Vaccinations’ benefits proved; enforce the law

[Guest guest]

( I wished they would count how many new cases of autism hits DR's offices each week, nation wide!! 131 cases of Measles vs - 1 in 150 children w/ autism nation wide, Measles last maybe a week to 10 days. Autism - years - a life time??? Next Autism Diagnoses in 12 mins! http://fightingautism.org/clock/

The Atlanta Journal-Constitutionhttp://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2008/10/29/vaccinesed.htmlWednesday, October 29, 2008Unfounded fears about vaccines are causing too many parents to forgogetting the shots their children need to stay healthy and not spreaddangerous diseases among their playmates.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last month thatmeasles cases in the United States had reached the highest level inmore than a decade, an alarming rise in a disease thought to beeliminated in the United States eight years ago. The spike isdirectly linked to parents refusing to get their children inoculatedagainst the easily spread disease.In the first six months of the year, measles outbreaks have sickened131 children in 15 states, sending more than a dozen youngsters tothe hospital for treatment. Virtually all of the children werehome-schooled, the CDC<http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/index.html?cxntlid=linkr> said,and thus had no proof of their immunization status as would berequired in public schools.Even in public schools, those requirements are too often ignored.According to a Spotlight report in Sunday & rsquo;s AtlantaJournal-Constitution, many metro Atlanta school districts and healthdepartments do not require immunization proof when children areenrolled. Reporter Alison Young found that 99 elementary schools and81 middle schools in metro Atlanta failed to meet the state & rsquo;sminimum requirement that 90 percent of their students havevaccination records showing they are up-to-date on the shots neededto prevent the spread of communicable childhood diseases. Fewer thanhalf of students in some Atlanta and Fulton County schools have proofof proper vaccinations.Parents fail to get their children inoculated for a variety ofreasons: ignorance of the requirement; concern over how much it willcost; misunderstanding that for the vaccine to be effective againstsome diseases, children must get follow-up shots. But public healthdepartments will provide information as well as the vaccines for anychild, regardless of ability to pay.More problematic are the parents who willfully ignore therequirement, substituting their judgment for that of experts who mustguard the public health. In New Jersey, the state Legislature is beingasked to approve a bill that would allow parents to opt out ofmandatory vaccine requirements. The measure was prompted by a newrequirement in New Jersey & mdash;- the first in the nation & mdash;-that pre-schoolers get annual flu shots.The parental blow-back on vaccines began a decade ago when a studypurportedly showed that a mercury-based preservative in the measles,mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine was in some way linked to a group ofautistic children who had developed gastrointestinal problems. Thepreservative was removed from the manufacturing process for vaccines,and numerous, large and well-documented scientific studies since thenhave failed to show any evidence of a link to autism. Earlier thisyear, scientists also tried but failed to replicate the original 1998study allegedly linking vaccines and autism.Nevertheless, fears about tainted vaccines are still pervasive on theInternet, where parents are subjected to heart-rendering anecdotalstories about unexplained autism in children. A handful of celebrityparents of autistic children have also raised the issue and garnereddisproportionate attention to the cause.Unfortunately, there is no clear explanation why the rate of autismhas risen in recent years. Many scientists believe it is the resultof more vigilant observation among parents and pediatricians andearlier testing among children. Others point out that the range ofsymptoms defined as autism & mdash;- both behavioral and physical & mdash;- has greatly expanded, which in turn has resulted in morechildren being diagnosed with the condition or some variation of it.However, the anti-vaccine crowd & rsquo;s call for & ldquo;caution & rdquo; in allowing parents to decide for themselveswhether their children should be inoculated is risky business.Certainly, public health authorities should have the ability torequire vaccines for children attending public schools, which serveas the primary vector for disease outbreaks. The influenza vaccine debate in New Jersey offers an example. The CDC<http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/index.html?cxntlid=linkr> andpublic health experts have recommended in recent years that yearlyflu shots be given to all children six months to 5 years of age. Thatmeans that pre-schoolers and children in daycare should be getting it,which is what prompted New Jersey & rsquo;s requirement.Each year, some 20,000 children in that age group are stricken withinfluenza; about 100 of them die. The flu generally strikes earlierand harder in children, whose immune systems are weaker than those ofadults. Young children also are much more likely to spread the virusto their family, teachers and caregivers. If the disease issuppressed in children, it will not gain a foothold and likelydecline among adults as well.New Jersey, like Georgia and most other states, already allowschildren to be exempted from vaccine requirements if their parentshave religious objections or if there is a legitimate medical reason.The bill in the New Jersey Legislature would allow parents a & ldquo;conscientious exemption & rdquo; as long as they swear they have & ldquo;sincerely held & rdquo; objections to immunizations.No doubt many parents have sincerely held beliefs, but allowing themto opt out of vaccination puts the lives of their children at risk aswell as the lives of others. Vaccinations for infectious childhood diseases are one of thegreatest accomplishments of medical science, saving millions of livesannually. But their effectiveness is directly linked to coverage thatis as universal as possible. The vaccine-autism link has been thoroughly debunked. States shouldnot back off mandatory vaccination laws, and local school districtsand health departments should do a better job of enforcingcompliance.

