Are We Overvaccinating Our Kids?

Is a pound of prevention worth an ounce of cure? Contributing Editor Nancy Witting believes there may be a link between the increase in childhood vaccinations and the rise in childhood health problems. Today she explores the possible link between kids’ health and the shots they receive as youngsters.

Alarming Numbers

U.S. children are the most highly vaccinated children in the world, yet the numbers of chronically ill and disabled kids are on the rise. The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), an independent clearinghouse for information on diseases and vaccines, cites these disturbing statistics:

•    In 1976, 796,000 children were learning disabled. Today, one child in six is learning disabled.
•    In 1979, there were two million asthmatic children. Today, one child in nine has asthma.
•    In 1970, one child in 2,500 developed autism. Today, one child in 150 develops autism.
•    In 1970, one child in 1,750 was diabetic. Today, one child in 450 becomes diabetic.

Look at those dates, and then consider these facts:

•    In the 1970s, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advised that children get 23 doses of seven vaccines by the age of six. The first vaccinations were given to infants at two months old.

•    Today, the CDC and the AAP recommend that children get 49 doses of 14 vaccines by age six. The first vaccination is given to newborns when they are 12 hours old. When babies are two months old, they may be given as many as eight vaccines on a single day. When they are 15 to 18 months old, they may be given as many as 12 vaccines on a single day.

Could it be that early manipulation of the immune system with more and more vaccines is setting significant numbers of children up for chronic disease and disability? Would fewer immunizations be better?

There are no easy answers to these questions; there are far too many other variables involved, including diet, exercise, television viewing and radiation. But being better informed can help you protect your children.

Harmful Ingredients

The NVIC points with suspicion to a long list of potentially harmful ingredients that are present in trace or larger amounts, depending on the specific vaccine. The list includes lab-altered viruses and bacteria, aluminum (associated with asthma, seizure disorders and cognitive dysfunction), mercury, formaldehyde and 2-phenoxyethanol (both known carcinogens),  gluteraldehyde, sodium borate, sodium chloride, sodium acetate, monosodium glutamate (associated with neurological effects), hydrochloric acid, hydrogen peroxide, lactose, gelatin, yeast protein, egg albumin, bovine and human serum albumin, antibiotics and unidentified contaminants.

Thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, was removed from most childhood vaccines in 2001. For many years, parents of autistic children have believed that it was thimerosal in vaccines (particularly the MMR vaccine) that precipitated autism in their children. The CDC maintains that there is no convincing scientific evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, and it is still used in flu shots, tetanus boosters, the hepatitis B vaccine and the meningitis vaccine, to name a few.

Immunization Successes and Failures

There’s no question that vaccines have dramatically decreased the incidence of illness and death from certain infectious diseases. Smallpox has been virtually eliminated from the world and paralytic polio from the Western Hemisphere. Tetanus and diphtheria occur only rarely, and the incidence of mumps, pertussis and measles is steadily decreasing.

But vaccines provide only temporary immunity to a targeted disease, so boosters are often required to extend the immunity. And vaccines are not 100% effective—for some individuals, no immunity is conferred. The immunity produced after natural infection generally lasts longer, often for a lifetime.

And then there’s the problem of side effects. While the CDC and other public health officials in the U.S. acknowledge that reactions to vaccinations—even fatal ones—can and do occur, they nonetheless justify mass vaccination for the benefit of the nation’s health. They state that the small amounts of chemical and other additives in vaccines cause no harm in the absence of allergies, and that these additives are necessary to ensure the potency, sterility, and safety of vaccines.

Co-founders of the NVIC worked with Congress on the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986, a law that acknowledges the suffering of the vaccine-injured and their families and the need for vaccine-safety protections in the mass vaccination system. As of 2008, $1.8 billion dollars had been awarded to more than 2,200 vaccine victims for their catastrophic vaccine injuries, out of some 12,000 applicants.

The 1986 law also requires that vaccine providers report serious health problems following vaccination to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). Since the government inaugurated this system in 1990, the number of entries has steadily climbed: from fewer than 2,000 in 1990 to over 30,000 in 2009.

Precautions You Can Take

You can minimize the risk of adverse vaccine reactions in your children by finding a sympathetic doctor and following some simple guidelines. If at all possible, delay vaccinations until your child is six months old. Request single rather than combination shots, and allow two months between each shot. Never vaccinate a sick child. If your child has an adverse reaction to a shot, wait at least one year to vaccinate again.

Some vaccinations on the CDC immunization schedule might be skipped altogether. For example, chickenpox is usually a mild disease in young children, and lasts only about seven days. It might be preferable for your child to be exposed to another child with chickenpox and contract it, rather than get the shot. Hepatitis B is a disease spread through sex and drug use, so it is reasonable not to give the vaccination to infants and young children.

Be alert for signs and symptoms of vaccine reactions in your child:

•    High fever (over 103° F)
•    Skin reactions (hives, rashes, swelling)
•    High-pitched screaming
•    Collapse/shock
•    Excessive sleepiness
•    Convulsion
•    Brain inflammation (loss of consciousness)
•    Behavior changes
•    Mental/physical regression

Vaccine reactions should be reported to VAERS by calling 800-822-7967 and to NVIC’s Vaccine Reaction Registry at www.NVIC.org.

Know Your Rights

Informed consent is the central ethical principle of the practice of modern medicine. Enlightened medical professionals protect the right of patients and their guardians to voluntarily accept or decline medical interventions that involve a risk of injury or death. Vaccination is a medical intervention that carries a risk of injury or death, which is greater for some than others.

Depending on the state you live in, you may be able to seek particular exemptions from vaccination. All 50 states allow medical exemption to vaccination, which requires a signed statement by a medical doctor or osteopath that certain vaccines would be detrimental to your child’s health. All states except Mississippi and West Virginia allow a religious exemption to vaccination. And some states grant an exemption if you can prove the child’s physical immunity through a simple blood test.

While all immunization laws have exceptions you can use, the wording in each state differs. You can obtain this information through your local library or state representative.

Yours in health,

Nancy Witting
Contributing Editor
New England Health Advisory

No related posts.