Mandatory vaccinations

The DHS policy lists the hepatitis B vaccine consisting of three doses, as part of the compulsory vaccination program. There are thousands of reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) of adverse events that followed hepatitis B vaccination. Included among these are numerous cases of autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Guillain Barre Syndrome, and auto immune arthritis. Surely in light of such facts, universal precautions such as the wearing of protective gloves and goggles, would suffice, in the efforts to protect staff and patients. Why would we risk the health of workers with vaccines that have serious side effects, when there are other infection control measures that can be utilised?

The DPT (diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus) vaccine is perhaps the most controversial, and is also among the list of mandated vaccinations. It is not uncommon to see whooping cough (pertussis) in children who have been fully vaccinated with this injection. We need to be mindful of the numbers of ill patients who are at risk of easily catching whooping cough from recently vaccinated health care workers. Well documented side effects from the DPT shot range from high fever, continuous high-pitched screaming, severe rashes, diarrhoea, choking, apnoea, seizures, mental and physical retardation, and in many cases, death.

Are vaccines effective? While we have all been taught that vaccination ended the many dangerous disease outbreaks, publications and statistics from the past two hundred years, reveal that infectious diseases declined 90 per cent before mass vaccination was ever introduced. The US Centre for Disease Control reported in 1999, that infectious diseases declined in the past century due to improvements in sanitation, water and hygiene. Vaccination against whooping cough, diphtheria, measles and polio commenced only at the end of the life cycle of each epidemic, leading to the myth, that it was vaccination that ended epidemics.

Vaccines cause auto immune diseases. This is because even though a vaccine suppresses the outward signs and symptoms of an infectious disease such as chicken pox, there is possible damage to the immune system itself. We may have prevented the outward symptoms of a disease, but the disease itself remains unresolved, resulting in the amazingly high incidence of chronic auto immune disease in the world today. Diseases such as multiple sclerosis, diabetes, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are among the many auto immune diseases that affect us.

Vaccines are massive wealth creations for pharmaceutical companies. A recent investor report estimates that the world-wide market will quadruple from about $4.3 billion in 2006 to more than $16 billion in 2016, with the biggest boost coming from the vaccination of children. Since 1998 doctors have been paid a bonus, based on how many children they fully vaccinate.

I have recently heard that medical students are being told they must also be vaccinated with Gardasil, the cervical cancer vaccine. Following the mass roll out of Gardasil in 2007, there has been no shortage of media reports on its side effects. The Therapeutic Goods Administration is investigating whether there is a link between Gardasil, the vaccine against the human papilloma virus (HPV) and the development of pancreatitis in three young women. There have also been many serious reports of seizures and other debilitating reactions to the vaccine. Extremely worrying are the neurological conditions such as Guillain Barré Syndrome and acute demyelinating encephalomyelitis that are being attributed to Gardasil. Alarmingly there have also been 17-20 deaths from the vaccine in the US.

Just what are we willing to do to save our jobs? With such a dubious report card how can vaccines be considered safe! How many health care workers will become ill from mandated vaccines? How many of their already immuno-compromised patients will become sicker when exposed to health workers recently vaccinated with live virus vaccines?

I wrote a short letter to The Age about this policy and was rung by a very excited health reporter who wanted to know all about the compulsory vaccination policy. However there has been no story in the media on this very important change to the working conditions of healthcare workers. Vaccination is a no-go area for the mainstream media. There are huge vested interests to protect. Readers might be interested to learn that back in 1999 Victorian maternity hospitals began vaccinating babies against hepatitis B on their second day of life. This policy was a condition of the hospital funding from the Victorian state government.

How do we condone such an unethical practice that delivers suspect untested vaccines to innocent members of our community?

My interest in this is both personal and political. I have been practising as a nurse for 40 years and I have not seen or heard of patients catching infectious diseases from nurses and doctors. On the other hand, I have nursed patients with all manner of diseases and conditions and I have remained reasonably healthy. I may even have strengthened my own immune system in the process. I still need to work and wish do so for at least five more years, but am very anxious that this will not be possible, because I won't submit to mandatory vaccinations.