Why Some NYC Parents Don't Want Their Kids To Get a Flu Shot

Photo: doofus133, Flickr

The NYC Dept. of Health approved earlier today a new rule that all preschool and daycare kids in New York City must get a flu shot within 30 days.

Most health experts agree that flu shots are a pretty good idea, but one group of parents say the DOH has no right to make the shots mandatory.

According to the Brooklyn Eagle, the Autism Action Network objects to the shots "based on what they say is the ineffectiveness of the flu vaccine, and the possibility of side effects, some of them serious."

Unlike other vaccines, about half of the influenza vaccine produced in the U.S. contains mercury (a toxin that can cause brain damage) in the form of thimerosal, a disinfectant.

A child receiving vaccine with thimerosal gets "17 times as much mercury as the maximum limit for a full-grown adult,” the Autism Action Network said.

Doctors say that the risks of the vaccine are less than the risks of the shot. AAN's not buying that, however.

More here.

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