#462: David Ayoub

David Ayoub, a Springfield radiologist and “self-taught expert on vaccines, mercury and the increasing number of children diagnosed with autism”, is (of course) another anti-vaccination loon, but at least he’s got a fresh and occasionally novel take on this tried and tired old conspiracy. Ayoub thinks that vaccines are part of a population control plot by the Illuminati (ok, so that one is not so novel, but it is interesting, at least, that your standard antivaxx outlets are mainstreaming it). So, for that matter, is birth control, day care, social security, sex education, health improvement, and women’s rights. Indeed, it’s all there in Ayoub’s mind, down to the black helicopters, and apparently it all goes back to Kissinger’s alleged decision that population growth was the greatest threat to America back in the 1970s – and yes, Ayoub is among those who thinks that Kissinger really is the heart of the Illuminati – and Kissinger is obviously a monster; who other than a psychopath could have come up with such nefarious plots as health improvement and women’s rights? Or social security, which was introduced so that “... you don’t need as many kids to help you when you retire …” – just think about the sheer derangedness of such an idea. A fuller profile of this bright investigator can be found here.

Ayoub has evidence that the government doesn’t want you to know about. Apparently, he spoke with Lisa Reagen, author of a piece on the vaccine/thiomersal hypothesis (which is, of course, scientifically utterly discredited, but no amount of scientific evidence would ever convince people like Ayoub of anything but the grandness of the conspiracy), which mentioned that some IOM committee member was a member of GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunisation). According to Ayoub “she told me she had black helicopters flying over her house for three weeks after that …” Slam dunk. The primary evidence for the claim that the thimerosal/autism link must be correct, however, is of course the fact that pediatricians and the government denies such a link.

The most interesting thing about Ayoub and his rants, is that he has actually been endorsed by the “mainstream” antivaxx movement; but then I guess if reason and rationality were not your forte to begin with, Ayoub was the natural next step. He’s apparently viewed as a trustworthy source by CBS’s resident antivaxx reporter, the recently covered Sharyl Attkisson.

We especially liked this comment on studies that show no correlation between vaccines and autism: “The risk of vaccines is unknown because the studies are just that poorly designed. And that's not just my opinion; that's a lot of people's opinion.” Indeed.

Diagnosis: Batshit crazy, but Ayoub is really no less in touch with reality than mainstream antivaxxers such as Barbara Loe Fisher or David Kirby. The fact that the latter mainstreams ensures that he must be considered moderately dangerous.