Measles vaccine: politics

When measles vaccine was first touted, doctors were a little incredulous. As for the mumps vaccine a few years later, there simply seemed no necessity for risking the procedure.

Decades later, it’s a different story. Now, doctors are paid a hefty bounty for rounding children up and vaccinating them. As U.K. dentists’ disbelief in the value of tooth extraction over tooth restoration underwent a sincere conversion once they were offered a bounty for extractions [A], Australian doctors’ skepticism has commonly transformed wonderfully into fervent, even indignant, belief.

Yet the closest that any practitioner fervently believing in vaccines can come to citing original research supporting their beliefs is to cite the Australian Immunisation Handbook [B] — whose authors explicitly disclaim all responsibility for the accuracy of their conclusions.

Reference [A]

Daniel Martin, “Number of tooth extractions soars by 30% in four years”, Daily Mail Australia 6 April 2009, <https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1167707/Number-tooth-extractions-soars-30-years.html>

Reference [B]

Australian Immunisation Handbook, <https://www.immunise.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/Content/Handbook10-home~handbook10-tools~handbook10-Copyright>