Tuesday, January 06, 2009

Public Discussion of Vaccine Issues

I encourage parents and members of the public interested in autism and vaccine safety issues to visit Age of Autism and read The Vaccine Hard Sell at Pediatrics. That comment includes a letter by Michael Wagnitz, a chemist with 27 years experience, and self described father of a "vaccine injured child", in which Mr Wagnitz challenges Pediatrics and Dr. Paul Offit for alleged misinformation regarding the use of neurotoxic metals in vaccines.

Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, apparently refused to publish Mr. Wagnitz letter, despite his chemistry background, and despite the sourcing for the points made in his letter. The Age of Autism, to its credit did publish the Wagnitz letter.

Vaccination programs are an important part of public health strategies and have been very successful in reducing or eliminating serious illnesses, some of which have taken the lives of many children. Claims regarding vaccine injuries should not be made lightly. But neither should democratic discussion, particularly well informed, rational discussion of possible vaccine induced injuries, including possibly autism, be shut down.

If the research which Dr. Bernardine Healy has called for into possible vaccine connections to autism is not done, if public discussion of such connection is shut down, if dissenting voices like Mr. Wagnitz with his chemistry background are not heard, then the public concerns about vaccines and autism or brain injuries will continue to grow.

It may also be the case that some of the claims about vaccine induced autism and other brain injuries are true. Without proper research and public discussion we may end up missing out on opportunities to prevent neurological damage to children.

Let us do the research, let us have the discussion. Let us hear from parents, doctors, chemists anyone with information and a perspective to offer. That is the ONLY way confidence in the vaccine programs will be strengthened. And we may learn of ways to prevent autism disorders and neurological damage.





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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

We did the one-year update for vaccinations with our son and his response was NOT positive. We reported and complained to our medical contact, but they simply claimed that he had some issues with teething. He had raging temperatures, severe fever and we're thankful that he has yet to show signs of autism.

Since then, we've talked to hundreds of parents who have had the same complaint and the same response. Why are MDs and physicians lying so shamefully?

My suggestion is that we make it a national legal requirement for all physicians to file a report to a central authority when complaints are made about response to vaccinations (of any kind). At the moment, this level of review does not exist (to my knowledge, at least) and I think it would be an important (and logical) first step to understanding the impact that vaccinations have on our children (and ourselves).

By the way, we stopped doing all vaccinations after this point. If our MD is not going to take the livelihood of our child seriously, then we deserve to be a little selfish.

If we ever encounter opposition to our choice, we'll submit the 'declined for religious purposes' form that's available in most provinces.