Kids Increasingly Skipping Vaccines

New report not likely to change minds

(NEWSER) - Once again, a panel of experts has determined that a vaccine isn’t to blame for autism—but the latest findings aren’t likely to sway those who disagree, notes the New York Times. The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, at the center of the debate, “doesn’t cause autism, and the evidence is overwhelming that it doesn’t,” says the chairwoman of the panel, convened by the Institute of Medicine. Rather, some children may have underlying problems that are simply brought to the forefront after receiving a vaccine. More»

Study raises hope for a new tool against pandemic

(NEWSER) - People exposed with the smallpox vaccine may gain a measure of protection against the HIV virus. Researchers from George Washington University exposed white blood cells taken from vaccinated and non-vaccinated individuals and exposed them to HIV. In the smallpox-vaccinated cells, HIV replicated itself significantly slower than in those from non-vaccinated persons, Science Daily reports. More»

Concern high and building, but 60+% don't plan to get a shot

(NEWSER) - Americans are spooked by the growing threat of swine flu but even warier of the vaccine. Half of respondents in a recent Washington Post poll are a “great deal” or “somewhat” worried they or a family member will catch H1N1, up from 39% in August. But more than 60% say they won't get a shot, and just 52% of parents plan to inoculate their kids, even though children are particularly vulnerable to the virus. More»

'Pseudo-science' campaign blamed for rising rates of child illnesses

(NEWSER) - A flourishing anti-vaccination movement based on bad science and distrust of Big Pharma is pressing the rewind button on decades of advances in reducing child illness, writes Amy Wallace. Parents who believe—despite the lack of credible evidence—that vaccines harm children are endangering other people's children as well as their own, Wallace writes in Wired. That's because vaccines don't always take, and skipping shots diminishes the "herd immunity" mass vaccination campaigns rely on. More»

(NEWSER) - Pregnant women and people who care for infants will be first in line for the swine flu vaccine this fall, the Washington Post reports. Infants, children and young adults under 24, chronically ill adults aged 25 to 64, and health care workers are the other top priority groups under guidelines drawn up by experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday. More»