Parents Encouraged to Get Timely Vaccinations for Children
Unfounded Fears About Safety of Vaccines Scaring Some
Parents Away
April 17, 2008 - Denver - Officials from the Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment are reminding
parents ahead of National Infant Immunization Week, April
19-26, to make certain their children are vaccinated against
disease.
This year Katie Trexler, former anchor at KMGH-TV Channel 7
and mother of 5-year-old twins, is the spokesperson for the
Colorado immunization week campaign. “As a mom of young
children and a journalist who has covered this issue
extensively, I’m pleased to be able to remind parents of the
importance of childhood vaccinations,” Trexler said.
Researchers at The Children's Hospital in Denver conducted a
study showing that more than 70,000 cases of serious
illnesses would occur annually among Colorado children if
they were not vaccinated. The diseases include polio,
tetanus, measles, mumps and diphtheria.
“The suffering or death from a vaccine-preventable disease
is an unnecessary human tragedy,” said Ned Calonge, chief
medical officer for the state health department. "We need to
renew our efforts to ensure that no child, adolescent or
adult will needlessly suffer from a vaccine-preventable
disease.”
Calonge said that recent news reports on autism and
vaccinations may have led many to wrongly conclude that
there is a scientific basis to suspect autism is caused by
vaccination.
“There now have been 16 separate, independent studies
undertaken in five countries, involving millions of
children, that have found no link between vaccination,
vaccines or vaccine preservatives (namely, the mercury-based
thimerosal) and autism. We have more data supporting this
lack of association than for most other ‘known facts’ in
medicine,” Calonge said.
For more information on what vaccinations babies and
children should receive, please go to the department’s Web
site at
www.cdphe.state.co.us or call 1-877-462-2911.
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Immunization Facts (PDF 42kb)
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