Nuance And Adverse Effects

at

Clare Daly TD

“It has been brought to my attention that some political opponents have been orchestrating a campaign in an attempt to portray me as anti-vaccine on the basis of Written Questions I’ve tabled to the Minister for Health.

For the record and for the avoidance of any doubt, my position on vaccination is as follows:

I have tabled approximately 4,500 quesions since this Dáil convened in 2016, and am one of the top questioners of Ministers in the Dáil on a whole range of topics.

For example, I’ve tabled over 40 questions on salmon aquaculture since 2016, 30 or more on seagulls, and 62 questions containing the word ‘prisons’ or ‘prisoners’ (and many more on prison issues in general).

In the last two and half months alone, I’ve asked at least 14 questions around foster care and residential services for young people.

I fully support vaccination as an important and hugely valuable public health initiative; myself and my family have received every vaccination going (including the HPV vaccination where applicable).

However I also believe that to ensure public confidence in such an important public health initiative that TDs should ensure that the Minister publicly address any concerns people might have in an effort to dispel them.

Shutting down debate unfortunately leads to a belief that something is being hidden.

In general, we need better public education with regard to medicine and science, and the best approach possible to public health communication.

There must also be a no-fault vaccine damage compensation scheme in place to deal with the tiny minority of persons who do experience side-effects or harms from vaccines (as happened in the Pandemrix case).

Such a scheme is in the current Programme for Government, and was recommended by the Oireachtas Health Committee in 2001.

The Vaccine Damage Steering Group re-iterated that recommendation in 2009. The Government has not, to date, acted on this policy, regrettably.”

Independents4Change Dublin European Election candidate Clare Daly TD

Vaccines and vaccinations – Statement (Claire Daly)

Pandemrix case?

Rollingnews

Sponsored Link

36 thoughts on “Nuance And Adverse Effects

    1. Mickey Twopints

      @Jonickal

      I disagree in this case. If only more of our politicians (of whatever hue) were this unequivocal.

    2. Dan

      Explaining what exactly?
      She never spoke agaobst vaccination so nothing to explain.
      Ye FG FF shrills really are stupid

    3. Ian-O

      Another way to look at it is that if someone is telling lies about you, you need to clarify what you may have said to counter those lies.

      But you keep up with the negative spin there buddy.

      :)

    1. Zaccone

      +1. Great TD. I actually think it’d be a shame to lose her to Brussels, she does great work in the Dail.

  1. Cian

    The “just asking questions” defence is used by antivaxx loons all the time. I suspect in this case, Daly likely asked a question exactly as written by one of said loons; which suggests poor judgement rather than holding those views.

      1. Cian

        Well, she’s said she doesn’t hold those views. She still asked the question though, a question that was very specifically phrased by someone with an agenda. If that isn’t here, it was fed to her.

        Deduction, rather than “don’t know”. And the rubbish is the question she asked without knowing what the hell she was doing.

    1. Rep

      Its quite weird that you literally cannot query anything about vaccines without being called an anti-vaxx loon. Why exactly are vaccines considered above scrutiny? Is there any other type of medicine that you cannot query anything about without getting lumped in with flat-earther types?

      1. Clampers Outside!

        +1 Rep, nothing in health should be above scrutiny and clarification. Asking q’s should not mean one is labelled.

        Fair play to Daly.

  2. newsjustin

    “Shutting down debate unfortunately leads to a belief that something is being hidden.”

    While I agree with this, and Deputy Daly’s response above is very clear and straightforward, there is a flip side to this.

    Having a TD raise the topic of an issue with vaccines in the Dáil can lend some legitimacy to an anti-vax position….it depends on the question(s) she asked.

    It’s a fine line in fairness.

  3. deluded

    Does anyone know what the questions were?
    If they could be answered by any one of the local colleges, for instance, then why raise it to the national assembly?

  4. newsjustin

    From 15 November 2016

    488. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if there is a possibility of aluminium in Gardasil forms of HPV vaccines crossing the blood brain barrier; if he will publish any data held by his Department on this subject; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34595/16]

    489. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if there is a possibility of potential synergistic toxicity of aluminium in HPV vaccines. [34596/16]

    490. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health if pandemrix was at one time considered as safe as the HPV vaccines and that the benefits outweighed the risks; and if there is a possibility that the many autoimmune reactions being experienced by HPV vaccinated girls are following a similar pattern of neurological disturbances. [34597/16]

    491. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the data that the manufacturer submitted to the EMA which indicated that those pre-exposed to vaccine relevant HPV may experience a 44.6% increased risk of pre-cancerous lesions after vaccination with Gardasil; and the steps in place to monitor cervical cancer rates in the HPV vaccinated population. [34598/16]

    From 16 Sept 2016

    1275. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health his plans to conduct an independent review of the Gardasil HPV vaccine. [25551/16]

    And 26 July 2016

    435. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Health the likely date upon which the Health Service Executive will restock with the BCG vaccine; the likely date for the recommencement of the BCG vaccination programme; and his views in regard to the current suspension of this vaccination programme. [23421/16]

    1. newsjustin

      Obviously the final question (and this is an incomplete list) is essentially pro-vaccine.

      They could all be described as neutral….I guess….though my point above (and Cian’s) that “just asking questions” is risky business…gives cover to anti-vax people.

      1. deluded

        They seem to be generally about safety and due-dilligence, not “anti-vax” as I understand it.
        (It”s unrelated but many people suffered terribly from the wrong grade titanium used in artificial joints that caused a negative reaction- understanding particular chemistries and assessing risk is not an easy task).

        1. b

          unless the concerns about safety were coming from people qualified to make that observation and not just echoing unfounded ‘concerns’, she has no business raising them in that manner

          1. deluded

            If it was raised as a concern in the certification process and those concerns not being dealt with properly I think it is understandable grounds to alert people.
            If the concerns are being dealt with then it’s unhelpful to cause alarm, it’s true.

      2. GiggidyGoo

        Legimate questions. Did she get informative answers to the subject matter of the questions?
        Asking questions of a government is part of politics. FG tried to stifle questions on Callinan. How did that work out.? Not to Cian’s liking.

  5. Johnny Keenan

    First rule about living in Ireland 2019.
    QUESTION EVERYTHING!

    If there were 20 politicians in Leinster House with the same concern knowledge and willpower as Clare Daly,
    Ireland would be well on the way to getting rid of corruption.

    As there is not parasites like Frances Fitzgerald will get voted in.
    Irish people are corrupt and they want someone who is corrupt to represent their corruption.

    There is no other reason for it.

    1. Clampers Outside!

      You lost me when you went full loola, and abandoned any effort of making a decent comment when ya said…
      “Irish people are corrupt and they want someone who is corrupt…”

Comments are closed.

Sponsored Link
Broadsheet.ie