Vaccine Safety in Oregon

Information provided by the Oregon Health Authority,

Public Health Division.

Vaccines have been used to prevent disease for over 200 years.

Today, vaccines have been developed to prevent several diseases:

Measles Mumps Rubella Whooping cough

Polio Chickenpox Diphtheria Meningococc

al disease

Pneumococcal disease

Rotavirus

Influenza Tetanus

Hepatitis A & B Hib

Human Papillomaviru

s

Immunizations are so important, children are required to be

vaccinated before attending childcare or school.

Religious Exemption Rates 2000-2012

Before you sign a religious exemption to immunization,

consider:

Your decision could affect others in your community.

You may have to keep your child at home during an

outbreak.

Questions about vaccines:

Are vaccines safe?

Nothing is risk-free.

Are vaccines safe?

Vaccines are tested before they are licensed, then monitored to ensure their safety.

Are vaccines safe?

Healthcare providers must provide a Vaccine Information Statement, which discusses the risks and benefits of each vaccine.

Are so many shots safe for my baby?

Numerous studies have determined that simultaneous vaccination with multiple vaccines won’t overwhelm a body’s immune system.

Are so many shots safe for my baby? Today’s vaccines are more effective and contain fewer antigens than ever.

0

1000

2000

3000

Antigens

Are so many shots safe for my baby?

•A CDC committee takes great care to ensure that children get their shots at the ages when the vaccines are most effective.

•Combining vaccines into one shot means kids have fewer shots, fewer office visits and less discomfort.

Are infants too young to get shots?•Most babies are born with some immunity from their mothers.

•Many of the diseases that vaccines prevent occur in very young infants.

•Vaccines don’t weaken the immune response, they boost it.

Isn’t it better to gain immunity naturally by getting the disease?

•Natural infection can come at a high price.

•A child may have a mild case or even no symptoms at all, but he or she could pass on the disease to a child who can’t be immunized.

Are the diseases that vaccines prevent really dangerous?

•Yes. Many vaccine-preventable diseases are no longer seen on this continent so we have forgotten how horrible they are.

•Some dangerous diseases are still prevalent.

•Disease is just a plane ride away.

•Even diseases that seem mild can be dangerous for healthy kids.

Baby Grace

Why are immunizations given on a schedule? What is the harm in

spacing shots out?

Why are immunizations given on a schedule? What is the harm in

spacing shots out?

Delaying shots can make children susceptible to disease for longer periods of time.

Why are immunizations given on a schedule? What is the harm in

spacing shots out?

There is no data to support safety and effectiveness of an alternative schedule.

Why are immunizations given on a schedule? What is the harm in

spacing shots out?

Alternative schedules mean more shots, more office visits and more stress for kids.

Are there harmful ingredients in vaccines?

Some people have allergic reactions to ingredients found in vaccines.

Egg proteinsAntibioticsYeast proteinsGelatin

Ask your health care provider!

Is there mercury in vaccines?

Thimerosal was removed from childhood vaccines in 2001.

What about aluminum in vaccines? Is it harmful?

•Aluminum salts have been in vaccines for 80 years.

•Aluminum is in the air, water and the food we eat.

•Babies who are breastfed consume about 10 milligrams of aluminum in their first six months, compared to 4 milligrams in the all the vaccines they receive during that time.

Why does a newborn get a hepatitis B vaccine?

• Hepatitis B is around!• Not everyone with hepatitis B knows they’re

infected.• Outcomes tend to be worse in young people.• The vaccine is safe.

Do vaccines cause autism?

Do vaccines cause autism?

No.

Why should people trust a system that makes money for

drug companies?

•Vaccines aren’t a big moneymaker.

• Vaccines are held to a higher regulatory standard than drugs.

As Oregonians, we cherish our independent spirit, but we also

care deeply about our neighbors. Immunization keeps our families

and communities safe from disease.

For more information about vaccine safety:

• Ask your health care provider

• Call the Oregon Immunization Program 971-673-0300

• Visit the Oregon Immunization Program’s website healthoregon.org/imm

This presentation is based on information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Oregon Health Authority, as well as Vaccines and Your Child: Separating Fact from Fiction by Paul A. Offit, MD and Charlotte A. Moser (Columbia University Press, 2011).

Glossary• AAFP: American Academy of Family Physicians.• AAP: American Academy of Pediatrics.• Adjuvant: An agent that may stimulate the

immune system and increase the response to a vaccine; from the Latin word to aid.

• ACIP: Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

• Antigen: An antigen is any substance that causes your immune system to produce antibodies against it.

• Autism: is a developmental disorder that affects the brain’s normal development of social and communication skills.

Glossary, cont.

• CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.• DTaP: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis vaccine.• Hib: haemophilus influenzae type b, a bacterium

that causes severe disease in young children.• HPV: human papillomavirus.• MMR: measles, mumps, rubella vaccine.• Thimerosal: a mercury-containing organic

preservative used in some flu vaccines but taken out of routine childhood vaccinations in 2001.

References and Related Studies• Glanz, J.M., D.L. McClure, D.J. Magid, et al. “Parental Refusal of Pertussis

Vaccination is Associated with an Increased Risk of Pertussis Infection in Children.” Pediatrics 123 (2009): 1446-1451.

• Honda, H., Y. Shimizu, and M. Rutter. “No Effect of MMR Withdrawal on the Incidence of Autism: A Total Population Study.” Journal of Child Psychiatry and Psychology 46 (2005): 572-579.

• Hviid, A., M. Stellfeld, J. Wohlfahrt. and M. Melbye. “Association Between Thimerosal-Containing Vaccine and Autism.” Journal of the American Medical Association 290 (2003): 1763-1766.

• Kelso, J.M. and J.T. Li. “Adverse Reactions to Vaccines.” Annals of Allergy Asthma and Immunology 103 (2009): S10-S14.

• Offit, P.A. and R.K. Jew. “Addressing Parents’ Concerns: Do Vaccines Contain Harmful Preservatives, Adjuvants, Additives or Residuals?” Pediatrics 112 (2003): 1394-1401.

• Offit, P.A., J. Quarles, M.A. Gerber, et al. “Addressing Parents’ Concerns: Do Multiple Vaccines Overwhelm or Weaken the Infant’s Immune System?” Pediatrics 109 (2002): 124-129.

• Ramsay, D.S. and M. Lewis. “Developmental Changes in Infant Cortisol and Behavior Response to Inoculation.” Child Development 65 (1994): 1491-1502.