Tag Archives: vaccination

Conspiracy theories target Dolly Parton

Posted in Anti-Vaccination Lobby, Conspiracy Theories, COVID-19, COVID-19 Vaccine, Denialism, Health, Immunisation, Social Media by

It should be hard to believe. The fact that conspiracy theorists have wheeled out a range of absurd claims purporting to reveal, or guess at, the cause of Dolly Parton’s death. But it’s not hard to believe. In fact it’s exactly what anybody who keeps an eye on cooked conspiracy theorists across the globe expected. It happens regularly when vaccine status can be confirmed, and rapidly and loudly when the individual is a celebrity.

In Dolly’s case she had donated $1 million to Vanderbilt University Medical Center to assist with early research into Moderna’s mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. She also publicly had her shot in March 2021, and to the tune of “Jolene” sang “Vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, I’m begging of you please don’t hesitate“. Clearly Dolly knew the stakes and the impact anti-vaxxers were having. At 75 she herself was in the age cohort for which being vaccinated against COVID can save lives and reduce hospitalisations. No doubt her focus that day, led to jabs and saved lives.

Dolly Parton holding a guitar beneath a banner reading A TRIBUTE TO A LEGEND DOLLY PARTON (1946 - 2024).


Yet far-right radio host Wayne Allyn Root argued on X:

She took the vax on TV. She changed the name of her hit song “Jolene, Jolene” to “Vaccine, Vaccine”. She encouraged fans to get it. Now she’s dead of cancer. This sounds like another case of turbo cancer. RIP Dolly.

There is no such thing as “turbo cancer”. On that, oncologists are unanimous. It’s a bogus term made up to evoke emotional responses, and fool individuals to make choices not related to science-based medicine. It was covered here in March last year. The Brownstone Institute was founded last year by close friend and ally of RFK Jr., Jeffrey Tucker. Toby Rogers who works with the Trump allied Institute, observed that Dolly thought she was doing the right thing backing the vaccine, “But it very well may have killed her”.

Let’s not forget Dolly the Sheep and the convoluted thinking that leads us to ponder if Dolly Parton may have actually been a clone. Originally shared with our poor planet in 2013 by UFO aficionado and conspiracy obsessive Max Spiers (now deceased). One learns that the sheep was named “Dolly” as a symbolic nod to Parton who was part of the “early mass-consumption cloning experiments”. Conspiracy theorist “Danielle knows a lot” has resurrected this particular nonsense.

Anti-science diva, Valerie Anne Smith is a raging anti-vaxxer with particular focus on COVID and HPV vaccines. In the absence of a public record, Smith could in no way know what vaccines Dolly Parton has recently had. Yet she manages seemingly straight-faced to post on X:


Fortunately some accounts aim for the truth.


Apart from X there is plenty of the same on Facebook which happens to include the bizarre claim of Satanic ritual involving a section of video, and based on what Dolly is doing with her hands. In the video Dolly thanks Taylor Swift and her hubby Travis Kelce for their $2 million donation to her literacy charity, Imagination Library. Parton expresses her thanks and adds, “Now, it’s evident you two have made giving back a key part of your lives, so hey when you have your firstborn can I have it, because that is gonna be one special baby”. She is of course, joking.

Conspiracy fans contend that Parton made the “devil horns” symbol with satanic intent. In reality as she moves her hands her index and small finger do extend for around a second. It’s a non-event, and worth checking the short video to assess for yourself. In reality, the gesture is linked to warding off evil, heavy metal, insults and various cultural and regional meanings, depending on the part of the world. Not unexpectedly, this tale was retold by Red Pill USA whilst being linked to Dolly’s involvement with Moderna.

Nothing to see here, folks, just Dolly Parton – the same woman who dropped $1 million to help fund the Moderna COVID vaccine – flashing devil horns while casually demanding Taylor Swift’s and Trevor Kelce’s firstborn child. It’s a big Satanic club… and you ain’t in it.

Speak for yourself Red. Nonetheless, the sheer scale of claims on X that “turbo cancer” is the cause of Dolly Parton’s death as a direct result of a COVID vaccine she had 5 1/2 years ago, speaks volumes as to just how distorted Musk’s platform has become. In addition the fact that such claims have spread across social media remind us that conspiracy theories remain alarmingly persistent. No evidence is ever presented, no reputable sources are cited, yet these ridiculous fantasies continue to be furiously defended.

