Dear Sri,
Since Maria Cheng’s article (11th Feb) questioned the wisdom of widespread polio vaccination, I would like to add a few little known facts to the argument. First, it is necessary to understand that a virus needs living cells to survive; so it is not in its interest to cause the death of a host. To do so is indicative of maladaption, but the polio virus is well adapted since, for example, only about one in a thousand infections produces serious symptoms.
The next thing to realise is that vaccination is a medical dogma only differing from religious dogma in that it is subject to statistical analysis. Unfortunately, unfavourable statistics are seldom publicised outside our medical journals and others are frequently manipulated to support a fictional belief. Subsequent to widespread tonsillectomies being curtailed around 1949 in the UK, there was an 82% decline in mortality from paralytic polio over the following six years prior to the advent of vaccination. It was then discovered that the tonsils are the first line of defence against the virus. It was also found that the current diphtheria toxoid ‘immunisation’ was also a cause of paralytic polio!
However, it should be said that polio vaccination is the only physiologically sound vaccination and is relatively safe but as polio infections are largely asymptomatic, maybe it would be more sensible to find out why only about one in a thousand develops serious symptoms. Also, improved nutrition is far more important than vaccinations, but less attractive to the pharmaceutical industry.
Dr. Michael Nightingale
