Pressroom

NNii Publishes New Booklet on How to Evaluate Information about Vaccines on the Internet

Contact:

Diego Pineda - (409) 772-0199

Mayo 24, 2005

Contradictory information about immunizations on the Internet may cause confusion in parents considering immunizations for their children. For this reason, the National Network for Immunization Information (NNii) has published a new 16-page booklet that provides tips on how to find reliable information on the Internet about vaccines and how to evaluate the accuracy and validity of this type of information.

The booklet, “Evaluating Information about Immunizations on the Internet,” was created at the request of pediatricians and parents who wanted to have in print some of the most popular content on NNii’s Web site (www.immunizationinfo.org) to share with others.

“Health professionals may use this booklet as a patient hand-out and parents may use it as a tool to evaluate vaccine safety information they may find on the Internet,” said Martin Myers, MD, co-author of the booklet and NNii’s executive director.

According to NNii, a reliable Web site should display who is responsible for the site and should not favor a sponsor or product; additionally the information should be up to date and must be reviewed by scientific experts before being posted, among other things.

“The guidelines for evaluating information on the internet described in this booklet can be applied to other health topics and not only immunizations,” said Diego Pineda, MS, co-author of the booklet and NNii’s science writer.

The booklet is the first in a series of publications by NNii that will address important issues on immunizations and vaccine safety.

How much does it cost? For more information and to order the booklet, go to www.immunizationinfo.org/bookstore

The National Network for Immunization Information (NNii) provides up-to-date, science based information about immunizations to health professionals, the public, policymakers, and the media. NNii is based at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and is affiliated with the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Nurses Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.