Vaccines for children are safe, say Canadian health authorities

While health authorities released studies that show that there is no link between thimerosal and autism, critics claim that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used to prevent bacterial growth in vials multi-dose vaccine, greatly increases the risk of autism, a mental health disorder poorly understood, which limits the ability of a person to interact with the world around him.

But a spokesman for the Public Health Service of Canada says there is nothing to worry about. According to Julian Beltrame, head of Media Relations with the Public Health Service of Canada: "Most of the vaccines used in Canada do not contain this ingredient."

According to the Public Health Service, none of the usual childhood vaccine contains thimerosal, with the exception of certain vaccines against hepatitis B. Some vaccines against influenza also contain this ingredient, however, manufacturers are preparing a thimerosal-free formula.

Mr Beltrame to state "We are in the process of elimination, not because of scientific concerns, but because of public perception. For us, there is no credible study showing that there is any link with autism or other conditions. "

For cons, the opponent says its studies show that exposure to thimerosal through immunization represents "a significant risk factor" in the development of neurological disorders.

In any case, such as thimerosal is not present in most vaccines used here, a document from the National Advisory Committee on Immunization states that "the level of mercury exposure of Canadian children through vaccines, even in areas where there is a program of routine immunization against hepatitis B, is well below the limits traditionally acceptable and admissible. "

Moreover, public health officials insist that the costs associated with non-vaccination of children outweigh the risks. "Parents who do not vaccinate their children take risks to their health, but also for the health of those suffering from allergies or diseases against which there is no immunization and those who were immunized but who have not acquired immunity, "wrote Chief of Public Health of Canada, Dr. David Butler-Jones, in an article for the Toronto Star.

This article, entitled "Myths about vaccines and their dangers," praised the effects of routine vaccination on the health of Canadians and provides examples where the non-vaccination led to disease outbreaks.

"It may be because the vaccine was so effective that many people think they are no longer needed. As against these diseases can return if we let our guard. Between 1993 and 1997, 5,000 deaths were caused by diphtheria in the former Soviet Union after the failure of organized immunization. In 2003, campaigns to eradicate polio, which have since resumed, were halted in Nigeria because of false information about the oral polio vaccine. Polio has reappeared in a growing number of sub-Saharan Africa and has recently spread from Sudan to Yemen and Indonesia. Campaigns against whooping cough vaccine in Britain, which were based on false data about the risk of vaccines, have resulted in immunization rates have fallen and caused other outbreaks that caused more deaths and brain damage in children than we dare imagine, "wrote Mr. Butler-Jones.

"These are the facts. It is a needless tragedy when a child dies or becomes disabled because it has not been vaccinated. "