Comedy Central's Vaccine Two-fer

Last night, January 31, 2011, Comedy Central had a rather refreshing two-fer regarding vaccines. With all of the media attention surrounding the fraud allegations against Andrew Wakefield, stories about communicable, vaccine-preventable diseases popping up and now this double-whammy, it seems that there is a sort of tide shift taking place in the popular media and public opinions. True, the anti-vaccine movement really represents a fringe group of individuals, loud and extremely vocal though they may be, but this shift, I think, is a very good thing, raising public awareness of just what is happening and, hopefully, swaying fence-sitters toward reason and reality.

Now, on to the videos, after the break.

First, Bill Gates of Microsoft fame appeared on The Daily Show to talk about his efforts through the Gates Foundation to eradicate polio.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Bill Gates
www.thedailyshow.com
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Immediately following The Daily Show, pediatrician Dr. Paul Offit appeared on The Colbert Report to talk about the anti-vaccine movement.

The Colbert Report	Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Paul Offit
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Both John Stewart and Stephen Colbert hit some of the common misconceptions and questions raised by anti-vaxers, and both programs handled the issues with humor and solid facts. So, hats off to you, Comedy Central, for helping spread the word on the importance of vaccines and the dangers posed by anti-vaccine activists.