Search This Blog

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Vaccines in the News

[10/5](http://tinyurl.com/24dbaho) Not to be missed radio - today - Dan Olmstead and Mark Blaxill on Leonard Lopate
[10/5](http://tinyurl.com/2bjaqol) Flu and Its Vaccine - Dr Sherry Tenpenny webinar
[10/5](http://tinyurl.com/2369ugf) Doctor's Orders: Vaccination is No. 1 way to prevent flu and its spread
[10/4](http://tinyurl.com/2d8be8p) Why the Supreme Court Could Side With Autism Activists in Fight vs. Vaccines

[10/4](http://tinyurl.com/342oxyf) New Jersey Home of The Situation and The Autism Situation for Some Very Real Housewives - AoA
[10/4](http://tinyurl.com/2bu2css) Prevention & Treatment of Vaccine Damages
[10/4](http://tinyurl.com/2vks4za) Autism coal link study stalled by government
[10/3](http://tinyurl.com/2veym83) October is Vaccine Injury Awareness Month - AVN
[10/3](http://tinyurl.com/26lovp4) Valid Concern for 60 Year Old Medical Travesty: What About Today's? - AoA
[10/3](http://tinyurl.com/34fg5qc) VRM: Closed Door CDC Meeting Reveals Industry Cover-up Of Heavy Metal Toxicity In Vaccines
[10/3](http://tinyurl.com/23ykndj) VRM: GlaxosmitheKline Herpes Vaccine Fails Safety Litmus Test
[10/2](http://tinyurl.com/23mmx9n) Most Canadians, Americans skipped H1N1 vaccine last year - Natural News
[10/2](http://tinyurl.com/2g9gsll) U.S. Forced To Apologize Over Vaccine Experimentation.
[9/29](http://tinyurl.com/2c4kpg2) Sebelius envisions cell-based flu vaccine in 2011 - CIDRAP


Share/Bookmark

Saturday, September 25, 2010

Vaccines in the News 9-23 to 9-25

[9/25](http://tinyurl.com/274repz) Unofficial Transcript: Imus with Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill – AoA

[9/24](http://tinyurl.com/2582kbe) El Paso Filmmaker Educates Public On Autism Through New Documentary
[9/24](http://tinyurl.com/2f4fula) Flu Vaccine Caused Over 1000 Adverse Reactions

[9/24](http://tinyurl.com/2e2ly3j) Some are leery of this year's flu shots - Daily Record
[9/24](http://tinyurl.com/2d5mkze) FDA Sees Bowel Risk In Rotavirus Vaccine Data – AoA

[9/23](http://tinyurl.com/27t625b) EU finds no narcolepsy link to flu vaccine
[9/23](http://tinyurl.com/2824vno) Safety Fears Over Vaccines & Conflicts Of Interest 
[9/23](http://tinyurl.com/2wc49r8) Whooping Cough Numbers in Upstate N.Y. Swell - Examiner
[9/23](http://tinyurl.com/2gxj7qo) Big Gains to Be Found in New Vaccines
[9/23](http://tinyurl.com/2ddvo74) Unimmunized adults, teens a key factor in spread of whooping cough, officials say – LATimes

[9/23](http://tinyurl.com/24nx6m5) How To Vaccinate Against Rabies More Safely
[9/23](http://tinyurl.com/2auvghk) FDA warns on possible safety issue with GSK's Rotarix - Fierce
[9/23](http://tinyurl.com/22vmn3b) Cervical cancer vax ready to enter human trials - Fierce
[9/23](http://tinyurl.com/2bv9hwo) Whooping Cough Comes Back – CBS
[9/23](http://tinyurl.com/2waa9la) Babies given pneumococcal vaccination risk infection with serious drug resistant respiratory disease - NaturalNews
[9/23](http://tinyurl.com/289shbj) Plant-based H1N1 vax starts clinical trial – Fierce

[9/22](http://tinyurl.com/2942gfe) Alleged Corruption Stench As $65m Of Swine Flu Vaccines Set To Be Destroyed
[9/22](http://tinyurl.com/29wds55) CDC disributes 2010 flu vaccines; one shot to cover all strains
[9/22](http://tinyurl.com/2e9lte5) HPV still common, even with vaccine
[9/22](http://tinyurl.com/2ddtx5w)  Death by Vaccination: The Gates Foundation and the New Eugenics

