Vaccination - make an informed choice

This week is Vaccine Awareness Week.  

In honour of this week, the following is reprinted from the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) website, an Amercian site, but one that contains good information.

Vaccines are pharmaceutical products that carry risks, which can be greater for some than others. NVIC encourages you to become fully informed about the risks and complications of diseases and vaccines and speak with one or more trusted health care professionals before making a vaccination decision. 

If or when you vaccinate, please ask yourself the following questions.  

You can also download the If You Vaccinate, Ask 8 brochure online. 

1. Am I or my child sick right now? 
2. Have I or my child had a bad reaction to a vaccination before?  
3. Do I or my child have a personal or family history of vaccine reactions, neurological disorders, severe allergies or immune system problems?  
4. Do I know the disease and vaccine risks for myself or my child?  
5. Do I have full information about the vaccine's side effects?  
6. Do I know how to identify and report a vaccine reaction?  
7. Do I know I need to keep a written record, including the vaccine manufacturer's name and lot number, for all vaccinations?  
8. Do I know I have the right to make an informed choice?

If you answered yes to questions 1, 2, and 3, or no to questions 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 and do not understand the significance of your answer, you may want to review information on NVIC's website with links to other websites and resources so you can better answer these questions designed to educate consumers about the importance of making fully informed vaccine decisions.  

Click here to learn more about the role of informed consent in vaccination. 

The next edition of the No-Nonsense Vaccination Handbook will be published in the Spring.

Give me a call if you would like to get hold of a copy before then, or if you want to talk about your options now. Mob 07942 816937