ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF 
PEDIATRICS AT UC SCHOOL OF 
MEDICINE AND AUTHOR OF "THE 
HAPPIEST BABY ON THE BLOCK."
THANK YOU FOR JOINING US.
AN IMPORTANT CONVERSATION.
BECKY, YOU OPTED OUT OF 
VACCINATING YOUR SON, WHO IS NOW
14 YEARS OLD.
YOU STOPPED VACCINATING HIM 
AFTER HIS SIX MONTH MARK.
WHY DID YOU DO THAT?
>> I DID THAT BECAUSE OF MY 
OLDER SON'S VACCINE REACTIONS 
THAT HE HAD AS AN INFANT.
MY SON, I TOOK HIM IN FOR 
HEPATITIS-B VACCINE.
HE IMMEDIATE DEVELOPED HIDEOUS 
DIARRHEA.
LATER THAT NIGHT.
DEVELOPED A FEVER.
ARCHED HIS BACK, SCREAMED.
IF I HAD KNOWN THIS WAS BRAIN 
SWELLING.
I WOULD HAVE THEN TO GET HIM TO 
A DOCTOR RIGHT AWAY.
AFTER THAT EVENING HIS HEALTH 
DETERIORATED FOR THE NEXT TWO 
YEARS.
AND, AT 2 YEARS 9 MONTHS HE WAS 
DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM.
WE DIDN'T PUT THE PIECES OF THE 
PUZZLE TOGETHER UNTIL I HAD MY 
SECOND SON.
WHO ALSO STARTED EXHIBITING SOME
STRANGE VACCINE REACTIONS.
AT THAT POINT, I HAD TO REALLY 
WEIGH THE OPTIONS AND I, MY 
HUSBAND AND I DECIDED THAT, OUR 
CHILDREN'S NEURODEVELOPMENT WAS 
MORE IMPORTANT THAN -- 
VACCINATING FOR THESE DISEASES.
THEY HAD PERMANENT DAMAGE.
>> LET ME ASK YOU, YOU HAVE A 
VERY COMPELLING STORY.
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO PARENTS THAT 
SAY BY NOT VACCINATING YOUR 
CHILDREN YOU ARE EXPOSING OTHER 
CHILDREN TO DISEASES LIKE 
WHOOPING COUGH AND MEASLES?
>> I SAY THAT IT IS THEIR RIGHT 
TO VACCINATE THEIR CHILDREN.
IF VACCINES WORK AS THE WAY 
THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO THEIR 
CHILDREN ARE SAFE.
THERE IS NO REASON TO WORRY 
ABOUT MY CHILD.
THEIR CHILDREN ARE VACCINATED.
I AM THE ONE THAT IS TAKING THE 
CALCULATED RISK FOR A VERY GOOD 
REASON.
>> DR. CARP, WHAT DO YOU SAY TO 
THAT.
IF OTHER CHILDREN ARE VACCINATED
WHY WOULD THEY BE EXPOSED TO THE
DISEASES?
>> WELL, WE ALL LIVE IN A 
COMMUNITY TOGETHER.
AND IF YOU DON'T GET VACCINES, 
YOUR CHILD IS GOING TO HAVE A 
HIGHER RISK OF GETTING 
ILLNESSES.
IF THE CHILD IS VACCINATED THAT 
MAY PROTECT THEM.
WE WISH VACCINES WORKED 100%.
THEY DON'T WORK 100%.
IT DOES INCREASE THE RISK THAT A
CHILD EVEN WHO HAS HAD VACCINES 
CAN GET ILLNESS.
I AM MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE 
BABY IN THE FAMILY OR YOUR NEXT 
DOOR NEIGHBOR'S BABY.
MAYBE THEY'RE NOT OLD ENOUGH TO 
GET THE VACCINE.
YOUR TODDLER PLAYS WITH THEM CAN
SPREAD THE ILLNESS TO THEM.
THE POOR UNPROTECTED CHILD IS AT
RISK.
ESPECIALLY CONCERNED ABOUT 
WHOOPING COUGH WHICH IS MORE 
CONTAGIOUS THAN ANY OTHER KNOWN 
DISEASE.
SO IF, LIVE ON A FARM.