[9/22](http://tinyurl.com/2c5ra5y) Indiana whooping cough cases skyrocket
[9/22](http://tinyurl.com/2f9kvgy) Breast cancer vax could protect women from their 40s – Fierce
[9/22](http://tinyurl.com/2egk36y) U.S. sees bowel risk in early Glaxo vaccine data - Reuters
[9/22](http://tinyurl.com/288r3ug) Be careful or you might catch obesity, suggests new study - NaturalNews
[9/22](http://tinyurl.com/23v9y6a) Flu, Part Four: Talking to `Dr. Vaccine'
[9/22](http://tinyurl.com/2c83peu) Parents' Film Focuses On Autistic Daughter - October is Autism Vaccine Injury Awareness Month
[9/22](http://tinyurl.com/25lynnj) Australia: Deadly Vaccines Surveillance Plan Required 
[9/22](http://tinyurl.com/27u9suk) Flu Vaccine Caused 3587 US Miscarriages & Stillbirths
[9/22](http://tinyurl.com/28mcql3) Vermont below national average in childhood vaccinations
[9/22](http://tinyurl.com/27e9n9u) Death by Vaccination: The Gates Foundation and the New Eugenics

[9/21](http://tinyurl.com/24a7zwl) Study: Vaccines Don't Raise Autism Risk - Fox
[9/21](http://tinyurl.com/257guke) Contention That Flu Shots Reduce Heart Attack Risk Load Of Old Pharma Bollox
[9/21](http://tinyurl.com/2bu9bla) New Canadian Research Shows Flu Vaccines Substantially Enhance Swine Flu Risk

[9/20](http://tinyurl.com/34vo37m) Seasonal Flu Vaccine Lowers Heart Attack Risk in Adults, U.K. Study Finds – Bloomberg

[9/14](http://tinyurl.com/2eoez5k) Expanding new and under-utilised vaccines can save millions of lives, says IFRC/GAVI Alliance report - GAVI

(http://kamuhammad.net/docs/analysis_state_vaccination_laws.pdf) A Common-Sense Analysis of "No Parental Consent Required" Vaccination Laws Proposed and Enacted by State Governments

[10/1](http://tinyurl.com/2bcdd83) The Immune Response - The Supreme Court may tell families with autistic children whether they can sue vaccine makers


Share/Bookmark

Monday, September 20, 2010

Vaccines in the News 9/3 – 9/19

[9/19](http://tinyurl.com/24vrvvw) Media Becoming More Alert: Becky Estepp Schools Dr Mark Seigel on Fox
[9/19](http://tinyurl.com/2dwk5ou) Mike Frandsen Interviews Olmsted and Blaxill Authors of The Age of Autism Mercury Medicine and a Manmade Epidemic - AoA
[9/19](http://tinyurl.com/29khvhu) Hannah Poling's Autism Development Accredited to Vaccines
[9/18](http://tinyurl.com/2exftjf) Flu Shot Caused Seizures in Australian Children, Study Says
[9/18](http://tinyurl.com/2a8njxx) Book Review Autism: The Diagnosis, Treatment & Undeniable Epidemic - AoA
[9/17](http://tinyurl.com/2wm6ctn) Colorado Hospital Forcing Flu Vaccine On Health Professionals
[9/17](http://tinyurl.com/34y34zt) CDC Ignoring up to 3,587 Miscarriages from H1N1 Vaccine

(http://tinyurl.com/2b6ebzx)Feds settle vaccine lawsuit and seal results.

[9/18](http://tinyurl.com/2c7zvg8) Thimerosal Accumulates in Rat Brains, Study Reveals
[9/18](http://tinyurl.com/2a8njxx) Book Review Autism: The Diagnosis, Treatment & Undeniable Epidemic - AoA
[9/17](http://tinyurl.com/28c2r92) Vaccines Don't Cause Autism, and Guns Don't Kill People
[9/17](http://tinyurl.com/24mlump) CDC allegedly falsifies reports--ignoring up to 3,587 Miscarriages from H1N1 Vaccine
[9/17](http://tinyurl.com/2dwz6bc) Twin Babies Die Minutes After Measles Vaccination
[9/17](http://tinyurl.com/25qexhu) Follow-up to My Critique of Pediatric Article Proclaiming No Link Between Thimerosal and Autism
[9/16](http://tinyurl.com/25ep592) The Age of Autism – New Book to Fuel Debate?
[9/16](http://tinyurl.com/39bpre5) Teaching Doctors About Nutrition and Diet - NYTimes
[9/13](http://tinyurl.com/2c7ttzt) Vietnam To Destroy Tamiflu Stock That Cost Millions Amidst Massive Corruption Allegations

