Vaccine News
Protecting infants: "Cocoon" vaccination urged
The Poughkeepsie Journal (NY)
February 3, 2012
"A new report urges broader vaccinations to include caregivers and family members to better protect infants and children from diseases."
EDITORIAL: Vaccinations play key role in protecting public health
The Huntington Herald Dispatch (WV)
February 2, 2012
"West Virginia students entering seventh and 12th grades next fall will face the prospect of receiving two more vaccinations than their predecessors have had."
3 changes to children's vaccine recommendations announced
Fox News
February 1, 2012
"The nation's largest pediatrician group today released its new schedule of recommended childhood vaccinations."
A cost-benefit analysis of vaccines
The Atlantic
January 23, 2012
"Vaccines have helped transform health and health care around the globe. It's hard to believe that diseases like polio, smallpox, diphtheria, and whooping cough were common ailments within the last century."
EDITORIAL: There's no immunization against foolish ideas
The Kansas City Star
January 21, 2012
"Among people who actually study disease, the fear is growing that too many Kansans are buying in to what looks like a national trend against mandatoryvaccinations."
Stories show painful truth of not getting kids vaccinated
Houston Chronicle
January 20, 2012
"It's hard not to be moved by some of the email I've received after last week's column onAndrew Wakefield, the disgraced British researcher who proposed a false link between autism andvaccination."
Why the flu shot is important for pregnant women
Chicago Tribune
January 18, 2012
"Q: I can't decide whether I should get a flu shot. I'm two months pregnant."
Once-common diseases slipping past younger doctors
Chicago Tribune
January 17, 2012
"In February 2011, a year-old boy was taken to Texas Children's Hospital in Houston with a high fever and a rash covering his body."
8 children diagnosed with whooping cough were behind on vaccines
The Star-Ledger (NJ)
January 14, 2012
"Eight children in Hunterdon have recently been diagnosed with whooping cough — including those whose families declined to have them vaccinated or failed to get all of their necessary shots, state and county health officials said today."
STUDY: The Risk of Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura After Vaccination in Children and Adolescents
Pediatrics
January 9, 2012
"The risk of immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) after childhood vaccines other than measles-mumps-rubella vaccine (MMR) is unknown."
Number of families seeking exemptions rises in Wisconsin
Wisconsin State Journal
January 10, 2012
"Kai Hirata's parents feed him healthy foods."
Adults urged to get whooping cough shots
The Columbus Dispatch (OH)
January 8, 2012
"In the interest of their youngest patients, more pediatricians could soon offer some medical care to those of us who are a bit older."
Childhood vaccines credited with drops in state disease cases
Detroit Free Press (MI)
January 7, 2012
"Michigan health officials say a preliminary report of disease case counts for 2011 indicates childhood vaccination programs continue to work."
Long on decline, whooping cough makes a comeback
Chicago Tribune
January 6, 2012
"Hundreds of thousands of people in the U.S. - mostly babies and toddlers - were coming down with whooping cougheach year whenvaccinesagainst ‘this menace,’ as one newspaper called it, were introduced in the 1930s and 1940s."
Listen up, baby: Whooping cough cases on the rise among NYC infants, say health officials
New York Daily News
January 3, 2012
"Although no one has died in the latest outbreak, whooping cough - a violent, chronic cough also known as pertussis - can be extremely dangerous to infants."
Meningitis vaccine hunt a shot in the dark
Houston Chronicle
December 30, 2011
"Local supplies of meningitis vaccines are dwindling as students scramble to find the shot that is now required for college entry inTexas."
Doctors split on vaccine strategy to shield babies
Reuters
December 26, 2011
"A large group of U.S. doctors on Monday gave the green light for pediatricians to offer vaccines to close family members of babies who are too young to get shots themselves."
More Houston-area parents than ever opt out of child vaccines
The Houston Chronicle
December 19, 2011
"More parents than ever have opted out of all or some of the state's mandatory vaccines for schoolchildren over the past four years, citing "reasons of conscience," according to a Houston Chronicle analysis."
Whooping cough vaccines urged for anyone who's around babies
The Tennessean
December 16, 2011
"Grandparents eager to hold the new baby in the family this holiday season should add vaccines to their shopping list."
Idaho's epidemic fear: Vaccination liberation movement takes a shot at public health
Boise Weekly (ID)
December 14, 2011
"Some contend that there are two Idahos."
EDITORIAL: Oklahoma's vaccination rate bucks trend - that's a good thing
The Oklahoman
December 8, 2011
"A growing trend of parents opting out of school shots for their children is worrisome for health experts."
Immunization rate drops in Utah
Daily Herald (UT)
December 8, 2011
"The immunization rate in Utah is one of the lowest in the country."
Vaccine exemptions up in Mich.
The Toledo Blade (OH)
December 5, 2011
"Vaccination exemption rates among Michigan kindergartners increased 2 percentage points in five years, a jump largely caused by the addition of a second round of the chickenpox vaccine last school year, according to the state."
LTE: Fear of the needle puts kids at risk
Memphis Commercial-Appeal (TN)
December 4, 2011
"Recently in this newspaper it was reported that 10 percent of U.S. children receive no or only partial vaccinations (Nov. 27 article, 'Vaccinate or not? Some parents seek alternatives to childhood immunization')."
Editorial: Vaccines' value
The Courier-Journal (KY)
December 1, 2011
"Most children continue to get the prescribed vaccinations that prevent them from contracting more than a dozen diseases, but more families are claiming medical, religious and philosophical exemptions from the immunizations."
Measles outbreaks on the rise across Europe
Associated Press
December 1, 2011
"After years of decline, measles is on the rise in Europe, according to a new report released Thursday."
Editorial: Don't opt out of immunizations
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
November 30, 2011
"Progress in public health means increasing the adoption, over time, of practices that enhance wellness."
Editorial: Schoolchildren still need to take their shots
The Philadelphia Inquirer
November 30, 2011
"Parents who think they're doing schoolchildren a favor by not getting them immunized against childhood diseases need to think again."
Editorial: Michigan's backward step on vaccinations
The Daily Telegram (MI)
November 29, 2011
"Michigan may be forgetting the death toll that many so-called childhood diseases can needlessly inflict."
Big measles outbreak spurs call for immunizations
Battle Creek Enquirer (MI)
November 16, 2011
"The largest measles outbreak in the U.S. in more than a decade has made it all the more important for children in Michigan to get immunized against the potentially fatal disease, the Michigan Academy of Family Physicians said today."
Pediatricians drop patients who fail to get immunizations
ABC 4 News
November 15, 2011
"A growing number of pediatricians are saying no to families if they continue to refuse vaccination."
Rosalynn Carter calls on parents to champion vaccines
USA Today
November 14, 2011
"Although former first lady Rosalynn Carter is best known for her work promoting mental health, she also has championed vaccines for children for four decades."
Doctors, health agencies try to dispel fears about immunizations
Las Vegas Review Journal
November 14, 2011
"Dr. Lisa Glasser believes it's Andrew Wakefield's fault."
Swapping chicken pox-infected lollipops is illegal
Reuters
November 12, 2011
"A federal prosecutor is warning parents against trading chicken pox-laced lollipops by mail in what authorities describe as misguided attempts to expose their children to the virus to build immunity later in life."
How safe are childhood vaccines? UA docs have the answers
Tucson Sentinel (AZ)
November 10, 2011
"Parents who may have concerns about childhood vaccinations can get answers Saturday when doctors from the University of Arizona address questions about the benefits and safety of immunizations."
Editorial: Chickenpox suckers
Deseret News (UT)
November 8, 2011
"Andrew Wakefield's awful legacy lives on."
More docs turning away unvaccinated patients
CBS Dallas/Fort Worth (TX)
November 5, 2011
"It sounds extreme, but that’s how far some doctors are going to protect some of their patients."
Wichita schools say "no vaccination, no school"
KSN-3 News (KS)
November 5, 2011
"For the Silva sisters, getting off the bus Friday means no school for the weekend."
Whooping cough outbreak leads to increased vaccinations
Standard-Examiner (UT)
November 3, 2011
"The Weber/Morgan Health Department has seen a dramatic increase in immunizations since the recent outbreak of whooping cough at Mount Ogden Junior High School."
Mid-Michigan health officials push for more to get flu shot
Lansing State Journal (MI)
November 2, 2011
"Robert Sievert is like many other Michigan residents."
Number of whooping cough cases nearly doubles in five days
Bozeman Daily Chronicle (MT)
November 2, 2011
"The number of diagnosed cases of whooping cough in Gallatin County has nearly doubled since the city-county health department announced the outbreak Friday."
A shocking chart on vaccination
The Atlantic
November 1, 2011
"The Waldorf School of the Peninsula seems to be aimed at very affluent children in the Bay Area."
Many parents skipping kids' shots, putting other kids at risk
HealthDay News
October 31, 2011
"By signing an affidavit that says ‘all or some immunizations are contrary to my beliefs,’ California parents can bypass requirements that their children be fully immunized before attending school, and new research indicates that many are choosing to do so."
Dangerous myths surround flu shots: experts
Chicago Sun-Times
October 31, 2011
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends flu shots for everyone over 6 months old."
Vaccines are a great public health benefit
Des Moines Register
October 30, 2011
"Vaccine safety concerns have certainly increased over the years, despite evidence supporting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention vaccine schedule."
Why we can't let our guard down
Arizona Republic
October 29, 2011
"Summertime was a season of fear in the early 1950s. Parents kept their kids away from swimming pools, movies, picnics, drinking fountains."
Unvaccinated people affected by largest measles outbreak in years, USA
Medical News Today
October 24, 2011
"2011 has seen a considerable increase in reported measles cases in Canada and the USA - the vast majority of people who became ill were not vaccinated, informs James M. Hughes, MD, President of the Infectious Disease Society of America."
Measles outbreak continues in Canada, even among immunized population
Pediatric SuperSite
October 23, 2011
"The measles outbreak in Canada continues to occur in both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals and is causing concern over vaccine effectiveness, according to a presentation here during the IDSA 49th Annual Meeting."
Despite few early reports, flu season is upon us
Missourian
October 19, 2011
"While flu season has not caught the headline-grabbing attention like past years, Warren County Health Department officials are offering a firm warning for local residents."
Meningitis patient helped out at child-care center
Associated Press
October 18, 2011
"Health officials say a Colorado woman with meningococcal meningitis was a volunteer at a child-care center, but none of the children show any symptoms of the illness."
Separate the facts from flu fiction
USA Today
October 17, 2011
"Amanda Kanowitz was a healthy 4-year-old when she got the flu. Her first symptoms — cough, low fever, vomiting — seemed like signs of any common childhood bug, and the doctor suggested fluids and rest."
Meningitis reported in Kanawha children
Charleston Gazette (WV)
October 15, 2011
"Some children in Kanawha County have contracted viral meningitis over the past several weeks, health officials said Friday."
Whooping cough cases on the rise
KRQE News (NM)
October 15, 2011
"The number of confirmed and suspected cases of pertussis, also known as whooping cough, continues to rise with more than half of them in Bernalillo County."
OPINION: Don’t endanger kids’ health; get them vaccinated
Erie Times-News (PA)
October 13, 2011
"Too many parents are neglecting to get their children vaccinated against preventable childhood diseases, and that's bad news for public health."
Time for everybody's favorite: the flu shot
Chicago Tribune
October 12, 2011
"Flu vaccines have been shipped and should be in your doctor's office by now."
State: Cal student picked up mumps overseas
San Jose Mercury News
October 10, 2011
"A UC Berkeley student contracted mumps on a trip to Europe and infected others upon returning to campus, where up to 44 people have been now been diagnosed with the disease, state public-health officials said Monday."
Why more parents are rejecting vaccinations: 4 theories
The Week
October 5, 2011
"More than one in 10 parents (13 percent) don't follow the recommended vaccination schedule for their children, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics."
Editorial: Childhood vaccines offer a sure shot
Houston Chronicle
October 5, 2011
"Studies on vaccine safety continue to show a troubling picture of parents, fearful of possibly harming their children, who are delaying or forgoing vaccinations against childhood diseases, some of which, especially in infants, can be fatal."
Video: Vaccines important and safe: Dr. Salzman
Fox News Chicago
October 4, 2011
"In this week’s House Call with Dr. Salzman, we discussed a recent national survey in the journal Pediatrics."
1 in 10 parents skip or delay vaccines
TIME
October 3, 2011
"More than one in 10 parents don't follow the recommended vaccination schedule for their children, according to a new study."
Video: Study: 10% of kids improperly vaccinated
CNN
October 3, 2011
"A new study in Pediatrics finds some parents aren't giving their children routine vaccinations at recommended intervals.”
More than 1 in 10 parents skip, delay kids' shots
Associated Press
October 3, 2011
"By age 6, children should have vaccinations against 14 diseases, in at least two dozen separate doses, the U.S. government advises."
Parents delaying, skipping recommended vaccines
Reuters
October 3, 2011
"More than one in 10 parents use an ‘alternative’ vaccination schedule for their young children, including refusing vaccines altogether, according to a U.S. survey."
More parents opt for 'alternative' vaccination schedule
USA Today
October 2, 2011
"At a time when many infectious diseases are making a comeback, about 13% of parents are skipping or delaying their children's immunizations and following an ‘alternative’ vaccination schedule that puts kids at serious risk, a new study says."
11% of toddlers not receiving MMR jab
Telegraph (UK)
September 29, 2011
"Official figures show that 89.1 per cent of children had been given the triple vaccine against measles, mumps and rubella by the time of their second birthday in 2010-11."
