Pro’s and Con’s of Immunisation

The Benefits of Immunisation - The Pros

There is little doubt, in combination with other public health measures, immunisation programmes have been successful in reducing the incidence of disease and related deaths worldwide. In Britain more people than ever before are having their children immunised.

The benefit of immunisation is clear-fewer people develop the diseases and so fewer people suffer from serious illness or die as a result of it. In this country diseases such as diptheria and polio are now extremely rare, and measles is much less common than it was five years ago.

Ironically, it is this widespread reduction in the diseases that may have led to a situation where people question the need to immunise their children. No vaccine can be guaranteed 100% safe and all vaccines can give rise to side effects, but the chances of a child being seriously and permanently damaged as a result of vaccination are remote. On the other hand, the risk of complications and death associated with infectious disease is significant. It is the balance of risk and benefit that should be weighed very carefully when making a decision about immunisation. If immunisation levels do fall, disease levels rise which places individual children as well as populations at risk.

Excerpt from:
'CHILDHOOD IMMUNISATION -The Facts',
Helen Bedford and David Elliman,
ISBN 0 7521 1931 1.

Health Promotion England,
40 Eastbourne Terrace,
London W2 3QR
www.hpe.org.uk

NHS information on immunisation:
www.immunisation.org.uk

An NHS website designed to give you all the facts about MMR so you can decide for yourself what is best for your child:
www.mmrthefacts.nhs.uk

Immunisation - The Cons

Vaccination Awareness Network - UK

Introduction

In the summer of 1995 my partner and I found that I was pregnant. We were planning a wedding later on in the year and were very happy. The baby was an added joy.

Like every mother-to-be I read everything I could about pregnancy and birth, I ate healthy food, cut out alcohol and took my folic acid. Even before the baby was born we'd decided on a name for her.

The issue of vaccinations never occurred to me. Like most people I believed it was a good thing, a way of preventing disease.

I was vegan though, and decided I had better research vaccines in case there were any animal products in them. If there were, I could ask the doctor to remove them for me or give my baby a viable alternative.

What I found out shocked me. Not only did all vaccines have animal products in them; they also had toxic, carcinogenic materials such as formaldehyde and mercury. The Environmental Protection Agency in America classes formaldehyde as a "hazardous waste" - yet it is injected into the arm of virtually every eight-week-old baby in Britain.

I also discovered that side effects are far more common than doctors admit. Even the manufacturers of DPT vaccine say that is can cause a serious reaction in every 1,750 doses. The manufacturers of the polio vaccine also say it can cause paralysis.

When I was 8 months pregnant I decided not to vaccinate my baby. My health visitor said she'd provide information on vaccines to help me. I thought she would lend me a few books or reports with data on safety, efficacy, content and side effects. Instead she gave me one leaflet, it states how terrible the diseases are and that the benefits of vaccination outweighed the risks. There was nothing scientific in it. No data and no proof to back up what it was saying. It seemed very emotive and without fact.

Every doctor I spoke to just said the same thing, "The benefits outweigh the risks", and no one would offer me any further information.

Our family was removed from three doctors' lists for refusing to vaccinate our baby. We were accused by the medical profession of being irresponsible and selfish, and were told in no uncertain terms that we would be cast off if we didn't vaccinate our baby.

I was shocked that we could be denied medical care because we had chosen not to include our daughter in the National Vaccination programme. I was also outraged that the information I had researched on vaccines was not readily available to the public.

I decided to set up a support group and information centre for parents. We began at home, sending out leaflets to enquirers and answering telephone calls. The demand from the public was so huge that soon we had to set up regular meetings, an office and public library.

We are now a registered charity, with vast details on every vaccine. Our aim is to assist people with their vaccination decision, whether they choose to vaccinate or not.

Our booklet EVERYTHING THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT VACCINATION, The Essential Guide for Parents; is an excellent overview of the topic. It provides a small fraction of that which I researched. The booklet is not intended to be medical advice, and we cannot take responsibility for any vaccination decision based on its text.

The best way you can help us is by becoming a member and/or sending a donation. We rely on membership and donations for our survival so please be generous and remember, a year membership costs less than 2p per day!

Joanna Karpasea-Jones
Founder and Director of Vaccination Awareness Network – UK

VAN UK
178 Mansfield Road.Nottingham. NG1 3HW

Tel 0870 444 0894
Fax 0870 741 8415 (Call charge national rate)

www.van.org.uk

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