[9/17](http://tinyurl.com/2ar8lec) Parallel Universes: Flu Shots For Pregnant Women - AoA
[9/17](http://tinyurl.com/2dtlq5u) Johnson & Johnson plans to buy Crucell for $2.3B - AP
[9/16](http://tinyurl.com/2crhdov) CDC: Vaccination rates in toddlers remains high - CNN
[9/16](http://tinyurl.com/25d86tv) Most U.S. children receiving recommended vaccinations
[9/16](http://tinyurl.com/28uwepf) Why We Argue About Autism (And Why We Don't Have Much Choice) - About
[9/16](http://tinyurl.com/2dj45c7) NanoBio unveils promising data on next-gen vaccine - Fierce
[9/16](http://tinyurl.com/27pjez9) Pretrial hearing on New Jersey children exposed to mercury vapors gets heated
[9/16](http://tinyurl.com/2f2hg9y) Health Workers Reinstated After Deadly Measles Vaccine Kills Four Babies
[9/16](http://tinyurl.com/2a7hk6x) Pregnant women urged to get flu shots - USA Today
[9/16](http://tinyurl.com/2dmwbug) Three More Children Die After Vaccination.
[9/16](http://tinyurl.com/26eqlvq) SafeMinds Response to Thimerosal and Autism Pediatrics Study - AoA
[9/15](http://tinyurl.com/29copmw) Cloning a human virus offers clear vaccine target - Fierce
[9/15](http://tinyurl.com/254a7q8) Interview with Dan Olmsted, Mark Blaxill: 'Age of Autism-Mercury, Medicine, and a Manmade Epidemic'

[9/16](http://tinyurl.com/2fk6mhc) Autism Speaks Mangles the Poling Decision: NYT Blog Adds Insult - AoA
[9/16](http://tinyurl.com/272xwxj) Vitamin D proven far better than vaccines at preventing influenza infections - Natural News
[9/15](http://tinyurl.com/29ofujr) Navy to test its ability to vaccinate masses in a pandemic
[9/15](http://tinyurl.com/2fmftvc) Commentary on latest Thimerosal study - Safeminds
[9/15](http://tinyurl.com/3xap6e4) Are Vaccinations Needed? Risks vs. Benefits
[9/15](http://tinyurl.com/257wv7a) The Vaccine Safety Myth: Dr Evan Harris Fails to Address the Questions - AoA
[9/15](http://tinyurl.com/2c8tqqn) Court Awards Over $20 Million for Vaccine-Caused Autism
[9/14](http://tinyurl.com/2b5ej6l) Jenny McCarthy — Childhood Vaccines DO NOT Cause Autism! It's Time for You to Renounce Your Claim.

[9/13](http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/728352) Mandating Influenza Vaccine: One Hospital's Experience by Dr Paul Offit

[9/15](http://tinyurl.com/24r245z) Primates' Progress: Disturbing Findings from a Study of Vaccinated and Unvaccinated Primates - AoA
[9/15](http://tinyurl.com/23yl2t4) Local pharmacy rejects flu shot
[9/15](http://tinyurl.com/293kc6a) Swine Flu Vaccines Dumped in Africa - Natural News
[9/15](http://tinyurl.com/2flfg6j) CDC Admits to Inaccurate and Misleading Flu Stats - Natural News
[9/14](http://tinyurl.com/39yz3eu) Vaccines, Autism and Brain Damage: What's in a Name? - CBS
[9/14](http://tinyurl.com/372xuco) Mercury As A Cause of Autism – More Denialist Junk "Science" from Pediatrics Journal
[9/14](http://tinyurl.com/29ckkhe) Warning All Pregnant Women: Miscarriages From H1N1 Vaccine As High As 3,587 Cases
[9/14](http://tinyurl.com/36xcx2n) Millions of Chinese oppose mass vaccination plan - Natural News
[9/13](http://tinyurl.com/36sfecx) The Deadly Corruption of Clinical Trials - Mother Jones