Hundreds of San Mateo County school kids lag on whooping cough vaccine
San Francisco Examiner
September 28, 2011
"Hundreds of students in San Mateo County and thousands across California have yet to get the whooping cough vaccine mandated by the state, forcing some to stay home from school."
Some pediatricians refuse to treat children whose parents oppose immunizations
The Washington Post
September 26, 2011
"When Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) recently suggested that the human papillomavirus vaccine — recommended for girls and young women to protect against cervical cancer — was dangerous and could cause mental retardation, the American Academy of Pediatrics pushed back hard."
In Calif., no vaccination means no school
CBS Evening News
September 24, 2011
"In California, where memories of last year's whooping cough outbreak are still fresh, students have just days to comply with a mandatory vaccination law."
Measles cases in the United States hits 15-year high
ABC 7 News (CA)
September 23, 2011
"Health officials across California are worried about the measles. The unusually high number of cases this year is not a good sign."
What to do if vaccines worry you
ABC News
September 17, 2011
"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."
Fear proves prime motivator for vaccinations
HealthDay News
September 17, 2011
"Sometimes a little fear might be a good thing."
Why it's so important to get a flu shot for the 2011-12 season
Atlantic
September 16, 2011
"The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released a statement urging parents to have their kids (and themselves) vaccinated against the flu for the upcoming 2011-2012 flu season, even if they had flu shots last year."
SF students without vaccinations barred from class
San Francisco Chronicle
September 16, 2011
"Some 2,000 San Francisco students who still lacked proof of a whooping cough vaccination one month into the school year were barred from class Thursday and told not to return until they got the shot."
Audio: Spacing out vaccines: What happens when you do it your way
Radio Boston
September 13, 2011
"Here’s a scenario that should be familiar to parents of very young children."
Doctors Counter Vaccine Fears in Pacific Northwest
NPR
September 13, 2011
"Parts of the U.S. are seeing a drop-off in vaccination rates among young children."
Milwaukee Confirms Second Case of Measles
WISN-TV (WI)
September 13, 2011
"The Milwaukee Health Department said a second case of measles has been confirmed in the Milwaukee area, and several more are suspected."
New flu vaccine promises less pain
WKYT-TV (KY)
September 9, 2011
"For anyone with a fear of needles, relief is coming your way this flu season."
When it comes to vaccinations, trust facts not word of mouth
Olympian (WA)
September 7, 2011
"South Sound parents who are shuffling their children off for the first day of classes today can take comfort in a new study that finds that childhood vaccines are generally safe and that troublesome side effects are rare."
When parents don’t vaccinate, it’s not just their children at risk
Northwest Herald (IL)
September 6, 2011
"In 2010, there were 9,143 cases of pertussis, more commonly known as whooping cough, reported throughout California."
Vaccine analysis further debunks autism and diabetes links
American Medical News
September 5, 2011
"The measles, mumps and rubella vaccine does not cause autism or type 1 diabetes, says an Institute of Medicine committee that examined potential side effects of certain vaccines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
Vaccine for whooping cough recommended
Abilene Reporter-News (TX)
September 4, 2011
"Before the year 2000, it was rare for more than a few hundred whooping cough cases to be reported in Texas."
No shot, no doc: Pediatricians refuse unvaccinated kids
The TODAY Show
September 1, 2011
"The story of Michayla Kubasiak, hospitalized at seven weeks old with whooping cough, may prompt parents to ask their pediatricians an important question: Does your office treat unvaccinated patients?"
National and State Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 19-35 Months – United States, 2010
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report
September 1, 2011
"The National Immunization Survey (NIS) monitors vaccination coverage among children aged 19--35 months using a random-digit--dialed sample of telephone numbers of households to evaluate childhood immunization programs in the United States."
Editorial: Safety report on vaccines
The New York Times
August 30, 2011
"A comprehensive evaluation of eight common childhood vaccines has found that any adverse effects from vaccines are very rare or very minor."
Editorial: Shot in the arm for supporters of childhood vaccinations
News Tribune (WA)
August 30, 2011
"Just in time for the start of the school year comes a welcome endorsement of vaccinations – and repudiation of efforts to link them to everything from diabetes and autism to death."
The need for childhood vaccinations
Bismark Tribune (ND)
August 30, 2011
"Do my children really need to be vaccinated? Making sure our children are vaccinated is one of the things we as parents can do to protect children from dangerous childhood diseases that can have serious long-term implications."
Editorial: Put to rest false link of autism, vaccine
Chicago Sun-Times
August 29, 2011
"Belief in a false link between vital childhood vaccinations and autism has persisted for years, fueled by bad science and distressed parents searching for answers."
Report: Vaccines generally safe, some side effects
Associated Press
August 25, 2011
"Vaccines can cause certain side effects but serious ones appear very rare — and there's no link with autism and Type 1 diabetes, the Institute of Medicine says in the first comprehensive safety review in 17 years."
Pa. health officials warn of another possible measles exposure
CBS Philly
August 24, 2011
"Pennsylvania Health Department officials are advising the public of another case of possible measles exposure in the region."
Researchers probe dramatic drop in vaccinations
Arizona Public Media
August 23, 2011
"In the last decade, the number of parents choosing not to vaccinate their children for non-medical reasons in Arizona has more than doubled, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services."
Amtrak train passengers exposed to measles
MSNBC
August 22, 2011
"Passengers riding on an Amtrak train headed to Virginia from Boston last week may have been exposed to measles, according health officials."
CDC: Don't skip this year's flu shot
HealthDay News
August 20, 2011
"The 2011-12 flu vaccine protects against seasonal flu and H1N1, just like last year's, but that doesn't mean it's OK to skip your yearly flu shot, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warn."
Adult vaccinations protect children: Report
HealthDay News
August 19, 2011
"Regular vaccinations for adults can help protect children, seniors and people with weakened immune systems, but few American adults get the recommended immunizations, experts say."
Push begins to vaccinate kids before school starts
Miami Herald (FL)
August 18, 2011
"As health department officials investigate why Miami-Dade’s kindergartners had the lowest rate of complete immunization of any county in Florida last year, health agencies are bracing for a last-minute rush for vaccines before school starts Monday."
Back to school: Time to educate and vaccinate
Auburn Reporter (WA)
August 17, 2011
"In the modern age of medicine, one fact is difficult to dispute: Using vaccines to prevent disease is hugely successful."
Editorial: Parents who oppose vaccination are endangering public health
Los Angeles Times
August 16, 2011
"Contrary to what baby boomers might assume, the term ‘conscientious objector’ didn't originate with the Vietnam War."
Ouch! 23 percent of Miami-Dade students are not getting vaccines required
Miami Herald (FL)
August 14, 2011
"It was almost a month before school starts and 7-year-old Olivia Magistre Victores was going through a familiar ritual at the Little Haiti Health Center in Miami: A cold swipe of alcohol on bare skin."
Minnesota vaccination rates are frighteningly low
Minneapolis Star-Tribune (MN)
August 11, 2011
"With July behind us, Minnesota families are wrapping up the glory days of summer and heading out to collect back-to-school supplies."
District's vaccination compliance among lowest
Coastline Pilot (CA)
August 11, 2011
"Students in the Laguna Beach Unified School District have some of the lowest vaccination rates in Orange County, says a state report."
Number of kids getting vaccinations plummet
KVOA (AZ)
August 11, 2011
"New research from the University of Arizona College of Public Health shows what many doctors are calling an alarming trend with vaccines."
Measles cases rise; Florida health officials urge residents to get vaccinated
St. Petersburg Times (FL)
June 30, 2011
"Florida health officials are reminding residents of the importance of vaccinating against the measles after seeing more confirmed cases of measles so far this year than in nearly 15 years."
More measles cases confirmed
KPC News (IN)
June 30, 2011
"State and county health officials now are reporting eight confirmed cases of measles in northeast Indiana as of Wednesday afternoon."
Swine flu vaccine safe in pregnancy: study
Reuters
June 29, 2011
"The swine flu shot appears to be safe for pregnant women, according to a new government report that tallies health problems occurring after the vaccinations."
Measles vaccine is crucial as travelers bring disease to U.S., Kent County health official says
Grand Rapids Press (MI)
June 28, 2011
"State health officials are urging Michigan residents to get measles vaccines as the country hits a 15-year high for cases of the contagious disease."
Amish parents mirror wider concerns over vaccines
Reuters
June 27, 2011
"Among the minority of Amish parents who do not immunize their children, the most common reasons for skipping the shots were more related to concerns over the potential side effects of vaccines, than to religious beliefs, a new study finds."
Health officials urge vaccinations against measles
Detroit Free Press (MI)
June 27, 2011
"Public health officials are urging residents to make sure they’re fully vaccinated against measles after outbreaks in other countries spread to the U.S. this year."
French blamed for measles outbreak in Britain as cases across Europe soar by 550% in a year
Daily Mail (UK)
June 24, 2011
"Measles rates in Britain are more than five times higher than last year prompting concerns that an epidemic is spreading across Europe."
Editorial: Parents need to know risks of not imunizing children
The Olympian
June 17, 2011
"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta says that Washington is home to the nation’s highest rate of parents exempting their children from vaccines."
Docs find rise in measles cases a tragedy
ABC News
June 15, 2011
"For many doctors, reports by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showing the largest increase in measles cases in almost 20 years is troubling but not surprising."
CDC considering meningitis vaccine for infants
Associated Press
June 15, 2011
"Federal health officials, trying to determine whether to recommend that young children be vaccinated for the rare but often deadly bacterial meningitis, heard Wednesday from parents both for and against the vaccine."
CDC stresses need for flu shot every year
American Medical News
June 14, 2011
"Although this year's seasonal influenza vaccine will be identical to the one administered in the 2010-11 season, physicians still should provide the vaccine to patients who are 6 months and older, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
Childhood diseases return as parents refuse vaccines
USA Today
June 14, 2011
"Landon Lewis, 4, was living in a Minneapolis homeless shelter when he fell ill, first with a fever of 104 degrees, then with a red rash on his forehead."
ND has first measles case in 24 years
Bismark Tribune (ND)
June 13, 2011
"North Dakota has its first confirmed case of the measles in nearly a quarter century, while South Dakota officials say there is the potential for a case in that state because of an out-of-state visitor with the virus."
Is your child at risk for whooping cough?
Appeal-Democrat (CA)
June 13, 2011
"State and county health officials are pushing parents to make sure their middle- or high-school students' shot for whooping cough is up to date, ahead of a new state law requiring such booster immunizations."
Measles outbreak in Cache County spreads to four
Salt Lake Tribune (UT)
June 7, 2011
"The Bear River Health Department is working to contain a measles outbreak in Cache County that has spread to four people."
California's kindergartener vaccination rate falls below federal goals
Los Angeles Times
June 2, 2011
"Vaccination rates among California's kindergartners are below U.S. goals for 2020, according to a new federal report released Thursday."
Washington has the hightest rate of kids' vaccine exemptions
Associated Press
June 2, 2011
"Washington state is home to the nation's highest rate of parents exempting their children from vaccines, according to a new federal report released Thursday."
Atlanta hospital notifies more than 600 patients about TB exposure
CNN
May 27, 2011
"More than 600 patients and 100 employees at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia, have been exposed to tuberculosis after coming in contact with a hospital employee carrying the disease, a hospital spokesman said Thursday."
Measles outbreak prompts plea to vaccinate children
BBC News
May 27, 2011
"Dr Mary Ramsay: ‘You're never too old to get vaccinated’."
U.S. measles caseload hits a 15-year high
TIME
May 25, 2011
"So far this year, 118 cases of measles have been reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — the highest number for the January-to-May period since 1996 and double the median number of yearly cases reported from 2001 to 2008."
New cases add to measles' reach
Boston Globe (MA)
May 26, 2011
"Measles continues to spread in Massachusetts, with two new cases confirmed this week, including one involving a 23-month-old boy from Boston who had received his first measles vaccination last year, according to the Boston Public Health Commission."
Four new measles cases include Brookline children
Boston Globe Blog
May 20, 2011
"Four new cases of measles have been confirmed in the Boston area since May 12 bringing the state total to 10 cases this month and 15 this year."
Measles found in patient in SLO county; contagion doubted
San Luis Obispo Tribune
May 19, 2011
"Rubeola measles, a highly contagious viral disease, has been confirmed in a resident who returned to San Luis Obispo County after a trip abroad."
New law requires pertussis vaccine for older children
10-News San Diego
May 18, 2011
"A new law may prevent older children from attending school if they are not vaccinated against whooping cough."
Two doses of mumps MMR vaccine better than one: study
Reuters
May 17, 2011
"A recent outbreak of mumps in Canada underscores the importance of getting the recommended two doses of measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and not just one, according to a study."
Gates appeals for "decade of vaccines"
Reuters
May 17, 2011
"Bill Gates called on Tuesday for strengthened immunization programs against infectious diseases to save 4 million lives by 2015 and 10 million lives by 2020 during a ‘decade of vaccines.’"
Doctors advised to be on alert for vaccine-preventable diseases
American Medical News
May 16, 2011
"Last year, California experienced its worst pertussis epidemic in more than 50 years."
Measles cases are on the rise in California
Los Angeles Times
May 14, 2011
"As the summer vacation season nears, measles cases are on the rise in California, driven by unimmunized travelers infected elsewhere who are entering the state, health officials said Friday."
Whooping cough outbreak a result of vaccine phobia?
Herald Journal (UT)
May 12, 2011
"The germs are still out there."
Health community celebrates new immunization law
KNDO/KNDU
May 11, 2011
"Leaders in the health community are celebrating a big victory."
Update on vaccine court publication raises questions
About.com
May 10, 2011
"I just heard from a representative from the Public Relations department at Pace University School of Law."
