Sir, - Immunisation tends to suffer from a bad press, with media reports only of court cases and alleged adverse effects. The positive benefits of childhood immunisation are not sufficiently headlined. One can suggest the following estimates for Ireland 1995.
0 cases of diphtheria.
0 cases of paralytic polio.
0 cases of childhood tetanus.
Few (if any) cases of tuberculous meningitis in children.
Few deaths from HiB invasive disease.
No deaths from whooping cough.
No deaths from measles.
A remarkable achievement in 50 years, since the availability of diphtheria vaccine about 1945 and others thereafter. Despite suggestions to the contrary, this is not the consequence of improved nutrition and economics. If a susceptible population of unimmunised children remain, these conditions will recur. There were 50,000 reported cases of diphtheria in the former USSR in 1995, following disintegration of their immunisation services.
Prevention is hard to appreciate because it is not readily apparent. National immunisation programmes have prevented the deaths of hundreds of Irish children and have prevented permanent handicap in thousands more. Children, given a say, would shout in favour of immunisation. - Yours, etc.,
Department of Paediatrics, Royal College of Surgeons, in Ireland,
123 St Stephen's Green,
Dublin 2.