Vaccinations
From Childhood Vaccination: Questions All Parents Should Ask
by Tedd Koren, DC
When my son Seth was born I wanted to ground my
philosophical opposition to vaccination with sound
scientific research. Even though I was philosophically
opposed to vaccinations and my wife and I would not allow
him to be vaccinated, in the back of my mind, as family
members questioned our decision, I began to wonder: "Am I
really doing the right thing? Am I endangering him in some
way? Is it worth bucking the system? What if something
should happen?"
As a caring parent I began to explore this issue and it
didn't take long before I discovered that I had opened up a
can of worms. To my wonderment and fascination I realized
that the world of vaccination is not one of objective,
compassionate scientists, caring politicians, concerned
pharmaceutical houses, and well-informed health care
professionals who have objectively studied the safety and
efficacy of vaccines.
On the contrary, it is a world filled with conflicts of
interest - people who make money from vaccines in charge of
promoting them, scientists who depend on pharmaceutical
houses for their grants producing sloppy "scientific" papers
filled with skewed statistics that even professional
statisticians can't figure out, political intrigue, bad
laws, violations of constitutional rights, and health care
professionals who are poorly trained in this issue.
This is a world full of "junk science" with professionals
giving advice to patients based on that science or based on
drug company advertisements. It is a world of denial. It is
a world that threatens professionals with damage to their
careers if they stray from accepted medical dogma.
But there is another world of vaccination.
That is the world populated by dead children, damaged
children, children with shattered lives, children carrying
wounds that will never heal. In this world are grieving,
angry parents who gave birth to healthy infants, who,
because of vaccination will never be the person they were
meant to be. Many of these parents have no idea their child
was vaccine damaged and instead blame themselves (bad genes)
or "bad luck."
When it came to the vaccine decision, these parents were led
to believe that they didn't have a choice, or weren't given
the information that was available for them to make a fair
choice (i.e. they were not fully informed).
The world of vaccination raises many unanswered questions.
Among the most ominous of them: Are we damaging the genes of
our children, grandchildren and still future generations
with these vaccines? These questions linger and tug at the
conscience and have yet to be satisfactorily addressed.
Almost four years after Seth arrived our daughter Shayna was
born. By then my research into the world of vaccination
convinced me that we had done the right thing by not
vaccinating Seth; Shayna would also remain untouched by this
medical procedure. Both are free of allergies, ear
infections, skin conditions, asthma and learning problems,
unlike some of my brothers' vaccinated children or many of
their classmates.
As of this writing the world of vaccination is changing at a
dizzying pace. There have been congressional hearings on the
safety of vaccination, an approved vaccine (rotavirus) was
pulled from the market for safety reasons, vaccines are
being reformulated to remove mercury in them and newspapers
and magazines are giving a more balanced picture of this
issue (where they would previously only give the medical
perspective).
In some ways this change is akin to the fall of the Berlin
Wall: no one ever thought it would fall and then one day it
was gone. While we have yet to see the wall of mandatory
vaccination fall in the US, cracks are beginning to appear
in what has formerly been a vast monolithic force as more
parents are studying and openly questioning this issue.
Following are some of the more salient questions. They
involve some of the basic issues surrounding the decision
whether one should or should not have their child
vaccinated.
Questions For Our Children
(To ask your M.D. or yourself)
1. Are vaccinated children healthier than unvaccinated
children?
2. Do vaccines have any long-term side effects or damage
that may not surface for months or years?
3. Can vaccines cause cancer or fertility problems?
4. Do vaccines cause SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome also
known as Crib Death)
5. What are the chances that my child may be hurt or killed
by a vaccine?
6. Do the assumed benefits of vaccination outweigh the
risks?
7. Didn't vaccines get rid of acute infectious childhood
diseases?
8. What about polio? Wasn't it eliminated due to
vaccination?
9. Was the polio shot given in the 50's and 60's
contaminated with monkey virus? Is it causing cancer?
10. Are there any benefits to a child having acute
infectious childhood diseases?
11. Are the ingredients in vaccines safe?
12. How do vaccines work on a cellular level?
13. How do vaccines affect the immune system on a cellular
level?
14. How do vaccines affect the nervous system on a cellular
level?
15. How do vaccines cause damage on a cellular level?
16. Do vaccines affect genetic material? Can vaccines we (or
our children) receive today affect our grandchildren or
great grandchildren?
17. Are multiple vaccines safe?
18. Is there a conflict of interest in vaccine policy
decisions?
The questions are worth asking・・
The Top Seven Questions a Parent Needs to Ask
When Contemplating a Vaccine for their Child
The pharmaceutical industry with its strong legislative and
marketing arms have led the public to believe three myths.
First, that vaccines are safe,
Two, that vaccines are totally effective, and
Third, that every child has to have them.
First vaccines are not safe. Our government has paid out
over a billion dollars to compensate families who have
children that have died or become injured from a vaccine.
Also it is widely accepted that only a fraction of the true
number of vaccine injuries and deaths are reported or
compensated.
Second, vaccines are not totally effective because there are
many documented cases of diseases or outbreaks in the
vaccinated population that were supposed to be protected.
Third, not every child has to have vaccinations. In most
states there are up to three exemptions from vaccination.
You can either use a religious, medical or philosophical
exemption to avoid vaccination.
Childhood vaccination is not primarily a chiropractic issue
but a freedom of choice issue. A parent needs to be fully
informed and have a choice if their child is being subjected
to a medical procedure that carries a risk for serious
injury, disability or death
Vaccinations do contain toxins and carcinogens that are used
to manufacture the vaccines. If you are interested in
preventing vertebral subluxation in children, we need to
look at the role of vaccines in producing a chemical cause
of vertebral subluxation in children.
