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No research was done at the Post! We already have a new, improved Pertussis vaccine. The first acellular Pertussis vaccines started to arrive in 1991. Actually eight such new vaccines were licensed from 1997 to 2008 as replacements for the old DPT vaccines. All are acellular Pertussis vaccines. The older cellular Pertussis components caused most of the reactions to the old DPTs. Even in the "good old days," where Pertussis was (inaccurately) perceived to be nearly absent, the risk of death or serious injury from those vaccines were far less than the risk of same from Pertussis. In addition to no longer having the risk of reactions to Pertussis cellular debris, these new vaccines are also thimerosal free, removing another falsely maligned issue. The "vaccines containing thimerosal cause autism" myth has been disproven by the lack of a fall in European autism rates 20+ (IIRC) years after removing thimerosal from all vaccines there. And more dramatically disproven by the recent admission that the original article claiming an autism-thimerosal link was fraudulent.

The anti-vaccine crowd has no more legs to stand on than the global warming crowd, but is equally actively treading water in many forums, including this one. My own community, in eastern Iowa, isn't known for our illegal immigrant population but has had multiple large Pertussis outbreaks. We are known for hosting the founding institution of the largest alternative medicine "profession" in the country. One that is well known in the medical community here for advising parents against vaccination. Pertussis is a miserable disease for most and a life-threatening one for a few. I blame my local anti-vaccine crowd for a lot of needless suffering.

As a mother of a 2 month old (who was a preemie) I am very torn about vaccinations. At issue is the amounts of vaccines given at one time. Some shots have 4 vaccines in them...can that really be good for anyone? Especially if one weighs only 10 pounds.

When our daughter was 2 years old, she had missed one round of vaccines so they “caught her up at the next visit”. She threw up a several hours later, and for the next 4 days her eyes were glazed over and she was very unresponsive to the world around her. She walked like a zombie. Thankfully, and I believe due to divine intervention, she went back to her normal bright eyed and funny self.

I didn't get my baby vaccinated yesterday at his two month well baby visit because if he wasn't early, he would be only a month old and that's too young for the DTaP vaccine. According the the chart at our doctor's office, 8 individual vaccines are given at the two month well baby visit. It's my understanding that each vaccine is tested for safety individually, not in combination with 7 others.