against measles itself but also helping to maintain overall immune system health. The measles vaccine stimulates the immune system to produce a protective response without causing the disease, and it does not have the same detrimental effects on immune memory as natural measles infection.

Avian influenza, bird flu, H5N1

TL:DR – Scientists are worried that we might soon see the emergence of another pandemic, this one originating in avian influenza.

A bird flu pandemic has killed thousands of wild birds over the last couple of years. Scientists have now seen infection in mammals, and very recently a person died from avian influenza and several close contacts show signs of infection. The concern is that we might be headed for another H5N1 pandemic. Previous strains of H5N1 that infected people had a mortality rate of 60 percent.

Avian influenza, bird flu, H5N1

There are fifteen known variants of avian influenza. The most virulent, and usually fatal in birds, are the H5 and H7 strains. There are then nine variants of the H5 strain and the type of most concern because of the risk to human health is H5N1.

Up to May 2020, the World Health Organisation had reported a total of 861 human cases of bird flu, which killed 455 people since 2003. However, in February 2003, an 11-year-old Cambodian girl died of H5N1, her father tested positive and several close contacts had symptoms. At the time of writing, the WHO believes this strain of H5N1 is spreading among people and is pushing for a new human vaccine against the disease to be produced urgently.

Covid answers

Which is the best vaccine against Covid?

What does “95 percent effective” mean?

Can you still get Covid if you have had the vaccine?

Does the vaccine stop you being infectious if you catch Covid?

Do you need to be vaccinated if you have had the disease?

Do the vaccines developed in 2020 work against the new variants that have emerged?

Answers from the experts this week in Scientific American here.

How emerging viruses jump from species to species

David Bradley reporting from the Royal Society, January 2004

The list of emergent viruses continues to grow. In the early 1990s, there was HIV, ebola, lassa, and others, almost all having jumped from their natural host species to humans. More recently, hepatitis C, Sin Nombre, West Nile, and of course SARS emerged. The common factor, said Dr Eddie Holmes of the University of Oxford, is that they use RNA rather than DNA to carry their genetic code.

Holmes believes that the genetics of our immune systems and viral genetics should be an equally important research focus. To infect a new species, an emerging virus has to overcome the new host’s immune system and to replicate in its cells, the success of which depends on both viral and host genetics and other factors.

But, Holmes asked, why do such pathogens emerge and what controls the emergence? Ecological change, as emphasized in Tony McMichael’s talk, is the governing factor – change in human proximity and change in host-species population density. The key to understanding lies in the fact that RNA viruses mutate a million times more rapidly than organisms with DNA. This endows them with great adaptability. On the other hand, a high mutation rate constrains viral evolution by capping the viral genome’s size, which limits adaptability. Higher mutation rates, after all, mean more chance of error in the viral genes. This “error-threshold”, explained Holmes, means that if a virus has to evolve a lot to jump between species then it is more likely to fail. We eat a multitude of plant viruses every day but no one has yet fallen prey to turnip mosaic virus.

The coronaviruses such as SARS, are different. They have a much bigger genome than other RNA viruses, which means that SARS and its relatives should evolve more slowly but their larger genome gives them greater adaptability. A better understanding of the constraints to RNA virus evolution will allow us to make better predictions about the emergence of new viruses and help us find improved therapeutic procedures. Rather than thinking about what RNA viruses can do, we should concentrate on their limitations.

Read on… Influenza and emerging viruses

The invention of vaccines

Somebody just made the brilliant suggestion on an anti-vax discussion group that doctors, instead of injecting chemicals, should inject a tiny bit of the virus so that the body can build up natural immunity to the disease…

…basically, they just “invented” vaccination.

What do the antivax brigade think doctors are injecting now? Fairy dander and unicorn tears?

Criminal antivaxxer

Thirty years as a science writer, covering almost every #STEM beat at some point, I just received my first antivax death threat…

“Your criminal bastard david bradley published an article lying about the benefits of vaccinations. The only benefit is for the evil criminal government bastards running this planet who need to be executed! We know vaccines are nothing but toxic bioweapons ow because of Planet X and they are designed to make people too sick and stupid to pay attention! They also spread government-created designer diseases like when they AIDS in smallpox and hepatitis vaccines. So your evil lying bastard bradley is guilty of accessory to genocide and the criminal piece of shit needs to be executed along with all the evil bastard governments!”

Classic shoddy grammar and conspiracy references from these kinds of idiot.

On Twitter, Robin Davidson suggested it is a badge of honour, while Ian thought it was “really quite something”. Simon Leather noted my email client’s classification: “A real piece of junk rhetoric” and Silvia Castro offered me congratulations: “So congrats! You are doing a great job! Criminals are the one that put their kids and everyone around them in danger of being killed by a disease that can be prevented by vaccines. We all should all learn from NY Measles Emergency happening right now.”

Ryan O’Hare told me: “That’s brilliant! :) You should be proud to have risen through the ranks from science writer to “criminal bastard”. That’s another step up the ladder to “Evil Overlord”.” and posted a gif of Mike Myers as Dr Evil.