Why measles found new life in U.S.
CBS News
May 9, 2011
"There could be more cases of measles this year in the United States than we've seen in more than a decade."
Earlier flu shot better for pregnant women
Reuters
May 6, 2011
"Experts recommend that pregnant women get a flu shot each year, and now a new study suggests that the earlier they do it, the better."
Gates Foundation grant for UCF prof prof to develop new polio vaccine
Orlando Sentinel (FL)
May 4, 2011
"Vaccination in a pill? That's a possibility, thanks to a University of Central Florida scientist whose work on vaccines has attracted the attention of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation."
Whooping cough rates worry public health, school leaders
Contra Costa Times (CA)
May 3, 2011
"An increasing rate of whooping cough infections statewide has public health and school leaders concerned, especially now that California requires an immunization before children can enter school in the fall."
Evaluation of immunization rates and safety among children with inborn errors of metabolism
Pediatrics
May 3, 2011
"Children with inherited metabolic disorders are a potential high-risk group for vaccine-preventable diseases, yet information regarding immunization rates and vaccine safety within thispopulation is limited."
Vaccines one of best ways to protect children
Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune (WI)
May 2, 2011
"You want to do what is best for your children."
State should tighten laws requiring vaccinations
Salt Lake Tribune (UT)
April 30, 2011
"Two weeks ago I received a call from my adult daughter with an unusual question: 'Do you have my childhood immunization records?'"
23 measles cases now confirmed in Minnestoa; all but two are linked to child infected in Kenya
Pioneer Press
(MN)
April 28, 2011
"The Minnesota Department of Health on Wednesday said the tally of measles cases linked to an ongoing outbreak in Hennepin County has grown from 18 to 21."
What parents need to know about their baby's immunizations
Times Herald-Record (NY)
April 27, 2011
"In observance of National Infant Immunization Week April 23-30, the American Academy of Pediatrics suggests that now is a good time to make sure that your baby is on track with immunizations."
Children without proof they got a whooping cough booster shot may have to miss class in the fall
San Jose Mercury News (CA)
April 25, 2011
"It's not even summer break yet, but Melinda Landau already is grimacing at the thought of keeping thousands of students home next school year if they fail to turn in the latest state requirement for anyone entering seventh grade on up: proof they've gotten the whooping cough booster vaccine."
Op-Ed: Why we still need Smallpox
The New York Times
April 25, 2011
"In a few weeks, member states of the World Health Organization will consider the destruction of the last known samples of smallpox virus, currently held in secure labs by the United States and Russia."
Video: Today is World Meningitis Day
NBC New York
April 24, 2011
"Thousands of Americans are affected by Meningitis each year and of those, one in every nine will die."
Officials: Measles outbreak in Utah traced to 1
Associated Press
April 23, 2011
"Health officials in Utah are trying to contain a measles outbreak that may have infected hundreds of people who attended two recent community events."
Most parents vaccinate kids, trust docs' advice on shots
HealthDay News
April 19, 2011
"About 93 percent of parents said their children either had or were going to get all of the recommended vaccinations, and more than three-fourths said they trusted their doctor's advice on immunizations, two new surveys find."
Measles outbreak a reminder to future moms: Get vaccinated
Salt Lake Tribune (UT)
April 19, 2011
"The recent measles outbreak may have sown confusion among pregnant women worried about their developing babies, but state health officials want to set the record straight."
Opinion: Don't hesitate to immunize your children
Deseret News (UT)
April 17, 2011
"For many years there were limited vaccines that could stop epidemics: measles, mumps, rubella, polio, tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis."
Three more cases of measles are confirmed in Hennepin County
Pioneer Press (MN)
April 16, 2011
"The Minnesota measles outbreak of 2011 continues. The state Health Department announced Friday three more confirmed cases of measles, bringing the state tally this year to 20."
Four Utah measles cases confirmed, six more suspected
Salt Lake Tribune (UT)
April 12, 2011
"Four Utahans have now been confirmed to have the measles, and health officials have identified six more suspected cases in what is shaping up to be the largest outbreak in a decade."
Vaccines have beaten back global diseases such as smallpox and polio
The Washington Post
April 12, 2011
"In 1952, the number of polio cases reached nearly 60,000, making it one of the worst epidemics in U.S. history."
Smallpox history still resonates
Boston Globe
April 11, 2011
"It’s been more than 30 years since we stopped vaccinating American children for smallpox, yet you say the subject is still current."
Opinion: The bad rap - and the truth - about vaccinations
Seattle Times (WA)
April 8, 2011
"For more than a decade, a small but vocal faction of parents and health professionals have advocated the avoidance of childhood vaccinations in response to a perceived risk of autism and other health issues."
Parents most trusted source of vaccine information, study finds
HealthDay News
April 7, 2011
"For American parents, doctors are the most trusted source of information about the safety of children's vaccines, a new study indicates."
Editorial: Parents must make informed decisions on immunizations
Olympian (WA)
April 7, 2011
"Parents who refuse to get their preschool children immunized against polio, whooping cough, measles, diphtheria and other deadly diseases should be forced to consult with a physician on the advantages and disadvantages of immunizations."
How the 'pox' epidemic changed vaccination rules
NPR
April 5, 2011
"Historian Michael Willrich was planning to write a book about civil liberties in the aftermath of Sept. 11 when he stumbled across an article from The New York Times archives."
WebMD survey: Safety biggest vaccine worry for parents
WebMD
April 2, 2011
"Parents worry a lot about vaccine risks and side effects, and most of them are questioning doctors about those concerns."
U-M experts: Parents trust physicians most when it comes to information about vaccine safety
University of Michigan Health
April 1, 2011
"Most parents get their information about vaccines from their children’s doctors, but some also consider public health officials, other parents, friends and family members and even celebrities as sources of vaccine information."
Whooping cough outbreak in Columbus is worst in 25 years
Examiner (OH)
March 31, 2011
"The ongoing whooping cough (pertussis) outbreak in Columbus and Franklin County is the worst in 25 years, reports Columbus Public Health."
More questions about whooping cough vaccine in kids 8-10
KPBS (CA)
March 29, 2011
"On the tail of the biggest whooping cough outbreak in California in more than 60 years, federal health officials said Monday that while the vaccine is highly effective, immunity may be waning for children ages 8 through 10."
Book Review: Defending vaccinations once again, with feeling
The New York Times
March 28, 2011
"Does the reading public really need yet one more rundown of the repeatedly debunked claims linking childhood vaccinations and autism?"
CDC to reveal results of whooping cough investigation in SD
KPBS (CA)
March 28, 2011
"San Diego health officials may be closer to knowing what led to last year’s whooping cough outbreak - the worst in more than 60 years."
Experts try to calm fears about vaccines
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
March 25, 2011
"A panel of health experts and opinion leaders spent nearly two hours at a Somali community forum Saturday night, trying to convince skeptics that the measles vaccine is safe and necessary."
A mothers' vaccine journey
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
March 25, 2011
"Hodan Hassan of Minneapolis understands why some parents are afraid to have their children vaccinated."
11th measles case reported in Minn.
CBS Minnesota
March 24, 2011
"The Minnesota Department of Health says they have found an 11th case of measles in Minnesota. Before this outbreak, there had only been 22 cases in the state in the last 13 years."
Anti-vaccine doctor meets with Somalis
Minneapolis Star-Tribune
March 23, 2011
"Dr. Andrew Wakefield, a controversial British doctor whose research purported to link vaccines to autism, met privately with a gathering of Somali parents in Minneapolis on Wednesday night."
More measles cases in Minn., officials push vaccine
Minnesota Public Radio
March 22, 2011
"The number of measles cases in Minnesota, all of them in Hennepin County, has grown to nine."
Health officials confirm 6th case of measles in Minn., worry that more cases could develop
Associated Press
March 19, 2011
"Health officials say the number of children contracting measles in the Twin Cities has climbed to seven."
Mpls. measles cases tied to fears of vaccine
Minneapolis Star Tribune (MN)
March 17, 2011
"Three more children under the age of 5 have developed cases of measles in Minneapolis, state health officials reported Thursday, including two Somali children who were not vaccinated because of fears about vaccine safety."
Vaccine legislation: House update
Concord Monitor (NH)
March 16, 2011
"Two bills on immunizations were defeated."
Senate to consider bill that would make it harder for parents to claim religious exemption from vaccines
Gloucester County Times (OK)
March 14, 2011
"A Senate panel today advanced a bill intended to curtail the number of parents claiming religious exemptions from giving their children mandatory vaccinations."
Whooping cough increase sparks a requirement for student immunizations statewide
Enid News and Eagle (OK)
March 13, 2011
"All Oklahoma students entering seventh grade during the 2011-12 school year will have to receive a Tdap vaccine, according to Oklahoma Department of Health."
Study: Vaccination status and health in children and adolescents
Deutsches Ärzteblatt International
March, 2011
"Background: Whether unvaccinated children and adolescents differ from those vaccinated in terms of health is subject to some discussion."
Minnesota lagging in kids' vaccines
Minneapolis Star Tribune (MN)
March 9, 2011
"Fewer Minnesota toddlers are getting scheduled shots for major diseases, a new report says, because of declining health insurance coverage and rising parental skepticism about immunizations."
N.J. assemblyman rejects parents' pleas for more say on kids' vaccinations
New Jersey Ledger (NJ)
March 8, 2011
"The impassioned debate went on for more than an hour - despite witnesses being limited to only 90 seconds per statement."
Opinion: Wakefield was costly detour for autism research, treatment
Austin American-Statesman (TX)
March 7, 2011
"The sad story of the fraud Dr. Andrew Wakefield perpetrated on the world's autism community lies at the intersection of my personal and professional lives."
Editorial: Inoculating vaccine makers
Los Angeles Times
March 5, 2011
"Sometimes the Supreme Court renders a decision that is right on the law but disadvantages a sympathetic individual."
Measles case on rise in Boston
Reuters
March 2, 2011
"Health officials tracking a measles outbreak said on Wednesday there are now a total of five confirmed and suspected cases in Boston."
Court ruling is a win for public health
Des Moines Register
(IA)
March 2, 2011
"Last month the U.S. Supreme Court sent a message to American parents: If you think a vaccine harmed your child, don't turn to the local courthouse."
The battle over immunizations
NJ Spotlight (NJ)
March 2, 2011
"Childhood immunization is a highly charged issue, pitting the needs of public health against the fears of parents, who worry that vaccines can harm rather than help their kids."
Resurgence of 'old enemy' whooping cough poses danger to infants
Times Herald Record (NY)
March 2, 2011
"As a young girl growing up in Iran, Dr. Minoo Pedoem-Shapiro witnessed the devastating effects of pertussis - also known as ‘whooping cough’ - within her own family."
Essay: Life, liberty, and the pursuit of vaccines
The New York Times
February 28, 2011
"Recently I found myself on the outskirts of an antivaccine rally in my hometown, listening to a succession of ill-informed diatribes with a mixture of dismay and fascination."
Air travelers possibly exposed to measles
Associated Press
February 27, 2011
"Public health officials are warning travelers and workers present at four U.S. airports on two recent days that they may have been exposed to measles from a traveler arriving from London."
Passenger on flight from Baltimore to San Diego was infected with measles, officials warn
Los Angeles Times
February 26, 2011
"Passengers aboard a Southwest Airlines flight from Baltimore to Denver and San Diego on Feb. 22 are in danger of contracting measles because one of the passengers was infected with the virus, San Diego County health officials said Saturday."
Dangers of the anti-vaccine movement
TIME
February 24, 2011
"Childhood inoculations protect us against deadly infectious diseases like measles, whooping cough and polio."
21,000 had whooping cough last year, CDC says
Associated Press
February 23, 2011
"More than 21,000 people got whooping cough last year, many of them children and teens."
The real problem with vaccines
Slate
February 23, 2011
"The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday in the case of a 6-month-old baby named Hannah Bruesewitz who suffered multiple seizures and long-term developmental damage after receiving a dose of vaccine for whooping cough in 1992."
Editorial: Vaccines 1, Lawyers 0
The Wall Street Journal
February 23, 2011
"Science and public health got a booster shot yesterday when the Supreme Court ruled 6-2 that vaccine makers can't be sued in state courts for injuries supposedly caused by their vaccines."
Supreme Court rules vaccine makers protected from lawsuits
The Washington Post
February 22, 2011
"Federal law protects pharmaceutical companies from lawsuits by parents who claim that vaccines harmed their children, the Supreme Court ruled Tuesday."
Justices rule for drug makers in vaccine dispute
CNN
February 22, 2011
"The Supreme Court ruled for drug manufacturers Tuesday, deciding that a case brought by a Pennsylvania family who says their child was injured by a vaccine cannot be heard outside of a court created to hear such claims."
Court rules against parents in drug vaccine case
Associated Press
February 22, 2011
"The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that a federal law bars lawsuits against drug makers over serious side effects from childhood vaccines."
Justices rule vaccine firms protected from suits
The Wall Street Journal
February 22, 2011
"The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that federal law shields vaccine makers from some types of product-liability lawsuits."
US top court rules vaccine makers cannot be sued
Reuters
February 22, 2011
"The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that a federal law shielded vaccine manufacturers from certain product-liability lawsuits in state court that seek damages for serious health problems suffered by children."
No whooping cough shot, no school or sports
Press Democrat (CA)
February 18, 2011
"School officials across Sonoma County are hoping a massive public relations campaign will prevent thousands of middle and high school students from being barred from class next fall because they haven't been immunized against whooping cough."
Video: What causes autism: the debate
The Dr. Oz Show
February 17, 2011
"It affects one in every 110 children in the US. Dr. Oz investigates the causes during an emotional and heated debate."
