[PROVE] Parents group, doctors disagree on shot safety

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[Dear PROVE Members,

If you want to respond to what these doctors say in this article in the form of

a letter to the editor, the information is below. Please forward a copy to us

too at prove@.... These doctors have a history of being exactly as

they show themselves here and they deserve printed and circulated responses.

Thank you! DR]

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Parents group, doctors disagree on shot safety

By Cromer

Star-Telegram Staff Writer

Posted on Sun, Aug. 07, 2005

http://www.dfw.com/mld/dfw/news/state/12325509.htm

Pamela Crouse says her son was a social, smiling infant.

He walked at 9 1/2 months. At 18 months, he could tell his mommy, " I love you. "

Then he was vaccinated. He received five shots covering nine diseases.

It was two years before his mother heard him speak those words again.

" I got a different baby out of it, " said Crouse, of Garland. " It was almost like

someone turned a light off. "

Crouse's son was later diagnosed with autism, a condition she blames on the

vaccines.

Because of lobbying by Crouse and others, it is now easier for Texas parents to

opt their children out of compulsory vaccinations. Only a few thousand have done

so, but some experts are worried that as more parents learn about the 2-year-old

law, the number could rise -- increasing the likelihood that some childhood

diseases will make a comeback.

" It is a horrible law, " said Dr. Jeff , a general pediatrician with Forest

Park Pediatrics in Fort Worth. " Legal does not always mean right. "

Parents pre-paring for the start of the school year can cite " reasons of

conscience " or medical or religious objections if they don't want their children

immunized.

Texas is one of 18 states that allow parents this choice, but most school

districts don't inform parents about the exemption, saying the vaccines increase

public health and safety.

Crouse has not had her son vaccinated since he was " injured, " as she puts it.

After the shots, he screamed throughout the night. He stopped making eye

contact. Early speech regressed to garbled sounds. He walked rigidly on his toes

and flapped his arms. He banged his head on floors and walls.

Spurred by her conviction that the vaccines were the culprit, Crouse continues

to advocate more parental control over children's health care -- despite

doctors' warnings.

Changing the law

Before 2003, parents could opt out of vaccinations only for medical or religious

reasons. Otherwise, children without the proper immunizations were not allowed

to attend school.

" Most parents that had vaccination concerns took a religious exemption and lied

about their religion, " said Dawn , who founded Austin-based PROVE, or

Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education in 1997.

That changed with House Bill 2292, which passed during the 2003 legislative

session. It was a mammoth health care bill with a childhood-immunization

amendment tacked on.

The original amendment, by Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, would have allowed

parents a conscientious objection if a sibling had already suffered an adverse

reaction. But in committee, the language about siblings was removed, leaving a

broader exemption.

The amendment was included largely because of lobbying by and other

members of PROVE.

" These are parents that had done a tremendous amount of research, "

said. " I want to dispel the myth that these people are lazy or irresponsible. "

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that children

entering school receive nine vaccines, plus the hepatitis A vaccine in certain

areas. If the children are entering day care, there are three additional

vaccines. State health departments typically follow the CDC's recommendations.

To opt out of vaccinations, parents must contact the Texas Department of State

Health Services for a request form, and the completed form must be filed with

the child's school. Schools do not have the forms.

From May 1, 2004, to Aug. 31, 2004, Tarrant County saw about 300 requests for

exemptions under the new law. Statewide, 3,873 students were exempted from Sept.

1, 2004, to mid-July 2005.

For most school districts, that means just a handful of children. Last year in

the Grapevine-Colleyville school district, for example, one kindergarten student

and two seventh-graders were exempted from vaccinations.

" The number of requests that we get has remained steady, " said Townsend,

an epidemiologist with the Texas Department of State Health Services. " It's too

early to tell what the full impact will be. "

Townsend said she would be concerned if a large number of parents requested

exemptions, particularly in one geographical area. It might be five years before

statistics show the effect of the law, she said.

Fearing the consequences

Many health professionals say they don't need to wait five years.

They already know what will happen, said Dr. Mark Shelton, medical director of

infectious diseases at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth.

" Anytime people stop vaccinating, those diseases come back, " he said.

