I wholeheartedly support this statement as a physician, public health advocate, and mother. Vaccines are a safe and effective way to keep our children and communities from experiencing the devastating outcomes of preventable diseases.

I agree that we should vaccinate our children. We can protect them from the severe illnesses that the vaccines can prevent and potentially prevent death. I have two family members who have suffered from vaccine preventable diseases. They lived in an area where vaccines were not easily accessible and were exposed to Diphtheria and Polio as children. They are not alive to tell you how important vaccines are. Please vaccinate your children.

I agree with the statement above. The diseases that these vaccines have prevented have protected our children from severe illnesses and potentially fatal diseases. We must do our part to protect the vulnerable- the children in our community.

I get rather high on my soap box when the topic of vaccines comes up. Let's see...a proven life saving miracle that saves lives, prevents often terrible consequences of diseases, with amazing safety profile AND covered by insurance for just about everyone. I'm a mother, I get the fear "what if my child is the 1 in a million" who gets a complication from a vaccine. But I am not a mother alone and my family is part of all humanity. I have done everything I can to make sure my little unit of four people does not unwittingly cause disease and suffering for the family of all.

Vaccines save lives. I have no hesitation recommending vaccination to my patients, plan on complete and timely vaccination of my future children, and am glad to be vaccinated myself.

I support this statement

I do endorse this statement about vaccines.

I live and work in Ukiah. I fully support the statement.

I have seen the trend toward no or 'slow' vaccination and see it as a symptom of magical thinking that some people have. No amount of data sways this thinking. My hispanic patients are eager for vaccinations. The why of this puzzled me for a time until I realized they had all seen these diseases and were eager to prevent them in their own children. Maybe we should develop a vaccination video much along the lines of the videos played to educate new parents about childcare with pictures of these diseases. Harsh, but perhaps effective. I have cared for those with polio, with cancer of the cervix, with pneumonia and meningitis and know vaccinations work. I hope we can convince, perhaps coerce parents to participate. The recent measles outbreak has convinced me that these children should not be allowed in public schools at all unless there is legitimate medical reasons for lack of vaccination.
I definitely support use of vaccines and the statement.

Working in the hospital, I get to see just how sick some of these children with preventable diseases can get. I fully support this statement and urge people to think about not only their own children, but their friends and neighbors children.

Before vaccines were available ,I treated children with vaccine preventable diseases--so sick--so miserable---Some died--some were left with permanent sequelae--
Vaccines are safe and life-saving!
I believe if people could see what these diseases are really like-they would rush to immunize their children.

Nancy Doyle MD

I have seen children with these vaccine preventable diseases----so sick---so miserable---some died--some were left with permanent sequelae from the illness------vaccines are safe and life saving-we need to protect each child and adult that we can. Nancy Doyle MD

I fully support this statement.

I fully support this statement.

I completely agree. Vaccines are safe and effective. As President of SCMA, I attended California legislative day in Sacramento on April 24 to show our support for vaccinations; and we spoke to our legislators about SB 276. As a result of all of our voices both locally and across the state, the bill is moving forward! Great news for progress on ensuring more community vaccinations.
As a parent and a physician I urge all parents to vaccinate their children to help protect our community from preventable diseases.

I support this statement. Patient/Parent education and valuable Time in consultation to discuss fears, concerns, dispel myths, and to address toxicity concerns are crucial. Most parents want the best for their children, and as physicians we need to establish trust, practice non-judgment, and most importantly patience with populations skeptical of immunizations. I hope that the outcome of our positive intentions and actions only helps to better our community to keep them healthy and safe during this national measles outbreak.

Vaccines are safe and effective. As a parent and a physician I urge all parents to vaccinate their children to help protect our loved ones and our community from devastating, preventable diseases.

I fully support this statement. Please protect your family and our community by supporting vaccinations.

I fully support this statement.

I strongly believe vaccines are safe and effective. My three daughters ages 13-21 years old have received all recommended vaccinations, and have never had a side effect. Despite being fully vaccinated, my 18 year old daughter did contract pertussis/whooping cough when she was in 5th grade, and has had moderate persistent asthma ever since.

I support this statement and support the use of vaccines.

I fully support vaccinations

I am in support of vaccinations

I fully support vaccinations.

I support this statement. Vaccines are safe and effective. Please protect your child, your family, and your community!

I fully support vaccination

Wholeheartedly support vaccination as one of the most effective public health programs in the world.

I absolutely support this statement. Vaccines save lives, no doubt.

I fully support the above statement and with a vulnerable 2 month old infant of my own, I urge everyone to get vaccinated.

William D. Kerridge, MD

I have no hesitation in fully vaccinating my patients and my own children and I follow the CDC vaccination schedule.

