Massachusetts Citizens for Vaccination Choice

The DTP vaccine is the vaccine that initiated the work of groups such as ours back in the 1980s, when numerous adverse reactions were first being associated with the vaccine--the pertussis portion in particular.

More recently, the Centers for Disease Control moved to recommend the DTaP, because the purified acellular version of the pertussis vaccine was associated with fewer reactions.

MCVC would always recommend, should you decide to vaccinate your child, that vaccines be administered separately when possible. Though it is becoming increasingly difficult to get traditionally ‘trivalent’--or shots with three different vaccines in them, like the DTaP--vaccines separately, you might find some assistance at the bottom of our MDs & Others page.

For more information, visit the National Vaccine Information Center’s DTP webpage.

You can also visit the Center for Disease Control’s DTP webpage.

View the vaccine package insert (Tripedia from Sanofi Pasteur).

Is MCVC “anti-vaccine”?
No, we are proponents of unbiased vaccine information and the right of parents and individuals to make their own decisions regarding vaccination, regardless of what those decisions are and without coercion from others.

Must my newborn receive the hepatitis B vaccine in order to be released from the hospital?
No, absolutely not. But if hospital officials contend otherwise, request to see the state law that requires it (there is none, and this request will therefore likely quiet their demands).

What exemptions are available in Massachusetts?
Medical and religious exemptions are honored in the Commonwealth. Medical exemptions are granted by doctors on a vaccine-by-vaccine basis and reviewed annually. The religious exemption is extended to members of any tradition, even to those not following the orthodox teachings of their tradition. While some states offer philosophical exemption (Maine and Vermont being the two closest), Massachusetts does not.

Is there a standard form that I need to sign for the religious exemption?
No, not in Massachusetts. Parents need to write and send their own letters, perhaps with language to the effect, “I am exempting my child from vaccination because it conflicts with my sincerely held religious beliefs.” We recommend that you incorporate into your letter the full text of the state law that established the religious exemption (refer to our ‘Laws & Rights’ section for the text associated with your child’s level of schooling).

Do I need the signature of a clergy member when claiming a religious exemption?
No.  While some school districts suggest that you do, your letter and signature are sufficient.

Do I need my letter notarized? No, your signature is sufficient.

What can I do if a school official tells me something I don’t think is accurate?
When in doubt, ask them for the law that supports the request they’re making.

Now that I’ve started vaccination, am I required to continue?
You are always free to reevaluate, reconsider and, if you choose, discontinue the series, at least until a later date when you’ve had your questions answered adequately.

What if we had some vaccines given to our child already and have now changed our minds; can we still claim a religious exemption?
We humans are graced with the capacity to change our beliefs over time. So as long as you can in good conscience sign your name to a sentence such as, “I am exempting my child from vaccination because it conflicts with my sincerely held religious beliefs,” there is no reason why you can’t claim a religious exemption, now or in the future.

Do you know of an open-minded doctor who will respect my decisions regarding the vaccination of my child, whatever those decisions are?
Our MDs & Others page has some information that might be helpful in finding respectful doctors. Beyond that, we have gleaned some information particular to locales across the state through our work over the years and might be able to offer some suggestions by phone (781.646.4797) or . Please be sure to tell us what town you live in.

My doctor said that she won’t treat my baby unless he’s fully vaccinated. 1) Can she refuse to treat my child?  2) Am I legally required to have my child vaccinated?
Firstly, yes, we have heard of a number of doctors refusing to accept or keep children as patients because of the parents’ vaccination decisions (though we don’t know if such a refusal has ever been challenged in court). 
Secondly, vaccines are not required for babies, though some are currently recommended by the Department of Public Health. They become requirements only when children enter daycare or school, at which point medical and religious exemptions are honored if appropriate.
Beyond that, if your doctor refuses to treat your child, it might be time to find a new doctor (refer to the previous Q&A).

I think my child has had a reaction to a vaccine, but my doctor said it was nothing. What can I do?
Your doctor is required by law to report all adverse events that occur within 30 days after vaccination to federal health authorities. If your doctor refuses, or if you want to add your own report, you have the right to do so. Click here for further information on reporting adverse reactions. And to find a doctor who may be more open to your concerns and the whole health of your child, visit our MDs & Others page.

