vaccination schedules

Despite concerns, vaccination rates still high

John Carroll — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 09:05:55 -0400

There's been quite an uproar this year over the supposed safety risks presented by vaccines and concerns that a number of parents are avoiding the jab to protect their children. But the CDC--which has raised its own concerns on the subject--says that the vast majority of parents are still doing the right thing and getting the whole list of vaccinations recommended for their children. Last year fewer than one percent of all children received no vaccinations and about 80 percent got all of them. And rates for long-established vaccines actually rose from 85 percent to 90 percent in recent years.

- check out the report from the Wall Street Journal

ALSO: Certain areas of the U.S. are seeing lower take-up rates. Report

Industry ties to vaccine advocates raises skepticism

John Carroll — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 08:48:59 -0400

Heightened media attention to the financial ties between vaccine makers and the physician groups which advocate their use appears to be encouraging a growing number of parents to skip the jabs for their kids--at a cost. The CDC noted that a recent outbreak of measles, a disease eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, could be attributed to the lack of a vaccination in 63 of 64 cases.

The Wall Street Journal notes that a recent CBS report highlighted millions of dollars in manufacturers' grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics, which is responsible for major immunization campaigns. Drug makers like Merck and Wyeth have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to the organizations. The groups insist that they're not swayed by the money, which they say allows them to pursue the work they believe in. But evidently a growing segment of the U.S. population isn't persuaded.

- check out the report in the Wall Street Journal
- read the CBS story

Pediatricians get tough with vaccine doubters

John Carroll — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 08:20:20 -0400

The American Academy of Pediatrics say that more and more parents are resisting the vaccinations that are recommended for their children, and they're mounting a promotional campaign in an attempt to reverse the tide. A group called the "Immunization Alliance" has been formed to counteract what the pediatricians see as a dangerous trend toward more and more vaccine exemptions. The academy cited the rapid spread of rumors from parent to parent, lack of understanding about the risks involved and falling trust in government and health officials as a few of the issues they have to deal with.

But one health blogger for the Chicago Tribune says that the large number of shots recommended by the CDC should also be cited. By age 18, the CDC recommends 69 doses of 16 different vaccines. And the new combination vaccines that are coming into the market, she adds, won't help matters.

- read the report in the Chicago Tribune

Many infants don't get vaccinations on time

Thu, 01 May 2008 06:59:55 -0400

A large group of American parents are having a tough time keeping up with their kids' vaccination schedules. More than a quarter of all children are under-vaccinated, with missed doses accounting for the bulk of the non-compliance. The experts say the trend--which increases the risk of disease among the country's most vulnerable population--can in part be explained by the large number of vaccinations that are required. The authors of this new study examined vaccination schedules for 2003 and 2004, when children were expected to get up to 14 shots by the age of 18 months. That number has since risen even higher.

"This is a little bit of a wake-up call--not a huge one--that you need to make sure to do the best you can to get children vaccines when they're supposed to get them," Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center and chief of infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, told Health Day. Kids can catch up on their vaccinations later in life.

- read the article in the Washington Post

ALSO: Parents of autistic children are advocating a "philosophical objection" law in New York that would give parents the right to skip required vaccinations. Report