FW: Satcher Testimony at Vaccine Hearing

[Guest guest]

Wednesday August 4 12:11 AM ET

>

> U.S. Says Vaccine Benefits Still Outweigh Risks

>

> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Benefits of childhood

vaccines still far outweigh

> the risks despite

> some rare injuries from the shots, U.S. Surgeon

General Satcher told

> Congress Tuesday.

>

> Satcher testified at a hearing called by Republican

lawmakers who are

> concerned about serious

> side effects associated with vaccines.

>

> Satcher said vaccines have produced tremendous

public health benefit by

> protecting the nation

> from once-dreaded infectious diseases. While

serious side effects and

> deaths occur in a tiny

> fraction of cases, that risk is small compared to

the threat of deadly

> diseases without vaccines, he

> said.

>

> ``From a cost-benefit perspective, (vaccines) are

considered by many to be

> perhaps the safest and

> most effective medical interventions of our time,''

Satcher told the House

> Government Reform

> Committee.

>

> Requirements vary from state to state on which

vaccines children must have

> to protect them from

> diseases such as meningitis, hepatitis, measles and

tetanus.

>

> The government and vaccine makers acknowledge that

rare but serious side

> effects can occur and

> have created a federal compensation fund for

victims and their families.

>

> Federal health officials recently warned health

care providers and parents

> to stop using a rotavirus

> vaccine to prevent childhood diarrhoea while

researchers study reports of

> bowel obstruction.

>

> Indiana Republican Representative Dan Burton, the

committee chairman, said

> he questioned how

> often side effects occur when two of his

grandchildren suffered reactions,

> and the child of his

> daughter's friend died, after being vaccinated.

>

> ``You can call that coincidence, but I think it's

more than coincidence,''

> Burton said. ``It's not that

> we don't want children vaccinated, but we want to

have an informed public.''

>

> Burton said he wants to investigate whether vaccine

reactions could be

> better prevented. One of

> Burton's subcommittees, chaired by Florida

Republican Representative

> Mica, also plans a

> hearing on how well the vaccine fund is handling

compensation claims.

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