Many people would be surprised to know that congressional
hearings have shown
that up to seventy percent of the individuals that make
up the FDA advisory committees that approve new vaccines to
bring to the market have conflicts of interest and financial
ties to the vaccine manufacturers. Also researchers
that test the safety of certain vaccines before approval
check the safety of an intended vaccine compared to another
experimental vaccine instead of a placebo. Those of you
familiar with proper research protocol know that this method
is flawed.
The following top seven list is a good starting place to
start a parent's journey on getting informed and making a
decision that is best for their child.
- ASK, "Is my child sick right now?
- ASK, "Has my child had bad reactions to a vaccine
before?
- DID YOU CHECK your family medical history for records
of vaccine reactions, convulsions, neurological disorders,
severe allergies, or immune system problems?
- DID YOU GET full information on vaccine side-effects
and how to identify a potentially severe reaction?
- DO YOU UNDERSTAND how to report adverse reactions?
- DO YOU KNOW the vaccine manufacturer's name and lot
number?
- DID YOU VISIT the National Vaccine Information Center
(NVIC) website (www.909shot.com)
for more information and updates on vaccine research
projects?
A great resource for parents to get more
information or for professionals and doctors to purchase
books and newsletters or get advise and support is the
National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC). This top
seven list was developed by Barbara Loe Fisher and Kathy
Williams cofounders of the NVIC. If you are passionate about
this issue you can also contribute to the NVIC to help
expand vital scientific research and public education. Check
out their website at
www.909shot.com
BABIES OF VACCINATED MOMS MORE LIKELY TO GET MEASLES
November 1999
Journal of Pediatrics
More and more reports of problems with vaccines are being
reported every month. This issue of the journal Pediatrics
reports that babies born to mothers who have been vaccinated
against measles are more likely to get the disease than
those born to mothers who were not vaccinated.
According to the study, infants under the age of 15 months
make up only 2% of the population yet accounted for 24% of
the cases of measles between 1989 and 1991.
The researchers say
women who were infected with measles naturally had higher
levels of measles antibodies than those women who were
vaccinated. As a result, women who have naturally had
measles pass along higher levels of measles antibodies to
their children than women who were vaccinated.
After admitting that women who have been vaccinated against
measles pass less immunity to the disease to their children
than those who were infected naturally, the researchers
suggest that vaccination of the babies is the answer to the
dilemma
By way of commentary, the logic used here escapes us. The
researchers found that vaccinating mothers against measles
has produced what in their minds is a problem, babies more
likely to get the disease. So their answer is more
vaccination, which caused the problem to begin with?
We feel the more reasonable solution to the problem is to
keep people as healthy as possible through chiropractic
care, let them get measles, develop a strong, lifelong
immunity and pass it along the higher levels of naturally
occurring antibodies to their children.
For more information on the dangers of vaccination, the
National Vaccine Information Center can be reached at 512 W.
Maple Avenue, #206, Vienna, VA 22180. Their phone number is
1-800-909-SHOT (7468).
IMMUNIZATIONS: A Second Opinion by Stephen C.
Marini, M.S., Ph.D., D.C.
I.C.P.A. Newsletter July/August 1997
The following is an excerpt from a statement presented on
June 8, 1995 in Washington, D.C. at the Vaccine Safety Forum
of the Institute of Medicine, a branch of the Center for
Disease Control (CDC).
There is historic epidemiologic evidence that the incidence
and severity of infectious diseases wanes in populations
over time, particularly in technologically advanced
countries such as the United States, as the human immune
system naturally adapts to the challenge.
Especially with regard to the passing on of maternal
antibodies to protect newborns and keeping usually mild
childhood diseases, such as rubella and chicken pox, out of
adult populations where they are more severe,
the advantage of permanent immunity gained from natural
recovery from infectious disease as children outweighs the
artificial, temporary immunity provided by vaccines. Data
also suggest that the diseases of childhood are necessary
for appropriate development, maturation and function of the
individual immune and nervous systems.
Furthermore, progress in the field of
Psychoneuroendocrinimmunology has led some researchers to
conclude that vaccines in general may not only be impacting
negatively on the human immune system, but may also be
adversely affecting the neurologic and psychologic
development and function of the vaccine recipient. The
impact of artificial immunity on immune, neurologic,
endocrine, and psychologic systems has not been
scientifically elucidated.
There is no credible scientific data to demonstrate that the
injection of multiple antigens simultaneously into a baby,
particularly a baby under the age of one year, is safe and
effective. There is no credible scientific evidence to
negate the hypothesis that vaccines cause immediate or
delayed damage to the immune and neurological disorders
including asthma, learning disabilities, hyperactivity,
autism, chronic fatigue syndrome, lupus, diabetes, epilepsy,
multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barre syndrome, and other
diseases. There is no assurance that the agency charged
with detailing and reporting adverse events following
immunizations is not ethically constrained by its
conflicting responsibility of promoting a vaccine..... There
is growing public awareness of the significance of
alternative measures, such as proper nutrition, exercise,
rest positive mental outlook and the maintaining of
neurologic integrity, as powerful instruments for
immunologic enhancement and defense against disease. There
is increasing recognition among health care practitioners
that the human body has an innate ability to protect and
heal itself when allowed to function optimally without
interference.
Educational Conduits which target the largest number and
widest socio-economic cross-sections of the public should be
used to reinforce the concept that wellness is a way of life
and can only be achieved by employing preventive health care
strategies which enhance, not suppress or interfere with,
the natural functioning of the human immune system. In
recognition of the need to enhance the innate human immune
capacity to resist infectious diseases such as polio, health
and wellness advocates of the 21st century support the SANS
or NO VACCINE option. Stephen Marini, M.S., Ph.D., D.C. ,
member of the ICPA Board of Directors, author of numerous
articles on virology and vaccination, prominent speaker for
the ICPA Chiropractic Pediatric Certification program,
former Immunohematologist //Senior Medical Technologist,
currently enjoying a successful chiropractic practice in
King of Prussia, PA. Dr. Marini will be a featured speaker
for the National Vaccine Information Center's First
International Public Conference on Vaccination September
13-15 in Alexandria, VA.