I HAVE NO PROBLEM IF YOU CHOOSE 
NOT TO GET THE VACCINES.
ITCH YOU'RE BENEFITING BY LIVING
IN A COMMUNITY WHERE EVERYONE 
ELSE IS GETTING VACCINATED AND 
THE NEXT BABY BORN ON YOUR BLOCK
IS DEPENDING ON YOUR CHILDREN 
GETTING VACCINATED.
I THINK IT IS YOUR 
RESPONSIBILITY.
OTHERWISE I THINK YOU ARE REALLY
FREELOADING ON, ON THE EFFORTS 
MADE AND THE EXPOSURE MADE BY 
THE OTHER FAMILIES.
>> BECKY, DO YOU WANT TO RESPOND
TO THAT?
>> I ABSOLUTELY WANT TO RESPOND.
THE PROBLEM THAT MY CHILDREN HAD
IS THAT I TOOK MY OLDER SON TO 
AN IMMUNOLIMMUNOLOGIST, WHEN HE 
DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM.
EVERY VACCINE WE TESTED, MY SON 
DID NOT DEVELOP TITERS.
IF I VACCINATED HIM HE WOULD BE 
UNPROTECTED.
THERE IS NO REASON TO VACCINATE.
HE WOULD, HE DID NOT RECEIVE 
PROTECTION FROM HIS VACCINES.
HE WAS VACCINATED BUT WAS NOT 
IMMUNIZED.
DID NOT LEAD TO IMMUNIZATION.
>> AN INTERESTING POINT, BECKY.
I HAVE, DR. KARP, THE WHOOPING 
COUGH REPORT, FROM THE 
CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC 
HEALTH.
AND IT TALKS ABOUT THIS YEAR AND
HOW THERE HAS BEEN THIS SPIKE IN
PERTUSSIS AS IT IS CALLED.
I WANT TO READ IT TO YOU.
PRETTY FASCINATING.
PERTUSSIS IS CYCLICAL.
PEAKS EVERY THREE TO FIVE YEARS 
AS NUMBERS OF SUSCEPTIBLE 
PERSONS IN THE POPULATION 
INCREASES DUE TO THE WANING OF 
IMMUNITY FOLLOWING VACCINATION.
IN OTHER WORDS THE VACCINE IS 
ONLY GOOD FOR FIVE TO TEN YEARS 
AND THEN YOU ARE NO LONGER 
IMMUNIZED.
SO IT IS NOT JUST.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
OFF 
NOT JUST PARENTS OPTING OUT OF 
VACCINATING THEIR KIDS.
PARENTS WHO THINK THEIR KIDS ARE
IMMUNIZED AND IT HAS WORN OFF.
>> THAT IS THE CASE.
WE WORRY MOST ABOUT THE LITTLEST
CHILDREN.
THEY'RE THE ONE WHOSE DIE FROM 
WHOOPING COUGH HAVE TO BE 
HOSPITALIZED.
ANY ONE CAN GET IT.
IT TURNS OUT TO BE MORE 
UNFORTUNATE A BAD COLD, TERRIBLE
COUGH AS YOU GET OLDER.
THIS IS THE CRAZY THING.
WE HAVE WEAKENED THE VACCINE, WE
WERE SEEING SOME SIDE EFFECTS OF
THE VACCINE.
TO PROTECT CHILDREN FROM SIDE 
EFFECTS WE WEAKENED THE VACCINE.
MADE IT MORE PURIFIED.
AS AN EFFECT OF THAT IT MADE IT,
THE IMMUNITY LAST NOT AS LONG.
IT WAS MORE PURIFIED.
WE HAD FEWER, MORE CHILDREN WITH
FEWER SIDE EFFECTS.
>> BECKY.
WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME.
PEOPLE SAY YOU, PARENTS, 
LIKE-MINDED WITH YOU ARE 
ANTI-VACCINE.
ARE YOU ANTI-VACCINE?
>> I'M NOT ANTI-VACCINE.
ACTUALLY I DO SEE BENEFIT FOR 
NEWBORNS GETTING THE PERTUSSIS 
VACCINES.
IT'S IN OUR COMMUNITY.
THERE IS A
