This letter is in response to The Beachcomber’s April 28 article, “Confronting Vashon’s low vaccination rates.”

Vaccinations are complex. Some wish this were a simple issue. It is not. Parents have the ultimate responsibility to protect their children. Until dangerous problems with vaccines are resolved, public pressure to vaccinate verges on being morally wrong.

Vaccines do kill and injure. Babies, children, American soldiers and others. Every year. If you doubt this, please check out the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. It’s paid for with your federal tax dollars.

Vaccines also do not ensure protection. Pertussis, in particular, is a poor performing vaccine with a limited length of efficacy. As is chicken pox. In 20 years, most people 20 to 30 years old will be at risk of catching this virus “as an adult.” Check out an article in The New York Times March 15, 2007, edition titled, “Chickenpox Vaccine Loses Effectiveness in Study.”

Pertussis causes a mild illness, but its toxin damages your cilia. This makes you cough like a chronic smoker. Early diagnosis can equal quick antibiotics and less damage to cilia. But, the current focus on vaccines with faulty prevention has resulted in a medical community with reduced treatment and diagnostic skills.

Instead, we have a booming vaccine industry. When governments require their citizenry to buy a product and gives the producing corporation legal immunity, this makes sense.

The herd immunity concept means: “We accept the few losses in exchange for the greater good.” Many parents cave to public pressure and blindly follow the government vaccine schedule. Some parents, however, fully accept responsibility for what is being injected into their baby, child and selves. Alternative choices can range from non to partial to delayed vaccine schedules. Many families do excellent research.

Our family utilizes diptheria/tetanus (minus the pertussis), and this year our sons (9 and 12) will begin MMR/Polio to prepare for travel opportunities. We successfully “found” naturally occurring chicken pox and rubella (very mild illnesses), and we “accidentally” caught pertussis in 2000 at ages 28, 3 and 1.

— March Twisdale