February 24, 2009 – Judging that the documentary Silence, we vaccinate conveys a “false and dangerous vision of vaccination”, 14 infectious disease specialists from the Sainte-Justine University Hospital Center (CHU) want to close the debate surrounding the safety of vaccines intended for children.
Broadcast since the end of January 2009, the documentary directed by Lina Moreco calls into question the harmlessness of vaccines intended for children, through the testimonies of families whose member has suffered from a serious illness (autism, multiple sclerosis, encephalitis , etc.) after being vaccinated.
According to the 14 doctors and nurses who co-signed a letter on the Sainte-Justine Hospital website1, the documentary directed by Lina Moreco would be “dishonest and clearly anti-vaccine”, and would not be based on “any scientific reality”.
“No link to autism”
Far from denying that vaccines can produce undesirable effects, they insist on the contrary to emphasize that these are known and documented, and that serious adverse reactions are rare.
But when it comes to autism, they are adamant: “Current medical knowledge rejects the idea that the MMR (measles-rubella-mumps) vaccine can cause autism,” they write.
According to them, studies show that autism is not more common in children vaccinated against MMR than in those who have not received the vaccine.
Even more, they rely on various international expert committees to assert that there is no link between the MMR vaccine and other diseases such as pervasive developmental disorders or inflammatory bowel diseases. , as the documentary by Lina Moreco implies.
“It is heartbreaking that none of this scientific evidence (sic) was mentioned in the film, leaving only room for an alarmist message using family tragedies”, they deplore.
A film with “harmful consequences”
By their letter, the 14 co-signers did not just want to “rectify the facts”. They also want to alleviate fears that the documentary Silence, we vaccinate might raise with regard to childhood immunization2.
“Sowing fear can have very serious consequences,” they say. Britain is currently experiencing a measles epidemic following an anti-vaccine movement created by a group that carries beliefs without scientific basis ”.
Without giving precise details, they underline that “many children were hospitalized and some of them died, because they were not vaccinated against this disease”. They claim that Sweden and Japan experienced a similar episode with whooping cough.
Judging that “all are not equal when it comes to scientific knowledge and its interpretation”, these specialists from CHU Saint-Justine implore parents to take a leap of faith.
“Parents and the population must continue to trust the health professionals who are at the heart of the action,” they conclude. We must collectively reject the age-old conspiracy theory. “
Martin LaSalle – PasseportSanté.net
1. Tapiéro B, et al, Vaccination: the debate is closed, open letter distributed by the CHU Sainte-Justine on February 13, 2009.
2. To visit the documentary’s website Silence, we vaccinate, Click here [consulté le 23 février 2009].
To find out more, read the PasseportSanté.net file: Vaccination: Ideas and current debates.