Dolly Parton died from cancer. She did not die from “turbo cancer”. There is no such thing.

“An Inconvenient Study” was designed to fool the susceptible

Posted in Chiropractic, Conspiracy Theories, Education, General, Immunisation, Politics, Science, So Called Alternative Medicine, Social Media by

The so-called compelling health differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated children is a favourite of the anti-vaccine movement. We can guess which group they insist is the most beset with illness and also make a sound judgement about the methodology used to form conclusions.

Simply put, using biased methodology will find that vaccines make children sick, say the anti-vaccine lobby, (just ignore its bias). Or to sound more convincing we may be told vaccinated children appear to be significantly less healthy than the unvaccinated. Such was the conclusion when a US supporter and promoter of Judy Wilyman (she “has done a great service to humanity”) ran flawed methodology over the two groups in 2020.

Judy’s mate, James Lyons-Weiler, head of the Institute of Pure and Applied Knowledge (IPAK) and paediatrician Paul Thomas, had their paper published in the anti-vaccine themed predatory journal, the International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice and Research. It was also published, then later withdrawn, from the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. According to Retraction Watch the authors blamed “ghouls” when it was decided their data didn’t support conclusions.

According to Lyons-Weiler a “ghoul” is one working to have studies with results they dislike, ultimately retracted. Also, it was with a certain amusement I discovered when the paper appeared, that The Australian Vaccination-risks Network had donated $5,000 USD to the project. From whence did this generous donation originate dear reader? Well, back in 2016 the AVN pulled a stunt seeking donations for a High Court challenge against No Jab No Pay legislation, claiming to have raised either $160,000 or around $152,000. Inexplicably bypassing solicitors, they seemed to have barrister fees which left them holding close to $80,000. With no evidence they spent any money on anything, the AVN promised members they’d keep what they had for future trips to the USA vaccine battles.

Zombie in tattered robe injecting glowing syringe into burning book in old library
When James Lyons-Weiler and Paul Thomas had their anti-vaccine paper withdrawn, they blamed “ghouls”.

IPAK were known for publishing misleading VAERS-data “vaccine death” hit-jobs, on mRNA vaccines, such as this during the pandemic. You know the drill: it’s not a real vaccine, believe all VAERS reports as true and conclude that the vaccine, not the virus, is responsible for deaths. Even more interesting is that the predatory International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice and Research, is where Julian Gillespie published his The Canaries in the Human DNA Mine. I have touched on that effort many times. Gillespie had resigned from the legal profession but was promoted as AVN’s barrister during their pandemic legal battles. He was the brains behind many of their legal failures which were followed by his own complaints against senior Federal Court identities.

To appreciate a thorough debunking of the caper Lyons-Weiler and Thomas hoped to get away with, I recommend reading this piece at Health Feedback about the “dubious metric” used to feign the existence of a vaccine-related problem impacting children’s health. Notably, the third author attribution is Children’s Health Defense, well known at the time as RFK Jr.’s reason-for-being and nifty source of income. He stepped down as chairperson in 2023 to focus on his independent run for USA President.

Finally, there is no better deconstruction of the vaccinated vs unvaccinated myth than the video put together by biologist, Dr. Dan Wilson. Wilson’s YouTube channel Debunk the Funk has contributed enormously to evidence-based refutation of the anti-vaccine movement. He focuses on trends, conspiracy theories, individuals, organisations, frauds and liars and has teamed up with others such as Professor Dave Farina to tackle antivax fiction head on.

The Inconvenient Study is the most recent scheme of ICAN’s main attraction, Del Bigtree. Del appears to play a spy in the “documentary”, wearing hidden cameras to dinner to reveal that his interlocutors agree “it’s a good study”. Nonetheless, not once did he run across crocodiles or fight science on the roof of a speeding train. Bigtree… Del Bigtree, wrote and produced Vaxxed – a film made of lies – continued with Vaxxed II and is often by Andrew Wakefield’s film-making side. Bigtree also hosts the mysterious hedge-fund manager-funded, anti-vaccine drum beat, The Highwire.

Del’s aim is to bring his misleading “experience” to coax his viewers to believe that unfair forces are preventing publication of a study. This study was done at Henry Ford Health. The researchers who completed the data did not publish the study for a very simple reason; the study did not meet rigorous scientific standards. One can conclude dear reader, that a study or research approach may be very good. Yet if ultimately it does not meet the standards expected in its methodology, it cannot be published. That is not a conspiracy.

