New book aims to provide vaccine answers: AMNews interviews Martin Myers, MD

Physicians also may benefit from summaries of vaccine research as well as tips on communicating effectively with parents.

By Susan J. Landers, AMNews staff. July 7, 2008.

Washington -- Vaccines have long been considered one of public health's greatest and most life-saving achievements, yet they continue to spark controversy. In recent weeks, protesters in Washington, D.C., claimed that childhood vaccines are unsafe, while in Albany, N.Y., others rallied against a mandatory vaccine bill in that state.

Parents attempting to do the right thing for their children are often caught in the cross fire.

Now along comes a new book, Do Vaccines Cause That?! A Guide for Evaluating Vaccine Safety Concerns. It summarizes the research findings on vaccines and presents a method for analyzing that research. The book is by Martin Myers, MD, a pediatrician and executive director of the nonprofit National Network for Immunization Information, based at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, and NNii science writer Diego Pineda. NNii provides information about vaccines on its Web site (www.immunizationinfo.org). Affiliates include the AMA, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians, which support its work. NNii does not accept pharmaceutical company funding, Dr. Myers said.

The authors evaluate the long-running controversy linking vaccines with rising rates of autism as well as claims suggesting vaccines' possible association with asthma. The book also delves into the effects of multiple vaccines on a child's immune system.