Vaccine Safety Resources for Teaching and Litigation

 

Anyone teaching about public health and vaccines – whether in the context of a public health law class or a traditional health law class with a section on vaccines - could benefit from a quick introduction to the scientific issues surrounding vaccines, including potential claims about safety concerns. To make life easy for those seeking such information, the Vaccine Education Center of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (VEC) put together a collection of the strongest referenceson several commonly raised safety concerns. The collection was created through a collaboration between Dr. Stanley Plotkin, MD, Dr. Paul Offit, MD, and Dr.  Heather Bodenstab, PharmD.  

The logic behind the effort is that it is rarely possible to be familiar with all anti-vaccine arguments, especially since in today’s social media world claims change very fast, and few experts or professors can keep up with them. Similarly, an expert in evolution will not be familiar with all claims put forth by creationists, or an astronomer with flat earth claims. The library includes summaries of the most relevant, scientifically-based studies on each topic as well as links to a topical overview from elsewhere on the VEC website. It can help law professors be  prepared to address these common claims without requiring them to spend long hours tracking anti-vaccine claims and researching answers. It can also help lawyers and expert witnessesin cases related to vaccines, and could be of value to anyone interested in the science of vaccine safety.