Vaccination Articles.docx

Benefits vs. Risks

FACT: The benefits of preventing disease with a vaccine far outweigh the risks.” Any medicine can cause reactions, but serious vaccine side effects are very rare. It’s natural to want to understand the potential risks of vaccination, especially when the benefits are invisible. You’ll never know how many times your child is exposed to a vaccine-preventable disease and makes use of his or her vaccine-induced immunity. Fortunately, we have sufficient data to help parents like you weigh the pros and cons. Here’s what you need to know. Vaccination saves lives. The primary benefit of vaccination is that it prevents disease. Immunization is considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century, and experts agree that immunization is key to staying healthy. In one year, vaccines prevent more than 8,500 child hospitalizations in Colorado, 33,000 deaths in the U.S., and between 2 and 3 million deaths worldwide. Vaccination has decreased the rate of disease dramatically. Disease

Baseline 20th Century Annual Cases

2006 Cases

Percent Decrease

Measles

503,282

55

99.9%

Diphtheria

175,885

0

100%

Mumps

152,209

6,584

95.7%

Pertussis (Whooping Cough)

147,271

15,632

89.4%

Smallpox

48,164

0

100%

Rubella

47,745

11

99.9%

Haemophilus influenzae type b, invasive (HiB)

20,000

29

99.9%

Polio

16,316

0

100%

Tetanus

1,314

41

96.9%

Source: The Impact of Vaccines in the United States These drops in disease rates are primarily thanks to vaccination, not sanitation or improved hygiene. (If that were the case, all diseases would start declining around the same time.) While the diseases we vaccinate against have declined, they haven’t disappeared. While vaccines have become increasingly accessible in the U.S., other countries are not so lucky. As we have seen in the U.S. and in other countries, if we stop vaccinating, vaccine preventable diseases can and will return. This is why we still vaccinate against diseases we no longer see in the U.S. All it takes is one infected traveler from another country where a disease hasn’t been eliminated to spark an outbreak. Vaccination protects the people you care about. Vaccination is not just a personal choice. The vaccinated community helps to protect those who are not vaccinated, a concept known as “herd immunity” or “community immunity.” Simply put, when a person is vaccinated, they prevent disease from being spread to others in the community, including:  Babies too young to receive vaccines  Unvaccinated children and adults  Pregnant women

 

The elderly Individuals with weakened immune systems, such as those with asthma, chronic illness, or undergoing treatment for cancer  Individuals who are allergic to vaccine components When less than 90% of children are immunized in a particular community, these pockets of low vaccination create an environment where infectious diseases can take hold and spread. Only a very small percentage of children in the U.S. are completely unvaccinated—about 3%—however, they tend to cluster in certain geographic areas. Clustering of unvaccinated individuals in certain communities diminishes the benefits of herd immunity for everyone living in that area. Disease

Herd Immunity Threshold Required

Diphtheria

85%

Measles

83-94%

Pertussis

92-94%

Polio

80-86%

Smallpox

83-85%

Did you know? A new Colorado law allows anyone to request school and child care center immunization and exemption rates. Learn more to see which schools and child care centers may be the safest for your child. When vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks occur, vaccine critics like to use the tricky point that more vaccinated children become infected than non-vaccinated children. This is true, but simply because there are more vaccinated kids than unvaccinated kids, and vaccines are not 100% effective. For example: Let’s pretend that there are 200 6th graders at ABC Middle School, and 90% (180) of them are vaccinated. Due to a major outbreak, the ABC Middle School is exposed to pertussis (whooping cough). The “attack rate” among the vaccinated kids is 16%, so 29 of the 180 vaccinated students get pertussis. However, the “attack rate” among the unvaccinated is 80%, so out of the 20 unvaccinated students 16 become infected. This can make it appear as if vaccinated kids are at greater risk, but in reality 80% of unvaccinated kids were infected while just 16% of vaccinated kids were infected. Vaccines are cost effective. Not only do vaccines save lives, they save money too. It is always cheaper to prevent a disease than to treat it. The routine childhood immunization program in one birth cohort saves $13.6 billion in direct costs. Every dollar spent on childhood immunizations saves $18.40. In Colorado, the cost of treating 538 children hospitalized for vaccine-preventable diseases in one year totaled $29.2 million. Vaccines are safe. Vaccines undergo rigorous safety testing prior to being approved by the Food and Drug Administraton (FDA) and are continually monitored for safety. Vaccines are also studied to be administered together to protect children. In January 2013, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) published the most comprehensive examination of the immunization schedule to date, and the report uncovered no evidence of major safety concerns associated with adherence to the CDC-recommended childhood immunization schedule. What does the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Say about Vaccine Safety?  “The current recommended U.S. childhood immunization schedule is timed to protect children from 14 pathogens by inoculating them at the time in their lives when they are most vulnerable to disease.”



