Some 350 organizations sent a letter to President Donald Trump last week encouraging the US leader to take another look at some of his views on the topic of vaccines and vaccine safety. The letter, which includes a number of links to research that debunks some of the myths such as the vaccine-autism link, also provides some statistics on the unquestionable success of vaccines:
Because of the introduction of mass vaccinations, smallpox was declared eradicated from the world in 1977. Polio, a disease that routinely afflicted 13,000 to 20,000 Americans every year in the United States before the availability of the vaccine, was officially eliminated from the Western Hemisphere in 1991. Globally, vaccines prevent the deaths of roughly 2.5 million children per year. And, data shows that just for children born in the United States in 2009, routine childhood immunizations will prevent approximately 42,000 early deaths and 20 million cases of disease with savings of more than $82 billion in societal costs.
The letter comes just weeks after Mr. Trump met with renown anti-vaccine advocate, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. concerning a possible role in the administration concerning vaccines.
The multi-group letter, led by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), closes as follows:
Claims that vaccines are unsafe when administered according to expert recommendations have been disproven by a robust body of medical literature, including a thorough review by the National Academy of Medicine (formerly known as the Institute of Medicine). Delaying vaccines only leaves our nation’s citizens at risk of disease, particularly children. As a nation we should redouble our efforts to make needed investments in patient and family education about the importance of vaccines in order to increase the rate of vaccination among all populations.
Put simply: Vaccines are safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines save lives. Our organizations welcome the opportunity to meet with you to share the robust, extensive scientific evidence supporting vaccine safety and effectiveness.
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