Every family should be fully protected against infections

[Guest guest]

What if your healthy, playful child, grandchild, niece or nephew died or was seriously affected by the DPaT vaccine? What would you do and how would you feel knowing that you had agreed to give your child this shot and that this death or injury could have been easily prevented by not vaccinating? Especially considering the fact that the pertussis vaccine doesn't seem to be working. A quick search of the MedAlerts database which contains details on all reported vaccine reactions and deaths in the US (http://www.medalerts.org/vaersdb/findfield.php) shows that there have been 2,133 deaths from pertussis-containing vaccines and 87,028 other reactions. Since only about 1% of these reactions are reported, you would need to add 2-3 zeros to these figures to get a more accurate picture of the number of children and adults who are being harmed by this vaccine. So it isn't and either-or situation. Children and adults can be harmed by the disease - and they can also be harmed by the vaccination. The issue is to try and discover which causes the least harm - vaccinating or not vaccinating - and whether the vaccines are preventing the illness or actually causing it. You see, the US and other developed nations around the globe (nations like Australia which has a greater than 95% childhood vaccination rate for pertussis) are seeing record numbers of cases of whooping cough in the fully vaccinated.The latest information is indicating that the strain of bacteria that causes whooping cough, b. pertussis, is mutating and so, the vaccine can no longer protect against the most common strains of this illness. Stranger still, it appears that the use of this vaccine is the reason for this mutation in much the same way that overuse of antibiotics cause resistant strains of bacteria to emerge. And again, in common with antibiotics, the use of the pertussis vaccine appears to be paving the way for this newer, mutated bacteria that is more virulent and more likely to kill young infants as we saw recently in California.The answer to this problem doesn't appear to be more vaccination since the vaccine is not working and seems to be the cause of the problem in the first place. Perhaps it is time to stop accusing those who make informed choices not to vaccinate of causing these outbreaks in the vaccinated and to start asking why we are being sold a bill of goods that states, as Dr Larkin has in this article, that vaccines will protect your child against whooping cough when they so patently won't.*************************************************************************What if your healthy, playful child, grand-child, niece, or nephew died of a serious disease like pertussis (or whooping cough)? What if

the death could have been prevented if those around him or her had been

vaccinated? What would you do and how would you feel?

This year, Indiana has experienced the largest outbreak of pertussis

since 1959 with more than 500 cases, including two deaths. As state

health commissioner, I find this particularly concerning because

pertussis can be prevented with a vaccine. Children and adults, alike,

are at risk for life-threatening infections from pertussis, but there

is a safe and effective vaccine.

The key to the success of the pertussis vaccine, like many vaccines

that protect against life-threatening infections, is for everyone to be

vaccinated. When an infant is hospitalized or dies of such infections,

it is because someone in the child’s environment of family, friends,

community members, and health care providers were themselves not

vaccinated and therefore exposed a susceptible child to infection. Only

when families, communities, and health care providers are fully

vaccinated will we have a “cocoon of safety” around those most

vulnerable for severe illness, particularly those too young or too ill

to get vaccinated.

This year there has been a lot of media attention about the new school immunization

requirements. These requirements were made to help ensure Indiana’s

students are healthy and in school. Avoidable illnesses and deaths due

to serious infectious agents are not limited to infants or pertussis.

Measles, mumps, diphtheria, meningitis, and varicella (chickenpox) are

just some of the many infections that can cause serious illness or

death but can be prevented with vaccines that are both safe and

effective. The Indiana State Department of Health, with the support

of the Indiana legislation body and partnering with local health

departments and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),

has provided millions of dollars worth of required vaccines to be given

for FREE to eligible children. Some school systems also hosted on-site immunization

clinics. Unfortunately, despite the schools’ efforts to notify parents

of the need for verification of their children’s vaccination status,

many students remained undervaccinated or failed to provide proof of a

completed set of vaccinations.

So who should be the advocate for a fully vaccinated family and

community? Grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles,

medical providers, and community leaders all are part of the

life-saving cocoon of protection for the most vulnerable members of our

communities: our infants and those too ill to be vaccinated. Make it

your responsibility to know the vaccine status of those in your family.

Consult with your primary care doctor or your local health department

to see if you and your family are fully protected, or go to:

www.in.gov/isdh/17094.htm to determine which immunizations you should have.

Any death or disability that is avoidable and relatively easy to

prevent is regrettable. It is more so when the tools for prevention are

just a vaccine away.The Herald Bulletin (, IN) N. Larkin, M.D., is Indiana state health commissioner.No web link