Regarding whether “Sick About Vaccines” should say something to the mothers in question, he should defer to his wife, but should push her to at least tell these women to talk to their doctors and ask about vaccine research and whether the doctor receives sales incentives from any drug company.

I do not understand why a community of skeptics seems to be on the pro-vaccine side.

Vaccines… WORK. Smallpox was eradicated because of mandatory vaccination. Childhood diseases are less prevalent, TB was almost wiped out of some countries, yet because people aren’t getting vaccinated childhood diseases and TB are back on the rise.

Are you just looking at “oh, the book is by Jennie McCarthy, she obviously doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”

You can read what she says, and about the Doctor behind the autism vaccination “link” that she has used to justify her insane views without buying her book. Anyone who thinks there’s evidence that MMR causes autism doesn’t know what they’re talking about.

the context is, the good doctor is speaking about the cells that labs use as a “substrate” or growing medium to GROW those attenuated viruses necessary to make vaccines. If you can read and understantd the whole talk, he is talking about how those cells are not well-documented or even understood in terms of whether they are likely to cause TUMORS, or be otherwise contaminated, and hence CAUSE disease in the subjects receiving the vaccines.

Or if they CAUSE tumors or diseases at all, or if they do how many, what type, and in how many people. Are you also afraid that CERN will suck the EARTH into a BLACK HOLE?

I believe that vaccination should be a choice, not mandatory. You want to vaccinate, okay, I want to not vaccinate, okay – what I fear is the pressure that drug companies are putting on the government to make it mandatory.

Vaccinations work in part because of the opportunity of infection is decreased, they’re not magic shields. If vaccination drops below the required amount for herd immunity more than just the non-vaccinated population is involved depending on how effective the vaccine is. That’s why vaccinations are whole population initatives not just individual choice. Also, as we’re talking about children in this case, they don’t make the choice and they can’t help their parents are ignorant fools.

So that is why all children SHOULD be vaccinated… and come on, talking about problems with the flu vaccine is NOT THE SAME as talking about problems with the regularly scheduled vaccines for the heavy hitting diseases. I couldn’t care less if you never get a flu shot and babies don’t generally get them anyway.

But all children should eventually be vaccinated for polio, measles, tetanus, diptheria, etc. etc.

As for herd immunity – if you were the only parent who had their kid immunized, and the rest of the kids get the disease, and your kid does not, how does dropping herd immunity harm you?

In the situation you describe, it’s unlikely that the “dropping” of herd immunity would harm me – but that kid down the street with infantile leukemia that can’t be vaccinated? That child is certainly at risk of contracting a preventable disease that could kill him.

Allowing parents to make that choice for themselves puts other lives at risk in the same way allowing individuals to drink and drive does.

In regards to the article you presented referring to tumorigenic cell substrate, Dr. Peden makes it clear that he’s speaking only of the MDCK cell line from which an inactivated flu vaccine was derived. Dr. Peden also specifically states that the MedImmune strain of the MDCK cell line was found to be nontumorigenic and that the lines used to create other vaccines have a”very good safety record”.

As we’re speaking specifically of scheduled immunity, the vaccines made from lines Dr. Peden specifically states are “safe”, your assumed assertation that scheduled vaccines may increase disease and/or cancer risk is not only unwarranted, but directly refuted within the article.

As for herd immunity – if you were the only parent who had their kid immunized, and the rest of the kids get the disease, and your kid does not, how does dropping herd immunity harm you?

In the situation you describe, it’s unlikely that the “dropping” of herd immunity would harm me – but that kid down the street with infantile lukemia that can’t be vaccinated? That child is certainly at risk of contracting a preventable disease that could kill him.

Allowing parents to make that choice for themselves puts other lives at risk in the same way allowing individuals to drink and drive does.

In regards to the article you presented referring to tumorigenic cell substrate, Dr. Peden makes it clear that he’s speaking only of the MDCK cell line from which an innactivated flu vaccine was derrived. Dr. Peden also specifically states that the MedImmune strain of the MDCK cell line was found to be nontumorigenic and that the lines used to create other vaccines have a”very good safety record”.

As we’re speaking specifcally of scheduled immunity, the vaccines made from lines Dr. Peden specifically states are “safe”, your assumed assertation that scheduled vaccines may increase disease and/or cancer risk is not only unwarrented, but directly refuted within the article.

I do not consider myself an atheist. I believe in God, but I do not believe in organized religion or churches. I believe in what I have recently learned is called “freethought”. That one should be free to evaluate facts for oneself, and make up one’s own mind, and not have the beliefs of others forced upon them.

It seems to me that those who are anti-vaccine are subject to unwarranted ridicule and harassment simply because they are making up their own minds about the issue.

Rather than anyone saying “everyone should vaccinate” or “everyone should NOT vaccinate”, I would think the skeptic community would instead encourage everyone to do their own research, learn, share information with one another, discuss and debate, to question everything, and above all, that each shall be free to choose for themselves what they will do when it comes to their child.

As for herd immunity – if you were the only parent who had their kid immunized, and the rest of the kids get the disease, and your kid does not, how does dropping herd immunity harm you?

It is like I am saying – each parent should at least be free to make the choice themselves.

Rubella, especially if contracted by a pregnant woman, can be pretty vicious too. From Wikipedia:

“Rubella can cause congenital rubella syndrome in the newly born. The syndrome (CRS) follows intrauterine infection by Rubella virus and comprises cardiac, cerebral, ophthalmic and auditory defects.[4] It may also cause prematurity, low birth weight, and neonatal thrombocytopenia, anaemia and hepatitis. The risk of major defects or organogenesis is highest for infection in the first trimester. CRS is the main reason a vaccine for rubella was developed. Many mothers who contract rubella within the first critical trimester either have a miscarriage or a still born baby. If the baby survives the infection, it can be born with severe heart disorders (PDA being the most common), blindness, deafness, or other life threatening organ disorders. The skin manifestations are called “blueberry muffin lesions.”"

So, before you go off on the “big pharma” scare, consider the dangers of dropping herd immunity for these potentially dangerous diseases.

Check this page out on the CDC site:

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