Q: How much does it cost to fully vaccinate a child?

A: In 2013, the minimum cost of fully vaccinating a child in the U.S. was $1,723. This compares to $370 in 2000, and just $70 in 1990. The increase stems partly from increased costs associated with individual vaccines and mostly from the many new vaccines now being universally recommended. These are minimum costs because some […]

Q: Are vaccines available or being developed for MRSA? Those infections hurt and kill vastly more people than the measles.

A: No vaccine for MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) yet exists for this bacterium, once thought to spread only among hospital inpatients, but several pharmaceutical companies have launched research programs. One promising development comes from Los Angeles Biomedical Research Institute at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, which discovered that the NDV-3 vaccine can reduce this super bug’s severity […]

Q: Why is HCG [found in the tetanus vaccine] used for infertility if it allegedly has sterilizing powers?”

A: There is no contradiction. Depending on its use, HCG can enable, or thwart, pregnancy In a Twitter exchange yesterday over the Vatican’s explosive charge that UNICEF and the World Health Organization are sterilizing Kenyan girls and women by lacing the tetanus vaccine with HCG, Genna Buck, Maclean’s Magazine’s health reporter, asked me for references […]

Q: Who exactly is recommending a third MMR dose?

A: Public health authorities near you During a recent Twitter exchange, Andre Picard, the Globe and Mail’s health columnist, asked me “who exactly is recommending a third MMR dose” after I referred to increasing interest in extra shots. One answer: Public Health Agency of Canada. On its website, it now states: “Prevention of infection by […]

Q: Is it true that Oregon makes parents jump through hoops before claiming a religious exemption for vaccines?

A: Yes, parents must meet one of two tests before their religious (or other non-medical) exemption takes effect. As of last March, parents need to demonstrate that they are aware of the medical consequences of their exemption based on non-medical reasons. This can take the form of  documentation from a health care practitioner showing that they have […]

Q. What age group is likeliest to oppose mandatory vaccinations

A.  Millennials, those age 18 to 29 According to the Pew Research Center, the older you are, the more likely you are to favor mandatory vaccination.  Among those 65 years and older, far from child-bearing age, only 20% of US adults believe that “parents should be able to decide not to vaccinate their children or that […]