In this case it’s pretty basic. Children who are unvaccinated don’t tend to visit conventional doctors. Alternatively, vaccinated ones do. The latter group tend to be examined by a professional and an illness may be found, even without notable symptoms. The former group might have a neck cracked, chant with crystals, drink herbs or simply pray. No illness will be found without significant symptoms or complaints from the patient. In fact 15 years ago Australian GPs warned of chiropractors peddling anti-vaccine messages. Clients of chiropractors are notably vaccine-hesitant. We need to remain vigilant.

You’re going to need 90 minutes all up but I can assure you Dan offers a serious evidence-packed debunking of what is a nasty, indeed reprehensible attempt by Bigtree’s team, to mislead those who don’t have the time, background or critical thinking skills to find their way to the truth. I hope they find their way to Dan.

You can find Dan’s well sourced response here at YouTube.

Cases of OS measles-derived infection increasing in Australia

Posted in Anti-Vaccination Lobby, Education, General, Health, Immunisation, Skeptic by

Whilst we can blame the impact of the global anti-vaccination movement, an increase in vaccine hesitancy that arose and has persisted during and since the COVID-19 pandemic, and even some RFK Jr. flotsam misleading the gullible, when it comes to measles, Australia and Australians must be especially vigilant in managing the risk of infection overseas.

I’m not a doctor nor hold any position allowing me to claim I can advise you, beyond what I read, on any infectious disease. Indeed I would recommend speaking first with a qualified doctor about the topic. Measles is highly contagious and spread via respiratory droplets (aerosols). Non-specific symptoms such as fever, rash, nasal discharge and cough are common. Nonetheless measles has a reasonably high rate of complication leading to hospitalisation or death.

The role of measles infection in causing immune amnesia | 2 | is remarkably disconcerting. I’d urge any reader to invest even modest time to understand this phenomena, and ensure oneself and loved ones are immunised against this virus. Remember, there is no cure. Quaint stories from anti-vaxxers of them all having it as a child and growing up with no ill effects are possible only because they refer to pre-vaccine years and choose to forget the friends who never returned to school, became blind or sustained brain damage.

Today (31st March 2026) saw the Australian Centre for Disease Control (ACDC) publish a firm reminder that if you’re travelling OS, adding a measles jab to your pre-travel preparations is more than wise. Even if you’re sure you have been vaccinated in the past, if you can’t confirm this with records, consider yourself un- or under- vaccinated. Adolescents or adults born during or after 1966 are recommended to receive two measles containing vaccines at least 4 weeks apart [Source]. It’s also quite safe and more than sensible to top up your MMR, particularly if you’re an adult, and decades have elapsed since your initial MMR. First let’s consider this sub-heading from ACDC News.

A new report confirms that almost all cases of measles in Australia are either acquired overseas or related to an overseas acquired case – especially around school holidays. Don’t bring measles home from holidays – add vaccination to your travel plan.

Virus particles with orange spikes attaching to human cells with glowing RNA inside
3D illustration showing virus particles interacting with cells

In fact the report | PDF | scrutinising the decade to 2024, reveals the years of highest infection were 2014 (339) and 2019 (284). There were 1,095 cases of infection reported during that decade. Almost all cases had either been acquired overseas or from someone who had brought measles back to Australia from overseas, states the ACDC news piece.

Further breakdown of figures tell us that when it comes to vaccination status, that 47% were unvaccinated, 30% had an unknown vaccination status, whilst 14% were under-vaccinated (being one dose). This final figure reinforces the importance of completing a vaccine schedule as well as confirming the impact of even insufficient antigen stimulus delivered via vaccine. The smallest number of infections were seen in subjects who had received only one of the two required measles shots. Measles infection was most common in those who had travelled OS – particularly to countries where measles was common. 57% of total notifications were in people aged 20 to 49 years.

2025 and 2026 data confirm a striking increase in measles infection. The total for 2025 was 181 cases. Currently we’re 25% of the way through 2026 with data showing 85 cases. This puts us on track for a 2026 total of 340 measles cases. The report also noted the drop in childhood measles vaccination from 94% in 2020 to 91% in 2024. Rather than look at this as a drop of only 3%, we must remain aware that measles herd immunity is impacted negatively when immunisation drops below 95%. So in reality, the reduction in immunisation has been steadily placing us all at greater risk since 2020.

