Every Child By Two

Every Child By Two (ECBT) is a non-profit organization, based in the United States, which advocates for vaccinations. Founded in 1991, its stated goals are to "raise awareness of the critical need for timely immunizations and to foster a systematic way to immunize all of America's children by age two."[1] ECBT was founded by former First Lady of the United States Rosalynn Carter and former First Lady of Arkansas Betty Bumpers.[2][3]

Every Child By Two (ECBT)
Founded1991
TypeNonprofit
FocusPublic understanding of vaccinations
Location
MethodEducation, outreach, and advocacy
Key people
Rosalynn Carter
Betty Bumpers
Websitewww.ecbt.org

Background

In 1991, Rosalynn Carter and Betty Bumpers founded Every Child By Two (ECBT) in response to a measles outbreak in which around 150 people, including young children, died as a result of contracting the disease.[4] At the time, Carter said, "It is imperative that we move quickly to increase our capacity to vaccinate children who are at risk for measles and other diseases, such as mumps, rubella and polio."[5] Carter and Bumpers started the national immunization awareness project by enlisting the help of governors' spouses to advocate for vaccinations[6] with the goal of immunizing 95% of U.S. children against diseases like diphtheria, measles, and rubella by the year 2000.[1] The group also expanded their educational outreach to include information about other vaccine preventable diseases, including chickenpox,[7] whooping cough,[6] and HPV.[1][6][8]

ECBT has partnered with such groups as the American Nurses Association,[3] Parents of Kids with Infectious Diseases (PKIDs),[9] rotary clubs, state health departments,[10][11] schools and universities.[10][12] ECBT is also part of the Immunization Advocacy Coalition.[3]

Immunize On Time, Every Time

ECBT supports the use of immunization registries through which health care providers can track children's immunization histories for the purpose of reducing the number of missed immunizations.[13]

Criticism

In 2008, ECBT was criticized on CBS News by reporter Sharyl Atkisson in a feature called "How Independent Are Vaccine Defenders?" that questioned the group's link with pharmaceutical companies and a possible risk for conflict of interest. The report stated that it was not illegal for the group to receive funds from the vaccine industry. A spokesperson for ECBT told CBS that "there are simply no conflicts to be unearthed."[14]

Awards

1995 - Kiwanis International Award and $10,000 grant for "bringing attention to early immunization."[13]

2008 - Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Champion of Prevention Award at the 34th National Immunization Conference in Washington, DC.

See also

References
  1. Quinn, Tom (October 26, 1995). "Slug-the-Bug makes sure kids get vaccinated". The Salt Lake City Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. B.2.
  2. Quinn, Tom (April 1, 1993). "Ex-First Lady Urges Utahns to Immunize". Salt Lake City Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. p. B1.
  3. "Vaccination campaign growing". Orlando Sentinel (3 Star Edition). Orlando, Florida. January 8, 1993. p. E2.
  4. Szabo, Liz (November 14, 2011). "Rosalynn Carter, vaccine advocate". Gannett News Service. McLean, Virginia.
  5. Papinchak, Steve (November 6, 1991). "Childhood vaccination drive pitched". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Las Vegas, Nevada. p. 2f.
  6. Carter, Rosalynn (October 16, 1991). "U.S. must renew effots to fight childhood diseases". Austin American Statesman. Austin, Texas. p. A15.
  7. Hamilton, Carey (September 26, 2006). "Utahns' success in tots getting pox vaccine nudges ranking up". The Salt Lake Tribune. Salt Lake City, Utah. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  8. Braff, Danielle (May 7, 2014). "HPV vaccines still face uphill battle: An STD association may obscure the fact that these shots help prevent some cancers". Chicago Tribune. Chicago, Illinois. p. 2.
  9. Szabo, Liz (January 6, 2010). "Vaccine gaps cause outbreaks: missed shots weaken 'herd immunity,' and other children can get sick and even die". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Retrieved 28 June 2015.
  10. McCollum, M.J. (January 1997). "LaSalle honored for innovative immunization program". Philadelphia Tribune. Philadelphia, PA. p. 2-A.
  11. Bruno, Richard L. (April 21, 2008). "Polio: It never went away". The Record. Bergen County, NJ. p. A.13.
  12. Maeshiro, Karen (December 12, 1995). "Good Medicine: School shot program gets high mark". Daily News (Antelope Valley Edition). Los Angeles, California. p. AV.1.
  13. Greene, Jan (June 25, 1995). "Carter: Immunize Children". Las Vegas Review-Journal. Las Vegas, Nevada.
  14. Attkisson, Sharyl (July 25, 2008). "How independent are vaccine defenders?". CBS News. Retrieved 29 June 2015.
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