Why You Shouldn't Listen to A Midwestern Doctor Talk About Vaccines

We have shown more than a few times that A Midwestern Doctor is pushing misinformation and propaganda about vaccines. Unfortunately, it’s time to do it again, making the case that you really shouldn’t listen to him when he talks about vaccines.

These twins are too old for SIDS, but when considering SIDS, one of the most important things to ask is how was the baby sleeping when they were found. Anti-vaccine influencers are quick to blame vaccines, but never correct themselves when medical examiners report finds another cause.

This time, he joins Steve Kirsch in trying to associate vaccines with SIDS, something that has been disproven time after time.

Why You Shouldn't Listen to A Midwestern Doctor Talk About Vaccines

It seems that they believe that cases of twins dying of SIDS is proof that vaccines cause SIDS.

The tragic deaths of twins in Idaho that prompted the posts from Steve Kirsch and A Midwestern Doctor were 18-months-old, so would be classified as Sudden Unexplained Death in Childhood, unless, of course, a cause is found.

Wait, are there really cases of twins dying of SIDS?

Tragically, there are.

“Independent of birth weight, twins do not appear to be at greater risk for SIDS compared with singleton births. In addition, the occurrence of both twins dying of SIDS is uncommon, and the occurrence of both twins dying on the same day is extremely uncommon.”

Sudden infant death syndrome among twins

But fortunately, these types of cases are very rare.

One study did indeed find seven cases, as A Midwestern Doctor suggests, but the study didn’t mention that the infants died on their backs. And in only one case did they die on the same day.

Other studies found more cases…

“Identical male twin infants, 45 days old, were left by their mother lying in the crib they shared together in the parents' bedroom upstairs. The crib was located between the parents' bed and a window. On the evening before death, the infants had been asymptomatic and were left sleeping in a prone position by their mother at 3:00 am (an unusual bedtime due to it being the weekend and there being relatives visiting). Immediately, the parents went to bed. Formula was given every 4 h during the day, the last feeding being 12:30 am. One hour before the mother put them in the crib, they were given camomile tea. They were clad in pajama tops and disposable diapers, and covered with a sheet, two woolen blankets (one of them doubly folded), and an eiderdown quilt.

The twins were found face straight down and lifeless by their father at 10:30 am. According to the father, the same above-mentioned bedding was covering their heads. They were cold, stiff, and unresponsive, with frothy white material oozing from their nostrils. The infants had been unattended for over 7 h; nobody checked, touched, or moved them after 3 am and before 10:30 am…

From the search for environmental factors and based on the circumstances of death, it was believed that the combined lethal effects of low levels of carbon monoxide, overwrapping, and mechanical obstruction of upper airways were the only clues to support the diagnosis of the cause of death, with the manner being accidental.”

Simultaneous death of twins. An environmental hazard or SIDS?

And they typically found dangerous sleep environments, including cobedding, as factors contributing to these deaths.

“We concluded that in our case the cause of death was natural. Our case fulfilled the criteria of simultaneous SIDS in twins. However, thermal stress, use of a pillow and placing twins in the same cot all represent a potentially unsafe sleeping environment and could be interpreted as a cause of death, either individually or in combination, or as possible risk factors, but not the cause of death.”

Simultaneous sudden unexpected death in infancy of twins: case report

Still, that obviously doesn’t stop folks from thinking that something more must be going on…

“Although SIDS is now widely accepted as a condition that parents have no power to predict or prevent, the occurrence of the simultaneous deaths of infant twins is a phenomenon that still evokes bewilderment and suspicion.”

Simultaneous Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in Twins

Including folks who should know better, unless they are simply trying to spread propaganda about vaccines!

In studies, almost all of these twins who died were found facedown, not on their back, as A Midwestern Doctor proposed.

After all, studies and case reports rarely find that twins who died at the same time were sleeping in a safe environment.

And many studies have found that vaccines are not associated with SIDS.

In fact, some have found that vaccines might reduce your baby’s risk of SIDS!

Are you finally going to stop listening to folks like A Midwestern Doctor now?

References

Malloy MH, Freeman DH Jr. Sudden infant death syndrome among twins. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1999 Jul;153(7):736-40. doi: 10.1001/archpedi.153.7.736. PMID: 10401808.

Ramos V, Hernández AF, Villanueva E. Simultaneous death of twins. An environmental hazard or SIDS? Am J Forensic Med Pathol. 1997 Mar;18(1):75-8. doi: 10.1097/00000433-199703000-00014. PMID: 9095306.

Mitchell EA, Elder DE, Zuccollo J. Simultaneous sudden unexpected death in infancy of twins: case report. Int J Legal Med. 2010 Nov;124(6):631-5. doi: 10.1007/s00414-009-0407-y. Epub 2010 Jan 16. PMID: 20082088.

Smialek JE. Simultaneous sudden infant death syndrome in twins. Pediatrics. 1986 Jun;77(6):816-21. PMID: 3754958.