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PEDIATRICIANS GIVE SOUND ADVICE ON VACCINES
For Immediate Release: April 27, 2009
CHICAGO – In recognition of National Infant Immunization Week (April 25-May 1), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is offering a new resource to parents who have questions about vaccines. A series of audio interviews with pediatricians, infectious disease experts and others are posted at http://www.cispimmunize.org/fam/soundadvice.html.
Parents can hear answers to questions such as:
- Are there toxins in vaccines?
- Is it better to let your child get chickenpox naturally?
- What is “herd immunity?”
- Is the HPV vaccine safe?
- Do vaccines cause autism?
- What does the recent decision in vaccine court mean for parents?
- How dangerous is the flu?
- Why should infants get the Hepatitis B vaccine?
- Do babies have natural immunity against diseases?
- Can too many vaccines overwhelm a child’s immune system?
Experts include AAP President David T. Tayloe, Jr., MD, FAAP, a pediatrician in private practice in Goldsboro, N.C., and President-Elect Judith Palfrey, MD, FAAP, the T. Berry Brazelton Professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Paul Offit, MD, FAAP, inventor of a Rotavirus vaccine, discusses vaccine safety. Meg Fisher, MD, FAAP, chair of the AAP Section on Infectious Diseases, and Joseph Bocchini, MD, FAAP, chair of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases, each talk about the diseases that vaccines prevent and the importance of immunization. Ari Brown, MD, FAAP, author of “Baby 411” dispels common vaccine myths. Anna Lincoln, MD, FAAP, tells why parents should feel confident about immunizing their children.
The audio interviews also include a public service announcement by actress Amanda Peet, and an interview with Amy Pisani, executive director of the vaccine advocacy group Every Child By Two. Ken Reibel, a parent of a child with autism and creator of the blog Autism News Beat, discusses why some parents mistakenly blame vaccines for autism and offers advice to parents who are receiving an autism diagnosis.
“The AAP wants parents to have all the information they need to feel confident in their decision to immunize their children,” Dr. Tayloe said. “Pediatricians are here to support parents in making good health care decisions for their children, and vaccines are critical to our efforts to keep our children out of harm’s way.”
The AAP has additional resources about immunization for parents and journalists:
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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
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