1. Has the number of routine vaccinations significantly changed within the last generation?
Yes. Actually the number of vaccines on the CDC’s recommended vaccination schedule for children under the age of two has increased from 10 to 36 since Congress passed a law
1. Has the number of routine vaccinations significantly changed within the last generation?
Yes. Actually the number of vaccines on the CDC’s recommended vaccination schedule for children under the age of two has increased from 10 to 36 since Congress passed a law in 1986 (recently upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court) that vaccine-injured citizens cannot sue the vaccine manufacturer responsible for the production of the vaccine. See “Vaccine Injury Compensation Program” and “Increase in USA vaccination schedule versus other countries”
2. Aren’t all of the vaccines on the USA schedule routinely administered to children in developed countries all over the world?
No. The USA has more vaccines on its schedule than any country in the world, due to the addition of many new vaccines since the 1986 federal law that prevents vaccine-injured citizens from suing a vaccine manufacturer. Countries such as Denmark, Canada, and Japan have significantly fewer recommended vaccines but yet have healthier child populations (as referenced in “Increase in USA vaccination schedule versus other countries“).
3. Isn’t it a law that I have to vaccinate my child per the required schedule?
No. You are not required by law to vaccinate per what the CDC calls the “recommended schedule”. However, U.S. federal and state governments began enacting laws and regulations beginning in the late 1970’s to deny access to public schools, nurseries, daycare facilities, and welfare benefits if a child is not vaccinated per the schedule, unless the child has a valid vaccine exemption on file. Vaccine exemptions can be for philosophical, religious, or medical reasons, and can be used to justify an alternative vaccination schedule (e.g. delaying or forgoing certain vaccines, but taking others on schedule) or to not vaccinate. Laws regarding the types of exemptions and the process for obtaining them vary by state to state; for more information, see “NVIC Vaccine Exemption Laws“.
4. What is the difference between the SmartVax philosophy and the Max-Vax philosophy?
Both are “pro-vax” philosophies that view vaccines as an important tool for optimizing public health. SmartVax stresses an unbiased scientific approach that weighs the benefits and risks of each vaccine in consideration of an individual child’s health status. A SmartVax approach includes the study of adverse vaccine-injury events that don’t appear until years later as well as supporting research to promote new safer and more effective vaccines. The SmartVax approach also supports parent’s choice and other mechanisms that provide checks-and-balances on the vaccine policy-makers. MaxVax philosophy stresses pushing more and more vaccines into the schedule, without study of long-term vaccine-injury events or a well-thought out public health rationale, and supports the federal government’s unchecked power to add vaccines to the schedule.
5. What are the risks from the diseases addressed by the USA vaccination schedule?
The risks differ greatly based on the nature of the disease and for each individual person. Many recently-added vaccines address diseases with extremely low risks given current public health standards within the United States. Other vaccines address diseases that carry a higher risk. The “Weigh The Risks” section estimates the overall risk from diseases to a child not vaccinated before age 5 as being much lower than the risk of vaccine-injury, even if vaccination rates were to drop below a point where herd immunity 