Vaccination from - information about vaccinations
Vaccination from - information about vaccinations


An Injection of Doubt Is Required - By Magda Taylor

Vaccination is a procedure which most parents do not question. We have all been led to believe it is an absolute necessity and one of the great successes of orthodox medicine this century.

However, there was a major decline in all infectious diseases, before any vaccines were introduced. This was due to better and less-crowded living conditions, improved nutrition and clean water. It is well-documented that the mortality rates for diseases, such as measles, whooping cough, TB and diphtheria show dramatic declines before the vaccines were introduced.(The Role of Medicine, T. McKeown.

Scarlet fever was a very serious disease early this century and yet fell into major decline and became much milder without the introduction of a vaccine.

It can be argued that the vaccination programmes have reduced the number of cases of a specific disease. This too is highly questionable since it is known that many cases of a disease go unreported, and that the vaccination status of a child affects GPs' diagnoses, for example, when a vaccinated child develops measles and is diagnosed as having a non-specific viral infection.

The effectiveness of the vaccines is also debatable, since 'success rates' are based on the false assumption that everyone is susceptible to any disease. This does not take into consideration those with 'natural immunity'. Also, there are numerous well-documented outbreaks of a particular disease in highly vaccinated communities. During the 1993 whooping cough epidemic in Cincinnati, USA, where 6,335 cases were diagnosed, vaccination records revealed that 74% of the cases, in children aged 19 months to 12 years old had received four or five doses of the vaccine.(NEJM, 1994;331:16-21).

Vaccines are said to trigger the body into immediately producing specific antibodies against a particular disease. It is assumed that the production of certain antibodies will guarantee protection. However, it has been documented that individuals with high levels of these antibodies have still contracted a specific disease, whilst others showing low levels have not. (Medical Research Council, Report 272, HMSO, 1950) The World Health Organisation admit that '...there is not a precise relationship between sero response and protection..." and that immunity can be demonstrated in individuals with very low or no detectable levels of antibodies.(Letter from WHO to The Informed Parent, Oct. 1995).

When naturally contracting these diseases, the immune system produces other lines of defence, prior to the production of these specific antibodies. However, when vaccinating, this 'Trojan horse' approach could act as a trauma to the immune systems of young babies, as it bypasses all the other lines of defence and enters the system without any warning. Richard Moskowitz, MD, states that 'when the vaccine is introduced directly into the circulation, it is given free and immediate access to the major immune organs and tissues. Having gained access, elements of the vaccine can stay for prolonged periods or even permanently, and this constant presence and the body's repeated attempts to expel these foreign substances can lead to a dramatic weakening of the immune system'.

Instead of providing protection against acute disease, vaccination may drive the disease deeper into the system and cause the body to harbour the disease chronically. It is possible that the increase of degenerative and auto-immune diseases later in life could be a result of early vaccination programmes. In fact a letter, recently published in the BMJ, commented on the lack of long-term studies on vaccination and that diabetes, asthma, allergies and immune-mediated cancers have risen rapidly and may be linked to immunisation. (BMJ, Vol 318, 16/1/99, p193).

Most other types of medicine appear to look at the childhood infections as beneficial to the child, as they are strengthening and maturing the immune system, as well as providing natural immunity to the specific disease. An article in the New Scientist, 18/7/98, focused on the increase of allergies and commented that children were not being exposed to enough infections to create strong immune systems. It also mentioned the fact that most vaccines provide exactly the wrong sort of stimulation against allergies. Indeed, by over stimulating just one branch of the immune system most vaccines may make matters worse.

The components of a vaccine are rarely discussed, even though substances, such as, formaldehyde, a mercury derivative and aluminium hydroxide are present. In addition, various animal and bird products are used as mediums in vaccine production, e.g. monkey kidney tissue, chick embryo, dog kidneys and rabbit brain tissue. This opens the door to the possibility of viruses from other species crossing into the human system and creating new diseases. SV40, a cancer-causing monkey virus was found to be contaminating the polio vaccine in the late 50's and a vaccine-screening programme was set up in the early 60's. However, possibly due to the contaminated vaccines, it seems that the SV40 virus has jumped species and become a human virus and evidence is accumulating that it is involved in several forms of human cancers. (Journal Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg., Nov.1998; 116, p854-9).

Only the most obvious and undeniable side-effects from the vaccines are ever recognised and even then it can be a long battle to have these acknowledged by the medical establishment. Most reactions go unreported and are put down to a 'coincidence', as GPs are loathe to admit any links between the administration of a vaccine and the onset of a particular condition.

It has been accepted that the whooping cough vaccine can cause severe brain damage, consequently this would indicate that it has the potential to cause varying degrees of brain damage. If an eight week old baby experiences a bout of high pitched screaming directly after a vaccination, it could easily go unreported, even though this may indicate a small percentage of brain damage. When that same child reaches school and is diagnosed as dyslexic, will anyone think to question why this child should have developed this condition?

Ultimately, the decision whether to vaccinate or not should be based on a logical judgement of the wide spectrum of information available and not on fear, emotional blackmail, and the one-sided information available at the surgeries. Most GPs have only been presented the case for vaccination during their medical training and are under immense pressure to toe the official line. I would strongly urge each and every parent to study the facts and exercise their right to an informed choice.

Magda Taylor. Co-ordinator of The Informed Parent March, 1999 Written for 'Alternatives' magazine.

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