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There has to be balance, drug companies rush things to the market or pressure the system to use drugs/vaccines: Ritalin and the Hep Vaccine come to mind. Schools across the country innoculate children against Hep C, a disease found exclusively in high risk groups: gays; iv drug users; etc. It's a quick way to make a lot of money. And it may have adverse effects: linked to diabetes and autism. Shouldn't the public have a right of redress? I know you are not saying they should not, but don't be too quick to feel the big Pharmaceuticals pain. V's wife.

Schools across the country innoculate children against Hep C, a disease found exclusively in high risk groups: gays; iv drug users; etc.

Please get at least the basic facts right. The hepatitis vaccine is against hepatitis B, not C. And while it's not easy to get it not every one who gets it falls into a high risk group, and it's frequently fatal.

Schools across the country innoculate children against Hep C, a disease found exclusively in high risk groups: gays; iv drug users; etc.

Found exclusively? I don't think so. I'm in Ireland, and we recently had a crisis because our Blood Transfusion Service had used plasma (imported from the US, if I'm not mistaken) which was contaminated with Hep C. Unfortunately, some of those who contracted the damned disease died before the investigating tribunal (it was the Lindsey Tribunal, if you want to do a search on it) made its findings.

re: "Schools across the country innoculate children against Hep C"...)))

First of all, there is no vaccine for Hep C. You are thinking of Hep B, a similar disease but not quite as bad as Hep C. The health policy of vaccinating middle-school children (may well be wrongheaded, but is not profit-driven) is to try to eliminate a large conduit of infection of a sexually transmitted disease (and needles, etc. ) in a community. The vaccine, I believe, is out of patent or will be very shortly. I don't believe there are any significant side effects to this vaccine--you may be thinking of DPT and tentanus. Remember the long shortage of tetanus vaccines? Do you know why there was a shortage?

Demonizing the pharm industry is a habit better left to the left.

Since you brought up Hep C--we have a vast number of infected people with this chronic and incurable disease. Believe me, they get treated at our expense. It is a leading cause of liver failure and cirrhosis and claims most of the need for liver transplants. People with failing and rotten livers cost us lots of money

The demonized pharm industry is on the verge of a cure for Hep C, are now being treated to the tune of $12K which would save millions and millions of dollars. There are two companies now competing to bring this cure to market. Bless the profit motive of the pharm industry. They produce, rather than confiscate, wealth--the lawyers are confiscators...

But no cure yet for Hep B, which goes after health professionals...hopefully those pharm companies will come up with something. If there are fewer "chronic carriers" there will be fewer infections of Hep B. That is the policy behind the vaccinations.