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Open Statement on Vaccines

We invite medical and public health practitioners to endorse the Open Statement on Vaccines. To do so, please download a printable form that you can fax.

We, the undersigned, support immunization as the safest, most effective way to control and eradicate infectious diseases. Infectious diseases were once prevalent in the United States, inflicting widespread suffering and death on young and old, rich and poor alike. Deadly diseases such as smallpox, polio, diphtheria and measles have, for the most part, become distant memories. Most of the credit goes to vaccines, medical miracles that many take for granted.

Vaccination eradicated smallpox but the other diseases still exist. Without immunization, they quickly can return and cause widespread harm, as the examples below demonstrate. Although there are extremely rare instances of serious adverse reactions to vaccines, vaccines have a demonstrated record of safety and are held to the highest standard. Vaccines are rigorously tested for safety and effectiveness before licensure by the Food and Drug Administration, and their safety and purity are continuously monitored.

Childhood and adult infectious diseases pose a real threat to personal and public health. Those who are not vaccinated leave not only themselves, but others, vulnerable to dangerous diseases. Vaccines are the most effective option for preventing and stopping the spread of infectious diseases.


Vaccines Save Lives

  • Immunization has cut measles incidence in the U.S. by 99.9%. Vaccination still is important-measles kills 950,000 people each year in countries without comprehensive immunization.
  • Immunization wiped out smallpox in 1979. Before smallpox was eradicated, it killed over 300 million people in the 20th Century-more than all wars combined.
  • Vaccination eradicated paralytic polio from the Western Hemisphere. Before a vaccine was available, polio affected as many as 57,000 Americans per year with paralytic disease.
  • Without routine vaccination, infectious diseases can quickly return and cause widespread harm. In Russia, diphtheria cases jumped from 900 in 1989 to 50,000 in 1994 after a drop in vaccination rates.
  • Immunization has nearly eliminated a major cause of childhood meningitis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, everywhere the vaccine is used. Before the vaccine became available, 20,000 cases of the disease were reported and nearly 600 died each year in the United States.

Mohammad Akhter, MD, MPH
Former Executive Director
American Public Health Association

Richard D. Andersen, MD
Infectious Disease Consultant
Children’s Hospitals and Clinics
St. Paul/Minneapolis, MN

Carol J. Baker, MD
Chair, Infectious Disease Department
Baylor College of Medicine

Steve Barbour, MD
Pediatric Infectious Disease Specialist
Phoenix Children's Hospital

Robert S.Baratz, MD, PhD, DDS
President
National Council Against Health Fraud

Stephen Barrett, MD
Board Chairman
Quackwatch, Inc.

Kenneth Bart, MD, MPH, MSHMP
Director, Graduate School of Public Health
San Diego State University

Mark P. Becker, PhD
Dean, School of Public Health
University of Minnesota

Georges C. Benjamin, MD
Executive Director
American Public Health Association

J. Michael Bishop, MD
Chancellor
University of California, San Francisco

Thomas P. Bleck MD FCCM
Louise Nerancy Eminent Scholar in Neurology and Professor of Neurology, Neurological Surgery, and Internal Medicine
University of Virginia

Gunter Blobel
Nobel Laureate and Professor, Cell Biology
Rockefeller University

Barry R. Bloom, PhD
Dean, School of Public Health
Harvard University

Walter E. Brandt
Senior Program Officer
Malaria Vaccine Initiative
Program for Appropriate Technology in Health

Howard S. Britt MD
Pediatrician, New Jersey

Betty Bumpers
Co-founder
Every Child By Two

Donald S. Burke, MD
Director, Center for Immunization Research
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Joseph A. Califano, Jr.
President
National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse
Former Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare

Dr. Ndubuisi K. Chukwudi
Consultant Pediatrician
Federal Medical Centre, Nigeria

John Clymer
President
Partnership for Prevention

Louis Z. Cooper, MD
President
American Academy of Pediatrics

Richard F. Corlin, MD
President
American Medical Association

Stephen Crane, PhD
Executive Vice President/CEO
American Academy of Physician Assistants

Janet L. Cranshaw MD
General Pediatrician
Rochester, NY

James Curran, MD, MPH
Dean, Rollins School of Public Health
Emory University

John David, MD
Professor
Harvard School of Public Health

Ciro deQuadros, MD, MPH
Director, Division of Vaccines & Immunization
Pan American Health Organization

Vincent Devita, Jr. MD
Director
Yale Cancer Center

Carter Diggs, MD, PhD
Senior Technical Advisor
USAID Malaria Vaccine Development Program

