The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Web site offers tons of information, ranging from the recommendations for particular vaccines to general discussions of vaccine safety and effectiveness. This site deals with controversial topics in a straightforward manner.

Vaccines: What Every Parent Should Know, by Paul A. Offit, M.D., and Louis M. Bell, M.D., makes a convincing case for vaccine safety and effectiveness. Both doctors are at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Offit as chief of infectious diseases and Bell as chief of the division of general pediatrics. Vaccines is newly revised (New York: IDG Books, 1999) and includes a chapter on current vaccine controversies.

Every Child by Two, founded by former first lady Rosalyn Carter and former first lady of Arkansas Betty Bumpers, offers up-to-date information that is firmly in support of immunization in clear, easy-to-understand language.

Various organizations that are skeptical about America's mass vaccination policy post information on their Web sites, including personal stories by parents who believe their children have been hurt by vaccines, and personal stories about the effects of vaccine-preventable diseases. Two of the most prominent are the National Vaccine Information Center and Vaccine Information & Awareness.

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons is a group of doctors calling for a more cautious approach to vaccinations until we have better research. On their site you can find copies of letters to Congress, testimony, and press releases detailing their efforts.