Dr. Maller’s Blog

Boycott Nestlé?

My commitment to breastfeeding is second to none (please refer to my article on the subject) so why would I question the decades-long boycott of the world’s largest formula company?
The outrage that led to the boycott is understandable. Mixing formula with contaminated water is a recipe for disaster. Half a million babies die in a typical year from rotavirus alone; most of those deaths are preventable. Giving new mothers formula samples sends a defeatist message. Even in our rich country, half our mothers qualify for WIC assistance. WIC gives lip service to breastfeeding but undermines it by providing formula for a year or longer to families well above the “poverty line”
(which in the USA means only one color TV and one car).
It is a myth that mothers in undeveloped countries can nurse their babies with ease. A study of African mothers showed just 58% were successful; wet nurses filled in. Not only are many poor women malnourished, but AIDS, hepatitis B and other diseases can be spread through breast milk. Would putting Nestlé out of business help these countries?
In the minds of activists, profit=greed. That is socialist bunk. Profit=jobs, infrastructure, health, prosperity in my world. The company is guilty of sloppy marketing but their product is legal, inherently safe, and sadly necessary. Were I CEO, I’d make sure my profits were put toward building sewers, hospitals, roads. etc. (I bet they already do). The problem in the third world isn’t eeeevil corporations, but dysfunctional, corrupt, sometimes truly evil governments.

Is there a link between MMR vaccination and autism? In a word, NO.
Yet the question is asked constantly by parents. First, some definitions. MMR is measles/mumps/rubella vaccine, given at 12-15 months and again at school entry. The three vaccines have been around since the 60′s and were combined about 30 years ago. Autism is a behavioral disorder first described a generation ago. If severe, it is often suspected in the second year of life when language skills fail to develop and a child doesn’t show appropriate emotional attachments. There is no test to affirm the diagnosis.
Some years ago a doctor in England had a hunch based on his observation of a handful of autistic children. They were in their second year and had been vaccinated in the recent past with MMR as had virtually all children in that age group.
Without proper scientific inquiry, he “published” his “findings” on the internet. Recently almost all his colleagues who had lent their credibility to him recanted, admitting they were fooled.

Imagine this scenario: A. 18-month-old child is acting autistic.
B. Parents and doctors ask, “What has happened recently in his life that might be the cause?” C. We put shoes on him! Therefore shoes cause autism!
Absurd? Of course. Why would anyone believe it? Blaming MMR vaccine is just as silly, but the notion has been taken very seriously by the scientific community and after years and millions of dollars spent, no link has been found.

Why does this rumor persist? In Los Angeles we live and work in the home of Scientology, a pseudo-religion that combats not only vaccination but medications for behavioral disorders. Parents are understandably frightened and confused at the wide array of vaccines, some quite new, and at the trauma of multiple shots. What is lost is perspective. I was privileged to train at CDC and practice epidemiology, including vaccine research, early in my career, so I follow developments in the field closely and use a cautious approach. But I also saw the last years of the era when diseases like measles, polio, H. flu meningitis and others killed tens of thousands of American children every year and left larger numbers institutionalized with permanent impairment.

Autism is a mystery, a dreadful one, but it is not rampant; rather, we spot it now in children who used to be considered mentally retarded. Like many poorly understood conditions, it invites quackery of many kinds.

Tom Cruise, Kelly Preston and Co. know as much about medicine as I do about making movies.