SIDS
Wives Tales, Ignorance, Prejudices & Downtight Slander
By: Jeanne Ohm, D.C. I.C.P.A. Newsletter, May/June 1997
While "surfing the net" one evening I came across the
website: "Child Secure- Big Safety for Little Kids". Its
main article, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, drew my
attention even closer. Their definition began with,
"SIDS is the death of an apparently healthy infant that
remains unexplained after a thorough autopsy and death scene
investigation . SIDS is the leading killer of infants
between one week and one year with an approximate rate of 2
per thousand live births. 6-7 thousand babies die of SIDS
every year in the US . The peak age is 2-4 months and the
majority of the deaths occur during the winter months.
Researchers believe that SIDS probably has more than one
cause, although the final process appears to be similar in
most cases. SIDS cannot be predicted, prevented or
reversed."
Although this last statement may sound a bit foreboding and
hopeless, the American Academy of Pediatrics & the National
Institute of Child Health & Human Development are now
recommending babies sleep on their backs only. (It's sort of
a preventative note even though they say nothing can prevent
it.) And yet they will continue on with ..."It is
important to state that SIDS continues to be an unsolved
problem."
As chiropractors, I do hope you are beginning to draw a
slight correlation here. How many of you have made
connections between the stomach sleepers in your office and
their inability to hold cervical adjustments? How many of
you used to sleep on your stomach before you realized it was
rotating your neck into an unnatural, subluxating position?
If you haven't had the experience, give it a try. I
recommend you do so when you know you will be having your
spine checked the next day -you will need it. Parenting six
children and both being chiropractors, my husband and I
never considered the option of turning our infants' necks to
the side so they could lie on their stomachs. Even though
the "medical opinion of our day" recommended this posture to
prevent vomit aspiration, it seemed anatomically and
chiropractically unsound. Now, the amusing factor in all of
this is the ignorant sector of the medical profession's
inability to correlate the relationship between the twisting
of the cervical spine and its affects to an already
traumatized spinal cord from birth This is perhaps because
they say they do thorough autopsies on SIDS kids, but when
you read more in depth research on infant spinal injury
correlated with SIDS, it is revealed this type of in depth
analysis escapes most SIDS autopsies. Often the spine is
considered uninjured if there appears to be an absence of
mechanical injury to the cervical / thoracic spine [1] . A
closer look on the part of many researchers in various
studies revealed spinal cord hemorrhage to be the principal
lesion [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]. Frequently, trauma had been "so
mild that it escaped recognition".
If, therefore, this medical sector is not even conscious of
the subtle, sometimes fatal injuries caused by the birth
process, how can they begin to recognize the cause of SIDS?
What complicates the matter even more is that their very own
recommended modes of birthing are the very causes of the
spinal injury ! [7] [8] [9] It is no wonder that they refuse
to admit what the correlation may be between SIDS and
sleeping on the stomach. Admitting to its connection would
only place them liable when parents would question why their
child had spinal cord hemorrhage to begin with!
As Doctors of Chiropractic, it is obvious to us that
sleeping on the stomach may aggravate an already traumatized
infant spinal cord. The initial birth trauma incurred would
only be worsened by the daily, forced rotation of the
infants subluxated spine. Now, seeing this perspective
on SIDS, I do hope your confidence, commitment and concern
for children has increased and you will be even more
motivated to check children as soon as they are born. For
those of you however, who are better stirred by emotion
rather than fact, let me continue with that web sites
further words of wisdom. As I scrolled down the page there
appeared a section called "Old Wives Tales". It read as
follows:
"Many old wives tales, superstitions and just plain
stupidity abound about SIDS. From chiropractors claiming
'stress on the atlas while transversing the birth canal' to
stories about suffocation from the ammonia in urine, SIDS
has suffered from the ignorant.".
It is clear to see, they are responding from a place of fear
and defense. Unfortunately they have backed themselves into
a corner and are either ignorant of their own research or
just plain petrified the public will become informed. It
does show, however, we are getting the facts out there and
they are intimidated by how they look in light of them. All
of the above named studies will be accessible to ICPA
members through our website. Please, support us now as we
work to bring the truths about healing and wholeness to the
people. With research, education and your participation, the
ICPA will continue to unite chiropractors in the mission,
"Chiropractic Today for a Better World Tomorrow".
References:
Harris LS, Adelson L, "Spinal injury" and sudden infant
death. A second look. Am J Clin Pathol 1969; 52(3):289-95 /
Medline ID: 69277106
Towbin A, Spinal injury related to the syndrome of sudden
death ("crib-death") in infants. Am J Clin Pathol 1968;
49(4); 562-7 / Medline ID: 68194253
David Yashon, MD , FACS, FRCS "Spinal Injury" Second
Edition; Chapter 18:346,348
Byers RK, Spinal-cord injuries during birth. Dev Med Child
Neurol 1975; 17(1)103-10 / Medline ID: 75131672
Norman MC, Wedderburn LC, Fetal spinal cord injury with
cephalic delivery. Obstet Gynecol 1973; 42(3):355-8 /
Medline ID: 73234751
Walter CE, Tedeschi LG, Spinal injury and neonatal death.
Report of six cases. Am J Obstet Gynecol 1970; 106(2):272-8
/ Medline ID: 70075087
David Yashon , MD , FACS, FRCS Spinal Injury Second Edition
Chapter 18 Towbin A, Latent spinal cord and brain stem
injury in newborn infants. Dev Med Child Neurol 1969;
11(1):54-68 / Medline ID: 69208820
Reid H, Birth injury to the cervical spine and spinal cord.
