Influenza

».
containing two 1918 genes that proved to be very lethal in animal
experiments. This experiment is only one genetic step away from taking the
1918 demon entirely out of the bottle.

A resuscitation of the Spanish flu is neither necessary nor warranted from a

public health point of view. Allegedly, the recent experiments sought to test
the efficacy of existing antiviral drugs on the 1918 construct. But there is
little need for antiviral drugs against the
1918 strain if the 1918 strain had not been recreated in the f i r s t place " I t
simply does not make any scientific sense to create a new threat just to
develop new countermeasures against it." says Jan van Aken, biologist with
the Sunshine Project, "Genetic characterization of influenza strains has
important biomedical applications. But it is not justifiable to recreate this
particularly dangerous eradicated strain that could wreak havoc if released,
deliberately or accidentally."

Construction of new maximum security (BSL-4) laboratories for biodefense

research has been justified in part by citing the potential of the Spanish Flu
as a biological weapon. Influenza usually requires a low level of containment;
but when scientists begin recombining virulence-related genes, the danger
dramatically increases. The University of Texas Medical Branch's BSL-4
plans influenza 'gene reassortment' experiments in maximum containment.
"This kind of research is creating a vicious circle, and could prompt a race by
biodefense scientists to genetic engineer unthinkable diseases", says Edward
Hammond of the Sunshine Project, "What disease comes after influenza?
Biodefense laboratories must not become self-fulfilling prophesy centers.
The world does not need biodefense programs to create a 'genetically
engineered disease gap'."

>From an arms control perspective it appears to be particularly

sensitive if a military research institution embarks on a project that aims at
constructing more dangerous pathogens. " I f Jeffery Taubenberger worked
in a Chinese, Russian or Iranian laboratory, his work might well be seen as
the 'smoking gun' of an offensive biowarf are program," says van Aken.

On the label pdf, they say the vaccine can't be given to children under five,
because it doesn't work, but take a look at the following label. I t states that
children younger than five, were contracting pneumonia, and developing
asthma.

Flumist Regulatory Review

http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/ac/02/briefing/3912Bl_05.pdf

1. OVERVIEW 1.1. FluMist's Regulatory Review History Influenza virus

vaccme live, intranasal (FluMist.) is an intranasally administered trivalent
vaccine intended for active immunization for the prevention of influenza. I n
a July 2001 meeting, the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory
Committee (VRBPAC) considered safety and efficacy data accumulated for
FluMist and concluded that: • Data were adequate to establish the efficacy
and effectiveness of FluMist in the pediatric, adolescent, and adult
population, specifically, from 15 months through 64 years of age. • Data were
not adequate at that time to establish the safety of FluMist based on
remaining concerns regarding asthma (possible signal observed in 18-35
month olds in one study), pneumonia, and lack of concurrent immunization
data for the children <18 months of age. Since the 2001 VRBPAC Meeting,
Medlmmune Vaccines has interacted with CBER through responses to two
Complete Response Letters (CRL) and discussions which have lead to the
following outcomes: • Evaluation of integrated data across all studies and
additional evaluation of Study AV019 suggest a possible increase in medically
attended asthma/wheezing events after FluMist administration in children
up to 59 months of age (Section 9 of this document). The magnitude of the
apparent increase was small and clinical impact was generally mild. No
evidence for an increase was observed in children over the age of 59 months
or in adolescents and adults. Until additional information regarding
asthma/wheezing in children younger than 5 years is available, this
population will not be included in the requested label. Medlmmune Vaccines
will eventually seek an indication for healthy children 19 months through 59
months of age and plans to discuss a proposed clinical development plan for
these children with CBER in the near future.

Part of the package insert

http://www.fda.gov/cber/label/inflmed061703LB.pdf
 (HA) and neuraminidase (NA), are derived from the corresponding
antigenically relevant wild-type influenza viruses that have been
recommended by the USPHS for inclusion in the annual vaccine formulation.
Thus, the three viruses contained in FluMist maintain the replication
characteristics and phenotypic properties of the MDV and express the HA
and NA of wild-type viruses that are related to strains expected to
circulate during the 2003-2004 influenza season. Viral harvests used in the
production of FluMist are produced by inoculating each of the three
reassortant viruses into specific pathogen-free (SPF) eggs that are
incubated to allow for vaccine virus replication. The allantoic fluid of these
eggs is harvested, clarified by centrifugation, and stabilized with buffer
containing sucrose, potassium phosphate, and monosodium glutamate (0.47
mg/dose). Viral harvests from the three strains (H1N1, H3N2, and B) are
subsequently blended and diluted to desired potency with allantoic fluid
derived from uninfected SPF eggs to produce trivalent bulk vaccine. Each lot
of viral harvest is tested for ca, ts, and att and is also tested extensively by
in vitro and in vivo methods to detect adventitious agents. The bulk vaccine
is then filled directly into individual sprayers for nasal administration. These
sprayers are labeled and stored at =-15oC. Gentamicin sulfate is added early
in the manufacturing process during preparation of reassortant viruses at a
calculated concentration of approximately 1 //g/mL. Later steps of the
manufacturing process do not use gentamicin, resulting in a diluted residual
concentration in the final product of <0.015 /jg/mL (limit of detection of the
assay). FluMist does not contain any preservatives. Each pre-filled FluMist
sprayer contains a single 0.5 mL dose. The teflon tip attached to the sprayer
is equipped with a one-way valve that produces a fine mist that is primarily
deposited in the nose and nasopharynx. When thawed for administration,
FluMist is a colorless to pale yellow liquid and is clear to slightly cloudy (see
DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION).

16 June 2003 Page 7 of 19

CONTRAINDICATIONS
Under no circumstances should FluMist. be administered parenteral ly.
Individuals with a history of hypersensitivity, especially anaphylactic
reactions, to any component of FluMist, including eggs or egg products,
should not receive FluMist (see DESCRIPTION).
Prior to administration of FluMist, individuals or their parent/guardian
should be asked about their current health status, their personal medical
history and the medical history of household and close contacts, including
immune status, to determine the existence of any contraindications (see
CONTRAINDICATIONS and WARNINGS) to immunization with FluMist.
FluMist recipients should avoid close contact (e.g., within the same
household) with immunocompromised individuals for at least 21 days.
EPINEPHRINE INJECTION (1:1000) OR COMPARABLE TREATMENT
MUST BE READILY AVAILABLE I N THE EVENT OF AN ACUTE
ANAPHYLACTIC REACTION FOLLOWING VACCINATION. The health
care provider should ensure prevention of any allergic or other adverse
reactions by reviewing the individual's history for possible sensitivity to
influenza vaccine components, including eggs and egg products.
Administration of FluMist should be postponed until after the acute phase
(at least 72 hours) of febrile and/or respiratory illnesses. Information for
Vaccine Recipients or Parents/Guardians Vaccine recipients or their
parents/guardians should be informed by the health care provider of the
potential benefits and risks of FluMist, and the need for two doses for the
first use of FluMist in 5-8 year olds. Due to the possible transmission of
vaccine virus, vaccine recipients or their parents/guardians should be
advised to avoid close contact (e.g., within the same household) with
immunocompromised individuals for at least 21 days. The vaccine recipient or
the parent/guardian accompanying the vaccine recipient should be told to
report any suspected adverse events to the physician or clinic where the
vaccine was administered (see ADVERSE EVENT REPORTING).

http://www.sabin.org/news__nov22_02.htm

Bell palsy following intranasal vaccination

Results from a case-control study and a case-series analysis indicate a

significantly increased risk of Bell palsy developing following intranasal
immunization with a new vaccine. This inactivated influenza vaccine,
composed of influenza antigens in a virosomal formulation with E. coli derived
LT adjuvant, was licensed in Switzerland in October 2000.Following
spontaneous reports of Bell palsy, the company decided not to market the
vaccine during the following season. I n general, the etiology and
pathogenesis of Bell palsy remain inadequately understood. The greater risk
of Bell palsy following immunization with this vaccine may be due to specific
vaccine components such as LT toxin, influenza antigens or virosomes, or
simply to use of the intranasal administration route.

I t is thus possible that such complications of vaccine administration may also

apply to other nasal vaccines. GACVS therefore recommends that any novel
vaccine for nasal administration should be tested on a sufficiently large
number of subjects before licensing and submitted to active post-marketing
surveillance studies. Since the average time to onset of Bell palsy following
intranasal immunization with this new vaccine was as much as 60-90 days,
GAC\/S recommends that the follow-up period in the context of clinical
trials should be routinely extended to 3 months following administration of a
new intranasal vaccine

http://www.ncbi.nlrn.nih.g0v/entrez/query.f cgi?cmd=Retrieveddb=PubMed<&
list_uids=12763480Adopt=Abstract

Clin Immunol 2003 May;107(2):116-21 <A

HREF="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMedÂcmd=Dis
playádopt=pubmed_pubmed_tfrom_uid=12763480">Related
Articles,</A»Links</A>

Influenza vaccination and Guillain Barre syndrome small

star, filled.

Geier MR, Geier DA, Zahalsky AC.

