Vaccine Safety: Dealing with Uncertainty

The following presentations were delivered at the 2007 annual conference of the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) in Atlatnta, GA. The session, titled 'Vaccine Safety: Delaing with Uncertainty' included three presentations by Martin G. Myers, MD, Walter A. Orenstein, MD, and myself. The presentations describe how public health decisions are made in the absence of scientific information. Using the examples of the vaccine safety concerns surrounding the first rotavirus vaccine, Rotashield, and the preservative thimerosal, panelists explored the difficulty of communicating uncertainty, the need for making public health policy, and the potential benefits and risks of health policy decisions.

Missing Information About Vaccine Safety, by Martin G. Myers, MD, NNii Executive Director (PowerPoint, 647k)

A Tale of Two Vaccine Safety Concerns: Rotashield (Original Rotavirus Vaccine) and Thimerosal, Walter A. Orenstein, MD, Director, Emory Vaccine Policy and Development(PowerPoint, 942k)

Communicating Public Health Policy During Periods of Uncertainty About Vaccine Safety, by Diego Pineda, MS, NNii Science Writer (PowerPoint, 532k)