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Reader Remarks on:

Vaccines: Still Key to Child and Community Health

• Polio disappeared naturally
• Vaccines
• Polio disapeared naturally
• The health of unvaccinated children
• Polio Disappeared Naturally
• Vaccine Refusal
• Vaccine safety issues
• health of unvaccinated children
• Polio Disappeared Naturally ?
• Vaccination Data
• The Medicine advances
• Bauchner vaccination comment

Polio disappeared naturally

Cathy Sherman, 7 May 2009 1:47 AM EST

Competing interests: None declared

Records show polio disappeared in Europe in the 40’s and 50’s despite there being no “immunizations”.

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Vaccines

Gilbert Z. Given, 7 May 2009 12:51 PM EST

Competing interests: None declared

Although the AAP Bioethics Committee advises against refusing care to families that refuse vaccinations, various AAP chapters have adopted an approved standard document referring families to physicians that believe in their philosophy of no vaccines or an alternate schedule of vaccination. This defeats one of our functions as Pediatricians-and educator.

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Polio disapeared naturally

David A Deitsch, 7 May 2009 4:25 PM EST

Competing interests: None declared

Cathy, what records would those be? I have a degree in history, with a fairly good background in medical history, and I have never seen such records referenced in the histories of the 20th century, nor have I read of any infectous disease disappearing without aggressive medical intervention. Would you be kind enough to identify these records, and the sources that contain them, so that I can correct this defect in my knowledge?

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The health of unvaccinated children

Sue Claridge, 7 May 2009 4:57 PM EST

Competing interests: None declared

If the medical establishment really wanted to understand the difference in health between vaccinated children and those who are unvaccinated because their parents have made an informed and conscious decision not to, they would do a very large study comparing the health of vaccinated children with completely unvaccinated children looking at parental health, pregnancy and birth as well as the health of the child.

Such a study would gather information on breastfeeding, diet, environmental exposures to toxins, vitamin D, exercise, and every conceivable health condition and disease, including diabetes, autism, allergy and atopy, developmental delay and neurological problems, learning disabilities and the incidence of childhood diseases (vaccinable and unvaccinable).

It is not just about whether an unvaccinated child has measles or pertussis - childhood diseases that present no problem in healthy children - but what the rest of their health is like.

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Polio Disappeared Naturally

Josh Parker, 7 May 2009 4:57 PM EST

Competing interests: None declared

Cathy,

I would also be very interested to hear more about polio DISAPPEARING in the 40s and 50s. Was there any other intervention besides straightforward vaccination?

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Vaccine Refusal

Howard Bauchner, MD, Boston University School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center, 8 May 2009 10:59 AM EST

Competing interests: Summary author

I appreciate the various comments. Polio, like many other infectious diseases declined before the introduction of the vaccines. However, most analyses suggest that the rate of decline for a specific disease increased beyond what was expected following the introduction of the relevant vaccine. Parents who refuse vaccines, or want a different schedule pose a quandary for practitioners. At a recent CME meeting I chaired about 1/3 of the practitioners (of 100) indicated that they were now refusing to care for patients who were refusing vaccines. They appeared more tolerant of parents who want a different schedule than that proposed by the CDC/AAP. I think the struggle around this issue is harder in rural areas where families may not have ready access to other providers.

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Vaccine safety issues

Patrick Hurly, 8 May 2009 2:13 PM EST

Competing interests: None declared

"Simultaneous increases in the number of immunizations and rates of autism and allergic diseases have fueled concerns about a link between these conditions and vaccines, despite no credible evidence of an association." Quote Howard Bauchner.

I am a scientist by training not a medic. I find it amazing that the medical establishment can dismiss the evidence for a link between vaccines and autism as Dr Bauchner does.

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health of unvaccinated children

Laurie J Redmon, 10 May 2009 8:14 PM EST

Competing interests: None declared

The Amish community does not vaccinate their children. Many families who have already have a child with autism do not subsequently vaccinate the siblings of that child. This decision is based upon in-depth research that someone in the family undertakes, when looking for explanations on why their child has autism.

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Polio Disappeared Naturally ?

Nelson M Leite, Sao Paulo Federal University, 12 May 2009 5:15 AM EST

Competing interests: None declared

I'm a MD in Brazil and when acting as orthopedic consultant I diagnosed cases of acute poliomyelitis around the 1976 year, and treated children with sequelae of that disease after an epidemic in My country. And after massive vaccination in subsequent years it disappeared, and that was not a happy coincidence.

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Vaccination Data

Nancy Smith, 12 May 2009 9:50 AM EST

Competing interests: None declared

As a pediatric nurse, I have cared for children who contracted vaccine preventable diseases and seen the devastation of those families. As a result, I have encouraged vaccinations when asked for my opinion. Now, I am in the school system and required by law to ensure children are properly vaccinated. The risk factors are a consideration for both sides of this issue. But, I have the feeling that whatever the hard evidence shows, there would be cries of skewing the data and we would still be sitting in one camp or other.

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The Medicine advances

NM Leite, Federal university of Sao Paulo - Brazil, 13 May 2009 8:14 PM EST

Competing interests: None declared

When I intellectually discuss any aspect of advances in the medicine I ever remember the people that are opponent to medical experiences in animals. Those fighters when need any drug for the treatment of an illness, receive naturally prescribed medicines. The situation is very similar in the aspect discussed in this page: if the population's majority are vaccinated those unvaccinated are granted with the result of a massive vaccination. Is it correct?

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Bauchner vaccination comment

C.A. Porubsky, 1 Aug 2009 1:51 PM EST

Competing interests: None declared

What a ridiculous and offensive comment, clearly inferencing mandatory vaccinations for graduation or being able to function in society. Where in the Constitution does it mandate vaccinations?

My body belongs to me. If a woman can go and have an abortion, I ought to be able to make decisions on what goes in my body, regardless of what Bauchner and the Federal Government thinks. After all, let's remember the government's terrible reputation and their ability to compartmentalize best exemplified in their Tuskeegee syphilis study.

Why anyone would trust the FDA, the CDC and the periodicals they fund is beyond me, especially lately.

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