FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Rebecca Baumgold [email protected]215-590-4172
VACCINES: SEPARATING FACT FROM FEARThe Vaccine Education Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Releases First-of-its-Kind Educational Video for Parents and Healthcare Professionals
Philadelphia, Pa. -- The Vaccine Education Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has developed "Vaccines: Separating Fact from Fear," a first-of-its kind educational video for parents and healthcare professionals. The video was created to address the most common questions parents have about vaccines, dispel the myths and misconceptions surrounding vaccine safety, and illustrate the very real and immediate threat that vaccine-preventable diseases still pose for children in the United States and throughout the world.
"By talking directly to parents about vaccines -- what they are, how they work and why they still make such a critically important difference in children's lives, this video helps to take the fear out of the discussion surrounding childhood immunization and focus instead on the facts," says Paul A. Offit, M.D., an internationally renowned vaccine expert who is director of the Vaccine Education Center and Chief of Infectious Diseases at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "Vaccines are one of the greatest public health triumphs of modern times, and the proof of their overall safety and efficacy is unquestionably supported by scientific fact."
"Vaccines: Separating Fact from Fear" uses a town-meeting format to address the most common questions parents have about vaccines and vaccine safety. Throughout the video, nationally recognized experts in infectious diseases, vaccine safety and public health provide in-depth answers to these questions, including "Are vaccines safe?"; "Are vaccines still necessary?"; "Do vaccines weaken or overwhelm the immune system?" ;"Do children get too many shots?"; and "Do vaccines cause chronic diseases such as autism, diabetes, or multiple sclerosis?"
The video includes profiles of three parents whose children became seriously ill or died from vaccine-preventable diseases such as chickenpox, pneumococcal meningitis and Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) meningitis. These compelling stories illustrate the very real danger that these and other vaccine-preventable diseases still pose to children who are not fully immunized. (See attached fact sheet, "The Impact of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases")
Because the United States now has the highest rates of immunization in history, it has the lowest rates of vaccine-preventable diseases, says Dr. Offit. Most parents have never seen first hand the diseases they are being asked to immunize against, leading some of them to question whether vaccines are still necessary for their children.
"It's important to realize, however, that these vaccine-preventable diseases have not been eliminated," Dr. Offit explains. "Some, like measles, mumps and rubella, continue to circulate at low levels in our population. Others, like polio and diphtheria, continue to cause outbreaks in other parts of the world and remain only a plane ride away. History tells us that if immunization rates drop, even by as little as 10-15 percent, we would soon face a resurgence of these diseases and the devastating effects associated with them."
This was the case in the United States between 1989 and 1991, when immunization rates against measles fell to about 70 percent, causing sweeping outbreaks of measles across the country. "In total, measles caused the hospitalization of about 10,000 and the death of more than 120 children, all from a disease that could have been easily and safely prevented with a vaccine," says Dr. Offit.
The Vaccine Education Center at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was launched in October 2000 to respond to the rapidly growing need for accurate, up-to-date, science-based information about vaccines and the diseases they prevent. "Vaccines: Separating Fact from Fear" is the latest in a comprehensive series of educational materials created by the Center. The video will be distributed initially to more than 8,000 physician practices and several state departments of public health across the country, and will also be available to parents and healthcare professionals through the Center's Web site at vaccine.chop.edu.
The Center's Web site includes detailed information on all routinely recommended childhood vaccines, as well as sections on vaccines for special circumstances and vaccines for teenagers, adults, and those travelling to developing countries. The site also features sections on the latest vaccine news, common concerns about vaccines, answers to frequently asked questions, and the most current recommended childhood immunization schedule.
The Center has also developed "The Facts About Childhood Vaccines," a series of informational tear sheets available in English and Spanish editions for healthcare professionals to share with families in their practice. The tear sheets address the most common questions parents have about vaccines, and have been distributed free-of-charge to more than 50,000 pediatricians, family practitioners and nurse practitioners across the country. The Center also conducts national speaker programs and educational symposia designed to help healthcare professionals address specific vaccine concerns.
For a complete press kit, including review copy of "Vaccines: Separating Fact from Fear," contact Rebecca Baumgold at (215) 590-4172; Email: [email protected]
Founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is ranked today as the best pediatric hospital in the nation by a comprehensive Child Magazine survey. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country, ranking second in National Institutes of Health funding. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 381-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents from before birth through age 19.
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VACCINES: SEPARATING FACT FROM FEARThe Impact of Vaccine-Preventable DiseasesThree Parents Share Their Stories
"Vaccines: Separating Fact from Fear" includes profiles of three parents whose children became seriously ill or died from vaccine-preventable diseases. These stories illustrate the very real danger that these diseases still pose to children who are not fully immunized:
o Kathy Atchison's six-year-old son, Jonathan, was one of the 50 previously healthy children killed each year by complications from chickenpox infection. In February 1998, Jonathan developed the telltale beginnings of a chickenpox rash. Just four days later he succumbed to hemorrhagic chickenpox, a severe complication of the infection. "Inside and out, his entire body was covered with chickenpox, including the lining of his colon and his lungs," explains Kathy. "Basically, Jonathan bled to death." At that time the chickenpox vaccine was relatively new, and Kathy, who thought Jonathan had been fully immunized, was unaware that a vaccine was available that could have protected him. "Chickenpox is usually mild, but it isn't always the case. Chickenpox can be serious--serious enough to cause hospitalization or death. And there's no way to know when that's going to happen. I want other parents to be aware of the danger and know what's available, so that no other family has to go through what mine did," says Kathy.
o Carla Newby's son, Jacob, was a month shy of his seventh birthday when he developed meningitis caused by the pneumococcus bacteria. His illness was swift and devastating: just two days after Jacob experienced his first symptoms, which included headache and a high fever, doctors pronounced him brain dead. A month after her son's death, Carla joined the Meningitis Foundation of America, and is now its executive director. "Six months after Jacob died, I learned that there was a new vaccine that was going to protect children against pneumococcal meningitis. I made it my mission to do everything I could to help get it approved," explains Carla. "Today, the pneumococcal vaccine is part of the routine vaccine schedule for babies, and millions of kids are being protected. I know they're safe, and that makes me feel good."
o Suzanne Walther had fully immunized both of her older children, but during pregnancy with her daughter Mary Catherine, she started to have questions about the safety and effectiveness of routine vaccinations. While Suzanne searched for the information she needed through the medical community, books and the Internet, she decided to delay her daughter's vaccinations for at least the first year. Just one week before her first birthday, Mary Catherine developed meningitis caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib). She spent ten days in the pediatric intensive care unit fighting the infection, and is fortunate today to have no lasting effects from her illness. "My daughter spent her first birthday in the hospital, unable to move, sick from a disease that she could have been vaccinated against at two months of age," says Suzanne. "I never dreamed that my child would get a vaccine-preventable disease. While I was in the hospital with her, I finally got the accurate information that I needed about vaccines, and was convinced of their safety and effectiveness." Mary Catherine, now 2 years old, is current on all her vaccinations.
Media Contact: Rebecca Baumgold, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Phone: 215-590-4172; Email: [email protected]
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