Abstract

Letter to Editor

Exploring the Debate on Vaccines

D. John Doyle*

Published: 11 September, 2017 | Volume 1 - Issue 1 | Pages: 001-002

A thought-provoking debate in the popular literature concerning vaccination has blossomed in recent years [1-6]. While “traditionalists” support universal immunization against a variety of infectious diseases, many influential individuals hold that vaccinations do far more harm than good. The web sites vactruth.com and anhinternational.org are typical web sites to visit to understand their concerns.  More details on the debate, offering commentary on both sides of the issue, can be explored at wikipedia.org/wiki/Vaccine_controversies. In essence, however, those arguing for the universal use of vaccines point to the many millions of lives saved since mass immunization programs were introduced and further argue that resistance to routine vaccination is almost always based on false information. Those arguing against the routine use of vaccines usually either contend that the vaccines are unsafe (often maintaining that vaccine components such as formaldehyde or thimerosal are highly toxic) or alternately argue that governments simply do not have the moral authority to encroach on an individual’s freedom to make medical decisions for themselves or for their children.

Read Full Article HTML DOI: 10.29328/journal.jcavi.1001001 Cite this Article Read Full Article PDF

References

  1. Kestenbaum LA, Feemster KA. Identifying and addressing vaccine hesitancy. Pediatr Ann. 2015; 44: 71-75. Ref.: https://goo.gl/mscYok
  2. Williams SE. What are the factors that contribute to parental vaccine-hesitancy and what can we do about it? Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2014; 10: 2584-2596. Ref.: https://goo.gl/5CTJ93
  3. George MS, Negandhi P, Farooqui HH, Sharma A, Zodpey S. How do parents and pediatricians arrive at the decision to immunize their children in the private sector? Insights from a qualitative study on rotavirus vaccination across select Indian cities. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2016; 12: 3139-3145. Ref.: https://goo.gl/xc4o5k
  4. Ward JK, Peretti-Watel P, Verger P. Vaccine criticism on the Internet: Propositions for future research. Hum Vaccin Immunother. 2016; 12: 1924-1929. Ref.: https://goo.gl/aMJTd9
  5. Brennan J. A libertarian case for mandatory vaccination. J Med Ethics. 2016. Ref.: https://goo.gl/8FbZJG
  6. Juran L, Trivedi J, Kolivras KN. Considering the "public" in public health: popular resistance to the Smallpox Eradication Programme in India. Indian J Med Ethics. 2017; 2: 104-111. Ref.: https://goo.gl/bTbgUab
  7. Wakefield AJ, Murch SH, Anthony A, Linnell J, Casson DM, et al. RETRACTED: Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children. Lancet. 1998; 351: 637-641. Ref.: https://goo.gl/6TnyCN
  8. Godlee F, Smith J, Marcovitch H. Wakefield's article linking MMR vaccine and autism was fraudulent. BMJ. 2011; 342. Ref.: https://goo.gl/ynJEpM
  9. Deer B. How the case against the MMR vaccine was fixed. BMJ. 2011; 342. Ref.: https://goo.gl/eLnKWZ
  10. Park A. Doctor behind vaccine-autism link loses license. Time Magazine. 2010. Ref.: https://goo.gl/Zn4rNi
  11. Zetterström R. Flawed reports of immunization complications: consequences for child health. Acta Paediatr. 2004; 93: 1140-1143. Ref.: https://goo.gl/JrRE9X

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