Whooping cough outbreaks spur new shot requirement in Oklahoma Oklahoman (OK)
February 17, 2011
"Oklahoma students entering seventh grade will be required to get a new booster vaccination next school year."
Flu virus turns deadly for some
KEYT-TV (CA)
February 16, 2011
"The flu season appears to be going strong after a slow start. In Ventura County, health officials say a teen and a 28-year-old died just last week from Influenza B-related complications."
The anti-vaccine movement: Not good science
ABC-13 (OH)
February 15, 2011
"The debate over the safety of childhood vaccines has been thrust into the spotlight in recent years."
Make sure pre-teens have all their vaccines, Michigan health officials say
Grand Rapids Press (MI)
February 15, 2011
"State health leaders are urging parents of pre-teens to make sure their children are fully vaccinated against communicable diseases."
Op-Ed: Ask a doctor: Vaccines protect kids from disease
Herald-Times (IN)
February 15, 2011
"One of the hottest topics in pediatrics today is vaccination. Parents of young children are bombarded from all directions with information, both accurate and inaccurate, regarding vaccines."
Can polio be eradicated? A skeptic now thinks so
The New York Times
February 14, 2011
"Two weeks ago, at the end of an interview about whetherpolioreally can be eradicated, Bill Gatesmuttered aloud to an aide escorting the interviewer: ‘I’ve got to get my D. A. Henderson response down better.’"
Why actress Amanda Peet is my marquee idol
Forbes
February 14, 2011
"There’s a lot of talk about how celebrities - think Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey - have spread the idea that vaccines might cause autism."
Huffington Post still believes vaccines cause autism
Forbes
February 11, 2011
"Yesterday, my colleague David Whelan asked if AOL’s $315 million purchase of the Huffington Post meant that the internet giant would start believing, as some HuffPo writers have asserted, that vaccination is linked to autism."
Book Review: 'Panic Virus' by Seth Mnookin
Los Angeles Times
February 13, 2011
"Readers take note. If you're already convinced that vaccines cause autism, that vaccine-preventable infectious diseases no longer threaten children's lives here and abroad, and that certain modern, anti-vaccine gurus are motivated by nothing but tender concern for your family's health, Seth Mnookin's ‘The Panic Virus’ is not the book for you."
The whooping cough's unnecessary return
The Wall Street Journal
February 10, 2011
"Vaccines, which save millions of lives every year, are one of the most successful public-health interventions in the history of modern medicine."
Ind. among 11 states with widespread flu outbreaks
Associated Press
February 8, 2011
"While the recent flu outbreak has been widespread in Indiana and 10 other states, this year's virus is not as threatening as those seen in past years, according to state and federal health officials."
Opinion: Parents who don't vaccinate make us sick
Bloomberg
February 8, 2011
"Young parents in America are holy and not to be messed with."
New research raises hopes in quest to find universal flu vaccine
CNN
February 8, 2011
"Researchers hope a new treatment developed in the United Kingdom will prove vital in controlling future flu pandemics such as H1N1 (swine) flu, bird flu as well as ending the need for annual flu jabs."
Good shots: From scare tactics to straight reporting, 2 endorse vaccinations
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (PA)
February 6, 2011
"Scientists understand now better than ever how vaccination works and how to make it safe."
State to track exemption requests
Albany Democrat-Herald
February 3, 2011
"Oregon law allows families to sign a waiver refusing a vaccine and requesting a religious exemption from school shot requirements."
Pertussis vaccinations urged by health officials
Salt Lake Tribune (UT)
February 2, 2011
"Seeing a rise in the number of pertussis cases in Salt Lake County since November, health officials are urging families to get vaccinated."
NY health officials: Baby had measles
Associated Press
February 3, 2011
"A 9-month-old baby who was infected with measles may have exposed others last month at Macy's in Roosevelt Field, Nassau County health officials said yesterday."
Audio: Vaccines and autism: A story of medicine, science and fear
NPR
February 2, 2011
"In 1998 a research paper was published that linked the childhood measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to the onset of autism, a lifelong developmental disorder."
Children's health scorecard finds room to improve in Illinois on vaccination rates
Associated Press
February 2, 2011
"A new report says that if Illinois improved its childhood vaccination rate to the level of the best-performing state, then 28,000 more young children would be up-to-date on six recommended shots."
Gates calls for a final push to eradicate polio
The New York Times
January 31, 2011
"On Monday, in a Manhattan town house that once belonged to polio’s most famous victim, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Bill Gates made an appeal for one more big push to wipe out world polio."
Pediatricians issue new vaccination recommendations
U.S. News and World Report
February 1, 2011
"Teenagers need a booster shot to protect them from meningococcal meningitis, a potentially deadly infection of the tissue around the brain, while all kids should have up-to-date whooping cough vaccines in light of recent outbreaks, according to new recommendations from pediatric experts."
Op-ed: Vaccine refusal - you call this cautious?
The Baltimore Sun
January 31, 2011
"Childhood immunizations are victims of their own success. The dreadful diseases against which they protect our children are distant memories. We have forgotten polio, or that measles, mumps and rubella — the MMR of vaccine language — could cause deafness, blindness, brain damage or seizures."
When the evidence is conclusive
Chicago Tribune
January 30, 2011
"My young son came down with croup last week. The first night of it, I lay on the floor next to his crib, anxious, listening to him breathe, counting his raspy inhales and exhales between violent coughing fits. He suffered, we worried."
Bill Gates, Abu Dhabi prince pledge vaccine funds
Associated Press
January 27, 2011
"Bill Gates' foundation and Abu Dhabi's crown prince are donating $50 million each to vaccinate children in Afghanistan and Pakistan against polio and other diseases."
Many Spanish-speaking Hispanics go un-immunized
Reuters
January 26, 2011
"Older Hispanics who prefer to speak Spanish or who live in communities where little English is spoken may be more likely to miss their pneumonia or seasonal flu vaccinations, suggests a large new study."
Flu virus may see its peak next month; doctors stress there is still time to get vaccinated
Houston Chronicle
January 26, 2011
"Don't look now, but the flu's sneaking up on Houston."
A dose of reason
Boston Globe Magazine
January 24, 2011
"I spent the night after Thanksgiving at Saint, a Back Bay 'ultra lounge' whose website features silhouettes of leggy women in high heels and seemingly not much else."
Fear of vaccines has a long, persistent history
HealthDay News
January 26, 2011
"As long as vaccinations against disease have been around, there have been die-hard opponents convinced that these shots do more harm than good."
Experts stress prevention with rise in whooping cough
Chicago Tribune
January 22, 2011
"Newborn Jolee Kuehl spent 40 days at the University of Chicago Medical Center, 14 of them on a ventilator, after catching whooping cough from her mother at just 15 days old."
Official: Whooping cough cases in area an 'epidemic'
Daily Press and Argus (MI)
January 23, 2011
"Livingston County is in the grips of a whooping cough epidemic, and health officials believe it's directly linked to more parents opting out of vaccinating their children."
Fear and misreporting in the vaccine wars
Reuters
January 21, 2011
"Kelly Lacek thought her three-year-old son, Matthew, seemed a little off that day in 2006."
Opinion: Why parents fear the needle
The New York Times
January 20, 2011
"Despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, roughly one in five Americans believes that vaccines cause autism — a disturbing fact that will probably hold true even after the publication this month, in a British medical journal, of a report thoroughly debunking the 1998 paper that began the vaccine-autism scare."
Opinion: Make anti-vaccine parents pay high premiums
CNN
January 20, 2011
"Evidence disputing any link between autism and vaccines has been gathering for a decade."
Opinion: Children, vaccine and responsibility
Charlotte Observer (NC)
January 20, 2011
"The editors of the British Medical Journal recently concluded that a 1998 study ringing alarm bells on a possible connection between vaccines and autism was actually an 'elaborate fraud.'"
Editorial: Vaccines: Halting an epidemic of fear
Oregonian
January 19, 2011
"The infamous study linking vaccines with autism has been exposed as a fraud, yet tens of thousands of American parents still refuse shots for their children."
Slightly more than half of Americans say vaccines don't cause autism: Poll
HealthDay News (ran on U.S. News and World Report)
January 20, 2011
"Just a slim majority of Americans -- 52 percent -- think vaccines don't cause autism, a new Harris Interactive/HealthDay poll found."
Part III of BMJ reports on Andrew Wakefield: The Lancet's two days to bury bad news
British Medical Journal
January 18, 2011
"Preparing to give evidence in London to a UK General Medical Council fitness to practise panel, Richard Horton, editor of the Lancet, nodded in turn to three accused doctors, seated among their lawyers to his left."
UK officials failed to probe autism scandal
Associated Press
January 18, 2011
"British medical officials failed to investigate allegations made by a U.K. doctor who linked autism to a childhood vaccine, a new article says."
Editorial: A shot at hope
The Washington Post
January 18, 2011
"The editors of the British Medical Journal recently concluded that a 1998 study ringing alarm bells on a possible connection between vaccines and autism was an 'elaborate fraud.'"
British researcher Wakefield defends link between vaccines and autism
Good Morning America
January 17, 2011
"Controversial British surgeon Dr. Andrew Wakefield today defended allegations by authors that his research citing a possible link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and autism were outright 'fraudulent.'"
Editorial: There isn't enough science in the world to debunk anti-vaccine quackery for some
New York Daily News
January 17, 2011
"No matter how conclusively science proves them wrong, there are those who persist in propagating the dangerous quackery of a link between childhood vaccinations and autism."
Autism-vaccine link debunked - too little, too late
Sun-Sentinel (FL)
January 13, 2011
"To angst-ridden parents confronted with their child's disturbing diagnosis, Andrew Wakefield put the stamp of scientific validation on their own brewing suspicions — that the very vaccinations meant to protect their babies from deadly childhood diseases had instead saddled them with another kind of living hell: autism."
The age-old struggle against antivaccinationists
New England Journal of Medicine
January 13, 2011
"Since the introduction of the first vaccine, there has been opposition to vaccination."
Editorial: Autism fraud
The New York Times
January 12, 2011
"The report that first triggered scares that a vaccine to prevent measles, mumps and rubella might cause autism in children has received another devastating blow to its credibility."
Opinion: Junk science isn't a victimless crime
CNN
January 11, 2011
"The author of a now-retracted study linking autism to childhood vaccines expected a related medical test to rack up sales of up to $43 million a year, a British medical journal reported Tuesday."
Save yourself a lot of pain and get a shingles vaccine
USA Today
January 12, 2011
"Everyone over 60 should be vaccinated against shingles, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends in a report Tuesday."
Opinion: Junk science isn't a victimless crime
The Wall Street Journal
January 11, 2011
"In 1998, a British surgeon named Andrew Wakefield published a paper claiming that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine might cause autism."
Opinion: The threat of bad science
The Baltimore Sun
January 10, 2011
"No parent wants to make his or her own child sick."
Editorial: Fear and vaccine: It's a public health disaster
Houston Chronicle
January 10, 2011
"The work of a British researcher purporting to link increased likelihood of autism with childhood vaccinations has been debunked."
As the facts win out, vaccinations may, too
NPR
January 9, 2011
"Discredited vaccination researcher Andrew Wakefield was brought to a new low this week when a prominent British medical journal accused him of outright fraud."
How skeptics, media helped a flawed study linking a vaccine, autism gain credence
The Boston Globe
January 9, 2011
"In the past decade Seth Mnookin has become a chronicler of some of the icons of American popular culture."
Editorial: The Autism Vaccine Hoax
The Wall Street Journal
January 8, 2011
"Twelve years late, the media and medical community may finally be digging a grave for one of the more damaging medical scares in history."
Will autism fraud report be a vaccine booster?
Associated Press
January 6, 2011
"This week more shame was heaped upon the discredited British researcher whose work gave rise to the childhood-vaccines-cause-autism movement, as a prominent medical journal published a report that the man had faked his data."
Report linking vaccine to autism 'an elaborate fraud'
USA Today
January 6, 2011
"An infamous 1998 study that ignited a worldwide scare over vaccines and autism - and led millions of parents to delay or decline potentially lifesaving shots for their children - was 'an elaborate fraud', according to a scathing three-part investigation in the British medical journal BMJ."
Doctor defends retracted autism study
CNN
January 6, 2011
"A physician accused of an ‘elaborate fraud’ in a now-retracted British study that linked autism to childhood vaccines is defending himself, telling CNN his work has been ‘grossly distorted.’"
Autism-vaccine researcher a 'fraud': medical journal
Reuters
January 5, 2011
"Andrew Wakefield, the-now disgraced British doctor who published studies linking vaccines with autism, committed an 'elaborate fraud' by faking data, the British Medical Journal said on Wednesday."
Journal: Study linking vaccine to autism was a fraud
Associated Press
January 5, 2011
"The first study to link a childhood vaccine to autism was based on doctored information about the children involved, according to a new report on the widely discredited research."
Protecting yourself against winter illnesses
The Today Show
January 5, 2011
"There are still people who don't know if they have a cold or have the flu."
CDC: 2 chickenpox vaccines better than 1
CBS News - Atlanta
January 5, 2011
"Two chickenpox vaccines are better than one, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."
Flu is spreading quickly throughout Central Florida
Orlando Sentinel
January 3, 2011
"For two straight weeks, the number of flu cases in Central Florida has spiked and area doctors are predicting that the flu will soon become widespread in the region."
Since vaccine, fewer hospitalized for chickenpox
Reuters
January 3, 2011
"Since the U.S. began routine chickenpox vaccination in 1995, the number of Americans sent to hospitals by the infection each year has dropped by more than two-thirds, government researchers reported Monday."
