Guest Bios

Thomas Belcuore has been working in public health for 28 years, the last 15 as Director of the Alachua County Health Department.  Prior to becoming the Director, his primary area of specialty was in investigation of community based disease outbreaks.  In this role, he also became involved in doing disaster response throughout the state.  He was part of the initial response team to Hurricane Andrew, and continues to be part of the state's rapid impact assessment team. For information on school immunizations, visit the Florida Department of Health website at http://www.doh.state.fl.us/.
 

Barbara Loe Fisher is co-founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center, a non-profit educational organization founded by parents of vaccine injured children in 1982. She is co-author of DPT: A Shot in the Dark (Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1985; Warner Communications, 1986; Avery, 1991) and author of The Consumer's Guide to Childhood Vaccines (NVIC, 1997). She is editor of THE VACCINE REACTION and The Vaccine Hotline.

During the 1980's, she and NVIC's co-founders launched the grassroots vaccine
safety and informed consent movement in the U.S., including leading demonstrations at the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta and at the White House while working with Congress to create and pass the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986. After 14 years of advocacy work, NVIC realized a major goal in 1996 when the less reactive acellular pertussis vaccine (DTaP) was licensed, replacing the whole cell DPT vaccine.

She served on the National Vaccine Advisory Committee at the Department of Health and Human Services for four years, where she was the chair of the subcommittee on adverse events. She was appointed to the Vaccine Safety Forum at the Institute of Medicine in 1995, where she has helped coordinate five public workshops on vaccine safety. She is the consumer voting member of the FDA Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, which evaluates scientific data used to license new vaccines.

The mother of three children, in 1980 her oldest son reacted within hours of his fourth DPT and OPV vaccinations at the age of two and a half with a convulsion, collapse shock and six hour state of unconsciousness. He was left with minimal brain dysfunction including multiple learning disablities and attention deficit disorder.

For more information on the National Vaccine Information Center, visit http://www.909shot.com.

Alison Law provides this month’s Village Voice. Alison is a Gainesville CPA, activist for recreation causes throughout the county, and mother of two children. She writes to avoid laundry and other equally challenging household chores! Visit her websites at http://alachua-recreation.gru.net

Vaccination Links

CDC Immunization Information Information
from the Centers for Disease Control on most diseases. With details of immunization and vaccine recommendations. http://www.cdc.gov/nip/

National Vaccine Information Center 
With medical information, stories of adverse reactions to innoculation, references, statisics and advice, the NVIC aims to help parents make informed decisions about having their children immunized.   http://www.909shot.com/

Planet Chiropractic Vaccination Info 
Search dozens of articles related to vaccines and vaccination injury. Did the polio vaccine cause the AIDS virus? Read more about it.  http://www.planetc1.com

Assisting You To Investigate Vaccination   
Vaccination is potentially a life-changing event. This site will help you investigate the issue before you decide whether to vaccinate or not to vaccinate."  http://www.crosswinds.net/~vaxchoice/
 

Autism Links

Autism Network International (ANI)  
Information about the organization, its' services, their annual Autism conference, and links to autism sites.  http://ani.autistics.org/

Autism Home Page  
Autism fact sheets, reviewed autism links, secretin info, and much more.  http://members.spree.com/autism/

Autism/PDD Resources Network   
Explore resources on autism and pervasive developmental disorder. With an introduction to autism and briefs on treatments and approaches.
http://www.autism-pdd.net/

Future Horizons  
The world leader in autism publications and conferences.
http://www.futurehorizons-autism.com