I am not going to lie but this was an episode that I have been wanting to do for a long time but was scared to do because of the acrimony on the topic of autism between researchers and anti-vaxxers. But I also realize that as a counselor who works extensively with clients and families of people on the Autism Spectrum that this disorder is not going away and in fact is getting worse and we need all hands on deck to solve this thing.
If trying to understand a disorder that only now are we beginning to truly understand is difficult in and of itself, we are not doing ourselves any favors when the very people who are affected by it and trying to cure it are at a war with each other. When I say that we need all hands on deck…I mean that we need all hands on deck for this. We cannot be splitting our energy, resources, and focus on fighting with each other because all that does is make it more difficult to figure this disorder out. When I say that we are putting ourselves years behind by fighting…I literally mean we are putting ourselves years behind in fighting this.
For far too long researchers have been treating anti-vaxxers like they are idiots and for far too long anti-vaxxers have unfairly labeled researchers as paid shills for the pharmaceutical industry. The dynamics in how each side talks to each other just make the problem worse and frankly I am tired of it and have decided to take on the role of bringing each side together. How do we do that? We begin by putting down our facts and data and instead we listen to each other and try to understand why each side feels what they do and moreover how this disorder is affecting families and why researchers in infectious disease research do what they do. If we can all walk away from this show feeling like we are all in this together and want the same thing…to help cure childhood illnesses and prevent them from happening. If we can walk away feeling like we are all good people and are doing things for the right reasons albeit with different ideas and theories about vaccines and Autism, then we have done our job.
To help us discuss this topic we invite our good friend Dan Evans who is an infectious disease researcher specializing in antibiotic resistance. As always I am joined in the studio with The Armchair QB Bill Reed to help keep me in line and firmly in The Gray. Gray Matters Radio With Michael DeVine is a proud member of The Reporters Network family of podcasts. Catch this episode as well as all of episodes every week on your favorite podcast platform.
