Help spread the word about whooping cough
... acellular pertussis). This can help to provide
continued protection against tetanus,
diphtheria, and whooping cough
Vaccination with Tdap may be especially
important for certain people who haven’t
previously received it:
• New mothers, before leaving the hospital
• People in close contact with infa ...
Australian Vaccination-Skeptics Network
The Australian Vaccination-Skeptics Network, formerly known as the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN), is an Australian anti-vaccination lobby group registered in New South Wales. The organisation has lobbied against a variety of vaccination-related programs, downplayed the danger of childhood diseases such as measles and pertussis, championed the cause of alleged vaccination victims, and promoted the use of alternative medicine such as homeopathy and chiropractic.The group has been described as a provider of ""misleading, inaccurate, and deceptive"" vaccination information by the New South Wales Health Care Complaints Commission(HCCC) (part of the Ministry of Health (New South Wales)) and has been heavily criticised by doctors and other experts on immunisation. The group has been called the ""stronghold of the anti-vaccination movement"" in Australia and is subject to widespread criticism from medical professionals, scientists and other proponents of vaccination. It has also been criticised for harassing the parents of a victim of vaccine-preventable disease, and for promoting the false idea that shaken baby syndrome is actually vaccine injury.In a July 2010 ruling by the Health Care Complaints Commission analysing the group's claims and activities stated that it ""should include an appropriate statement in a prominent position on its website which states:On 14 October 2010, the organisation's right to fund-raise was stripped from it by the New South Wales Office of Liquor, Gaming and Racing, stating that its appeals had ""not been conducted in good faith for charitable purposes"".The group appealed to the NSW Supreme Court against the HCCC and OLGR findings. In February 2012, the Court ruled that the HCCC did not have the power to investigate the particular complaints that had resulted in the public warning, however it dismissed the complaint relating to the fundraising ban.In December 2012, the New South Wales Office of Fair Trading issued an order for the group to change its name within two months or be de-registered. The department described the group's name as being ""misleading and a detriment to the community"".This order was challenged by the group. The challenge has since been dismissed, and on 25 November 2013 the New South Wales Office of Fair Trading order was upheld by the Administrative Decisions Tribunal. In February 2014 the group changed its name to the Australian Vaccination-Skeptics Network.