The increasing refusal of parents to vaccinate their children is a sad and frightening result of the ongoing propaganda campaign by the anti-vaccine lunatic fringe.
A new paper in the New England Journal of Medicine explains the growing health threats posed by vaccine refusal.
Here’s the abstract:
“Vaccines are among the most effective prevention tools available to clinicians. However, the success of an immunization program depends on high rates of acceptance and coverage. There is evidence of an increase in vaccine refusal in the United States and of geographic clustering of refusals that results in outbreaks.Children with exemptions from school immunization requirements (a measure of vaccine refusal) are at increased risk for measles and pertussis and can infect others who are too young to be vaccinated, cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, or were vaccinated but did not have a sufficient immunologic response. Clinicians can play a crucial role in parental decision making. Health care providers are cited as the most frequent source of immunization information by parents, including parents of unvaccinated children. Although some clinicians have discontinued or have considered discontinuing their provider relationship with patients who refuse vaccines, the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Bioethics advises against this and recommends that clinicians address vaccine refusal by respectfully listening to parental concerns and discussing the risks of nonvaccination.”
The good news is that more and more physicians are vocally expressing their concerns.
Writing in the Los Angeles Times, Dr. Ryan Coller laments, “We are retreating into illnesses that had nearly vanished, and we are stalling research progress by deferring enormous sums of money to dismantle autism/vaccine theories and establish campaigns to educate families. Wouldn't that money be better spent understanding the true causes of autism and pursuing effective therapies?”
He concludes with a call to action: “We must vaccinate against this misinformation, and stop its spread.”
Let’s hope both physicians and parents are listening.
