John Pickering • Mar 09, 2021 •
Apophis on a trip to down-town Auckland On Friday night, 5 March 2021, the “God of Chaos” sped past our planet. The asteroid Apophis, or “God of Chaos” as it is known, made a close approach. Bigger than the Sky Tower (about 370m diameter) and faster than a speeding bullet (4 km/s or about 14,000 km/h) it would surely … Read More
Rosemary Rangitauira • Dec 16, 2020 •
Stories of the afterlife and the impact of colonisation on Ngāi Maori nudged Sylvia Tapuke on a path of exploring kaupapa Māori research and western science. She hails from Ngāi Tūhoe, Hineuru, Ngāti Manawa, Ngāti Tūwharetoa, Raukawa ki te Tonga, Te Arawa and Te Whakatōhea. Talking to Sylvia makes you feel at home in her company and embraced by the … Read More
Alison Campbell • Dec 13, 2020 •
Today I was told that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine (now approved for use in the US, UK, & Canada) is a virus (screencap at the bottom of this thread). It really isn’t, but I’ve seen this one several times & so I think it’s worth unpacking a little further. (You can also read about mRNA vaccines here, here, & … Read More
Alison Campbell • Dec 11, 2020 •
A year ago I posted an explanation on vaccine “ingredients”, in relation to some wild claims made about the measles vaccine in the context of Samoa’s measles epidemic. From what I’ve seen on recent RNZ comments threads, an update for the time of SARS-Cov-2 is required. So, here’s purple making a statement about the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine that – … Read More
Genomics Aotearoa • Nov 25, 2020 •
By Professor Peter Dearden, Director Genomics Aotearoa Science is an excellent way of allowing us to question test and understand the world we live in. But that knowledge also provides us with something else; the ability to change things, to solve problems, and to make life on earth a bit better. This is clearly the case in … Read More
Alison Campbell • Aug 11, 2020 •
This year’s election campaign in New Zealand has attracted a number of “fringe” parties, at least some of whose supporters seem to have a fairly tenuous hold on reality and a highly flexible approach to the truth. I mean, how else could one describe some of those affiliated with the NZPP/Advance coalition, whose members & supporters regularly share myths about … Read More
Alison Campbell • Dec 02, 2019 •
“Anti-vaxers are a pro-death movement,” those comments from Dr Helen Petousis-Harris speaking about six more Measles related deaths in Samoa over the past twenty-four hours. “Anti-vaxers are a pro-death movement,” those comments from Dr Helen Petousis-Harris speaking about six more Measles related deaths in Samoa over the past twenty-four hours. The fight to vaccinate continues with the Nation’s health … Read More
Alison Campbell • Nov 28, 2019 •
As the rate of measles infection, and of deaths, continues to climb in Samoa, antivaccination activists infectious disease proponents seem intent on doubling down on their claims about vaccination. (Check pretty much any news-media FB post about measles & you’ll see exactly what I mean.) Unfortunately, some of them have a greater reach than others. On a global level … Read More
Alison Campbell • Nov 26, 2019 •
Today the death toll from measles in Samoa rose to 32. All but four of the dead were less than 5 years old. Absolutely terrible, heartbreaking, news. That statistic alone should be enough to give the lie to the common claim by antivaccination activists plague enthusiasts that “measles is a benign childhood disease”. Clearly, it is not. (And never … Read More
Alison Campbell • Jun 04, 2019 •
Measles infection has a couple of longer-term sequelae. One, SSPE, is thankfully rare (although for infants with measles the odds of subsequently developing SSPE are considerably higher than for other age groups). The other, “immune amnesia”, is strongly associated with having had measles, though this doesn’t stop those opposed to vaccination claiming otherwise. In 2015, Mina et al. published … Read More