Vaccine critics put children at risk

Arguments against the pentavalent vaccine in India are inaccurate and pose a grave threat to children’s health, says T. Jacob John. It is easy to scare parents about vaccines because nobody wants to put the life of their child at risk. But fear-mongering threatens lives. Earlier this month, a doctor filed a public interest litigation in the Supreme Court calling for a ban on the pentavalent vaccine, a five-in-one shot that combines hepatitis B, diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus with a new vaccine for Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib). World Health Organization studies found that Hib is a major cause of bacterial meningitis and pneumonia in the Philippines, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. Not vaccinating against Hib puts children’s health at risk. The litigation fails to look at the bigger picture of why the vaccine was introduced. Critics say pentavalent is killing children. Reports at the time the litigation was filed alleged 21 children died...