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Home › Articles › Toddler Health › No Needles?

No Needles?

The Great Immunization Debate

By Lisa A. Goldstein

Pages:  1  2  3  

Cons of Refusing Immunizations
"The benefits of the vaccines so outweigh the risks," Dr. Stern says. "The illnesses themselves are either untreatable, or even with treatment, potentially devastating. The risk of significant reactions to vaccines is in the one or two in several million doses, while the risks of the diseases are hundreds of times that."

Dr. Hainer also believes in immunizations. "They protect children and other children and adults in their communities," he says. Indeed, there is something called "herd immunity," Dr. Stern says, which means that if enough people around you are protected by vaccines, your own risk is reduced. Once that percentage falls, and it is different for every infection, but usually around 80 to 85 percent, the risk of the disease increases.

"Vaccines, after clean water, are the single most effective and safest public health intervention that exists," Dr. Stern says.

Still Undecided?
If you're still confused about this issue, Dr. Stern recommends that you check reliable sources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention or the American Academy of Pediatrics, both of whom have accurate information.

"The best thing to do is to talk to your doctor about what is important for 'your child' the most," Propper says. "It is a personal choice, but it's important to be educated and determine what is best for your child's long-term health."

One Doctor's View on the Autism Connection

If you're wondering why the MMR vaccine causing autism is a myth, it can be traced back to the media, according to Dr. Loraine M. Stern. In 1998, a doctor in England wrote a report, not a study, of 12 children in whom he suspected their autism might be caused by the vaccine. This received huge media coverage. Since that time, she says, there have been dozens of studies – and millions of research dollars wasted – on proving that this is not the case.

Autism is diagnosed between 1 and 2, this being the time when the MMR vaccine is given. Just because something occurs after something is not proof that it is a cause, Dr. Stern says. The incidence of autism has grown because there is a huge enlargement of the definition of autism.


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