Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/542735
42 Taking A Critical Look The CDC estimates that vaccinations will prevent more than 21 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths among children born in the past 20 years. Conversely, some 30,000 VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System) reports are filed annually, with 10 to 15 percent classified as serious (resulting in permanent disability, hospitalization, life-threatening illnesses or death). But those are not reliable statistics, according to the National Vaccine Information Center, as VAERS is a passive reporting system: Adverse reactions are not automatically collected but require a filed report. Anyone can report an event; no one has to, says Theresa Wrangham, NVIC executive director, who lives in Louisville. Wrangham emphasizes that her non-profit organization is not anti-vaccine but pro-education and choice. "There are government-established serious side effects to vaccinations, and not all people respond the same to vaccines," Wrangham says. "The minute we endorse a schedule, somebody can still get hurt by it. It's important that people are allowed to have a conversation with their pediatrician with any concern they have and do that risk-benefit assessment and make a decision." While the proven side effects of vaccines are rare, Wrangham notes that a high number of possible adverse events remain inadequately studied, citing a 2011 safety review by the Institute of Medicine. The IOM examined 158 of the most commonly reported adverse effects for eight routine childhood vaccines and found there was not enough research to accept or reject a causal relationship for 85 percent, or 135, of those events. Reactions reviewed ranged from seizures and encephalitis to autism and diabetes. "We work very hard to give people both risk and benefit information, and then they are able to decide on an informed- consent basis, Wrangham says. "For all other medical procedures, we are allowed to say: I am not comfortable taking that risk." "We work very hard to give people both risk and benefit information, and then they are able to decide on an informed-consent basis." JCC EARLY CHILDHOOD CENTER serving the denver community for over 75 years Schedule a tour preschool @ jccdenver.org 350 S. Dahlia St., Denver, CO 80246 www.jccdenver.org Project5:Layout 5 5/5/15 1:53 PM Page 1