The Times is a victim of its one-track reporting

Coercion, tunnel vision and censorship - and here is the result

Sunday is a time to relax, read the newspaper and take the dog for a walk. If you like barbecues, now’s the time.

Being trained in critical appraisal is a curse. You cannot relax when you read headlines like the Times' “Child vaccinations for deadly diseases slump to ten-year low”.

We cannot reproduce the article due to copyright restrictions, but you can infer its content from the title. It’s a handwringing piece decrying the low uptake amongst children of most childhood recommended vaccines including influenza - at least we assume that is that the mean by using the dreaded F word. The result is a high number of cases of disease, such as measles and pertussis (whooping cough).

Like all public health interventions, childhood vaccinations are based on trust. Parents should trust governments and their vaccinators that what they inject can deliver. They should also be told the truth to allow them to make informed decisions on behalf of their little on…