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CNN Live Today

Interview of Suzanne Walther, Louis Cooper

Aired April 19, 2002 - 10:52   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: This is National Infant Immunization Week. Its purpose is to raise awareness about the benefits of vaccinating children, but not all parents believe the vaccines are safe.

Joining us now to talk about that question are Dr. Louis Cooper. He is president of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He's in New York. And, Suzanne Walther joins us from Nashville. She's a mother who knows first hand the risks and benefits of immunizing children.

Good morning to both of you. Thank you for joining us.

SUZANNE WALTHER, MOTHER: Good morning. Thank you.

DR. LOUIS COOPER, PRESIDENT, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS: Good morning.

KAGAN: Mrs. Walther, I want to start with you. You have three children -- is that right?

WALTHER: I have four now.

KAGAN: You have four, OK. But with number three, this is where you started having a lot of questions about vaccinating your child. Can you tell us that story, please?

WALTHER: Yes. While I was pregnant with my third child, a friend mentioned that she felt like vaccines were not safe, and that they didn't work. I was startled as a parent. I wanted to make good decisions about my children's health care, and over the next several months and even longer I pursued the idea that I need to know more about vaccines, but the information I got was very misleading and very frightening.

KAGAN: So you chose not to vaccinate your third child.

WALTHER: Yes.

KAGAN: And what happened?

WALTHER: I chose not to vaccinate her, and we suffered the consequences. Mary Catherine (ph) came down with Hib meningitis. It is a disease caused by bacteria that can be prevented entirely by a vaccine as early as four months of age, even earlier sometimes. So, she had a terrible, painful, miserable disease that she should not have had, and I hope that other parents don't have that experience of having a child suffer needlessly.

KAGAN: Dr. Cooper, let's bring you in here. Clearly, Suzanne Walther is a good parent, a very caring, concerned, involved parent who thought she was making a good choice for her child.

COOPER: No doubt about it, and fortunately, most parents still follow their doctor's advice, and most children -- most children are being immunized on time. The good news is, we've never had such high immunization rates, and so little disease that's preventable. But some families are worried, and some families, unfortunately, listen to that misinformation and have the consequences that Mrs. Walther described.

KAGAN: There are a lot of concerns out there about vaccinations. There are some parents that believe they can lead to autism, different types of diabetes and other diseases. Are you saying that's absolutely not true, or not true in certain cases?

COOPER: There is just no solid scientific evidence that the -- these vaccines cause any of those alleged diseases, and that's what is so unfortunate.

KAGAN: But one question I have about it. It is hard for me to imagine that there is one medical treatment that is right for every single child, so is it possible that certain children shouldn't be vaccinated or shouldn't have the same series of vaccinations, that maybe their systems can't withstand it?

COOPER: There's nothing we do in medicine that may not have some risk, but remember, all of those vaccines are made to prevent diseases that themselves are very serious. We know that some children may be harmed by vaccines, but the number is very low. That's why we even have a law in this country to help compensate families for any illnesses that are caused by vaccines.

KAGAN: Another concern that has been out there are the shortages of vaccines. Some parents have tried to make appointments to have their children vaccinated, and then told that it is not available.

COOPER: That's extremely frustrating to all of us, and this country is now having to look seriously at how we could allow these shortages to occur.

KAGAN: Suzanne, let's bring you back in here. How is your daughter doing now?

WALTHER: She's doing great. I would like to comment on the -- is it right for every child? I think it is important for every parent to go to their pediatrician, and voice their concerns, and say, Is it right for my child, and find out. If your child is the one rare child that is not a candidate for vaccines -- most are, and if you can have it for your child, it's a benefit. Vaccines really work.

KAGAN: Let me ask you something, Suzanne, because you did something that I think is very admirable. You are a parent that didn't just sit back and do what was told. You were very active in trying to find out the right information, and yet, at least with Mary Catherine, that led you down the wrong path. It still sounds like you're very involved, like you still ask questions and you want to know the right thing to do, but how have you changed how you might search and look for information so you know what is right for your child?

WALTHER: I look for information with some credible scientific background. I know there's a lot of people that are very passionate about, 'This happened to my child, and I think that this caused it' kind of stuff, but what I look for when I'm talking to my doctor, personally, is can you tell me the scientific research, has this been investigated, is there connection here? And when it's one-on-one with me and my pediatrician, I can get the answers I need. If I'm not at his office or on the phone with him, I can look on the Internet at Allied Vaccine Groups, and they will connect me or link me to a lot of other sites with reliable information.

KAGAN: And with your fourth child, what decisions did you make?

WALTHER: Fully vaccinized (ph) from the day he was born. Mary Catherine is completely caught up on hers, so all four of my children now are fully vaccinated.

KAGAN: Very good. Well, we wish you well, and glad to see that your children are healthy and well. Thank you so much, Suzanne Walther, and also Dr. Louis Cooper, thank you for coming on board and talking about a very important topic for families all across America.

COOPER: Thank you.

WALTHER: Thank you.

KAGAN: And, thank you so much.

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