misinformation about vaccines by John Oliver on Last Week Tonight June 25, 2017

I should probably leave this alone, but… here goes nothing. Here’s the video of the segment on the show dedicated to vaccines.

The misleading statement comes at about 24:30. John Oliver says, “and even when it comes to other side effects, like a severe allergic reaction, it is literally, according to the CDC, close to one in a million. And I know in a way that is not actually helpful because every parent thinks their child is one in a million.”

Pay close attention, while John Oliver makes that statement the graphic on the screen says this “1.31 per million doses”. Catch that? That would be equivalent to roughly one in a million children IF each child only received ONE SINGLE vaccine dose during childhood. According to the CDC’s recommended vaccine schedule, a child will receive 30 doses by age 18. Let’s do the math. 1.31 million divided by 30 doses equals 43,667. That means one in every 43,667 children, under the age of 18, will experience a serious side effect such as severe allergic reaction.

ONE IN 43,000 children!! That is a far cry from one in a million. There are almost that many people in the city where I live.

I understand the benefits of vaccination. As a parent, I want accurate, factual information to make critical decisions about the health of my child. Why is John Oliver deliberately spreading misinformation and fake numbers? In a segment where he criticizes parents for making bad decisions about vaccines due to lack of information. In the same segment he is spreading misinformation. Why not just rely on the TRUTH John Oliver?! Shame on you!