The Genetic Centers of America, 14 Redgate Court, 20905, Silver Spring,

MD, USA

Acute and severe Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) cases reported following
influenza vaccine to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS)
database from 1991 through 1999 were examined. Endotoxin concentrations
were measured using the Limulus amebocyte lysate assay in influenza
vaccines. There were a total of 382 cases of GBS reported to the VAERS
database following influenza vaccination (male/female ratio, 1.2). The median
onset of GBS following influenza vaccine was 12 days (interquartile range, 7
days to 21 days). There was an increased risk of acute GBS (relative risk,
4.3; 95% confidence interval, 3.0 to
6.4) and severe GBS (relative risk, 8.5; 95% confidence interval, 3.7 to 18.9)
in comparison to an adult tetanus-diphtheria (Td) vaccine control group.
There were maximums in the incidence of GBS following influenza vaccine
that occurred approximately every third year (1993,1996, and 1998) and
statistically significant variation in the incidence of GBS among different
influenza manufacturers. Influenza vaccines contained from a 125- to a
1250-fold increase in endotoxin concentrations in comparison to an adult Td
vaccine control and endotoxin concentrations varied up to 10-fold among
different lots and manufacturers of influenza vaccine. The biologic
mechanism for GBS following influenza vaccine may involve the synergistic
effects of endotoxin and vaccine-induced autoimmunity. There were minimal
potential reporting biases in the data reported to the VAERS database in
this study. Patients should make an informed consent decision on whether to
take this optional vaccine based upon its safety and efficacy and physicians
should vigilantly report GBS following influenza vaccination to the VAERS in
the United States so that continued evaluation of the safety of influenza
vaccine may be undertaken.

Message from Barbara Loe Fisher

NVIC Co-founder and President Barbara Loe Fisher, who ended her four
years of service on the FDA yacanes and Related Biological Products
Advisory Committee as the voting consumer member yesterday, made the
statement below when she voted on whether Medlmmune had proven that
the live virus nasa\ flu vaccine, FLUMIST, was safe to use in children and
adults. She was the sole dissenting "No" vote that safety had not been
proven for individuals aged five to 50.

The reference to polio vaccine in her statement was in response to an

exchange she had earlier in the meeting with another Committee member,
Sam Katz, M.D., who had made the argument that the fact that recipients of
FLUMIST could transmit vaccine strain flu viruses to close contacts was a
positive selling point for the vaccine rather than a negative consequence. He
likened the effect to passive vaccination of close contacts of those recently

'/
vaccinated with live oral polio vaccine. Barbara reminded Dr. Katz that
America no longer uses the live oral polio vaccine precisely because
recipients and close contacts could come down with vaccine strain polio and
be permanently crippled or die.

The transcripts of the last four years of FDA Advisory Committee meetings
in which Barbara participated are available on the FDA website. Here is what
she said when she voted that the safety of FLUMIST had not been proven:

"The data are inadequate to support the safety of FLUMIST in individuals

f ive to 64 years of age. The increased risk of asthma in young children and
the increased risk for some children of URI's, musculoskeletal pain, otitis
media and croup as well as URI symptoms in adults suggests that an unknown
number of healthy but genetically vulnerable individuals across all age groups
will not be able to handle this vaccine well.

This will, over the long term, lead to the public perception that when you get
the flu vaccine, you get the flu. And this is an important consideration long
term because when you make healthy people sick after they get a
vaccination, whether it is with live virus polio vaccine or live virus flu vaccine
even though you have inactivated vaccines that do not cause disease
symptoms, then you are going to pay a price in terms of the public perception
of the risks associated with vaccination. You were able to successfully make
the argument to prevent polio but, as I said before, flu is not polio and
because most healthy children and adults are not permanently injured or die
from the flu, I think careful thought needs to be given to this issue.

The fact that live vaccine flu virus is shed in 80 percent of recipients poses
an additional risk for our population at large, particularly for immune
compromised individuals across all age groups. The outstanding questions
about the true rate of transmission of vaccine strain viruses among children
needs to be clarified as does the retention of the attenuation of the shed
viruses and the high frequency of nucleotide changes. Because this live virus
nasal vaccine is not indicated for high risk health groups, which have
historically been the targeted population to receive the flu vaccine, it is a
very serious step to move to use a live virus vaccine for the majority of
healthy individuals and the standard for proof of safety must be very high. I
do not think that standard has been met by the data which have been
presented so far.

I would like to see a trial of a genetically diverse group of American children

and adults which addresses safety and efficacy of simultaneous vaccination
with FLUMIST and other vaccines; revaccination; vaccine shedding and rate
of household transmission to unvaccinted individuals as well as genetic
stability."
*******************************************************************
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/health/AP-Flu-
Spray.html?ei=lAeni2e8f7e0fcd7c46<&ex_41220733c)tpagewanted=printáipo
sition=top

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES December 18, 2002

Nasal - Spray Flu Vaccine Gets Initial OK

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Filed at 9:14 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON (AP) ~ Government scientists gave a tentative endorsement

to the f i r s t nasal-spray flu vaccine, while stressing that it's useful only for
certain healthy people, not those most at risk of severe influenza.

Called FluMist, the long-awaited vaccine would be squirted up noses instead

of injected into arms.

But advisers to the Food and Drug Administration cautioned Tuesday that if
it's allowed to be sold, FluMist won't be for the people who need flu
vaccination most: toddlers, the elderly and anyone with asthma or other
chronic diseases.

Indeed, FluMist initially was created with the hope of giving toddlers a
needle-free vaccine. Then researchers discovered it seems to increase the
risk of asthma attacks in children under age 5.

i.
So in its second attempt at winning FDA approval in two years, the vaccine's
maker withdrew plans to sell FluMist for toddlers, saying it instead would
target healthy people ages 5 to 64.

But the FDA's advisers endorsed only part of that plan Tuesday,
recommending that FluMist be approved for sale just for people ages 5 to
49. They concluded there was too little evidence that FluMist protects
people 50 and over, an age when the immune system begins to weaken.

As for people over 65, who are most at risk of dying from the flu,
manufacturer Medlmmune Inc. hasn't yet studied the nasal spray in that
age group.

Medlmmune, based in Gaithersburg, Md., wants to sell FluMist in time for

next winter's flu season. But the question is whether the FDA, which isn't
bound by ¡ts advisers' recommendations, will let a vaccine with so many
restrictions be sold.

I f so, those curbs would severely limit how often doctors would offer
FluMist instead of the flu shots that 70 million Americans get every year.

A big unanswered question is whether FluMist is as good as a standard flu

shot. FluMist is made of a weakened but live flu virus, while flu shots are
made of killed virus. Medlmmune hasn't compared the two vaccines.

Calling that question ч ч the elephant in the room,' ' FDA adviser Dr. Julie
Parsonnet of Stanford University complained that without such data,
doctors won't know which product to offer which patient.

They are issues that are going to be highly problematic,' ' agreed Dr. Dixie
Snider of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Flu kills 20,000 Americans each year and hospitalizes 100,000. Those most
at risk of flu complications are people over age 65 and anyone with certain
illnesses, including asthma and heart disease. Also, this year for the f i r s t
time, pediatricians are being encouraged to vaccinate babies and toddlers,
who are hospitalized with flu as often as the elderly and are key spreaders
of infection through day care and to elderly grandparents.
Flu experts have longed for a needle-free alternative as a way to persuade
more people to get annual flu vaccinations.

The nasal vaccine works by stimulating the immune system through the same
nose tissue where the flu virus attacks. But in July 2001, FDA's advisers
blocked FluMist's sale, saying it wasn't yet proven safe for children.

Tuesday, Medlmmune argued ¡ts case again.

The vaccine proved 93 percent protective against flu in a study of 1,600

healthy children ages 15 months to 6 years. Side effects primarily included
runny nose, muscle aches and fever.

But up to 1.5 percent of children under age 5 who received FluMist suffered
asthma attacks or asthma-like wheezing, rates almost four times higher than
children who received a dummy vaccine, the FDA said.

The FDA's advisers agreed with Medlmmune's subsequent decision to

target FluMist only to children over 5, who didn't seem to have that asthma
risk.

I n adults, FluMist didn't work as well. I n a study of 4,561 healthy, working

adults ages 18 to 64, FluMist recipients were just as likely as people given a
dummy vaccine to experience a flulike illness, although vaccination did cut
severe illness by about 17 percent.

The FDA said FluMist didn't protect people ages 50 to 64 at all.

Medlmmune argued that those people didn't get as sick as the unvaccinated,
but FDA's advisers ultimately said the company hadn't proved its case.

Another key concern is that sneezing children occasionally spread the

FluMist virus, raising questions about whether the spray vaccine would
endanger grandparents or asthmatic playmates who aren't inoculated.

http://www.sptimes.com/2002/10/07/TampaBay/Flu shot guidance ren.sht

ml

i
Flu shot guidance renews old fears
An encouragement to inoculate young children worries those who think the
vaccine contributes to autism. By GRAHAM BRINK, Times Staff Writer ©
St. Petersburg Times published October 7, 2002

TAMPA — Last month, for the first time, the national Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention encouraged parents to have their young children
vaccinated against the flu.

To most, it seemed a sound idea for protecting youngsters. But a vocal

minority of parents and doctors think such a move could be trouble.

