Welcome, 2016

Editor

UPCOMING EVENTS (free)

Letters:

RECENT SCIENCE

Feb. 5, 2016

“Routine Tdap did not prevent pertussis outbreaks.” – Nicola P. Klein, Joan Bartlett, Bruce Fireman, Roger Baxter; Pediatrics, March 2015 (Waning Tdap Effectiveness in Adolescents) http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/early/2016/02/03/peds.2015-3326

Arumugham, J Develop Drugs 2015: Evidence that Food Proteins in Vaccines Cause the Development of Food Allergies and Its Implications for Vaccine Policy (pdf version)

IN THE NEWS

Jan. 26, 2016: New Concerns about the Human Papillomavirus Vaccine: American College of Pediatricians (pdf version)

Screen shot 2016-02-17 at 11.16.46 AMA Closer Look at Pharmaceutical Companies – Speed the Shift, Feb 8, 2016

AUSSIE PHD UNDER FIRE FOR STANCE ON VACCINES: “This is a discriminatory policy against educated parents and their healthy children, and it infringes on human rights” – Dr. Judy Wilyman (PhD) – Read more…

December 21, 2015: FLU VACCINE FOR ALL? A CRITICAL LOOK AT THE EVIDENCE by Eric A. Biondi, MD, MS; C. Andrew Aligne, MD, MPH – MEDSCAPE

The summer 2015 edition of the Weston A. Price Foundation’s quarterly journal, Wise Traditions in Food, Farming, and the Healing Arts, was devoted to the subject of vaccinations— find it here.

THE PUSH IS ON… It may be “ruled legal,” but is it right to force-drug American children against their parent’s best judgement with liability-free pharma? Mandatory Vaccinations: Precedent and Current Laws https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/RS21414.pdf
Congressional Research Service, May 21, 2014

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The Misunderstood Theory of Herd Immunity.

Visit www.voicesforchoice.com to take action.

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  • In October 2014, we sponsored a 4 CEU credit course given by Dr. Suzanne Humphries. Watch now:

A blog attempt at discrediting Dr. Suzanne Humphries appeared online shortly after our talk; You can read Dr. Humphries’ response to this character assassination HERE.

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Did you know that in 2016 your parental right to medical decision making will be restricted by the State? Passed in 2015, Act 37  removes a parent’s right to have a “philosophical conviction” opposing state-mandated child vaccination, effective July 2016.

For now, the law keeps a “religious exemption” intact. However, a bill has already been introduced to do away with all non-medical exemptions in VT (see: H.212). Lobbyists say that this bill to remove the religious exemption will not be touched during an election year. Are you willing to wait and see?

Act 37 was not fully vetted by lawmakers because it was the result of a “sneak amendment” orchestrated by the American Academy of Pediatrics and pharmaceutical interests. In just one month, the industry managed to attach major vaccine policy changes to another bill that had already passed the house and even switched committees in the process. The new law was signed by the Governor Peter Shumlin on May 28, 2015 and includes a report to be made to the legislature on feasibility of mandatory vaccination for school staff. Teachers, administrators and janitors take note: H266, a bill to require mandatory vaccination for school teachers and administrators, has already been introduced.

There are many elements to the new mandatory vaccine law (Act 37),  effective July 2016. Click here for a detailed overview.

Also, “rulemaking” is going on now at the Health Department and there is a public comment period open through Dec. 2nd. Click here for a detailed overview of the proposed rule that is supposed to implement the new law. File a comment, here.

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File a comment, here.

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File a comment, here.

Citizens have been told by David Englander, Attorney for the DOH that, “Shortly after the conclusion of the public comment period the Department will file the final proposed rule, including any revisions based on public comment and a response to all issues raised during the public comment period, with the Secretary of State’s Office (SOS) and the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules (LCAR). Members of the public can testify in favor of or against the rule when LCAR meets to consider the rule. For information about the day and time this rule will be considered at LCAR and how to testify at LCAR contact Katie Pickens at kpickens@leg.state.vt.us or (802) 828-5760.”
File a comment, here.

It is critical that your elected lawmakers hear from families and schools that will be impacted by the new law, because they have been told there will be no fiscal/economic impact. Lawmakers need to know that there is indeed an impact on families schools – and this is our chance to speak up.

