Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://bit.ly/4c602k2 Peter Hotez is an internationally recognized physician-scientist in neglected tropical diseases and vaccine development. In this episode, they first follow up on the podcast episode (#158) with Brian Deer (the investigative journalist who exposed the complex and disturbing story behind the infamous 1998 Lancet paper by Andrew Wakefield linking the MMR vaccine and autism) with a broader discussion about the origin and evolution of the anti-vaccine movement. They explore some of the specific claims being made around vaccine additives, the timing of when vaccines are given, and claims about issues with the HPV vaccine specifically. Next, Dr. Hotez shares his own journey as a parent of an autistic child and speaks of the challenges of diagnosing autism, what could account for the seeming increase in the prevalence, and whether there is any support for the notion that environmental triggers play a role. They close out with a discussion on the state of affairs with respect to COVID-19 vaccination, comparing the various vaccines as well as the challenges that emerging variants of the virus may present. This episode was originally recorded on April 2, 2021. We discuss: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:00:10 - The stubborn persistence of anti-vaccine sentiment; 00:10:30 - A closer look at claims about thimerosal and vaccine spacing causing autism; 00:24:00 - The Hib vaccine: An example of the profound difference a vaccine can make; 00:31:55 - The controversy surrounding the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine; 00:41:55 - The growing anti-science sentiment, COVID vaccine hesitance, and the basis of the anti-vaxx movement; 01:09:10 - The origins of autism, and Hotez’s personal story as a parent of an autistic child; 01:22:38 - The challenge of diagnosing autism, increasing prevalence, and a potential parallel to Alzheimer’s disease; 01:41:30 - Comparing the various COVID-19 vaccines and the impact of emerging variants of the virus; 01:53:45 - Global vaccination challenges and “vaccine diplomacy”; Show notes page: https://peterattiamd.com/PeterHotez3/ -------- About: The Peter Attia Drive is a weekly, ultra-deep-dive podcast focusing on maximizing health, longevity, critical thinking…and a few other things. With over 25 million episodes downloaded, it features topics including fasting, ketosis, Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, mental health, and much more. Peter is a physician focusing on the applied science of longevity. His practice deals extensively with nutritional interventions, exercise physiology, sleep physiology, emotional and mental health, and pharmacology to increase lifespan (delay the onset of chronic disease), while simultaneously improving healthspan (quality of life). Learn more: https://peterattiamd.com Subscribe to receive exclusive subscriber-only content: https://peterattiamd.com/subscribe Sign up to receive Peter's email newsletter: https://peterattiamd.com/newsletter Connect with Peter on: Facebook: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDFB Twitter: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDTW Instagram: http://bit.ly/PeterAttiaMDIG Subscribe to The Drive: Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveApplePodcasts Overcast: http://bit.ly/TheDriveOvercast Spotify: http://bit.ly/TheDriveSpotify​​​​​ Google Play: http://bit.ly/TheDriveGooglePlay