Whooping cough
Sir: Mr Cosgrave's article on the whooping cough vaccine and the cold-blooded attitude of Mr EnnaIs was most timely and expressed exactly my own fears for a six-month-old son. The insidious way his Department is putting Mr EnnaIs's instructions into practice also deserves a public airing. When my wife took our son for his first vaccinations, she was smoothly told that they were for diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus; no mention of the present controversy.
My wife refused the whooping cough vaccination, and was immediately given to understand not only that her fears were groundless, but that she was being backward, silly and downright callous in her disregard for her own child's welfare. The bureaucratic argument went on to mention the strong possibility of a whooping cough epidemic in about eighteen months time—a particularly nasty piece of moral blackmail.
Being an SRN and having some knowledge of the issues involved, my wife stuck to her guns but, confronted by the bland assurance of Authority and conscious of their own ignorance in such matters, how many women would have allowed themselves to be persuaded out of their initial reluctance in the belief that 'They' know best ? It is at least a strong possibility that the very women who are not accustomed to challenging Authority will be the ones most in need of financial assistance if things go wrong—financial assistance which the Government will not provide.
M. R. Ruddock 7 Harbour Road, Norwich
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