Entry 6: Vaccinations!? Measles, Mumps, and Rubella.. Oh My!

Vaccinations have been a hot topic lately in modern society. Questions and accusations about safety and efficacy of vaccines have been hurled back and forth. Determining the validity of statements on both sides of an argument can help to discern which statistics are false and which statistics are valid.

Take a look at the CDC website for the MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine) webpage. CDC MMR.

The biggest concern citizens and parents have with vaccinations, are the claims that they can cause autism in children. How did this suspicion arise? It started in 1995 when a British physician, Andrew Wakefield, published a study that proposed MMR combination vaccines were causing children to develop autistic symptoms. He also made a statement, that said single vaccinations would not likely cause autism like a combination vaccine such as MMR. It was later revealed, that Andrew Wakefield had filed for a patent of a single-antigen measles vaccine. Andrew Wakefield was in a position where he could profit financially if he propagated the views in his statement, despite the fact the study could not find a causal link to autism. It was also later revealed, that lawyers were the primary source of funding for his research.

In the twelve years following Andrew Wakefield's initial claims, numerous studies have been conducted to try and prove a link between vaccines and autism. All of these studies failed to find any link between the two. As a result of the failure to reproduce Wakefield's study and the information that came out, about his patent and lawyer backing, the British General Medical Council banned Wakefield from practicing medicine in the U.K. More information and history can be found at this link: History of Vaccines.

If science has largely disproved that autism is caused by vaccines, then why is there such a huge scare and outcry from parents?

The answer to that question is simple. Anti-Vaccines proponents use techniques of persuasion to appeal to their audiences. They employ the use of fear (pathos) and they use false logos and reasoning to back-up there claims. They employ every fallacy of persuasion and debate possible.
The fallacies of logic they employ include:

• argumentum ad antiquitatem
• argumentum ad hominem
• argumentum ad ignorantiam
• argumentum ad logicam
• argumentum ad nauseam
• argumentum ad numerum
• argumentum ad populum
• argumentum ad verecundiam
• circulus in demonstrando
• complex question
• dicto simpliciter
• naturalistic fallacy
• non sequitur
• petitio principii
• post hoc ergo propter hoc
• red herring
• straw man

The descriptions to these fallacies can be found by clicking on the links.

Anti-vaccine propagators prey on the public's fear. Because of their efforts the reality of the situation is very bleak. Vaccines have successfully eradicated terrible illnesses that at one time took the lives of many people. If vaccine use declines, then the United states could face a very real epidemic and healthcare crisis. The CDC explains more at the following link: Consequences 

Entry 5: Arizonas Quest for Higher Education

Current Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, has recently announced a project that he hopes will push Arizonians into completing higher education. He makes a compelling case for the attainment of a degree or certificate by highlighting the benefits and statistics surrounding higher education. While I agree that this is a desirable goal, Ducey has significantly failed to address the issues surrounding the attainment of a degree.

You can see the article here: Arizona Achieve60. The website for the Program can also be found here: Achieve60 WEB.

No mention is made of the factors that cause people to drop out of school. No mention is made of the skyrocketing costs of an education. In addition, to these glaringly obvious oversights, Ducey proposes that his plan can be achieved by offering financial management classes and degree completion incentives. He fails to offer any details of this plan.

If I were Ducey, I would have laid out a better plan. my plan would offer phases of implementation. Phase one would be research into the factors surrounding post secondary educational enrollment, degree completion, and financial impact. Once these areas where thoroughly research and understood, I could move on to phase two. This phase would include identifying and implementing solutions. Without knowing exact causes to the identified problem areas, I cannot present an adequate solution. However, I can make a proposal to what I think would be the right course of action.

