In the following years as a country GP, far fewer complications from those viral illnessess were observed, only rare cases of mumps or mild measles. Following the introduction of the haemophilus influenza vaccination, the number of children with meningitis was reduced, and there were fewer cases of croup. Before this vaccination was introduced, we had the "trachi-bell" (tracheotomy bell) at the hospital in Camperdown. When that bell rang, everybody knew a child was suffocating. The emergency team would rush to the ward and life-saving measures had to be introduced to try to save the child; a very frightening event. I have not seen a case like this since the early 1970s.

From my point of view, the West had beaten those terrible plagues. In 1980, working with the Red Cross on the Thai-Cambodian border and in 1988-1989 in Cambodia itself, I was again confronted by children with severe measles, terrible purulent ear infections and deafness. Most of the children there had never been vaccinated. I came to realise how lucky we are in the West not to have those terrible illnesses.

I am aware of the fear parents have, that their child might suffer severe side-effects from vaccinations. I personally know one of the professors in London who was researching the link between vaccinations and autism. A colleague of his (Dr A.J. Wakefield) then published the very damning article on the connection between them. I believe we can now all say no serious scientific research has established any connection between vaccinations and autism. Science is only as good as what we know at the time. I am now in my 70s. When I look back at all the terrible illnesses we had in the past and consider how we are now free of them, medical science has done a great job.

Two years ago at a conference in Switzerland, we were told about the case of a young boy dying in Switzerland from measles. Swiss people are much more hesitant to vaccinate their children; therefore they are having more serious cases of these viral illnesses, which we thank goodness don't see in Australia. If we let our guard down, how long will it be before we again see all those illnesses?

Many parents and grandparents, as well as young doctors, have never seen those terrible viral illnesses and perhaps they wonder why we should be worried about them.