[9/14](http://tinyurl.com/29xsq49) Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill Discuss The Age Of Autism Mercury Medicine and a Man-Made Epidemic - Aoa
[9/13](http://tinyurl.com/3a6nqrf) Parents Sue Catholic School for Denying Admission to Their Unvaccinated Son
[9/13](http://tinyurl.com/2dmkcbu) Family To Receive $1.5M+ In Vaccine-Autism Case
[9/13](http://tinyurl.com/259scg6) Certain vaccines may not affect autism
[9/12](http://tinyurl.com/39gfvme) The Secret Lives of Big Pharma's 'Thought Leaders'
[9/6](http://tinyurl.com/26gwzme) More Philadelphia-area health systems requiring employees to get flu shots

[9/13](http://tinyurl.com/2wnloog) Fox News on Vaccine Autism Legal Award: "Fishy legal language..." - AoA
[9/13](http://tinyurl.com/2cm6xv5) Two New Studies on Autism's Causes - About
[9/13](http://tinyurl.com/2aj6uoj) Vaccine Debate Still Very Much Alive
[9/12](http://tinyurl.com/28bpce6) Autism Not Linked To Vaccine Preservative Thimerosal, Study Indicates
[9/12](http://tinyurl.com/23yaawk) China mass measles vaccination plan sparks outcry
[9/12](http://tinyurl.com/29tvh4z) More parents choosing not to vaccinate kids
[9/12](http://tinyurl.com/34b3n8q) Autism Smackdown! The Frightened vs. The Titan - AoA
[9/11](http://tinyurl.com/2dsfv8d) Yet Another New Study Finds Flu Vaccines To Be Noxious Rubbish
[9/11](http://tinyurl.com/36zlgpl) AJC: Settlement Reached in Autism-Vaccine Case - Adventures in Autism
[9/11](http://tinyurl.com/2uksalv) US vaccine payout provokes confusion
[9/10](http://tinyurl.com/246cbvc) Family of girl in vaccine case gets settlement - MSN
[9/10](http://tinyurl.com/2ucxpct) The Possible Role of Vaccines in Causing Retrogressive Changes
[9/7](http://tinyurl.com/2bahauu) Polio: Causes and Effects, Part I

(http://www.danolmsted.com/) The Age of Autism book tour - Nov 6 Lawrenceville NJ

[9/10](http://tinyurl.com/2cxoxnh) Amy Wallace & Yellow Journalism
[9/9](http://tinyurl.com/33ld4yy) Family to Receive $1.5M+ in First-Ever Vaccine-Autism Court Award - UPDATED
[9/9](http://tinyurl.com/2bxxjug) Letters blog: Vaccines give kids a shot at better health

[9/10](http://tinyurl.com/34a9pyq) Flu vaccine can't be ruled out in toddler's death
[9/10](http://tinyurl.com/34ppv8e) Healthcare workers to be fired if they refuse flu shots, medical group demands (opinion) - Natural News
[9/10](http://tinyurl.com/3yyzd28) If You Love Your Kids, Please Do Not Make This Mistake - Mercola
[9/10](http://tinyurl.com/2gywgrg) Fishing for Answers: Autism, Genes and Mercury - AoA
[9/10](http://tinyurl.com/2agf73p) Poling Family to Receive $1.5 Million from Vaccine Court - About
[9/9](http://tinyurl.com/2vvrrg8) NJ Doctors Show Patients With Egg Allergies Can Safely Take H1N1 Vaccine
[9/9](http://tinyurl.com/33ld4yy) Family to Receive $1.5M in First-Ever Vaccine-Autism Court Award - CBS
[9/9](http://tinyurl.com/3ygtkds) Vaccines Don't CAUSE Autism, They Just RESULT in Autism - Adventures in Autism
[9/9](http://tinyurl.com/3yb567d) Government Awards Hannah Poling $1.5 Million in Vaccine Injury Case - AoA
[9/9](http://tinyurl.com/29lpm3s) RhoGam Vaccine: Big Pharma Profit Ploy
[9/9](http://tinyurl.com/2urncnp) Autism Speaks's Dr. Daniel Geschwind Declares Paul Offit "A Brave and Articulate Champion of Truth!" - AoA
[9/9](http://tinyurl.com/33lm7uo) Stunning Vaccination Graphs, The Awful Stats In Action
[9/9](http://tinyurl.com/3aa4e8t) Next-gen cancer vaccines take center stage - Fierce
[9/9](http://tinyurl.com/346p3do) AAP calls for mandatory flu vax for healthcare workers
[9/8](http://tinyurl.com/2u9kehz) The CDC Is a Criminal Organization
[9/8](http://tinyurl.com/3x48cb8) Vaccine gives dangerous pneumococcus strains an opening - Fierce

