More Vaccine Information

A few items in the national and local papers about vaccines in the past week.

The Today Show on NBC ran a report on a new book looking at the history of autism and its relationship to vaccines. The author discusses the numerous studies showing no causal relationship between development of autism and vaccination status. The book also takes a hard look at some of the alternative medical treatments for autism and their potential side effects. The report is available at todayshow.msnbc.msn.com/id/27440647/ Take a look if your interested.

Also out this week is a study looking at the proposed link between the measles vaccine and autism and how they may be related. It's very technical but the study found that children with intestinal issues with and without autism had no evidence of persistent measles infection or gut inflammation. The article is available at dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pon.0003140

(boy I wish the addresses were a bit simpler, cut and paste if you want)

Lastly, and in the opposite vain, the Lakewood Sun Post from 10-30-08 ran a letter from Rachel Lipovec from Chardon. The letter accuses vaccines of being dangerous, ineffective and immoral for a variety of reasons. Ms. Lipovec's suggestion for good health is good diet, exercise and avoiding toxins.

While I agree that diet, exercise and limiting exposure to hazardous materials are all good ideas, none will stop a child from developing meningitis, ear infections or even the common cold. Vaccines remain the most effective way of preventing serious, fatal disease in infants and children and Preferred Pediatrics remains committed to using them. The data have over and again shown them to be effective and safe with limited side effects. There is no evidence linking them to developmental delay or autism.

Get your children vaccinated, it's important.

Dr. V