Review of Hear the Silence: Public needs to know why adverse reactions to vaccines occur

doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7430.51

BMJ 2004;328:51 (3 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7430.51

Letter

Review of Hear the Silence

Public needs to know why adverse reactions to vaccines occur

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—The one size fits all approach to vaccination causesmore needless deaths than a mere film, both from serious reactionsto the vaccines and by breeding distrust of vaccines in general.¹It will not achieve its goal (herd immunity and the preventionof deaths from disease) as the public grows ever more scepticaland self informed.

The message from previous public health debates—for example,bovine spongiform encephalopathy—is clear: acknowledgeproblems, research them, develop strategies to combat them,and the public will trust you. Ignore the personal testimonies,vaccinate all regardless, and vilify those who rock the boat,and you will breed yet more distrust.

Money must be put into researching why adverse reactions tovarious vaccines occur in a few cases. That is the way to combatpublic fear and falling uptake.

C A Johnson, parent

Kendal, Cumbria LA9 4LA cj01@uk2.net

Competing interests: Mother of healthy (touch wood) childrenwho have received measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination . . . [Full text of this article]

Add to CiteULike CiteULike Add to Complore Complore Add to Connotea Connotea Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us Add to Digg Digg Add to Reddit Reddit Add to Technorati Technorati What's this?

Relevant Articles

A tough time for paediatricians: Richard Smith
BMJ 2004 328: 0. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Hear the Silence: Michael Fitzpatrick
BMJ 2003 327: 1411. [Extract] [Full Text]

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Predicting parents' decisions on vaccination: Chris D McVittie, et al.
bmj.com, 14 Jan 2004 [Full text]
When reassurance is no longer reassuring: addressing parental concerns on vaccination: Julie Hepworth
bmj.com, 27 Jan 2004 [Full text]
The prevention of vaccine reactions: C. Alan B. Clemetson, M.D.
bmj.com, 15 Nov 2004 [Full text]
Re: The prevention of vaccine reactions: Michael D Innis
bmj.com, 16 Nov 2004 [Full text]
Anti-vaccine?: Susan K Hamlyn
bmj.com, 17 Nov 2004 [Full text]