<p>After seeing the very disturbing video footage of the ex cheerleader suffering from “dystonia” believed to be a reaction to the seasonal flu vaccine, I’ve been searching for any examples of this rare vaccine reaction. I came accross a blog written
by Yale Medical School neurologist Dr. Steven Novella, MD, which brings to the forefront the dangers of today’s reporting methods, i.e. not asking critical questions and not seeking out alternative viewpoints from experts in the field. </p>
<p>The media reports state that this dystonia is a 1 in a million reaction. According to Dr. Novella, there has never before been a report of dystonia induced by a vaccine, so a more accurate description would be one in a billion, given the numbers of people who have EVER received a flu vaccine.</p>
<p>According to Dr. Novella, the condition being reported as dystonia in this young woman does not match the criteria for a dystonia diagnosis. Even a dystonia advocacy group has cried foul on the story and the Anti vaccine group Generation Rescue, fronted by actress Jenny McCarthy, has suddently distanced itself from its earlier stronger rhetoric on the story without admitting hasty conclusions regarding Ms. Jennings’ case as a vaccine reaction.</p>
<p>It is so frustrating to find out that this case, as horrible as it is, was immediately accepted by the media and public as a vaccine reaction. Correlation was automatically assumed to be causation. Who knows how many people who would benefit from the flu vaccines have been scared away from even considering the possibility of getting them and discussing them with their doctors. </p>
<p>I cannot provide the link to Dr. Novella’s blog as it would go against board rules, but it should be an easy google find for anyone who is interested. The articles are titled “The Dystonia Flu Shot Case” and “Dystonia Case Follow-Up.”</p>
<p>I’m not pushing vaccines. Everyone needs to make an education decision on the risk/benefit of these particular vaccines. However, that’s hard to do when bombarded from every direction with misinformation. I look forward to following this story and finding out what the true story of her condition is if it turns out NOT to be a vaccine injury.</p>