Last week I shared my family’s metamorphosis of vaccine decisions – you can read about it here and here. I want to be perfectly clear that every pediatrician I have talked to – whether they support traditional or alternative vaccine schedules – recommends vaccines. And even though I know the pediatricians I trust fully support vaccines, I always feel like my vaccine decision isn’t completely finalized.
We’re still following an alternative schedule for our children. Until we find a doctor close to our new home who doesn’t insist on vaccines and comes highly recommended, we’re traveling an hour and a half to a pediatrician.
During our family’s first visit to our current substitute pediatrician, I had an amazing mommy realization. The pediatrician asked how often Big Brother gets sick, and I answered that he doesn’t – he just reacts to vaccines. She asked how and when he reacted, and I started by sharing the story of his two-month vaccines. Surprised, she said she would need to talk with his previous pediatrician to find out more medical details. When I told her that the pediatrician brushed it off and never reported it to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, our new doctor was shocked. And finally, for the first time in three and a half years, I realized I wasn’t a paranoid mom. Big Brother’s reaction had truly been serious – and it should have been reported. My concern has not been unreasonable.
(As a clarification, the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, or VAERS, is a voluntary national program that helps monitor reactions to vaccines. Since it’s voluntary, the vaccine information is not at all thorough.)
A few resources
Since that doctor’s visit, I’ve come across fascinating vaccine information.
I need to preface this by noting that as I thoroughly researched vaccines more than a year ago, I was surprised to finally find information that succinctly explained how vaccines work. Yet in all my research efforts, something didn’t feel quite right. Every agency – from physicians to government agencies and international groups – touted the wonders of vaccines. Not a single one seriously considered any risks of side effects. Usually, when I research a topic, it’s easy to find a fairly balanced argument listing the pros and cons. To only find positive reports about vaccines raised a red flag. But I didn’t know how to find balanced, truthful information.
Since November, I’ve been thrilled to find some resources that try to present a more complete picture of vaccines. The documentary “The Greater Good” was fantastic – it’s so refreshing to listen to a range of viewpoints from physicians who support, question, and oppose vaccines. And, it’s heartbreaking to observe families who have been forever changed by vaccine side effects.
From that film, I learned about the National Vaccine Information Center, a non-profit educational organization that “is dedicated to the prevention of vaccine injuries and deaths through public education and to defending the informed consent ethic in medicine. As an independent clearinghouse for information on diseases and vaccines, NVIC does not advocate for or against the use of vaccines.”
NVIC’s website explains diseases and vaccines, has a vaccine ingredient calculator, and a vaccine reaction database. Last month, NVIC’s co-founder and president, Barbara Loe Fisher, wrote about the importance of speaking up for vaccine victims. Doctors and the media have been so quick to vilify vaccinated patients who experience side effects instead of trying to help them. Too often, patients who experience adverse reactions to vaccines are shunned by physicians and turned into laughingstocks by the media – yet these patients listened to their doctors. They were vaccinated. Can healthcare providers start to offer support when something routine goes wrong? Can officials begin to admit that vaccines aren’t as foolproof as they’d hope?
Fisher’s article reveals truths about medical associations receiving funding from vaccine drug companies. (In 2008, CBS News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson reported that the American Academy of Pediatrics receives millions of dollars from the vaccine industry. According to CBS, “The totals are kept secret, but public documents reveal bits and pieces: A $342,000 payment from Wyeth, maker of the pneumococcal vaccine – which makes $2 billion a year in sales; and a $433,000 contribution from Merck, the same year the academy endorsed Merck’s HPV vaccine – which made $1.5 billion a year in sales.”)
Fisher also documents a 2011 report from the Institute of Medicine that acknowledges a gap in scientific research concerning vaccine safety. Since this is quite a substantial claim, I’ll cover it in depth on Wednesday.
Talk back
What resources have you used to help make informed vaccine decisions?
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