The issue: Some flu vaccines still contain the mercury-based preservative
thimerosal, which they think is linked to an explosion in the number of
children diagnosed with autism and related disorders in the past two
decades.

The many skeptics of this theory point out that the mercury used in
thimerosal has not been definitively linked to autism.

But those who think there is a connection see the CDC encouragement as a
risk for children, especially those who already might have a buildup of
mercury in their systems.

"They continue to promote thimerosal as safe mercury and that there is no

evidence of toxicity," said Dr. J e f f Bradstreet, an autism researcher in Palm
Bay and the father of an autistic boy. "Eventually, they will be proven wrong.
But in the meantime, one wonders how many lives may be altered."

Until last month, the CDC never had encouraged regular flu shots for
healthy children six months to 23 months old.

But about 20 children per 10,000 in that age group are hospitalized each
year with the flu or its complications. That rate is at least five times higher
than that of 5 to 15 year olds and 10 times higher than the rate for low-risk
adults, according to the CDC.
Young children also are effective carriers of the influenza virus, often
passing it on to relatives and friends. The CDC said vaccinating children
would help improve the societal armor and cut down on the number of adults
who get the flu.

The CDC is only encouraging parents to vaccinate their young children, not
recommending it. But a formal recommendation could come as early as next
year.

Dr. Scott Harper, an infectious disease specialist with the CDC in Atlanta,
said the risks of complications from flu shots for young children are minimal,
especially when compared with the benefits.

"In every decision that we make in life, there is a risk and a benefit," Harper
said. "This decision was based on facts, facts that show that many children
will avoid getting sick, not unproven theories."

Other health care giants ~ including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration,
the National Institutes of Health, the American Academy of Pediatrics and
the National Network for Immunization Information — also are skeptical of
a link between vaccines and autism. They say the theory is based more on
coincidence and hope than hard data.

Even the Autism Society of America isn't convinced.

"(We) strongly support research to determine if, in fact, there is a

correlation," the society says. "Until that research is performed and
replicated, vaccines continue to be indicated."

* * * Thimerosal has been used as a preservative in vaccines since the 1930s,

but it became more common in the past 15 years as pharmaceutical
companies began to produce more multidose vials to cut costs. Without the
preservative, a multidose vial can become tainted once its seal is broken.

The increase in the use of thimerosal coincided with an increase in the

number of vaccines administered to children. Children today can receive
about 36 doses of 11 vaccines by age 5.
And those two trends corresponded with a surge in autism rates throughout
the country, say supporters of the mercury/autism theory. They fear that
some children can't flush all the mercury from their systems, so it builds up
and triggers autism, a neurological disorder that affects communication and
socialization.

Many doctors and scientists say such fears are unwarranted. But if the
theory is so full of holes, the supporters ask, why did the government direct
vaccine manufacturers in 1999 to remove thimerosal and other mercury from
common childhood vaccinations, including hepatitis?

They say the CDC encouragement means children might again be given
vaccines containing mercury. Flu shots have not traditionally been childhood
vaccines, so many multidose vials still contain thimerosal. I t is unclear
exactly how much of the flu vaccine supply contains the preservative.

"Promoting flu shots for healthy children concerns me a great deal," said
Miami lawyer Roberto Villasante, co-chairman of the vaccine litigation group
for the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. " I think the big question
should be: Is this vaccine absolutely necessary?"

* * * Kim Dabney was shocked when she heard the news from the CDC last
month.

Her son Drew had suffered from earaches and flulike symptoms. They
weren't serious, but they were enough for her pediatrician to recommend
that Drew receive a flu vaccination last year. He was 15 months old.

"After that shot, that was the end of Drew as we knew him," Dabney said.

Drew stopped making eye contact, stopped having fun, stopped making sense.

He had had some trouble after a round of shots administered a few months
earlier, Dabney said, but the flu shot "put him over the edge."

Drew's pediatrician, like some other doctors, had never heard of thimerosal
or theories about a link between vaccinations and autism, Dabney said.
But when Dabney researched Drew's vaccination record, she found it loaded
with shots containing mercury.

The Dabneys, who moved from Miami to Charlotte, N.C., last year, have spent
close to $50,000 on therapy and other treatments for Drew, who is showing
marked improvement.

"No one wants the flu, but no one wants mercury poisoning either," she said.
"Now that these links are showing up, I cannot believe they aren't screaming
to get this stuff off the shelves."

Most members of the medical community think such a move is unnecessary.

They note that many children with risk factors such as cystic fibrosis have
received flu shots for years. I f there were a link, many more of those
children would have autism, they say.

Some children don't show signs of autism until they are a few years old. The
vaccinations don't cause it, the doctors argue, they just happen to be given
around the same time.

* * * ß a r b a r a Fisher is co-founder and president of the National Vaccine

Information Center, a nonprofit group that advocates reforming the mass
vaccination system. She encourages parents of children in the 6- to 23-
month age group to arm themselves with as much information as possible
before they decide whether to vaccinate their children against the flu.

Even if science never finds a definite link between thimerosal and autism,
it's worth considering, Fisher said.

5he recommends that parents who want their children vaccinated against
the flu read the manufacturer's insert that comes with the vaccine to
determine whether it contains thimerosal or any other mercury.

"Parents should not rely solely on their doctors, who don't always have all
the information themselves," she said. "Whatever decision is made, it should
be made from a position of knowledge, not a position of ignorance."

!*•
 • Graham Brink can be reached at (813) 226"3365 or
brink@sptimes.com.

NO SHOTS ON JOB
Date: 10/4/02; Publication: The Toronto Sun; Author: CHRISTL DABU

Ontario's paramedics will no longer be forced to get a flu shot to stay on the
job.

The province announced yesterday that the shots were no longer mandatory
for paramedics, the only health"care workers in Ontario who had to get
vaccinated to keep working.

" I was very pleased that the (health) ministry and (union) were able to sit
down and work this out. I t ' s far preferable than having to go to courts and
beat each other over the head," said CUPE president Sid Ryan at
yesterday's press conference. " I t was a classic win"win case."

"We became convinced with our discussions with Sid Ryan, among others,
that we can have a higher rate of compliance if we went to a voluntary
system," said Health Minister Tony Clement.

Up to 96% of workers will voluntarily comply to vaccinations " " now that it's
not mandatory, Ryan said.

Clin Nephrol 2002 Sep;58(3):220"3

Influenza vaccination induced leukocytoclastic

vasculitis and pauci!immune crescentic
glomerulonephritis.

Уапаі"Berar N, Ben"Itzhak O, Gree J , Nakhoul F.

Department of Nephrology, Rambam Medical Center, Haifa, Israel.

Influenza vaccination is a widely accepted practice, particularly among the
elderly and high-risk individuals. Minor and transitory side effects following
the vaccination are common, while systemic complications are infrequently
reported. We describe here a case of a patient who presented to the
emergency room with arthralgia, myalgias and purpura, following influenza
vaccination. Necrotizing vasculitis associated with pauci-immune
glomerulonephritis was observed on kidney biopsy. With increasing use of
influenza vaccination, attention should be drawn to the possible expression
of systemic adverse effects such as vasculitis and glomerulonephritis.

2002 Drugs vs. the Bug of 1918 Virus' deadly code

is unlocked to test strategies to fight it

By Robert Cooke STAFF WRITER

October 1, 2002 http://www.newsday.com/news/health/ny-

dsbelow2947217oct01,0,264396.story?coll=ny-health-headlines

With extreme care under tight conditions, scientists in New York City and
Georgia have constructed a bug that resembles the deadly virus that caused
the disastrous 1918 worldwide influenza pandemic.

Hoping to find ways to protect people if the natural virus returns,

microbiologist Christopher Basier and his colleagues recently made new
copies of several genes that rendered the 1918 flu so dangerous. These few
genes were engineered into infectious viruses for testing at a U.S.
Department of Agriculture laboratory in Athens, Ga.

The results showed, fortunately, that existing drugs such as amantadine,

zanamivir and oseltavir seem to work, protecting mice against big doses of
engineered virus.

"These data suggest that current anti-viral strategies would be effective in

curbing the dangers of a re-emergent 1918 or 1918-like virus," Basier and his
colleagues announced Sept. 23 in the Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences.
The lead author, Terrence Tumpey, works for the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory, in Athens. Ga.
Basler's team works at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Manhattan.

The researchers said the drugs that are already available could be used as a
stopgap measure while work began on creating protective vaccines against
1918 flu. Their tests in animals show that the drugs can be used to protect
against infection or to treat infections that are already under way.

Biochemist Eckard Wimmer, at SUNY Stony Brook, said, " I believe this kind
of work is extremely important, because we would like to know why these
viruses caused such an enormous rate of death. This in turn would allow us to
protect ourselves against outbreaks of similar strains."

Wimmer, who recently announced construction of whole polio virus "from

scratch" using off-the-shelf materials and publicly available information,
added that the 1918 bug is especially important. "We're all afraid that the
influenza virus may come up again with a new mixture of genes, against which
we are not protected, and we might have a disaster."

