I am reading Your child’s best shot by Reginald Gold and Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent’s Guide: How to Make Safe, Sensible Decisions about the Risks, Benefits, and Alternatives by Aviva Romm and are more confused about vaccination than I was before.
In Your Child’s best shot endorsed by the Canadian Pediatric Society I am told that I should trust scientific methods because at least in Canada reactions to and effects of inoculations to patients is closely monitored. They argue that it is difficult to find good advice that can be trusted amongst the contradictory information that can be found in the media and that therefore this book was produced. They imply that their information can be trusted (it reminded me of the saying Trust me, I am doctor). It is well written with good information about the vaccines available in Canada which are very similar to those in the United States of America. Each disease is thoroghly described, with good information about the history (before and after the vaccine), the germs (how the illness is caused and spread), the illness (with complications, diagnosis and treatment), the vaccine (types, manufacture, available forms, administration, schedule and side effects) and the results of the vaccine.
Vaccinations on the other hand gathers information that has been published and asks critical questions about why we vaccinate or if vaccines are important. Romm goes into some detail explaing how our immune system works. It is well explained and very well written which gives authority to what she is writing. There is good information about the probability of getting severe cases of the diseases when not vaccinated, so that an informed decision can be made about taking the vaccine or not.
I have not finished the books yet, which explains the confusion I have, but it seems apparent that the decission of vaccination is more a personal issue rather than a decisson of what is right and wrong.
It is now the 30 October 2008: I started to read yet another book:
Vaccinations : Les vérités indésirables which is written by a biology teacher. He addresses the human immune system, how vaccines are made, the efficacy of vaccines, the danger of vaccines, the political interest of vaccines and the interest of the pharmaceutical industry from a French perspective. He investigated the subject because he wanted to know more than what his doctor could tell him and he found out a lot more. The main thing he criticizes is the lack of unbiased information the normal person gets. With this book he wanted to show the complete story in an unbiased way. After reading this book anyone
will question the vaccination system that most countries in the world follow. It gives back to the people an educated way of critically assessing the pro and cons of vaccines, which has gradually been eroded by misinformation and propaganda.
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