Hundreds of children may have been given fake vaccines by pediatrician
An Evergreen Park pediatrician’s suicide note led police to suspect that the doctor had been falsifying his medical records for years and fooling parents into believing that he was inoculating their children against common childhood illnesses when he really wasn’t.
The Cook County doctor was well-respected in the area and very popular among parents who preferred a homeopathic approach. He also enjoyed a favorable reputation among parents who opposed vaccinations. The letter he left behind, however, indicated that he had fooled numerous parents who weren’t against vaccines into believing that their children were inoculated. He reportedly also falsified children’s medical records and provided false information on immunization records for schools.
This has sent many parents of his former patients scrambling to other doctors, seeking to learn if their children have the antibodies they are supposed to have in their blood. In many cases, they don’t — or only have some of the antibodies they should have. In some cases, the doctor apparently inoculated one child in a family and not another, leading to even greater confusion and distress.
Among 14 former patients who were willing to share their test results with the authorities, only one child had full immunity to the diseases for which they’d allegedly been vaccinated. The rest either had no immunity or only partial immunity. About 50 people have already joined a class action lawsuit against the doctor’s estate. However, it’s suspected that there may be hundreds more affected. There may even be former patients of his out there who have experienced devastating illnesses due to their lack of immunity. Worse, many parents may still be unaware their children are at risk.
This kind of situation highlights just how easy it is for a doctor to mislead patients and cause untold harm. Doctors hold a unique position of trust and authority in society. When that trust is betrayed, people have a right to seek compensation for their pain, suffering and other losses. If your doctor lied to you or misled you about a treatment, find out more about your legal rights.