The Mount Sinai researchers emphasized that their new experiments were
done using extreme care not to let any engineered viruses escape the
laboratory. And the laboratory itself was a high- security facility maintained
by the USD A near the University of Georgia. I t is specifically designed to
keep dangerous microbes from getting out.

The reconstructed flu viruses were made by stringing together chunks of

DNA to create the specific "virulence" genes that apparently made the 1918
pandemic so lethal. These special genes were engineered into infectious flu
viruses, which were then tested in mice and shown to be surprisingly lethal.

The special genes are of great interest because the original flu virus that
came armed with such genes was far more deadly than "ordinary" flu viruses,
various types of which strike year after year. The complete 1918 flu bug has
never been isolated, but chunks of its DNA have been found in old tissue
samples and are being studied.
As a result, researchers have deciphered the chemical "spelling" of several
virulence genes from the 1918 virus. This allowed Basler's team to make new
copies of the genes, plug them into viruses and t r y to re-create the 1918
bug. I t ' s not clear they've succeeded, but perhaps they're close.

Such work is important because infectious disease experts fear that the
1918 bug might return to again wreak havoc. Or, the Mount Sinai team
suggested, a similar virus might be used as a bioterrorism weapon, with large
impact.

"The influenza pandemic of 1918-19 resulted in the deaths of millions of

people worldwide," the researchers said, "and an estimated 550,000 excess
deaths in the United States."

Worse, unlike most flu outbreaks, the 1918 pandemic was especially hard on
the healthiest people, striking and killing many young adults. This might be
explained, in part, by the pandemic emerging during World War I , when many
young men were gathered in barracks and aboard military ships.

Doctors say don't rush for kids' flu shots

BY LUKE SHOCKMAN BLADE STAFF WRITER

http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/artikkel?Avis=TO<StDato
020927ÅKategori=NEWS17dLopenr_9270077ÅRef=AR

Dr. Donna Woodson has spent years urging her elderly patients to get flu
shots, but she's a little perplexed at a recent federal suggestion that young
children get the shots as well.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is suggesting for the f i r s t
time this year that healthy children ages 6 months to 2 years get a flu shot.
I f it's the f i r s t time a child has gotten a flu shot, two shots one month
apart would be needed.

The CDC has always recommended that high-risk children get a flu shot, but
never specifically urged healthy children to do so.
"This message from the CDC is confusing," said Dr. Woodson, a family
physician in Maumee and member of the Toledo-Lucas County Board of
Health.

Dr. Woodson, president of the Academy of Medicine of Toledo and Lucas

County, a professional organization representing doctors, said physicians and
parents have never been told to focus on giving healthy children flu shots.

She wondered if a rush of parents looking to vaccinate their children will

deplete supplies for known high-risk groups, such as those 65 and older. The
new information, she points out, was issued after many physician offices
ordered flu vaccine supplies.

CDC officials stress the new information is only a suggestion and they've not
formally recommended it. However, the CDC says recent information shows
young children are at a higher risk for complications, including
hospitalization, because of the flu.

Dr. Francis Rogalski, a Sylvania pediatrician, called the CDC suggestion "a
great idea."

"We have been recommending flu shots for kids for years," he said of his
practice. "We look for any excuse to give vaccines. I tell parents I've always
given it to my own children."

Dr. Christopher Rizzo, a Cleveland pediatrician who's president of the Ohio

chapter of the Academy of Pediatrics, said physicians have long reminded
parents that sick children can pass the flu on to grandparents and others at
high risk.

"Influenza spreads very easily, easier than a cold," Dr. Rizzo said.

Dr. Rizzo and Dr. Rogalski cautioned that parents should not feel they need
to rush out and get a flu shot for their healthy children. For example, even
with Dr. Rogalski pushing flu shots for children, only about 20 percent of his
young patients get them.
Dr. Rizzo said, "No one expects we'll immunize every child under 2", and
instead it's just something parents and physicians need to begin thinking
about.

Kristopher Weiss, spokesman for the Ohio Department of Health, said the
department bought 280,000 flu vaccine doses this year, which are used by
health departments and some physicians to vaccinate low-income people at
high risk for the flu.

The department isn't recommending health departments vaccinate healthy

children, he said, although it's not discouraging private physician offices
from doing so.

Dr. David Grossman, health commissioner for the Toledo-Lucas County

Health Department, said his department will focus on those 65 and older and
other high-risk individuals, not healthy children. Vaccine supplies are
expected to be at normal levels this year. The CDC urges that those at high
risk for the flu get the flu shot first - in October - and everyone else in
November.

The CDC says those at high risk include those over 50 (many doctors say
those 65 and older are at highest risk); anyone with chronic medical
conditions like asthma, diabetes, or kidney or heart disease; residents of
long-term care facilities; women who will be more than three months
pregnant during flu season, and children on long-term aspirin therapy.

Late flu outbreak strikes nursing home

A late flu outbreak appears to be hitting Nebraska's urban areas, according

to state epidemiologist Tom Saf ranek.

Safranek made the call after a Blair nursing home was quarantined when 42
of the 83 residents developed symptoms in the last two weeks.

One of those residents died when his respiratory infection led to pneumonia.
Nearly all of the Blair residents received flu shots before the outbreak
there, Safranek said

No visitors were being allowed at the nursing home, and all residents were
taking anti-vial drugs and eating meals in their rooms in an attempt to stop
the spread of the virus.

The quarantine comes two weeks after an outbreak of the flu led the Grand
Island Veterans Home to take similar measures.

The Grand Island home was quarantined in February after seven cases were
diagnosed at the home of 340 residents. The outbreak came even though
98% of residents were given flu shots.

Source:
Midwest Nurse Week, Vol.3, No. 2; March/April 2002, p27
www.nurseweek.com
 Aviari Influenza ! Get the Facts!

Fear of Flu, Questionable Medical Treatment, and One

Reasonable Homeopathic Alternative
By Dana Ullman, МРИ

The media, doctors, and drug companies have been impressively effective in instilling great fear into
the hearts and minds of the public about the potential "bird flu epidemic." And they add fuel to the fear
by "warning'1 the public that there are inadequate amounts of the flu vaccine for people. Some experts
assert that this is particularly a problem for the elderly and children who are most vulnerable to
complications from the flu. However, according to the LANCET (October 1,2005), a systematic
review of all previous studies testing vaccines for influenza to elderly populations has not shown that
they are effective in preventing this disease. Another important study in the LANCET (February 26,
2005) analyzed every study published in any language, and they could not find a single study that
showed a flu vaccine led to tiie reduction in mortality or serious complications from the flu in children.

Tom Jefferson, MD, the author of the above two LANCET articles, asserts, "What you see every year
as the flu is caused by 200 or 300 different agents with a vaccine against two of them. That is simply
nonsense."

As for conventional medical treatment for the flu, this is similarly problematic. Rick Bright of the CDC
analyzed 7,000 blood samples of flu viruses that were collectedfrompeople in various countries, and
yet, many of these viruses have already developed resistance to Tamiflu and similar antiviral drugs. It
should also be noted that there is no clinical evidence that Tamiflu is effective in treating the "bird flu,"
and further, it primarily seems useful in only reducing flu symptoms for around one day.

These important therapeutic problems have not stopped the Bush administration from proposing that
we stockpile over $1 billion worth of these questionably effective drugs. What may be even more
problematic is that the media's fear!mongering about this year's flu may lead many people to take
Tamiflu or other antiviral drugs for even minor flu symptoms which will inevitably increase the
chances of creating more problematic super!flu viruses.

It may not surprising for many people to learn that Donald Rumsfeld, Bush's Secretary of Defense, was
the Chairman of the Board of Gilead Sciences, the company that developed Tamiflu, The New York
Times (October 28,2005) reported that Rumsfeld still hold significantly shares of stock in Gilead
Sciences and hasrecusedhimself from decisions around this issue, though it is hard to wonder how this
minor action will reduce the conflict of interestfromdecisions made by bis close associates. (See CNN
Report)

The Homeopathic Alternative

There are, however, good reasons that homeopaths and their patients are not afraid of the flu, either this
year or for years in the past Homeopathy is a leading _alternative_ therapy in Europe (even Englands
Royal Family has used homeopathic treatment as their primary medical care since the 1830s).

The premise behind homeopathy is that symptoms represent defenses of the body, and rather than use
drugs that inhibit or suppress symptoms, they use very small _nanodoses_ of medicinal agents that are
prescribed based on theirtoxicology.That is, whatever a substance causes in overdose, it will elicit a
healing response when given in specially prepared nanodoses. The logic of the homeopathic approach
is that because symptoms are adaptations and defenses of the body to infection and/or stress, it make!
sense to mimic the b o d ys wisdom rather than suppress it As for treatment of the flu, homeopaths have
proven treatments for people with it The Cochrane Collaboration (an mternationally respected group of
scientists) have concluded that ahomeopathic medicine called "Oscillococcinum" has undergone four
treatment trials with "promising" results for people with the flu or influenza!like syndrome.

