Stacy Herlihy and Esther Aronson
For some parents, the flu vaccination crisis of last year and the current news about bird flu bring back a few all-too-familiar feelings. Finding accurate and easy to interpret health information is not always effortless. This is especially true when it comes to any decision involving vaccinations. Before reaching his second birthday, the average toddler will receive inoculations against ten diseases. In the absence of effective communication between parents and their children's doctor, many mothers and fathers turn to the internet for answers.
The net offers several advantages. Internet searching is quick and does not require a long wait in a doctor's office filled with sick children. Unfortunately, this method sometimes creates more problems than it solves. You can't practice medicine without a license, but you can set up your own website on medical topics without consulting with anyone at all. The net makes it easier to find information, but it also makes it easier for bad information to parade as fact. A simple search can yield dozens of websites on the subject of vaccines, many with contradictory and confusing claims. Even the savviest parents may have trouble discerning which sites are useful and which sites are worthless.
Fortunately, the web has advantages as well as pitfalls. There's a vast supply of terrific information if you know where to look. Many solid sources of material on vaccinations are available merely by typing in a web address. Dozens of sites are authored by health experts with the specific intention of helping the non-medical professional make sense of this crucial subject.
A very good place to start any search is with the website maintained by the American Academy of Pediatrics, www.cispimmunize.org. This site has lots of detailed information for anxious parents. Here you'll find topics such as the history and current status of each vaccine-preventable disease, state by state vaccination requirements and information about vaccinations for teenagers.
Another website that deserves a close look is the website of the National Network for Immunization Information, www.immunizationinfo.org. NNII "is committed to providing parents with the most up-to-date, scientifically valid information on immunizations." In keeping with this mission, the homepage has an area specifically written for parents in plain language. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section has files about each individual immunization including vaccinations that may be suggested if you leave the country. There's also data about how vaccines work, how they're selected and what steps are taken to ensure vaccine safety. The website is updated frequently so you can check it any time you have questions.
Two other enormously valuable websites are those run by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Allied Vaccine Group. The CDC's website (www.cdc.gov/nip) contains dozens of articles about every possible vaccine. Of particular note is an article entitled "Six Common Misperceptions About Vaccination and How To Respond to Them." It directly examines the claims found in most anti-vaccination material.
The Allied Vaccine Group (www.vaccine.org) is "comprised of websites dedicated to presenting valid scientific information about the sometimes confusing subject of vaccines." The website's great strength is the site's searchable database. For instance, if you type in "mmr and autism," you can get direct access to over twenty articles about the controversy.
If you want even more information, the website maintained by the Immunization Action Coalition (IAC) is one more great place to look (www.immunize.org). The IAC is a nonprofit organization that "facilitates communication about the safety, efficacy, and use of vaccines." Click on the "concerns about vaccines" link for hundreds of articles about nearly every apprehension ever raised about this issue.
One of the hazards of using the internet as a source of information is that parents may encounter blatantly false information. Unfortunately, myths about immunization are widely found on the internet. In addition to the websites listed above, there are sites specifically devoted to examining and debunking scientific misinformation especially about vaccination. One of the best-known is Quackwatch (www.quackwatch.org), run by Dr. Stephen Barrett, a retired psychiatrist and the medical editor of Prometheus Books. His website has a division about vaccination misconceptions that can be found at: http://www.quackwatch.org/03HealthPromotion/immu/immu00.html.
Anti-vaccine propaganda often comes in a pseudoscientific guise, with reams of medical articles as references that supposedly support anti-vaccine claims made. However, the references supplied often don't support the claims made or even contradict them. Ed Friedlander, a pathologist, addresses this kind of deception in a somewhat technical, but illuminating, article on his website: http://www.pathguy.com/antiimmu.htm.
If you still have concerns or questions about immunizations you should discuss such issues with your child's doctor. In the meantime, every parent should know that very reliable sources of information on this vitally important topic are instantly available on the world wide web.
How to Spot a Problematic Website
No clear evidence of who created the website. This information should ideally be found on the homepage. If you can't find it, consider this a red flag. Be aware that certain groups, such as chiropractors and homeopaths, are often philosophically against any form of vaccination.
Excessive emotional appeals without factual evidence. Heart-wrenching stories are meaningless without scientific proof. For instance, a parent may state her child was injured by a vaccination. Unless she has medical confirmation, this information tells you nothing but a sad story.
Poorly referenced articles. Articles should have a bibliography primarily filled with medical references rather than newspaper articles. Medical journals must meet high standards for publication and use rigorous methodology that may not always apply to a tabloid feature story. Sources should be recent and focus on humans. Just because a vaccine causes certain effects in mice does not make it a foregone conclusion your baby will be similarly affected.
Attempts to sell you something. If a site asks you to buy a product be very wary. One well-known website has a dubious list of "recommended products" that promise all kinds of unproven health benefits.
Uses inflammatory language. A website that shout about "huge cover-ups" and "big business companies" should send you somewhere else for information.
Stacy Mintzer Herlihy, a freelance writer based in New Jersey, specializes in writing about parenting issues. Esther Aronson, MD, is a family physician with many children in her practice, located in central Israel.
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