Nexus - 0215 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

VACCINATIONS - HOW SAFE? tors themselves would be the first to line offer little protection against measles but up for their shots? After all, doctors are may also stay around in the body, working one hand | was enthralled by the sim- exposed to infected patients every day, in in a way we don't know much about." axe del « ae their clinics, surgery, outpatients, etc. In Yet, this doctor was still vaccinating his been doin POT the phar y T Sienaat fact, doctors belong to the ‘high risk’ cate- — patients and justified these actions shook in Parver at the thought of what gory urged to accept vaccination because With the comment that “as a parent I have had been, and still was going on. We of their continued exposure to infectious ‘he luxury of making a choice for my were actually killing infants through our —_ diseases. Yet, it is a well known fact that Child. As a physician, legally and profes- lack of understanding. many doctors ‘refuse’ to vaccinate them- Sionally I have to accept the recommenda- In an article entitled "Immunisation Can __ selves or their families. tions of the profession, which is what we Harm, Says Professor", published in The The Journal of the American Medical rei hae Eas NN hs call Suing Pte Age newspaper (4/12/1975), Professor Association contains an article, "Rubella = Ronald Penny warned that children with Vaccine and Susceptible Hospital The British Medical Journal deficient immune systems could be Employees: Poor Physician Participation” (27/1/1990) contains an article, “Attitudes harmed or even killed by routine immuni- It reports that he lowest viet on 7 of General Practitioners Towards Their sation, Professor Penny believed that ie tbe Gemann mecdies wean Coane Vaccination Against Hepatitis B". Of 598 immunisation in such children could result esac timrexieise aeakeinlantae lb doctors questioned about hepatitis B vac- in harmful side-effects and even the dis- 1) = = apes ee + Cination, 528 (86%) believed that all gen- ease which was being immunised against. “© Next ‘owest rate pee: ore a eral practitioners should be vaccinated According to Professor Penny, measles, paediatricians. The authors concluded against hepatitis B. Yet 309 of these prac- polio, rubella and vaccinia vaccines were ‘at “fear of unforeseen vaccine reactions” jitioners had not been vaccinated them- the most dangerous because they were live WaS the main reason for the low uptake ceive! The article states: "Of the 309 and stronger than other vaccines. rate of physicians. respondents who had not been vaccinated, Dr Mendelsohn reports of a Los 249 chose the reason, ‘I just haven't got DOCTORS NOT VACCINATING Angeles physician who refused to vacci- around to it...’ This suggests either that THEMSELVES OR THEIR FAMILIES nate his own 7-month-old baby. the doctors do not really believe they need Now if vaccines are as safe and effec- According to Dr Mendelsohn, this physi- the vaccination or that they experience tive as medical science would have us_ cian stated: "I’m worried about what hap- difficulty in taking up this preventative believe, would you not think that the doc- pens when the vaccine virus may not only health measure." (It is worth noting that one hand | was enthralled by the sim- plicity of it all, the 'beautiful' way by which the pattern fitted everything | had been doing. On the other hand, | almost shook in Parver at the thought of what had been, and still was going on. We were actually killing infants through our lack of understanding." In an article entitled “Immunisation Can Harm, Says Professor", published in The Age newspaper (4/12/1975), Professor Ronald Penny warmed that children with deficient immune systems could be harmed or even killed by routine immuni- sation, Professor Penny believed that immunisation in such children could result in harmful side-effects and even the dis- ease which was being immunised against. According to Professor Penny, measles, polio, rubella and vaccinia vaccines were the most dangerous because they were live and stronger than other vaccines. 64°NEXUS _— IESaaSaSeaaSsa=aaoannnnnuuqununueeeee ee SSS—————eeeeooeoeoeoeoeoeoeoes—=~<~<~oeeeee ties AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 1993