Scoop Feedback: Trust Us, We Know What We Are Doing?
Dear Sir,
The Health Department's advertisement, supposedly correcting "misinformation" about MenZB, says that we used to have 213
cases of meningococcal disease a year in the under 20s, and 7 deaths (but now they are seeing about 50 cases and so far
this year, two deaths)
The New Zealand Herald's published data in the past to promote public support for vaccinating children said:
July 27, 1999, A3 In discussing why the vaccine trial was imperative, because otherwise "another 600 people will get the disease and
another 30 will die next winter"
November 26, 2001 A3. .. since 1991.... 4,122 cases 184 deaths...
June 21, 2004, Front page. 5,300 cases, 218 deaths.
Dr Helen Harris (letter) July 12, 2004 "if you are a Pacific Island child, your chances of contracting this disease are one in 48, .. one in 117 Maori
children and one in 438 European and other nationalities"
July 12, 2004 A 7 Just days before the vaccine roll-out.... "5,400 people have become sick since 1991, and 220 people have died (about 400 cases and 16 deaths a year)"
The yearly figures in today's ad, add up to 2,982 cases and 98 deaths for the 14 years from 1991 to 2004.
On the basis of all that, what confidence can anyone have in anything the Health Department is saying?
Sincerely,
Hilary Butler, Tuakau