Acta Neurochir Suppl (Wien)1983; 32:87-90 / Medline ID:
84100905
Thursday, May 18, 2000
Vaccines a Smoking Gun in Gulf War Syndrome
From Nando Media and Fox News come the following headlines:
"New research blames vaccines, stress for Gulf War Syndrome"
"Vaccines during deployment linked to Gulf War syndrome"
The articles are based on a British research study that was
released today. According to the report, "illnesses known as
Gulf War Syndrome may have been triggered by multiple
vaccinations given to servicemen during their deployment in
the Gulf." The study will reportedly be published in the
British Medical Journal. According to the articles, there
have been more than two dozen peer-reviewed attempts to
pinpoint the cause of Gulf War Syndrome. The public wants
answers.
The Nando article states that, "Despite spending more than
$133 million in research, the United States has drawn a
blank in identifying a clinical source" of Gulf War Syndrome
and that "the failure has bred Internet-driven rumors of
cover-ups, secret data withheld by the Pentagon or the even
use of the troops as guinea pigs for experimental vaccines."
Whether or not any of this is true, how does the Pentagon
now look? How much credibility does it lend them when making
statements such as the anthrax vaccine program is perfectly
safe? At the same time courts of law have found the anthrax
vaccine to be unsafe and many have been demanding the
program be ended. Something does not add up. What vaccines
did the servicemen receive? According to the article, they
were given vaccines for "tetanus,
cholera, hepatitis A and B, polio, yellow fever and typhoid,
which are
routinely given to infants or travelers
heading for hot climates." Vaccines were also given for
anthrax, plague, and whooping cough, according to the
report. Nando Media: FOX NEWS:
Friday February 9 1:21 PM ET
MMR Vaccine Does Not Cause Autism, Study Finds
By Suzanne Rostler
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A vaccine that is routinely
given to millions of children each year does not cause
autism, researchers report.
Their study adds to a growing body of evidence
demonstrating that the measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine
does not underlie a surge in the number of children who have
been diagnosed with the disorder over the past 30 years.
According to the report in the February 17th issue of the
British Medical Journal, the rate of autism rose sevenfold
to 2.1 cases per 10,000 people per year in 1999, from 0.3
cases per 10,000 people per year in 1988 among children age
12 and younger in the UK. The rate of autism nearly
quadrupled among boys aged 2 to 5 years to 29 cases per
10,000 people per year in 1998, from 8 cases per 10,000
people per year in 1993, results show.
But the rate of autism would not have continued to rise if
MMR vaccine was a major cause, since the proportion of
infants who received the vaccine remained stable at around
97% of infant ``Our finding an increasing risk of
autism...while the MMR coverage was constant and nearly
complete is evidence against a causal link between the MMR
vaccine and the risk of autism,'' Dr. James A. Kaye
of the Boston University School of Medicine in Lexington,
Massachusetts, and the study's lead author, told Reuters
Health.
He said an increased awareness, a broader definition of
the disease and environmental factors that have not been
identified may be to blame for the increasing rate of
autism, a disorder that impairs language and normal social
development. While the study could reassure parents about
the safety of a vaccine that protects children against three
potentially fatal illnesses, the researchers stress that the
findings are not intended to provide recommendations.
``We hope that our...work will add important information to
the ongoing discussions about the safety of the MMR vaccin
(but we don't want to) make any specific recommendations
about its use, which we believe is better left to individual
doctors, , the UK Medicines Control Agency, and other
professional medical groups,'' Kaye said in the interview.
The study included 305 children age 12 and younger, who had
been diagnosed with autism between 1988 and 1999. A subgroup
of boys, who have a much higher rate of autism than girls,
was also analyzed.
The investigators also found that about 83% of autism cases
were boys and the peak age at which children were diagnosed
with autism was 3 to 4 years.
SOURCE: British Medical Journal 2001;322:0-2.
Wednesday February 7 5:26 PM
ET
Vaccine Shields Kids From Some Ear Infections
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new vaccine protects children
from some, but not all, ear infections, according to results
of a Finnish study. The researchers estimate that the
vaccine could prevent 1.2 million of the 20 million middle
ear infections that occur in the US every year. Middle ear
infections, also known as otitis media, are common in young
children, with 60% developing one before their first
birthday. Nearly one in five doctor visits by preschoolers
are for acute otitis media.
Otitis media can cause temporary hearing loss, while
repeated ear infections can damage hearing permanently. The
Food and Drug Administration (news
- web sites)
approved the vaccine used in the study, called Prevnar and
made by Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories, last year. Prevnar
contains seven strains of the bacterium Streptococcus
pneumoniae, an organism responsible for between 28% and 55%
of all cases of acute otitis media.
In the February 8th issue of The New England Journal of
Medicine (news
- web sites),
Dr. Juhani Eskola of the National Public Health Institute in
Helsinki and colleagues reported on a trial of the vaccine,
which included 1,662 babies. . Children were given
Prevnar, or a hepatitis B vaccine as a control, at two,
four, six, and 12 months of age.
During the follow-up period, which lasted until the children
were two years old, there were 2,596 cases of otitis media.
Children who received Prevnar had 57% fewer infections with
the strains of bacteria included in the shot. The vaccine
also reduced infection with related strains of bacteria by
51%. It cut infections with any type of pneumococcal
bacteria by 33%. The researchers found that children given
Prevnar were also less likely to develop infections
requiring hospitalization. While there were four such
cases in the Prevnar group, , 13 children in the control
group required hospitalization for infection. And while
only one child who received Prevnar developed an invasive
infection with pneumococcal bacteria, three children in the
control group did.
Otitis media can spread in rare cases to the inner ear,
causing dizziness and balance problems. It can also infect
the membranes surrounding the brain. This infection, called
meningitis, can be fatal. The invasive infections seen in
the study included meningitis and spread of bacteria to the
bloodstream. A number of bacteria and viruses can cause ear
infections, and the vaccine was unable to guard children
from all of them. However,
the shot reduced overall ear infections by 6%. The
researchers conclude: ``On the basis of our data, we
calculate that up to 1.2 million of the 20 million yearly
episodes of acute otitis media in the United States could
theoretically be prevented if the vaccine were widely used.
