All of the major health organizations currently recommend
that infants and children be vaccinated against 14 communicable
diseases. For children who fall into a high risk category,
there are even more vaccines available. What this means
is, starting at birth; most children will receive about
29 vaccines by the age of 6. By the age of 2, most children
will receive approximately 24.1
In the United States, most states have enacted laws
that require proof of certain inoculations before allowing
a child to enter a daycare or school. Each state is
also different with laws regarding exemptions. Most
exemptions are limited to medical, religious or personal
objections. Some states allow parents to give no reason
at all.
Since mass inoculation regulations have been initiated-most,
if not all of the communicable diseases children are
vaccinated against are unheard of.
As previously stated, most people today have never
had to deal with the diseases vaccines help prevent.
In developed countries, most vaccines are readily available
and used at low cost. Most low income families qualify
for some form of low income insurance programs which
cover vaccines. In countries where this is not the case,
these diseases are currently a problem. Children and
adults are dying everyday from diseases that can be
prevented from vaccines. These countries just do not
have the finances or access to the medical care.
Some believe the rise in philosophical objections to
routine childhood vaccinations could be blamed on internet
access. There are currently thousands of websites readily
available to anyone who reads them-most of whom have
no medical understanding. These websites induce fear
and alarm within parents.
The basic instinct as a parent is “do not harm.”
Many parents fear that allowing their child to be vaccinated
can and or will cause harm.
There is one undisputed fact regarding vaccines. Vaccines
are drugs and no drug available on earth is considered
100% safe.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and more specifically
The Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER)
regulate vaccine products. All vaccines must undergo
lengthy testing for safety and effectiveness before
they can be licensed for distribution. Even after a
vaccine gains approval, it remains under investigation
for continued public safety and effectiveness.
To help monitor the safety of vaccines after distribution,
the United States government relies on VAERS or Vaccine
Adverse Event Reporting System. VAERS is a website available
to the public.2 According to the VAERS website, anyone
can report adverse reactions. Most VAERS reports are
sent in by manufactures of the vaccines and health care
providers. The National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act
(NCVIA) requires healthcare providers to report any
event listed by the vaccine manufacturer as a reason
to forego subsequent doses of a vaccine or an event
listed on the Reportable Events Table. It is unknown
at this time what the punishment is for failure to comply
with NCVIA.
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©
Rebecca Pillar 2008
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