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[Guest guest]

I can direct you to a person that could get you the information per state, but not per Docs Office

Subject: Vaccinations’ benefits proved; enforce the lawTo: EOHarm Date: Thursday, November 6, 2008, 2:28 PM

( I wished they would count how many new cases of autism hits DR's offices each week, nation wide!! 131 cases of Measles vs - 1 in 150 children w/ autism nation wide, Measles last maybe a week to 10 days. Autism - years - a life time??? Next Autism Diagnoses in 12 mins! http://fightingautism.org/clock/

The Atlanta Journal-Constitutionhttp://www.ajc.com/services/content/opinion/stories/2008/10/29/vaccinesed.htmlWednesday, October 29, 2008Unfounded fears about vaccines are causing too many parents to forgogetting the shots their children need to stay healthy and not spreaddangerous diseases among their playmates.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last month thatmeasles cases in the United States had reached the highest level inmore than a decade, an alarming rise in a disease thought to beeliminated in the United States eight years ago. The spike isdirectly linked to parents refusing to get their children inoculatedagainst the easily spread disease.In the first six months of the year, measles outbreaks have sickened131 children in 15 states, sending more than a dozen youngsters tothe

hospital for treatment. Virtually all of the children werehome-schooled, the CDC<http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/index.html?cxntlid=linkr> said,and thus had no proof of their immunization status as would berequired in public schools.Even in public schools, those requirements are too often ignored.According to a Spotlight report in Sunday & rsquo;s AtlantaJournal-Constitution, many metro Atlanta school districts and healthdepartments do not require immunization proof when children areenrolled. Reporter Alison Young found that 99 elementary schools and81 middle schools in metro Atlanta failed to meet the state & rsquo;sminimum requirement that 90 percent of their students havevaccination records showing they are up-to-date on the shots neededto prevent the spread of communicable childhood diseases. Fewer thanhalf of students in some Atlanta and Fulton County schools have

proofof proper vaccinations.Parents fail to get their children inoculated for a variety ofreasons: ignorance of the requirement; concern over how much it willcost; misunderstanding that for the vaccine to be effective againstsome diseases, children must get follow-up shots. But public healthdepartments will provide information as well as the vaccines for anychild, regardless of ability to pay.More problematic are the parents who willfully ignore therequirement, substituting their judgment for that of experts who mustguard the public health. In New Jersey, the state Legislature is beingasked to approve a bill that would allow parents to opt out ofmandatory vaccine requirements. The measure was prompted by a newrequirement in New Jersey & mdash;- the first in the nation & mdash;-that pre-schoolers get annual flu shots.The parental blow-back on vaccines began a decade ago when a

studypurportedly showed that a mercury-based preservative in the measles,mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine was in some way linked to a group ofautistic children who had developed gastrointestinal problems. Thepreservative was removed from the manufacturing process for vaccines,and numerous, large and well-documented scientific studies since thenhave failed to show any evidence of a link to autism. Earlier thisyear, scientists also tried but failed to replicate the original 1998study allegedly linking vaccines and autism.Nevertheless, fears about tainted vaccines are still pervasive on theInternet, where parents are subjected to heart-rendering anecdotalstories about unexplained autism in children. A handful of celebrityparents of autistic children have also raised the issue and garnereddisproportionate attention to the cause.Unfortunately, there is no clear explanation why the rate of

autismhas risen in recent years. Many scientists believe it is the resultof more vigilant observation among parents and pediatricians andearlier testing among children. Others point out that the range ofsymptoms defined as autism & mdash;- both behavioral and physical & mdash;- has greatly expanded, which in turn has resulted in morechildren being diagnosed with the condition or some variation of it.However, the anti-vaccine crowd & rsquo;s call for & ldquo;caution & rdquo; in allowing parents to decide for themselveswhether their children should be inoculated is risky business.Certainly, public health authorities should have the ability torequire vaccines for children attending public schools, which serveas the primary vector for disease outbreaks. The influenza vaccine debate in New Jersey offers an example. The

CDC<http://www.ajc.com/news/content/news/index.html?cxntlid=linkr> andpublic health experts have recommended in recent years that yearlyflu shots be given to all children six months to 5 years of age. Thatmeans that pre-schoolers and children in daycare should be getting it,which is what prompted New Jersey & rsquo;s requirement.Each year, some 20,000 children in that age group are stricken withinfluenza; about 100 of them die. The flu generally strikes earlierand harder in children, whose immune systems are weaker than those ofadults. Young children also are much more likely to spread the virusto their family, teachers and caregivers. If the disease issuppressed in children, it will not gain a foothold and likelydecline among adults as well.New Jersey, like Georgia and most other states, already allowschildren to be exempted from vaccine requirements if their parentshave

religious objections or if there is a legitimate medical reason.The bill in the New Jersey Legislature would allow parents a & ldquo;conscientious exemption & rdquo; as long as they swear they have & ldquo;sincerely held & rdquo; objections to immunizations.No doubt many parents have sincerely held beliefs, but allowing themto opt out of vaccination puts the lives of their children at risk aswell as the lives of others. Vaccinations for infectious childhood diseases are one of thegreatest accomplishments of medical science, saving millions of livesannually. But their effectiveness is directly linked to coverage thatis as universal as possible. The vaccine-autism link has been thoroughly debunked. States shouldnot back off mandatory vaccination laws, and local school districtsand health departments should do a better job of enforcingcompliance.

AOL Search: Your one stop for directions, recipes and all other Holiday needs. Search Now.