>>>>In Finland almost all the dogs are vaccinated, some every year, some every other year. Still there are far more deaths from diseases that could be prevented by those vaccinations than there are deaths caused by vaccines. But if someone has a dog die from for example distemper they are usually quiet about it (that they have neglected the vaccination or the dog has been illegally imported from Russia etc), but when a dog dies because it gets a reaction to vaccine, it's all over the net and everyone is warning each other not to vaccinate or at least not to vaccinate with that brand of vaccine. So all people hear is how dangerous vaccines are.
Very good points, Krisse. Over my lifetime, I've known entire litters to die from preventable diseases like distemper and parvovirus. I don't doubt that a FEW puppies/kittens may die from reactions to vaccinations. But we have to go with the statistical odds. Over history, how many people died from tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough versus how many have had reactions to the vaccinations? (And how many of the claimed reactions are even valid...?) My cousin went totally deaf at 18 months from a secondary infection following measles. I'm sure she wishes there had been a vaccine when she was small. She probably wouldn't have had the vaccine by that young age, but if her older brother and sister had been immunized, they wouldn't have brought it home to her. I'm very allergic to penicillin - had a horrible reaction to it as a child. But, I don't go around telling people not to take penicillin. It's a wonder drug, and the world would be lost without it. How many lives has it saved since it was discovered? We always have to use some judgment on an individual basis. Karen Thomas, NC