Panel backs wider pertussis vaccination to curb outbreaks, prevent death
Journal of the American Medical Association
December 29, 2010
"Clinicians should vaccinate caregivers and household contacts of infants with the tetanus toxoid, reduced diphtheria toxoid, and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) even if the person has recently received the tetanus and diphtheria toxoids vaccine (Td) or cannot remember when they were immunized with either vaccine, according to new recommendations from a US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory committee."
Tennessee is number one in school children vaccinations
UC Daily News (TN)
December 20, 2010
"Michele Williams, M.D. wrote a column recently in which she said that for the first time in several years, there are new immunization requirements for students entering Tennessee schools and new certificates from the state that must be included when students are registered for classes."
2 infants are county's 1st flu hospitalizations of season
Colorado Gazette
December 17, 2010
"Two infants have been hospitalized with the flu, marking El Paso County's first recorded hospitalizations of the 2010-11 flu season."
Death of child prompts Maine meningitis alert
Portland Press Herald
December 15, 2010
"The death last week of a 2-year-old Westbrook girl from what appears to be meningitis prompted a statewide health alert and notices this week to parents of schoolchildren in the area."
Opinion: Saving a life, or saving money
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
December 16, 2010
"Meningococcal meningitis and meningococcal septicemia are the leading cause of death by infectious disease in early childhood."
Yale study says vaccinated mothers have healthier newborns
Health Key (The Hardford Courant)
December 14, 2010
"Getting a flu shot during pregnancy is an effective way for mothers to prevent their newborns from getting the flu, according to a new Yale study."
Opinion: The gift that gives twice: Vaccines
Ashville Citizen-Times (NC)
December 14, 2010
"This time of year I find myself, as many of you do, making my list and checking off present ideas for my family and friends."
Cold and flu myths debunked
The Tennessean
December 14, 2010
"International infectious disease expert Dr. William Schaffner learned about this popular German cold remedy from his mother: Hang a hat on your bed post; climb into bed; sip on schnapps or cognac until you see two hats; and then you won't be bothered by your cold symptoms at all."
Flu season here, but only a third of Twin Cities kids have gotten shots
Star Tribune
December 9, 2010
"Only about one in three Twin Cities kids has had a flu shot so far this year, while more than two-thirds of older adults have been vaccinated, according to a new survey."
Why nearly everyone should get a flu shot
CBS News
December 8, 2010
"It's National Influenza Vaccination Week, and this year, for the first time, health officials are urging nearly everyone to have a flu shot."
Whooping cough makes a comeback
Chicago Sun-Times
December 7, 2010
"Pertussis - or as it is most commonly called, whooping cough - used to represent a victory for public health officials."
3 flu strains in circulation; TN encourages vaccinations now
The Tennessean
December 6, 2010
"People who neglect to get a flu vaccine this year risk getting sick more than once."
Raise your hand if you've gotten a flu shot
The Wall Street Journal - Health Blot
December 3, 2010
"About a third of U.S. adults and kids were vaccinated against the seasonal flu by early November, a CDC survey says."
Doctors encouraged pregnant women to get flu shot
Reuters
December 2, 2010
"About twice as many pregnant women as usual got flu vaccines last year during the H1N1 swine flu pandemic, most because their doctors urged them to do so, federal government researchers reported on Thursday."
Making sure your children don't fall victim to whooping cough
KUSA (CO)
December 1, 2010
"When you hear it, you know it. It is the ‘whoop’ sound that comes with the cough, commonly known as whooping cough."
Whooping cough reported in county schools
Orange County Review
December 1, 2010
"Pertussis, commonly referred to as whooping cough, is making an appearance in local elementary schools."
Influenza: What's the point of making good, safe vaccines if people won't accept them?
Los Angeles Times - Booster Shots Blog
November 30, 2010
"That H1N1 pandemic....no, it didn't lead to bodies piled high in the streets."
If you're around a baby, get whooping cough vaccine
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
November 28, 2010
"Most Georgia infants get the vaccines they need to help protect them from pertussis -- a highly contagious disease better known as whooping cough."
Indiana sees whooping cough infections on rise
Associated Press
November 22, 2010
"State health officials reported Monday that Indiana has its largest outbreak of whooping cough cases since the 1950s."
Vaccination Rates Drop, Putting More Kids At Risk
MSNBC
November 21, 2010
"Over the course of one summer vacation, Tyler Ludlum went from being a healthy 10-year-old, looking forward to the pool, to an emotionally and physically traumatized preteen who'd traded both of his feet, and half the fingers on his right hand, for his life."
Opinion: Why the controversy? Vaccines save lives
NPR
November 17, 2010
"A few weeks ago, my sister asked a simple yes-no question on her Facebook page: She wrote, ‘should I get the flu shot?'"
Opinion: Create a 'cocoon' of protection against whooping cough
Times-Herald Record (NY)
November 17, 2010
“You may have heard about outbreaks of pertussis — commonly known as whooping cough — across the nation this year, most notably, in California."
5 Myths About the Flu
USA Today
November 15, 2010
“In a new survey by Consumer Reports, only 30% of respondents were ‘very confident’ that this year's flu shot is safe."
Flu shots safe for pregnant women, study finds
Reuters
November 11, 2010
"Adding to evidence that the flu shot is safe during pregnancy, a U.S. government study found no unusual complications among pregnant women who've received the vaccine in the past 20 years."
Vaccines & Immunizations
Los Angeles Times
November, 2010
"The country was terrified of a disease that had no cure."
House Call: Whooping cough is making a comeback
San Angelo Standard Times
November 1, 2010
"When you think of whooping cough, or pertussis, you probably think in past tense."
A tiny life lost to whooping cough
CNN - The Chart Blog
October 22, 2010
"Whooping cough is a rather mild-sounding name for a disease that can kill a baby before it’s even diagnosed."
Whooping Cough Epidemic: Blame the Anti-Vaccine Movement
Forbes
October 11, 2010
"California is suffering the worst epidemic of pertussis, or whooping cough, in 60 years, with over 5,200 cases already, the most since 1950."
Report: Vaccination Rates Drop For Kids Covered By Private Insurance
The Wall Street Journal - Health Blog
October 13, 2010
"A new report shows that vaccination rates among two-year-olds covered by private insurance plans dipped by almost four percentage points last year."
Pregnant? Flu Shots Protect Moms - and Their Babies
TIME
October 5, 2010
"Roll up your sleeves, moms-to-be."
Whooping cough makes a comeback
Washington Post
September 27, 2010
"For most parents with young children today, whooping cough is a disease that exists in vintage movies or the Burl Ives song where it causes a chicken to 'sneeze his head and tail right off.'"
Whooping cough comes back
CBS Evening News
September 24, 2010
"The risks from whooping cough may sound like a thing of the past. But they are still very real - even deadly."
Unimmunized adults, teens a key factor in spread of whooping cough, officials say
Los Angeles Times
September 23, 2010
"Who is to blame for the spread in California of whooping cough, which has killed nine infants this year?"
Whooping cough hits hardest among young babies, data shows
Los Angeles Times
September 17, 2010
"Nine infants have died in California so far this year and officials urge flu shots for anyone who will be in contact with babies."
AMA, CDC, March of Dimes and others urge pregnant women to get flu shots
Los Angeles Times
September 15, 2010
"The American Medical Assn., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the March of Dimes and seven other groups sent a letter to healthcare professionals Wednesday urging them to counsel pregnant patients to get a seasonal flu shot."
No link found between vaccine mercury and autism
Reuters
September 13, 2010
"A new government study adds to the evidence that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative until recently found in many vaccines, does not increase children's risk of autism."
Flu vaccine readily available, and free for many this year
USA Today
September 7, 2010
"Getting a flu shot will be far easier this fall than last, with retailers already stocking millions of doses and free shots available through Medicare and private insurance, officials say."
A shot in the arm for kids in California
Newsweek
August 28, 2010
"Every state grants vaccine exemptions based on medical need."
Docs urge caution as PA sees more whooping cough
Associated Press
August 26, 2010
"State officials are encouraging parents to make sure their children's immunizations are up-to-date as school starts amid an increase in the reported cases of whooping cough."
Vaccine refusals are on the rise
San Diego Union Tribune
August 23, 2010
"Getting inoculated for diseases such as whooping cough and measles used to be a childhood rite of passage that few questioned."
Back to school time is vaccination time
Los Angeles Times
August 23, 2010
"If your child is starting kindergarten, middle school or college this year, your back-to-school checklist not only includes pencils and notebooks but also those dreaded vaccinations."
Vaccine Is Steady, but Pertussis Is Surging
The New York Times
August 16, 2010
"For four weeks, my 11-year-old daughter has been coughing."
Deadly Whooping Cough, Once Wiped Out, Is Back
NPR: Weekend All Things Considered
August 14, 2010
"California is in the midst of its worst outbreak of whooping cough in a half-century."
Vaccines still vital to protect children from serious diseases
Ventura County Star (CA)
August 10, 2010
"With the recent news of an increasing number of pertussis ('whooping cough') cases — including the tragic deaths of some very young infants — this is a good time to reemphasize the important role that vaccines play in preventing some very serious diseases."
Opinion: Vaccinations and Exams are Crucial
San Antonino Express-News
August 12, 2010
"Many of the people of my generation will recall the hysteria in the early 1950s when polio was ravaging our population."
The New Whooping Cough Epidemic
Parade Magazine
August 8, 2010
"California is headed for what some public-health officials say may be the worst outbreak of whooping cough in half a century."
Spread of Whooping Cough Raises Concerns
MSN Health
August 4, 2010
"Amidst the largest outbreak of whooping cough in decades, public health officials in California are urging residents, particularly pregnant women and those who come into contact with infants, to make sure they're immunized for the highly contagious disease."
Whooping Cough Continues to Rise in California
Los Angeles Times
August 3, 2010
"The number of reported whooping cough cases climbed to 2,174 last week, six times the total at this time last year in an epidemic expected to be the worst in 50 years, public health officials said."
San Diego County baby dies of whooping cough
Los Angeles Times
July 30, 2010
"A San Diego County baby has died of whooping cough, marking the seventh death statewide in an epidemic on track to be the worst in 50 years, authorities said Thursday."
Opinion: Vaccines are our best defense against some diseases
USA Today
July 25, 2010
"Parents make powerful choices for their children."
Infant dies of whooping cough, third confirmed death this year in L.A. county, sixth in state
Los Angeles Times
July 20, 2010
"A third Los Angeles County infant has died of whooping cough, public health officials announced Tuesday."
Opinion - California's whooping cough epidemic - a (really) scary story
Contra Costa-Times
July 11, 2010
"My nephew is a self-proclaimed connoisseur of scary movies."
Vaccination Rate Lags As an Epidemic Spreads
The New York Times
July 9, 2010
"A statewide whooping cough epidemic has not changed how Danielle Lawson of San Anselmo feels about vaccinating her 5 1/2-month-old daughter."
Editorial: Putting other kids in harm's way
The Oregonian
July 4, 2010
"A recent burst of cases of whooping cough, or pertussis, in southern Oregon and an epidemic in California are the latest reminders of the dangers when parents shun vaccines for their kids."
Vaccination role unclear in whooping cough outbreak
CNN
June 28, 2010
"Whooping cough, declared an epidemic in California last week, may look like just a cold or a persistent cough in adults."
State's whooping cough surge may be tied to lagging immunization rate
Los Angeles Times
June 28, 2010
"Public health officials say California's lackluster immunization rates could be a factor in the epidemic spread of whooping cough, a bacterial disease expected to take its largest toll in the state in five decades."
Whooping cough epidemic in California
Associated Press
June 23, 2010
"Whooping cough is now an epidemic in California, and is on pace to break a 50-year record for infections for the year."
Healthy Living for Babies Under 2
Newsweek
June 18, 2010
"Children should get all the required vaccines, following the ACIP's published schedule."
Whooping cough cases still with us
Los Angeles Times
June 8, 2010
"Reported cases of whooping cough have tripled since last year, according to state health officials, with the Central Valley, the San Francisco Bay Area and the Los Angeles region seeing sizable increases in infections."
The End of the Autism/Vaccine Debate?
Parenting Magazine
June 7, 2010
"On playgrounds and at playdates, it's hard to have a conversation about childhood immunizations without the word autism popping up."
Vaccine refusal is putting everyone in danger
Los Angeles Times
June 1, 2010
"Diseases such as measles and mumps are creeping back as well-meaning parents, wary of an unproven link to autism, refuse vaccines for their children, exposing them and others to a proven risk."
Whooping cough still with us, still deadly
Los Angeles Times
May 31, 2010
"Two days after her second son, Dylan, was born in 2005, Mariah Bianchi let out yet another deep-chested cough, this time in the hospital, where she was recovering from the delivery."
Fear of immunization symptom of wider crisis
The Kansas City Star
May 31, 2010
“The controversy surrounding British medical researcher Andrew Wakefield is an instructive one for this era of information overload."
A nasty rash
The Economist (UK)
May 27, 2010
"Twelve years ago, Andrew Wakefield, a doctor at the Royal Free Hospital in London, published a paper pointing out that some children who had been vaccinated against three childhood diseases—measles, mumps and rubella—promptly developed inflammatory-bowel disease and autism."
Cases of whooping cough double in state
Los Angeles Times
May 27, 2010
"California health authorities say that cases of whooping cough reported to the state have more than doubled so far this year — 346 cases from Jan. 1 to April 30, up from 129 cases during the same period last year."
Delaying childhood vaccinations does not improve children's health, study finds
Los Angeles Times - Booster Shots
May 24, 2010
“Now that the thimerosal-autism link has been thoroughly discredited, some autism advocates argue that neurodevelopmental problems are caused by overloading children's immune systems with too many vaccines too early in life."
