Media Briefing

Here�s what America�s Top Public Health Officials are Saying about Vaccines and Child Health

�Immunization is one of the most important and cost-effective ways that we can protect our children against serious diseases. Every day, 11,000 babies are born in the United States -- each needing to be vaccinated against 12 different diseases before the age of 2. Immunizations have prevented death and disease for millions of children throughout the United States and the rest of the world. With today's vaccines we can protect children from more diseases than ever before. It is each parent�s solemn responsibility to talk with your child's primary health care professional and make sure that you are keeping your child up to date on all vaccinations.�

� Surgeon General Richard Carmona, M.D., M.P.H., FACS

�The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is fully committed to the health and safety of children. Our highest priority is protecting the health of children from all perils, including infectious diseases and anything else that harms or threatens their lives and well-being. Autism and autism spectrum disorders are an urgent public health issue, and we are dedicated to finding the answers to our autism questions. As we search for these, we must be careful not to confuse parents about the value and safety of vaccines.�

- Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

"As scientists and as parents, researchers at NIH are deeply committed to unlocking the mysteries of autism. We are just as determined as parents of children with autism to find the causes of this devastating childhood disease and to seek out treatments that can improve the long-term outlook for children who have been diagnosed with autism. In Fiscal Year 2006, NIH plans to fund more than $102 million on autism-related research, an 84 percent increase since Fiscal Year 2001. Our efforts focus on harvesting new knowledge from the human genome project, looking at new ways to improve early detection and intervention for autism, developing better pharmaceutical and behavioral treatments, and working to enhance school and community interventions. Autism research will continue to be a priority for NIH and its research partners."

- Dr. Elias Zerhouni, Director, National Institutes of Health

"The safety and efficacy of vaccines is one of FDA's highest priorities, as is public confidence in vaccines. As with all medical products, vaccines undergo extensive testing in the clinic and laboratory. The Public Health Service set the goal in 1999 of reducing or eliminating thimerosal from vaccines as soon as possible as a precautionary measure and because the reduction of mercury in vaccines was a feasible means of reducing an infant's total exposure to mercury in a world where other environmental sources are challenging to eliminate. We expedited the review and approval of manufacturing changes that led to all vaccines routinely recommended for children 6 years of age and younger to contain no thimerosal or only trace amounts. Although numerous well-designed studies have shown no association between thimerosal-containing vaccines and autism, we continue to work toward the goal of minimizing exposure to mercury from vaccines where feasible."

- Dr. Murray Lumpkin, Food & Drug Administration