Europe steps up action against vaccine hesitancy as measles outbreaks continue
BMJ 2017; 359 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j4803 (Published 16 October 2017) Cite this as: BMJ 2017;359:j4803
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Dear Dr Coombes and Dr Ammon
I am pleased to read that somewhere in Europe, doctors will start answering Face Book users posting questions and concerns.
England too is in Europe. If you look up the rapid responses, you will find that a very few of us (myself included and indeed some parents) have posted questions and concerns. You will also find that no one, but no one has responded to us.
Some of us - certainly I - have been vigorous proponents of immunisation here in England. Certainly I, in my working life in public health, did answer questions from the public and the press about imm and vacc.
Will you be able to persuade the public health experts, the immunologists and the manufacturers of the vaccines, to answer the specific points that have been raised in the BMJ RAPID RESPONSES?
Let us not muddy the discussions by bringing in matters which we have not raised.
If I ask, “Is it now raining in Whitehall?” I want to know - YES or NO.
If you reply, "Now it is raining in Cardiff”, you can falsely claim to have answered my question.
Thank you
JK Anand
Competing interests: No competing interests
Re: Europe steps up action against vaccine hesitancy as measles outbreaks continue
I would like to echo Dr Anand's request to Dr Coombes and Dr Ammon for an informed, respectful and genuine exchange of views. The recent correspondences to which I believe Anand refers can be found under these articles:-
Peter Doshi, 'US government website for collecting adverse events after vaccination is inaccessible to most users',BMJ 2017; 357 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j2449 (Published 19 May 2017)
Tom Moberly, 'UK doctors re-examine case for mandatory vaccination', BMJ 2017; 358 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j3414 (Published 18 July 2017)
Sophie Arie, 'Compulsory vaccination and growing measles threat', BMJ 2017; 358 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j3429 (Published 20 July 2017)
Emma Cave, 'Debating the future of mandatory vaccination', BMJ 2017; 358 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j4100 (Published 07 September 2017)
The apparent unwillingness so far of those proposing the extension of vaccine mandates to address criticism and concern is disturbing. No one wants to see harm come to children but other kinds of harm can come to them if we fail to acknowledge and discuss the shortcomings and hazards of the technology involved (and its remorseless extension which goes well beyond measles).
Competing interests: No competing interests