Canada?s immunization rate for children is 28th among the world?s 29 richest industrial nations, and falling. Infectious diseases, such as measles, are making a comeback. Readers, print and digital, have their say about parents who don?t immunize
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Re Measles Is Back. It Had Help (July 23): I am not against vaccination. I am against all concerned people being shut down as a voice of inquiry.
Please do not discount inquiries into ?why?? and the right of parents and all of us to ask those charged with our health: Are these vaccines and/or drugs safe?
Victoria E. Lammers, Toronto
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Margaret Wente is right to raise an alarm about the immunization of Canada?s children.
Unicef?s recent Report Card found that, at 84 per cent, Canada?s immunization rate is 28th of 29 industrialized nations and it?s been falling for a decade. We need a national immunization strategy to ensure Canadians have the information they need. We?re putting a lot of our kids at risk of preventable diseases that can be devastating.
Canadian pediatricians and governments invest in and provide easy access to immunization because vaccines save lives. It is why the United Nations Children?s Fund is the world?s largest purchaser of vaccines for children ? 1.9 billion doses in 96 countries last year ? and will go anywhere to save a child?s life.
Places in Africa, such as Tunisia and Eritrea, now have higher immunization rates than Canada?s. Older Canadians remember the death and disability that polio, diphtheria, whooping cough and even measles can bring.
Lisa Wolff, director, policy and education, Unicef Canada.........
My son had a major stroke as a result of chicken pox 13 years ago, about the time the vaccine was coming out. We had actually scheduled him to be vaccinated but he was exposed to the virus before the appointment.
My son was off-the-charts healthy, so it can happen to any child. Just plain bad luck. There was another boy in the next room with the same chicken-pox-induced stroke, so what happened to our son was not that rare. Fortunately, after several years of physio and willpower, he?s fine. But the impact on our family will last a lifetime.
Pam Stephen, Toronto
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We?ve often met anti-vaccine parents, starting when we sent our vaccinated kids to daycare.
They?re nostalgic parents, who long for the days when everything was more natural, more organic, simpler. Nothing wrong with that I guess. The only problem is when you carry those beliefs to the extreme, such as doubting the advances of modern medicine.
Louis Lafortune, Gatineau, Que.
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Part of the blame for scientific illiteracy around subjects such as vaccination, genetically modified crops, climate change and homeopathy is that the media ? in the interest of ?fairness? ? give too much credibility to the crackpots.
A spade should be called a bloody shovel more often.
David Spence, London, Ont.
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The most feared complication of measles is subacute sclerosing panencephalitis. A mouthful, it basically means the victim has ongoing infection with the virus and a progressive degenerative brain disease, usually culminating in death over a period of years.
It is rare, but I often think about how it would feel to be a vaccine-denier and have a child who suffered the complication.
David Cross, MD, Calgary
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As the parent of a child with autism, I can say we searched high and low for an ?answer.?
Fortunately for us, we know better than to read Jenny McCarthy?s tripe. Not so for many other parents, who are guilting themselves to pieces over vaccinating their kids.
For many years, the anti-vaccination group was shielded by the fact that most people were vaccinated, and they benefited through the lack of exposure. The tables have turned, and these parents (who likely have had their vaccines) are putting their kids? lives at risk.
Trent Meyer, Regina
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Measles is a mild childhood illness in the majority of cases. As long as my kids are healthy, why would I risk their health to the unknown dangers of the vaccination? Is it possible that the number of children getting sick these days is due to a sedentary lifestyle and the lack of good nutrition and sunlight?
None of my kids were vaccinated and they have never even been on antibiotics. Their own family doctors wouldn?t even recognize them because they don?t get sick.
Carol Koepke, London, Ont.
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Where I live, the area is dotted with quaint old graveyards from the 19th century. These churchyards are public-health textbooks: So many of the stones are for children under the age of 5.
Diphtheria and whooping cough routinely killed children or they were left deaf or blind from measles and scarlet fever. That is why we immunize.
My mother had measles in the 1950s and was left with hearing damage. My husband caught mumps as a teen in the mid-?70s and developed encephalitis. He was in a coma for five days, and received last rites in the hospital.
My son has all his shots.
Meredith Johnston, Aurora, Ont.
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Vaccination doesn?t always stop a sickness. My son was vaccinated and he still got measles when he was three years old. He is now 34.
Lynn Craig, Harvey, N.B.
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I vaccinated my child against measles because I had the freedom to choose whether or not I would; I weighed the dangers and came to the conclusion that it was best for us. The freedom of my choice, and the freedom of choice of others, is where I draw a line. It should not be crossed.
Michelle Marie, Kingston, Ont.
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ON REFLECTION MORE LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Legal pot gets my vote
Re Trudeau Embraces Legal Pot As Liberals, NDP Look To 2015 (July 26): While Justin Trudeau is in favour of legalization, the NDP says decriminalization is the solution. Has Tom Mulcair walked around downtown Toronto lately? Marijuana use is widespread ? on the street, in parks, at the beach. It is already de facto decriminalized.
Only legalization can end the obscene profits, grow-ops and violence linked to the drug trade, just as ending Prohibition did with alcohol. The Liberals have my vote for this stance alone.
Christopher Price, Toronto
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Marijuana is a bad idea
Justin Trudeau wants to legalize marijuana, which he says is not worse for people than cigarettes or alcohol. In 38 years as a family doctor, I have lost dozens of patients from lung cancer, emphysema, vascular and heart disease etc. due to the effects of smoking.
I have seen the devastating effects of excess alcohol use on family life, loss of employment, car accidents, death from liver failure etc. And this man would still like to legalize marijuana use as ?it?s not worse ??
Heaven help this country if he becomes prime minister.
Tom Weinberger, M.D., Toronto
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New telecoms wanted
Re BCE Warns On Foreign Rivals (July 26): The same kind of rhetoric was heard when Wal-Mart was set to enter Canada. What BCE, Rogers and Telus are really worried about is losing more ground.
Just as Wal-Mart and now Target create competition, we need to see competition in the telecom industry, particularly the mobile sector.
When I compare with family in the U.S. and look at what we get for mobile service, I say let in some new blood.
Ron Grossman, Ottawa
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Don?t meddle in markets
Stephen Harper is mistaken if he believes allowing Verizon into the marketplace is a vote-getter. I and many others have already lost significantly more on our BCE, Telus and Rogers shares than we would ever make up on potentially lower phone bills.
I say ?potentially,? because Verizon may offer discounts to capture customers, but in time will revert to pricing that maximizes profits.
Mr. Harper needs to stop meddling in the markets and remember what motivates people to vote Conservative.
Ian Elliot, Aurora, Ont.
end of the world december 21 2012 norad 12/21/12 winter solstice Jabari Parker 2012
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