To get the best results with Oscillococcinum, one should to take it within 48 hours of onset of the flu.
After thistime,a more individually chosenremedybased on the sick person_s specific symptoms is
necessary (using a homeopathic self!care book or going to a professional homeopath is recommended),
though there is not yet formal research on the use of other homeopathic medicines for the flu. One of
the reasons that Oscillococcinum may be so effective is because it is made from the heart and liver of a
duck. It is now widely known that the vast majority of ducks carry various flu viruses in their digestive
tracts, and epidemiologists have determined that ducks are one of the prime carriers of the flu from one
part of the world to another. It seems that homeopathic doses of the flu virus and of the duck's
antibodies to these viruses provide special therapeutic benefit

Oscillococcinum was first used in 1925, but other homeopathic medicines were so effective during the
1918 flu epidemic that only 1!2% of patients admitted to a homeopathic hospital died, while the death
ratefrominfluenza in the conventional medical hospitals was approximately 30% (Dewey, 1921).
Oscillococcinum has not yet been proven to prevent the flu, and as yet, no homeopathic medicine has
beentestedin the treatment of the new bird flu, but Oscillococcinum and other individually chosen
homeopathic medicines may provide a safe and often effective treatment for people with the flu.

Dana Ullman, MPH, has authored 9 books on homeopathic medicine and has served in teaching or
advisory capacity to alternative medicine institutes at Harvard, Columbia, and the University of
Arizona. His website (www.homeopathic.com) is arichsource of up!to!date information on
homeopathy as well as access to homeopathic books, tapes, medicines, software, and courses.

REFERENCES:
Jefferson T, Rivetti D, Rivetti A, Rudin M, Di Pietrantoni С» Demicheli V. Efficacy and Effectiveness
of Influenza Vaccines in Elderly People: A Systematic Review. The Lancet, October 1,2005,
366(9492):1165!74. (NOTE: The author of this article has acknowledged that the abstract of his article
may provide some confusing information. For more accurate information about the study, please read
the study itself, and/orreadthis article in which Dr. Jefferson was interviewed:
htto://medicalconsimierc.org/page^

Jefferson T, Smith S, Demicheli V, Harnden A, Rivetti A Di Pietrantoni С. Assessment of the efficacy

and effectiveness of influenza vaccines in healthy children: systematic review. Lancet 2005 Feb 26!
Mar4;365(9461):773!80. Review.

Dewey, WA Homeopathy in Influenza: A Chorus of Fifty in Harmony, Journal of the American

Institute of Homeopathy, 1921,1038!1043.

The Cochrane Collaboration, Homoeopathic Oscillococcinum for Preventing and Treating Influenza
and Influenza!Like Syndromes (Review), The Cochrane Library, 4,2005.

Casanova, P, Gerard R. Bilan de 3 asnees d'estudes randomisées multicentriques

Oscillococcinum/placebo. Oscillococcinum-rassegna della letterature internationale. Milan :
Laboratoires Boiron; 1992:11-16.

Ferley, JP, Zmirou, D. D'Admehar, D, et al., "A Controlled Evaluation of a Homoeopathic Preparation
in the Treatment of Influenza-like Syndrome," British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, March,
1989,27:329-35.

Papp, R. Schuback, G. Beck, E., et al, "ОвсШососсіпшп in Patients with Influenza!like Syndromes: A
Placebo Controlled Double!blind Evaluation," British Homeopathic Journal, April, 1998,87:69!76.

Reference to Rick Bright: httoV/msnbc.mm<x3m/id/9428919/

Rumsfeld to Avoid Bird-Flu Drug Issues, New York Times, October 28,2005 CNN Report (October
31,2005) This report highlights many Mgh-ranking political people who are connected to Gilead
Sciences. "I don't know of any biotech company that's so politically well-connected," says analyst
Andrew McDonald of Think Equity Partners in San Francisco.

Dana Ullman, MPH 2124 Kittredge St Berkeley, CA 94704 (510)649-0294 (510)649-1955 (fax)
dullman@igc.org

Bird Flu or Cash Cow?- The Pandemic Some Want to Have

WHO'S Behind Designer Germs?

by Eve Hillary -©2005

Released November 15,2005 - Sydney Australia

I'd finally lost my taste for TV. Its gaudy ads. Its manufactured news, mind numbing sitcoms and titty-
tainment I'd successfully avoided TV for the entire year, until one night my finger strayed onto the
button and flicked around the channels. Graphic footage of dead birds and masked "health" workers
spraying people with chemicals triggered a bad case of deja' vu.

I recalled the time I'd flown to South America to give a presentation at an international Human Rights
conference. A few months previously, on March 4* 2003 the first person had been diagnosed with
SARS, a brand new disease. It was Professor Liu Jianlun, a microbiologist working in a laboratory
involved in secret, government-sponsored work in China's Guangdong province. (1) Incredibly, he had
also been "researching" the H5N1 virus, now known as the "Bird Flu". This was closely followed by
two other deaths; a Singaporean researcher working in a laboratory of the Singapore Environmental
Health Institute and a post doctoral student working on West Nile virus. Singaporean Health Minister
Mr. Balaji Sadasivan, stated that theresearcher'sexposure to the SARS virus "is most likely linked to
that laboratory... where the SARS virus is [also] cultured," (2) It made me wonder just how many bio-
hazard labs were in operation and what other new germs they were engineering.

I'd barely made my flight My husband and I had been very busy in our Integrative (wholistic) medical
clime which offered patients a variety of orthodox as well as complementary and reliable alternative
medical treatments. People traveled long distances to get treatment for cancer and other serious
diseases. For most it was the first time they had been able to make lifestyle changes and receive
physical, emotional and spiritual healing. They literally got a new lease of life. They felt better and
looked better.
Lately, since the media had whipped up fear of a world wide epidemic, dozens of patients visited the
clinic because they were worried about SARS. The health department had issued a SARS bulletin to all
doctors, which listed only 3 criteria for making the diagnosis of SARS; cough, fever and a recent trip
overseas. That could include almost anyone, and I immediately became suspicious. It troubled me that
authorities did not list a specific disease profile for a brand new illness that seemed to one minute
reside exclusively inside biohazard laboratories and the next minute allegedly spread into human
populations. I'd also noticed drug company shares rise from the sale of drags forrespiratoryillness. In
our practice we found very few drugs were in fact necessary for healing and disease prevention. Our
patients who had taken regular doses of vitamins, minerals, omega oils, antioxidants and other natural
supplements had rarely come down with colds, flu, and other infections. I hadn't had a cold or flu for
over ten years since I had started takingregularsupplements. After much illness and many attempts at
personal healing, I finally realised the fact that the only thing that would keep me healthy was a
functional immune system.

The day I boarded the aircraft two passengers were plucked from Sydney airport and quarantined in a
Sydney Hospital. Media reports showed masked Asian airport personnel prowling around tenninals
with fever detector gadgets, hauling hot and bothered travelers off into quarantine areas. Having finally
made it on board I had a chance to think again about the emergence of diseases for profit, an issue
which I had just published in my second book "Health Betrayal". I thought about AIDS - a previously
unheard of disease entity which emerged in the early 1980's. A few years earlier Merck pharmaceutical
company had developed an experimental hepatitis vaccine which was given to gay men and Africans.
By 1980 (he AIDS epidemic started in those populations which had received the experimental vaccine.
(3) Since then the WHO (World Health Organization) with its close ties to pharmaceutical companies,
has strictly mandated billions of doses of various types of vaccines to Africans and other third world
residents where AIDS has spread like wild fire. Governments have vaccinated unwilling populations at
gunpoint. One African activist, Kihura Nkuba writes; "The enthusiasm of government to give vaccines
to a people that it normally gives nothing [to] was seen as very suspicious. The forcing of them to take
a vaccine against a disease they know to be harmless and which they know how to cure in its harmful
state was seen as government hell bent on killing its own population for the benefit of... white world.
All village people know that once you have recovered from measles you will never catch it again, but
here they were telling people to vaccinate even those who have recovered from measles. In other
villages police armed to the teeth moved from house to house searching for children to immunize. In
2002 Nkuba writes after a vaccination campaign; "...there was one mother who hadfour children, and
she hid one and took three other children for vaccination, and three children died and that one
survived. "

It is noteworthy that of over 45 million people afflicted with HIV/AIDS worldwide, 39 million of them
are in third world countries. In 2003 the average AIDS patient, who could afford it, paid US $15,000
per year for AIDS drugs which have not been shown to be effective in the treatment of the disease. (4)

In late 2001 someone mailed anthrax bacillus to several key individuals and news organizations in the
US. Two people subsequently died of anthrax. The strain was identified as originating from Fort
Detrick - a military bio-weapons facility. The anthrax had been weaponised, its potency increased for
use in biological warfare. There are few facilities known in the world to have that capacity. They
include US military laboratories and a government contractor. (5) While the mainstream media
whipped up anti Muslim sentiment, drag company cashregistersstarted ringing. Almost immediately,
sales for Cipro, an antibiotic made by Bayer hit the roof as 30,000 Americans started taking the drag,
just in case. Terrified Americans thought nothing of paying US $700 for a two mondi supply of Cipro
despite its potentially serious side effects. Other generic versions of the drug were available but not
widely publicized. The anthrax scareresultedin lucrative new drag company contracts to manufacture
both anthrax and smallpox vaccinations for the military and general population. It also gave rise to the
Model State Emergency Health Powers Act, giving the government wide powers to quarantine, drag
and inject vaccinations into persons at gunpoint in the event of a "public health emergency" being
declared Many US states passed this Bill after September 11, which included an exemption to drag
companies and vaccine makers for any vaccine deaths or injuries that would occur. (16) Public
advocacy groups have already started work on having the Bill repealed, on the grounds that it is
unconstitutional.

