Who All Is Involved?

With all the different types of vaccinations out there, sometimes it's difficult to keep track of all the different information that is being thrown at us. From the time we enter this world as infants, all the way through secondary school, and even as adults, it seems as if we just can't get enough of those vaccines. So let's face it. Whether we can stand those scary needles or not, vaccinations affect us at every level: personal, medical, governmental, educational, etc. Many people are required to get certain vaccines, others are depending on their circumstance. Parents need to be aware of the current vaccination schedules for their children. People planning to travel out of the country need to know what shots to get before they leave. Healthcare personnel have to be vaccinated before they can work. Aside from the people getting poked by the vaccine needles, there are also the doctors and other healthcare professionals who are responsible for informing patients about vaccinations. And then there are the agencies who regulate and provide information on all these vaccines such as the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). You can find a plethora of information regarding vaccines by visiting the websites of any of these respective agencies.

For more information regarding vaccines, please visit any of the websites below:

Center for Disease Control and Prevention
Many vaccines are routinely recommended for most people; these include polio, mumps, measles, rubella, and tetanus vaccines. Other vaccines are recommended for people because of their age, health, or circumstances. To read more about vaccinations, click here.

World Health Organization
To read about facts, research, and publications regarding immunization and vaccinations, click here.

National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP)
The VICP was created to provide a federal no-fault system for compensating vaccine-related injuries or death. It was established after the 1980s DPT vaccine scare.The U. S. Court of Federal Claims decides who will be paid. Many autism-related claims are currently pending before the court, and have not yet been resolved. For more information, click here.

Vaccine Adverse Event Report System
The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) is a national vaccine safety surveillance program co-sponsored by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The purpose of VAERS is to detect possible signals of adverse events associated with vaccines. VAERS collects and analyzes information from reports of adverse events (possible side effects) that occur after the administration of US licensed vaccines. For more information, click here.

http://www.cdc.gov/
http://www.who.int/topics/immunization/en/
http://www.fda.gov/CbER/vaers/vaers.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine_controversy