>> This is quite a good example of the impact of modern medicine these days and a reason why some people think that vaccination and other initiatives are lifestyle choices: the sense of risk is gone thanks to years of effort by academics and Big Pharma. Against this you have Witch Doctors and others making all sorts of outlandish claims.

And what you wrote is a good example of the propaganda that MD's and big Pharma spread.
I mentioned earlier in this thread that PBS did an excellent 2 part series on cancer last week.
The first part showed how for decades MD's -with that certitude that they all love to radiate- said that radical mastectomy was the best treatment for breast cancer.
WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The series also showed how difficult it was for those challenging the dogma-of-the-day to be heard.

I was reminded of the wry cartoon I saw in the NY'er eons ago.
An African witch doctor in full regalia was doing his dance around a fire surrounded by the community.
One of the African ladies watching the dance turned to her neighbor and said with a proud smile:
"That's my son- the doctor."