Molly Droge, MD
General Pediatrician
Dallas Texas

Kathryn Edwards, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Karen R. Elliott, JD
Coordinator, Oregon Partnership to Immunization Children
Oregon Department of Humans Services

Ann M. Endy
Infection Control Practitioner
Children’s Hospitals and Clinics
St. Paul/Minneapolis, MN

Howard Faden, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
SUNY Buffalo

Edmond H. Fischer
Nobel Laureate and Emeritus Professor, Biochemistry
University of Washington

Francis T. Fitzpatrick, MD
Pediatrician

Ed Friedmann, PA-c
President
American Academy of Physician Assistants

Timothy A. Gardner, MD
Pediatrician
USAMEDDAC, Ft. Riley, Kansas

William G. Gardner , MD
Chairman, Dept. of Internal Medicine
College of Medicine
Northeastern Ohio Universities

Anne G. Gershon, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Columbia University

David Gilbert, MD
President
Infectious Diseases Society of America

Ayesha E. Gill, PhD
Project Manager, Statewide Immunization Information System
California Department of Health Services Immunization Branch

Allan L. Goldstein, PhD
Professor & Chair Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
The George Washington University School of Medicine

Kathy Gray
Infection Control Practitioner
Children’s Hospitals and Clinics
St. Paul, MN

Thomas P. Green, MD
Professor and Chairman of Pediatrics
Feinberg School of Medicine
Northwestern University

Neal Halsey, MD
Director, Institute for Vaccine Safety
Bloomberg School of Public Health
Johns Hopkins University

Scott Halstead, MD
Adjunct Professor
Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Peter Holbrook, MD
Chief Medical Officer
Children’s National Medical Center

Peter Hotez, MD, PhD
Professor & Chair
Department of Microbiology and Tropical Medicine
The George Washington University

Michelle Hulse, MD
Children's Hospitals and Clinics, St. Paul, Minnesota

Joseph U. Igietseme
Professor of Microbiology & Immunology
Morehouse School of Medicine
and
Chief of Molecular Pathogenesis Lab
National Center for Infectious Diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Patricia Johnston, MD
Dean, School of Public Health
Loma Linda University

M. Douglas Jones, Jr., MD
Professor and Chair
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

Warren A. Jones, MD
President
American Academy of Family Physicians

Samuel L. Katz, MD
Wilbert C. Davison Professor of Pediatrics
Duke University

Patrick W. Kelley, MD, DrPH
Director, DoD Global Emerging Infectious System
Walter Reed Army Institute & Research

C. Everett Koop, MD, ScD
U.S. Surgeon General (1981-1989)
Koop Institute, Dartmouth College

Mary Beth Koslap-Petraco, NP
Immunization SIG Chair
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners

Kathleen LeDell, MPH, RM
Clinical Nurse Specialist
Minnesota Department of Health

Peter J. Levin, ScD
Dean, School of Public Health
University of Albany

Myron M. Levine, MD, DTPH
Professor and Director
University of Maryland School of Medicine

Bente E. Lundh, MD FAAP
Pediatrician, Member of Bermuda Advisory Council on Immunization Practices
King Edward Memorial Hospital

Noni MacDonald MD MSC FRCPC
Professor of Peadiatrics and Microbiology
Isaak Walton Killam Health Centre, Nova Scotia

Charles S. Mahan, MD
Dean, College of Public Health
University of South Florida

Edgar K. Marcuse, MD, MPH
Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Medical Director
Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center
University of Washington

Gary S. Marshall, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
University of Louisville School of Medicine

William J. Martone, MD
Senior Executive Director
National Foundation for Infectious Diseases

Robert F. Meenan, MD, MPH, MBA
Dean, School of Public Health
Boston University

Vijaya L. Melnick, PhD
Associate Director, International Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of Immunology
Georgetown University

Max Michael, MD
Dean, School of Public Health
University of Alabama

Lewis A. Miller
Chairman
Intermedica, Inc.

Edward Miller, MD
Dean/ CEO, School of Medicine
Johns Hopkins University

Thomas L. Milne
Executive Director
National Association of County & City Health Officials

John Modlin, MD
Chair
CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

Jean Molleston, MD
Clinical Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Indiana University School of Medicine

Anne Moscona, MD
Professor of Pediatrics
Vice Chair of Pediatrics
Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Michael H. Nelson, PhD, RPh
Director, Immunization Certification Program
Southwestern Oklahoma State University School of Pharmacy

David A. Neumann, PhD
Director
National Partnership for Immunization/National Coalition for Adult Immunization

Jerald Newberry
Health Information Network Director
National Education Association

Paul A. Offit, MD
Chief, Section of Infectious Diseases
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH
Director, Center for Disease Research & Policy
University of Minnesota