Influenza, or ‘the flu,’ is a disease of greatest risk to the elderly and/or those with compromised immune systems. The vaccine prepared prior to each flu season is an educated guess, based on the previous year’s prevalent strains. Its effectiveness, based as it is on a prediction, varies each year.

Not currently required for school admission in the Commonwealth, public health officials nevertheless recommend the influenza vaccine for a number of populations (including all children 6-23 months of age), primarily for the reduction of lost school or work time it might effect.

For further information, visit the National Vaccine Information Center’s influenza webpage.

What groups are at risk for contracting this disease?

*IV drug users
*people who practice unsafe sex
*health care workers
*hemodialysis patients
*infants born to infected mothers

“Although [the hepatitis B virus] is present in moderate concentrations in saliva, it?s not transmitted commonly by casual contact,” said Eric Mast, M.D., the Chief of the Surveillance Section, Hepatitis Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (1997 public hearing).

According to the October 31, 1997, issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), published by the CDC, “Hepatitis B continues to decline in most states, primarily because of a decrease in the number of cases among injecting drug users and, to a lesser extent, among both homosexuals and heterosexuals of both sexes.”

Most children do not fall into any of these categories.

Hepatitis B Incidence Low in the US and is Particularly Low in Children

The US has always had among the lowest rates of hepatitis B disease in the world, affecting approximately 0.1% to 0.5% of the general population (National Vaccine Information Center). The CDC estimates a 5% lifetime risk of infection in the United States. Of that 5%, between 90-95% will fully recover, clearing the virus from their bodies. Only the remaining 5 -10% (of the original 5%) may become chronic carriers. This means that the overall lifetime risk of becoming a chronic carrier of hepatitis B is approximately one quarter of one percent (.25%) of the entire U.S. population, leaving 99.75% of the total population at no significant risk.

The CDC acknowledges “...an estimated 91% of hepatitis B infections in the U.S. are acquired during adolesence and adulthood and much of the public health benefit of widespread infant vaccination will not be known until vaccinated infants become adolescents and adults” (MMWR, vol.43, no. 33, August 26, 1994, p.608).

Pregnant women in Massachusetts are routinely screened for hepatitis B disease. This allows for at-risk newborns to be appropriately treated.

Vaccine Effectiveness

One pharmaceutical company, Merck & Co., states in their 1996 hepatitis B vaccine product insert that “...the duration of the protective effect of [our product] in healthy vaccinees is unknown at present and the need for booster doses is not yet defined.” The CDC concurs. With a vaccine that likely confers only 7, or optimistically 10, years of protection, most children who received the hepatitis B vaccine will not be protected as they approach ages at which higher risk behaviors become more prevalent.

Vaccine Safety

Merck & Co. included the following disclaimers on its 1996 hepatitis B vaccine package insert:

“As with any vaccine, there is the possibility that broad use of the vaccine could reveal adverse reactions not observed in clinical trials.”

What they fail to explain is that the clinical trials in question involved only several thousand children, and that those children were monitored for reactions for only four or five days.

The insert continues:

“...it is not known whether the vaccine can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproductive capacity;” and

“Specific data are not yet available for the simultaneous administration of [our hepatitis B vaccine] with other vaccines.” It is, however, frequently given with other vaccines.

Consumers, Doctors and Governments Question Hepatitis B Vaccine

A September, 1998 report entitled Hepatitis B Vaccine: The Untold Story, available from the National Vaccine Information Center, contains thirty-eight citations of medical articles that discuss hepatitis B vaccine as the cause of chronic immune and neurological disease in both children and adults, including: diabetes, arthritis, chronic fatigue immune deficiency, multiple sclerosis, alopecia (hair loss), lupus, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and demyelinating neuropathy.

“Considering the low risk of hepatitis B, and the published reports of serious adverse effects of the vaccine, why can’t school mandates wait for more research?” asks Jane Orient, M.D., Executive Director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons. “Mandates effectively use school children as research subjects without informed consent, in violation of the Nuremberg Code.”

Bonnie Dunbar M.D., a molecular biologist at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, has said, “I am horrified by what I am seeing on this issue. I can’t believe this is happening in this country. “Public Health” is being used as a rationale to undermine individual responsibility and to legitimize intrusion on family autonomy.”

