Vaccines Protect More Than Your Own Child - NY Times

[Guest guest]

More scaremongering from the highest levels. Such a shame that the emeritus

professor makes the common mistake of thinking that there is thimerosal in

the MMR - why do so many people think this?

Sue

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/opinion/lweb09vaccines

html?ex=1362718800 & en=40eabe0461da79de & ei=5088 & partner=rssnyt & emc=rss

Vaccines Protect More Than Your Own Child

Re “More Families Are Shunning Inoculations” (regional sections, March 2):

If there is no evidence that immunizations are likely to cause conditions

like autism or other disorders, what rationale is there for choosing not to

immunize children?

Surely acquiring an infectious disease like polio or measles is far worse

than exercising one’s right to choose.

But exercising that “right to choose” without understanding immunization is

even more serious.

The parents who exercise their right not to vaccinate their children need to

be aware of the fact that immunization levels must be high to achieve

complete protection against infection. For example, transmission of polio

within a population will continue unless immunization rates over 95 percent

are achieved.

Therefore parents who choose not to immunize their children place other

children at risk for infection.

Immunization is not just about protecting your child. It is about protecting

the entire population.

Racaniello

New York, March 5, 2008

The writer is a professor of microbiology at Columbia University College of

Physicians and Surgeons.

•

To the Editor:

How refreshing to read that “More Families Are Shunning Inoculations,” but

the article should have mentioned that this year’s flu shot did not protect

against two of the three strains of influenza that hit hard this season,

thereby making it less than completely effective.

Thus, all children who were vaccinated still were not fully protected.

Perhaps this is why parents are questioning the authorities over what is

right for our children’s health and safety.

Congratulations to parents like Rita M. Palma and Polatsek for

listening to their inner voices.

Teevan Carey

Chatham, N.J., March 3, 2008

•

To the Editor:

I must assume that those parents who seek to exempt their children from

inoculations have never seen children dying from diphtheria; brain and lung

damage from pertussis; the permanent brain, eye or lung disease resulting

from measles; the paralysis from polio; or the death and disability from

other preventable diseases.

In Britain, a fear of a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine

and autism resulted in a drop in inoculations and subsequent outbreaks of

measles. Scientific studies, including an extensive study in Denmark, have

shown no causal link between the vaccine preservative thimerosal and the

incidence of autism.

Children infected with these diseases may infect others. As the diseases

become rare here, doctors may not recognize these conditions, and epidemics

may arise if there is a substantial number of nonimmunized children.

No vaccine is perfect, and post-vaccination immunity cannot be guaranteed

100 percent. There will always be side effects. But the benefit of these

vaccines has been proved beyond all doubt.

J. Marcus

Great Neck, N.Y., March 6, 2008

The writer is emeritus associate professor of clinical neurology, SUNY-Health

Sciences Center at Brooklyn.

[Guest guest]

If " immunization rates of over 95 percent " can achieve " complete protection "

of a population, than why did a rate of 115% for Smallpox in Japan happen in

the same year that they lost a record 70,000 to Smallpox? (early 20th

century). Why did the doctors who treated my littlest in the hospital for

what they swore was Whooping Cough (the tests were negative, but who cares)

all say that they, despite complete vaccination, had had the disease at

LEAST 5 times in the past 10 years? Time to stop calling them

" Immunizations " (I know you don't here, but most people do), they do not

make us immune, which we understand but apparently the good doctor does not!

Maeghan

_____

From: Vaccinations [mailto:Vaccinations ] On

Behalf Of Sue

Sent: Sunday, March 09, 2008 9:39 AM

undisclosed-recipients

Subject: Vaccines Protect More Than Your Own Child - NY Times

More scaremongering from the highest levels. Such a shame that the emeritus

professor makes the common mistake of thinking that there is thimerosal in

the MMR - why do so many people think this?

Sue

http://www.nytimes.

<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/opinion/lweb09vaccines>

com/2008/03/09/opinion/lweb09vaccines

html?ex=1362718800 & en=40eabe0461da79de & ei=5088 & partner=rssnyt & emc=rss

Vaccines Protect More Than Your Own Child

Re " More Families Are Shunning Inoculations " (regional sections, March 2):

If there is no evidence that immunizations are likely to cause conditions

like autism or other disorders, what rationale is there for choosing not to

immunize children?

Surely acquiring an infectious disease like polio or measles is far worse

than exercising one's right to choose.

But exercising that " right to choose " without understanding immunization is

even more serious.

The parents who exercise their right not to vaccinate their children need to

be aware of the fact that immunization levels must be high to achieve

complete protection against infection. For example, transmission of polio

within a population will continue unless immunization rates over 95 percent

are achieved.

Therefore parents who choose not to immunize their children place other

children at risk for infection.

Immunization is not just about protecting your child. It is about protecting

the entire population.

Racaniello

New York, March 5, 2008

The writer is a professor of microbiology at Columbia University College of

Physicians and Surgeons.

..

To the Editor:

How refreshing to read that " More Families Are Shunning Inoculations, " but

the article should have mentioned that this year's flu shot did not protect

against two of the three strains of influenza that hit hard this season,

thereby making it less than completely effective.

Thus, all children who were vaccinated still were not fully protected.

Perhaps this is why parents are questioning the authorities over what is

right for our children's health and safety.

Congratulations to parents like Rita M. Palma and Polatsek for

listening to their inner voices.

Teevan Carey

Chatham, N.J., March 3, 2008

..

To the Editor:

I must assume that those parents who seek to exempt their children from

inoculations have never seen children dying from diphtheria; brain and lung

damage from pertussis; the permanent brain, eye or lung disease resulting

from measles; the paralysis from polio; or the death and disability from

other preventable diseases.

In Britain, a fear of a link between the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine

and autism resulted in a drop in inoculations and subsequent outbreaks of

measles. Scientific studies, including an extensive study in Denmark, have

shown no causal link between the vaccine preservative thimerosal and the

incidence of autism.

Children infected with these diseases may infect others. As the diseases

become rare here, doctors may not recognize these conditions, and epidemics

may arise if there is a substantial number of nonimmunized children.

No vaccine is perfect, and post-vaccination immunity cannot be guaranteed

100 percent. There will always be side effects. But the benefit of these

vaccines has been proved beyond all doubt.

J. Marcus

Great Neck, N.Y., March 6, 2008

The writer is emeritus associate professor of clinical neurology,

SUNY-Health Sciences Center at Brooklyn.

[Guest guest]

But the benefit of these

> vaccines has been proved beyond all doubt.

#### Show me the studies !! These are just empty words here.

Magda