New dad Mark Zuckerberg under fire for vaccines post

by

Carolyn Robertson

posted in Celebrities

Since welcoming daughter Max in November, proud dad/Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been busy keeping us all updated on her baby milestones.

Like many new parents, Mark's Facebook feed has been a timeline of his adorable daughter's firsts: There was his first (of many) diaper change; then came Max's first family photo, her first Star Wars costume, her first bedtime story, her first fancy New Year's Eve dress. And her first round of vaccinations.

Not surprisingly, it's that last one on the list that has been met with the loudest response.

"Doctor's visit -- time for vaccines!" Mark captioned a picture of little Max sitting on her dad's lap, looking very cozy in her cute winter onesie (See it here!).

Posted on Friday, the photo has received over 3 million "likes" and has more than 70,000 comments (and counting).

So far, those comments range from the supportive ("What a little cutie!! Thanks for taking care of your baby (and other peoples' babies!)") to the concerned ("Mark please do read up on and research the effect of vaccines on babies. Your little angel is precious please do read and research.") to the suspicious ("How much were you paid to post this? I know there's no way you'd vaccinate for many reasons the truly informed parents already have stated.") to the utterly random ("While everyone is concerned about vaccines, what about the fact that baby is in a snowsuit? I hope she doesn't wear that while strapped into her car seat. That is far more dangerous than vaccines.").

It should come as no surprise that Mark, whose wife Priscilla Chan is a pediatrician, would have his child vaccinated - he's made his own thoughts on the often controversial topic quite clear.

Last February he recommended the book "On Immunity" by Eula Biss to his almost 50 million Facebook followers, writing, "Vaccination is an important and timely topic. The science is completely clear: vaccinations work and are important for the health of everyone in our community. This book explores the reasons why some people question vaccines, and then logically explains why the doubts are unfounded and vaccines are in fact effective and safe."

A major reason why, as Mark Zuckerberg notes, some people question vaccines can be traced back to a 1998 paper by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, which made the case that there was a link between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMRS) vaccine and autism. This paper, along with its author, have since been discredited. In 2010, following an investigation by the British General Medical Council that found Wakefield had acted "dishonestly and irresponsibly," the paper was retracted by the publishing journal, which declared it "utterly false." Wakefield eventually lost his license to practise medicine in the UK.

Despite this, as the explosive response to Mark Zuckerberg's vaccination post attests, worries persist.

Some of the commenters have insinuated that forcing this heated topic into the spotlight is provocative and divisive, but Mark is certainly not the first public figure to have done so. Actress Jenny McCarthy made headlines for years with her claims that her son Evan's autism was linked to vaccines - and her subsequent claims it was cured by a strict diet. Just last fall, presidential hopeful Donald Trump shared his opinion, saying in a televised debate, "We had so many instances, people that work for me, just the other day, 2 years old, beautiful child went to have the vaccine and came back and a week later got a tremendous fever, got very, very sick, now is autistic."

In a letter penned to mark their daughter's birth, Mark and Priscilla committed to giving 99% of their Facebook shares - worth a staggering 45 billion dollars - to the objective of building a better world for Max and for all children. One key area they have targeted is "curing disease." A lofty goal, to be sure, but one worth aiming for. Upholding the cures we've thankfully already discovered seems a pretty good place to start.

What do you think of Mark Zuckerberg's post, and the response it's received?

The vaccination debate: Celebrities weigh in.

Photos: REX USA