“Before the ACIP recommends adding a new vaccine to the immunization schedule, it reviews comprehensive data about that vaccine’s safety and efficacy in clinical trials, injuries and deaths caused by the disease the vaccine is designed to combat, and the feasibility of adding the new vaccine into the existing schedule, among other factors.”  “Delaying or declining vaccination has led to outbreaks of such vaccine-preventable diseases as measles and whooping cough that may jeopardize public health, particularly for people who are under-immunized or who were never immunized.”  “States with policies that make it easy to exempt children from immunization were associated with a 90 percent higher incidence of whooping cough in 2011.”  “…the IOM committee finds no evidence that the schedule is unsafe. The committee’s review did not reveal an evidence base suggesting that the U.S. childhood immunization schedule is linked to autoimmune diseases, asthma, hypersensitivity, seizures, child developmental disorders, learning or developmental disorders, or attention deficit or disruptive disorders.” The risks of natural infection outweigh the risks of immunization for every recommended vaccine. Parents who choose not to vaccinate often do so to avoid risk, but choosing not to vaccinate is the riskier choice.

http://www.immunizeforgood.com/fact-or-fiction/benefits-vs.-risks PrintTweetIcon Facebook Icon Email Share Text Size: A A A Five Important Reasons to Vaccinate Your Child You want to do what is best for your children. You know about the importance of car seats, baby gates and other ways to keep them safe. But, did you know that one of the best ways to protect your children is to make sure they have all of their vaccinations?

Immunizations can save your child’s life. Because of advances in medical science, your child can be protected against more diseases than ever before. Some diseases that once injured or killed thousands of children, have been eliminated completely and others are close to extinction– primarily due to safe and effective vaccines. Polio is one example of the great impact that vaccines have had in the United States. Polio was once America’s most-feared disease, causing death and paralysis across the country, but today, thanks to vaccination, there are no reports of polio in the United States.

Vaccination is very safe and effective. Vaccines are only given to children after a long and careful review by scientists, doctors, and healthcare professionals. Vaccines will involve some discomfort and may cause pain, redness, or tenderness at the site of injection but this is minimal compared to the pain, discomfort, and trauma of the diseases these vaccines prevent. Serious side effects following vaccination, such as severe allergic reaction, are very rare. The disease-prevention benefits of getting vaccines are much greater than the possible side effects for almost all children.

Immunization protects others you care about. Children in the U.S. still get vaccine-preventable diseases. In fact, we have seen resurgences of measles and whooping cough (pertussis) over the past few years.

Since 2010, there have been between 10,000 and 50,000 cases of whooping cough each year in the United States and about 10 to 20 babies, many of which were too young to be fully vaccinated, died each year. While some babies are too young to be protected by vaccination, others may not be able to receive certain vaccinations due to severe allergies, weakened immune systems from conditions like leukemia, or other reasons. To help keep them safe, it is important that you and your children who are able to get vaccinated are fully immunized. This not only protects your family, but also helps prevent the spread of these diseases to your friends and loved ones.

Immunizations can save your family time and money. A child with a vaccine-preventable disease can be denied attendance at schools or child care facilities. Some vaccine-preventable diseases can result in prolonged disabilities and can take a financial toll because of lost time at work, medical bills or longterm disability care. In contrast, getting vaccinated against these diseases is a good investment and usually covered by insurance. The Vaccines for Children program is a federally funded program that provides vaccines at no cost to children from low-income families. To find out more about the VFC program, visit http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/ or ask your child’s health care professional.

