We’ve all made bets we thought we could either win easily or no one would take seriously, like “I bet a million bucks you can’t lift that car off the ground.” But a German anti-vaxxer biologist who said measles was “a psychosomatic illness” and that no one could prove otherwise has discovered that words made in haste can have expensive consequences.
In 2011,?Stefan Lanka posted a 100,000 euro (about $105,000 in the U.S.)?reward on his website for anyone who could prove that measles was a virus. Taking Lanka up on the wager, Dr. David Bardens sent Lanka a comprehensive study proving the existence of the measles virus as reported by a respected medical journal. Bardens demanded payment, but Lanka refused to keep his end of the bargain.
A three-member German court, however, said earlier this week that Dr. Bardens is indeed entitled to the money. As a court spokesman noted:
“The court had no doubt about the existence of the measles virus.”
Lanka said he will appeal the court’s ruling, but has not yet filed paperwork to that effect.
Germany, much like the United States, is currently involved in a contentious national debate about the efficacy of childhood vaccinations. Proponents of vaccines say they provide a herd immunity, which is beneficial for society. Skeptics counter that vaccines contain substances that may cause disorders such as autism. Despite definitive medical evidence that vaccines have never been proven to harm anyone, anti-vaccination advocates maintain their dubious stance on the issue.
Personally, I have always made sure my 8-year-old daughter’s vaccinations are up to date, and as I write this she is in the top one percentile of her class academically and has never had any serious illness in her life, not even the flu. I don’t claim to be a scientific or medical expert, but I do know that if a few people choose not to vaccinate their children, they endanger the rest of society. That fact, like the ones used to make the legal ruling against Mr. Lanka, seems irrefutable.
