A balanced approach to vaccination is needed within the current climate of fear and misinformation regarding childhood immunization that is complicated by high-pressure tactics by pharmaceutical companies. An either/or approach to vaccination is inappropriate. There are diseases where the fatality or complication rates are so high that inoculation is the only appropriate action; however, there are also diseases with much lower rates of complications and few fatalities where vaccination should be a choice not a mandate. Currently, recommendations for inoculation against certain illnesses are measured in economic terms, such as school days lost, which is inappropriate. Measurements should be made in terms of percentage of complications and risks of disability or death.
Questions remain regarding the safety versus the efficacy of some injections and parents should approach vaccination as an informed choice. However, to forget that the scourges of polio, smallpox, and other diseases that jeopardized public health were eliminated through prudent vaccinations would be irresponsible. But under pressure from the self interests of large pharmaceutical companies, the number of vaccinations has increased dramatically. Thoughtful consideration must be given to the vast array of inoculations currently given to children, and a less rigorous program demanded, particularly for those diseases that rarely cause fatalities or permanent disability.
According to the Vaccine Education Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, "Today, young children receive vaccines to protect them against 14 different diseases. Because some vaccines require more than one dose, children can receive as many as 26 inoculations by 2 years of age and up to five shots at one time." While the Children's Hospital does not recommend spacing immunizations further apart, perhaps a guarded but informed approach based upon individual risks and needs, should be considered. Suppressing all childhood diseases could potentially lead to weaker immune systems through lack of exposure to illness.
In an effort to make vaccines safer, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "Thimerosal was removed from infant vaccines as a precaution following a 1999 agreement involving the Public Health Service, the American Academy of Pediatrics and vaccine manufacturers." While there is an on-going effort to make vaccines safer, keep in mind that pharmaceutical companies have a vested financial interest in the promotion of extensive vaccination schedules,
Encephalitis is one potential severe reaction to some vaccinations. To report such reactions the CDC has instituted the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). Health care providers are required to report such incidences. Annually there are approximately 30,000 VAERS reports filed, with 10-15% considered serious events. With the rise of autism and autism spectrum disorders, inoculations have been implicated, although studies thus far show there is little, if any correlation between autism and vaccination, according to the CDC.
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) disputes some of the CDC's stances. The NVIC is "pro-education and pro-choice" and the agency "supports the availability of the safest and most technologically advanced vaccines as an affordable health care option for all those who choose to vaccinate." NVIC takes a precautionary approach to inoculations, as there are a number of instances where further study has implicated medications or interventions that were once considered safe, such as the case of the removal of thimersol.
Meanwhile, regular check ups with a primary health care provider who can assess an individual's general health status and give advice concerning vaccination is practice. It is never appropriate to vaccinate a child who is moderately or severely ill. Individual and family history is important and, of special note to physicians, is a history of allergic reactions, serious health problems following vaccination, as well as autoimmune disease or neurological disorders in the family. Discuss the number of vaccines to be given with a health care provider. Each vaccination carries specific precautions. An extensive list can be found at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwR/PDF/rr/rr5515.pdf.
An informed public empowers parents and other individuals to weigh the risks and benefits of vaccination, and to make appropriate decisions on behalf of their children.
For more information see the following websites:
http://www.nvic.org/
http://www.cdc.gov/Features/AutismDecision/
http://www.chop.edu/vaccine/images/vec_tomany.pdf
http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/html/imm/immcontr.shtml