MANDATORY VACCINATION COMES UNDER PUBLIC SCRUTINY 9/13/99

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MANDATORY VACCINATION COMES UNDER PUBLIC SCRUTINY

By Recer

Associated Press Writer

Times Publishing Co. , Erie,PA 9/13/99

Staff writer Jeff Hileman contributed to this story

Washington (AP) - Too many American children are experiencing reactions to

vaccines for the problem to be ignored by the government, according to Rep.

Dan Burton, R-Ind., who says his grandchildren are among those who have

suffered.

Burton, chairman of the House committee on government reform, said at a

hearing lasst week that there were reports last year of more than 11,000

cases of children getting sick after inoculations. Many of their ailments

were minor, yet some required hospitalization, he said.

Burton said most American children are required to get 22 shots by the time

they start school and " some have described the current mandating of an

increasing number of vaccines to children to be a good intention gone too

far. "

He said his grandchildren are among the youngsters who have developed

illnesses after getting their shots.

Burton said his granddaughter had to be hospitalized within hours of

receiving a Hepatitis B vaccine, and his grandson became autistic after

getting the shots.

" You call it coincidence, but I think it's more, " said Burton. Later he

added: " We are going to be beating on this issue as long as I am chairman

of this committee. "

Carolyn Morelli, an Erie advocate for greater awareness of suspected side

effects of childhood inoculations, was in Washington for the hearing.

But she had to listen in another room along with an estimated 200 to 250

other people because the turnout for the hearing was so large. She said the

hearing room held only 50 people.

Morelli said she went to Washington " because I want parents to be told the

truth " about vaccine safety and because she is concerned that the increased

number of required inoculations is eroding the rights of individuals to make

decisions for themselves.

She was encouraged in her efforts, she said, by conversations with a number

of parents who believe their children were harmed or killed by vaccines and

by Burton's comments in support of their cause.

However, Rep. Henry A. Waxman, D-Calif., ranking minority member of the

committee, chided Burton for not having doctors who have studied vaccines

for years and experts from vaccine manufacturers testify.

" I deeply regret that these groups are not here today to provide us with

balanced and informed testimony, " said Waxman. " That's what a hearing is

supposed to be all about. "

Several citizens testified at the hearing about how their children became

ill after getting vaccinations. Other witnesses talked about relativeswho

were harmed because vaccines were not used ant their family members

contracted serious disease.

U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Satcher, lead witness at the hearing,

defended the use of mandatory childhood inoculations.

He said children exempted from getting shots put others at risk of

contracting diseases such as measles, whooping cough, Hepatitis B, mumps and

chicken pox.

Satcher said vaccine and a vigorous program of inoculatino have saved

millions of lives. In 1943, before thre was a vacine for whooping cough,

190,000 American children got the disease and 3,500 died, he said. That

compares with only 5,000 cases and five deaths in 1995.

The surgeon genereal said Mississippi and West Virginia are the only two

states where children are absolutely required to get vaccinations before

school. The other 48 states, Satcher said, allow exemptions for religious

or philosophical reasons. Less than 1 percent take the religious exemption,

said Satcher.

Since some parents now are reluctant to get shots for their children, Burton

asked if immunization would work if it was voluntary.

" When children are not immunized, outbreaks (of disease) occurr, " said

Satcher.

" If states didn't have rules (requiring shots) for getting into school, then

many would get sick. "

He noted that when immunizations were not done recently in Russia, there

were 2,000 cases of diptheria, an uncommon disease in the U.S.

Satcher, however, acknowledged that vaccines are not " 100 percent safe. "

Satcher said the Public Health Service has the toughest vaccine controls in

the world, but there were still children who would react in unusual ways to

vaccinations.

" Vaccines are very safe and effective, " he said, " but they are not perfect. "