So you know how measles is definitely a real thing and vaccines absolutely work and save lives?
No? Then watch this.
Yes? Well then you know that there’s unfortunately still a collection of people watching that video we linked to above. The nice thing is, at least sometimes we get to watch them suffer the consequences.
German biologist Stefan Lanka, who’s career highlights include claiming that HIV is made up (no, seriously), made a website a few years ago making the claim that measles is a psychosomatic disorder and not a disease. He has been adamantly anti-vaccine since then and offered a €100,000 reward to anyone that could prove him wrong.
Well, someone did. Because you know, evidence, proof, science, and facts.
A German doctor, David Barden, put together a report of gathered evidence from various medical studies and presented it to Mr. Lanka, who of course rejected it all from his tower of questionable sanity. The timing, of course, couldn’t be better, as Germany endured a recent measles outbreak that prompted a national debate as to whether or not the vaccine should be mandatory for all.
Unfortunately for Mr. Lanka, but fortunately for proponents of science, reason, and medicine, it turns out his offer was legally binding. That’s right, a German court is forcing him to pay the reward in full to Dr. David Barden.
We can’t help but think that if anyone who was anti-vaccine was forced to pay 100k to science the world might be a much better place.
#NOTABLE
Want more updates on the most Notable things happening so you know before your colleagues do? Get our exclusive newsletter here and follow us on Twitter for all the latest.