Moreover, the vaccine also helps to prevent invasive
infections and pneumonia due to S. pneumoniae.''
SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine
2001;344:403-409.
- My summary would be as follows;
- Prevnar, contains 7 strains of Strep Bacterium
(responsible for 28-55% of otitis media cases)・.which
doesn't account for the other 72%
- Children in the other group were given Hepatitis B
vaccine as a control group.
- Children in the Prevnar group had a 57%, 51% and
33% reduction in infections listed.
- 17 of the 1662 kids required hospitalization for
infection from the treatment.
- Researchers concluded that overall, the shots
reduce ear infections by 6%.
- In this section, the articles titled Wait and
See Approach May be OK for Earache ; and Warning:
ANTIBIOTIC Use May Not be in Your Health's Best Interest
advocate caution
when using antibiotics for Otitis Media.
This article leaves me a bit concerned as the side effects
of the treatment seem more predictable than the ear
infections their trying to help. Please remember that 72% of
Otitis Media are vaguely accounted for here. Antibiotics are
for Bacteria not Virus!
More articles listed here may be to your liking・・Dr.
Acosta
The January 13, 2001
Physicians Express Measles Mumps Rubella Doubt
British Medical Journal・ffers an article entitled "Second
dose of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine: questionnaire
survey of health professionals" by Petrovic et al. BMJ
2001;322;82-85
The article focuses on the attitudes of health care
workers and physicians about administration of a second dose
of the MMR vaccine as recommended by the UK's
"green book." The Bottomline was as follows:
-
-
*48% professionals responding to the survey "had
reservations"
*3% "disagreed with the policy of giving it."
*33% of practice nurses stated that the MMR vaccine
was very likely or possibly associated with Crohn's
disease
*27% of practice nurses stated that it was associated
with
autism,
*12% believed an association with asthma to be very
likely or possible.
full article is available online at
www.bmj.org/cgi/content/full/322/7278/82
Refusing the Anthrax Vaccine: Courtmarshall Offense?
The following website
www.majorbates.com is a good site, focusing on the
circumstances of two Air Force officers, Major Sonnie Bates
(retired) and Captain John Buck. The gentlemen respectively
were/are pilot/instructor and emergency room physician in
the Air Force. Their careers collided with the Air Force
command over the anthrax vaccine.
The website tells the tale of the gentlemen, the vaccine,
the Air Force and Congress in this matter. For anyone who is
being put in a position of taking the vaccine or anyone who
has interest in the subject area, this is mandatory reading.
Captain Buck is looking at the possibility of being
court-martialed for disobeying an order by refusing to be
vaccinated with the anthrax vaccine. His story was told by
Time magazine on January 12 and the website includes
articles as current as January 15, 2001 detailing the
Captain's situation. The amount of information available on
this site about this specific subject is quite remarkable.
It is a one-stop education on the subject. Please visit the
site; it is downright scary.
MMR doctor links 170 cases of autism to vaccine
By Lorraine Fraser, Medical Correspondent
THE consultant who first raised concerns about MMR
vaccinations has disclosed to The Telegraph that he has
identified nearly 170 cases of a new syndrome of autism and
bowel disease in children who have had the triple-dose
injection.
Andrew Wakefield, a consultant gastroenterologist at the
Royal Free Hospital in London, said that in the "majority"
of cases parents had documentary evidence that their
child's physical and mental decline had followed the
vaccination.
Professor Wakefield said: "Last week in our clinic we saw
nine or 10 new children with exactly the same story,
referred by jobbing pediatricians from around the country
who said, 'This child developed normally, had a reaction
to MMR and is now autistic'".
In his first public comments since the row erupted in 1998,
when he reported on 12 cases, Professor Wakefield said that
he remained seriously concerned by the safety of the
vaccine, despite reassurances from the Department of Health.
He said: "The department says that the safety of MMR has
been proven. The argument is untenable. It cannot be
substantiated by the science. That is not only my opinion
but increasingly the view of healthcare professionals and
the public.
He said: "Tests have revealed time and time again that we
are dealing with a new phenomenon. The Department of
Health's contention that MMR has been proven to be safe by
study after study after study just doesn't hold up. Frankly,
it is not an honest appraisal of the science and it
relegates the scientific issues to the bottom of the barrel
in favour of winning a propaganda war."
The doctor, who was fiercely attacked by health officials
for voicing his doubts three years ago, said in an exclusive
interview that he felt driven to break his silence because
of the accumulating evidence. His remarks will infuriate the
Government and sharpen the dilemma of parents over whether
to have children innoculated with MMR.
It emerged last month that a rising number of doctors and
nurses were worried about giving second doses of the
vaccine, and pressure is growing for its separation into its
three component vaccinations, spread over three years. In
his 1998 article in The Lancet, Professor Wakefield
reported finding a devastating combination of bowel disease
and autism in 12 children.
His revelation that that figure has reached almost 170 cases
will shock parents and doctors and add pressure on the
Government to justify its vaccination policy. This month Dr
David Salisbury, the head of the Government's immunisation
programme, insisted that MMR was safe.
The vaccine, which contains live measles, mumps and rubella
virus, has been given to millions of children in the UK
since its introduction in 1988 but the take-up rate has
fallen sharply since Dr Wakefield made his original claims.
Ten days ago health chiefs warned parents that Britain could
face a measles outbreak unless more had their children
vaccinated with MMR. Professor Wakefield said, however, that
if an outbreak were to erupt it would be the fault of the
health department, which had "failed to address the safety
issues".
The doctor and his colleagues are testing the hypothesis
that the measles virus from the vaccine can lodge in the gut
of susceptible children, damaging the bowel and causing
autism, and that the addition of the mumps virus makes that
more likely.
Vaccination may Trigger Disease Linked to Autism
By Celia Hall, Medical Editor
BRITISH
doctors have discovered a new bowel disease in children
that they believe causes autism and that could be triggered
by the vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella. But they
have not proved a link with the MMR vaccine and are divided
on how best to advise parents・he doctors cannot show if
what they have found is coincidence or the very first cases
of a serious childhood illness with wide implications for
the MMR vaccination program.
