I was interviewed by NDTV yester

NDTV interviewed me yesterday. Basically I am a very shy person. But the presence of a fellow campaigner G Narayan, an IIT Delhi graduate and a social worker, boosted my confidence. Mr Narayana is now investigating the OPV fiasco. He too is publicity shy but together we decided to take the plunge saddened by a report we received that a child of a doctor couple had died after eight years of excruciating pain paralysed and sick from the polio drop and the other child was paralysed waist down.

While Mr Narayana concentrated on the matter of compensation to the unfortunate victims of the polio drops and demanded a public apology from the Govt on the issue (he was terribly outspoken and minced no words) I slowly veered on to the autism-mercury issue.

I started by saying that if I was a doctor I would critically examine any mass procedure in case of public complaint, stop the procedure, rectify the defects and relaunch the procedure only if it was deemed safe. I pointed out that though I was writing to the authorities on the need to examine the vaccine issue since the last many years I was not getting any official response, though many were privately sympathising with me in their individual capacities. Even a Presidential enquiry into the matter of mercury in vaccines, prompted by my petition, was handled by a low level officer who declared that mercury was perfectly safe.

I then shifted to the issue of a report in the TOI that a new nasal vaccine was being tested for measles. I said I have written to the concerned authorities as to whether the facts presented in the report were correct. Was measles really such a deadly disease? Then why are certain doctors pointing out that measles is a necessary exercise of the immune system and that it relieves the victims of eczema and psoriasis?

Was it so necessary to suppress common childhood illnesses? Could this suppression be linked to an explosion in chronic autoimmune disorders? Vaccines were after all designed to interfere with the immune system. And by reporting a rosy picture about the vaccine the learned authorities had violated the code set by the President of the Press Council of India that the media is to present both sides of a story.

I said I was myself a vaccine victim and therefore I was acutely aware of the pain of the child victims who are unable to express the same. I said it was beyond me to understand how toxins, in the form of 25 to 30 vaccine shots, were being injected into babies whose livers and kidneys were not ready to excrete toxins. They also had an immature nervous system and the blood brain barrier was weak.

On the subject of autism I narrated how parent groups in the USA discovered that autism was exactly similar to mercury poisoning. They had prepared a detailed chart comparing the symptoms of autism point to point with symptoms of mercury poisoning. There were more than 40 lakh autism victims in India who are not visible only because they generally don't have any outward symptoms of disability and were internally damaged. I described autism in general. I emphasised that an independant, unbiased study on the long term effects of vaccines was very necessary.

If it was felt that autistic children were genetically predisposed to vaccine damage then why the stress on mass immunisation? Should it not be a priority to identify such genetically predisposed people and keep them out of the ambit of immunisation procedures? And about vaccine ingredients, if I am injected with something then definitely I have the right to enquire about the contents and what effect they will have on my body.

I said I had surveyed polio immunisation camps and found that the persons were not properly trained to handle emergencies that may occur. There were also no medicines or doctors available to take care of emergencies. I said that as far I knew three antibiotics were in the polio drops and these antibiotics should not be administered without a skin test. The immunisation was also carried out on the babies of travelling parents in buses and trains. If an emergency occured within 24 hours the parents would be in deep trouble. I said diarrhoea immediately after the administration of the polio drops has been reported in the press.

I said doctors were looked upon as Gods in India. Nobody really likes going against them. But if they refuse to listen to our requests to reexamine the vaccination policy then we would have no option but take appropriate action.

I do not know how the interview will be interpreted and projected but I feel I have done my duty to protect the health and interests of the children of our country. The interview was supposed to be of a short duration. But our revelations so mesmerised the NDTV Chief in Orissa that he allowed the camera to roll and said he would send the entire unedited interview to his HO as he felt that every word of what we said was very important. I should thank him for showing so much interest on the issue.

I must also thank Mr Sudhir Pattnaik, a very active and fearless fighter for press freedom and human rights in Orissa, to give us the proper platform to air our views. I also thank all of you whose blessings are making us move in the right direction.

The interview will most probably be aired on 12th or 13th January on NDTV English. I will let you know the exact date later. It is better we keep this information to ourselves till the interview comes on air. I really do not know how much of what we said will survive the editors table. God willing our message will go through loud and clear. God must definitely be with these beautiful kids who are the most wonderful creation on earth and who have been victims of an unjust and cruel procedure.

"When we were kids our parents taught us not to lie. But today our Health Minister is trying to punish those who dare to speak the truth. God help that unfortunate fellow. It seems he has not received any education at home." - An Indian Monk.