Indeed certain groups are at higher risk of harm from insufficient herd immunity, including:

  • The immunocompromised
  • Those unable to be vaccinated for short or long term
  • Children too young to be vaccinated
  • The pregnant

Clearly, it’s important to plan some weeks ahead of travel as the two MMR (or measles) shots need to be given at least four weeks apart. Even if urgency applies, a gap of two weeks is insufficient to promote an adequate immune response. If an infant under 12 months needs to be considered for OS travel and/or an MMR course please see a paediatrician or your General Practitioner. On that topic, this NCIRS FAQ page is an excellent resource. It includes:

Infants travelling overseas can receive an early dose of measles-containing vaccine from 6 months of age, following an individual risk assessment, in addition to the routine doses given from 12 months of age.

Global outbreaks have been on the rise for some time. Australia has been keeping pace as best it can. Each state and of course the country as a whole is seeking to promote vaccine uptake and keep a close eye on the impact of outbreaks. There is only one solution and that is an increase in immunisation across the nation.

References below are from different states, news items and excellent US herd immunity/outbreak simulators.

  1. Measles cases almost triple in Australia as global outbreaks continue – ABC, 22/12/2025
  2. Increased risk of measles in Victoria – Vic Dept Health: 22/02/2026
  3. Free Measles Vaccine for Victorians – 4/03/2026
  4. Measles Alert in NSW
  5. Measles Alert for Brisbane Airport – 25/03/2026
  6. QLD: 10 cases acquired OS and 5 cases acquired locally – 30 March 2026
  7. Measles Alert – W.A. Government: 16/03/2026
  8. Measles Epidemiology in Australia – Full Report
  9. CDC Measles Outbreak Simulator
  10. FRED US Measles Simulator
  11. Herd Immunity Simulation: 2015 – Guardian
aihw-phe-236_Measles_2025Download

“Demolishing anti-vaccine frauds in live debate”

Posted in Anti-Vaccination Lobby, COVID-19, Education, Health, Immunisation, Science, Social Media by

Those of you lucky enough to attend Skepticon in Melbourne early last month will remember Dave Farina presenting his talk The Birth of the Science Communicator, from the USA.

He recently joined up with Dr. Dan Wilson of Debunk The Funk to take on two full time anti-vaccine grifters, Steve Kirsch and Pierre Kory. You can check out Dave’s take on how things went by dropping in on his video explanation here. Regrettably the debate turned out a predictable mess as the audience was loaded with anti-vax trolls and the conduct of the notably loathsome Kory and Kirby, meant the full schedule of discussion points wasn’t even met.

This would be because Kory, who in August last year, lost his medical licence for promoting, and wildly profiting from pushing ivermectin during COVID, spat the dummy and walked out. Aw Gosh. Anyway, there’s Gish-galloping from the anti-vax chaps and heckling from their supporters. Dave and Dan do an excellent job handling the horrific misinformation that we’re now seeing in our post COVID-19 pandemic world. I’m not surprised things went astray, as I learnt in Australia that anti-vaxxers deserve not a molecule of oxygen.

Still, perhaps given the state of anti-science rhetoric and the steady rumble of runaway grift trains, then documenting their demonstrably deceptive tactics is a pursuit with rewards we’re yet to fully appreciate. This is an almost two hour gig which is perfect for either bingeing or letting play whilst you do the housework or head out for a walk.

You can watch the same event without Dave’s commentary, at The greatest vaccine debate in history here at Pangburn. Apologies that neither video appears to permit embedding.

Paracetamol use in pregnancy | Therapeutic Goods Administration

Posted in Anti-Vaccination Lobby, Education, Health, Human Rights, Immunisation, Media, Politics, Science by

Warnings from Donald Trump that acetaminophen (popular brand name Tylenol), also known as paracetamol (popular brand name Panadol) has a causative link to autism when taken by pregnant women are unsupported and rejected by health authorities world wide.

Absurdly, his ramblings were a unilateral seizure of what was apparently a planned nuanced announcement, prepared by his own so-called health administration. They intended a caution on Tylenol, a supposed treatment for autism and to reveal $50 million for autism research.

