Pediatricians renounce Bachmann anti-vaccine claim

I am not The Daily Show or Talking Points Memo.  I don't make make my living on satire so I don't bother with Michelle Bachmann who denounced vaccinating "innocent 12 year old girls" against cervical cancer.  Her claim that HPV (Human Papilloma Virus) vaccine causes mental retardation could do real harm through the media echo chamber.  So I note here that the principal organization of children's doctors the American Academy of Pediatrics has firmly renounced the candidate's reckless allegation and affirmed the vaccine's value in preventing cervical cancer.  - GWC

“The American Academy of Pediatrics would like to correct false statements made in the Republican presidential campaign that HPV vaccine is dangerous and can cause mental retardation. There is absolutely no scientific validity to this statement. Since the vaccine has been introduced, more than 35 million doses have been administered, and it has an excellent safety record.“The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Academy of Family Physicians all recommend that girls receive HPV vaccine around age 11 or 12. That’s because this is the age at which the vaccine produces the best immune response in the body, and because it’s important to protect girls well before the onset of sexual activity. In the U.S., about 6 million people, including teens, become infected with HPV each year, and 4,000 women die from cervical cancer. This is a life-saving vaccine that can protect girls from cervical cancer.”