On the long flight I had a chance to think about the West Nile virus (WNV) which first broke out in a
poor, predominately black section of New York City in August 1999, when it had never been known to
exist in the US. The virus had only ever been known in East Africa where it resulted in a mild disease
that did not affect other animal and bird populations to any significant degree. However, the new NY
strain of the WNV is able to jump the species barrier. Since the year 2000 over 10,000 wild birds have
died, countless horses, primates and the human death toll exceeds 146 Americans. Only the most
vulnerable people die however. As many as 200,000 people are infected and are clinically well, posing
a good argument for keeping the immune system functioning well. The new strain has spread over
most eastern US states. While health officials claim the WNV virus jumped into the U.S. from Africa,
the new virulent NY strain had been cultured and engineered in Biohazard facilities for years and sold
to labs around the world

Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies including OraVax have made millions in WNV vaccine
research and products. Thomas Monath, Vice President of Research and Medical Affairs at OraVax, is
one of die world's leading arbovirologists. He became an advisor to NY Mayor Giuliani when the
WNV problem first emerged in the city. Monath had previously developed genetically engineered
vaccines against WNV type organisms in his capacity as the Chief of the Virology Division, U.S. Army
at Fort Detrick, Maryland. Since the 1950s die U.S. military began developing bio-warfare weapons at
Fort Detrick by cooking up germs from exotic animal diseases intended to cripple die Soviet or other
enemy economies by killing horses, cattle, birds and swine with crippling new epidemics. By the 1970s
new advances in genetic engineering allowed the creation of new designer viruses that jump species
barriers and even cause cancer. Since then many analysts have claimed these germs have been used for
population control as well as commercial purposes with the assistance of high level US government
agencies.

In fact plagues of animal diseases had badly affected the UK which had slaughtered almost 4 million
animals after an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD). Wikipedia defines the disease as a highly
contagious but Non Fatal viral disease, meaning it is similar to the common cold in humans. If left to
their own devices animals recover from the disease with permanent immunity to it. However
laboratories licensed to manipulate or engineer the FMD virus can create forms that differ from the
wild virus strain. The UK animals were infected with type О pan Asia strain, which is not normally
found in the UK. Foot and mouth virus "research" was carried out by Merial Animal Health. This
facility, owned by Merck and Avenus, is also a vaccme production laboratory located near Pirbright,
Surrey, not far from Britain's own government Institute for Animal Health. According to the Sunday
Express, a routine audit into the government's bio!warfare research laboratory Porton Down revealed
that a container of foot and mouth virus went missing two months before the outbreak in early 2001.
(7) While it is still unknown who was responsible for the outbreak, there were certainly many who
profited from it Merck's Merial is the leading supplier of foot and mouth disease vaccme. (8) After
the UK beef market collapsed overnight, Tyson Foods, the US based largest meat and poultry producer
and packer in the world expanded its international market into the UK. The outbreak proved to be
catastrophic to UK agriculture and rural families but a lucrative cash cow to multinational slaughter
houses, food processors and pharmaceutical companies.

My flight arrived at midnight in Panama City, where I disembarked and waited for another flight to
Columbia. I was tired and wanted nothing more than to get on board and catch a few hours sleep, but I
was about to learn a lesson about the political benefits of unleashing fear. Unbeknownst to me, a flight
from Tokyo had arrived at San Jose International airport on red alert after the cabin crew informed US
ground officials of five people aboard suspected of having SARS. The reason for the alert, as it later
turned out, was that the passengers had simply coughed. Official fear mongering included few actual
facts about SARS, an atypical pneumonia vims, which had only ever lived in a bio!lab before it
appeared in several Asian countries simultaneously. Of the alleged 2960 cases of SARS worldwide,
119 people died, a death rate of 4% from the virus. In comparison, 3!5 million people are affected by
seasonal influenza virus, having identical symptoms, resulting in between 250 000 and 500 000 deaths
every year around the world, mainly affecting high risk groups such as the elderly, poorly mourished or
chronically ill. (10)
Dr. Loraine Day MD, a distinguished US physician states; "The supposed disorder of "SARS": A..
CANNOT be distinguished, by its symptoms, from virtually ANY other mild or severe respiratory
disorder! And B. CANNOT be distinguished by any specific microorganism! If I, a highly trained
physician, CANNOT distinguish SARSfromANY OTHER type of routine pneumonia based on ANY of
the government's published information, how are lay people going to do it? ". (12)
The atmosphere seemed unusually tense around the Panama terminal during the early hours of the
morning.
I drank from my bottle of water, and cleared my throat after the dry air on the plane had irritated it.
This caught the eye of several uniformed health department personnel scanning the crowd in the transit
lounge. I looked away as I felt two sets of dark eyes scanning me suspiciously. When a passing crowd
of travelers obscured the officials' view of me I hastily moved away to another lounge. Why?
Because, new public health legislation around the world modeled on the US Model State Emergency
Health Powers Act means to allow force in detaining and quarantining anyone, using the latest disease
as a reason, whether it actually exists or not That means fasten your seatbelts travelers, because now
flight attendants, cleaners,teachers,general informants and bureaucrats will be practicing medicine
without a license. Personally, I'drathertake my chances with a real doctor than an airport employee.

Bird Flu ! Pandemic of Greed

Since my trip I wondered why the first SARS deaths involved Asian scientists working in a biohazard
lab with west Nile virus and bird flu. The bird flu has made its rounds yearly, severely affecting Asian
countries where 117 people have allegedly been infected and 60 have allegedly died since 1997. Most
deaths occurred in Vietnam, where scientific facilities are barely adequate to make a definitive
diagnosis.
Prior to 1997, the wild bird flu was a rare andrelativelymild virus affecting only birds. The first case
of bird flu affecting a human appeared in Asia in 1997. Apparently the wild virus had mysteriously
changed to H5N1 strain, a variety that could very rarely affect humans when ingesting infected meat or
in very close contact with birds. The "high path" H5N1 strain appeared suddenly and has been known
to be located in many bio-hazard labs around the world. When the Associated Press reported the death
of a 60-year-old woman allegedly of bird flu, the U.S. Government halted "all chicken imports from
China in a move to curb the spread of the virus." Shortly after, the first wave of slaughter began with
1.2 million Asian chickens. By 2003, 40 million birds had been slaughtered and Tyson foods, the
Arkansas based largest meat producer and packer in the world has been making steady inroads into the
previously closed Asian poultry market, filling the gap in production. The "high path" H5N1 strain hit
the Asian countries hardest, such as Thailand, Japan, Vietnam and China who rely on poultry products
for export and pose a real competition to giant US based meant processing corporations. These
countries have had strong independent markets catering to domestic poultry needs, traditionally
impenetrable to western imports. Meanwhile the US reported a "low path" H5N2 outbreak of bird flu
in Texas in 2004, which has not disrupted US exports. Tyson Foods chief administrative officer, Greg
Lee, isreportedby Reuters to have said: "We are seeing and do expect to see some positive benefit as a
result of disruptions in some of the Asian production," (11) Meanwhile, since May 2005, new
outbreaks of high path H5N1 bird flu strain has cut a swathe across poultry in Russia, Greece, Holland,
Kazakhstan, Turkey, Romania, Mongolia and Croatia, where massive poultry exterminations have
begun. The poultry infection near the eastern block has caused widespread suspicion, A member of the
Liberal Democratic faction of the Russian State Duma, Aleksei Mitrofanov, has said in a parliamentary
speech that bird flu was invented by Americans who wanted to dominate the world's poultry markets.
(13)

Dr. Len Horowitz, US independent public health expert writes; 'According to USA Today (October 9,
2005), "European health officials are working to contain the [avian flu] virus, which so far has not
infected anyone in the region. " Although, allegedly "more than 140 million birds have died or been
destroyed, . . . and financial losses to the poultry sector have topped $10 billion. " This propaganda
actually admits, "the current virus, known as H5N1, has not yet mutated to the point at which it can
easily spread from person to person. " In fact, it is likely to have never spread from person to person
other than during laboratory handling!' He further states: "In not a single case has human-to-human
communicability been confirmed. So long as that remains the case, there is no bird flu threat to the
human population of places such as Vietnam, much less the United States. "

DR. Nancy Cox, Chief, Influenza Branch, CDC (Centers for Disease Control) has said during a
February 2004 news conference, " ...As you've already heard, avian influenza viruses usually do not
infect humans. " Meanwhile, the prestigious British Medical Journal editorial October 2005 Quotes;
"The lack of sustained human-to-human transmission suggests that this H5NI avian virus does not
currently have the capacity to cause a human pandemic". Despite the scientific evidence to the
contrary, US and global health officials insist on calling the bird flu a human pandemic. A UN
spokesman David Nabarro said in late 2005; "5 million to 150 million people "could" be killed "if the
virus mutated and jumped to humans. " While Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt,
said in the US Senate; 'If it isn't the current H5N1 virus that leads to an influenza pandemic, at some
point in our nation 's future, another virus will."

