THE VACCINE CONTROVERSY

Presented by: Joseph Goodfellow

WHAT ARE VACCINES?

“A substance used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases, prepared from the causative agent of a disease, its products, or a synthetic substitute, treated to act as an antigen without inducing the disease.”

History

Smallpox vaccine introduced in 1798

Diphtheria antitoxin

Tuberculin (1890)

By the 1950s Diphtheria, pertusis, tetanus and

smallpox

By mid-1980s many vaccines have been added Universal Immunization Programme

Present Day• Vaccination schedule

• CDC recommends 28 doses of 10 vaccines for children ages 0-6

• Mandatory school vaccinations

• Exemptions

ACIP’S VACCINE RECOMMENDATIONS• Anthrax

• BCG

• DTaP

• Hepatitis A

• Hepatitis B

• Hib

• DTP

• HPV

• Influenza

• Japanese Encephalitis

• MMR

• Meningococcal

• Pneumgococcal

• Smallpox

• Rotavirus

• Tdap/Td

• Typhoid

• Varicella (chickenpox)

• Yellow Fever

• Shingles

Vaccine Effectiveness

• Rubella• 12.5 million cases during 1964-65 epidemic• In 2004, there were 9 cases

• Measles• 3 million cases up till 1963• > 90% of children were diagnosed by age 15• In 2002, there were 44 cases

• Diphtheria• Approx. 200,000 cases in 1920• In 2002, there was 1 case

• Hib • 20,000 cases per year (before 1985)• In 2002, there were 34 cases

SO WHAT’S THE CONTROVERSY?

Some believe there are flaws with vaccines

Issues that are being raised threaten the belief system that our conventional health care system is predicated upon

“Vaccines are the cause of chronic, debilitating and, in many ways, painful immunologic and neurological disorders.”

CONTROVERSY CON’T…

Diseases haven’t disappeared

More than 350,000 cases of measles were reported from around the world in 2011

Vaccine-preventable diseases haven’t been totally erased Smallpox

CONTROVERSY CON’T..

Is it better to be naturally infected rather than vaccinated?

CONCERNS WITH AUTISM

In 2002, 1 in 68 children were born with ASD

An increase in Autism cases

Theory that Autism is linked to Vaccines

PROS

Vaccines are a preventive measure which is far less costly for governments, health care providers, and the economy than treating victims of the disease after it has appeared

The preventable 1989-91 measles outbreak in the United States, for example, created $100 million in direct medical costs alone

Reduce human deaths and suffering

PROS CON’T..

Vaccines can save your child’s life

Immunization protects others you care about

Immunization protects future generations

Saves time and money

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/index.html

Rubella

MEASLES

INTRODUCTION TO VARIOUS VACCINES

ROTAVIRUS

http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMc1100062

WHAT HAPPENS IF WE STOPPED VACCINES?

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/whatifstop.htm

CON’T…

Breakdown in herd immunity Pertussis epidemic

Japan, 1974 80% of children were getting the disease

Whooping cough outbreak California, 2010 9,500 cases reported (Most in the last 65 years!)

CON’T…

Since the introduction of vaccines; deaths and other preventable-disease related illnesses have

been dramatically reduced Has saved millions of dollars for families and health care

providers Has prevented epidemics seen in the past

SOURCES

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=209448   http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/acip-recs/index.html

http://www.immunizationinfo.org/parents/why-immunize

 http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/concerns/autism/

http://vaccines.procon.org/

http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/whatifstop.htm