[9/8](http://tinyurl.com/2atweh6) Pediatricians will join call for mandatory flu shots - USA Today
[9/9](http://tinyurl.com/27be2xa) Town has $10,000 surplus of vaccinations
[9/8](http://tinyurl.com/25th5aa) Is the scientific method outdated when it comes to vaccines and autism?
[9/8](http://tinyurl.com/2fdqqcg) The Nightmare and the Dream: A Review of "The Age of Autism" - AoA
[9/8](http://tinyurl.com/bmrthq) Angst Over Not Vaccinating Children is Unwarranted
[9/8](http://tinyurl.com/347qs28) New York City schools won't be offering flu vaccines this year: officials - Daily News
[9/8](http://tinyurl.com/28u5x5s) A mother of a child with autism speaks out
[9/8](http://tinyurl.com/2ebg7tv) CVS Caremark to give away up to $5M in flu shots
[9/8](http://tinyurl.com/27bx9e3) Government Banned Flu Vaccines for Your Children - Why Have Multiple Countries Banned the Flu Vaccine This Year?
[9/8](http://tinyurl.com/29ph2cb) Vaccination does not protect against Whooping Cough
[9/8](http://tinyurl.com/2arsg9z) Our View: Require vaccines - stop spread of whooping cough
[9/7](http://tinyurl.com/2636ogl) Dosing Schedule of Pneumococcal Vaccine Linked With Increased Risk of Getting Multiresistant Strain
[9/7](http://tinyurl.com/25e5f8t) Biotech Lab in Malaysia Raises Security Concerns, Despite U.S. Connection
[9/7](http://tinyurl.com/28xrznx) H1N1 Pandemic Flu Even Milder Than Seasonal Strains - HealthDay
[9/7](http://tinyurl.com/293y5wq) Study Shows H1N1 Swine Flu Symptoms, Risk of Serious Illness No Worse Than Seasonal Flu - WebMD
[9/3](http://tinyurl.com/25wnodb) Vaccine Exemptions Spark Debate


Share/Bookmark

Fox News Doctor Gets Schooled By Mother Of Child With Autism

Airing Date Sept.19, 2010
Share/Bookmark

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Vaccines In the News

[9/1](http://tinyurl.com/2w3psxs) CDC Admits No Rigorous Study Refuting Thimerosal-Autism Link Ever Conducted - AoA
[9/1](http://tinyurl.com/37mgzqq) Hey! New Jersey Has a Situation:The SafeMinds Funnyraiser - AoA
[8/31](http://tinyurl.com/2wezuly) MMR: The zombie controversy that still lurches on - Guardian
[8/31](http://tinyurl.com/39bjo8c) Neonatal Administration of Thimerosal Causes Persistent Changes in Mu Opioid Receptors in the Rat Brain
[8/31](http://tinyurl.com/25kuwk9) Latest Report on Flu Fatalities: A Shocking Fabrication
[8/31](http://tinyurl.com/2dbwb98) Alex Jones & Paul Joseph Watson: Vaccine Cover-Up Implodes
[8/31](http://tinyurl.com/373nstp) Mandatory Flu Vaccine For All Health-Care Personnel: Recommendation By Nation's Leading Infectious Diseases Experts
[8/30](http://tinyurl.com/3xophyg) Vaccine Deaths And Injuries Skyrocket As Cover-Up Implodes
[8/27](http://tinyurl.com/2fckc9g) Pentagon pulls $1B from WMD-defense efforts to fund vaccine initiative