For further information, visit the National Vaccine Information Center’s hepatitis B webpage.

You can also visit the Center for Disease Control’s hepatitis B webpage.

View the vaccine package insert for the hepatitis B vaccine given to children in the Commonwealth.

Click here for the vaccine package insert for the hepatitis B vaccine given to adults in the Commonwealth.

Children aged 6 to 48 months are in the highest risk group for developing HIB infection, especially if they are immune compromised or live in crowded, substandard living conditions. HIB disease is spread through inhalation of the respiratory tract secretions--most often via sneezing or coughing--of an infected person. HIB infections occur most often during the late winter and spring.

For further information on HIB and the vaccine, visit the National Vaccine Information Center’s HIB webpage.

You can also click here to visit the Center for Disease Control’s HIB webpage.

Here is the vaccine package insert (ActHIB from Sanofi Pasteur).

There are currently several meningitis vaccines in use. None are required for school admission, though two are being recommended for secondary school students attending boarding schools and residential college students. Of note is the fact that a parent, guardian or age-of-majority adult can decline this vaccine simply by signing a Department of Public Health waiver.

You can find additional information at the National Vaccine Information Center’s meningitis webpage.

For more meningitis information, you can also visit the Centers for Disease Control site.

Check with your healthcare provider to see which meningitis vaccine s/he uses. Click on Menactra to read a copy of the vaccine package insert for menactra from Sanofi Pasteur.

Thimerosal is an ethylmercury-based preservative that has been used in many vaccines since the early 1930s. Because ethylmercury is a known neurotoxin, thimerosal has more recently come under attack as a potential factor in the explosion of autism our country has seen, particularly since the 1990s (when more vaccines were added to the recommended schedule).

Acting on this concern, almost every vaccine used for children is now produced in a thimerosal-free form. In fact, according to the medical director of the immunization program at the state Department of Public Health, all state-made vaccines are thimerosal-free. However, because other manufacturers may continue to use trace amounts of thimerosal, you would do well to ask your doctor for the thimerosal-free versions. For the sake of surity, you might also request to see the package insert and the vial that contains the vaccine. 

Click here to view the Institute for Vaccine Safety’s webpage listing the thimerosal content in some U.S. licensed vaccines.

To calculate how much mercury your child has cumulatively received via vaccination, visit the National Vaccine Information Center’s mercury calculator.

Thimerosal in the News
Deadly Immunity: Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. investigates the government cover-up of a mercury/autism scandal
Rolling Stone; June 30, 2005

Merck Misled Public On Vaccines Containing Thimerosal
Los Angeles Times; March 7, 2005

For information on these diseases and the MMR vaccine, visit the National Vaccine Information Center’s MMR webpage.

Of note is the fact that the second dose of MMR is required of 100% of children because 5% do not show sufficient measles antibodies after the first administration. If your child is in the 95% that appears to have sufficient antibodies, s/he is not required by law to receive this second dose. You may consider having your child’s blood tested (titred) to determine if a second dose of measles vaccine is recommended.

MCVC would always recommend, should you decide to vaccinate your child, that vaccines be administered separately when possible. Though it is becoming increasingly difficult to get traditionally ‘trivalent’--or shots with three different vaccines in them, like MMR--vaccines separated, you might find some assistance at the bottom of our MDs & Others page.

You can also visit the Center for Disease Control’s MMR webpage.

View the vaccine package insert (MMR II from Merck).

Whether you’ve found us as expecting or new parents concerned about this complex and often heated topic, a more seasoned parent facing your child’s school admission, a college student surprised by unexpected requirements, or by some other path, we hope you find our web resources informative and empowering.

Our goal is to help you access unbiased information that will assist in making intelligent vaccine choices. We offer education, public information, and opportunities to collaborate with others. Our work is funded not by government, pharmaceutical or medical interests, but by individuals like you. If you find our contribution of value, please consider making a donation of any size.

The information on this site is admittedly just the tip of the iceberg, but we hope it helps you along at least part of your journey. As it is likely to generate more questions than answers, however, we also welcome your contact. It may seem as though you’re alone. But you’re not.

