Published online July 1, 2008
PEDIATRICS Vol. 122 No. 1 July 2008, pp. 224-225 (doi:10.1542/peds.2008-1358)

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LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Fighting for the Reputation of Vaccines

Alan R. Hinman, MD, MPH, FAAP
Board of Directors

Lisa H. Randall, JD
Interim Executive Director
Voices for Vaccines
Decatur, GA 30030

To the Editor.—

We agree with Parikh¹ that the medical community must have a more effective voice in favor of vaccination. Recent cases of measles in California, Arizona, New York, Washington, and Wisconsin highlight the continued need for vigilance against vaccine-preventable disease. Although professional organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, have offered responses to antivaccine claims, these responses have typically been in measured, scientific terms that lack the resonance of the emotional appeals made by passionate parents who do not accept the scientific evidence.

We have formed a new group, Voices for Vaccines, to organize and amplify the views of those who understand vaccines' importance. One aim of this project is to humanize the case for vaccination by providing opportunities for people who have been affected by vaccine-preventable disease to publicly share their experiences. We at Voices for Vaccines seek to engage both laypersons and professionals to preserve the gains made by immunization. We anticipate building a large member roster that will testify to the broad base of support that immunization has earned. Additional information is available at www.voicesforvaccines.org.

As powerful as we believe this initiative can be, physicians are still the most trusted medical authority for most Americans, and pediatricians have unique power to promote childhood immunization. We encourage the American Academy of Pediatrics to take even more coordinated and vigorous action against vaccine rejection, incorporating Parikh's observations about emotional resonance and presenting a realistic view of the safety of vaccines while not implicitly validating the claims of antivaccine activists by failing to state where they are clearly incorrect.

The formulation and testing of safe and effective vaccines have been the quest of many of our finest scientists. Their dedication has prevented incalculable suffering and grief. Let us not allow this remarkable achievement to be eroded by inadequate communications.

FOOTNOTES

Voices for Vaccines is funded by donations from individuals. No outside funding is attached to the writing of this letter.

REFERENCE

1. Parikh RK. Fighting for the reputation of vaccines: lessons from American politics. Pediatrics.2008; 121 (3):621 –622[Free Full Text]

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PEDIATRICS (ISSN 1098-4275). ©2008 by the American Academy of Pediatrics

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This Article Extract Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services E-mail this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My File Cabinet Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hinman, A. R. Articles by Randall, L. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hinman, A. R. Articles by Randall, L. H. Related Collections Office Practice Related AAP Red Book topics: Measles Social Bookmarking                         What's this?