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Strong views on vaccination

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Re “Doctor Contrarian” [March 7]: The presentation of Dr. Jay Gordon as a Robin Hood for those who prefer not to give their children routine vaccinations does these children and their misguided parents a great disservice.

Routine childhood immunizations are truly one of the miracles of the last century, bringing life to millions in the United States and worldwide who would otherwise have been the victims of unnecessary death and serious morbidity.

The Times should be ashamed to present his views in a manner that appears to give them credibility. There is not a single reputable health organization that gives any credence to recommending delay or avoidance of routine immunizations as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Dr. Robert A. Jacobs

Professor of Pediatrics

USC Keck School of Medicine

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I was frankly dismayed by the article on Jay Gordon, “Doctor Contrarian.” Although it included several quotes from legitimate health sources, the article nonetheless managed to present Gordon as a maverick saint standing up to “the system” for the benefit of his charges, one of whom is pictured winsomely peeking around the corner of Gordon’s hallway.

Blind loyalty to authority figures, especially doctors, is always a danger sign. In this case, some parents have surrendered their critical thinking and their children’s health at the same time.

Bonnie Sloane

Los Angeles

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I believe an important point is missing from your otherwise well-researched, well-written article regarding the vaccination of our children. The timing of these vaccinations has less to do with what is prudent medically and more to do with when public health officials have relative control of the population.

The public would be better served by judicious recommendations from public health authorities, such as waiting until the second year and spacing out immunizations, instead of the mindless public relations campaign we have today.

Crista Smyth

Santa Ana

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We should be grateful, rather than suspicious, of pediatricians like Jay Gordon. He is willing to question the wisdom of vaccinating an infant for a disease that has not occurred domestically for more than 10 years, yet his colleagues accuse him of social irresponsibility. Gordon risks lawsuit and reputation to maintain a practice in which alternative views and parental concerns are not as readily dismissed as they are by research doctors who simultaneously serve as “consultants” to pharmaceutical companies.

Questioning when and what vaccinations are necessary might elicit frowns from the traditional medical community, but such gestures reflect a form of social responsibility for a new age of inquiry.

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John Murray

Pacific Palisades

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