I strongly agree with the above statement

I fully support the above statement

Archana R Rao, MD

In full agreement with the above statement.

I fully support this statement!!!!

I fully support vaccination.

I fully support vaccinations for my family, my patients and the community at large. We are blessed to live in a time when we can prevent these terrible diseases.

Vaccines are safe and effective, preventing serious life-threatening diseases, and I fully support vaccinations.

Vaccines are safe and effective, preventing serious life threatening diseases, and I support vaccines

I fully support this statement.

In full support and agreement with the above statement.

Vaccines are safe and effective. They protect our loved ones and the community from preventable devastating diseases.

I fully support this statement. Thank you for doing this!

I fully support this statement

I fully support vaccines .

I fully support the use of vaccines to keep ourselves and our communities healthy and free of preventable diseases.

I fully support this statement. Thank you Brian Prystowsky for bringing us all together to make our voices heard on this important issue!

I am honored to add my name to this list of physicians who, together, have cared for hundreds of thousands of patients in our decades of service to the community. We believe in vaccines because we have seen -- some first hand and some only in medical history books -- the devastating effects of vaccine-preventable diseases. When I was a child, my mother taught multi-handicapped deaf children. I grew up beside these severely disabled "rubella babies", born to unvaccinated mothers who may not have even noticed when they got the very mild illness during pregnancy. The rubella vaccine was introduced in 1969. Let's not be cavalier with the health of our community. Please, get vaccinated.

I fully support this statement.
David Koida, M.D.

I fully support this statement. Please protect your family by getting them vaccinated.

Yes, I fully support this statement.

I support the statement.

I support the statement.

That the thought of not vaccinating is even a consideration for anyone currently is due to millions of people having vaccinated, bringing many diseases to near eradication that people feel it is “safe” not to vaccinate. For those who are not vaccinating themselves or their children, please know that these diseases will rebound when given the opportunity. You have the privilege and benefit now of efforts made by those before you. Please understand the impact that your choices will have on future generations.

Yes. Duh.

Yes. Duh.

Yes. Duh.

I fully support this statements

I fully support this statement

I fully support this statement. Parents who choose not to vaccinate their children put them at risk.

Yes, include my name as a physician who supports vaccines.

I am absolutely in support of vaccinations to prevent potentially life threatening, disabling childhood diseases.

As a pediatrician practicing in Sonoma County for the last 25 years, I have seen the impact vaccines have had on horrible diseases like measles, bacterial meningitis, chickenpox and pertussis. It is up to all of us to get vaccinated to protect ourselves, our family and our community at large. I wholeheartedly support this statement.

I fully endorse this statement.

I fully support this statement.

I completely support this statement. Vaccines are effective.. We all have the moral responsibility to educate one another about the scientific facts and fallacies to ensure the long term health of our community.

The science and data are clear. Vaccines save lives. Until there is a legal or financial impact on those who propagate the misinformation, rates of vaccine preventable disease will continue to persist and even increase. As health care professionals, who have promised to be advocates, we must stand unified and unwavering in our efforts to protect the most vulnerable and voiceless population... our children.

I support this statement affirming the need for vaccinations as a critical part of health care. I personally seen patients ill with tetanus, measles, and meningitis. These are preventable with universal vaccination.
Robert L Hickman MD.

I support this statement
Deidre Bass DO

I fully endorse this statement and the efforts of our medical community to promote vaccinating our children.

as a neurologist I more than aware of the devastation that can occurs a consequence of easily preventable illnesses such as measles. I find a tragic that the human capacity for self delusion and mythology can lead to such devastating consequences. Avoiding vaccination because of some fear of an unproven association is a dangerous delusion.

Vaccines are safe, effective, and critical for protecting a community.

Kathy Hardin, FNP in support of the above statement

When I worked overseas in places where these diseases still exist, parents wanted their children to be vaccinated.
Be proactive. Vaccines are the best way to protect your loved ones and your community.

I support immunizations 100%

I support this statement.

I support vaccinations 100%. We live in a community and have a responsibility to protect our most vulnerable.

I support this statement.

As physicians, we are responsible for protecting the most vulnerable and helpless in our society. To some this is a professional responsibility, to others it’s a vocation. Many immune suppressed children and adults are terribly vulnerable to such common diseases like measles. Not vaccinating healthy children with such a safe vaccine, jeopardizes the health of so many. Measles (MMR) vaccine is exponentially safer than letting your child ride a bike or scate board, or play competitive sports. As a parent and physician, I implore us to make wise decisions — declining vaccination in a healthy child is not one of them.

When I started my medical career in 1976 we would treat up to 30 kids a year for diseases now prevented by vaccines. Some of those kids died and many were damaged. We never see those kids any more because vaccines work.