Posted via email from NJCVC's posterous


Share/Bookmark

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Vaccines In the News

[8/31](http://tinyurl.com/22q8f4t) Cancer Vaccine Warning - Meet the Gardasil girls
[8/31](http://tinyurl.com/2ded6y5) Mercury: Why Don't Pregnant Women Know More? - AoA
[8/31](http://tinyurl.com/252ozx3) Vaccine-Autism Decision a 'Major Disappointment' Says Autism Advocacy Community - AoA
[8/31](http://tinyurl.com/22lkkab) The Fletcher Decision: The Unacceptable Face of the Medical Profession - AoA
[8/31](http://tinyurl.com/24d8aop) Changes Needed For Vaccine Trade Rules - GlaxoSmithKline Swine Flu Vaccine Scandal
[8/31](http://tinyurl.com/2cs4hz5) MMR – the vaccine damage myth that will not die - Guardian
[8/30](http://tinyurl.com/22njbn6) Pediatric Group Issues New Flu Shot Guidelines - US News
[8/30](http://tinyurl.com/2492smj) Is Your Child's Classmate Unvaccinated?
[8/30](http://tinyurl.com/2csqa62) A matter of patient safety - AAP policy calls for mandatory flu shots for health care workers
[8/30](http://tinyurl.com/26xzbb6) Edison Residents Can Get Price Break On Vaccinations
[8/30](http://tinyurl.com/2bpp9rj) Covering Vaccines
[8/30](http://tinyurl.com/2bxq5xa) Child Autism Epidemic Firmly Linked to Environment - HuffPo
[8/30](http://tinyurl.com/2e8uwt3) Man disabled by MMR vaccine awarded £90,000 after 13-year fight - Telegraph
[8/30](http://tinyurl.com/2583lwf) Africa: Monkeypox Cases Surge in Rural Areas as Price of the Victory Over Smallpox - NYTimes
[8/30](http://tinyurl.com/29co4v4) Plenty of Flu Vaccine Available
[8/30](http://tinyurl.com/23jx9xl) Cervarix license amended for additional HPV strains
[8/30](http://tinyurl.com/2463gnw) Preventing flu, whooping cough, reducing TV, and making time for play will make kids happier, healthier - US News
[8/22](http://tinyurl.com/28pvsae) Are You Kidding Me?? New Jersey Childhood Vaccination Rates Are Among the Lowest in the US

(http://tinyurl.com/2dd8f2y) Immunization Graphs - great!!

Posted via email from NJCVC's posterous


Share/Bookmark

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Resistance to vaccines, lack of health insurance contribute to N.J.'s low immunization rate

Original article: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/08/growing_resistance_to_vaccines.html
Published: Sunday, August 22, 2010, 2:00 PM     Updated: Sunday, August 22, 2010, 2:19 PM

pediatriciton-immunize.JPG

Photo by Amanda Brown/The Star-Ledger - Pediatrician M. Calhoun Thomas immunizes Julian Booker, age 2, in her Orange office. Julian's dad Aree Booker holds the toddler, but Julian's sister Aaliyah, age 8, cannot bear to watch.

Call it one of New Jersey’s medical mysteries.

One of the most affluent states in the country, home to more than a few giants of the pharmaceutical industry, New Jersey also has one of the lowest immunization rates in the nation for babies and toddlers.

The state ranked 42nd last year — and 45th in 2008 — in a telephone survey of parents and pediatricians by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

New Jersey’s 64 percent rate for giving infants and toddlers recommended shots for polio, hepatitis B, mumps, measles and rubella and other diseases last year was well below the national average of nearly 71 percent, and the lowest in the Northeast. In Pennsylvania, 72 percent of infants and toddlers got their shots. Nearly 71 percent got them in New York City.

Nobody knows for sure why New Jersey’s vaccination rate has slipped so low, but public health professionals and pediatricians say they’ve seen it building for several years.

In low-income and immigrant communities, many lack health insurance, transportation to the doctor’s office, or struggle to understand the complex schedule of up to 28 shots recommended by the time a child is two-and-a-half years old.

And there’s also a growing resistance to vaccines among middle-class and wealthy people for whom money and insurance aren’t an issue. Some reject the schedule of shots urged by the American Academy of Pediatricians and the CDC.

"There is a lot of angst over vaccines," said David Bendich, a pediatrician and president of the Essex Metro Immunization Coalition, which promotes vaccination among city children. "There is so much anti-vaccine feeling in the population. Nurses don’t want to see kids cry. Even some doctors don’t want to give four vaccines in one visit."

