Early trials of every approved Covid-19 vaccine involved giving them to animals. Ethicist Ben Bramble explains why vegans have a legitimate right to be upset about this – but why they should get the vaccine regardless. Some of my vegan friends are reluctant to get the Covid-19 vaccine. These vaccines do not contain animal products, … Read more
Got a friend who’s got it wrong about vaccination? Here’s how to set them right. Yesterday New Zealand provisionally approved use of the Pfizer vaccine, sparking a fresh burst of argument about Covid-19 vaccinations online. Many people have concerns about the vaccines and how they will impact people. I worked with Jo Kirman, associate professor … Read more
Can’t decide which rabbit hole to fall into? Not sure if you think Jacinda’s a reptilian shapeshifter, or if there’s a moose on the loose in Fiordland? Fear not – Sherry Zhang has consulted the stars. The rise of conspiracy theories goes hand in hand with a global pandemic. Could the combination of fear, misinformation … Read more
A new survey suggests 16% of us don’t want to receive a Covid-19 vaccine. Josie Adams reports on what this means for herd immunity, and for New Zealand’s strategy to fight the pandemic. A new Stickybeak survey for The Spinoff of New Zealanders’ attitudes to the Covid crisis has found significant opposition to a hypothetical … Read more
In celebration of both level two day and budget day, Emily Writes puts on her business reporting hat to take a look at the winners (and one potential loser) of the post-lockdown economy. As New Zealand begins to reopen from today, a number of industries and businesses will rise. In the past seven weeks many … Read more
It might be tempting to yell, but there are more effective ways to talk to doubters about the value of vaccines, write Julie Leask and Maryke Steffens. Your neighbour is telling you about his new baby. He feels nervous about vaccinating, and says he’s considering delaying Lucy’s vaccines. Your mother’s group is chatting about vaccines. … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: NZDF under inquiry scrutiny, competing statements on Labour investigation released through lawyers, and a thorough look at Air NZ’s carbon offsets. Ever since the book Hit and Run was published, the Defence Force have been under various degrees of pressure over whether Afghan civilians were killed … Read more
Gabrielle Jackson is a Sydney-based Guardian journalist who has written a book about her pain, and the pain of women, and the ways in which the medical system is making it worse. The book is called Pain and Prejudice: a call to arms for women and their bodies. It focuses on ‘women’s troubles’ – a … Read more
The outbreak of measles has reached a dangerous tipping point. What does ‘herd immunity’ mean, and why does that matter? Welcome to New Zealand, 2019, where 850 cases of measles have been reported since January and experts are warning of mass contaminations at sports tournaments and public gatherings. I’m writing this from Auckland, where at … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Skifield snowmaking a sign of the future, vaccination rates fall alarmingly, and construction industry encouraged to lower emissions. Snowmaking has saved the ski industry from disaster this year, after the weather didn’t create the desired winter wonderland. The ODT reports that South Island mountains have seen very little … Read more
The privilege many 21st-century parents think they have – to choose what illness will befall their children and how they will recover from it – is a relatively new phenomenon, writes historian Ayelet Zoran-Rosen Vaccines save lives. They have saved millions of lives in the last century, and the best proof of their success is the … Read more
Hannah McGowan once believed that vaccination was to blame for her chronic health issues, and refused to vaccinate her two young sons. Then she started to listen to the health professionals who know best. In 1999 I was 19 and utterly convinced that vaccines had given me Crohn’s disease. Crohn’s is a living nightmare, the … Read more
James Casson’s comments on refugees and the Christchurch attack have earned him widespread condemnation, but he’s far from the first Hamilton councillor to spout embarrassing rubbish, writes longtime Hamilton Council watcher Angela Cuming. When the tinfoil-hat wearing Hamilton City councillor Siggi Henry was revealed to be an anti-vaxxer loon who believes measles is not deadly … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Measles cases surge in Canterbury, Vodafone reportedly outsourcing jobs to India, and Shane Jones says Kupe facility funding story is a beat up. Measles cases are surging in Canterbury, and there are warnings that the highly infectious disease is now “circulating widely in our community.” The local DHB said late … Read more
More and more cases of the scary spotty disease measles are popping up in the news. Here’s what you need to know about whether you’re in danger. Getting a serious dose of measles isn’t a pleasant experience. The symptoms are extremely not fun. Ear infections. Pneumonia. The wild shits. Your brain literally swelling so much … Read more
Inside a Facebook group where anti-vaxx propaganda is promoted as information for ‘informed consent’. Published 25 January, 2018 Not long after my son was born dry patches of irritated skin began to appear on his face. I lathered the little guy up with all types of oils and creams but nothing worked so, like most … Read more
Good morning, and welcome to The Bulletin. In today’s edition: Open letter on China aimed at government, no new taxes if Simon Bridges is elected to government, and three issues could be on the ballot in 2020. The government has been called on to protect academic freedom, and the personal safety of academic Anne-Marie Brady, reports the NZ … Read more
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The decision to remove the antivax signage in south Auckland is welcome, but it all points to a substantially bigger problem: trust in official advice, writes Dr Nikki Turner, director of the Immunisation Advisory Centre at the University of Auckland There has been an outpouring of frustration around the country, generated by the installation of … Read more
Could the Dunning-Kruger effect – when individuals’ ignorance about a particular subject makes them believe they’re more expert than they are – be the reason for intractably anti-vax views? Three scientists tested the hypothesis. One of the most contentious areas of health policy over the past two decades has been the safety of vaccination. Vaccines … Read more
Threatening people who don’t vaccinate for HPV does more harm than good, writes Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw. I hate a cervical smear, I really do. I look forward to the day when I no longer have to endure that particular bloody awkward and painful part of owning a cervix. I mean really there really are few … Read more
Inside a Facebook group where anti-vaxx propaganda is promoted as information for ‘informed consent’. This story first appeared on The Wireless. It is republished by The Spinoff Parents with permission. Not long after my son was born dry patches of irritated skin began to appear on his face. I lathered the little guy up with … Read more
Global warming is a fact, it’s caused by humans, and it’s going to change our world. Oh, and one more truth: you may never be able to convince your libertarian, climate change-denying uncle otherwise. Dave Hansford explores the psychology of denial. The annals of inaction — the long, sorry history of human inertia — are … Read more
She’s an anti-vaccination, anti-fluoride campaigner who believes measles is a hoax and polio can be cured with vitamin C. Meet Siggi Henry, one of the most powerful people in our fourth largest city. Angela Cuming reports. First published 13 July 2017. When Hamilton councillor Siggi Henry wore a tinfoil hat to meet associate health minister … Read more
In the first of a new monthly column by Dr Lance O’Sullivan, the former New Zealander of the Year addresses the anti-establishment mood, and the potential of technology in the internet age to both challenge and enhance science and medicine. There is nothing new about rebelling against elites, but there is a deepening mood of … Read more
It’s always a good time to talk about vaccination, but with the topic back in the news thanks to the major measles outbreak in Auckland, we’re resharing Dr Jess Berentson-Shaw’s deep dive into the issue from March 2017. A note from Spinoff Parents editor Emily Writes: Vaccination is always something you have to think about … Read more
RNZ needs to do some serious soul-searching about its decision to give a platform to non-scientific nonsense, writes Dr Siouxsie Wiles As I write my blood is boiling. I’m in a rage. There is a measles outbreak going on in the Waikato region, with over 20 confirmed cases. It looks as though the virus has … Read more