Britain Bans Doctor Who Linked Autism to Vaccine
Associated Press
May 24, 2010
"A doctor who persuaded millions of parents worldwide that a common vaccine could cause autism was barred from practicing medicine in his native Britain on Monday after the country's top medical group found he conducted his research unethically."
Infants Vulnerable to Measles Before 1st Shot
HealthDay News
May 19, 20
"Babies aren't scheduled to be vaccinated against measles until they turn a year old, but new research suggests that infants are vulnerable to the disease from the time they are 2 to 3 months old until they get their shot because the immunity they inherit from their mother wears off."
East Coast mumps outbreak may be spreading to L.A.
Los Angeles Times
May 16, 2010
"A mumps outbreak on the East Coast - the largest in the United States in four years - may be spreading to Los Angeles County."
Adults Need Vaccines Too
Parenting Magazine
May 13, 2010
"As a parent, you've probably read up on the vaccines that your child needs, keeping a careful record to make sure that your child is up-to-date on all of his shots."
Study:
More parents skip or postpone vaccines
San Francisco Chronicle
May 6, 2010
"In the Bay Area there's plenty of anecdotal evidence indicating that some parents are refusing and delaying vaccines for their children."
38-Day-Old Baby Dies After Persisting Cough
ABC News - Good Morning America
April 28, 2010
"Baby Callie was a miracle baby to Katie and Craig VanTourhout of South Bend, Ind."
Opinion: Mercatante: Vaccine could be matter of life and death
The Port Huron Times Herald (MI)
April 27, 2010
"Nothing is more heartbreaking than a young person's loss of life. An infant's death seems inexplicably heartbreaking."
Editorial: We need to uproot fear of immunizations
San Francisco Chronicle
April 21, 2010
"On April 7, hearings began to decide whether Andrew Wakefield, the British physician whose speculative theories triggered a global vaccine scare, is guilty of serious professional misconduct."
Editorial: They Should Know Better
The New York Times
April 13, 2010
"We were disturbed to learn that health care workers shunned the swine flu vaccine in droves."
Vaccines: The Reality Behind the Debate
Parents Magazine
May, 2010
"As Summer Estall approached her first birthday, her mom, Lisa, had more on her mind than party plans.”
The trouble with Dr. Oz
Chicago Tribune
April 8, 2010
“Celebrity surgeon’s goal is to offer ‘as much information as possible’ on health issues.”
Editorial: H1N1 Vaccine, Still Available
The New York TImes
April 7, 2010
“Just a few months ago, nervous Americans were clamoring for access to vaccines that could protect them against the swine flu.”
Measles Resurgence Tied To Parents' Vaccine Fears
NPR
April 5, 2010
“A generation ago, up to 4 million U.S. children got measles every year.”
Georgia Flu Cases Prompt for Vaccinations
Associated Press
March 29, 2010
“Health officials are renewing their push for Americans to get swine flu vaccinations after a recent rise in hospital cases in Georgia.”
Editorial: Vaccines Win Again
Wall Street Journal
March 16, 2010
Few medical scare campaigns have done as much harm as the one claiming to link autism to vaccines for children.
'Vaccines court' rejects mercury-autism link in 3 test cases
Los Angeles Times
March 13, 2010
"The finding supports a broad scientific consensus that the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal does not cause autism, and will likely disappoint parents who are convinced otherwise."
Court: Thimerosal in vaccine didn't cause autism
USA Today
March 12, 2010
"The vaccine additive thimerosal is not to blame for autism, a special federal court ruled Friday in a long-running battle by parents convinced there is a connection."
Vaccinations Widespread but Worrisome for Parents
ABC News
March 1, 2010
“Nearly 90 percent of parents vaccinate their children as medically advised, but more than half still express concern over the safety of the vaccines, a survey from the University of Michigan found.”
South Bend Couple Loses Baby to Pertussis
South Bend Tribune
February 28, 2010
“Medical experts say pertussis, or ‘whooping cough’ -- once believed eradicated because of modern vaccines -- is again on the rise.The bacterial infection affects the respiratory system, causing serious health complications in young children, especially infants.”
Swine Flu Wanes, But Experts Say Pandemic Strain Could Reemerge
Washington Post
February 23, 2010
“Even as officials from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are announcing that the epidemic of the H1N1 flu is no longer widespread in any state, no disease expert is willing to say there isn't a third -- or fourth -- wave of swine flu in the country's future.”
Editorial: The MMR vaccine scare
By Dr. Paul A. Offit
Philadelphia Inquirer
February 14, 2010
“On Feb. 2, the Lancet, Britain's oldest and most respected medical journal, did something that journals almost never do; it retracted an article.”
Vaccination opposition could be putting public at risk
Newsday (NY)
February 14, 2010
“When a prominent British medical journal recently retracted a study linking vaccines and autism, it was a shot heard by parents around the world.”
Vaccines' Benefits Trump Concerns, Experts Say
NPR: Morning Edition
February 8, 2010
“In 2009, there are vaccines against 13 diseases for children under the age of 2. That's excluding flu. This increase is worrisome to many parents. ”
Scientist: Autism Paper had Catastrophic Effects
NPR All Things Considered
February 7, 2010
Hippocrates would puke: Doctor hoaxed parents into denying kids vaccine
New York Daily News
February 6, 2010
“British physician Dr. Andrew Wakefield has been branded a primary instigator of the mania that drove parents to avoid having their children undergo routine immunizations for fear that inoculations could produce autism.”
Opinion: The damage of the anti-vaccination movement
Los Angeles Times
February 5, 2010
“The doctor who launched the modern anti-vaccine movement acted "dishonestly and irresponsibly," Britain's General Medical Council has ruled. But fear not. Dr. Andrew Wakefield is still a hero to his many acolytes. And others, with curious credentials, fight on to terrify parents into not getting their children inoculated. ”
Opinion: Time to Regroup on Autism
CNN.com
February 4, 2010
“On Tuesday, the medical journal The Lancet retracted the controversial 1998 paper that linked the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine to autism.”
Editorial: The Lancet's Vaccine Retraction
Wall Street Journal
February 2, 2010
“The British medical journal The Lancet yesterday offered a mea culpa of sorts for its role in launching a global vaccine scare.”
How a Zealot’s Word Led Us Astray on Autism
MSNBC.com
February 3, 2010
“A dozen years ago, a British physician named Dr. Andrew Wakefield published a paper in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet that did immeasurable harm to children.”
British doctor rebuked over research linking vaccine and autism
Los Angeles Times
January 29, 2010
“The British doctor whose suggestion of a link between the MMR shot and autism helped cause vaccination rates to plunge conducted his now-discredited research in a dishonest and irresponsible manner, medical authorities here concluded Thursday.”
Doctor in MMR-Autism Scare Ruled Unethical
Time Magazine
January 29, 2010
“…Wakefield's study has since been discredited, and the MMR vaccine deemed to be safe. But now medical authorities in the U.K. have also ruled that the manner in which Wakefield carried out his research was unethical.”
Rotavirus vaccines could reduce deaths in Third World
Los Angeles Times
January 28, 2010
“Vaccines that protect against severe disease and death from rotavirus infections in the United States and other developed countries work nearly as well in developing countries and should be widely employed there, researchers report today in two papers in the New England Journal of Medicine.”
Get Vaccinated: Vaccine paranoia might be killing us
Forbes
February 8, 2010
“It has taken 14,160 lives, 2,328 of them in the U.S. Within the latter group are 248 children. No, it is not terrorism, nor is it war. It is H1N1.”
Stars vs. Science
Forbes
January 14, 2010
“In 2008, the Centers for Disease Control reported that measles outbreaks had spiked because more parents were deciding to leave their children unvaccinated, thanks to the burgeoning anti-vaccine movement.”
Missed vaccines weaken 'herd immunity' in children
USA Today
January 6, 2010
“Although vaccines have nearly eliminated many of these diseases, doctors say outbreaks in unvaccinated communities put everyone at risk.”
Another study finds no MMR-autism link
Reuters
January 4, 2010
Overall, the study found, children who had received the MMR vaccine actually had a lower risk of autism than their unvaccinated peers.”
Without Chickenpox Shot, Kids' Risk Rises Ninefold
HealthDay News
January 5, 2010
“Children whose parents refuse to have them vaccinated for chickenpox have a ninefold greater chance of contracting the disease than those who are vaccinated, a new study finds.”
Are celebrities crossing the line on medical advice?
USA Today
December 22, 2009
“Actress Jenny McCarthy, who has an autistic son, has written several books linking autism with childhood vaccinations, even though a host of scientific studies show that vaccines are safe and not the cause of increasing autism rates.”
H1N1 flu vaccines now plentiful in half of states
USA Today
December 16, 2009
“After weeks of shortages, swine flu shots are plentiful enough that nearly half the states now say everyone can get it, not just people in high-risk groups.”
Person of the Year: People Who Mattered In 2009: Dr Thomas Frieden
Time
December 2009
“He made the controversial call in October to release the long-awaited H1N1 influenza vaccine in small batches as soon as they rolled off production lines.”
Anatomy of A Pandemic
PBS NewsHour
December 14, 2009
“Join the PBS NewsHour’s Ray Suarez for an exploration of the science and policy of this year’s swine flu pandemic, from federal vaccination headquarters to big city hospital emergency rooms.”
The Long-Term Evidence for Vaccines
Newsweek
December 7, 2009
“With some reports saying that the worst of the H1N1 outbreak may have already come and gone this flu season in North America but not worldwide, parents who decided to sit out vaccinations for their children may feel validated”
Measles deaths drop by 78 pct but resurgence feared
Reuters
December 3, 2009
“Global deaths from measles fell by 78 percent between 2000 and 2008 thanks largely to mass childhood vaccination campaigns, but experts say death rates may rise again if complacency allows immunisation efforts to lag.”
Editorial: The Swine Flu, as of Now
New York Times
December 1, 2009
“So far, the news about swine flu is better than expected.”
Inglis: Taking on doubt over vaccinations against disease
Austin-American Statesman (TX)
November 30, 2009
“Sixty years ago, leading research facilities began developing vaccines to protect us from horrific diseases that can sicken and kill us — diphtheria, polio, pertussis, tetanus, hepatitis B and more.”
CDC connects H1N1, severe bacterial infections
Washington Post
November 26, 2009
“Federal health officials on Wednesday linked the H1N1 flu epidemic to a sharp rise in the number of severe bacterial infections.”
The Emotional Epidemiology of H1N1 Influenza Vaccination
New England Journal of Medicine
November 25, 2009
“Last spring, when 2009 H1N1 influenza first came to our attention, my patients were in a panic.”
The Decade's Most Overblown Fears: # 3: Vaccines Cause Autism
Newsweek
November 17, 2009
“The disproved notion that vaccines cause autism was born in the late 1990s, when Andrew Wakefield, a British surgeon, first went public with his idea that children could develop the disorder from getting a measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) shot.”
Profile: Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases with update on swine flu
NBC News
November 15, 2009
“Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, urges people to persist in their pursuit of the swine flu vaccine despite its limited availability.”
Autism Science Foundation Agrees with Decision to Keep Vaccine Research Out of the IACC Autism Plan
Autism Science Foundation
November 13, 2009
“Autism Science Foundation President and Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee member Alison Singer joined her colleagues on the IACC in voting to eliminate references in the autism strategic plan that could imply that vaccines cause autism or that call for additional vaccine research.”
Swine flu monitor
Boston Globe
November 9, 2009
“... Still, last week, an independent panel of scientific advisers - led by Dr. Marie McCormick, professor of maternal and child health at the Harvard School of Public Health - was convened to provide another ongoing safety check.”
Inoculating Against Fear of Vaccination
CBS Sunday Morning
November 8, 2009
“What if they threw a mass vaccination…and nobody came? Sure, the H1N1 vaccination centers are crowded, but for every man, woman or child lining up for a dose of the vaccine, there may be more at home with doubts about whether they should.”
Editorial: Take the Shot
New York Times
November 4, 2009
“...Our advice is that the most vulnerable people — the young and pregnant women — and those in critical jobs, like health workers, should take the vaccine.”
Boost Your Flu IQ: Your Questions Answered
NPR
November 2, 2009
“With the swine flu virus more widespread than ever and concerns about availability of the vaccine circulating, we solicited your questions about the pandemic.”
An Inside Look at H1N1 Vaccine Production
CBS 60 Minutes
November 1, 2009
“To find some answers, 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley went inside the federal government's $3 billion H1N1 vaccine project. This is the first time the public has seen where and how the vaccine is made.”
Journalist's Vaccine Article Draws Hate Mail
NPR: All Things Considered
October 28, 2009
“There is a passionate, even angry debate in this country over the safety of vaccines, set off by fears that kids are over-vaccinated or that vaccines can cause autism.”
Editorial: Swine Flu and You
New York Times
October 26, 2009
“While there is no reason to panic, there is also no reason for anyone to let down their guard.”
Scientists aim to dispel fears on H1N1 flu vaccine
Los Angeles Times
October 25, 2009
“Those who think the vaccine was rushed into production can be reassured, experts say. It is 'made just like all the flu vaccines we have been making for 60 years.”
Doctors: Vaccine, not actual flu, best way to give kids immunity
USA Today
October 21, 2009
“As health care workers around the country work frantically to accommodate the millions seeking protection against the H1N1 strain of influenza, they have to contend with a countertrend: significant numbers of Americans who don't plan to vaccinate themselves or their children.”
Inoculation Misinformation
Newsweek online
October 19, 2009
“Wild rumors are flying about the newly developed vaccine for pandemic influenza H1N1.”
