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Measles in Disneyland:
Third MMR Shot and Vaccine Exemption Ban?
by Barbara Loe Fisher
There
have been hundreds of media stories published in the U.S. and around
the world since Jan. 14, 2015, the day after it was first reported that
visitors to Disneyland got measles and presumably infected other people
in California, Washington, Utah and Colorado. Like wildfire, the story
spread globally even though there was - and still is - limited
information about the 51 lab-confirmed cases of measles public health
officials say are linked to the happiest place on earth. According a
Jan. 23 Health Advisory issued by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),
"no source case for the outbreak has been identified."
Demonizing of Parents and Their Children
The
U.S. has a population of more than 320 million people and 38 million
people live in California, so it is curious why a handful of measles
cases prompted one California newspaper to quickly place blame on
parents making informed vaccine choices, calling them "ignorant" and
engaged in a "self-absorbed rejection of science." Astroturfers and
trolls saw that kind of talk as a green light to do more of it on public
comment boards...
Read this referenced commentary, watch a video and make a comment here.
Report and Share Your Vaccine Experiences
If
you or your child have gotten vaccinated and the vaccine failed to work
or caused harm or you have been threatened or punished for declining
one or more vaccines, you can report and also choose to share your
experiences with others on NVIC's website here.
NVIC in the News
In
the 33-year history of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC),
no single event related to vaccine safety, policy and law has generated
the number of media inquiries that NVIC has received between Jan. 14 and
Jan. 28, 2015. Although most print and broadcast media stories about
Disneyland-related measles cases have been similar in tone and content,
the perspective of NVIC and parents defending vaccine choices has been
represented in a number of the stories, including:
LA Times Jan. 14 (Disneyland, Holiday Travel a Perfect Match for Measles' Spread): "I
don't think we should have a black-and-white approach and just say it's
the fault of the unvaccinated people," said Barbara Loe Fisher,
president of the National Vaccine Information Center. "You have the
right to be fully informed about the benefits and risk of a medical
intervention and [to] be able to make a voluntary choice without being
harassed, coerced or punished for the choice you make."
San Diego Union Jan. 17 (Measles Outbreak Fuels Vaccination Debate): Barbara
Loe Fisher, director of the National Vaccine Information Center, a
Virginia-based nonprofit group that opposes compulsory immunization,
said she and many others distrust establishment claims that
vaccination's negative side effects are rare. "From an informed
consumer's perspective, what I have found are gaps in the vaccine safety
science that need to be filled," Fisher said. "We do not truly
understand the scope of vaccine injury. ... We need to give respect to
parents who are trying to do the best for their children."
KCRA-TV- Sacramento Jan. 20 (Study: More East Sac, Roseville Parents Refuse to Vaccinate Kids):
""It's not a black or white issue," said Barbara Loe Fisher, president
of the National Vaccine Information Center. Her group is not
anti-vaccine, but advocates for parental choice. Fisher said parents
shouldn't be "forced" to vaccinate. She said it's about intelligent
people looking at all the information and reaching different
decisions."
New York Times Jan. 21, (Measles Cases Linked to Disneyland Rises, Debate Over Vaccinations Intensifies): "It's
premature to blame the increase in reports of measles on the
unvaccinated when we don't have all the facts yet," said Barbara Loe
Fisher, the president of the National Vaccine Information Center,
a group raising concerns about inoculations. "I do know this:
Fifty-seven cases of measles coming out of Disneyland in a country with a
population of 317 million people is not a lot of cases. We should all
take a deep breath and wait to see and get more information."
Vice.com, Jan. 22 (A Measles Outbreak at Disneyland is Reigniting the Debate About Vaccination): "A vocal critic of vaccinations, National Vaccine Information Center
President Barbara Loe Fisher, said she thinks Cherry was being
closed-minded. Her son developed brain swelling after a vaccination and
now has learning disabilities, she said, adding that doctors and drug
makers don't want parents to know about the dangers of vaccinations.
"People like to make this a black and white issue," Loe Fisher told VICE
News. "We either do it the way the government has outlined or there is
something wrong with you. We have a lot of people with adverse reactions
to vaccinations."
NBC Evening News Jan. 22: "Susan
Lawson says she will not immunize her children against measles after
she says her daughter had a severe and life threatening reaction to the
vaccine. "Does my child's life mean less than a vaccinated child's life?
I don't think so." and Jan. 24: "Some
people get measles vaccine and have no problems; other people
have complications and severe health problems from use of measles
vaccine." [Barbara Loe Fisher, National Vaccine Information Center].
Associated Press Jan. 23 (Measles Outbreak Cases Cast Spotlight on Anti-Vaccine Movement):
"Barbara Loe Fisher, of the National Vaccine Information Center, a
Virginia-based nonprofit that favors letting parents decide whether to
vaccinate, said, "I don't think it's wise or responsible to blame"
unvaccinated people for the Disney outbreak. She noted that a small
number of those stricken had been fully vaccinated."
Reuters, Jan. 24 ( Doctors Group Urges Measles Shot As Disneyland Outbreak Spreads): "Barbara
Loe Fisher, president of the National Vaccine Information Center, a
group calling for "informed consent" for parents regarding vaccinations,
said the Disneyland outbreak had touched off a "media frenzy." "There's
a lot of name-calling going on rather than talking about substantive
policy issues," she said."
USA Today, Jan. 27 (Let Parents Make Informed Choices: Inflexible Mandates Threaten the Health of Children): "While
vaccines are promoted as safe and effective, this is not true for
everyone. Vaccine risks are different for each child because we are not
all the same, and doctors cannot predict which child will be harmed.
Inflexible vaccine mandates threaten the health of those children." [Mary Jo Perry, co-director, Mississippi Parents for Vaccine Rights]
In the News
ABC News Jan 15 (Newlywed Dies of Sepsis After Getting Flu): "Katie
McQuestion, a 26-year-old radiology technician from Kenosha, Wisconsin,
got a flu shot to comply with hospital policy and had no underlying
medical conditions, but she caught the flu and developed a serious
complication from it: sepsis. She died on Jan. 2."
CNBC Jan. 17 (Price Tag of Saving the World from Disease): "Infectious
diseases are incubating everywhere across the world-ranging from the
deadly Ebola virus to the more common yet debilitating influenza-to
often devastating effect. It raises the question of how large a premium
should world governments pay to insulate their economies from global
pandemics. Would you believe $343.7 billion? That eye-popping figure is
one of several takeaways of a group of scholars calling for a "global
strategy" to mitigate the impact of threats to public health."
Science Daily Jan. 19 (California Clusters of Underimmunization Identified in Northern California): "Researchers
used spatial analysis software and electronic medical records to
identify clusters of underimmunization and vaccine refusal among Kaiser
Permanente members in Northern California, according to a study
published today in the journal Pediatrics.Children
are considered to be underimmunized when they miss one or more
recommended vaccine doses before age three, while vaccine refusal means
not allowing a child to receive any vaccines."
Mail Online Jan. 25 (Girl, five, Dies from a Strain of the Flu She Was Vaccinated Against): A
five-year-old girl has died in hospital three days after developing a
strain of the flu that she was vaccinated against - as a deadly outbreak
of the virus continues to sweep across the country."
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