Meanwhile panic is being spread globally. An October 31, 2005 article in the Australian Age
newspaper states; "DISASTER experts from the Asia-Pacific region will meet in Brisbane today to
discuss how to cope with a global outbreak of deadly bird flu, amid warnings that international travel
would be virtually wiped out in a pandemic." While the Canberra Times reported: "Health Minister
Tony Abbott yesterday said overseas travel would almost cease for a "significant period" if avian flu
broke out in the region. " (18) Australia, regarded by some as the Asia Pacific regional policeman for
implementing global policies, has not had a case of bird flu to date.

Without a sign of a human epidemic, on October 28, 2005 the US Senate passed an $8 billion
emergency bill to fund research, drugs and vaccines, based on no scientific evidence that bird flu
constitutes a significant human threat and overwhelming evidence to the contrary. The administration is
seeking an additional $6 billion to $10 billion from US taxpayers, according to a current Business
Week report "President Bush this week asked the leaders of the world's top vaccine manufacturers -
Chiron, Sanofi-Aventis, Wyeth, GlaxoSmithKline and Merck - to come to the White House on Friday to
discuss preparationsfor pandemicflu,"reportsthe New York Times in October. Meanwhile taxpayer
billions will also flow into the coffers of selected pharmaceutical giants such as Roche, which holds the
sole license to manufacture Tamiflu, an anti viral drag that is meant only for reducing the symptoms of
the seasonal influenza and has never been tested for use for the bird flu. Thousands of Americans are
lining up for their dose when there has not been a single case of H5Nlbird flu in the US. Without a
single human case of H5N1, Tamiflu is in such demand that a new US factory is being planned to
ensure there is more of the drag available by the 2006 flu season.

Meanwhile President Bush is discussing the use of the military to enforce quarantine of suspected bird
flu carriers. The US plans to install a new quarantine station at Logan International Airport to diagnose
travelers. Preliminary discussions include plans to impose 10 year jail terms on people who breach
orders to stay at home, in hospital or within their city during an influenza outbreak. This has resulted
in heavy opposition among independent thinkers. The Boston Globe quotes on October 8,2005, "On
Tuesday, the president suggested that the United States should confront the risk of a bird flu pandemic
by giving him the power to use the US military to quarantine "part[s] of the country" experiencing an
"outbreak " So we have moved quickly in the past month, at least metaphorically, from the global war
on terror to aproposed war on hurricanes, to aproposed war on the bird flu. " (14)
Quotes an editorial on Freemarketnews.com: "President Bush's recent remarks about mandating
vaccinations for avian flu is further evidence of the militarization of public health care and would abo
seem to reflect a dangerous misunderstanding about disease and palliative methodologies." Many
qualified doctors would agree, including Dr. Lorraine Day MD who states; "It is virtually
IMPOSSIBLE to get sick if your immune system isfunctioning properly ".

SOLUTIONS - Are Already Here

A Culture Change is spreading around the world, albeit largely unreported by mainstream media.
However, more people now source their news, and health information from the internet and alternative
new publications than from tbe mainstream media which is funded by corporate advertisers and reflects
corporateratherpublic interest. Fresh knowledge and truth is blowing a wind of change through every
country, profession, corporation and corridor of power on the planet The truth in fact is astonishingly
powerful. It empowers people to act, to challenge wrongs, to make informed choices, to create
authentic lives, to have better options, to resist deception, to have; more power, confidence, better
communication, more faith, hope, and love. In contrast to creating wars, the truth makes for better
families, better communities and more freedom.

For example, it is increasingly known that main stream medicine is becoming the leading cause of
death because it is dominated by improper drag company and bio-tech influences. Health professionals
and ethical scientists are now reporting truth in medicine and science from independent websites and
alternative news publications, and millions are clicking on to get important health and scientific
mformation. Lawyers are now tracking legal and Constitutional abuses. Activists and independent
consumer advocates are now reaching millions of people, spawning a host of mformation and support
organizations, ethical companies and investment opportunities. Scores of former main stream
journalists are becoming independent, reporting news on alternative news sites, with some creating
their own popular identities as ethical broadcasters, investigative writers and filmmakers. This
alternative media is attracting millions of readers each day who have abandoned mainstream media
sources. This has caused a massive resurgence of 'grass roots health care, activism, literature,
democracy, family values, morality and spmtuality, which is tj-ieatening to rattle the cages of those in
power.

"Things have changed. " Writes Ignacio Ramonet in La Monde, "...even the "masters of the world"
are not free of trouble... the G8 leaders were besieged and publicly upstaged by upwards of 200,000
demonstrators...people are not impressed. Democratic election does not justify presidents when they
betray their electoral promises and the public interest, or embark on wholesale privatization ... Nor
does it entitle them to move heaven and earth to service the demands of the companies that financed
their electoral campaigns. "

Some Independent Sources

1. Seek a balance of information from independent media sources. hito://www.michaelmoore.com/,

http://www.fintandunne.com/. hlto://www.mdvmedia.org/eii/mdex.shtml.
hlto://www.mdeoendent!mem'a.lv/index.cf m and many orner alternative media sources.
2. Public health information and healthfreedomsites; try www.mercola.com, or
hl^://www.drdav.com/ or htto://www.mercola.com/2005/oct/25/avian flu epidemic is a hoax.htm
or www.evehillarv.orp or htto://www.shirlevs!wel1ne&s!cafe.coin/v!l^ser.ht~ .
htto://www.credence.org/ or many others include information on how to stay healthy naturally,
despite increased manufactured illness and official mismfonnatioa
3. Before consenting to any vaccine, check the information from National Vaccine information Centre
http://www.nvic.org/ or http://www.avn.ore.au/ or
www.tetrahedron.org/articles/vaccine awareness.html
4. Information on vaccine exemptions; htto://thiijktwice.com/ Also everyone has the right to make
contracts or agreements with others. You may hold your health care provider legally accountable in
any jurisdiction for any administered vaccination or invasive medication or treatment by requiring them
to sign a private agreement to accept full legal liability for any damages that may occur as a result of
the vaccination/medication/treatment. See http://www.vaclib.org/legal/acceptl .htm or
www.vaclib.org/exempt/australia.htm for a sample agreement. Vaccine exemptions are also possible in
Africa. Or enroll your child into the newly forming vaccmefreepreschools.
5. Support The Institute of Science in Society who want Independent science supported " to establish
broad funding criteria that put public interest ahead of Ч еаіш creation', and to include ethical and
safety considerations before the research is funded" http://www.i!sis.org.uk/ISPF7.php. Sign up for
their excellent newsletter.
6. Judiciary watchdog; http://www.iudgewatch.org/top/search.htm

References

1. Original story appeared on April 4th only on the Italian newspaper "La Repubblica" under
the tide: "Da super scienziato a grande untore il paziente zero del virus killer"., written by
Marco Lupis
2. Channelnewsasia report April 2003.
3. Death in the Air Globalism Terrorism and Toxic Warfare by Dr. Leonard Horowitz.
Tetrahedron Publishing Group. 2001
4. FindLaw.com. November 26,2003
5. Anthrax Attacks Pushed Open an Ominous Door 22 September, 2002
By Barbara Hatch Rosenberg Chair, Federation of American Scientists Working
Group on Biological Weapons, Professor, SUNY!Purchase
6. hlto://www.whale.to/a/kihura.htm
7. htto://www.greens.oi_/s!r/27/27!16.html
8. htto://www.cdc.pov/flu/avian/gen!iiifo/facte.hl
m
9. htto://vvvm.freemarketnevvs.com/WoridNevvs.asp?nld=1320
10. http://www.mastemewmedia.org/2003/04/24/sars separating fact from ficlion.htm
11. hlto://www.freerepublic.corn/focus/f!news/1067203/post s
12. htto://www.drdav.com/sars.htm
13. MosNews, Moscow, 21 October, 2005.
14. Published on Saturday, October 8, 2005 by the Boston Globe. Bush's Risky Flu
Pandemic Plan by George J. Annas.
15. Presidents under pressure By Ignacio Ramone t in La Monde. August 2001
16. htto://en.wuripedia.org/wiki/Model State Emergency Health Powers Act
17. "The Rise of Global Activism" A feature article by Eve Hillary 2004. www.evehillarv.org
18. Canberra Times 30 October 2005

About Eve Hillary

Eve Hillary is based in Sydney, Australia. She has been as a free"lance Investigative writer for
over ten years and the author of Health Betrayaland Children ofa Toxic Harvest

As an internationally published writer and speaker, Eve specializes in documenting the human
impact of multinational medical and btotech corporations, emerging epidemics, gene
pollution, chemical pollution, government regulators, CODEX and their implications to human
health. Eve has spent 25 years in health care as a health practitioner where she has
observed the medical industry at first hand from the inside.

Eve has mainly reported on material that the mainstream media ignores. She is convinced
there is a global grass roots Health Freedom and Social Justice movement emerging that will
bring about a phenomenal renaissance in the years to come.