Jo Ann Pacis, MS, RN , PNP-C
Clinical Nurse Specialist/ARNP
Lee Memorial Health System

Michael D. Pappas, MD
President, Children's Intensive Caring

Paul D. Parkman, MD
Biological Products Consultant
Past Director of the Center For Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration

Trish Parnell
Executive Director
PKIDs (Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases)

Georges Peter, MD
Chair, National Vaccine Advisory Committee
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Amy Pisani
Executive Director
Every Child By Two

Gregory Poland, MD
President
International Society for Vaccines

Kenneth W. Purdy, MD
Fellow, Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Harbor-UCLA Medical Center

Peter Rappo, MD
VP, Pediatrics
Beansprout Networks, Boston, MA

Michelle Ratau, MD
Urban Community Pediatrics Research Fellows
New York Presbyterian Hospital

George Risi, MD, FACP, FIDSA
Infectious Disease Physician
Infectious Disease Specialists, P.C

John Robbins, MD
Chief, LDNI, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development
National Institutes of Health

Judy Robinson, PhD, RN, PNP
Executive Director
National Association of School Nurses

William L. Roper, MD, PhD
Dean, School of Public Health
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Allan Rosenfield, MD, FACOG
Dean, Mailman School of Public Health
Columbia University

Isadore Rosenfeld, MD
Ida and Theo Rossi Distinguished Professor of Clinical Medicine
Weill Medical College, Cornell University

Linda Rosenstock, MD, MPH
Dean, School of Public Health
UCLA

Norman E. Rosenthal, MD
Medical Director
Capital Clinical Research Institute

Philip K. Russell, MD
Special Advisor on Vaccine Development and Production
HHS Office of Public Health Preparedness

Heloisa Sabin
Co-founder
Sabin Vaccine Institute

David Satcher, MD
U.S. Surgeon General (1998-2002)

Pamela Sawyer, MHA
Vice President
Visiting Nurse Associations of America

Steve Schutzer, MD
Department of Medicine
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey

Richard S. Schweiker
Former Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Donna Shalala
Former Secretary
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Philip Sharp
Nobel Laureate and Professor
Cancer Research Center
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Donald Shepard, PhD
Professor and Head, Cost-Effectiveness Group
Brandeis University

H.R. Shepherd
Chairman
Sabin Vaccine Institute

Stanford T. Shulman, MD
Chief, Infectious Diseases
Children's Memorial Hospital, Chicago

Alfred Sommer, MD, MHS
Dean, Bloomberg School of Public Health
Johns Hopkins University

Richard Southby, PhD
Interim Dean and Ross Professor of International Health
School of Public Health and Health Services
The George Washington University

Allen C. Steere, MD
Zucker Professor of Medicine
Tufts University School of Medicine

Thomas E. Stenvig
Associate Professor
South Dakota State University College of Nursing

Linda Stierle, MSN, RN, CNAA
CEO
American Nurses Association

Patricia Stinchfield
Director, Nurse Practitioner
Children’s Hospitals and Clinics
St. Paul/Minneapolis, MN

Ciro V. Sumaya, MD, MPHTM
Dean, School of Rural Public Health
Texas A&M University System Health Science Center

Eve H. Switzer, MD
Northwest Pediatrics
Lawton, OK

Wanda I. Tabora-Tirado
Public Health Educator
Iniciativa Comunitaria Puerto Rico

E. Donnall Thomas
Nobel Laureate
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
University of Washington

Patricia Thomas
Author
Research Fellow, Sabin Vaccine Institute

William True, PhD
Interim Dean, School of Public Health
St. Louis University

Jeffrey P. Utz, MD
New Jersey

Thomas M. Vernon, MD
Vice-president, Merck Vaccine Division
Merck and Co., Inc.

Patricia Wahl
Dean, School of Public Health
University of Washington

Geoffrey A. Weinberg, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics & Director, Pediatric HIV Program
University of Rochester School of Medicine & Dentistry

Peter N. Wenger, MD
Medical Director, Project Vaccinate
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey/
New Jersey Medical School

Deborah Wexler, MD
Executive Director
Immunization Action Coalition; Hepatitis B Coalition

Nancy Woods
Dean and Professor
School of Nursing
University of Washington

Clifford Wu, MD, FAAP
New Ulm Medical Center

*Last Updated 5/4/2007

 

 

For more information about vaccines and immunization, we recommend that you talk to your physician, nurse or local health agency.
This message is brought to you by the Albert B. Sabin Vaccine Institute, Inc., a public 501(c)(3) charitable organization, www.sabin.org.