Sunday, October 18, 2009

LCPS & H1N1

Author:
As a Board member, I am receiving a number of emails about the administering of H1N1 vaccinations in schools this month. My colleague Bob Ohneiser spoke from the dais this past week telling parents to read everything about these vaccines before signing the consent form. Parents I know whose children suffer from autism or severe food allergies are especially skeptical about the potential side effects of immunizations generally. My wife shares their skepticism.

So I just thought I'd point out that LCPS didn't develop the vaccine, conduct clinical trials or create the administration protocol. LCPS is following the recommendations of the Loudoun County Department of Health, which is in turn following the recommendations of state and national health organizations.

Which is to say LCPS didn't make this stuff up, and really isn't qualified to override community health decisions made by professionals. I understand that if you don't like the US immunization system, you don't like this decision and would be happy to reverse it here in Loudoun even if every surrounding community kept on the recommended path. But does anyone out there want a patchwork system where individual counties throughout the country decide individually what to do with a major international health crisis?

Update: FactCheck.org has posted this: Innoculation Misniformation

2 comments:

  1. The vaccine is optional, and as a parent with a 10 year old who has had a seasonal flu shot every year of his life, I am glad to have the opportunity to have my child immunized. I have read all of the information and have read info from the links I have received from my Loudoun Allergy Network contacts. If a child can't receive the flumist or a parent decides it is not in their child's best interest to be vaccinated, that does not justify taking away the choice for the rest of us. I have just returned from our son's school where I was with him for the administration of the H1N1 vaccine.

    And since it will be at least a month before the general public can receive the vaccine, I'm glad he knows how to make soup so he can take care of my husband and myself!
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  2. LCPS is not forcing students to get the vaccine. If you don't want it, don't get it. Although there are many children at my son's school who already have the H1N1 flu.
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