Phase 2 Solutions:

• Enrollment:
• Solutions to enrollment should come about as a secondary response from the solution to other problems. For example, a potential student might not consider enrolling because of the financial hardships of attaining an education. Making school affordable should by extension also increase enrollment.
• Identify ways to educate and inform potential students of degree pathways and opportunities. The availability of trained academic advisers with a wide array of knowledge on education needs to increase.
• Financial costs:
• Companies could partner with the State of Arizona and its educational institutions by offering loan repayment options. Perhaps the company could offer matching student loan repayment in Lieu of matching 401K to help reduce student loan debt. The state of Arizona could also offer to forgive some of the debt if a student is signed on to work for an Arizona company. This would make, sense considering if we retain the students educated they will continue to provide for and benefit local economies. 
• Ensure State Colleges follow ACE guidelines in acceptance of transfer and work related credits.
• Encourage the federal government to make changes on how it handles student loans.
• Degree Completion
• Encourage and/or require public colleges and universities to honor prior credits or ACE recommendation for credits. Offer alternatives to a 16 week course in general education classes for individuals who already have adequate knowledge of a subject.
• Offer to forgive portions of debt for students that complete a degree. 
• Encourage Colleges to offer classes that meet the needs of working families.
• Offer colleges monetary incentives for the increase and retention of students.

Phase three would include observation and analysis of solutions outcomes. It is the evaluation stage that determines if the programs implemented actually work or if they need to be adjusted. This stage ensures ongoing quality and allows flexibility in eliminating old ideas or introducing new ideas that might better suit the changing needs of college students.

No plan is perfect of course and no one individual has all the answers. However, I would expect the Governor to at least provide citizens some sort of model or implementation plan or even some ideas that he would like to try. In order to get 60% of Arizona's population to have at least one degree or certificate, will require collaboration and community lead efforts as well. This will not succeed though if a better more fleshed out plan is not available.

Entry #4: National Medical Laboratory Professionals Week

Every year during the last week of April a special event recognizing the clinical laboratory team is held to promote and expand the profession. Lab Week started in 1975 and is now sponsored by over 16 member organizations that represent the various science fields within clinical pathology.

For the entire month of April there is a social media challenge that goes along with the event. The posts are related to an individuals career in Med. Lab Sciences.

You can check out my responses to the daily questions at my sister blog here. The Pending Blog.


More importantly, this week is about expanding and promoting the sciences and STEM education to encourage more students to enter the science field. The American Society for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (ASCLS) estimates that there are approximately 300,000 laboratory scientists in the United States. This sounds like a huge number but the American Society for Clinical Pathology estimates that to meet the healthcare demands of the growing U.S. population the healthcare field will need approximately 12,000 new laboratory scientists per year. In contrast to the need, only about 4-6,000 new graduates enter this field each year. Their is a large shortage of trained professionals.

To emphasize the importance and the role of the Clinical Laboratory Team please watch the following video.

The different career opportunities and educational requirements can be found in this digital brochure.

While this topic is not very exciting to most people, it is a very important thing to discuss. Society has placed a great demand on the medical field that is making it extremely difficult for hospitals and clinics to provide timely diagnoses and treatment plans. If there is an increase in training and production of lab professionals then this demand on the healthcare field will be alleviated and advances in medicine can be made. 

Entry #3 Sensationalism and a Misinformed Public.

In the year 2014 mass panic ensued at the thought of a world wide Ebola epidemic. This idea was greatly sensationalized by the media who severely misinformed the public on the actuality of the situation and the means wit which infection could spread. Take a look at the the following article. The headline incites fear and panic with its word choice.

Ebola Airborne!!

The heading of the article reads "Ebola in the air? A nightmare that could happen." The use of the word nightmare and the conclusion that, airborne Ebola could happen, equate an unrealistic situation with what was actually going on. For example, A piano could land on your head tomorrow, killing you. However, the reality of the situation is highly unlikely. It goes along with the saying that 'anything is possible but not everything is probable.'

The article is not very rhetorically sound. A proper argument would not constantly contradict the statement it was trying to defend. An example would be this line "The World Health Organization says its scientists are unaware of any virus that has dramatically changed its mode of transmission," and this line "Speculation that Ebola virus disease might mutate into a form that could easily spread among humans through the air is just that: speculation, unsubstantiated by any evidence." Oh and of course this line from the articles "cited source" stating that "Osterholm and other experts couldn't think of another virus that has made the transition from non-airborne to airborne in humans. They say the chances are relatively small that Ebola will make that jump."

The article fails to mention that rapid spread of the virus in industrialized cities is unrealistic due to the health systems in place, cultural taboos, and societal practices of American culture. 