The truth about swine flu
Philadelphia Inquirer
October 19, 2009
“Swine flu is spreading: 292 U. S. deaths have been confirmed since Aug. 30.”
An Epidemic of Fear: How Panicked Parents Skipping Shots Endangers Us All
WIRED Magazine
October 19, 2009
“...despite peer-reviewed evidence, many parents ignore the math and agonize about whether to vaccinate.”
Swine flu vaccines are safe and time-tested, experts assert
Chicago Tribune
October 19, 2009
“Untested? No. Rushed into production? Not really. Full of substances that do harm? Hardly, and especially not compared with the dangers of the H1N1 flu virus.
H1N1: Most Dangerous To Young People
CBS News: 60 Minutes
October 18, 2009
“... One of the most unusual things [about H1N1] is the higher number of kids who are ill”
Give Yourself a Boost
Wall Street Journal
October 13, 2009
“As the push gets under way to immunize Americans against swine flu and the seasonal flu, infectious-disease experts warn that many adults haven't received vaccinations for at least half a dozen other preventable diseases.”
OpEd: Nothing to Fear but the Flu Itself
By Dr. Paul Offit
New York Times
October 11, 2009
“Public health officials are now battling not only a fast-spreading influenza virus but also unfounded fears about the vaccine that can prevent it.”
Editorial: Opting not to vaccinate, gambling with children’s health
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
October 11, 2009
“Since the English physician Edward Jenner created the first crude smallpox vaccine in 1796, millions of lives have been saved — and many, many serious complications have been averted — by immunizations.”
Swine flu vaccine arriving, but don't line up yet
Associated Press
October 5, 2009
“And we're off: Swine flu vaccinations begin this week, after months of preparations and promises.”
Obama: First Family to Follow Rules on Flu Vaccine
Associated Press
September 21, 2009
“President Barack Obama says the first family will follow the rules like every one else on the swine flu vaccine.”
American Lung Association's Faces of Influenza Campaign Stresses the Importance of Seasonal Influenza Vaccination
Reuters
September 16, 2009
“The American Lung Association is intensifying its seasonal influenza public education initiative to urge families to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”
Rare but deadly meningitis: Don't forget kid shots
Associated Press
August 31, 2009
“Amid all the publicity about children's flu shots this year is quiet concern that vaccination against meningococcal meningitis not fall by the wayside, just as doctors are charting some progress against the rare but devastating infection.”
Not enough children get vaccinated for the flu
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
August 27, 2009
“Ask your doctor which vaccination type is most appropriate for your child and discuss the availability of influenza vaccine with your doctor in your medical home.”
How Safe Are New Vaccines For H1N1, HPV?
NPR
August 25, 2009
“Guest host Jennifer Ludden talks with Dr. Paul Offit, Chief of Infectious Diseases at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, about the safety of the new vaccines.”
Speaking of Vaccinations...Flu's Not the Only Ill That Might Merit a Preventive Shot
Washington Post
August 18, 2009
“All the vaccine buzz is about the H1N1 virus right now, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reminding Americans to make sure all of their vaccinations are up-to-date."
No mercury in most children's vaccines
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
August 16, 2009
“But researchers... have found no link between thimerosal and autism, despite persistent arguments by some parents of autistic children that there is a connection.”
Immunizations Keep Kids Safe
Health News Digest
July 25, 2009
“While at least one celebrity mother and a few news reporters have suggested that there is a link between autism and immunizations, pediatricians and numerous health organizations maintain that vaccines are safe and recommend that vaccines be administered on schedule to keep your children safe from a variety of vaccine-preventable diseases.”
US to spend another 1 Billion on Flu Vaccine
Reuters
July 12, 2009
“The United States will spend another $1 billion on ingredients for an H1N1 vaccine... Sebelius has said plans were on track for a mid-October vaccination program, although it was not certain Americans would be offered the vaccine for the so-called swine flu.”
Henderson Led WHO's Effort to Rid the World of Smallpox
USA Today
June 30, 2009
“One day in 1947, two cases of smallpox turned up in New York City. An investigation identified more cases. The outbreak's source turned out to be a visitor from Mexico who stayed in a hotel with 3,000 guests from 28 states.”
Cracking The Autism Riddle: Common Sense About Vaccines And Autism
By Harvey Karp, MD
Huffington Post
June 23, 2009
“All sorts of arguments are thrown around to persuade parents that shots threaten their children with autism. I'd like to discuss 4 of the commonly repeated concerns...”
Rotavirus: Every Child Should Be Vaccinated Against Diarrheal Disease, W.H.O. Says
New York Times
June 9, 2009
“The World Health Organization recommended last week that the vaccine against rotavirus, a diarrheal disease that kills 500,000 children a year, be given to every child in the world.”
Risks: Pertussis Protection? Not From the Herd
New York Times
June 8, 2009
“The theory of herd immunity holds that when most people in a group are vaccinated, everyone is protected...But the theory does not appear to work well with whooping cough.”
Will This Doctor Hurt Your Baby?
Philadelphia Magazine
June 2009
“Thanks to celebrity anti-vaccine crusaders like Jenny McCarthy and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Children’s Hospital doctor and vaccine inventor Paul Offit gets death threats from parents frantic about autism -- and worse.”
Editorial: A Dangerous Denial
Baltimore Sun
June 1, 2009
“Our view: Parents who choose not to vaccinate are imperiling public health. Such, unfortunately, is the case with parents who choose not to immunize their children against diseases that killed and crippled millions before vaccines were developed and made widely available.”
Editorial: New Perspective for Vaccine 'Refusers'
Minneapolis Star Tribune (MN)
May 27, 2009
“...Across the nation, increasing numbers of parents continue to recklessly reject childhood vaccines. It's a dangerous trend, one fueled by Internet quacks and irresponsible antivaccine crusaders.”
Staff Editorial: Refusing to Iimmunize Raises Kids' Health Risks
Denver Post
May 27, 2009
“Parents who ignore the research and refuse to have their kids vaccinated increase the risk for everyone. It's a selfish stance.”
Autism doctor: Troubling Record Trails Doctor Treating Autism
Chicago Tribune
May 22, 2009
“In the name of safety, Dr. Mayer Eisenstein's practice embraces home births and shuns vaccines, but parents' lawsuits tell a story of harm and death...”
Autism Drug Lupron: 'Miracle Drug' Called Junk Science
Chicago Tribune
May 21, 2009
“Desperate to help their autistic children, hundreds of parents nationwide are turning to an unproven and potentially damaging treatment...The therapy is based on a theory, unsupported by mainstream medicine, that autism is caused by a harmful link between mercury and testosterone.”
Editorial: The danger of an anti-vaccine panic
National Post (CAN)
May 20, 2009
“Earlier this month... the most influential woman in media signed a development deal with model-actress Jenny McCarthy, who has become a crusader against ‘toxins’ in vaccines...Their new commercial arrangement practically guarantees more visibility for Ms. McCarthy's dubious claims.”
Celebrities give unwarranted boost to science-averse anti-vaccine groups
Vancouver Sun
May 16, 2009
“Indeed, vaccination is one of the most important public health measures ever developed, as vaccines have saved countless people from disease and death, and have all but eradicated a number of deadly diseases.”
Listen to Scientists, Not Celebrities, When Deciding to Vaccinate Kids
Nashua Telegraph (NH)
May 13, 2009
“There are so many things to be alarmed about in today's world that I hate to pile on another item, but here it is anyway: Parents who endanger the rest of us because of unfounded fears about childhood vaccinations.”
Vaccine Holdouts a Danger, Study Says
Bloomberg News
May 7, 2009
“More parents are opting not to have children vaccinated with all the shots health officials recommend, endangering the youngsters and fostering disease outbreaks, a new study says.”
Say It Ain't So, O
Slate Magazine
May 6, 2009
“I will try to talk some sense into Oprah Winfrey, who has decided to go into business with vaccine skeptic Jenny McCarthy...There is abundant evidence that vaccines don't cause autism.”
Measles Makes Unwelcome Return
Washington Times
May 6, 2009
“...Last month, Maryland health officials said at least four people had been diagnosed with measles in Montgomery County - including an 8-month-old infant who contracted the disease in a hospital waiting room...The rise could be an indicator that measles is making a comeback in the United States.”
Opinion: The Autism/Vaccine Myth
Los Angeles Times
May 3, 2009
“...There is no rational reason to put children in harm's way by declining vaccinations...We must vaccinate against this misinformation, and stop its spread.”
South Florida meningitis outbreak baffles health experts
Miami Herald
April 24, 2009
“Local, state and national health experts are baffled as to how a rare and deadly strain of meningitis killed four people and infected eight others in South Florida since December, an unprecedented outbreak in the United States...Dr. Charles Mitchell at the University of Miami School of Medicine, said some parents have shunned the vaccination for their children.”
Opinion: Parents, don't be immune to vaccine truths
By Rahul Parikh, MD
Los Angeles Times
April 20, 2009
“As a second-year pediatric resident, I went to India to work in a hospital in Mumbai. There, among the rows of sick, poor children, were ones dying from vaccine-preventable diseases... It wasn't my first lesson about the importance of vaccines.”
Iowa measles case puts health officials on alert
Omaha World-Herald (NE)
April 20, 2009
“Public health officials in Nebraska are keeping a close eye on a measles case in northwest Iowa because of how easily the disease can spread.”
State confirms 1st case of rubella since 2000; vaccinations advised
Minneapolis Star Tribune
April 18, 2009
“A Twin Cities woman has come down with the state's first case of rubella, or German measles, in nine years, Minnesota health officials reported Friday.”
State Health Officials on Alert for More Measles
Washington Post
April 14, 2009
“Health officials said yesterday that they are trying to contain Maryland's first measles outbreak since 2001 after a fourth case was diagnosed in Montgomery County.”
Blog: A word or two about vaccinations
Dooce.com
April 7, 2009
“...That our children do not have to fear death from diseases like measles or polio or whooping cough is a miracle made possible by modern technology and science. And I guess the crux of this really complex problem for me is that as the number of parents who choose not to vaccinate their children increases so does the likelihood that these diseases will become a problem again.”
Editorial: Vaccinations are a public-health success, and a responsibility
Bay City Times (MI)
April 7, 2009
“In the case of vaccinations, we have decades of evidence proving that vaccines have beaten formerly common diseases that used to kill or cripple tens of thousands of children every year in the U.S. alone.”
Science trumps speculation: MMR not linked to autism
American Medical News
April 6, 2009
“...The AMA has long advocated the importance of childhood vaccination and worked to dismiss the flawed arguments that vaccines trigger autism.”
Editorial: Vaccine fear is harmful for children
Contra Costa Times (CA)
April 1, 2009
"A misguided fear that some vaccines may cause autism has persuaded a growing number of parents to decline to have their children inoculated against childhood diseases such as measles, mumps and whooping cough.”
Editorial: On School Vaccinations
San Francisco Chronicle
April1, 2009
"A distressing new statewide report shows that an increasing number of California parents are sending their children to school without routine vaccinations."
California schools' risks rise as vaccinations drop
Los Angeles Times
March 29, 2009
“A Times analysis finds hundreds of campuses, which tend to be in more affluent areas, at risk for childhood disease outbreaks...A rising number of California parents are choosing to send their children to kindergarten without routine vaccinations, putting hundreds of elementary schools in the state at risk for outbreaks of childhood diseases eradicated in the U.S. years ago.”
Immunization laws and attitudes vary
Los Angeles Times
March 29, 2009
“A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. in 2006 found that states that made it easiest to opt out of mandated vaccinations were nearly twice as likely to have cases of whooping cough as states with more difficult procedures.”
Letter: Court Right to Reject Vaccine Link
Miami Herald
March 22, 2009
“Recently, the Federal Vaccine Court issued three rulings that reject the link between childhood vaccines and autism...The court's rejection of these claims is a victory for science and a serious blow to those willing to gamble their children's health and safety based on Internet gossip or the medical acumen of autism activist Jenny McCarthy”
Opinion: What Vaccine Dilemma?
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
March 8, 2009
“There is no vaccine dilemma... In spite of all of the anti-vaccine hype from Hollywood stars, talk shows, newspapers and elsewhere, it is critical that everyone understands something: NO epidemiological study has shown a link between autism and vaccines or vaccine preservatives.”
Kids and Health: Googling Symptoms is a Gamble
Seattle Post Intelligencer
March 8, 2009
“Many parents have approached me with information on the alleged link between vaccinations and autism that they have found online... So, even though there are countless articles that stand up to the rigors of scientific scrutiny by most experts on this topic, and even with the U.S. federal court ruling last month that there's no association between vaccines and autism...parents need to be careful about what they search for and what they read online.”
Doctors: No Definitive Answers on Flu Deaths among Young
CNN
March 2, 2009
“When McGowan meets a skeptic about flu vaccines, she recounts Martin's story. ‘I want to have parents understand it's not normal for children to die from the flu. I want them to get them protected, give them a fighting chance.’”
Editorial: A dose of reality on vaccines and autism
Los Angeles Times
February 25, 2009
“The unsubstantiated belief that vaccines are to blame for increasing rates of autism has diverted too much attention from the quest to find the causes of this complex syndrome.”
Anatomy of a Scare
NEWSWEEK
March 2, 2009
“When one study linked childhood vaccines to autism, it set off a panic. The research didn't hold up, but some wounded families can't move on...Most tragic of all, it has diverted attention and millions of dollars away from finding the true causes and treatments of a cruel disease.”
Contagious Disease's Spread Highlights Dilemma over Unvaccinated Kids
Los Angeles Times
February 23, 2009
“Parents who opt out of or delay getting their children immunized may run a higher risk of them catching and passing along diseases that once were nearly eradicated.”
