Dr. Jeanette Wilkins; Issued Warnings on Vaccine

Dr. Jeanette Wilkins, 56, a USC professor and pediatrician who raised major concerns with the popular diphtheria vaccine. Dr. Wilkins, who was educated at Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., and Tulane University School of Medicine, warned that hypersensitive infants who are given the DPT vaccine too early could suffer seizures leading to permanent brain damage. Babies should be at least 3 months old before immunization, she said, so that they have time to lose the mother’s antibodies. Dr. Wilkins was also nationally recognized for her research involving antibiotics and infectious diseases such as measles and influenza, and for her work in the prevention of infections in burn patients. On May 19 in Redondo Beach after a lengthy illness.