Vaccination is a marvel of medical science. An example of mankind triumphing over diseases that had previously caused millions of deaths and disabilities.

At about 94%, Australia now has one of the highest childhood vaccination rates in the world, and previously common diseases such as Polio and Measles are now almost eliminated.

But there is a dark cloud on the horizon, and that cloud is the crackpot anti-vaccination lobby, headed in Australia by the deceptively titled Australian Vaccination Network. A anti-vaccination group headed by an American woman, Meryl Dorey.

The dangers to society of groups like the AVN is devastatingly illustrated by the tragic case of 4-week old Dana McCaffery. Despite the best efforts of paramedics, doctors and an intensive care unit, Dana died of an entirely preventable disease -Whooping Cough- that she contracted before she was old enough to be vaccinated against it. The problem for little Dana was that the Northern-NSW community in which she lived has the lowest child immunisation levels in Australia, at about 64%. Her heartwrenching death was caused by the low immunisation rates in her region. Grab a box of tissues and watch the embedded video above. Further, in what could only be described as a despicable act, the McCaffreys allegedly received hate mail from AVN supporters following the initial Sunday Night story, which told Dana's story and the deadly effects of the low immunisation rates in some areas of Australia.

On their website, the AVN claim to be 'pro-choice', a promoter of unbiased vaccine information. In reality their organisation is vehemently opposed to vaccinations of any kind, and modern medicine in general. They provide no pro-vaccination information whatsoever, and they intersperse their anti-vaccination diatribe with madcap theories of government conspiracies. They scaremonger with outright lies and unsupported anecdotes of vaccination reactions with absolutely no legitimate medical evidence or data to support their extremist viewpoints. They sell T-shirts with slogans such as "Love them, Protect them, Never inject them". Their only weapon is Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD), and they use it extensively.

The AVN promote demonstrably false information, such as their inference that the current childhood DTP vaccines contain "lethal" mercury. The fact is that all childhood vaccines used in Australia since 2000 DO NOT contain mercury (thiomersal).

So why would the AVN continue to risk lives by making these outrageously false claims? Who knows, but perhaps the answer can be found from Meryl herself, who has publicly stated that we are now "living in an evil fascist dictatorship" [who are] "behind the conspiracy to cull the human population and turn the rest into little more than computer terminals", or perhaps the answer lies amongst their supporters, who claim that Doctors only vaccinate so they can get paid by the Government and that vaccination is some form of Government mind control and tracking system! The AVN recently invited Dr Archie Kalokerinos to speak at one of their seminars. He believes that vaccinations are an attempt by the World Health Organisation and the Save the Children Fund to commit genocide by spreading AIDS throughout developing countries. I kid you not.

Fortunately, the vast majority of Australians are too smart to believe the tripe being peddled by the AVN, and child vaccination rates are currently at their highest ever level. It's telling that the AVN do not list a single paediatrician or obstetrician amongst their membership, and of the 55,000 GPs across Australia, only 2 are listed as supporters of the AVN.

As their profile grows, the battle against the misinformation of the AVN is also growing. The Australian Skeptics (here and here) and the Millennium Project (here and here) have been following and exposing the crazy ideas of the AVN for a while now. Renowned Australian philanthopist and businessman Dick Smith recently took out a full page advertisement in The Australian newspaper, warning people of the deceptive practises of the AVN, and The NSW Government Heathcare Complaints Commission is currently investigating the AVN (See update below) for alleged breaches of the Public Health Act, while the Government have also refused their application for tax-deductible charity status. In 2007, the AVN were forced to issue a public apology to the Australian Medical Association, admitting that they published an article containing "a number of factual errors" in relation to vaccination. There are many blogs exposing the lies of the AVN, including this one, exposing the mistruths they published in the article Pertussis: The Fear Factor.

As if their reputation could not be further tarnished, Meryl Dorey continues to support the disgraced British Doctor Andrew Wakefield, who's debunked 1998 research was the only published study to link vaccination and Autism. In 2010, Dr Wakefield was found guilty by the British medical authorities of numerous charges dealing with medical misconduct in relation to this research, with the Medical Council ruling that he was "dishonest, irresponsible and showed callous disregard for the distress and pain of children". Yes, this is a man who is held in high regard by the AVN.

Crackpot groups such as the AVN are putting childrens lives at risk every day, and it makes my blood boil. If the AVN had it's way, Australia would be returning to the dark days of Polio, Measles, Mumps, Smallpox and many other diseases. Childhood death rates would soar to their pre-vaccination levels, and thousand of parents across Australia would experience first hand the devastating agony of burying their child. Don't let it happen.

Immunise Australia
Immunisation Myths and Realities
Sydney University Immunisation Research and Surveillance
Quackwatch

Meryl Dorey and the AVN must be stopped in their tracks.

It's quite literally a matter of life and death.