To The Editor, The New
Indian Express
Bhubaneswar.
4/2008
Dear Sir,
We wish to profusely thank the IAP, Orissa, for taking the lead in pointing out
lacunae in the vaccination program. On our part we would also request Hon'ble
Chief Minister, Orissa, to kindly address the issue of the presence of heavy
metals, carcinogens, neurotoxins, untested antibiotics and contaminated serum in
vaccines which are adversely affecting the vaccinated infants in large numbers.
Now that the IAP and also the Health Ministry have pointed out that the
vaccination process has its own inherent dangers we would reiterate our demands
for informed consent of parents, issuing of a physicians warranty of vaccine
safety to each vaccinated child, medical supervision in each vaccine camp,
compensation in case of death or damage, formation of a vaccine adverse effect
reporting system and a database that should be in the public domain, a standard
protocol to treat vaccine damage, studying the long term effects of vaccines,
studying the effects of multiple vaccines, studying a vaccinated population
against an unvaccinated population, and studying each batch of imported vaccines
for birth control hormones and bioterrorism agents. We also demand public
representation on the immunisation board and in the vaccine safety boards. We
must not forget that vaccines target healthy infants, thus there should be no
limit to the number of precautions that can be put in place. The State
Government should also come out with advertisements warning parents about
vaccinating beyond the Universal Immunisation Program(UIP) just as the Centre
has done. The UIP should be renamed the Universal Vaccination Program as there
is a difference between vaccination and immunisation. We cannot have one set of
standard for the developed countries and put the lives of children of
underdeveloped countries at risk. The fact that vaccine dangers has become a
presidential poll issue in the USA should galvanise the somnolent health
authorities in India to action.
Yours faithfully,
Jagannath Chatterjee,
Bhubaneswar.