The reason Ebola was dangerous in Africa was largely due to a lack of health infrastructure, lack of access to clean water, and cultural burial practices that include lots of contact and touching of dead bodies. In order for ebola to spread the virus has to come in contact with an individuals mucous membranes. This would require an individual to get some sort of fluid from an infected individual inside of their eyes, nose, or mouth. According to the CDC and WebMD, Ebola is one of the least contagious viruses. HIV is considered more contagious than Ebola.

Due to this articles headline on a prominent news source like CNN, it instilled great fear and panic on the American people who lacked a general understanding of the disease.

This type of sensationalism is dangerous and it represents the power of slanted media.

On a lighter note, here is the meme on slanted reporting.

Entry #2: Canine Parvovirus

Canine Parvovirus, commonly refereed to as just Parvo, is a highly contagious pathogen that affects dogs. It usually results in death within two to three days from the onset of symptoms. Symptoms usually include loss of appetite and lethargy. This soon develops into diarrhea and vomiting, often with bloody stools.

The dogs who are at most risk include puppies under four months of age and un-vaccinated dogs.


The image above shows what the virus looks like at the microscopic level. Different variations of the virus can infect different species. For example only Parvovirus B19 can infect humans. This means that an infected dog or cat will not be able to pass Parvo on to a human. The shape of Parvovirus is icosahedral and results in the slightly spherical shape pictured above. It is a DNA virus that is unique from other viruses because it does not have a capsid or envelope. Instead, it is surrounded by protein structures. More technical info about Parvoviruses can be found at this link. Big Picture Book of Viruses.

If you want to keep your puppy and other furry friends safe remember to keep them vaccinated and seek veterinary help as soon as Parvo is suspected. To aid in prevention it is also best to keep the dog as isolated as possible.

See the American Veterinary Medical Associations page on Parvo by clicking HERE.

Entry #1: How my Blogging has Changed

My first experiences with blogging began several months ago. I was unwillingly thrust into a blogging assignment that I regarded with much apprehension. Butterflies churned in my stomach as I thought about an assignment I have never encountered; I had to write about things I didn't have a prompt for. This meant generating original content of my choosing. My mind screamed "academic heresy!"

Despite my initial reactions, I soon found blogging to be a very entertaining and enjoyable medium. Writing about things I am interested in is less boring than droning on about a set topic.

My initial post on my blogging experiences can be found at this link. ENG 101 Entry #1

Along the way I found some blogs that I thought were helpful in developing my own style.

The first blog I looked at this time was Kotaku Blog. Its a video gaming blog and because I am a total nerd, I really enjoyed the articles they featured. The post I looked at recently was titled "Zelda Player Beats Guardian in Underpants on a Horse." The title itself generated profound giggles. The post was a video of a character in their underpants fighting a Guardian in the new Legend of Zelda game. This blog is entertaining but there is little written content involved. The majority of posts are linked to videos and other media content. While this is effective for the purpose of their blog it does not really fit into the purpose of my blog. One thing I can take away is learning to incorporate different elements into my blog.

My next guilty pleasure blogging site is more academic in nature. Being a scientist I love learning new things and seeing the new advance being made. That is why I frequently browse the American Society for Microbiology's blog. The article I read recently dealt with intrinsic resistances naturally found in different types of bacteria. It then went on to to say research is being conducted to identify combination drugs that can greatly assist the effects of an antibiotic based on the pathogens intrinsic resistance. In normal everyday language this would be similar to saying 'you can cut down a tree with a hand saw but if you attach a gas powered motor it becomes much easier and takes less time.' The article can be found here. While I enjoy reading this blog, it is very academic and general audiences would not be interested in it. I like to model some of posts off science blogs that way these cool discoveries can be easily translated into every day language.

The final blog I looked at was called Cal Newport's Study Hacks blog. I really enjoyed most of the content on this blog. It was professional and not too academic. However, most of it was un-interesting or it no longer pertained to the authors original stated purpose of the blog which made it slightly misleading.

The adventure of blogging continues to fascinate me and I am always excited to see more blogs, whether they are professional or from my own classmates.