Proposed Rules Call for:

– 7 vaccines – 5 shots – by age 2 months
– 14 vaccines – 10 shots – by age 4 months
– 21 vaccines – 15 shots – by age 6 to 14 months
– 25 vaccines – 17 shots – by age 15 to 18 months
– 28 vaccines – 18 shots – by age 18 months

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– Plus:
—Penalties for school administrators and childcare providers who do not enforce compliance.
— Includes All schools – including independent schools and colleges, for just one class enrolled (so may affect homeschoolers).
– The State program manager says 9 vaccines in one day would be fine so that babies can get “caught up.” http://www.vermontidconference.com/uploads/3/6/0/5/3605970/finley_izid11.10.pdf
– The State spent $16,424,373 on vaccines in FY2015. It is one thing to be forced to pay for vaccines – quite another to be forced to take them. http://www.vtvaccine.org/vtvaccine.nsf/documents/VVPPFinalAssessmentCalculationWorksheet2015.html/$File/2014-10-15%20VVPP%20budget%20and%20assessment%20worksheets%20%28VVPP2015%29%20v6.pdf-
 
– New law proposed to require mandatory vaccination for teachers, too! See H266: http://www.voicesforchoice.com/#!teachers/c20x3

The following persons in VT will be affected by Act 37 :Screen shot 2015-11-25 at 12.15.10 PM

  • parents.
  • children enrolled in a child care facility or pre-kindergarten.
  • students enrolled in kindergarten. elementary school, secondary school.
  • students in post-secondary school.
  • health care providers.
  • child care and school administrators.

Act 37  is 19 pages long and has several components you must know about:

  • Requires reports to the Dept. of Health when a person has reason to believe another person is sick – shall tattle within 24 hours (see section 2 on 18 VSA sec 1001).
  • Requires all schools to make publicly available aggregate vaccination rates of the student body to all parents and students (see section 3 which amends 18 VSA sec 1121).
  • Removes the right of parents and/or students to hold philosophical beliefs in opposition to the State’s universal list of mandatory vaccinations listed as required for daycare, pre-K, K, and all schools (public, private, independent, primary, secondary, post-secondary) (see section 4 which amends 18 VSA sec 1122).
  • Requires the Dept. of Health to adopt rules together with the Agency of Education and Dept. of Children and Families that shall LIST which vaccine doses will be required for Vermont schools (see section 5 which amends 18 VSA sec 1123).
  • Collection and reporting of data on chid vaccination status in 1st and 8th grades (see section 6 which amends 18 VSA sec 1124).
  • Grant the Dept. of Health the power to implement “quality improvement intitiatives” at any school that has a vaccination rate below “the average” (see section 7 which adds 18 VSA sec 1125).
  • Requires the participation of all Vermont residents in a Mandatory vaccination registry (adults and children) with no opt-out or penalty for violation of privacy and allowance for any researcher with IRB approval to have access to these records (see section 8 which amends 18 VSA sec 1129).
  • Establishes an advisory council on vaccination practice – there is no public membership or dissenting member (see section 9 which adds 18 VSA sec 1131).
  • Makes VAERS reporting mandatory for all healthcare providers (see section 10 which adds 18 VSA sec 1132).
  • Sets up a committee to look at the legality of making mandatory vaccinations required for all school administrators, faculty and personnel (see section 11).
  • Effective: July 2015 except sections 4 and 6 (see section 12).

The Dept. of Health has begun to set forth how they envision this law to be enforced. Their draft proposal includes an intensive and complicated vaccine schedule which mandates all CDC recommended vaccines within 2 years of recommendation and imposes penalties on daycare and school administrators who do not exclude children if these children are not in compliance with a new law.  You can read their draft proposal, which is incomplete, here.

This update is by no means an exhaustive analysis of the new law or the rules being proposed. Please read the new law for yourself and if you have comments or concerns about Act 37 or how it is being implemented, please send them ASAP to:
 David Englander
Vermont Department of Health
PO Box 70, 108 Cherry Street
Burlington, VT 05402
david.englander@vermont.gov
AHS.VDHRules@vermont.gov

  • Be sure also to send a copy to your lawmaker and if you wish, copy us- Thanks
  • This page will be updated with further comments as they are received from others and developed by VCVC team members….