Vaccine Debate Heads to Court | Newsweek To Your Health

Posted By: TheYoshi @ 01/11/2008 9:40:23 AM

Comment: Forget for a moment health issues, do you want your government dictating this kind of thing? You really have to question whether or not civil liberties I being taken away here. Despite the fact that I am very much pro-vaccine, I am dead-set against having any government dictate this kind of thing as mandatory. The state government in Maryland is really bad at this kind of thing. At the risk of making an off topic example of how much they are missing the mark, MD has more strict gun regulations regarding carry permits for upstanding citizens than any of it's surrounding states... it also has the HIGHEST violent crime rate.

More regulation on these things is usually not the right answer. Don't tolerate having your freedoms removed from.

Posted By: SandyGottstein @ 11/21/2007 11:25:24 PM

Comment: Anyone who wishes to read all sides of the vaccination controversy can do so at Vaccination News (www.vaccinationnews.org).

All the best,
Sandy Gottstein
President, Vaccination News, A Non-Profit Corporation

Posted By: popslashgirl @ 11/19/2007 10:16:36 AM

Comment: This was an interesting interview, but I feel I should point out Dr. Sears answered his own question when he wondered why they were mandating Hepatitis B vaccinations for children too young to be sexually active. He notes that the Hepatitis B vaccine is reactive, particularly in adults and teenagers--therefore, it is customary to give it to infants and younger children. The age that he specifically mentioned, 5th grade, would be 10-11 years old, and therefore probably young enough to escape the more severe side effects.

Also worth noting is that Hepatitis B is a blood-borne illness that is transmitted in similar ways to HIV. It is not an exclusively sexually-transmitted disease. A child who comes in contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected classmate, regardless of sexual contact, is at risk of being infected. Hepatitis B also causes massive liver damage, including possible liver cancer, and opens the child up to a cocomittant infection of Hepatitis D, the most lethal of the Hepatitis complex of viruses. It doesn't seem to me at all inappropriate that childred be mandated to be vaccinated against this highly damaging disease .

Posted By: QuerqueRose @ 11/19/2007 12:18:04 AM

Comment: What this ilustrates is the growing need for our government to clean up the whole process of vaccination. I am a firm believer in the efficacy of vaccines, however as a father of an autistic child I feel that until improvements are made, the government should not make it mandatory. There is much debate about the preservative, thimerosal being the culprit in the autism epedemic, but I feel that the schedule of vaccines needs to be looked at, as well. I remember when I went to boot camp, how awful I felt the following day after the mass vaccinations that were administered to me. I can't even imagine what an infant goes through when they are bombarded with multiple vaccinations.
People talk about how there has been no correlation between vaccines and autism, but no one can explain why there has been such a huge surge in the number of autistic children in modern countries, or the numerous auto-immune diseases that are cropping up with more frequency. Many of these "diseases" share similarities, namely porphyrins. Porphyrins are markers for heavy metal toxins, and are found in the urine. I am positive that in the near future a correlation to the growing epidemic of autism and auto-immune diseases will be made with vaccines. Think about it. When vaccinated with several different vaccines at one time, the immune system is being made to "think" that the body is being attacked by measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, diptheria, pertussis, hep B and three strains of flu all at the same time. It's no wonder that people have reactions!
On another note, I do think that these parents are being a bit silly. The could have just filled out the exemption forms. I am glad that more attention is being put upon the vaccine crisis, but they could be smarter about it.

Posted By: jillyann @ 11/17/2007 10:59:46 PM

Comment: All parents should vaccinate their children and im glad that at least 1 state is mandating it. There are serious diseases and illnesses and unfortunately many parents are not educated in what may happen to their child if they do not vaccinate.
My son is a survivor of bacterial meningitis which leaves children and adults with brain damage, mental and or physical disabilities if they survive. A great site to learn more is http://meningitis-angels.org .

Posted By: jillyann @ 11/17/2007 10:57:44 PM

Comment: All parents should vaccinate their children and im glad that at least 1 state is mandating it. There are serious diseases and illnesses and unfortunately many parents are not educated in what may happen to their child if they do not vaccinate.
My son is a survivor of bacterial meningitis which leaves children and adults with brain damage, mental and or physical disabilities if they survive. A great site to learn more is http://meningitis-angels.org .

Posted By: MileHighHappy @ 11/17/2007 8:47:36 PM

Comment: Your "expert" says that the Hep B vaccine is given to newborn babies in the hospital and two more times in the first year of life. I'd like to add that it was in 1991 that the American Academy of Pediatrics enacted a new policy to recommend that all infants receive the Hep B vaccine. So in the case of High School seniors or some juniors, they may not have had the vaccine as an infant as they would have been born before the recommendation.

Obviously, having children up to date on all vaccinations makes sense, but until recently some school districts around the country did not require Hep B and Chicken Pox vaccinations. There are other vaccinations that would seem to be more of a public health threat if not received.

Posted By: robdraynp @ 11/17/2007 12:44:32 PM

Comment: The primary way Hepatitis B is transmitted today in the US is through IV drug abuse and sexual contact but this is a newer statistic. Hepatitis B can be transmitted through contact with ***, saliva and blood. It is a much more robust virus than HIV. There is NO CURE for HPV. If the hepatitis doesn't kill you then the Liver cancer will. It is irresponsible to not do everything possible to prevent the transmission of this disease. There are hundreds of thousands of us healthcare and emergency care providers that are exposed to this virus just by doing our jobs. We are all vaccinated

Posted By: bob j @ 11/16/2007 9:50:11 PM

Comment: from what i've understood about this maryland case ,(i heard it discussed over radio) with, i believe a prosecuter,who in effect admitted there was no actual law ,and said the parents and children were being charged with truency ,as had been banned from school for not getting shots,,and state was acting under color of law ,,ha ,,that dont get it ,if true ,,also said state wasnt required to tell of a waiver ,was up to parents to find out themselves.
tell you what if its true there is no legislated, written, legitimate, law ,these parents should sue the state for millions!

Posted By: bob j @ 11/16/2007 9:41:34 PM

Comment: do the states really have a written legitimate law? or is this so called mandantory vaccination simply a declaration by some stuffed shirt burecrat acting as a dictator? also why are these parents not told there are waivers for those with religious ,moral or personal reasons for declining vaccinations?

Posted By: 66custom @ 11/16/2007 6:54:06 PM

Comment: As many times as the scientific community has flip-flopped on important health issues, why should we take the current body of knowledge as sacrosanct? Besides, many studies are deemed to be conclusive because the result is statistically significant. There are two problems with this. First, the statistically significant effect could be small when compared to the total population. Second, they cannot demonstrate causality. In fact, the idea that vaccinations alone are responsible for the eradication of these once onerous diseases is spurious at best given the simultaneous improvements in sanitation and nutrition.