To improve vaccine rates, physicians and public health officials formed the New Jersey Immunization Network late last year. They fear what the anti-immunization trend might bring: a comeback for serious diseases like whooping cough and measles, all but wiped out generations ago. They note 1,500 cases of whooping cough erupted this year in California, where doctors say children were unprotected.

shots-chart.jpg

"So far we are pretty lucky," said Ruth Gubernick, a public health consultant who specializes in child immunizations. "But we could be a plane ride away" from an outbreak.

Some of the more vocal parents who question vaccines said they were surprised, but not alarmed, by the state’s ranking.

"It’s encouraging to me that parents are saying: wait," said Sue Collins, co-founder of the New Jersey Alliance for Informed Choice in Vaccination.

The law allows parents to delay vaccinating babies and toddlers, unless they go to day care. Mandates don’t kick in until they reach school age. Some parents request pediatricians administer one shot at a given time instead multiple vaccinations because they don’t trust vaccine manufacturers and the government to investigate and reveal side effects.

"Parents are realizing the onus is on them to do their own research," Collins said. "They are not getting the answers they want from health officials and doctors."

Deputy Health Commissioner Susan Walsh said parents shouldn’t alter the schedule of shots. "People who are vaccinated help form a circle of protection around babies and individuals with health conditions who can’t be fully immunized," she said.

Vaccine opponents are meeting regularly with lawmakers to build momentum for a bill that would allow parents of school-aged children to claim a "philosophical exemption" to shots, said Collins, a Long Hill resident.

A small but growing number of parents already use the state’s religious exemption to allow their children to skip the shots required for school. It does not require parents to reveal their religion or present a letter from a member of the clergy.

In the 2005-06 school year, schools gave 452 students a pass because their parents cited religious reasons, state health spokeswoman Donna Leusner said. In the school year that just ended, 3,865 were allowed to skip shots on religious grounds.

christopher-burnett-newark.JPG

Photo by Amanda Brown/The Star-Ledger - Pediatrician M. Calhoun Thomas (left) gives Christopher Burnett, age 12, of Newark, a hug after he got immunized in her Orange office.

Stacy Allan of Summit said she got religious exemptions for her boys, now 5 and 8, after having them vaccinated through their fourth birthdays and watching them suffer with life-threatening food allergies and severe asthma. She hasn’t allowed her 2-year-old daughter to get any shots.

Allan resents doctors who look askance at parents who reject the schedule of shots for their kids. "They make them sound fearful or stupid. They are not," Allan said. "People who are not vaccinating are the most educated. You stop vaccines because you researched it, after weighing the pros and cons."

Many say the early catalyst to the questioning of vaccines was a study by a British doctor 12 years ago linking the measles, mumps and rubella shots to autism. That study was debunked this year by the medical journal that published it.

New Jersey’s immunization rate plummeted from 76 to 62 percent in 2007, the same year the CDC announced the state has the nation’s highest autism rate. That was also the year New Jersey became the first to mandate a flu shot for children from 6 months to 59 months who attend a child care center or preschool.

"When that mandate passed, a whole lot of parents who had no interest in vaccines felt like this was too many and too much," said Barbara Flynn of Summit, an Alliance for Informed Choice member.

Robert Tolan, chief of allergy immunization and infectious diseases at Children’s Hospital of St. Peter’s Medical Center in New Brunswick, admits frustration.

"There are a small percentage of people who are very vocal and very invested in making their viewpoint known," he said. "When I have tried to share scientific information, they don’t seem to respond to that approach. What will happen is that when preventable illness starts striking down our children, the pendulum will swing back."

Families willing to vaccinate who have trouble remembering the complicated schedule or getting to a doctor can get help from the Immunization Network, said Jane Sarwin, a founding member.

The network will help spread the word about free vaccines many clinics and doctors’ offices have because of federal stimulus grants. "By raising awareness about who is providing the vaccines, it will help increase immunization rates," she said.

Within 16 months, pediatricians will have to enter immunization information into a statewide confidential registry, so doctors can contact families when the next shot is due. "This will be a powerful tool for bringing kids up to date," Sarwin said.


Share/Bookmark