We need to take care of those hurt by vaccines--Globe and Mail, Canada

[Guest guest]

The usual sickening, non-critical-thinking sacred cow homage to vaccines

and finally gets to the part about needing to take care of those hurt.

" The virtual elimination of once-common conditions such as measles,

mumps and diphtheria through routine childhood immunization programs

has prevented thousands of deaths and untold suffering. "

I wish people could just research and/or tell the truth.

Sheri

We need to take care of those hurt by vaccines

ANDRE PICARD

Globe and Mail, Canada

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.

20071101.wlpicard01/BNStory/specialScienceandHealth/home

November 1, 2007 at 11:00 AM EDT

The benefits of vaccines, particularly childhood vaccines, are

undeniable, even in a wealthy country such as Canada.

The virtual elimination of once-common conditions such as measles,

mumps and diphtheria through routine childhood immunization programs

has prevented thousands of deaths and untold suffering.

Immunization against hepatitis B has spared many health-care workers,

firefighters and police officers from the ravages of liver disease.

Newer vaccines can prevent chicken pox, meningitis, shingles and even

infection with HPV, the virus that can cause cervical cancer.

And vaccination remains our best weapon against the threat of

pandemic influenza, not to mention an effective protection against

run-of-the-mill flu that, in a " normal " year, sickens one-fifth of

the population and kills about 5,000 people.

Like all drugs, however, vaccines have side effects. Thankfully, most

reactions are minor - some pain at the site of injection or a little

fever. The allegations that vaccines cause autism and a variety of

other conditions have little or no scientific basis.

But a tiny number of those who are inoculated suffer serious side

effects such as paralysis, brain damage and even death.

From a societal perspective, effective prevention of devastating

disease is desirable. That is why public-health officials

aggressively promote vaccination. (Canada has long resisted mandatory

vaccination, though those who refuse to be vaccinated can face severe

restrictions, such as being barred from school or denied the ability

to work in some health-care settings.)

But public-health officials cannot and should not limit themselves to

being vaccine cheerleaders.

A credible vaccination program must also make every effort to

minimize the possibility of adverse reactions and ensure that, when

people are inadvertently harmed, they are cared for and compensated.

The provinces and territories - with the notable exception of Quebec

- have failed miserably in this regard. Currently, people harmed by

vaccination have no effective recourse.

Sure, they can sue. But as Mr. Justice Horace Krever, author of the

landmark report on the tainted-blood tragedy, said, the adversarial

litigation process simply does not work for patients who suffer harm

from medical procedures such as vaccination.

The reality is that risks are small, but they are not zero. We must

incorporate that reality into public policy.

Currently, those who are harmed by vaccines are treated as collateral

damage in the war against vaccine-preventable illness.

Madam Justice Anne on of the Ontario Superior Court made

that point eloquently in a judgment late last year: " The road to

protecting public health should not be paved with individual victims.

Fair, meaningful, no-fault compensation should be made available to

individuals suffering from serious adverse events from vaccines. "

Judge on ruled on a lawsuit by Lucia , a social worker

who developed chronic fatigue syndrome after being inoculated against

hepatitis B, and who sued the City of Toronto (a city health nurse

had administered the vaccine).

That it took 12 years between Ms. falling ill and a judgment

being rendered speaks volumes about the inappropriateness of the

courts for such matters. That Ms. lost just added insult to

injury.

A measure of justice can

still emerge if lawmakers

heed the advice of Judge on, who called for a no-fault

program, saying it is a necessity " for the sake of the health of

citizens and fairness to individuals. "

A number of jurisdictions have no-fault insurance for the vaccine-

damaged - Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, Denmark, France, Germany,

Switzerland and the United States, to name a few.

The legislators worry that an insurance program would be costly and

unwieldy. The fear is unfounded.

Quebec has had a no-fault program since the mid-eighties. During the

two decades of operation, there have been only about 100 claims, and

a couple of dozen awards. (The Canadian Paediatric Society estimates

that, among the approximately 400,000 children born each year in

Canada, about five will potentially suffer a serious adverse event

from vaccination.)

It is noteworthy that Quebec acted after a Supreme Court of Canada

ruling on the tragic case of Nathalie Lapierre, a girl who suffered

severe brain damage after a measles vaccination. The country's top

court, in throwing out the case, said the state had no legal

obligation to compensate the girl but, in an unusual move, said it

would be an " excellent thing " to do so.

What the court said, in essence, is that people exposed to a

potential harm while undergoing an intervention that is in the

greater public good, particularly at the urging of the state, should

be compensated by the state.

It's hard to argue with that logic.

It's unconscionable that governments, apart from Quebec, have not

acted on this issue. It is a just, ethical and sensible thing to do.

Until we have a no-fault plan in place, we cannot say that our

vaccination programs are complete; nor can we say we are truly

prepared for a pandemic.

apicard@...

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

Vaccines - http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccine.htm Email classes start in

November