Public NEEDS Sensible Hepatitis B Vaccine Policies

opinion by Doug Collins

Reactions to the infant hepatitis B ("hep B") vaccination reported by parents and medical professionals include death, autoimmune disorders, Guillain-Barre syndrome, juvenile diabetes, juvenile arthritis, and sudden hair loss. The vaccine is genetically engineered, using recombinant virus and yeast DNA. Routine use of the vaccine on infants was halted in France in 1998 after public furor about side effects (see Washington Free Press Nov '02).

In addition to concerns over side-effects, some researchers and medical doctors are concerned that the current vaccination of babies may have serious health consequences in the future, because the vaccine wears off before the time when people are most at risk of catching hep B, which is during their adolescence and young adulthood. In most cases, immunity conferred by the vaccine lasts only about five years, according to at least two studies (see The Vaccine Guide, Neustaedter, 2002, p171). As with other vaccines, manufacturers make no claim about permanent immunity. Vaccine critics expect that the pharmaceutical companies and the CDC will soon begin to recommend hep B booster shots for young adolescents, which will mean double revenue for pharmaceutical coffers.

Despite the vaccine's potential harm, there is a greater danger posed by the disease to the small number of infants whose mothers carry hep B. From a public health standpoint, it would make more sense only to vaccinate these infants, rather than to mass-vaccinate all infants. There is a simple medical routine, the hep B surface antigen test, that could be administered to pregnant mothers to see which few infants are at risk.

WWW Washington Free Press