Minnesota and measles: Andrew Wakefield targets refugees

I had the pleasure of traveling to Rochester, Minnesota for a wedding this summer.  Minnesota is home to more people from Somalia than any other state. My home of Columbus, Ohio is also a hub for people from Somalia.  As a pediatric resident, I take care of Somali-American children and work with Somali American healthcare providers every day. It was surreal, then, to set foot in a state recovering from a measles outbreak with more cases than the entire country saw last year.  I was only ninety minutes away from Minneapolis, the center of the outbreak.  Former physician and academic fraud Andrew Wakefield traveled there several times in 2011 amidst an earlier measles outbreak at the invitation of local anti-vaccination proponents. At that time, Somali-American children were being diagnosed with a condition that their parents weren’t overly familiar with: autism spectrum disorder.  Autism has no equivalent word in Somali.  Like any concerned parents would do, they set out to determine the cause. Continue reading ... Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Physician Neurology Pediatrics Public Health & Policy Source Type: blogs