NewYork hedge fund financiers support anti-vaccine movement

The Washington Post reported Wednesday that the widespread anti-vaccine movement in the United States has been secretly funded by a Wall Street financier.

The anti-vaccine movement has been spreading rapidly across the U.S. since the measles outbreak that killed 1,044 people in 26 states. Anti-vaccine groups including ICAN have been increasing their supporters through lectures, media advertisements and documentaries with their abundant funds. The Washington Post reported that ICAN receives over 3 million dollars, or nearly 75 percent of its total operating funds, from New York hedge funds and that other anti-vaccine groups also have networks in New York. The newspaper said that the influx of stock market funds means the anti-vaccine movement has secured a stable funding source.

Anti-vaccine activists claim that vaccination during early childhood and the adolescent period are highly likely to cause side effects including autism, calling for the use of natural therapies using various plants. Recently, Hollywood actor couple Jessica Biel and Timberlake came under fire from parents after they said they supported the anti-vaccine movement. Although the mainstream medicalcommunity is publicizing the safety of vaccines, the rapid spread of anti-vaccine theories through large-scale lectures leave parents at a loss. In New York, the epicenter of the measles outbreak, vaccination fell 30 percent during the first five months of this year from a year earlier.


Mi-Kyung Jung mickey@donga.com