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Misinformation about vaccines can leave children unprotected.
RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—In spite of all the anecdotes about autism-spectrum disorders and other neurological problems caused by vaccines, no scientific studies have shown a definitive link between the two. Yet many parents remain fearful. Why parents continue to question the safety of vaccines is the subject of an article just published in PLoS Biology, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal published by the Public Library of Science.
THE DETAILS: The article focuses on the research of a University of California-San Francisco medical anthropologist, Sharon Kaufman, PhD, who got interested in the persistent doubt around vaccines after reading reports of scientists, doctors, and government spokespeople receiving harassing phone calls and even death threats for simply reporting on findings that vaccines don’t cause autism. Much of the doubt was triggered by a 1998 British study published in The Lancet. It reported on a theory that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine caused intestinal problems that released toxic substances into the brain. The paper was later discredited, and the author is currently under investigation for ethics violations. At about the same time, a congressman in the U.S. had asked the Food and Drug Administration to review the use of thimerosal (a mercury-containing preservative) in all the products it regulates. The agency found that its current use could expose children under 6 months old to dangerously high levels, and as a result, asked pharmaceutical companies to remove it from vaccines. Since 2001, thimerosal preservatives have been largely eliminated from childhood vaccines (the flu vaccine being the one exception), although it’s still detectable in trace amounts as a by-product of manufacturing.
Those two events were enough to generate serious doubt in parents’ minds about the safety of vaccines, even though medical agencies around the world continued to publish papers and reviews disproving theories of a vaccine-autism link. Increasing access to the Internet didn’t help either, Kaufman found, as collecting that information online led to more doubt. According to a 2002 review of antivaccination websites published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, many sites used emotional appeals and cited seemingly convincing evidence that came from self-published studies (which don’t undergo the peer review process required by medical journals). The researchers also found that it wasn’t uncommon for the sites to publish statistics that came from questionable sources, including letters to newspaper editors and television interviews, rather than scientific research. Also, the review found, many of these sites promoted the idea of vaccinations as a “hoax” intended to generate profits for doctors and pharmaceutical companies.
WHAT IT MEANS: “Despite all of the very hard work of epidemiologists to exonerate vaccines as a cause or to be implicated in autism, the lay public still seems to have rampant suspicion about what vaccines are used for and why we use them,” says Joseph Domachowske, MD, a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and professor of pediatrics, microbiology and immunology at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University. “Until we can give people an answer as to what causes autism, there will still be some suspicion about vaccines.” And the suspicion is causing concerned parents to lose sight of the bigger picture. “People have forgotten about the infections that vaccines can prevent,” he says. “And there’s a misconception that vaccines are riskier than developing a vaccine-preventable infection.” Those infections are on the rise in many parts of the world. Measles, one of the deadliest childhood illnesses, was all but eliminated in the U.S. before 2000 but last year saw the largest outbreak since then. And just this week, officials in Europe announced that cases of the mumps have doubled so far this year, compared with the same period last year.
vaccines
Just because you believe you know something about "health" foods does not give a parent the right to affect the health of their child and other children in the community. If people would READ the latest research they would see that no link was found between autism and vaccines. People (like these that have posted) buy in to soft science, but that does not mean that it is researched. I don't trust big pharmacuetical companies either but I do trust scientific and medical opinion. The reason why so many children are getting whooping cough again is because of this scare tactic. Please people use some common sense instead of this all or nothing approach.
vaccines..