Yours in health & choice,

Debbie & Peter Bermudes
MCVC Co-Founders

Read. Talk with other parents. Talk with your physician. Talk with your partner. Listen to yourself.

If you choose to decline vaccination, know your rights (viewable in our “Laws & Rights” section) and the risks you might be facing.

If you decide to vaccinate, we recommend the following action steps for your consideration:

1) Talk with your healthcare provider; make sure that s/he knows what your concerns are and that s/he is able to respect your decisions, regardless of what they are.

2) Read the vaccine package inserts, available from your doctor’s office (or via this website in the ‘Vaccines & Disease’ section), ideally prior to your child’s visit (we parents are generally anxious enough during these visits without being expected to quickly read and comprehend these often complicated documents).

3) Have vaccines administered separately when possible, both to lessen their impact on the child’s system as well as to help clarify, should your child have a reaction, to what vaccine s/he is reacting. Find more information about purchasing separate vaccines.

4) Know your family history. Is there history of: vaccine reactions? convulsions or neurological disorders? severe allergies? immune system disorders? It is important to share this information with your healthcare provider.

5) Know your child’s current health and the contraindications for (i.e., reasons for not giving) the vaccine. For instance, fever is generally reason not to administer a vaccine, as the child’s immune system is already engaged in one challenge. It’s okay to delay until another day if you’re unsure; vaccine schedules are recommendations, not immutable truths.

6) Has your child had a vaccine reaction before? Previous reactions are often contraindications.

7) Make sure you’re getting what you’ve asked for before the vaccine is administered; e.g., if you’re concerned about thimerosal, make sure the vaccine is a thimerosal-free version. Be empowered to ask the doctor and read the vaccine package insert.

The hepatitis B vaccine (for details, visit our Hepatitis B page) is the first vaccine parents need to consider, as it is being given to newborns--with and occasionally without parental consent--in hospitals across the country.

It is important for you to know that administration of the hepatitis b vaccine in newborns is a recommendation, not a requirement. Some parents have been told that they would not be able to bring their baby home if they did not accept this vaccine. This is absolutely false. Some hospitals in Massachusetts have decided that parental consent is not necessary prior to administering this vaccine. Be sure that your healthcare provider knows whether you want your baby to receive this vaccine at birth. If you give birth in a hospital or birthing center, make sure your choice is clearly written in the mother’s chart as well as the baby’s.

If you choose to have your child receive this vaccine, you should be aware that there is a new version that does not contain thimerosal (mercury). This is in response to an Environmental Protection Agency concern that mercury-containing vaccines can, because mercury accumulates in the body, progressively endanger the health of our children. We encourage you to make a point of asking for this newer vaccine.

For further information, visit the National Vaccine Information Center’s hepatitis B webpage.

You can also visit the Center for Disease Control’s hepatitis B webpage.

View the hepatitis B vaccine package insert (Merck’s Recombivax HB).

Massachusetts law honors both medical and religious exemptions to vaccination.

Medical exemptions are signed by doctors on a vaccine-by-vaccine basis and reviewed annually. They are granted for medically-recognized contraindications.

Religious exemptions in Massachusetts are honored regardless of tradition, even if you stray from the orthodox teachings of your tradition. Though some school districts will request the signature of clergy with this exemption, no such authorization is required, as this exemption is filed by you and should be respected on that basis. There is no standard exemption letter in use across the state; rather, parents need to write and submit their own letters, including language such as “I am exempting my child from vaccination because it conflicts with my sincerely held religious belief.” We recommend that those claiming a religious exemption include the Mass. General Law language below in their exemption letter, both to serve as a reminder to school authorities of the law as well as to serve notice that you are aware of your rights regarding this issue.

Here is the language of the law:
IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENTS FOR GROUP DAY CARE AND
SCHOOL AGE CHILD CARE PROGRAMS
Regulations Of The Department of Early Education and Care

102 CMR 7.00: Standards For The Licensure Or Approval Of Group Day Care And School Age Child Care Programs (7/10/97)
Section 102 CMR 7.09(5)(a) Required Medical Examinations in Group Child Care Programs

“The licensee shall require, at admission, a physician’s certificate that each child has been successfully immunized in accordance with the current Department of Public Health’s recommended schedules against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis (whooping cough), poliomyelitis, measles and such other communicable diseases as may be specified from time to time by the Office. No child shall be required, under 102 CMR 7.00 to have any such immunization if his parent(s) objects thereto, in writing, on the grounds that it conflicts with their religious beliefs or if the child’s physician submits documentation that such a procedure is contraindicated.”

