Croatian Vaccination Appreciation?

Vaccinations have become a bit of a hot button issue of late, earlier this month it was reported that there are a suspected 413 cases of measles in Wales alone and there has just this last week been an outbreak of Measles in New York City affecting more than 20 people, adding credence to the mandatory vaccination debate. You might be wondering just what debate there could be, so let me explain.

In 1998 a study by Dr. Andrew Wakefield linked the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine to increased chances of Autism in children. This became quite a problem at the time with a significant drop in immunisation rates in the UK, although the US saw no great change. The paper was subject to much controversy at the time and further investigation by the Sunday Times revealed that Wakefield had several undeclared conflicts of interest, had broken ethical codes and manipulated his evidence. All these findings lead to the Lancet medical journal (the original publishers of the report) partially retracting the findings in 2004, before fully doing so in 2010. Scientific consensus now dictates that their is no link between the MMR jab and Autism.

You would be forgiven for thinking that was the end of the issue, but you would wrong. Over the last few years a small group within America have been campaigning over the so called "dangers" of vaccination and warning parents against immunising their children. These groups have gained momentum recently with celebrities such as, Jenny McCarthy and Kristin Cavallari becoming vocal supporters of the anti-vaccine cause. This has incurred a backlash from leading Medical professionals in the US who claim that these groups have brought about an atmosphere of doubt in a area that should have none. Speaking specifically on this and the recent measles outbreak, a New England pediatrician called the whole situation "sheer lunacy." 

In an article with the Daily Beast he went on to say, "Just over a dozen years ago this illness was considered eliminated in our country, and this year people are being hospitalized for it, all due to the hysteria about a safe, effective vaccine. All based on nothing."

It is in this climate that Croatia's Constitutional Court has decided that all kids have to be vaccinated, regardless of the parents wishes. They have ruled that a Child right to health is above a parents right to make a choice on the issue. This follows countries such as, Slovenia and Latvia that employ mandatory vaccination protocols on their countries children to try and avoid just the issues effecting the UK and USA right now. 

The fact that Measles should be an issue in the Western world in 2014 is frankly ridiculous. Too many parents believed that the eradication of the disease caused by the implementation of the vaccine in 1988, made it a safe climate for them to opt out of the inoculation for their children and not worry for the consequences. This has just caused a climate where a single case of measles, mumps or rubella can spread rapidly through hundreds if not thousands of unprotected minors with potentially dire consequences. 

The application of mandatory vaccinations puts the health of the child above all else, as it always should be. It ensures that preventative diseases cannot be allowed to reemerge through misguided information on the part of a fear nurturing few. Thousand of hours of research have gone into developing these vaccines and countless more in peer review and testing to ensure their safety. 

Giving credence to a discredited paper over the enormous weight of scientific evidence in favor of vaccination in itself adds support to the mandatory injection argument by showing that parent's shouldn't have the right to make wrong decisions.

Until Then.

Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-22277186
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-echochambers-26722871
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/13/thanks-anti-vaxxers-you-just-brought-back-measles-in-nyc.html