Juan, I think that due to missing research, the burden of disease from 'chronic' NCDs might now overtaking the benefit from avoiding 'acute' infectious disease due to vaccines.
Indeed the "hidden curriculum" brands people antivaxxers too easily and are blind to their own unscientific approach. For example, the BMJ editorial that you mention by Shapiro states "Pertussis (whooping cough) continues to be a major cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world and is one of the leading causes of deaths from vaccine preventable diseases."
He refers to two articles with no information on that mortality claim. As such this claim is misinformation.
Research on harm is missing because it Public Health's responsibitily?
But the hidden curriculum is the cause that side-effects from vaccines, unlike statins, HRT etc are not to be discussed? http://www.bmj.com/content/347/bmj.f5193/rr/668177
It is a fact that research on harm from vaccines is virtually non-existent compared to VE studies. However, for example, delaying DTP could perhaps reduce asthma. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18207561pubmed/18207561
If I was in Public Health I would immediately jump on this to check whether we can prevent these NCDs and do research into this. Babies do not need tetanus at 3 months ( they do not walk around and get splinters) and the dangerous period for pertussis is with ref to brain inflammation in babies is under 3 months ( it is not the cough that is dangerous) and diphteria is not around.
http://www.bmj.com/rapid-response/2011/10/30/vaccination-load-infancy-similarly-associated-allergic-diseases
(even ISAAC studies have not investigated specifically and consistently the role of vaccines)
Delaying vaccines might be good. The infants immune system is still maturing and could be primed? http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(05)71762-1/fulltext
Therefore, Amy, as there are No Trials, I don't think meta-analyses would be of any help. http://www.bmj.com/content/348/bmj.g3058/rr/699304
Wouter Havinga - GP
GMC 3578256
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