Should you let your child be x-ray’d?
One of the requirements of Immigration and Naturalization Department (IND) for obtaining a working visa and a residence permit, to live and work in Holland, is that you have to take a tuberculosis test.
If you have ever taken such a test, then you will know that it is an X-ray examination. If you have completed your secondary school, then you would further know that X-ray is generally considered harmful. Taking X-rays of growing children and pregnant women is to be strictly avoided, unless it is a life threatening situation.
Here’s a cold hard fact: Holland, one of the world’s most advanced and highly developed country, with excellent healthcare and benefits, insists on X-raying growing children so that they can be eligible to have resident permits, even if their parents satisfy all the criteria.
Go to any clinic in Malaysia, Singapore or India and doctors there refuse to X-ray children, unless there is no alternative for diagnosing illness, and to plan further treatment. When we had our comprehensive health check-up last in Malaysia, the doctors specifically said this: We don’t X-ray children, unless they are sick and need diagnosis.
This afternoon, we went to the GGD on Thorbecklaan for the compulsory test, as required by the IND, and allowed the Dutch health officials to expose our kids — 6 and 2 years old — to ionizing radiation.
Regardless of what any doctor on his website might say, a complete medical evaluation for TB must include a medical history, a chest X-ray (Tuberculosis radiology), and a physical examination (says Wikipedia related article and several other sources on the Internet). Without a proper diagnose, one could die from tuberculosis. Being exposed to a potentially harmful doses of radiation or dying from an otherwise treatable illness (when properly diagnosed), which to choose?
While immigrating, the officials of the country you are going to have no way to find out if you are sick, unless a test is done. Any country that doesn’t protect itself by performing routine tests on immigrants is foolish.
Vaccines of all type can be potentially harmful as well. A very long disclaimer was given to us when our kid got his immunizations. We signed waivers authorizing the vaccinations. Yet, vaccines save lives.
Sometimes life is a catch 20-20.
Jan 31, 07 at 14:25This is for adults, not for growing children (say under 10 or 12). And never mind the doctor with a website, this is what most doctors actually say. Even the GGD official said it is harmful, but said they still have to do it, in accordance with regulations. How idiotically developed!
People just don’t die without symptoms, especially in the case of tuberculosis. Most doctors just ask parents and take their word about children. This is far better than exposing them to radiation, unnecessarily.
Countries that impose strict X-raying of children are foolish in enforcing a dumbed-down regulation without caring for the age of children. They are harming our children. Some even adopt compulsory check every six months. How horrible is that?
If there were problems, we, as parents would be far more worried and provide necessary care and medication for our children, than some health official or immigration officer verifying for the sake of regulation. I mean, does it make sense?
Vaccines are given for a purpose. Not to fulfil regulations. This might be an exaggeration but, a child after an X-ray is worse in health than he or she was before the scan.
Jan 31, 07 at 14:50