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Our mission is to provide an independent assessment of vaccines and vaccine safety to help guide decision makers and educate physicians, the public and the media about key issues surrounding the safety of vaccines. The institute’s goal is to work toward preventing disease using the safest vaccines possible.

Extensive section providing information to help parents to decide whether to immunize their child with the measles-maps-rubella (MMR) vaccine. It comprises an Introduction; a section dedicated to symptoms of the three diseases; 3 FAQs regarding the vaccine, its safety and the impact of MMR vaccination; comparisons of the risks for each of the diseases; a section helping making a decision and sections FOR and for NOT vaccinating the child. Moreover links to access organizations for and against the vaccination are provided and finally a table is given so that the parent decides what to do. Finally additional references are provided for more information.

MMR decision aid and Dealing with requests for vaccination exemption

A fact sheet about how vaccines are shown to be safe, noting how all vaccines are carefully tested.

INFORMATION SHEET OBSERVED RATE OF VACCINE REACTIONS BACILLE CALMETTE-GUÉRIN (BCG) VACCINE

A fantastic website with lots of information about vaccines, vaccine safety and vaccine communication. Targeted audience includes general public as well as healthcare professionals. Several sections are very interesting and informative.

Publish Date: July 2018 Author: MCSP The journey toward polio eradication offers 30 years of accumulated learning. This document seeks to share insights and ideas gleaned from the polio program’s success that might inform accelerate action on other development issues. It is the outcome of a February 2018 polio partners meeting focusing on communication and community engagement within the polio program held with representatives from these organizations: USAID MCSP (Maternal and Child Survival Program) CORE Group Polio Project The Communication Initiative John Snow, Inc. UN Foundation

This 72 page document provides clear answers to many common questions about vaccination. It is designed: • to help parents find out more about vaccines and the most recent evidence about their safety and effectiveness. • to help doctors answer questions from their patients. Questions: Why do we need vaccines? Why do all children need vaccines? Are the diseases we vaccinate against really serious? If the diseases are rarely seen, why do we still need vaccines? Why is ‘community immunity’ important? Do vaccines prevent death? Can our improved standard of living explain the reduction in disease? Why do children get more vaccines now than they did when I was young? Why should I be vaccinated while I’m pregnant? What do vaccines do? How do vaccines work? How well do vaccines work? Can vaccines cause or spread disease? Is immunity from vaccination as good as natural immunity? Can immunity that comes from vaccination wear off? Does the influenza vaccine cause influenza? Do homeopathic vaccines work? Are vaccines safe for my child? What side effects might occur with vaccines? Do vaccines cause or worsen asthma and allergies? Do vaccines cause autoimmune diseases (like type 1 diabetes, Guillain–Barré syndrome, multiple sclerosis and rheumatoid arthritis)? Do vaccines cause seizures? Do vaccines cause sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)? Does the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine cause rare syndromes or problems with fertility or pregnancy? Does the measles–mumps–rubella (MMR) vaccine cause autism? Does the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine cause damage to the brain or nervous system? Does the rotavirus vaccine cause intussusception? Can my child be vaccinated and when should they be vaccinated? Can my child still be vaccinated if they have allergies? Can my child still be vaccinated if they have a genetic polymorphism? Are vaccines permitted (kosher) for observant Jewish children? Are vaccines permitted (halal) for observant Muslim children? Is it safe to give my child more than one vaccine at the same time? Can I space out or delay some vaccines given to my child? How are vaccines made and tested? How are vaccines made? What ingredients are in vaccines? Do vaccines contain aluminium or mercury? Are vaccines properly tested and monitored? Are some vaccines made using fetal tissue?

This document lists frequently used terms in public health materials and their common, everyday alternatives in plain language sentences. Original sentence examples come from materials on CDC.gov. Some words and phrases may have multiple meanings, so check the context of use before you substitute. Remember, it might not be enough to delete jargon and substitute an everyday word in materials for the nonexpert public. You may have to rewrite the entire sentence or sentences and use multiple techniques. As a rule, you help readers when you: • Write short sentences. •Use active voice. •Use everyday words and pronouns (when appropriate). Who should use this document? Anyone writing for an audience that will benefit from jargon-free language: Consider the intended audience, and use the language that will make the most sense to them. When you do need to reach a broad, public audience without specialized knowledge about a topic, everyday words are the most appropriate language to help the most people understand the information.

This research-based guide will help you develop intuitive health websites and digital tools that can be easily accessed and understood by all users — including the millions of users who struggle to find, process, and use online health information. Contens: Foreword by Dr. Karen B. DeSalvo, MD, MPH, MSc About Health Literacy Online: 2nd Edition Section 1. What We Know About Users with Limited Literacy Skills Section 2. Write Actionable Content Section 3. Display Content Clearly on the Page Section 4. Organize Content and Simplify Navigation Section 5. Engage Users Section 6. Test Your Site with Users with Limited Literacy Skills Health Literacy Online Strategies Checklist

This is a 36 page module from the healthcare workers training. This module describes the tasks a health worker needs to perform to ensure the quality of an immunization session. It starts with the preparation required at the health centre and the immunization site before the infants arrive. It next discusses the communication needed throughout each encounter with caregivers during the session. It then proceeds with assessment of infants before vaccination, the correct technique for giving vaccines, and instructions for closing sessions and recording data. It concludes with a newly developed checklist that can serve as a reminder to ensure safety before, during and after immunization sessions. This module touches on topics that are covered in more detail in other modules with references given in the text. It focuses mainly on infant immunization, but the principles may be applied to older age groups.