by NativeRemedies on November 5th, 2010 at 7:00 am Researchers
found the number of childhood vaccinations, including MMR
(measles, mumps and rubella), decreased almost 3 percent between
2008 and 2009. Diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough
vaccination rates also fell from 87.2 percent to 85.4 percent in
the same one year period, and a similar decrease was seen in
chickenpox vaccinations which dropped from 92 percent to 90.6
percent. The yearly report is based on voluntary reporting from
1,000 health plans covering 118 million Americans, in addition
to Medicaid data. Although the reasons for the decrease have yet
to be explored, according to Sarah Thomas, vice president of
public policy and communication for the National Committee for
Quality Assurance ” the one leading hypothesis is that parents
have decided not to get their children vaccinated because of
concerns about the potential for side effects and even autism.”
The controversial belief that vaccinations cause autism is yet
to be supported by scientific