It was twenty years ago that Andrew Wakefield, a physician and researcher at the time, published a study linking vaccinations for measles, mumps, and rubella to autism. Although he has since been discredited and had his medical license revoked, the movement against vaccinations has continued, now targeting children’s books on Amazon.
According to The Washington Post, anti-vaccination reviewers have taken to Amazon and are leaving one-star reviews on children’s books that promote vaccinations. One such book, Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor by Ann D. Koffsky, was published in August only to receive a slew of negative reviews from an orchestrated, forty-eight hour campaign that occurred around a month before Hanukkah. The book has, however, managed to hold onto a four-star rating following an influx of pro-vaccination reviews.
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Another book, written by Anne Rooney and entitled You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Vaccinations!, has not fared as well. Atthe moment, it has a two-star rating. All the reviews are either five-star or one-star with the latter being the majority and repeatedly declaring the book to be propaganda.
Image Via Amazon
To be fair, this online battle is not entirely one-sided. Children’s books against vaccination are also sold through Amazon and have long been receiving low ratings. No Vaccines for Me!, written in 2010 by Kathleen Dunkelberger, has a three-star rating and multiple one-star reviews from pro-vaccination reviewers that decry the book, similarly claiming it to be propaganda and “rubbish.”
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Even more notable is Stephanie Messenger’s 2012 book Melanie’s Marvelous Measles, which tells the story of a girl whose diet keeps her in perfect health even though she contracts the illness. It has a two-star rating and was the subject of widespread mockery in 2015 following a measles outbreak that started at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Even many of the positive reviews of the book are blatantly satirical with comments such as “Looking forward to Penelope’s Pleasant Plague” being one of the more tame ones.
Image Via NY Daily News
Still, while Amazon does not appear to be removing any of the anti-vaccination books or reviews anytime soon, the site has tried to distance itself from the opinions expressed in them. On the page for Messenger’s book, Amazon clearly states that the product “presents the subjective opinions of the publisher/author, which may not be substantiated. The description does not express the views of Amazon.” Guess only time will tell which side comes out victorious in the end.
Feature Image Via Sciblogs