by Suzann Anderson

Created on: April 27, 2008

Over the last several decades Americans have been told that immunizations prevent infectious disease outbreaks. Parents have been convinced, maybe foolishly, that we must "Immunize by two. It's up to you." We're made to feel guilty on several levels if we choose not immunize. Kindergartners are denied entrance into our public and private schools if all vaccines are not documented and current. College students are also required to have certain immunizations before admission is granted, regardless of whether it would be a duplicate of immunizations received in childhood or if you had the actual disease in childhood.

When tasked with scrutinizing the ingredients within some of these immunizations, you have to wonder, "What are the pharmaceutical companies thinking?" Many children come into this world already wired with allergies. To assume that "one size fits all" is negligent at best. The assumption that an infant or still maturing toddler's body can tolerate exposure to thimerosal containing vaccines and oftentimes, multiple doses, is unfathomable. Has anyone actually done studies on the reactions of an infant's body to these powerful drugs, or are we just blindly volunteering our children as guinea pigs?

The uninformed public should be asking who is funding the research and investigations of alleged safety issues regarding immunizations. In either case, if the answer is the maker of the vaccine or the Centers for Disease Control, one should be extremely concerned about an unbiased outcome. Think about it, there is a built in conflict of interest! As is being proved quite frequently of late, pharmaceutical companies will be the last ones to out themselves for marketing harmful products. How dare ethics play any role between that of the conscience and the almighty dollar?

In today's litigious society, where every other week we are hearing of this or that drug being pulled from the shelves due to inherent dangers to patients (heart medications), or that they simply don't work (cholesterol reducing medications). The FDA should be shamed for not enforcing stricter guidelines when it comes to immunizations, or any drugs for that matter. Who is it that's asleep at the wheel, folks? Who are the interested parties and special interest groups? A major player is our own government, who does quite well at hindering or hampering proper research studies to suit their own agenda. The other member of the team is the pharmaceutical companies, who will of course lead the preeminent

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