VACCINATION AWARENESS AND INFORMATION SERVICE (VAIS) a pro choice organisation was formed 10 years ago by parents and health professionals, to help people make informed decisions on vaccination and the health of their children. VAIS was one of the first groups to volunteer their time and money to source factual referenced material and send out unbiased information to inquiring parents and other health professionals. Since our humble beginnings every State now has information services helping parents make informed decisions. Every pro choice information service is supported by membership and donations, we receive no funding.

Over the years more and more parents are becoming concerned at the push by government to have everyone vaccinated no matter what the cost. This is contrary to most other medical procedures. Vaccination supporters and those pushing vaccination seem to over look the risks and concerns and often suggest everyone should be vaccinated. More and more childhood vaccines are being offered and this in itself concerns parents as it is truly an overload on such a small body. Parents are becoming better educated on many issues concerning health and are seeking to learn more and not accept the catch cry “you must vaccinate your child to protect”.

Vaccination is not compulsory. You do not have to vaccinate your children so they can attend school or receive Government rebates. So please don't be bullied into vaccinating and always check the validity of the information you receive from seemingly knowledgeable people.

A lot of emotional tugs are used by well meaning health nurses, school staff, centrelink, doctors and health professionals to ensure parents conform to the notion that vaccination is a given. Sometimes it is hard to resist, especially for vulnerable first time parents or those who have been brought up in a truly medical environment. However, it is important to understand that this baby is your baby and with consultation you are the one to make the decision that is best for your baby. Every parent owes it to their baby to make informed decisions based on facts, not emotional tugs or bullying tactics.

For those of us who are entering this new era of school, be prepared to handle situations surrounding health and vaccination. From our experience you will receive paper work asking if your child has been vaccinated along with what religion, address and emergency contact details. It is a very routine kind of form and it is up to you how you answer the vaccination question. You have three choices: to ignore the question and leave it blank, to say no that your child has not been vaccinated or you can tell a white lie and say that your child has been vaccinated. Everyone handles this question differently to suit their needs. Some want to make a statement by answering no, others just don't want to hassle or any further questions or exclusions during the school year if a preventative disease shows up in the school community and others leave the question blank as they may feel it is none of their business to know this information. It is very rare, if ever that you will be confronted about your child's vaccination status and the golden rule is expectation. Don't expect there will be trouble and there won't be. Most of the admin staff in schools are just that, admin staff and they want to process the new or old forms with ease and get their job done. They are not expects on health and certainly should not pressure or coerce anyone to vaccinate their children.

It is important to include your children in discussion about health and why you have made the decision not to vaccinate. We have found that including our children in discussion about health has enable them to be educated on the subject and in turn able to speak up intelligently and not emotionally when the subject is raised between peers. It surely warms our hearts that our children are probably more educated than most parents who willing hand over their children to be vaccinated without any knowledge at all.

It is our duty as educated parents to help others become educated. It should matter little to us the final decision of others but it should matter to us that each and everyone has the opportunity to make informed decisions. The bottom line is you do not have to vaccinate your child, you will not be financially discriminated for your decision and you are not a bad parent if your decision is to defer or refuse vaccines. You are infact one of the growing number of parents who are taking an active role in the health of their children and you should stand tall and feel proud.

Possible questions to ask yourself:

Do you know what is in the vaccine?
Do you know how the vaccine was made?
Do you know if the vaccine has been stored correctly?
How do I know my baby won’t react?
If my baby reacts to the vaccine what support will I be given?
What are the manufacturer’s results of known reactions?
Do I believe that vaccines truly protect?
What are my options if I don’t vaccinate?
Have you read the product insert?
Is there any family history of vaccine reactions and chronic diseases?

Possible Questions to ask the doctor or health nurse:
Do you keep up to date on the vaccination issue? If yes, how? Could you supply some of the latest information on vaccinations to take home and read?
What are all the reactions to vaccines you want to administer? Could you have a copy of the product insert to read at home?
Dr Michel Odent has linked asthma to the whooping cough vaccine? Have you read his research and what do you think?
Professor Wakefield has linked autism to the measles vaccine. What do you think?
Why is the same dose of vaccines given to a two month old baby as is given to a 5 year old?
Are you aware that Japan changed the start time for vaccinating from 3 months to 2 years and straight away their SIDS rate plummeted?
Do you believe in herd immunity? If so, how is it that in the U.S.A. which has a 98% vaccination rate, they still have major outbreaks of these diseases and mostly in the vaccinated children?
Some doctors are telling people that if an unvaccinated child gets a disease, they get a more severe bout, than a vaccinated child who gets the same disease. Do you believe this? Please supply scientific proof to back up your opinion.
If vaccines do harm my child, where will you report the reaction and will my child be compensated for the damage done?