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Expert Interview Are vaccinations unjustly a controversial topic?
Vaccinations are still a controversial issue, although these have undoubtedly contributed significantly to the increased life expectancy in modern society. Which reservations exist, to what extent these are justified and what consequences a waiver of vaccinations brings, explains the vaccination expert Dr. med. Wolfgang Maurer in an interview.
Mag. DDr. Wolfgang Maurer is a biochemist and a specialist in laboratory diagnostics. For many years he was head of the Austrian serum testing institute and prevented the approval of many vaccines in Austria. He is responsible for vaccination at the Vienna University Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. Health Practice:
Since when do doctors vaccinate against diseases, and how did they come up with it?
GDR. Wolfgang Maurer:
The English country doctor Edward Jenner observed that maids who had been infected with cowpox in the cow, were immune to human smallpox (variola virus). He therefore collected lymph from the cowpox blisters and inoculated as the first the boy James Phibbs.1798 Jenner published the result of his studies. His vaccination was slow, however.
In Austria, the first smallpox vaccinations were performed around 1800 in Brunn am Gebirge. At that time, the vaccinia virus was already used, which induces a cross immunity to human pox. As the vaccine rapidly lost its efficacy, the protective pox institute was (...) always required to collect good vaccine. At the same time, it was ordered to order all surgeons to do their part in the inoculation of protective pox, and to use well-ground lancets, otherwise the freshest vaccine would not be of any use "(Korneuburg, 1807)..
Vaccinations are a major contributor to the increased life expectancy in today's society, but many people still rate them critically. The Impfexperte DDr. Maurer explains in an interview which critique is justified and which statements are without foundation. (Image: esben468635 / fotolia.com) How did the first big vaccination campaigns go? What were the side effects, and what successes were shown?
After there was no therapy for the smallpox and the mortality was high (in India in 1974/75 in infants 43.5%), the smallpox vaccination prevailed even against great resistance from 1800 in Europe largely by. Also supported by a statutory vaccination requirement in many European countries. Compared to modern vaccine production, the traditional smallpox vaccine was often contaminated with bacteria, leading to frequent inflammation. More severe were encephalopathies in the form of a brain swelling. In Austria, 103 cases per million vaccinations (Berger and Puntigam 1955) and in encephalomyelitis (severe brain inflammation) 1219 cases per million vaccinations.
Despite these severe and probably also the most causal side effects, it was possible to eradicate smallpox globally in 1980. This was achieved primarily through modern freeze-drying techniques that preserved the vaccine. In the 20 / 30s of the last century, large vaccination studies were carried out. The method was called a control series method. With diphtheria vaccines, e.g. 933 people vaccinated and compared with 10,000 unvaccinated the disease frequency. In this case vaccinated / unvaccinated 1: 2,7 so a badly effective vaccine (Meyer, Bern 1930). Other vaccine versions were far more effective (Bauer, Philadelphia) 96,252 vaccinated versus 104,732 unvaccinated. The disease rate of the unvaccinated was 230 times as high as in the vaccinated - so a well-effective vaccine. Based on these studies, today's diphtheria vaccines were further developed.
What do we know about the immune system today, and what makes vaccinations different from the early trials as a result of that knowledge today?
When smallpox vaccine you did not know that there are viruses. Also, virtually nothing was known about the immune system, except that there were infections, e.g. Measles that cause lifelong immunity. 100 years ago, the mortality rate in industrial countries in measles was about 3% of a vintage. Today - thanks to intensive care units - only one in every 1,000 malnourished children dies.
In the early vaccination campaigns there was resistance from vaccination opponents. What did he look like and how justified was he??
First and foremost, this resistance was irrational, accompanied by fears and far from the current state of knowledge - that has not actually changed until today. For example, until a few years ago, an Austrian immunization doctor had claimed on their homepage that viruses, bacteria and fungi could transform into each other as needed!
Are there any scientific arguments against vaccination??
Since medical knowledge is currently doubling in 3 to 5 years, there are fewer and fewer scientific arguments. Are there any, these are poorly founded and prone to error. But there were accidents with vaccines, such as in 1955 the so-called Cutter Incident. Here a Poliototimpfstoff was not completely inactivated, so that some vaccinated indeed in poliomyelitis-an extremely unfortunate serious incident, but which led to important improvements in vaccine production.
A scientific argument would be the smallpox vaccination carried out by soldiers. After the smallpox has been eradicated, the Variola viruses, which are still stored in two laboratories, should finally be destroyed. Because there are no more pox viruses, there is no medical indication to vaccinate against it. And, of course, there are contraindications for vaccinations, for example, in heavily immunocompromised individuals. Here, however, the immediate environment (caregivers) should be vaccinated - Cocooning strategy.
The absence of vaccinations has led to an increased incidence of polio infections in the so-called "bible belt" in the Netherlands. Severe damage caused by diseases of measles and rubella are also very common here. (Image: Dr Kateryna / fotolia.com) From which spectrum do vaccine opponents come in the USA, other western countries like Austria or the Netherlands? Do they have ideological similarities and / or differences??