Meningitis FAQ

You know when they say the symptoms of meningitis are commonly a headache and a stiff neck and perhaps purple blotches on the skin that don’t pale when pressed…well…it can be far worse than that and can kill. If you’re in a vulnerable group, make sure you’re vaccinated. It is highly recommended that new university and college students are vaccinated because meningitis is far worse than a spot of “fresher’s flu” (usually just a cold) and can be passed on through coughs and sneezes, close contact and kissing infected people and even just sharing kitchen utensils. If it doesn’t kill it can lead to amputation where tissues in the feet or hands have died, for instance. Graphic photos of youngster, Charlene Colechin, hospital shown on the BBC site today are fair warning!

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What is meningitis?

Meningitis is acute inflammation (the itis bit of the name) of meninges, the protective membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.

What causes meningitis?

Infection by viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms (fungi like Cryptococcus and Histoplasma), and far less commonly certain drugs, can cause meningitis (mainly non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics and intravenous immunoglobulins). Viral meningitis is fairly common but rarely fatal, while bacterial forms are less common but are extremely dangerous and can be fatal. One common bacterium that causes meningitis is meningococcus, which can lead to both meningitis and septicaemia (meningococcal disease). Some forms of meningitis occur in people with HIV, diabetes and some forms of cancer.

What are the symptoms of meningitis?

Meningitis commonly presents as fever, headache and neck stiffness, but can lead to confusion, vomiting, and sensitivity to bright light and loud noises. Meningitis in young children might present as irritability, drowsiness, and poor feeding. Symptoms usually appear after a 4-5 day incubation period following infection.

Isn’t there usually a purple, blotchy rash?

This symptom is most commonly seen in meningitis caused by meningococcal bacteria. A standard test as to whether a rash might be caused by meningitis involves gently pressing a patch of skin with the side of a drinking glass or other transparent object, if the colouration does not go away with pressure, it is more likely to be a rash due to meningitis. Other skin inflammation will pale when pressed.

How is the condition diagnosed?

A sample of spinal fluid is taken with a hypodermic syringe in a procedure commonly known as a “lumbar puncture” and tested in the laboratory for the markers of the disease, C-reactive protein, complete blood count, and blood cultures to confirm whether or not bacteria from a blood sample are present.

Can meningitis kill?

Yes. The inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord can lead to pressure on the brain as well as sepsis (which leads to a dangerous drop in blood pressure, a rapid heart rate, high or abnormally low temperature, and rapid breathing), sepsis itself can be the ultimate cause of death.

Can meningitis be treated?

Meningitis is treated as a medical emergency and patients require rapid hospitalisation as soon as symptoms arise. If the condition is detected early enough wide-spectrum antibiotics can control the worst symptoms. Corticosteroids have also been shown to improve the prognosis for many patients, particularly in the developed world and where HIV is uncommon.

What is the prognosis?

If caught early, the prognosis is good and many people survive meningitis unscathed. However, sepsis, organ damage, gangrene and rupture of the adrenal glands can all occur some even at an early stage of infection and lead to major life-changing consequences, such as amputations, hearing loss and chronic health problems.

How common is meningitis?

In 2013, 16 million people worldwide were identified as having meningitis, 303,000 of them died. In Western nations, bacterial meningitis affects about 3 people in every 100,000 each year. Worldwide, the rate is closer to 11 per 100,000, although the disease is not universally notifiable so these figures cannot be assured. The rate in Brazil is much higher, almost 50 people in every 100,000 annually, while Sub-Saharan Africa, tragically referred to as the “meningitis belt” by some can see 100—800 cases per 100,000.

Can meningitis be prevented?

The risk of getting some forms of meningitis can be prevented by vaccination, immunization, with the meningococcal, mumps, pneumococcal, and Hib vaccines. There is no vaccine to protect against all forms and different vaccines are needed to prevent forms of meningitis in different parts of the world.

Where can I find out more about meningitis?

The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention also has a FAQ on meningitis as does the UK’s Meningitis Research Foundation, and of course, the NHS.

Cut-price vax for developing world

Drug firms cut vaccine prices in developing world – This is good news: Several major drugs companies have announced big cuts to the amounts they charge for their vaccines in the developing world. GSK, Merck, Johnson & Johnson and Sanofi-Aventis have agreed to cut prices through the international vaccine alliance Gavi. I can think of one problem, however, aside from the antivax conspiracy theory nonsens that will arise, and that's the potential for blackmarket profiteering…

Mumps, vax, quacks #science

A few science news snippets:

Mumps vaccination and teenage swelling – Clinical evidence suggests that we should best avoid mumps in teenagers, could a booster vaccine at age 12 or thereabouts be the answer?
Martin Gardner RIP – Debunker of quacks and pseudoscientists and an unequalled mathematical raconteur, he will be missed.
Electronic blast for superbug killers and more… – This week, an electronic blast could kill superbugs and give us sweeter smelling socks, the Alchemist learns. Models could improve our understanding of volcanic ash and oil spills while analytical instrumentation for atmospheric studies is improved with a low-noise controller. In the technological field, a new nano material based on titanium pentoxide could one day outshine Blu-ray, and molecular bubbles could deliver drugs more effectively than conventional polymer capsules. Finally, emergency NSF funding could help in the cleanup after the Gulf of Mexico oil release.
A Question Of Identity – Who's Wong? Who's White? ResearcherID on the way?
A new spin on extending battery life – A team at Bar-Ilan University is working to make existing batteries last ten times longer and existing processors work ten times faster using spintronics.