...right, how do you explain that to the mothers who LOST their babies within two days of recieving a vaccine?? I personally know a family who did...the baby was VERY healthy prior---even starting to crawl sooner than most! In our area there were actually four babies that lost their lives (within a couple months, NOT the entire year)---all within days or hours of recieving their vaccines...coincidently this was around the same time of the "recall" ....I am not trying to say all vaccines are bad...but they are pushing too many too soon...this silly law the FDA has that only a drug can cure or prevent a disease drives me nuts! So now everything is labeled a disease--so that there can be a drug made to "cure" it...i make my own sunscreen lotion with Zinc and titanium...I also make lotions and soap I sell---but if I sell my homemade "sunscreen" I can be prosecuted for selling a "drug" without a license (sunscreen prevents skin cancer--to the FDA it is considered a drug)...There have been naturpathic doctors imprisoned for treating and healing people too quickly--takes business away from "real" doctors...and of course BIG PHARMA...read about Dr.Christopher...his products can be found in local health food stores/vitamin shops...you can even find his recipes to make your own herbal medicine online....I am sure there are alot of truely good and helpful people with wonderful intentions who work in big pharma, however; the majority of it reeks of control!
HMMMM
I will be unsubscribing from Rodale newsletters and will no longer read or use any articles or magazines by the company. I will also be researching who at Rodale receives money from pharmaceutical companies that manufacture vaccines or any other conflict of interest that makes your company write articles about vaccines that are so completely one sided (and almost threatening) and do not properly explain that there are indeed risks and justifications for educated parents to have concerns about.
Like I wrote in another comment I find it interesting that a company that cares so much about health and "natural" living, pharmaceutical companies "tricking us" sees no problem with the ingredients in vaccines we are coerced into giving our babies and children.
(see http://www.rodale.com/pharmaceutical-ad-tricks?cm_mmc=DailyNewsNL-_-2009...)
It amazes me that you are so worried about:
-mercury in fish and HFCS, yet recommend injecting our ill defensive children with it.
-antibiotic resistance with over use of antibacterials in body care, yet look the other way that vaccines have numerous antibiotics in each dose, and can actually hinder our babies immature innate defenses.
-chemicals in our body care products, but have no problem injecting our children with mercury, MSG, Formaldehyde (carcinogenic), 2-phenoxyethanol, octoxynol (a spermacide), sodium deoxylate and aluminum (a neurotoxin that is 10% to 50% higher depending on combination of doses then the FDA recommended safe amount for a healthy adult.)
-genetically engineered foods should be avoided, yet new vaccines are made from genetic manipulation.
Vaccines may have hindered some diseases, yet they may very well have created others.
Lindsay W.
vaccines
Let's not forget about the lives that BIG PHARMA has saved, and improved the quality of. If we all bash BIG PHARMA it may end up having an effect on the billions of dollars that are put into R and D for the diseases that we are living with and dying from. Also, if BIG PHARMA is only concerned with the bottom line and not the health of the population, then why are so many drugs and vaccines given away for free to third world countries, and sold at greatly reduced rates to our government for underpriveleged children and adults? I am not saying the pharmaceutical industry is perfect, but as we all know, no industry is perfect (banking, auto, etc.).
I am a survivor of a disease which is now prevented by vaccines. As a baby I was very sick in the ICU with a tracheotomy. I thank God for the time, energy, and research that BIG PHARMA puts into finding cures for diseases. Again, they are not perfect, but no industry is, and atleast this one is saving lives, what's better than that?
Vaccine "safety"
Rodale Press, you sold out years ago. Too bad, as in the nineteen-seventies, Prevention Magazine was a wonderful magazine full of in-depth articles. Please un-subscribe me. I don't want to read any more of this drivel.
vaccinations
The public has a distrust of major pharmacy companies because Big Pharma is only concerned with the bottom line and not the health of the population.This only changes when Big Pharma is caught pushing drugs that have not been fully tested or shoddy inspection of drug production.As for mercury,ANY mercury that gets into the human body is there for the life of the person.Mercury does not break down or passes through the human body.It is in the body for life and only goes up with each dose of mercury and NEVER goes down.As for the increase in childhood diseases,the government programs that made sure that all children got their vaccination has been allowed to lapse because of the decline,at that time,of worldwide childhood diseases.That is why there is now an increase in those diseases.When I was growing up we all got our "shots" all through school,but not now for my children and grandchildren.