NBC News

The doctor says opting out parents are "more middle class, upper middle class. People are deciding they're afraid of vaccines. They've bought the idea that autism is connected with MMR and that's a lie."
 
Reporter: "Health officials say well intentioned parents who choose not to vaccinate are needlessly putting their children and communities at risk. measles is so contagious, that if one person has it, the CDC says 90% of the people who are not fully immunized and come in close contact to that person will also get the infection."
 
Snyderman: "Vaccinations have been so successful over the last few decades. for a lot of young couples who forget that these illnesses can have a resurgence and they can kill. a reminder that vaccinations can protect not only your child, but they take care of your community too."

Hartford (CT) Courant

"I remember him saying 'God' before he ate something from his high chair, touching my face and saying 'Ma' before his words disappeared. I remember him climbing out the crib very early and understanding that if he pushed his rocking chair to the door, he could climb on it to get over the gate at the door. I remember him loving the pool - just being in the water, which he still does. I remember him biting my lip and arm out frustration because he didn't know how to talk, and finding a way to come and show me that he busted his lip after he fell off a stool. That was the first time he had ever shown me he felt pain. I remember just the other day how my stomach was exposed as I sat at the computer typing and he ran over from across the room just to pull my shirt down to cover it. It reminded me how in-tuned he is and that his routines tell a lot about what is important to him.

"Just yesterday, my son was taken to the hospital because some routines and behaviors posed potential harm to him and family members. I had never called 911 before because of behaviors, but it was something I remembered his nurse and staff at school suggesting I do if I ever felt Cash'an was in a spiral of behavior that I could not break. The hospital staff directed me to autism and crisis intervention resources to help develop a plan to navigate through those unpredictable and intense moments at home where no professional therapists are on hand."

So many parents tell the same story. They too had a son whose words "disappeared."

When will we have any real answers about what autism is doing to our children?

Why does autism overwhelmingly affect children? Why hasn't anyone been able to find a comparable rate among adults? Why is a once rare disorder now so common that everyone knows someone with an affected child. Why, despite hundreds of studies and millions of dollars spent, does autism officially have no known cause or cure? Why can't a mainstream doctor do anything to prevent a baby that was born healthy and is developing normally from also ending up on the autism spectrum by age two?

Why is the current autism rate, one in every 50 U.S. kids, one in 31 among boys alone, not a cause for concern in the U.S.? Why hasn't any health official ever called autism a crisis?

Where are all of these disabled kids going to end up someday as adults? How will we ever paid for their care?

This child obviously regressed. His mother isn't asking why. He's ten and doesn't speak. The mother had to call 911 yesterday because of his behavior.

Now imagine Cash'an at 21. This is the situation hundreds of the thousands of families find themselves in. I think I'd call this a lot more than a "challenge."

News 9 Oklahoma City

"Officials with the Oklahoma State Health Department explained that the close proximity caused some worry for them, especially since some Oklahomans choose not to use vaccines.
"They said that in the late 90s, some parents began to worry that the MMR vaccine was linked to autism cases. The health department refuted that claim and explained there is "absolutely no data that shows any relationship between the two."

"Oklahoma law provides exemptions based on medical conditions, as well as religious and philosophical beliefs. Just over 1 percent of children in the state are not vaccinated, according to health department tracking statistics.

"Measles is a highly infectious virus that is spread through airborne droplets. Infected people often exhibit a high fever, runny nose, cough and a signature rash that often starts at the hairline then progresses down the body."

Disgusting one-sided coverage and made up science: For every 1,000 measles cases, one or two people die.

(FOOTNOTE: I posted my usual comments and in response to my CBS News link on Hannah Poling, Dana Landers Roberts wrote: "I wish I had heard about this sooner."

People do read what we post. We do make a difference. And I post a link to NVIC on these stories so parents know where to look for the truth.)

Lewrockwell.com

"The reason we need a new pediatrician is rather involved. A while back, the pediatrician that our family has frequented for years came out with what was, in my opinion, a rather draconian and insulting policy regarding immunizations. The policy was simple; you will take the shots the CDC recommends, or we will not treat you. The written policy went on to refer to the unimmunized as 'selfish'. Their policy is reproduced here. When I read the policy I was incensed, and it lead to a number of family discussions. My wife wanted to stay with the doctor, and I did not. My compromise was that we would stay with his office until we were forced to leave by this issue....
"My issue is simple; it's my child, not theirs. Maybe vaccines are good, maybe they're bad. Maybe Wakefield was right and they attribute to allergies and autism, maybe they don't. Either way, I as a parent ought to be able to pick and choose what shots are given to my child, not the CDC. In the pediatricians defense, they are a private practice and can do as they see fit, but I think it's poor policy and a poor business decision to sever years of customer relations over the recommendations of Big Pharma and their lackeys in the government. I think it's poor policy as a parent to blindly sign on to whatever injections the government dictates from on high.

"So we have no pediatrician at the moment, and there is a certified letter waiting ominously for us up at the post office from the pediatrician. My concern is not that we won't find another doctor, and my concern isn't that my son will catch meningitis. My concern at this point is that a visit from Child Protective Services comes out of all this. Out of concern for the staff at this misguided doctor's office, I've not released the name of the office, but I suspect we have not heard the last from all this."