NOTE: While religious and medical exemptions are honored in Massachusetts, school officials retain the authority to exclude unvaccinated students from school for a period of time following the positive identification of a case of a vaccinated disease. Visit the MDPH site for a schedule of exclusion periods.

Massachusetts law honors both medical and religious exemptions to vaccination.

Medical exemptions are signed by doctors on a vaccine-by-vaccine basis and reviewed annually. They are granted for medically-recognized contraindications.

Religious exemptions in Massachusetts are honored regardless of tradition, even if you stray from the orthodox teachings of your tradition. Though some schools will request the signature of clergy with this exemption, no such authorization is required, as this exemption is filed by you--a parent, guardian, or an age-of-majority adult--and should be respected on that basis. There is no standard exemption letter in use across the state; rather, parents (or age-of-majority adults) need to write and submit their own letters, including language such as “I am exempting my child (myself) from vaccination because it conflicts with my sincerely held religious belief.” We recommend that those claiming a religious exemption include the Mass. General Law language below in their exemption letter, both to serve as a reminder to school authorities of the law as well as to serve notice that you are aware of your rights regarding this issue.

Here is the language of the law:
GENERAL LAWS OF MASSACHUSETTS
PART I, TITLE XII, CHAPTER 76.
Section 15C: Immunization of college health science students

No full-time student under thirty years of age or any full-time or part-time undergraduate or graduate students in a health science who is in contact with patients shall, except as hereinafter provided, be registered at an institution of higher education except upon presentation of a medical certificate that such student has been immunized against measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus and diphtheria; provided, however, that a student may be registered at such institution upon certification made, in writing, by a physician who has personally examined such student and in whose opinion the physical condition of such student is such that his health would be endangered by any such immunization; and provided, further, that students who have attended an elementary or secondary school in the commonwealth may submit a copy of their school immunization record, indicating receipt of the above required immunizations, in lieu of such certificate; and provided, further, that unimmunized students may be registered on the condition that the required immunizations be obtained within ten days of registration.

In the absence of an emergency or epidemic of disease declared by the department of public health, no student who states in writing that such immunization would conflict with his religious beliefs shall be required to present such medical certificate in order to be admitted to such institution.

Click here to access the text of this law at the Massachusetts government site.

A new recommendation for the meningitis vaccine is now in place in Massachusetts’ secondary boarding schools and residential colleges. This is a recommendation, not a requirement, and the signing of a meningitis vaccine waiver is sufficient to forego this vaccine for those who are so inclined.

NOTE: While religious and medical exemptions are honored in Massachusetts, school officials retain the authority to exclude unvaccinated students from school for a period of time following the positive identification of a case of a vaccinated disease. Visit the MDPH site for a schedule of exclusion periods.

Because vaccination is to many a rite of passage, it infrequently becomes an issue of debate (and even when it is debated, rarely is the issue truly vaccination; it is more likely the ingredients). So one of our missions is to effectively place a question mark after ‘vaccination,’ clarifying that whatever a person’s ultimate decision, it should be considered first and foremost as one among a constellation of health options.

Our downloadable poster is one tool we’ve created to help underscore the question mark. If you feel inclined, we invite you to print out copies and place them in parent-traveled places around your community--the local coffee shop, the midwives’ office, perhaps the toy store and children’s consignment shop. And others. Maybe they’ll move a few people to become, rather than passive on-lookers, active participants in the vaccination discussion.

Click here for the MCVC downloadable poster
MS Word Format (20 KB)

Let fellow drivers know that vaccination is not the black and white issue many make it out to be with this fetching bumpersticker. Made with automotive-grade pigments, these heat-fused stickers are weather resistant, flexible and easy to apply. Measures 3” x 10”.

Donations of $25 or more receive one complimentary sticker (if requested). Stickers are otherwise $2.50 each (domestic U.S. shipping included).

Please make check or money order payable to “MCVC” and mail to: MCVC; PO Box 1033; East Arlington, MA 02474-0020.