Next month, the team from the Royal Free Hospital Hampstead,
London, will meet Sir Kenneth Calman, the Chief Medical
Officer, who has called for a meeting to discuss issues
raised by the new findings・The meeting is being organized
by the Medical Research Council and will be chaired by Sir
John Pattison, a council adviser.
The study - published today in The Lancet - says that 12
children who had previously developed normally were given
tests and scans. All had disorders of their intestines, nine
had diagnoses of autism and in eight, the parents' or the
child's GP said the the changes in health and behavior
followed MMR vaccination in six days on average. In
another series of patients, 46 out of 48 children had the
bowel and behavior symptoms.
The Royal Free has another 700 children waiting to be
assessed. "We were very, very surprised. We expected we
might see one or two in the second group," said Dr Andy
Wakefield of the hospitals inflammatory bowel disease study
group, who led the research. The new disease, which the team
has called ilial-lymphoid-nodular hyper-plasia, produces
lumpy swellings of lymph nodes in the intestine and patchy,
recurring inflammation.
Dr Wakefield is also expected to show the presence of
measles virus in the intestine at two international meetings
this summer. He believes that the three vaccines should be
given separately. But some of his colleagues say that there
is not enough evidence and have called for more research.
"There is not a consensus among us as to what should happen
next. I believe this syndrome has appeared since MMR . . . .
There is sufficient concern in my own mind for a case
to be made for vaccines to be given individually at not less
than one year intervals."
"For the vast majority of children, the MMR vaccine is fine
but I believe there are sufficient anxieties for a case to
be made to administer the three vaccinations separately." Dr
Wakefield said.
However, Prof Arie Zuckerman, dean of the Royal Free
Hospital Medical School, said: "It is absolutely essential
to everyone that we do not dent the immunization program
because it is children who will suffer."
Autism has already been linked to other forms of bowel
disease in children. Doctors believe opioids, chemicals
released during digestion, are not properly absorbed by an
inflamed bowel and reach the brain, where they cause damage
at a crucial stage of a child's development.
*More than 1,350 parents have registered with solicitors
with a view to claiming compensation for damage to their
children following MMR vaccination.
Pasteur M駻ieux MSD, which supplies vaccine to the
Department of Health, said: "It would be unfortunate if the
results of controversial studies such as these resulted in a
drop in public confidence in the vaccine, which the vast
majority of the informed medical profession supports
totally."
From: Arts and Lifestyle | Television |
Thursday, February 22, 2001
ILL Will Over 'ER' Episode
Autism group protest
By ERIC MINK
Daily News TV Critic
An advocacy and support group for autistic children and
their families has lashed out at "ER," TV's most popular
drama, for what it calls a one-sided and oversimplified
depiction of the controversy over some childhood
immunizations.
In last week's episode, seen by more than 26 million people,
one story line involved a 4-year-old boy who is treated for
complications from measles but ultimately dies. The boy's
distraught mother tells Dr. Carter (Noah Wyle) that the boy
had not been immunized because of her concern over possible
side effects, including autism. Carter, visibly angered at
the child's condition, scorns the woman's concerns as
ignorant and groundless.
An editorial in the Internet newsletter of Families for
Early Autism Treatment (FEAT), a Sacramento-based group
founded in 1993, called the episode meanspirited and
heavy-handed. "Every word of dialogue that addresses the
mother is expressed with utter contempt," wrote FEAT board
member Lenny Shafer. "The writers could have added the
phrase 'you stupid irresponsible twit' to the end of every
sentence."
Alison Tepper Singer, a former vice president in NBC's
desktop video division, faulted the "ER" episode for its
"complete belittling of another viewpoint," she told The
News. Singer resigned from NBC in 1999 when her older
daughter was diagnosed with autism.
"It was so irresponsible and so callous and so heartbreaking
for parents who are dealing with this issue that I found it
sad," she said of the "ER" episode.
One father of an autistic child complained that the show
demeaned anyone who questions vaccine safety as "a wacko"
who opposes immunizations in general. "That's unfair and
untrue," he told The News.
NBC's Burbank offices were flooded with complaints after the
show aired, a network source confirmed, and yesterday NBC
issued a statement backing the show's production team. "The
producers are confident that the information recently
conveyed regarding vaccinating children is accurate," the
statement read. "Obviously, there are varying opinions on
this issue."
A statement issued Tuesday by "ER," however, acknowledged no
varying opinions. It cited "expert advisory committees of
numerous national and international health organizations,"
which conclude that "the benefits of childhood vaccinations
far exceed the risk." It referred people to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention for more information.
There's no question that health experts overwhelmingly
endorse childhood immunizations, which have saved millions
of lives. But the medical/scientific establishment also
takes seriously the issue of possible adverse effects of
immunizations.
For example, at its March 8 meeting in Washington, D.C., the
Immunization Safety Review Committee of the National Academy
of Science's Institute of Medicine (created at the behest of
the CDC) is expected to examine hotly debated allegations of
a link between autism and MMR, the combination
measles/mumps/rubella vaccine.
Last November, "60 Minutes" explored the controversy from
the contrasting perspectives of researchers in the United
States and Britain.
TV Fuels Vaccine Debate
Thursday, February 22, 2001
I find it excruciating to watch a child dying on television,
even if it's a fictional story line.
And so it was hard to watch the 4-year-old boy on last
week's episode of NBC's "ER," as doctors struggled to
diagnose his illness, to assist his breathing, and to
restore his heartbeat. Ultimately, the little boy died.
What he was suffering from, according to the story line, was
that old-fashioned childhood illness, measles. As his white,
upper-class, well-educated mother told the doctor and
nurses, she had done a good deal of research and decided not
to subject her little boy to immunizations.