I support this statement.

I come from a country where vaccines were not available to everyone, and I know friends' parents/grandparents who had paralytic polio. Vaccines save lives, and we have to do everything we can to educate our families. I represent California Children's Services being the Medical Director for the program for Sonoma County. I still practice at the Pediatrics Campus of SRCH. The 1800 children of Sonoma County CCS are at the highest risk from complications if they get sick from a vaccine-preventable illness. As are children under 2 years/old, pregnant women and seniors. We all have a responsibility to protect those that are most vulnerable to complications. We all need to be vaccinated to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Vaccines save lives!

Declining vaccines for your child is strong statement to society that you value your individual beliefs over the safety of not only your children, but also those of the rest of society.
As a former Christian Scientist who became a Family Physician, I am well aware of the religious and cultural struggles over this issue; the irony being that religion is supposed to enforce the value of believing in something larger than oneself.

Vaccines are important!!

My dad had polio as a child when vaccines were not yet available. He told us how many of the children in their town had the same illness and some died. He survived with weakness and atrophy of his right leg. I had mumps as a child and still remember how miserable I felt. As the vaccines became available, my parents made sure we received them. This was the time when doctors would make house calls ! I remember all five of us children lining up at home to get the vaccines as they became available.
As a medical student, I have seen babies born with cataracts when their mothers were pregnant and had either rubeola or rubella. I have cared of children suffering from tetanus and unfortunately died from respiratory failure. I have seen young children suffer and die of pneumonia from measles. I have seen older children develop general muscle weakness and diagnosing them with SSPE years after the family thought they have cleared their episode of measles.
I remember as a pediatric resident when we would "guess" if the CSF culture grew Haemophilus or pneumococcus from lumbar punctures we did for children who had meningitis. We were able to "smell" rotavirus the minute we step into the exam room in an infant who has severe diarrhea.
I slowly saw these illnesses decrease years later because of the vaccines. It is sad and ironic that our patients have to suffer through these illnesses again because vaccines worked and parents do not know how terrible these illnesses are for their babies and children and opt to ignore the science.

I have been in practice in Santa Rosa since 1977. Vaccines have virtually eliminated many of our most fearsome diseases. Potential vaccines are carefully investigated before release and post-marketing surveillance continues. Most candidate vaccines never come into use. There is compensation available for the rare-truly one in a million- cases where the recipient is injured. California law SB 277 has reduced the number of unimmunized children. Now SB 276 proposes to give public health authorities the tools to investigate fraudulent medical exemption waivers which endanger children who truly cannot receive a few vaccines. There is a local purveyor of such exemptions. Look him up.
The fact that US vaccines cost much more than elsewhere in the world is a separate issue and is not a reason to avoid protecting children and adults.

As a child I had serious illnesses now preventable by vaccination and in the earlier part of my career cared for children who suffered devastating complications of vaccine preventable infections despite medical care. I had my beloved children fully vaccinated and continue to recommend that parents do the same.

Vaccines are an important contribution to the health of our community.

Vaccines are an important contribution to the health of our community.

All children should have the right to not die from a disease that is vaccine preventable

Vaccines are one of the great successes of Western medicine. They are safe and effective, proven time and time again. I, too, have seen vaccine-preventable diseases, with some very sad results. Protect your child, your family, and your community by vaccinating our children.

Smart. Safe. Perfect way to stay healthier.

Yep. Safe, smart, and easy. Perfect way to stay safe and healthier.

Vaccines are one of the most important public health gains of the last 100 years, and save countless lives annually. They are safe and effective and the scientific evidence supporting that statement is incontrovertible. You either believe in the scientific method or you do not, but the science proves vaccines save lives.

I practiced in the prevaccine era and saw firsthand the disease and death caused by the diseases now preventable with vaccines. It saddens me to know there are parents who choose to return to those "good old days". They were not "so good".

This will be my 47th year in practice in Sonoma County. I am probably one of the few physicians still working that has actually cared for patients with measles, congenital rubella syndrome, polio, and bacterial meningitis. The success of the vaccines is in my opinion one of the reasons that people are complacent and refuse to immunize. As evidenced by the resurgence of measles, we can not let our guard down. It is possible to convince some, but not all, vaccine deniers that the vaccines are safe and important and get them to change their mind.

Karen Holbrook, MD, MPH, in support of the above statement!

Vaccines are safe and effective!!!

Lori Johnson, FNP

Tahereh Naderi, MD

Roseann Day, MD in support of the above statement

Please add your name as a comment to show our community that physicians overwhelmingly believe that vaccines are safe and effective. When we have enough names, we'll ask the Press Democrat to publish the above statement with all our names in support as a public statement.

Brian Prystowsky, M.D.