In the United Kingdom in 1977, skepticism about the need for the vaccine for

pertussis, or whooping cough, led to a decrease in immunizations. In 1982,

47,508 cases of pertussis were reported, the highest in 25 years, according to

the CDC.

In Dublin, Ireland, in 2000, when the measles-vaccination rate dropped to 70

percent, there were 355 cases of the measles, and three children died.

From 1989 to 1991, about 55,000 cases of measles and 132 deaths were reported in

the United States. Most cases were in pockets of unvaccinated preschool children

in urban areas, the CDC reported.

" That has been the worldwide problem with stopping vaccines before the disease

has been eradicated, " Shelton said. " These are not trivial diseases. Children

died of whooping cough this year -- in Texas. "

, the pediatrician, testified against PROVE during the 2003 legislative

session. He and about 40 other doctors from Cook Children's rode a bus to Austin

for the hearings.

He calls the country's vaccination schedule " the greatest scientific leap of the

past 100 years. "

And even though his own daughter was diagnosed with autism six years ago, at age

3, holds the shots harmless.

" My daughter didn't get autism, " he said. " She was born with it. The studies

show that there is no connection between autism and the vaccines. "

' daughter has received all of her vaccinations. And no shot has worsened

her condition or reversed improvements she has made, he said.

Some children should not get vaccines. Parents of children who have compromised

immune systems or who have had reactions to vaccines should consult a doctor

before the child receives that vaccine again, doctors say.

But in a healthy child's body, said, the immune system is strong enough

to battle 10,000 antigens -- which are foreign substances, such as bacteria --

at one time. Four vaccines given simultaneously introduce about 300 antigens,

far fewer than the number that would put a child at risk, he said.

He gives this information to parents who question the necessity of vaccines. He

tells them about potential risks and about his personal experience.

If a mother is adamantly against vaccinating her child, said, he will

tell her to find another doctor.

" If you refuse the vaccinations, you have taken our greatest weapon for helping

your child, " he said. " Ethically, I cannot take care of that child when I am

handicapped.

" If that child contracts measles, how do I hold that child's hand as they die

and say I've done everything I can? "

In 16 years with Cook Children's, has told five parents to leave his

practice for that reason.

Shelton said parents should educate themselves about the vaccines. But they

should trust that the shots are thoroughly tested and relatively safe, he said.

Vaccines are typically 85 percent to 90 percent effective, leaving even

vaccinated children at risk for the illness. Even though an unvaccinated child

may seem to be in more danger, children whose shots are current can still carry

diseases and pass them on.

" There are risks from vaccines, " Shelton said. " But these are terrible diseases.

Relative to the diseases, they're not the same kind of risks.

" I think the Texas law is pretty selfish, " he said. " We have study after study

that demonstrate that accusations of groups like PROVE are not true. The FDA

doesn't put vaccines out there just because. These products are lifesaving. "

Parents seek more control

and Crouse disagree with that explanation.

When searching for a reason for her son's illness, Crouse " was trying to prove

it was anything but vaccines, " she said.

" I believed in the system, " she said. " But the more I tried, the more I found

proof to the contrary. "

accuses the medical community of inadequate safety testing of

vaccines and inadequate research into the long-term effects of administering

multiple vaccines.

And despite the insistence that vaccines are safe -- by the CDC, the National

Institute of Child Health and Human Development, and the Food and Drug

Administration -- a growing number of parents believe that thimerosal, a

preservative used in vaccines that contains mercury, causes autism.

According to the CDC, except for some flu vaccines, no vaccines used on

preschool children contain thimerosal as a preservative.

" Children are exposed to multitudes of environmental toxins, vaccines included, "

said. " For some kids, it's the shot that breaks the camel's back. "

That's what Crouse believes happened to her son.

" Parents are trained to trust, " Crouse said. " I should have educated myself on

this more. If I knew then what I know now about vaccines, I wouldn't have given

a one -- not one. "

and Crouse continue to advocate parental choice. They oppose any

effort to mandate vaccinations, and they are dismayed that most school districts

tell parents at registration that vaccinations are required and rarely volunteer

information about the right to be a " conscientious exemptor. "

School districts are not required to notify parents of the exemption law.

