Should any vaccines be required for children?

ProCon.org, a nonpartisan 501(c)3 nonprofit public charity dedicated to promoting critical thinking, created the new website http://vaccines.procon.org/ to explore the core question “Should any vaccines be required for children?”

Although no federal vaccination laws exist, all 50 states require certain vaccinations for children entering public schools. Depending on the state, children must be vaccinated against some or all of the following diseases: mumps, measles, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, and polio. All 50 states also issue medical exemptions to vaccinations; 48 states (excluding Mississippi and West Virginia) permit religious exemptions, and 20 states allow an exemption for philosophical reasons. As of 2009, the national average vaccination rate for required school entry vaccines was 95.41%.

Proponents of vaccination argue it is one of the greatest public health developments of the 20th century. They point out that diseases like rubella (German measles), diphtheria, and whooping cough once killed tens of thousands of infants every year in the U.S. and are now avoided by vaccination. They argue that, although vaccination is not without risks (including rare but serious side effects such as seizures, paralysis, and death), the public health benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks.

Opponents of vaccination argue that children’s immune systems can deal with most infections and that natural immunity should be allowed to develop. They argue that possible severe side effects from vaccination are a risk that children should not be subjected to when, in most cases, diseases that children are vaccinated against are not usually life threatening. They also argue that vaccines can cause adverse reactions including allergies, auto-immune disorders, autism, ADHD, multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

As of 2009, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics, and the American Academy of Physicians recommend that children be vaccinated against fifteen different common childhood illnesses. The American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, the National Vaccine Information Center, and Generation Rescue say parents should not be required to vaccinate their children.

The latest ProCon.org website explores many pro and con arguments and includes sources, images, videos, reader comments, and a section of little known facts called “Did You Know?” The findings should help readers think critically, educate themselves, and make informed decisions about childhood vaccination.

Did You Know?
– According to a 2003 report by researchers at the Pediatric Academic Society, childhood vaccinations in the U.S. prevent about 10.5 million cases of infectious illness and 33,000 deaths per year.
– About 30,000 cases of adverse reactions to vaccines have been reported annually to the federal government since 1990, with 13% classified as serious, meaning associated with permanent disability, hospitalization, life-threatening illness, or death.
– Over 5,500 cases alleging a causal relationship between vaccinations and autism have been filed under the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims between 2001 and 2009.


FDA approves Ampyra to improve walking in adults with Multiple Sclerosis

  • Author: Health Informer
  • Filed under: Health News
  • Date: Jan 24,2010

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved Ampyra (dalfampridine) extended release tablets to improve walking in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). In clinical trials, patients treated with Ampyra had faster walking speeds than those treated with an inactive pill (placebo). This is the first drug approved for this use.

MS is a chronic, often disabling, disease that affects the central nervous system–the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. There are about 400,000 people in the United States and 2.5 million people world-wide with MS.

The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. Symptoms can be mild, such as numbness in the limbs, or severe, such as paralysis or loss of vision. About half of all people with MS experience cognitive impairments like difficulties in concentration, attention, memory, and judgment, although these symptoms are usually mild and are frequently overlooked. Depression also is common among MS patients.

“Trouble with walking is one of the most debilitating problems people with MS face,” said Russell Katz, M.D., director of the Division of Neurology Products in the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Ampyra, when given at doses greater than that recommended (10 milligrams twice a day), can cause seizures. The most common adverse reactions reported by patients taking Ampyra in clinical trials include urinary tract infection, insomnia, dizziness, headache, nausea, weakness, back pain, balance disorder, swelling in the nose or throat, constipation, diarrhea, indigestion, throat pain, and burning, tingling or itching of skin.

Ampyra should not be used in patients with moderate to severe kidney disease. In these patients, blood levels with the drug approach those associated with the occurrence of seizures.

Ampyra will be manufactured under licenses from Elan of Dublin, Ireland, and distributed by Acorda Therapeutics Inc. of Hawthorne, N.Y.

Source: U.S. Food and Drug Administration


IVF Florida first fertility clinic in state to offer combined genetic screening & high-tech diagnostics to avoid inherited diseases

Florida’s largest fertility clinic announced it is the first in the state to offer promising new tests against birth defects: a coupling of technologies that will allow couples to avoid passing along more than 100 genetic diseases to their newborn.

Specialists of IVF Florida Reproductive Associates are optimistic that the combination of a brand-new saliva test – administered before pregnancy – to identify couples at risk of bearing children with genetic diseases, along with an ultra high-tech biopsy process – conducted after conception – will help prevent the inheritance of many genetic disorders.

The tests screen disorders ranging from Tay-Sachs to cystic fibrosis to sickle cell disease, said Dr. Steven J. Ory of IVF Florida and former president of the American Society of Reproductive Medicine. The process lets parents screen for genetic diseases before pregnancy–rather than face unwelcome news later in pregnancy when tests such as amniocentesis and chorionic villus sampling are done.

“After 30 years in reproductive medicine, I am more optimistic about this development in genetic disease prevention than I’ve ever been,” Ory said. “It appears to be very promising helping parents-to-be routinely screen for many inherited diseases.”

The Universal Genetic Test became available in late 2009 from Counsyl, Inc. and can be ordered through IVF Florida with results returned in two weeks. If both parents’ tests show they are carriers of certain recessive genes, they can undergo IVF, an embryo biopsy and microarray pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD).

“More than 80 percent of children with inherited diseases are born to healthy parents with no family history of those diseases,” Ory said. “A five-minute saliva test to alleviate such anguish is a major step in disease prevention.”

Source: IVF Florida Reproductive Associates


Stem Cell Assurance, Inc. announced that Arthur Handal, MD., F.A.C.S. has performed the first regenerative cell breast augmentation through its nationwide physician network. The procedure was performed at Handal Plastic Surgery in Boca Raton, Florida in the practice’s onsite accredited ambulatory surgical facility.

The patient treated by Dr. Handal underwent regenerative cell breast augmentation on Monday with the goal of an approximate one cup size increase in each breast. Fat was taken from her hips and thighs by tumescent liposuction and processed to extract naturally-occurring regenerative cells. Commenting after the surgery, Dr. Handal stated, “Today is a defining moment in breast augmentation surgery. The offering of this pioneering procedure through a collaborative national physician network is an important milestone that marks major improvement on current technology and the way in which it is delivered to the patient.”

By using the Stem Cell Assurance method of breast augmentation, Dr. Handal was able to provide the patient with an augmentation that retains the natural look and feel of the breast. This technique is currently the only way to perform a breast augmentation without introducing a foreign implant into the body. The patient’s own fat and regenerative cells are used to create a graft for reinsertion to the breast, resulting in no risk of the body rejecting it. The Stem Cell Assurance technology offers improved outcomes in breast surgery. The fat volume retention rate is estimated to be 80% or more compared to the 30-50% survival rate of fat retention in previous fat grafting procedures. This new procedure appears to offer a significant advantage with longer lasting results than traditional breast augmentation procedures.

Stem Cell Assurance believes that its method will provide surgeons with the ability to treat patients who may be apprehensive about implants but still want fuller-looking breasts. Breast cancer patients will also now have another option for reconstruction after mastectomy. “Our goal is to greatly improve the quality of breast surgery for patients, setting a new level of expectation for augmentation and fat grafting outcomes,” said Kurt Wagner, MD, Chairman of the Company.

The patient’s clinical results will be monitored closely with scheduled follow-up by Dr. Handal. More information on the surgery will soon be available on the Stem Cell Assurance website at www.stemcellassurance.com, including before-and-after photographs along with video footage of the procedure and technology.

Source: Stem Cell Assurance, Inc.


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