Vaccinating children has become a controversial issue. Following on from our special report Vaccinations: what every parent needs to know, expert Dr Richard Halvorsen answers questions from 100%health members.
Dr Halvorsen is the author of the excellent book The Truth About Vaccines and a GP with more than 20 years experience in NHS practice. He started to offer mercury-free vaccines to his NHS patients before these vaccines became widely available, and has offered the single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines as an alternative to the MMR for many years.
In response to parental demand, he launched Babyjabs (http://www.babyjabs.co.uk.), a London-based children’s immunisation service that offers parents a comprehensive choice of single and small combination vaccines, as free from additives as possible, to complement the standard NHS schedule.
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Q: Would you condone not vaccinating children at all, especially if they have a healthy diet/lifestyle? Or do you believe there are certain vaccinations, which are vital for children in our modern day? Also, don’t vaccinations compromise our immune systems?
Q: Overall what vaccinations would you recommend children in the UK to have, if any?
Q: When our son was six (five years ago) he had the measles vaccination only. Not long after, he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and since then we have been reluctant to do the mumps and rubella as single vaccinations. The GP will only offer the MMR. What would you advise?
Q: Please can you explain why MMR is so controversial and why it is considered okay to give these vaccines separately but not together?
Q: My sons (5 and 10) had tetanus as part of their three, four and five month baby vaccinations. They have not had any other vaccinations as I am now very wary of them for various reasons including the preservatives used (eg aluminium). As tetanus is now only available as part of a cocktail, and as no one seems to know how many years protection tetanus vaccination provides, I have not given the boys their booster shots. I believe that a single tetanus vaccine is available in France, but do you know of any one offering it in this country?
Q: My daughter has had single vaccines for rubella and measles vaccinations but not mumps (I was told there was no vaccinations available at the time). I know there is a booster for MMR but have discovered that there is a school of thought that says that single vaccines are more effective and therefore a booster does not need to be given. I would like to know if this is true – not because I want to give my daughter further vaccinations but so that I can be aware of whether she may still contract any of these illnesses.
Q: I live in Switzerland and our canton has just announced free vaccination for young girls between the ages of 13 and 18 against cancer of the cervix. I would very much like to know your opinion on this new vaccination. AND Q: I am a GP and a nutritional student. Is the human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine really necessary since cancer only attacks those with poor nutritional status – and is it safe?
Q: The government’s recommendation is that everyone should be vaccinated. This is based on an implicit value judgement that the benefits of a vaccination outweigh the costs. However if one starts digging through the research one finds the equation is not so simple. Data that is presented in a user-friendly manner and made publicly available easily would help dispel a lot of myths about vaccinations from both sides of the equation – both for and against. Can you guide us as to where to find this information?
Q: How bad is aluminium in vaccines? Surely the amount is insignificant compared to what’s naturally in our diet?
Q: The so-called experts are now promoting mercury in vaccines to be safe. I would like to know your take on this?
Q: Is there a list of the types and dates of all vaccines, utilised in health initiatives in Great Britain?
Q: It seems that more and more of our Human Rights are being eroded by government. As you know, many vaccinations are compulsory prior to school entry in the States. What is the evidence that this compulsion has benefited child health in general and are there other childhood diseases occurring to take the place of those we are attempting to eradicate through vaccination? Do you think it would be better for the UK government to spend more of their time and tax payers’ money on promoting the benefits of healthy living to keep children’s immune systems strong and, therefore, more able to deal with these very old childhood diseases?
Q: Is it safe for me to have a vaccination because I’ve previously suffered paralysis from the auto-immune illness Guillain Barré Syndrome?
Q: My daughter is 18 months and not yet vaccinated. I have read so many horror stories and so I am really hesitating about having her vaccinated. If I do, I would simply like to give her the diptheria, tetnus and polio. My pediatrician says they are no more supplies of these vaccinations and is trying to persuade me to have the 5-in-1. Is it possible to get single vaccinations and, if so, is it possible to obtain them without mercury?
Q: Do children vaccinated for Men C need a booster?
