Rethinking our Vaccine Policies - Bismarck Tribune

Mar 26, 2008 - 04:05:06 CDT

By BECKY OLSEN
Bismarck

Dr. Edward Fogarty should be commended for his proposal on childhood vaccinations. This new information on how our children should be tested prior to vaccinations is exactly what we parents should demand the very next time we take our children to the pediatrician. The simple lab test for titers could ensure against over-vaccination.

While I agree with Dr. Terry Dwelle (letter: "Vaccination is an act of love") that vaccines save lives, I am in conflict with his statements on studies that found no link between vaccines and autism. Most parents of autistic children who began life developing normally and then suddenly regressed believe there indeed could be a link.

I take to heart parents' gut feeling and intuition about their own children's condition rather than a study. After all, who knows their own child better than mom and dad?I am a parent who has met with resistance about vaccinations of my own young children on a schedule that differs from what currently is suggested. When I offer my concerns about the harm these vaccines could do to my child I am told that the risks are small and the benefits are great. While I believe this to be true, I don't want my healthy child to be one of the many to develop autism.

I can only imagine the struggles the parents and families go through.Now that we are aware of the simple test that can be done prior to vaccination, we should advocate for it. We should ask our pediatricians and the North Dakota Department of Health for it. We should demand it. We parents should do our part.