INDICES> Re: Hep B vaccine

[thaver <thaver@khi.compol.com>]

Dear Bratt,

Yes I have read about it.  This has been published in EPI Newsletter in the
Americas, volume 11, No.1, February 1999..
It say as follows:

(This is just a part of the text of official letter from French Ministry)

On October 1, 1998, the secretary of State for Health and Welfare decided the
following:

To maintain the recommendation that children should be vaccinated against
hepatitis B.

and so on.

It says further that :

"it has been decided to temporarily suspend vaccination compaign in secondary
schools"

In the same articel, earlier it is also stated that WHO carefully reviewed the
scintific evidence on whether hepatitis B vaccine can cause demyelinating
diseases such as MS.  It has been concluded by WHO that there was no available
data to demonstrate a causal association between HB immunization and central
nervous system diseases, including MS.

THe reason for the temoprary change (as stated in the articel is) :

the conditions under which the compaigns are conducted do not allow adequate
explanantion to be provided (ie parents are not present at school vaccinations),
particularly in the light of publicity given to the hypothetical adverse effects
of vaccinations which has undermined the population's confidence in hepatitis
vaccination.

(if any body is interested in original copy I can mail it)

Post script:

I think we need to be careful in projecting the message of "not vaccinating to
school children".  We have got example of not vaccinating for Pertussis, just
because of the wrong propoganda.
Hepatitis B vaccination is too important to be abandoned .

Thaver,
Public Health Scientist






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