Few topics have created greater anxiety in new parents than the topic of vaccines.  Once was heralded as the greatest medical breakthrough to prevent illness and death in children, vaccines are now seen by some as harming children!  There are those who claim that vaccines cause autism.  Is that claim true?  What is the evidence for and against the safety of vaccines?  This is where Dr. Satterwhite’s experience as a lawyer, combined with his knowledge as a doctor, gives you a unique perspective on the debate about vaccines.  Listen as you learn the real story about vaccines as Dr. Satterwhite answers the question: What does the evidence show?

Listen:

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Outline:

1. Are vaccines safe?
2. Why do we need vaccines now?  Aren’t all those germs gone?
3. Roots of the controversy:
   • Dr. Wakefield’s study in England: MMR and autism are linked.
   • New Champion: Jenny McCarthy
4. What have the studies shown about links between autism and MMR, thimerisol, aluminum, and formaldehyde?
5. Isn’t there still a lot people don’t know about vaccines?
6. Is it true that ‘adverse effects’ are common and that no one tracks these?
7. Aren’t kids given too many shots for their little bodies?
8. What about using an alternative vaccine schedule such as the one by Dr. Sears?  Isn’t that safer?
9. Aren’t vaccines just a racket whereby large corporations are making big bucks at the expense of the health of our children?
10. What does the law require?
11. How can I take the “risk-free option” when it comes the health of my child?

Resources:

• Vaccine Refusal, Mandatory Immunization, and the Risks of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases, by Saad B. Omer, M.B., B.S., Ph.D., M.P.H., Daniel A. Salmon, Ph.D., M.P.H., Walter A. Orenstein, M.D., M. Patrician deHart, Sc.D., and Neal Halsey, M.D., The New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 360:1981-1988; May 7, 2009.
• Addressing Parents’ Concerns: Do Vaccines Contain Harmful Preservatives, Adjuvants, Additives, or Residuals? by Paul Offit, MD, and Rita Jew, MD. Pediatrics 2003;112;1394-97.
• Addressing Parents’ Concerns about Childhood Immunizations: A Tutorial for Primary Care Providers. By Benjamin H. Levi, MD. Pediatrics 2007;120;18-26.
• Too Many Vaccinations? By  Wouler Havinga, Paul A. Offit, Michael A. Gerber, Charles Hackett, Edgar Marcuse and Bruce Gellin. Pediatrics 2002;110;648-649.
• Addressing Parents’ Concerns: Do Multiple Vaccines Overwhelm or Weaken the Infant’s Immune System? By Paul Offit, et al. Pediatrics 2002;109;124-129.
• Addressing Parents’ Concerns: Do Vaccine Cause Allergic or Autoimmune Diseases? Paul Offit and Charles Hackett. Pediatrics 2003;111;653-659.
• The Problem with Dr. Bob’s Alternative Vaccine Schedule. By Paul Offit and Charlotte Moser. Pediatrics 2009;123;e164-e169.
• Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines and Autistic Spectrum Disorder: A Critical Review of Published Original Data. By Sarah Parker, MD, et al. Pediatrics 2004;114;793-804.
• Thimerosal Exposure in Infants and Developmental Disorders: A Prospective Cohort Study in the United Kingdom Does Not Support a Causal Association. By Jon Heron, PhD and Jean Golding, DSc; Pediatrics 2004;114;577-591.
• Thimerosal and the Occurrence of Autism: Negative Ecological Evidence from Danish Population-Based Data. Pediatrics 2003;112;604-606.
• A Practical Guide to Using the New Combination Vaccines. Contemporary Pediatrics. Feb.2003; Vol. 20; 36-50.
• Measles, MMR, and autism: the confusion continues. The Lancet 2000;Vol.355;1379.
• MMR doctor Andrew Wakefield fixed data on autism. TimesOnLine Feb. 8, 2009 by Brian Deer.
• Hidden records show MMR truth. TimesOnLine, Feb. 8, 2009.
• Vaccine schedules from 1960 through 2007 from:  www.cdc.gov
• Association of Autistic Spectrum Disorder and the MMR vaccine. Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine 2003;157;628-634.
• Myths Regarding Immunization by Jay M. Lieberman, MD. Infectious Diseases in Children 2003;6-9.
• Vaccine Risks and Side Effects. www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.html.
• Vaccine Issues and Controversies: Practical Approaches for the Pediatrician. By Tina Q. Tan, MD, Joseph B. Domachowske, MD, and Jerome O. Klein, Jan ’04.
• Hot Topics – Vaccine Education Center – Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia: Multiple Sclerosis, Diabetes, Aluminum, Formaldehyde, Thimerosal, Autism. www.chop.edu/consumer/jsp/division/generic.jsp
• Haemophilus influenza, type b (Hib) Alert: 5 cases, 1 death. American Academy of Pediatrics Member Alert, 1/23/2009.
• Measles Outbreak in Boarding School. Pediatric News June 2004.
• Pertussis Cases Are on Upswing Again in US. Wall Street Journal, 6/6/2002.
• Measles, once declared at an end, makes a return.  NPR, 9/25/2008.
• The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child. Robert Sears, MD. Little, Brown and Company: 2007.
• Louder Than Words: A Mother’s Journey in Healing Autism. Jenny McCarthy. Dutton: 2007.
• What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children’s Vaccinations. Stephanie Cave. Warner Books: 2001.
• Raising a Vaccine-Free Child. Wendy Lydall. Inkwazi Press:2009.
• Pertussis Vaccination and Asthma: Is there a link? JAMA 1994. By Michel Odent, MD; Tina Kimmel, MSW, MPH. Vol 272(8);pp 592-3.
• Adverse Events After Immunization with Aluminum-containing DTP vaccines: systematic review of the evidence. The Lancet 2004;Vol 4. By Jefferson, rudin, and Pietrantonj.
• Reemergence of Pertussis in the Highly Vaccinated Population of the Netherlands: Observations on Surveillance Data. Emerging Infectious Diseases 2000. By Melker et al. pp 348-357
• Neurotoxic Effects of Postnatal Thimerosal are Mouse Strain Dependent. Molecular Psychiatry 2004. (9), 833-845, by Hornig, Chian, and Lipkin.
• No Evidence for Links between Autism, MMR, and Measles Virus. Psychological Medicine 2004, 34, 543-553.
• N.C.General Statutes. Section 130A-152 through 130A-157. Immunization Required.