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http://www.worldmag.com/world/issue/12-02-00/national_1.asp
A shot wide of the mark
Why are public-health authorities forcing lifestyle vaccines on everyone?
By Nancy R. Pearcey
This fall in Westfield, N.Y., a school superintendent threatened to yank a
7th-grade girl from her home and take her into state custody. Her mother, Debra
Moore, was thrown into a panic. Her daughter was healthy, well behaved, and
made good grades. What had the mother done wrong?
She refused to have the girl vaccinated for hepatitis B, a disease usually
caught by drug abusers and the sexually promiscuous.
The government Centers for Disease Control now recommends hepatitis B
vaccination for infants and adolescents, even though the CDC website
acknowledges that children rarely catch the disease: Those at risk are adults
who are "sexually active with more than one sex partner ... ; men who have
sex with men; illicit injection drug users"; and certain health-care
workers. Yet targeting these populations has "not been a successful public
health strategy," as the CDC delicately puts it.
Translation: Targeting these groups is not politically correct. As a result,
New York and many other states now require all children to receive the
vaccine-despite admitted risks. As Jane Orient, executive director of the
Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), points out,
"Government studies show that children under the age of 14 are three times
more likely to die or suffer adverse reactions after receiving hepatitis B
vaccines than to catch the disease itself." In 1998 France suspended the
hepatitis B vaccine requirement for schoolchildren because of evidence that it
causes serious neurological problems, with symptoms often resembling multiple
sclerosis.
Ms. Moore's daughter had a history of bad reactions to vaccines, so she claimed
a medical and a religious exemption-both permitted under state law. Yet when she submitted an affidavit, the
superintendent threatened to call Child Protective Services, then required her
to submit documentation verifying the "sincerity" of her religious
beliefs. New York officials are regularly employing such draconian threats: In
Utica, officials threatened to take 77 middle-schoolers into state custody
unless they were vaccinated for hepatitis B.
State public health laws stem from the 18th and 19th centuries when
unpredictable epidemics of contagious diseases such as yellow fever, typhoid
fever, and smallpox would sweep through crowded, unsanitary port cities, often
brought in by diseased immigrants. Under these conditions, it made sense to
assign police powers to public-health officials to enforce quarantines. Around
the turn of the century, it also became common to exclude unvaccinated children
from school during smallpox epidemics.
But in recent years, new vaccines have been developed that appear to cause
harmful reactions in susceptible individuals-calling into question the idea of
a one-size-fits-all forced vaccination policy. Children now receive 33 doses of
10 different vaccines by age 5. Some doctors worry that children's immature
immune systems are being stretched to the limit. Meanwhile we are in danger of
using vaccines like hepatitis B as a quick fix for "lifestyle" diseases,
instead of addressing the underlying social and behavioral causes.
Even more controversial vaccines are on the horizon. If an HIV vaccine is
developed, it will likely be mandated for preadolescent children. And the
"Holy Grail" of vaccine researchers is to create a genetically
engineered "supervaccine," given orally at birth, containing raw DNA
from 20 to 30 viruses, parasites, and bacteria that will insert itself directly
into babies' cells.
Meanwhile, the federal government is putting increased pressure on states for
blanket immunizations. In 1993, the Clinton administration launched an
"Immunization Initiative" and Congress authorized more than $400
million in financial incentives for states that enforce mandatory vaccination
by using Social Security numbers to track children from birth. Simultaneously,
a grant program rewards state health departments with up to $100 for each fully
vaccinated child.
Vaccines have come under increasing public scrutiny since 1982, after NBC-TV
showed the documentary "DPT: Vaccine Roulette." The result was a 1986
federal law setting up a compensation system that has awarded more than $1
billion to families whose children have died or developed serious injuries from
vaccines, and also mandating new research studies on vaccine safety. Those studies showed that standard
immunizations can in rare cases lead to severe consequences, even death, though
overall, the benefits have outweighed the risks.
As government officials push for more vaccinations, including some for
"lifestyle" diseases, parents should have the right to weigh the
risks and benefits-practicing informed consent just as they do with their
children's other medical care. The trick will be to determine when vaccines are
useful and beneficial, and when they substitute for moral behavior.
Breaking News Archives - each day's breaking news from December 1, 2003 (check here for breaking news you might have missed and breaking news that didn't ever hit the "front page")
More News - all the news most recently posted on this website
All the News - a running tab of everything posted on this website since October 29, 2003
Top Stories Archives - daily breaking and other important news stories
Daily News Archives - all the news posted on this website each day (from April 2001)
Hot Topics - selected stories, by category
Return to Vaccination News Home Page (for best results, right click to "open in new window")
DISCLAIMER: All information, data, and material contained, presented, or provided here is for general information purposes only and is not to be construed as reflecting the knowledge or opinions of the publisher, and is not to be construed or intended as providing medical or legal advice. The decision whether or not to vaccinate is an important and complex issue and should be made by you, and you alone, in consultation with your health care provider.