Vital Signs

Homeopathy rVita emailed me today to enthuse about a purportedly “wonderful resource”, which is apparently the web’s first integrative medicine community (funny they should claim that as I had someone else emailing to tell me yesterday about their first such site too).

Anyway, I checked out the site, and am very, very disappointed, the first article I read was wrong, wrong, wrong. Homeopathy is most certainly not a viable alternative to vaccination against lethal diseases like polio, tetanus, and measles. To claim otherwise is not only seriously misleading but incredibly dangerous.

We’ve discussed some of the supposed issues surrounding possible problems with conventional vaccines here before, but homeopathy cannot prevent anyone from contracting such serious illness. No matter how hard followers of Hahnemann’s idea that diluting a substance repeatedly until absolutely none of the original compound remains in one’s vial and all the while repeatedly bashing the vial against a Bible believe it to work, it does not.

There is no valid, reproducible evidence of the efficacy of homeopathy as prophylaxis for serious disease where a vaccine would usually be used to prevent infection. The rVita article claims:

“Based on principles of natural law, you can receive protection against the flu or any disease including polio, tetanus, and measles by natural immunity.”

Seriously, there is no scientific basis nor evidence for any of the claims of homeopaths, particular with regard to prophylaxis against lethal diseases. This is as true in National Homeopathy Week as at any other time of the year.

rVita originally suggested the site would be “wonderful resource for any upcoming articles you might be planning on alternative or integrative medicine, Health 2.0, health resources on the Internet, or any other health-related topics,” well it does provide fodder for my highlighting some of the sillier claims of alt med.

Apparently, for users of the rVita community, “whether researching alternative remedies for allergies, infertility, insomnia, chronic pain or even adjunctive care for cancer, users can turn to rVita for help in separating the science from the snake oil.”

Hmmm…as well as the unfounded case of homeopathy, they also discuss Reiki therapy, therapeutic touch, art therapy and the like. Beyond, the placebo effect (which is admittedly very powerful) none of these or many other alternative therapies have any basis in reality

The exceptions, of course, are some herbal remedies. After all, a large proportion of modern drugs from aspirin and AZT to ephedrine and taxol are based on natural products. And some of the manipulating methods such as osteopathy and chiropractic, while dubious in their origins and some of their wider claims, do have physical effects. I was discussing such matters as the claims of chi, energy fields and auras with a colleague in the telecommunications industry who asked, scathingly, “In what units is this universal energy measured?” It’s a rather insightful put down.

Meanwhile, Niteen Bhat Founder CEO of rVeda Inc, of Santa Clara, California, and parent company of the rVita website, contacted me in response to my email respone to their approach. This is what he had to say:

I just wanted to highlight a few things about our philosophy to present our side of the story: Our goal is to bring perspectives from both for “for” and “against” constituents for a particular therapy or modality to enable informed decision making and separate science from snake oil. We welcome experts such as yourself to either comment on any article or even write your own articles that highlight issues with any remedy. That’s the power of Web 2.0 that we are unleashing on CAM.

Having said that, consumers and integrative medicine folks are finding some of these therapy to be effective even though scientific trials are inconclusive or not done yet. One of the reason being that many CAM therapies take personalized medicine approach and essentially have slightly different variants of therapies for each individual. This is exactly the reason we currently do not promote product sales, or do-it-yourself therapies, but expect consumers to get healed via licensed CAM practitioners.

Our content is overseen by conventional medicine MDs (I have copied our Chief Medical Advisor on this email). We did discuss the issues raised and came to [the] conclusion that we need to highlight practitioner articles as such so that we keep sanctity of our select/carefully chosen experts and their opinions. We have decided to separate practitioner articles under separate categories.

So, my review of their site has had a rather positive effect, but efforts to dry up supplies of snake oil must continue.

Many commentators will not accede to using words such as “complementary” or “integrated” to refer to alternative medicine, the name change falls into the same camp as switching from “creationism” to “intelligent design”, as far as I am concerned. Show me the evidence in the form of large-scale, robust, placebo-controlled, double or even triple, blind, clinical trials, however, not spurious poorly controlled tests and selective meta studies, and I’m a believer.

If it produces a sound akin to that of the aquatic avian species falling under the taxonomic name Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos, then it really is best avoided, especially if you wish to stay free of lethal diseases.

For an excellent summary of alternative medicine the fact and the fiction, check out Singh and Ernst’s book Trick or Treatment