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EDITORIALS: Andrew Farlow Childhood immunisation against varicella zoster virus BMJ 2008; 337: a1164 [Full text]

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Should immunisation programmes take place for economic reasons?

Rowan Mclachlan   (22 August 2008)

It’s the economy, stupid.

Mark Struthers   (23 August 2008)

Should immunisation programmes take place for economic reasons? 22 August 2008
Rowan Mclachlan, Medical Secretary Norfolk and Waveney Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Norwich, Norfolk, NR6 5BE Send response to journal: Re: Should immunisation programmes take place for economic reasons?	Having read Andrew Farlow's article I would hazard that the main reason the US immunises children against varicella zoster (chickenpox) is economic. The scientific argument for childhood immunisation appears to me a very poor one as nature confers immunity to chickenpox upon the majority of people and having the wild-type virus in the community is thought to help reduce the incidence of herpes zoster (shingles) in later life. Any political argument for childhood immunisation may have to rely on society's current attitude to risk, i.e. the less risk the better. But even people with little medical or scientific knowledge can see through personal experience that nature is doing most of the work for us. However, nature makes no money whereas drug companies do. Also an economy must surely lose money if a child with working parents who cannot afford childcare becomes ill. Hence I think that the US immunisation programme is mostly for economic reasons. I do not think medical interventions with as many possible downsides as are listed in the article can be justified by economic reasons. Competing interests: None declared
It’s the economy, stupid. 23 August 2008
Mark Struthers, General Practitioner Bedfordshire, UK Send response to journal: Re: It’s the economy, stupid.	Whether the UK adopts universal, even compulsory, immunisation against the chicken pox virus, would appear to depend on a heady mix of pharma-political chicanery, society’s comprehension, or lack of it, for the scientific crystal ball gazer and the taxpayer attitude to further massive financial risk taking. And this is probably why the BMJ has commissioned an economist to report on the success of the American experiment in varicella vaccinatory compulsion. Competing interests: None declared