Dear Editor:
RE: “Anti-vaxxer insanity” and “Do our part,” May 1.
I have never fully understood why those who question the safety and efficacy of vaccines are treated with such vitriol. After all, don’t we Canadians pride ourselves on our tolerance and inclusivity? Isn’t bodily autonomy a fundamental human right?
So, before you find yourself mindlessly insulting a so-called “anti-vaxxer,” I thought I’d list some basic facts that may help everyone better understand why some people might have questions.
Vaccine manufacturers are not liable for any injury (and they do happen) caused by their product.
Infectious diseases were steadily declining for years before vaccines were introduced. This is widely attributed to massive public health initiatives in sanitation, hygiene, nutrition and labour laws.
Pfizer, the top vaccine company in the world, has paid out $2.3 billion in fines to resolve criminal and civil allegations related to false claims, fraudulent marketing of medication and off-label promotion.
Vaccines are classed as biologics and therefore do not undergo the same regulatory processes as drugs.
Most vaccine trials do not use a true, benign placebo (ie. – saline). Instead, the control group is usually given another vaccine. This may be an earlier version of a similar vaccine or a completely different vaccine.
According to Stats Canada, more people died of COVID-19 in 2022 than they did in 2020 – one year after 90% of our population had been vaccinated.
It is not “insanity” to question vaccines. It is not “conspiracy theory” to ask why our children are getting sicker. And it is not “disgraceful” to support those who want answers. We are all on the same page here – we all want to be healthy and to raise healthy children.
This is not a political issue. So let’s put an end to the mudslinging and name calling and start figuring this out. Because the status-quo clearly isn’t working.
Sue FitzGerald,
Fergus
*Editor’s note: Some infectious diseases had begun to decline before vaccines were introduced, but in general vaccination made a significant contribution to their control and prevention – and in some cases, eradication. The Pfizer fines noted in this letter came in 2009 and had nothing to do with vaccines. Biologic drugs, including vaccines, require more regulatory oversight than chemical drugs. The World Health Organization has supported the use of a different vaccine as a control and in some cases testing a new vaccine against a “benign placebo” (such as saline) is considered unethical. The year 2022 was dominated by the Omicron variant of COVID-19, which displayed increased transmissibility and immune evasion.