Immunization protects future generations. Vaccines have reduced and, in some cases, eliminated many diseases that killed or severely disabled people just a few generations ago. For example, smallpox vaccination eradicated that disease worldwide. Your children don’t have to get smallpox shots any more because the disease no longer exists. By vaccinating children against rubella (German measles), the risk that pregnant women will pass this virus on to their fetus or newborn has been dramatically decreased, and birth defects associated with that virus no longer are seen in the United States. If we continue vaccinating now, and vaccinating completely, parents in the future may be able to trust that some diseases of today will no longer be around to harm their children in the future.

https://www.vaccines.gov/getting/for_parents/five_reasons/index.html

Anti-Vaccination Movement Causes a Deadly Year in the U.S. From Taliban fighters to California soccer moms, those who choose not to vaccinate their children against preventable diseases are causing a public health crisis. Disease outbreaks have killed millions of people, and scientists have spent generations developing ways to save those in jeopardy. Still, many people don’t think it’s a good idea to protect themselves or their children from preventable diseases, and choose to forego vaccinations. Even in 2013, the anti-vaccination movement continues to leave the door open to outbreaks of diseases that have been all but eradicated by modern medicine. These diseases include measles, polio, whooping cough, and more. In Pakistan, polio remains an epidemic because the Taliban has banned aid workers from vaccinating children. They say they fear that vaccination efforts are simply a ruse meant to disguise espionage. Health workers attempting to distribute vaccines there have been attacked and killed. A total of 101 polio cases have been reported in the country as of mid-November, and another 240,000 children have not been vaccinated.

But it’s not just militants abroad who are endangering public health by skipping out on vaccinations. Read What the CDC Has to Say About the Autism-Vaccine Link »

When Pseudoscience Becomes the Norm In 1998, British journal The Lancet published research by Dr. Andrew Wakefield that purported to show that the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccines caused autism in some children. The study was widely reported and the information spread like wildfire among parents, especially those with autistic children. One of the loudest broadcasters of this supposed link between vaccines and autism is actress Jenny McCarthy, who has campaigned in support of Wakefield's findings as recently as 2011. The problem with Wakefield's study, however, was that it relied on faulty data. Later investigations have shown that Wakefield was set to benefit from lawsuits based on his research. The study was retracted after numerous other scientists could not replicate his findings. Since then, no other medical research has shown a link between vaccines and mental disorders. Nevertheless, many parents still hold reservations about vaccinating their children. Wakefield’s paper has been linked to declines in vaccination and a corresponding increase in measles cases.

In March, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a study showing that an aggressive vaccination schedule does not contribute to an increase in autism incidence. See the CDC’s Findings on Flu Shots and Pregnant Women » There are, however, a few real reasons why certain children should avoid vaccinations; specifically, those who are undergoing medical treatment or are still too young.

Outbreak Clusters Appear Among the Unvaccinated Earlier this year, researchers confirmed that a 2010 whooping cough outbreak in California, the nation's worst in over 50 years, was spread by children whose parents applied for non-medical exemptions to school vaccination requirements, many for religious reasons. The study showed that more cases of whooping cough occurred in the clusters of unvaccinated children than not, resulting in 9,120 instances of the disease and 10 deaths. In San Diego county alone, there were 5,100 exemptions and 980 whooping cough cases. In August, the Texas megachurch Eagle Mountain International Church made headlines after 21 members of its congregation contracted measles. Coincidently, the outbreak occurred during National Immunization Awareness Month. The church, part of Kenneth Copeland Ministries, advocated abstaining from vaccinations over fears that they can cause autism. The outbreak was traced

back to a church member who had traveled abroad on a mission trip and then spread measles among the unvaccinated congregation. Following the outbreak, the church hosted vaccination clinics and urged its members to attend.

Vaccines Safe for Pregnant Moms Also this year, a review of data from the 2009 flu season showed that the use of flu vaccines can help prevent fetal death, a major concern for pregnant mothers. For years, pregnant women have been unsure about whether getting the flu shot could harm their unborn child. The report, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, also confirmed the safety of flu vaccinations for women in the later stages of pregnancy. Hopefully, the next generation of parents will opt to protect themselves and their children from diseases we should no longer be worrying about.

https://www.healthline.com/health-news/children-anti-vaccination-movement-leads-to-diseaseoutbreaks-120312?fbclid=IwAR0LfPkY_DLy2ZiOMdw9IeuY3W-my7Si2I18w-w_tm-gHHUhy-7UgLQNXM#1

