Recently, great concern has been publicized regarding one component of DPT, namely, the pertussis, or whooping cough, part. The success of this vaccine has resulted in remarkable decline of a formerly feared disease​—from 200,000 cases per year in one country alone before the vaccine to 2,000 per year following the widespread use of the vaccine. Nevertheless, serious side effects​—seizures and even brain damage—​have occurred in about 1 in 100,000 doses given.

While this reaction is very rare, it causes some anxiety on the part of many parents who find they have little choice but to allow their child to receive the shot in order to qualify for school. Because the disease pertussis, though uncommon, is so devastating when it strikes a community, experts have concluded that for the average child, “the vaccine is far safer than catching the disease.” Such experts advise that the immunization be given except “when a previous dose resulted in a convulsion, encephalitis, focal neurologic signs, or collapse. Nor should infants who experience ‘excessive somnolence, excessive screaming (persistent crying or screaming for 3 or more hours duration), or temperature more than 105° F (40.5° C)’ receive additional doses of vaccine.”b

In many lands the real solution to the problem is an acellular vaccine, such as is presently being administered in Japan with very hopeful prospects. This new and apparently safer vaccine is becoming available in other countries as well.

The Background

In the 1950’s an effective vaccine was introduced that virtually put an end to the fear of polio in most lands. By 1980 the scourge of smallpox was declared eradicated from the whole world, the result of effective vaccination programs. This seemed to bear out the words of Benjamin Franklin: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

If the immunizing shot contains an extract of the pathogen’s poison (toxin), it is called a toxoid. If it is made from live weakened (attenuated) pathogens or from killed organisms, it is called a vaccine.

Also, four doses of oral polio vaccine (OPV) are administered on a schedule similar to DPT.a

In many places this routine series is mandatory, though the number of boosters required may vary. Recently, as a result of several measles outbreaks, additional boosters of measles vaccines have been recommended under some circumstances. You may need to consult a doctor in your area for details.

In addition to these, there is a pneumonia vaccine (Pneumovax). This appears to provide lifetime immunity for children and adults who, for some reason, are susceptible to certain kinds of pneumonia.

Another vaccine for children is called Hib vaccine. It is given to protect against a common pathogen of childhood, Hemophilus influenza. This germ causes several diseases in babies, most notably a severe form of meningitis. The vaccine has proved generally safe, and it is increasingly being recommended as part of the series of baby shots.

Incidentally, there is as yet no routine immunization for chicken pox. And vaccination for smallpox is no longer available because, as mentioned earlier, a worldwide program of vaccination has wiped out this deadly disease.

Basically, the blood of selected hepatitis-B-virus carriers is pooled and treated to kill any viruses, and a certain hepatitis-B antigen is harvested. This refined, inactivated antigen can be injected as a vaccine. Many people refuse to take the vaccine, however, fearing the risk of taking in blood products from infected people, such as those who are sexually promiscuous. Furthermore, some conscientious Christians objected to the vaccine on the ground that it is derived from the blood of another person.c

Such objections to hepatitis vaccine have been effectively removed by the release of a different but equally potent hepatitis-B vaccine. This one is made by means of genetic technology in which the vaccine is produced in yeast cells, with no involvement of human blood. If you work in the health-care field or are for some other reason considered a candidate for hepatitis-B vaccine, you may want to discuss this matter with your physician.

Blood in the Production of Vaccines

This raises an important point for Christians, who are concerned with the Bible’s prohibition on misuse of blood. (Acts 15:28, 29) Are any other vaccines made from blood?

As a general rule, with the exception of Heptavax-B, active immunizations are not produced from blood. This includes all baby shots, for example.

The opposite is true of passive immunization. One can assume that when one is advised to have a shot after likely exposure, such as after stepping on a rusty nail or after being bitten by a dog, the shots (unless they are just routine boosters) are hyperimmune serum and have been made using blood. This is also true of Rh immune globulin (Rhogam), which is often recommended for Rh-negative mothers who for some reason are exposed to Rh-positive blood, as at the birth of an Rh-positive baby.

Since these passive immunizations are those of concern regarding the issue of blood, what stand would be taken by the conscientious Christian? Previous articles in this journal and its companion, The Watchtower, have presented a consistent position: It would be up to the Bible-trained conscience of the individual Christian as to whether he would accept this treatment for himself and his family.d