There’s a measles outbreak in Vancouver right now, with more than eight new identified cases over the past week, all emanating from a single French-language school.

We know now that one family is responsible for the outbreak, because they never vaccinated their kids. Why not? Because, as the father said in an interview, he wrongly fell for the hoax that vaccines cause autism.

In an exclusive interview with CBC News, Emmanuel Bilodeau said he and his then-wife were influenced by reports that linked the vaccine that prevents measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) with autism. “We worried 10-12 years ago because there was a lot of debate around the MMR vaccine,” said Bilodeau. “Doctors were coming out with research connecting the MMR vaccine with autism. So we were a little concerned.”​​

Doctors were not coming out with research.

“Doctors” were doing that. And they have since been discredited. But not before an army of scientifically ignorant celebrities and pseudoscientists have spread the myth to capitalize on the lie. As if being an independent earns you points when it comes to science.

This is a tangible consequence of pretend-expert Jenny McCarthy and others like her using their platforms to spread misinformation which now has the effect of putting kids’ lives in danger.

The good news is that Bilodeau now realizes he made a huge mistake. The bad news is that it may be too late. A lot of children are infected, and there’s no telling what happens from here. There are potentially fatal consequences for those with the disease. While there are preventative measures, we wouldn’t even be having this discussion if not for the irresponsibles actions of people who trust idiots more than medical experts.

(Image via Shutterstock. Thanks to Brian for the link)