The risks -- especially of autism -- outweighed the
benefits, she maintained. The medical staff treated her as
though she were lower than dirt, as though she had all but
killed the boy herself.
Meanwhile, one of the commercials between show segments was
for a new vaccine called Prevnar, a drug that can be given
to infants to protect them from certain pneumococcal
bacteria that can cause life-threatening meningitis and
blood infections. It was a bizarre juxtaposition.
Even before the show aired last week, parents of autistic
children were mobilizing for an e-mail attack on NBC.
Dawn Richardson of PROVE (Parents Requesting Open Vaccine
Education), who lives in Cedar Park, Texas, wrote to group
members: "We have been advised to alert the thousands of
members of all the support groups of parents of
vaccine-damaged children to be ready to voice our
disappointment to the top officials at NBC. Families with
children who have become autistic after the MMR
[measles-mumps-rubella] vaccine may even want to consider
offering NBC executives 'real life' video footage of their
child's regression after vaccination."
Many parents of autistic children say their children began
to regress (losing vocabulary and failing to make eye
contact) after being vaccinated, often between 12 months and
18 months of life. They, in particular, struggle with the
question of whether to have their other children vaccinated.
This episode of "ER" prompted a vehement response by one
Bergen County mother, Heidi Roger of New Jersey Cure Autism
Now, whose 6-year-old son Andrew is autistic.
She wrote NBC: "Measles has almost been eradicated in the
U.S. There were only 86 cases in 1999. Polio is eradicated;
the only cases in the U.S. were from the oral vaccine.
However, the incidence of autism is up to about one in 125
kids. Let's contact Las Vegas oddsmakers to decide whether
we should vaccinate our kids.
"This is not a cut-and-dried issue. It is as complex as the
abortion controversy. You should be ashamed of yourselves
for grandstanding and writing the one-sided arguments of the
vaccine machine officials into your dialogue."
But Dr. Paul Offit, co-author of the book "What Every
Parent Should Know About Vaccines" and a member of the
advisory committee on immunization practices to the federal
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says that no
scientifically controlled study has ever shown a connection
between vaccines and autism.
"If you look at whether unvaccinated children still get
autism at the same rate as vaccinated children, the answer
is yes," he said.
And was it a stretch, I asked him, for the writers of "ER"
to show a child dying of measles?・・quot;Before the measles
vaccine, there were 4 million cases of measles annually,
100,000 hospitalizations, and 3,000 deaths," he said.
"Today, we're in good shape; the percentage of children
immunized against measles is in the high 80 percent range.
But even in the 1980s, when the immunization rate was in the
70 percent range, we saw epidemics sweep across regions of
the country." The measles vaccine came into play in 1963,
Offit said. The combination measles-mumps-rubella vaccine
started being used in 1971.
So it was not beyond believability that young Dr. Carter and
his equally young staff had never seen a case of measles and
had to consult a reference book to confirm the measles rash
on the little boy.
Offit said he took offense at the way "ER" writers portrayed
the doctors relating to the little boy's mother.
"Unfortunately, that mother was treated in a pedantic and
condescending way, and that's never OK," he said.
But Offit, who is chief of infectious diseases at The
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said one of the show's
messages is quite true: You are taking a risk if you don't
avail your child of the measles vaccine "There are very good
studies that show if you choose not to vaccinate your child,
he runs a 35-fold increased risk of getting measles
disease," he said.
Bergen County mom Roger understands that this is not the
kind of show that issues a retraction. But, she says,
perhaps the writers could continue the measles vaccine plot
line and explore the complexities of the issue. "They could
show a child whose parents thought he turned autistic due to
the MMR," Roger said. "Dr. Green could have a discussion in
which he disagrees with another doctor about the risks of
vaccinations."
The national dialogue on this issue, she said, is far from
over.
Copyright ｩ 2001 North Jersey Media Group Inc.
All Hell Breaks Loose On MMR Vaccine
GCN-NEWS@9:03 am PST
Several weekend reports in UK publications questioning the
MMR vaccine and its links to Autism are now circulating
across the planet. One researcher stated that "all hell will
break loose" when this latest MMR vaccine autism research is
made public.
You may have seen it on 60 minutes, the question of
MMR and possible links to autism has gained major media
attention. While government health officials continue to
state that the vaccine combination is absolutely safe, some
scientists believe otherwise. Either way, parents want
answers.
According to an article published in the Sunday issue of The
Telegraph, a UK publication, Andrew Wakefield, the
researcher seen on a recent 60 minutes, has now identified
nearly 170 cases of a new syndrome of autism and bowel
disease that is affecting children who had all received the
MMR vaccine.
While the researcher has been continually attacked, he has
continued on with his work. He, along with many others want
to know the truth regarding the safety of MMR.
Parents 'should continue to trust MMR vaccine'
By Richard Eden
PARENTS should not reject the mumps, measles and rubella -
MMR - vaccine despite new reports alleging links to chronic
diseases, including autism, in children, health officials
said yesterday. A study of children who developed the
brain condition after an apparently healthy infancy found
that 24 out of 25 had the measles virus in their gut.
Researchers said the virus could have come from the combined
vaccine, which is given to hundreds of thousands of children
in Britain every year.
Prof John O'Leary, director of pathology at the Coombe
Women's Hospital in Dublin, said his discovery provided
"compelling evidence" of an association between infection
by the measles virus and autism in the children, many of
whose parents said they developed the condition after they
had been injected with MMR.
He said further research was needed immediately to establish
whether the MMR jab might be responsible for the children's
brain damage.
Prof O'Leary, who specializes in detecting viruses, revealed
his findings to a United States Congress hearing last week.
He was in Washington with Andrew Wakefield, a British
researcher, who suggested two weeks ago that the possibility
of a link between MMR and autism in children should be
investigated.
Prof O'Leary said: "Measles virus is present in the
gut of these children. It shouldn't be there. There needs to
be a full investigation with proper funding."
