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Air Date: March 23, 2015
Host: Jim Schneider
Guest: Barbara Loe Fisher
Are you aware of the fact that there is discussion going on about the possible implementation of immunization compliance programs for adults? Could there come a time soon when government will treat you like a family pet and you will have to be up-to-date with your vaccines? In your case it would be a lot more serious because not being up-to-date could cause a denial of health care or perhaps employers will need to see that you’ve complied with such a program in order to get or keep your job.
Joining Jim to discuss this topic of adult vaccination compliance was Barbara Loe Fisher. Barbara is president of the National Vaccine Information Center which she co-founded with parents of DPT vaccine injured children in 1983. For the past three decades she had led a national, grassroots movement and public information campaign to institute vaccine safety reforms and informed consent protections in the public health systems. She is co-author of ‘DPT: A Shot in the Dark’; author of ‘The Consumer’s Guide to Childhood Vaccines’; ‘Vaccines, Autism & Chronic Inflammation: The New Epidemic’ and the book ‘Reforming Vaccine Policy & Law: A Guide (2014).’
The National Adult Immunization Plan that was implemented about a month ago was created out of the Healthy People 2020 goals. It’s a plan to immunize all adults with all federally recommended vaccines. According to Barbara, the plan’s goals were established by a small group of people in the medical trade and public health arenas. They decided that they wanted everyone to get certain vaccines that the pharmaceutical companies produce, market, profit from and that are licensed by the FDA and that the CDC recommends. What this amounts to is a goal that gives incentives to doctors to convert patient data into electronic health record format that can be tracked by state and federal health officials.
Barbara described the plan as a ‘one size fits all approach. Vaccines all the time, no exceptions.’ It includes a flu shot every year whether it works or not, a shot for shingles, a meningococcal vaccine, a pneumococcal vaccine and there’s also talk about the possibility of a third MMR (Measles, Mumps Rubella) vaccine targeted for adults.
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Further information can also be obtained by going to the website for the National Vaccine Information Center at www.nvic.org
