To The Editor, The New Indian Express
Bhubaneswar.
4/2008
Dear Sir,

We wish to profusely thank the IAP, Orissa, for taking the lead in pointing out lacunae in the vaccination program. On our part we would also request Hon'ble Chief Minister, Orissa, to kindly address the issue of the presence of heavy metals, carcinogens, neurotoxins, untested antibiotics and contaminated serum in vaccines which are adversely affecting the vaccinated infants in large numbers. Now that the IAP and also the Health Ministry have pointed out that the vaccination process has its own inherent dangers we would reiterate our demands for informed consent of parents, issuing of a physicians warranty of vaccine safety to each vaccinated child, medical supervision in each vaccine camp, compensation in case of death or damage, formation of a vaccine adverse effect reporting system and a database that should be in the public domain, a standard protocol to treat vaccine damage, studying the long term effects of vaccines, studying the effects of multiple vaccines, studying a vaccinated population against an unvaccinated population, and studying each batch of imported vaccines for birth control hormones and bioterrorism agents. We also demand public representation on the immunisation board and in the vaccine safety boards. We must not forget that vaccines target healthy infants, thus there should be no limit to the number of precautions that can be put in place. The State Government should also come out with advertisements warning parents about vaccinating beyond the Universal Immunisation Program(UIP) just as the Centre has done. The UIP should be renamed the Universal Vaccination Program as there is a difference between vaccination and immunisation. We cannot have one set of standard for the developed countries and put the lives of children of underdeveloped countries at risk. The fact that vaccine dangers has become a presidential poll issue in the USA should galvanise the somnolent health authorities in India to action.

Yours faithfully,
Jagannath Chatterjee,
Bhubaneswar.