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First Balanced Forum on Vaccines
Generates Both Light -- and Sparks
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HACKENSACK, NJ, October 27, 2008 -- The historic, first "fair and balanced forum on vaccines" generated light -- and sparks -- last Thursday among experts on both sides of the safety issue, as well as from parents concerned about new vaccine mandates in New Jersey. Nearly 300 parents, legislators, public health officials and physicians packed an auditorium at Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC) to see the sometimes heated discussion, and hundreds more watched and submitted questions online.
Distinguished Panel Interested in Vaccinating Safely
Left to right: Dr. Margaret Fisher, author David Kirby, Dr. Jeffrey Boscamp, children's health advocate Deirdre Imus, Dr. Lawrence Rosen and Dr. Barbara Montana, Medical Director, Division of Health Emergency Preparedness and Response, representing Commissioner Heather Howard.
"There is a real crisis in confidence with parents over the issue of the safety of vaccines. …But there is no one [on this panel] who is against vaccines. We are all interested in vaccinating safely and making vaccines as safe as possible," said children's health advocate, forum host and moderator Deirdre Imus, founder and President of The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology® (dienviro.com) at HUMC, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit corporation. The speakers included:
- Heather Howard, Commissioner, NJ Department of Health and Senior Services
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Jeffrey Boscamp, M.D., FAAP, chair of the American Academy of Pediatrics, New Jersey Chapter Infectious Diseases Committee and chairman and physician-in-chief of the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at HUMC
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David Kirby, journalist and author, Evidence of Harm: Mercury In Vaccines and The Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy
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Margaret C. Fisher, M.D., FAAP, chair, Section of Infectious Diseases, American Academy of Pediatrics, and medical director, The Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center
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Lawrence Rosen, M.D., Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, New Jersey Medical School, Vice-Chair, AAP Section on Complementary, Holistic and Integrative Medicine, Medical Advisor, The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology®.
"This is an important conference," Dr Boscamp said. "People are concerned and their concerns need to be addressed. By bringing people together to discuss the science behind these vital issues, people will be able to make informed decisions based on facts.” (The full webcast and supporting slides are available at dienviro.com.)
Informed Consent
During a Q&A session that lasted more than an hour, the forum generated sharp remarks from parents, including those who reported their children developed autism following vaccines, leaving them in a daily crisis to cope. A main issue is lack of informed consent, so parents can be the final arbiter of their children's health. This year, New Jersey became the first state to require mandatory flu vaccines for young children. NJ Assembly bill no. 260, introduced in the state legislature last month, would give parents a path for "conscientious exemption" to mandatory immunizations.
Speaking on behalf of parents, Ms. Imus said many are demanding informed consent because they do not feel public health officials are considering the legitimate issues raised by researchers, pediatricians and families.
Paramount among the concerns expressed by many parents were: - There have been no studies that prove the safety of giving multiple vaccines at one time.
- The toxins in vaccines, primarily the continued use of mercury in flu vaccines and increasing amounts of aluminum in many vaccines, both known developmental neurotoxins.
- And the “one size fits all vaccine program” that fails to consider individual vulnerabilities and family medical histories that indicate a child could be at a higher risk for an adverse vaccine reaction.
“Public confidence will be difficult to restore without open and honest communication, common sense and valid solutions, questioning the logic of the same dose of most vaccines for an infant as for a 200 lb adult. It is only natural that parents of children with autism want the right to decide whether a younger sibling should receive a flu shot or other vaccine when they know their previously normal child deteriorated into autism following a vaccine reaction, she said. These are not isolated cases. I have heard this same exact story over and over again from hundreds of parents and families."
Findings and Vaccine Policy Shifts
Evidence of Harm author David Kirby highlighted shifts in U.S. health policy on vaccine safety that appeared inconsistent with past findings and emerging scientific evidence. He detailed recent studies describing the cascading effect of ethyl mercury on biological processes. "The case for a link between thimerosal [ethyl mercury, a toxic vaccine preservative], and autism is far from closed," he said, adding that a wave of new information is expected over the next year.
There was consensus on the panel that further research is needed. Kirby said new research leads him to believe that mercury is not the only factor in vaccines that may be related to autism. He emphasized that beyond genetics, a combination of environmental toxins, including many not in vaccines, may also play a role. He noted the high incidence of autism in New Jersey and California correlate with mercury falling in rain from coal-fired plants.
Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
NJ Health Commissioner Howard, Dr. Boscamp and Dr. Fisher recounted the history of vaccines on eradicating polio and other diseases, and compared U.S. outcomes versus countries without strong vaccine policies. They defended the general safety of vaccines and the need for mandated programs to protect the public from preventable diseases such as mumps, diphtheria and tetanus.
Dr. Fisher, chair of American Academy of Pediatrics section on infectious diseases, said past experience shows that without vaccine mandates, there is a risk that not enough parents will vaccinate to protect the broader population. She said she welcomes new childhood vaccines to the immunization schedule.
New Jersey has the highest autism rates in the nation, and about 500 people protested against vaccine mandates in Trenton last week. Parents at the conference objected that they can not opt out of the process or even delay flu vaccines due to sickness without their child being blocked from school by authorities.
Dr. Fisher argued that if too many parents opt out, flu and other outbreaks can spread readily among children in under-vaccinated groups and then jump to the adult population. This is already happening in pockets of Newark and other cities, she said.
HUMC's Dr. Boscamp acknowledged, "Vaccines have never been totally safe, but the benefits far outweigh the risks." To emphasize his confidence in vaccines, he inoculated his teenage daughter on the "Today Show" last year with the new vaccine for HPV. "Vaccine-preventable diseases are not pretty," he said, displaying slides of infants and children with sores, swollen limbs, and obstructed airways.
As one of the first pediatric infectious disease specialists in northern New Jersey at HUMC in the late 80s, he witnessed the impact of a bacteria known as Haemophilus influenzae, Type B. Broad use of the HIB vaccine has since virtually eliminated the associated meningitis in the U.S. He used pertussis vaccine as an example of what could happen when vaccine coverage rates decline. He stated that there could be a deadly resurgence as was seen in the U.K. and Japan. He noted the experience of the U.K. is not unique and emergence of vaccine preventable diseases can be expected whenever immunization rates fall dramatically.
Balancing Science, Policy and Real-World Concerns
As a physician, Dr. Rosen said he understands both sides of the policy issue, yet as a pediatrician, he must answer real questions from parents everyday. "It's not that parents are against vaccines…In most cases, parents have already decided to vaccinate and are most interested in knowing how to minimize risks for their child."
Dr. Rosen, whose practice is in Oradell, N.J., recommends parents consult with pediatricians and consider managing vaccine risks through such approaches as:
- Limiting the number of vaccines given to an infant, young child or pregnant mother in a single day.
- Avoiding vaccines with thimerosal (ethyl mercury) still used in multi-dose flu shots and other vaccines.
- Waiting to administer a vaccine if a child has a fever or is otherwise sick. (Be careful about "catching up" on multiple missed vaccines following an illness.)
- Weighing known or likely genetic predispositions and other risk factors.
- Checking blood levels of vaccine antigens (titers) before selective vaccination (i.e. second MMR).
He said that health authorities at the state and national level should advise on such real-world practices and update recommendations as new science emerges.
ABOUT THE DEIRDRE IMUS ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER FOR PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY:
The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology® at Hackensack University Medical Center represents one of the first hospital-based programs whose specific mission is to identify, control and ultimately prevent exposures to environmental factors that may cause adult, and especially pediatric cancer, as well as other health problems with our children. The Center’s mission is twofold: to enhance health by educating our children, their parents and the public-at-large about the carcinogens and other environmental factors that occur all too commonly in our lives…and to serve as a voice that can realistically help shape policy decisions that impact the environment and our well being.
ABOUT DEIRDRE IMUS:
Deirdre Imus is the Founder and President of The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology® at Hackensack University Medical Center and Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer. Deirdre is the author of two New York Times bestsellers -- the newest book in the Green This! series, Growing Up Green, Baby and Child Care; a practical family guide to raising children in an ever increasing toxic world; and Green This! Volume 1: Greening Your Cleaning, offering a wealth of insights and expertise for protecting families from harmful chemicals. She is also author of Imus Ranch: Cooking for Kids and Cowboys, a national bestseller, and a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post.
Posted 11-7-08
Media contacts:
Charles Bins
The Marketing PR Network
201-664-6386
Bonnie Eskenazi
The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology®
201-336-8071
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Greening Vaccines
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""Vaccinations are important, but we must vaccinate safely in order to ensure the
health of our children."
-- Deirdre Imus
Through a new "Greening Vaccines" program, The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology® is actively working with doctors around the country to: 1) ban toxins in vaccines, 2) require manufacturers to prove safety, and 3) establish protocols that limit multiple vaccines in the same visit.
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