Autism: The Long Tail of Misinformation (Seth Mnookin)

There has been a consensus among scientists for many years that there is little evidence that vaccines cause autism, but that has not stopped many in the general public to continue to believe this idea.  In some parts of the US and UK there are still significant numbers of parents who are refusing to have their children vaccinated.

We are still learning how people of using the Internet to maintain ideas that have been discredited in various sources.  There is much we need to learn here.

Here are three interesting commentaries that deserve careful consideration as we think about the long tail of misinformation.

Seth Mnookin:  The Panic Virus (On the Media interview)-- book--The Panic Virus
Newsweek article-- Autism and the Affluent

Science Friday  Paul Offit -interview