Often there are ideological reasons, so many anthroposophists reject vaccinations. But also Calvinists in the so-called "bible belt" in the Netherlands. There were polio epidemics, measles outbreaks and severe rubella embryopathies (rubella infection in unvaccinated pregnant women 2004/5, 32 cases in pregnant women, 2 fetal deaths, 14 cases of congenital infection partial multiple obstruction, 11 with deafness, 6 Herzkh, 3 microcephaly, 7 retardation). Perhaps the religious background was underestimated by vaccination opponents.
Very often today, however, the active ingredients (antigens) of vaccines are criticized, but the excipients. For example, formaldehyde as a gas is a carcinogen - for example, when inhaling exhaust gases from Otto engines or smoking. But formaldehyde is also a vital metabolite and humans produce about 50 grams of formaldehyde per day. TBE vaccination will dilute the natural formaldehyde content of the muscle. However, this deficit is replenished by the rapid metabolism in a few minutes.
What role do digital media play in disseminating anti-vaccination campaigns??
On the one hand, information and knowledge is something very desirable. In anti-vaccination campaigns (on May 6, 2017 there was a vaccination "large demonstration" in Vienna with about 250 participants, it was also reported that there are no measles viruses) but are regularly spread false information. The organizers are highly active in the media with arguments that, even if they appear "professional", are nevertheless at a maximum distance from scientific medical facts. So there are u.a. hard evidence that vaccinations do not cause multiple sclerosis or autism.
What would be the consequences if vaccinations were stopped? What would a world without vaccinations look like??
One may ask, what does the world look like with vaccines? Peru has been free of measles for more than 10 years. Total America since 2016. If the measles vaccine were now discontinued in Austria, every new birth year would have been smeared with measles in a shorter time. So 80,000 measles cases per year with about 80 dead children (mortality 1: 1000). As in the past, the children would be "through-painted" until they were 15 years old. Compared to this, a maximum of 10 children of this age group die each year from extensive road traffic safety measures.
In addition, after measles, children have about 3 years increased mortality from non-measles infections because the measles virus causes a "reset" of the immune system.
More women are also dying from cervical carcinoma, which can be avoided by vaccination than that caused by road traffic.
What relationship do devotees of especially impoverished worldviews such as anthroposophists, some homeopaths, Christian fundamentalists or Pakistani Taliban generally have to evidence-based medicine and modern science, physics, biology or biochemistry??
At least an ambiguous, but always a child-hostile relationship. According to common definitions in paediatrics, unvaccinated children are neglected children, a form of child maltreatment. It is completely incomprehensible why parents deprive their children of state-of-the-art medical care - thereby endangering other children too - for example, those who are too young to be vaccinated. Anthroposophists and some homoeopaths believe in the meaning of diseases. Only what sense should a cervix carcinoma caused by HP viruses, or a heart muscle damage caused by an influenza infection? Evolution knows no sense.
Vaccination opponents say vaccine chemicals are dangerous, vaccines are unnatural, and those who want to stay biologically healthy should keep their hands off. What would you say to them??
Technically, these auxiliaries are also used in many other medicines or cosmetics and foods, they are toxicologically evaluated by experts of the European or national regulatory authorities and are harmless. Vaccine users regularly do not observe the toxicological principle that the toxicity is dose-dependent. Biologically, of course, are extremely potent toxins, such as the tetanus toxin or the diphtheria toxins and whooping cough toxins. These toxins can be detoxified so that the toxic effect is removed and they can be formulated into effective vaccines.
Why are people afraid of vaccinations? Internet forums contain vocabulary such as "vaccine mafia" and even "school physicians who deserve to poison children" etc ... How are fears fomented or even made? Are there any overlaps with conspiracy ideologies and demagoguery??
In general, risks are misjudged. The risk of getting measles or polio has fallen drastically due to vaccinations, the consequences of the infection (mental retardation due to measles, crippling through polio) are no longer present in daily life, thus fearing of fever and local reactions.
The frequency of vaccine damage is greatly overestimated, often there are other diseases behind it, which occur just after vaccination, but are not the cause, such as many epilepsy.
Vaccinations - even the very expensive as the HPV vaccine - are still cost-saving, because so higher therapy costs attributable to the vaccine-preventable infections. For 37 years we have been saving all therapy costs and enormous human suffering through the eradication of smallpox. In a few years, poliomyelitis will be eradicated globally. There are only a few polio cases (5 cases in total globally from 2017 to 9 May) in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where military conflicts make vaccination campaigns more difficult and religious / political vaccinationists also stop vaccination campaigns.
And the vaccine-producing industry is the only one also anxious that infections are directed against the vaccines to eliminate or reduce globally. This is not the case with other medicines. In this sense, the term "vaccine mafia" is offensive and unfounded. And vaccine opponents hinder by their actions, first the regional elimination z. Poliomyelitis and measles, as well as the global eradication of this infectious disease - this will require longer vaccinations because global eradication will take longer.