Survey: More U.S. Children Get Vaccines

More young children are getting immunized in the United States for preventable diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella and hepatitis A, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Thursday.
Fears that vaccines might cause autism or other health problems have led some parents to skip vaccinations, despite repeated reassurances from health authorities.

Pediatricians Take a Stand on Vaccines

CHICAGO -- A small but growing number of parents think vaccines against childhood diseases are unsafe and are refusing or delaying shots for their children, despite the discrediting of a medical study linking vaccines and autism that stirred alarm.
Ground zero in the debate is the pediatrician's office.
Some frustrated pediatricians are drawing a line in the sand by requiring parents in their medical practices to vaccinate their children or seek health care elsewhere, a position that rubs some medical professionals the wrong way.

Study: Parents Still Doubt Safety of Vaccines

Most parents are immunizing their children against diseases - but reluctantly, a new study shows.
Despite doctors debunking popular claims that vaccines cause autism, 77% of parents polled are still skeptical that the current immunization schedule against mumps, measles, rubella and other diseases is safe and necessary for children, a report out Thursday in the journal Health Affairs says.

New Study Reignites Vaccine-Autism Link

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Researchers released the most recent news in the autism-vaccine debate at a press conference in Washington, D.C., earlier this month.
A study scheduled for publication in the Pace Environmental Law Review closely examined public information on 1,300 cases in which the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program compensated families. Significant brain injuries were found in compensated patients as a direct result of vaccinations. Eighty-three cases specifically resulted in autism and are being called, "the tip of the iceberg."
Parents of vaccine-injured children were present at the press conference along with representatives from the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy. All participants demanded that Congress acknowledge the findings and explain why the NVICP awarded damages for these cases while the government continues to promote the safety of childhood vaccinations.

MacNeil's 'Autism Now' Series Renews Debate on Link to Vaccines

It's been nearly 16 years since Robert MacNeil stepped down as co-anchor of public television's much-celebrated "NewsHour." Who would have thought his return to the show in recent days would bring not just a measure of acclaim but also a charge that the famously evenhanded newsman has been "reckless and irresponsible"?
That's been the response to MacNeil's six-part "Autism Now" series on PBS, an assignment that brought the retired newsman back into the fold to help him, and others, better understand people like his grandson, Nick, who is autistic.
Here's MacNeil's response from last night's PBS Newshour.