Using his feelings and purported anecdotes, Trump urged pregnant women to “fight like hell” against paracetamol. He reasoned with a bizarre risk-benefit myth that not taking the drug meant only good things would happen, opposed to the risk of bad things, if women took the drug. Yet the reality is that paracetamol/acetaminophen is necessary to combat fevers women may experience during pregnancy and that failure to treat fever can cause neurodevelopmental disorders for the unborn child. These include autism, ADHD or developmental delay. Another identified risk is miscarriage.

Trump also used vague anecdotes to link the vaccine schedule to childhood death and harm. There is no evidence for either Trump’s tale of vaccines killing the child of an employee, and no scientific evidence to justify the changing of vaccination schedules. Trump argued the Hepatitis B vaccine should be held off until 12 years. Yet the primary source of exposure for infants and children is maternal, not sexual activity as claimed by Trump. He further suggested spacing out Measles, Mumps and Rubella vaccines as well as other combined vaccines. The apparent logic is that children are given too many antigens at once.

In fact, children receive fewer antigens today to combat a greater range of disease. Thirty years ago 30,000 antigens were required to encourage immunity against 8 diseases. Today’s US vaccine schedule uses 305 antigens to tackle 14 diseases. And active children take on 2,000 – 6,000 antigens daily through eating, playing and even breathing.

Pregnant women should fight like hell to ignore Donald Trump’s monumental woo.

Therapeutic Goods Administration Statement – 23 September 2025

  • Australia’s Chief Medical Officer and the TGA join with other global medicines regulators, leading clinicians and scientists worldwide in rejecting claims regarding the use of paracetamol in pregnancy, and the subsequent risk of development of ADHD or autism in children.
  • Robust scientific evidence shows no causal link between the use of paracetamol in pregnancy and autism or ADHD, with several large and reliable studies directly contradicting these claims.
  • Paracetamol remains the recommended treatment option for pain or fever in pregnant women when used as directed. Importantly, untreated fever and pain can pose risks to the unborn baby, highlighting the importance of managing these symptoms with recommended treatment. Pregnant women should speak to their healthcare professionals if they have questions about any medication during pregnancy.
  • Paracetamol remains pregnancy category A in Australia, meaning that it is considered safe for use in pregnancy when used according to directions in TGA-approved Product Information (PI) and Consumer Medicines Information (CMI) documents.
  • This means that a medicine has been taken by a large number of pregnant women and women of childbearing age without any proven increase in the frequency of malformations or other harmful effects on the fetus having been observed. As with the use of any medicine during pregnancy, people who are pregnant should seek medical advice tailored to their specific circumstances before taking paracetamol.
  • The TGA is responsible for ensuring the safety, quality and efficacy of medicines on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), with safety in pregnancy a key consideration for all products on the ARTG.
    The TGA undertakes evaluation of clinical, scientific and toxicological data prior to registration of a medicine, and this information is summarised in TGA-approved PI and CMI documents, targeted at healthcare professionals and consumers respectively, to help support safe use of a medicine in the community. These documents include information relating to use of a medicine in pregnancy.
  • The TGA is aware of announcements by the US Administration that use of paracetamol in pregnancy may be associated with an increased risk of autism and ADHD in children, though a causal association has not been established.
  • TGA advice on medicines in pregnancy is based on rigorous assessment of the best available scientific evidence. Any new evidence that could affect our recommendations would be carefully evaluated by our independent scientific experts.
  • Whilst there are published articles suggesting an association between maternal paracetamol use and childhood autism, they had methodological limitations. More recent and robust studies have refuted these claims, supporting the weight of other scientific evidence that does not support a causal link between paracetamol and autism or ADHD.
  • The TGA maintains robust post-market safety surveillance and pharmacovigilance processes for all medicines registered in Australia, including paracetamol. This includes detailed analysis of adverse event reports made by medicine consumers, clinicians and pharmaceutical companies, review of published medical literature, and close liaison with international medicines regulators. If a safety issue is confirmed prompt regulatory action is taken to mitigate risks.
  • International peer regulators including the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in the United Kingdom have reiterated that paracetamol should continue to be used in line with product information documents. Following evaluation in 2019 the European Medicines Agency (EMA) found that scientific evidence regarding effects of paracetamol on childhood neurodevelopment was inconclusive.
  • People who have concerns and are pregnant, or considering pregnancy, are advised to consult their healthcare professionals in the first instance to discuss this issue. [Source ©️ TGA]

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