But the Department of Health rejected the study and said
parents should continue to trust the MMR jab. A
spokesman said: "This is a highly selective sample carried
out with incorrect and inappropriate controls and
unverifiable by usual scientific means."
The research is the latest salvo in a long-running debate
over the MMR vaccine, which has previously been linked to a
number of health problems, although other studies have given
it the all-clear. Dr Wakefield, who works at the Royal Free
Hospital in London, claims to have identified a new disease,
autistic enterocholitis, characterized by unusual
inflammation of the gut, in nearly 150 children who became
autistic after first developing normally.
Doctors are investigating the theory that the interaction of
the measles and mumps viruses in the same inoculation causes
the gut damage and consequent autism.
MMR Jab was Launched Too Early, says Health Chief
By Celia Hall, Medical Editor
THE introduction of the vaccine for measles, mumps and
rubella 12 years ago was premature, according to a former
principal medical officer at the Department of Health.
Dr Peter Fletcher, a senior scientific civil servant and
assessor to the Committee on Safety of Medicines, says in a
journal to be published later this week that the department
could have waited safely for a year and conducted more
research. "If I had been an adviser when they were making
the decision, this is what I would have told them," Dr
Fletcher said yesterday
The triple vaccine, known as the MMR vaccine, has become the
center of an anxious debate since the suggestion three
years ago of a link between it and inflammatory bowel
disease and autism in children. Vaccination levels have
dropped from over 90 per cent to 88 per cent on average.
About 500 parents are taking legal action and test cases are
expected this year.
In the journal Adverse Drug Reactions, to be published on
Sunday, Dr Andrew Wakefield, consultant gastroenterologist
at London's Royal Free Hospital, whose work first raised the
possibility of side effects, criticises aspects of the
research that led to the vaccine's introduction in Britain
in 1988.
He concludes: "For MMR, autism and inflammatory bowel, a
significant index of suspicion exists without adequate
evidence of safety." He says that trials did not last for
long enough. Because the issue is so controversial, the
journal printed the reports of the four reviewers to whom it
sent the article for assessment.
Dr Fletcher, one of these reviewers, says: "Caution should
have ruled the day. Answers to some important questions
should have been demanded and strong encouragement should
have been given to a 12-month observational study on
10,000-15,000 patients and a prospective monitoring program
set up. The granting of a product license was premature."
He said there was little information on the effects of
giving three live vaccines together compared with singly and
that experience with the whooping cough scare in the
Seventies showed that adverse reactions could take months to
show.
The Department of Health, which has warned of a measles
epidemic, said the MMR vaccine is safe. It will publish a
full rebuttal of the reviews shortly.
Ministry is Blocking Single-Dose Vaccines
By Celia Hall, Medical Editor
SINGLE dose vaccines for measles, mumps or rubella will not
be made available to British children, health officials said
yesterday as they began a new drive to reassure parents of
the safety of the all-in-one vaccine.
Despite growing calls for single vaccines to be made
available to the minority of parents who refuse to let their
children have the triple jab, they said the single dose
alternative was more dangerous. Dr David Salisbury, head of
immunisation at the Department of Health, said: "We cannot
support a policy that would put children at risk. Separate
injections are less safe."
Three years ago, researchers suggested a link between the
MMR vaccine, introduced in 1988 and autism and inflammatory
bowel disease in children. This link has not been supported
by other research. However, 500 parents are planning to sue
the Department of Health over damage to their children
allegedly caused by the vaccine.
Vaccination levels have fallen from 92-93 per cent to an
average 88 per cent and it is as low as 75 per cent in some
parts of the South East. The Department of Health has
already issued a warning of a measles outbreak as children
who have not been protected return to school. Julie
Kirkbride, Conservative MP for Bromsgrove, is introducing a
Private Member's Bill calling for single doses to be
available.
Yesterday, Dr Liam Fox, the shadow health secretary, added
his weight to the proposal. He said that the Conservatives
would reintroduce single-dose vaccines if they were
re-elected - if vaccination levels were still low. He said:
"It must be better for children to have a single vaccine
than to have nothing at all. This is not an ideal situation
but it must be infinitely preferable to the prospect of dead
or damaged children."
He said: "There is no point sitting on the high moral ground
awaiting an epidemic that could claim the lives of children
in Britain. It's a huge failure of the Government's health
policy - neither to reassure the public effectively nor to
provide an alternative. We cannot sit by and watch
immunisation rates fall to levels that will virtually
guarantee a measles epidemic."
Ministers were understood to be "furious" over Dr Fox's
"purely opportunistic" comments. A Department of Health
source said: "It is all very well the Tories jumping on
bandwagons when it is politics but it is deeply
irresponsible when it is children's lives."
Yesterday the department again sought to allay fears about
the safety of the vaccine. The chairmen of both independent
bodies that advise the Government - the Committee on Safety
of Medicines (CSM) and the Joint Committee on Vaccination
and Immunisation - reiterated their belief, based on
scientific evidence, that the vaccine was safe.
Professor Alasdair Breckenridge, CSM chairman said: "The
evidence of long-term safety of MMR, especially in respect
of autism and inflammatory bowel diseases, is very
convincing." The Department of Health made available a
report from the "largest ever" study of adverse events
following MMR vaccination.
The 14-year study from Finland was published in America in
the journal Paediatric Infectious Disease last December. It
confirmed the results of an earlier analysis of 1.8 million
vaccinated children published in the Lancet in 1998. The
report said that serious side-effects related to MMR vaccine
were rare "and greatly outweighed by the risks of natural
MMR diseases".
The researchers found an adverse reaction rate of 3.2 per
100,000 doses of vaccine. But Marilyn Smith, of the parent
support group Jabs, said: "When you've got a child it's the
most precious thing in the world and no amount of figures
can change the concerns we have about MMR."
Another study, published yesterday in the British Medical
Journal, said that about half of health professionals
had reservations about giving children a second dose of MMR
vaccine before they started school.
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