Every time the government announces a new health campaign, I play a little game with myself and try to work out what exactly it is that they are trying to hide.
Last autumn, while we were all busy worrying about whether baby Leo got his MMR jab, the British government sneaked another vaccine into the preschooler booster schedule. Not just any old vaccine, but the most dangerous one of all.
The whole-cell DPT (diptheria-tetanus-pertussis) vaccine is not very effective, protecting less than half the children vaccinated. ...
In October 2001, the government added a new ‘safer’ vaccine to its booster schedule, with no real safety testing. But new evidence shows that whooping cough is mutating and may not respond.
There is still some dispute over what elements ought to be included in an acellular vaccine, largely because scientists don’t really understand which components in the pertussis vaccine are required to stimulate an immune response.