© 2001 Canadian Medical Association or its licensors
|
Policies must keep pace with the evolution of vaccines
Pediatrician Montreal, Que.
Although I wholeheartedly support your editorial on vaccination, I feel that one important element was lacking: the need for ongoing research.1 Concerns have been expressed about various vaccines at various times, and re-evaluations have led us to modify certain products and policies.
The pertussis vaccine is a different product today than it was some years ago. Policies regarding the administration of injected and oral poliomyelitis vaccines have been changed. We are now in the process of eliminating thimerosal as a preservative and replacing it with other agents. Questions have been raised regarding a possible relationship between the measles–mumps– rubella vaccine and the significant increase in the incidence of autism; such an association remains unproven, but more research is needed. We are administering more vaccines than ever before, and concern has been expressed about possible overburdening of the immune system in some infants; this needs to be evaluated.
As responsible and caring people of science, we must keep our minds open and, from time to time, recheck beliefs and policies we have taken for granted.
Reference
-
Vaccination: refuting the refusals [editorial]. CMAJ 2000;163(7):801.
[Free Full Text]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||