Decision Support for Parents
AHIP News
February 2009
“A coalition of medical and advocacy groups aims to address the concerns of parents and restore the public’s confidence in vaccines by providing accurate information...”
Judging Autism
Salon.com
February 19, 2009
“The scientific community disproved the vaccine-autism connection long ago, multiple times. Anti-vaccination crusaders have countered with science of their own, but it has been weak at best and probably fraudulent at worst -- a fact the vaccine court recognized in its decisions.”
Hib Infection in Children Makes A Deadly Return
USA TODAY
February 15, 2009
“When a very sick toddler was brought into a Minneapolis-area hospital last winter, doctors immediately suspected meningitis. The baby, 15 months old, was lethargic, had a fever of 104 degrees and was increasingly unresponsive...William Pomputius, an infectious-disease specialist at Children's of Minnesota, was shocked to learn that the girl had Haemophilis influenzae type B, or Hib infection, a disease that has been nearly wiped out by routine vaccination.”
Vaccines Exonerated on Autism
New York Times
February 13, 2009
“A special federal vaccine court issued three devastating verdicts on Thursday that should help demolish lingering fears that childhood vaccines can and have caused autism…The verdicts on Thursday suggest that fear of autism was never a valid reason to forego vaccinations that can protect children from illness and even death.”
Court Rules Autism Not Caused by Childhood Vaccines
Washington Post
February 13, 2009
“A special federal court ruled yesterday that vaccines do not cause autism...The ruling closes one chapter in a long feud that has pitted families with autistic children against the bulk of the scientific establishment.”
Officials say 'bad science' links vaccines, autism
Associated Press
February 13, 2009
“Bitter feuding over a possible link between vaccines and autism won't go away despite a strong rejection of that theory by a special federal court…. Science years ago concluded there's no connection, but Thursday's rulings in a trio of cases still have far-reaching implications. The move offers reassurance to parents scared about vaccinating their babies because of a small but vocal anti-vaccine movement.”
Hidden records show MMR truth
Sunday Times (UK)
February 8, 2009
“Overwhelming biologic and epidemiologic evidence has demonstrated conclusively that there is no association between the MMR vaccine and autism, and yet this [debate] goes on.”
Researchers see no autism-vaccine link
United Press International
February 2, 2009
"U.S. researchers have published a review summarizing the many studies refuting the claim of a link between vaccines and autism. The review, published online ahead of the Feb. 15 print issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases, examined three main hypotheses and showed how epidemiological and biological studies shoot down these claims."
Skipping vaccines? Think again
LA Times Blog: Booster Shots
January 29, 2009
“Meningitis killed one child and sickened four others in Minnesota last year, the most cases of invasive Haemophilus influenza type b, or Hib, infections in that state since 1992, according to a report today from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
Study Backs Thimerosal Safety
Associated Press
January 26, 2009
"
A new study from Italy adds to a mountain of evidence that a mercury-based preservative once used in many vaccines doesn't hurt children, offering more reassurance to parents...The study, funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drew praise from outside experts.”
Rare Sickness Kills Child; Officials Urge Vaccination
CNN
January 23, 2009
“A childhood illness that has mostly been curbed through vaccinations has killed one child and sickened four others in Minnesota, health officials said Friday...Three of the children had not received any vaccination because of their parents' decisions, not because of a vaccine shortage, officials said.”
Don't Risk Going Unvaccinated
Huffington Post
January 22, 2009
“This past year the United States witnessed a measles epidemic that was the largest in more than a decade. About 135 people, mostly children, were infected with measles... Almost all of the children who caught and transmitted measles were unvaccinated.”
Whooping Cough Vaccine Urged for New Moms
USA Today
January 21, 2009
“Doctors should routinely give all new mothers a vaccine to protect their newborns from whooping cough, a sometimes deadly illness that has made a recent comeback, according to a study in today's Obstetrics & Gynecology.”
‘This Question Has Been Asked And Answered’
Newsweek
January 16, 2009
“The warfare over vaccines and autism is heating up yet again. This week, Alison Singer, the executive vice president of communications and awareness at Autism Speaks, one of the nation's leading autism advocacy groups, announced her resignation, citing a difference of opinion over the organization's policy on vaccine research.”
The Problem With Dr Bob's Alternative Vaccine Schedule
Pediatrics
January 2009
“In October 2007, Dr Robert Sears, in response to growing parental concerns about the safety of vaccines, published The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child…This article examines the reasons for the popularity of Sears' book, deconstructs the logic and rationale behind its recommendations, and describes how Sears' misrepresentation of vaccine science misinforms parents trying to make the right decisions for their children.”
Combination Vaccine Safe and Effective for Infants
Reuters
January 8, 2009
“A combination vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and flu, which is routinely used in Canadian children, has been shown to be effective and well tolerated in a U.S. study.”
Measles Spreading in European Children as Parents Shun Vaccine
Bloomberg
January 7, 2009
“More than 12,000 Europeans, mostly children, contracted measles in the past two years as parents shunned vaccinations, casting doubt on public health efforts to eradicate the infectious disease by 2010, researchers said.”
Whooping cough makes a comeback
ABC News (NC)
December 26, 2008
“…In recent years, whooping cough has been diagnosed increasingly in teens and adults, although the disease typically had its most serious complications in infants…Reported cases of whooping cough have tripled in the United States since 2001, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.”
Editorial: Vaccination change would put all at risk
Clinton News (MS)
December 18, 2008
“Just 100 years ago when childhood diseases like measles, mumps and whooping cough were more prevalent, too many children lost their sight, their hearing, their mental aptitude, or worse, their life. That is why Mississippi, just like every other state, requires that before children enter school they receive vaccinations to prevent what used to be common but serious childhood diseases.”
Measles and MMR: Sow the wind
The Economist (UK)
December 4, 2008
“The rise [in measles cases], says the Health Protection Agency, is due to a fall in vaccination rates...Reluctance to vaccinate stems from a health scare surrounding MMR, a three-in-one vaccine designed to protect children from measles, mumps and rubella...A string of subsequent studies (and a meta-study of 31 other papers) found nothing to suggest that MMR has anything to do with autism.”
Measles Deaths Drop 74% Worldwide With Vaccine Push
Bloomberg
December 4, 2008
“Measles deaths tumbled 74 percent worldwide from 2000 through 2007, the result of a campaign to vaccinate children in developing countries, world health officials said today. About 197,000 people died from measles last year compared with 750,000 in 2000...The U.S. goal is to increase immunization rates by 2010 to 95 percent, the level needed to stop outbreaks through so-called ‘herd immunity,’ where even unvaccinated people are protected.”
Teaching moment springs from school's shared sadness
Seattle Times
November 21, 2008
“Half the kids in her second grade had been out that winter. But no one imagined Marija Alumbaugh would never come back to Laurelhurst Elementary over something as simple as the flu. It happened, though...in a matter of days in February 2007, the 8-year-old girl was gone...Parents have started a series of after-school clinics to ensure that the Laurelhurst Elementary community is immunized.”
Editorial: High Court Should Reject Vaccine Suits
The Oklahoman
November 12, 2008
“The Supreme Court recently heard arguments in a case likely to have profound effects on how vaccines are marketed, distributed and developed...More than 20 scientific studies have found that the vaccine doesn’t raise a child’s risk for autism. But her efforts have scared countless parents from getting their kids inoculated.”
Mother Load: Analyzing the great child-vaccination debate
New Jersey Record
November 5, 2008
“A decade ago, parents didn't routinely question doctors about the benefits of vaccines. My 4-year-old will be making two trips to the doctor this month, first for booster shots for chickenpox and measles, mumps and rubella, and then for vaccinations against influenza and pneumonia...So instead of bringing a picket sign to Trenton last month, I was calling the pediatrician's office to schedule my 4-year-old for his next round of immunizations.”
Doctor disputes autism, vaccine link
NBC: Today Show
October 30, 2008
Injecting trust into vaccines
Nature (UK)
October 2008
“Paul Offit's distinguished academic credentials and long-standing advocacy for vaccines in the United States provide the weight behind this forceful book. Autism's False Prophets focuses on the people and events in that country that were central to the claimed link between vaccination and autism...”
Editorial: Vaccinations’ Benefits Proved; Enforce the Law
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
October 29, 2008
“Unfounded fears about vaccines are causing too many parents to forgo getting the shots their children need to stay healthy and not spread dangerous diseases among their playmates...The vaccine-autism link has been thoroughly debunked. States should not back off mandatory vaccination laws, and local school districts and health departments should do a better job of enforcing compliance.”
Stomping Through A Medical Minefield
Newsweek
October 25, 2008
"Paul Offit...chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the nation's most outspoken advocate for childhood immunizations, is at the center of a white-hot medical controversy. He believes passionately in the safety of vaccines...In his new book, 'Autism's False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure,' Offit takes on his critics full-force, challenging them to prove the science wrong.”
Family's Loss Spurs Immunization Activism; Mother Told Caucus of Daughter's Death
Times-Picayune (LA)
October 23, 2008
“Five years ago when Danielle Romaguera's newborn daughter, Gabrielle, developed a runny nose and a cough, Romaguera figured she had picked up a cold… Danielle, and her husband, Ralph Jr., spent 22 days at the hospital with their 1-month-old daughter before she died of pertussis, also known as whooping cough…Romaguera shared Brie's story, with the hope of increasing awareness of the dangers of pertussis and the need for adults and adolescents to be vaccinated against it to prevent transmission of the disease.”
Editorial: Forgoing Vaccines has a Social Cost
Boston Globe
October 20, 2008
"...I have long known that vaccines are considered among the greatest advances of modern medicine. But it was last winter's flu epidemic that turned me into a fervid vaccine fan. In a flukish cluster of tragedy, I happened to know the families of two otherwise healthy children who died of complications of influenza...This year, for the first time, federal health authorities recommend that nearly all children from 6 months up be immunized against flu."
Opinion: Measles Not Worth the Risk
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
October 9, 2008
“I’m in a hospital bed, gasping for breath. Through the clear plastic of an oxygen tent, I see my Mom. Her face is red and she’s crying and crying… Every few hours a nurse opens the oxygen tent and gives me a shot. It hurts. It’s 1959. I’m in second grade…my measles didn’t go away... By 2000, the number of reported cases of measles had decreased to 86 and the number of deaths to one. So it is distressing to see that this year measles is on the upswing.”
Measles are a Growing Threat
Louisville Courier Journal (KY)
September 25, 2008
"Measles cases in the United States are at the highest level in more than a decade with almost half of them involving children whose parents rejected vaccination, federal health officials report. Concerned pediatricians are troubled by the trend and by the failure of parents to realize that measles is a highly contagious and potentially deadly disease.”
Celebs, Stop Taking Poisonous Shots at Vaccines
New York Daily News
September 24, 2008
"Earlier this month, researchers at Columbia University concluded that the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine doesn't raise a child's risk for autism. It was the most rigorous look at the issue to date. Since 1998, more than 20 scientific studies have reached the same conclusion...But many activists and celebrities - most notably comedian Jim Carrey and actress Jenny McCarthy - are continuing to perpetrate the myth linking autism and vaccination. In the process, they're endangering public health..."
Expert Sees No Link between Vaccines and Autism
Philadelphia Inquirer
September 17, 2008
"[Dr. Paul] Offit, 57, has been defending the safety of vaccines for years, in response to beliefs that they are tied to autism-related disorders. He continues in the same vein with his new book...The mainstream scientific and medical communities overwhelmingly agree there is no evidence that vaccines cause autism..."
Vaccine Skeptics vs. Your Kids
Mother Jones Magazine
September/October 2008
"In the last trimester of her pregnancy, Helena Moran caught a cough that she couldn't get rid ofBut the real nightmare began after her daughter, Evelina, was born: The baby began to cough and cough, and then she'd curl up in a little ball and turn blue...It turned out that by working in Boulder...Moran had put herself at risk of contracting a disease that largely disappeared after widespread vaccination against it began in the 1950s. Since the early 1990s, whooping cough has periodically whipped through Boulder, where a large percentage of parents do not immunize their children, public health officials say."
Editorial: Debunking an Autism Theory
New York Times
September 9, 2008
"...The new [MMR] study adds weight to a growing body of epidemiological studies and reviews that have debunked the notion that childhood vaccines cause autism...Sadly, even after all of this, many parents of autistic children still blame the vaccine. The big losers in this debate are the children who are not being vaccinated because of parental fears and are at risk of contracting serious -- sometimes fatal -- diseases."
Editorial: Measles is Dangerous; Vaccine for it is Not
San Jose Mercury News (CA) September 8, 2008
"A serial killer is on the loose: Measles, which killed 400 to 500 Americans annually before a vaccine went into use in 1963, is back as more parents reject vaccination for fear it causes autism. Those fears have put children at risk of measles without protecting them from autism, which keeps rising even as parents reject the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine...But this should be easy: The vaccine is safe; measles is dangerous."
Childhood Vaccination Rates Remain High Despite Worries
Wall Street Journal Health Blog
September 4, 2008
"Despite the hullabaloo over alleged vaccination risks, the rate of young children getting their shots has remained high -- and largely unchanged -- over the past several years...The vaccine skeptics have received widespread media attention, but almost all children are still getting at least some vaccines. And the vast majority are still getting all of the shots that public health officials recommend, according to a survey published today by the CDC."
Study: No Link Between Measles Vaccine and Autism
Associated Press
September 3, 2008
"New research further debunks any link between measles vaccine and autism, work that comes as the nation is experiencing a surge in measles cases fueled by children left unvaccinated...Years of research with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, better known as MMR, have concluded that it doesn't cause autism."