2.15   Rebuilding Confidence in the Vaccination Programmes

In 1985, the Department of Health and Social Services highlighted the poor uptake of immunisation in some areas and advised all health authorities to appoint a District Immunisation Co-ordinator. 

The loss of confidence in the pertussis vaccine following the scare of the 1980s concerned public health officials because “despite the overwhelming body of research supporting the safety and efficacy of the pertussis vaccine health professionals seemed to be largely swayed by the popular press and many actively advised parents not to have their babies protected” (Bedford and Elliman, 2000).

Proponents of immunisation focus on the studies supporting their point of view  and ignore the negative studies (Cherry, Heininger, Stehr and Christenson, 1998).  They concluded that observer bias can significantly inflate calculated vaccine efficacy.  They considered that it is likely that all recently completed efficacy trials have been affected by this type of observer bias.