Issue Number
144
March 2,
2000
UNPROTECTED PEOPLE: Stories of
people who have suffered or died from vaccine-preventable diseases
Story #24:
THE BENEFITS OF HEPATITIS B VACCINE FAR
OUTWEIGH THE RISKS: A PHARMACIST'S PROFESSIONAL AND
PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE
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Reprinted below is the Congressional testimony of a
pharmacist who writes in favor of universal hepatitis B vaccination for U.S. infants and all children ages
0-18. This statement was submitted by e-mail to members of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Government
Reform for the May 18, 1999, Congressional hearing on hepatitis B vaccine.
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Good Day:
I am writing to provide testimony in favor of current standards for administration of hepatitis B vaccine to
all infants, and to recommend that programs be initiated and/or continued that expand routine hepatitis B
vaccination to achieve protection of all children and adolescents as well.
I make this recommendation as a health professional who has been engaged in primary and preventive care of
children and adults for the past 25 years. I believe passionately that we must commit our resources and
energies to preventing disease wherever possible. I consider it a tragedy and an injustice
every time I see a patient who becomes seriously ill with a disease that could
have been prevented.
I also have a particular interest in prevention of hepatitis B due to my personal
experience of what this disease can do to individuals and families. My first
cousin (one year older than I) contracted hepatitis B from a blood transfusion
when she was 15 years old. She overcame the initial illness, and went on to marry and
also became a staff person in the medical records department of the university hospital where I did my
residency training. Unfortunately, her disease reactivated when she was 24 years of age. During the year I was in
residency, I saw her frequently admitted to the hospital. Her condition progressively worsened and she developed
end-stage liver failure with severe ascites, jaundice, urticaria, and skin breakdown to the point of literally
bleeding over her skin surface. It was a blessing when she passed away after
months of severe illness. She was the oldest child of a large family that also
lost their youngest to heart disease within the same year. I would like to help
prevent another family suffering as my aunt and uncle did.
As a pharmacist, I am well aware that no medication is without risk. Risks and
benefits must always be balanced in life. I am absolutely convinced that the
benefits of this vaccine far outweigh any risks it may have. Anyone who has ever watched a loved one die of a complication of this
disease would certainly agree. Because most people suffer these complications only at a much later
date, it can be a temptation to hide one's head in the sand about the need for
hepatitis B vaccine in childhood. We can say, "But my child won't be at risk!"
Well, I certainly wouldn't have picked my cousin as a candidate for fulminant
hepatitis B, but it's too late once it happens!
- LKO, PharmD
Pharmacist at a children's hospital in the Midwest
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EDITOR'S NOTE: To read "Unprotected People" stories that were previously published in IAC EXPRESS visit:
http://www.immunize.org/stories/
The Immunization Action Coalition is collecting stories of people who have suffered or died from vaccine-preventable
diseases. Please let us know if you have personal stories, or if you know of stories that have appeared in the
media, that describe the suffering that occurred because someone wasn't immunized. In addition, we are also collecting case
reports to help us illustrate the morbidity and mortality caused by vaccine-preventable diseases.
If you have stories and/or case reports that can help save lives, e-mail them to
us at admin@immunize.org or fax them to (651) 647-9131.
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