Opinion: The Virome and the Antivaccination Debate Advances in microbiome research are increasingly used in anti-vaccination arguments, yet the science actually undermines the premise of the argument. Jun 6, 2017

STEPHAN GUTTINGER

ISTOCK, PHONLAMAIPHOTOThe debate about childhood vaccination is intriguing for many reasons, but one aspect that stands out is the fact that more and more parents refuse to have their children vaccinated despite a strong scientific consensus on the benefits and the safety of vaccines. One factor that drives this refusal is a preference for alternative medicine and a holistic lifestyle (a recent survey found that up to 20 percent of anti-vaccination websites refer to alternative

medicine, healthy eating, and similar lifestyle norms when making their arguments). Part of such a holistic view is usually a picture of the immune system as an integrated system that is naturally balanced and easily disturbed by human interference. What is interesting about this view is that recent developments in the life sciences, in particular, research on the microbiome, seem to support it. We now know that our immune system depends on interactions with a whole range of other organisms to function properly. Anti-vaccination activists have picked up on these developments, claiming, for instance, that a person with a “natural” microbiome does not require vaccination. On the surface, there seems to be an alliance emerging between particular strands within the life sciences and anti-vaccination advocates. However, if we look more closely at the antivaccination arguments and at what microbiome research is telling us, we see that, rather than supporting the anti-vaccination message, our new knowledge about viruses and other microbes helps expose its flaws. The holistic human Over the last 15 years or so, we have witnessed a radical shift within the life sciences to a more holistic picture of how our bodies work: many scientists no longer think of the body as some sort of isolated organism that simply functions, depending on what genes it has received from its parents. Rather, the human body—and in particular its immune system—is seen as an integrated system driven by intimate interactions with its microbial environment. In this revised picture, old players have been assigned new roles. Microbes are no longer seen as exclusively pathogenic; the old friend-foe distinction has given way to a view in which microbes can be an integral part of the healthy human body. These changes are probably most surprising when it comes to viruses. Researchers have, for instance, found that norovirus infection can help maintain or restore a normal gut morphology in mice. It has also been shown that infection with cytomegalovirus can enhance the immune response to influenza in young adults. And, more generally, chronic viral infections—of which we carry about 10 at any point in time—are now thought to “imprint” our immune system and thereby keep it in a healthy state. All of this seems to play into the holism narrative of some anti-vaccination activists. It is little surprise then that findings from virome research are increasingly being used by anti-vaccination advocates as supporting evidence for their views. Flawed premise But does microbiome research really play so neatly into the narrative of anti-vaccination activists? Does the fact that some microbes, under some circumstances, have beneficial effects on our health really mean that vaccination is to be dismissed?

If we look more closely at the argument the anti-vaccination advocates are making we see that it is not so much the fact that microbes and the human body work together that is key to their point. Their argument is not so much about integration and a holistic view of the body but rather about the distinction between nature and culture: immunization is presented as an artificial (read: unnatural) interference with a naturally balanced system. The basic premise of their argument is that there is some sort of natural harmony our body attains with microbes and that vaccination disturbs this state. That is why vaccination has to be rejected. But while virome research shows that we live with microbes and depend on them in different ways, it also shows that the nature-culture distinction is thoroughly misguided. Our new understanding of the virome has taught us that there is no “natural” virome that forms the essence of a healthy human body; each person has his or her own virome (and microbiomes more generally). Importantly, our virome depends on how we live; changes in diet, for instance, have been found to affect virome composition. The virome we carry is always a function of our own (“cultural”) activities.

STEPHAN GUTTINGERWhat our insight into the role and the dynamics of the virome shows, then, is that nature and culture cannot be treated as separate entities; what our body is and how it works is always a co-produced state, brought forward by our own actions and those of the many entities we encounter and live with. The attempt of antivaccination activists to discredit vaccination as some sort of unnatural disruption of an otherwise natural harmony is therefore invalidated by the very science they increasingly call upon. Stephan Guttinger is a research fellow in sociology, philosophy, and anthropology at the University of Exeter. https://www.the-scientist.com/opinion/opinion-the-virome-and-the-anti-vaccination-debate31393?fbclid=IwAR39W76kA1CbUrs0Fn9SU2OmgvjJSDzscbBUn2nun3Wr2B-sXd4NIx4qKbc