TV Report on DTP Galvanizes US Pediatricians

Abstract

An NBC television documentary on the risks of the diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT) vaccine, aired in April 1982, alarmed parents and elicited criticism from physicians that the program was biased. This article discussed the controversial broadcast, the incidence and risks of whooping cough (pertussis), and the contraindications to receiving the pertussis component of the DPT vaccine. Conflicting reports on the numbers of American and British children damaged by the shots, and physicians' attitudes for and against DPT immunization, are examined. (KIE abstract)