by Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Dash, Georgia P, Fauerbach, Loretta, Pfeiffer, Jeanne, Soule, Barbara, Bartley, Judene, Barnard, Bonnie M, Lundstrom, Tammy, Andrus, Mary
Published in American journal of infection control (01.05.2004)

by Greater Baltimore Chapter of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), Wright, Marc-Oliver
Published in American journal of infection control (01.09.2005)

by Martin, Michael A., Reichelderfer, Mark, Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology, Inc
Published in American journal of infection control (01.02.1994)

by Evans, Gary, In a year marked by more than 1,000 infections with a disease that once was eradicated in the United States tide of public opinion may be turning against the antivaccine movement, As a record number of measles cases have spread to 30 states is starting to win the “vaccine wars,” saidPaul Offit of the Vaccine Education Center and an infectious disease physician at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, “Frankly is hard to make a case that vaccines are evil in the midst of epidemics,” he said recently in Philadelphia at the annual meeting of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), As of Aug 1 have been 1,172 measles cases in the United States this year CDC reports1That is the most cases since 1992 makes a distant memory of the announcement in the year 2000 that measles had been eradicated in the United States — an accomplishment that was primarily due to childhood vaccinations, Measles resurgence coincides with parents citing unsafe vaccines as a reason not to immunize their children However is a growing pushback against the antivaccine movement herd immunity threatened and the real risk of measles to immunocompromised patients and those who cannot be immunized, “These outbreaks — as awful as they are children have once again suffered a disease that is completely preventable — we are reaping some good from this,” Offit said “Society is finally standing up for itself”, In addition to several states acting to remove exemptions to childhood vaccines has been an accumulation of studies thoroughly debunking the claim that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine causes autism One of the most recent was published this year researchers who investigated some 650,000 children in Denmark concluding that there is no link between vaccination and autism2, “When you isolate the effect of that one variable — receipt of the MMR vaccine — there was no greater risk of developing autism if you got the vaccine or if you did not,” Offit said “There are 18 studies now that have looked at that hypothesis I would argue that this is one of the most tested hypotheses in the history of medicine MMR vaccine does not cause autism”, At times health attempts to accommodate and reassure those concerned about vaccines have been handled poorly said For example the 1990s turned to thimerosal preservative used primarily to prevent bacterial and fungal contamination of multidose vials of vaccines To err on the side of caution health officials urged manufacturers to remove thimerosal from vaccines even though it posed no established threat Offit served on the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) at the time, “This was done the wrong way,” he said “We removed thimerosal in a precipitous and frightening manner”, The CDC announcement of the move said there was no evidence the mercury levels in thimerosal in vaccines were harmful but pharmaceutical companies were urged to remove it “to make safe vaccines even safer,” he noted, “Well it is not unsafe taking it out doesn’t make it safe,” Offit said “It only makes it perceived to be safe is a very different thing We scared people the way that we did this We somehow felt that a tenet of risk communication was the compulsion to describe all theoretical risk it was done wrongly In any case that was done really gave birth to several antivaccine groups”, Hospital Infection Control & Preventionasked another national vaccine expert and long-time member of ACIP to weigh in on the thimerosal decision, “It continues to be debated as to how wise or unwise that decision was,” saysWilliam Schaffner of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, The antivaccine movement saw the move in part as some kind of a concession “they wouldn’t have done that unless there was a reason for it,” Schaffner recalls, “The reason for it was to provide some calm,” he adds “[With the thinking being] we will henceforth make single doses without preservatives and that should keep everybody happy though it wasn’t a problem before I think that remains an unresolved conundrum”, While the science now is undisputed in the medical community regarding the MMR vaccine and autism in the vaccine movement likely will hold to their beliefs and suspicions says, “There has been a certain turnaround in public sentiment it’s not as though this group of people involved has suddenly changed their minds and every parent is bringing in their unimmunized children,” Schaffner says “I think there will continue to be people who wish to exercise their ‘freedom’ or options and withhold their children from vaccination be darned”
Published in Hospital Infection Control & Prevention (01.09.2019)