The judge said Oranga Tamariki was anxious to get the children jabbed after the 2019 measles outbreak. However, the mother opposed it, saying vaccines contained mercury, she was concerned about side effects and that not vaccinating them had not led to them catching the diseases. At the hearing in July, Oranga Tamariki brought in associate professor at the Auckland Medical School and immunisation expert Dr Helen Petousis-Harris who refuted the mother’s claims and said the vaccines were so safe the only side effect of long-term risk was suffering an anaphylactic shock.
Chris McKeen/Stuff
Auckland University vaccinologist Dr Helen Petousis-Harris told the court it was good luck the children had not caught measles.