The Hurst-Euless-Bedford school district discloses the information only if

parents ask, said Pam Hernalsteen, lead nurse for the district. Last year, 99.65

percent of the district's students were vaccinated. Fewer than 20 of the almost

20,000 district students were exempted.

H-E-B uses a computer system to track immunizations. Letters and sometimes phone

calls are used monthly to remind parents of upcoming vaccinations.

In Arlington schools, nurses track vaccinations and send parents notice of

upcoming immunization clinics sponsored by the county health department.

The district, however, does not send home information about the exemption.

" I let them come to us, " said Sandy Rivers, supervisor of health services for

Arlington schools. " We don't try to keep it a secret. But we feel like

immunizations are for the health and safety of the masses. The more people that

are immunized, the safer we all are. "

Rivers added that if there is an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease at

school, the parents of the unvaccinated children are notified and the children

must stay at home until the danger has passed.

Whether parents decide to immunize their children or not, Crouse said, they

should not blindly trust their doctors.

" Parents these days will look more into options on buying a new car than they

will into vaccines they're giving a child, " Crouse said. " More and more, we're

losing rights to choose what type of health care our children have. "

IN THE KNOW

Reported cases of vaccine-preventable diseases

2003 Chickenpox Hepatitis B Hib* Measles Mumps Pertussis Rubella Tetanus

Tarrant Co. 469 84 0 0 0 48 0 0

Region** 1,571 297 0 0 3 218 0 0

State 5,465 965 5 0 18 670 0 1

2002

Tarrant Co. 561 118 0 0 2 79 0 0

Region 1,896 373 1 1 4 317 1 0

State 6,047 1,110 7 1 15 1,240 2 2

2001

Tarrant Co. 442 34 0 0 0 25 0 0

Region 1,809 252 0 0 3 175 0 1

State 5,741 714 3 1 14 615 2 3

2000

Tarrant Co. 188 66 0 0 2 11 0 0

Region 1,964 417 1 0 9 164 1 1

State 7,003 1,059 4 0 27 327 6 5

1999

Tarrant Co. 47 73 NA 0 0 19 2 0

Region 2,377 377 NA 1 18 62 4 1

State 7,473 864 NA 7 35 152 9 6

*Haemophilus influenzae type b

**The region is made up of 19 counties, including Tarrant, Dallas and Denton.

SOURCE: Texas Department of State Health Services

IN THE KNOW

Immunization clinics in the area

Tarrant County Public Health is conducting immunization events to coincide with

the start of school. The cost per child is $10. Parents should bring their

child's immunization records.

* Monday through Saturday, Six Flags Mall, Arlington, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

* Monday through Saturday, Wiley G. Coliseum, 6108 Broadway Ave., Haltom

City, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

* Aug. 15-20, Tarrant County College Northwest Campus, 4801 Marine Creek

Parkway, Fort Worth, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

* Aug. 22-26, La Gran Plaza, 4200 South Freeway, Fort Worth, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.

Guidelines

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest that children

receive the following vaccinations by age 5:

Hepatitis B

Diphtheria

Tetanus

Pertussis

Haemophilus influenzae type b

Polio

Measles

Mumps

Rubella

Varicella (chickenpox)

Pneumococcal conjugate

Influenza

Hepatitis A (in selected populations)

How to opt out

* Parents who want to exempt a child from required vaccinations must contact the

Texas Department of State Health Services to get a form.

* A request must include the full name for each child; date of birth of each

child; parent or guardian's complete return mailing address; and the number of

forms needed for each child.

* Written requests may be faxed to or mailed or hand-delivered to

Immunization Branch, Texas Department of State Health Services, 1100 W. 49th

St., Austin, TX 78756.

* The vaccine exemption affidavit must be signed, notarized and submitted to the

child's school.

Religious objections

The followers of some religions object to vaccinations. Christian Scientists,

for example, believe that prayer, not medical treatment, is the key to wellness

and healing.

ONLINE:www.909shot.com

www.vaccineinfo.net

Cromer, kcromer@...

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Dawn

PROVE(Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education)

prove@... (email)

http://vaccineinfo.net/ (web site)

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PROVE provides information on vaccines, and immunization policies and practices

that affect the children and adults of Texas. Our mission is to prevent vaccine

injury and death and to promote and protect the right of every person to make

informed independent vaccination decisions for themselves and their family.

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