March 05, 2010 Issue
NVIC Vaccine News
The results of a 2009 survey evaluating the vaccine safety concerns of American parents was recently published in the journal Pediatrics. Out of the approximately 1500 parents, who took the survey, only 23 percent believe that vaccines cause autism in healthy children. But more than half were worried about serious adverse health effects of vaccination.
One Third Want Right to Refuse Vaccines
The vast majority said they believe that getting vaccines is a good way to protect children from disease and follow their doctor s recommendations. Still, more than 30 percent of those surveyed believe that parents should have the right to refuse vaccines that are required for school for any reason.
Defensive Doctors Losing Parents' Trust
I am not surprised by these survey results because, since 1982, most parents contacting the National Vaccine Information Center tell us they want to trust what their doctors tell them about vaccination. Mothers and fathers depend upon their doctors to give them good advice; but when the health of their child or a child they know deteriorates after vaccination, parents logically start to ask questions. And when they are belittled or even threatened for asking those questions, the relationship between doctor and parent is never the same again.
Three Decades of Parental Concerns About Vaccine Safety
Parents asking questions about vaccine safety is nothing new. Although in the past decade there has been a focus on whether a mercury preservative in vaccines, perhaps in combination with the MMR vaccine, can cause autism in some children, the public conversation about vaccine risks and flaws in vaccine science and policy began in the early 1980 s. Back then, it was parents of DPT vaccine injured children calling for a less toxic whooping cough vaccine to replace an old one causing brain inflammation, brain damage and death.... Click here to read more, watch and video and access live links to references for this commentary.
Support Veteran Vaccine Information Organizations
During the past three decades, NVIC has worked with non-profit advocacy organizations in the U.S. and around the world that have raised public awareness about health and vaccination and are defending informed, voluntary vaccine decision making. On the NVIC.org Resource page we include a list of international and U.S. state grassroots vaccine information and choice advocacy organizations.
Several deserve special mention at this time, including:
Canada s Vaccination Risk Awareness Network (VRAN), founded in 1982 by Edda West. VRAN was founded by parents in Canada at the same time as NVIC was founded by parents in the U.S. and both VRAN and NVIC were responsible for defining and framing the vaccine safety and informed consent issue in North America.
The Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) founded in 1993 in Australia by Meryl Dorey also publishes Living Wisdom Magazine. Meryl and the parents at AVN have been at the forefront of communicating information about vaccine risks and the need for parents to be able to make voluntary health choices for their children.
Vaccination News founded by Sandy (Mintz) Gottstein in 2002 is a subscription online vaccine information news service that highlights news about vaccination from many different sources. Sandy is a Mom who has been a vaccine safety and choice advocate for more than 20 years.
The One Click Group founded in 2003 in the United Kingdom by Jane Bryant. Jane is the mother of a son, whose health was severely compromised by vaccination. The online News on One Click newsletter is one of the largest international sources of online information on vaccination and other health issues.
Parents around the world should get involved and actively support parent-led vaccine information advocacy organizations working to preserve informed, voluntary vaccine decision making.
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National Vaccine Information Center
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email: news@nvic.org
voice: 703-938-dpt3
web: http://www.nvic.org
NVIC E-News is a free service of the National Vaccine Information Center and is supported through membership donations.
NVIC is funded through the financial support of its members and does not receive any government subsidies. Barbara Loe Fisher, President and Co- founder.
Learn more about vaccines, diseases and how to protect your informed consent rights at http://www.nvic.org
National Vaccine Information Center | 204 Mill St. | Suite B1 | Vienna | VA | 22180
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