In 2005, Eve conducted a Health Freedom campaign in Australia to preserve natural health
supplements from the influence of CODEX Alimenta rius.

Knowledge is power, and Eve's primary objective is to return this power to the individuals
whose lives depend on it. She uncompromisingly believes that knowing the truth is a right
that belongs to the public. www.evehillary.orq

Flu shot ineffective ; "marketing rules the response to

influenza"
September 22,2005 2 Studies Find Flu Treatments Fall Far Short By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

International Herald Tribune

ROME, Sept. 21 - Just as governments around the world are stockpiling millions of doses of flu
vaccine and antiviral drags in anticipation of a potential influenza pandemic, two new surprising
research papers to be published Thursday have found that such treatments are far less effective than
previously thought.

"The studies published today reinforce the shortcomings of our efforts to control influenza," wrote Dr.
Guan Yi, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong, in an editorial that accompanied the papers. The
two studies were published early online by The Lancet, the London-based medical publication, because
of their important implications for the corning flu season.

In one paper, internationalresearchersanalyzed all the datafrompatient studies on the flu vaccine
performed worldwide in the last 37 years and discovered that vaccines showed at best a "modest"
ability to prevent influenza or its complications in elderly people.

"The runaway 100 percent effectiveness that's touted by proponents was nowhere to be seen," said Tom
Jefferson, aresearcherin Rome with the Cochrane Vaccine Fields project, an international consortium
of scientists who perform systematic reviews of research data.

"There is a wild overestimation of the impact of these vaccines in the community," he said. "In the case
of a pandemic, we are unsurefromthe data whether these vaccines would work on the elderly."

In the second paper,researchersfromthe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Adanta found
that influenza viruses, particularly those from the dreaded bird flu strain, had developed high rates of
resistancetothe only class of cheap antiviral drugs available - drugs mainly used to treat flu once
patients have caught it Theseresistancerateshave increased rapidly since 2003, particularly in Asia.

"We were alarmed to find such a dramatic increase in drag resistance in circulating human influenza
viruses in recent years," said Dr. Rick Bright of the disease control centers. "Our report has broad
implications for agencies and governments planning to stockpile these drugs for epidemic and
pandemic strains of influenza."

Before 2000, almost no virus wasresistantto the drag Amantadine. By 2004,15 percent of influenza A
viruses collected in South Korea, 70 percent in Hong Kong and 74 percent in China were impervious.
During the first six months of 2005,15 percent of the influenza A viruses in the United States were
resistant, upfrom2 percent the year before. All human cases of the bird flu A(H5N1) strain - which is
still extremely rare in humans • have been resistant, theresearcherssaid.

The immediate implications of thesefindingare most ominous for the developing world, because
wealthier nations have been stockpiling newer and vasdy more expensive antiviral medicines, like
Tamiflu, which are effective against the disease but still under patent

Even so, the research is alarming because it demonstrates how quickly and unexpectedly flu viruses can
become impervious to medicines once they are put into common use, as they would be in the case of a
pandemic. Also, at their best, antiviral medicines do not cure influenza. Theyreducetransmission of
the disease and lessen somewhat the symptoms and complications in people already infected, including
the highrateof associated pneumonias.

Called for comment, Dick Thompson, a spokesman for the World Health Organization, said that the
group could neither support nor deny the findings of the analysis of vaccine studies at this point, noting
only that some specialists criticized theresearchersfor "not including some important past studies" in
their sample.

But the problem of resistance "is afindingthat is being discussed widely within the flu world and will
bear careful monitoring," he said, noting that he was not aware of any country in the developing world
that had been able to stockpile the newer drugs.

Anticipating a possible flu pandemic caused by a variant of the bird flu virus - which belongs to the
influenza A group - countries have been aggressively buying antiviral medicines and contracting to
purchase a flu vaccine against that strain, even though it is still under development The United States
has ordered $100 million worth of vaccme, and Italy $43 million worth, for example.

The current bird flu virus does not spread easily - if at all - from human to human, and so has little
potential to become a worldwide human scourge. But the World Health Organization has warned that it
could acquire that potential through a couple of common biological processes, and that countries
should prepare for a possible wave of serious influenza.

The fact that the vaccine study showed that inoculations have had only a modest effect in the elderly is
particularly worrisome, because this is a group thattendstosuffer highratesof complications and
deathsfromthe disease and vaccination is the standard practice. In people over 65, the vaccines "are
apparently ineffective" in the prevention of influenza, pneumonia and hospital admissions, although
they didreducedeathsfrompneumonia a bit, by "up to 30 percent," the study says.

"What you see is that marketing rules the response to influenza, and scientific evidence comes fourth or
fifth," Dr. Jefferson said. "Vaccines may have arole,but they appear to have a modest effect The best
strategy to prevent the illness is to wash your hands."

Intermsof antiviral drags, 30 countries have placed huge orders for Tamiflu, the most popular newer
more expensive antiviral medicine, said Martina Rupp, a spokesman for Roche, the Swiss company
that makes it The Dutch Health Ministry has ordered five million doses, enough to treat one-third of
the population. Britain has ordered supplies to treat 15 million.

Researchers speculate that onereasonresistancerates to the older, cheaper antiviral drags jumped so
much starting in 2000 - and skyrocketed after 2002 - is that doctors in Asia started prescribing the
drags far more widely after the advent of bird flu in 1997 and sudden acute respiratory syndrome, or
SARS, in 2002.

No Mutation Seen In Fatal Virus

The New York Times
HONG KONG, Sept 21 - A woman's deathfromavian influenza in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia,
has caused alarm there, but genetictestshere on virus samplesfromthe woman showed on Wednesday
that the virus had not mutated in ways likely to make it more of a threat to people.

The virus in the woman, who died early this month, "seems like a virus that has gone directly from
birds," rather thanfromperson to person, said Dr. Georg Petersen, the World Health Organization
representative in Jakarta. The deaths of two girls withflulikesymptoms this week in Jakarta have fed
public concern there. But Dr. Petersen said that laboratory tests would be needed to conclude whether
the girls had been infected with the A(H5N1) virus.

Suicides raise fears over Tamiflu

Medicines regulators are monitoring the antiviral Tamiflu after reportsfromJapan that two teenagers
who had taken the drug committed suicide. The European Medicines Evaluation Agency said it was
aware of the cases. But it said there was no evidence there was a direct link between Tamiflu and the
teenagers' suicides, and said flu itself could lead to delusions.

Tamiflu, the main weapon against a flu pandemic, is being stockpiled by governments including the
UK's. One of the things that has to be determined in these cases is if there was a causal link between the
drug and theteenagers'actions EMEA spokesman. The incidents in Japan took place in February 2004
and February 2005. Bothteenagersdisplayed abnormal behaviour before their deaths.

In thefirstcase, a 17-year-old ran out of his house and jumped over arailing,falling into the path of a
track In the second, ateenagerfell to his deathfromthe ninthfloorof his apartment building. An
estimated 33m people around the world havereceivedTamiflu. During the 2004-05 flu season in
Japan, six million took the drug.

Safety review
Japanese authorities have amended the patient information which comes with the drag to list
psychiatric effects, such as delusions, in the list of side effects. However, a spokesman for the EMEA
said it had not been felt necessary to put similar warnings on the medication labelling in Europe. He
stressed flu itself could lead to such conditions, particularly in the elderly and the young. He added:
"Psychiatric side effects are one of the things that is most closely monitored in relation to all drags.

The spokesman said it was known one of the teenagers had taken Tamiflu before without any ill
effects, but would not reveal which for reasons of patient confidentiality. And he said ute EMEA had
evaluated 48 reports of psychiatric side effects from Tamiflu as part of a regular safetyreviewof the
drug in July this year. Most - 28 - of those reports had comefromJapan, with 10 comingfromthe US,
fivefromCanada, threefromGermany and twofromFrance. Theyrelatedto serious abnormal
psychiatric behaviour, such as delirium and hallucinations.

Evidence review
A spokeswoman for Roche, the manufacturers of Tamiflu, said the company was aware of the two
Japanese cases involving instances of "abnormal behaviour". She added: "The information on these two
cases has been shared with otherregulatoryauthorities around the world, who have taken them into
consideration and made the decision that no change to the summary of product characteristics was
warranted. "These conditions are known complications of influenza and its associated high fever. "A
number of studies have clearly shown that use of Tamiflu does not increase the likelihood of such
events occurring in patients with influenza."

Story from BBCNEWS: httD://news.bbc.co.uk/eo/pr/fr/-/2/hi/health/4438342.stm Published:

2005/11/1513:10:43 GMT
FDA probes deaths of Tamiflu patients
By Lisa RIChWineThu Nov 17, 1:15 PM ET

U.S. regulators are studying the deaths of 12 children in Japan who took Roche AG's flu-
fighting drug Tamiflu, officials said on Thursday, but they said it was difficult to tell whether the
drug played a role in any of the cases.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was "concerning" that 32 psychiatric events,
such as hallucinations and abnormal behavior, also had been reported in children who took
Tamiflu, which is in high demand because it is considered to be one of the best defenses
against avian flu in people. All but one of the psychiatric problems also were reported in
Japan, the FDA said.

The agency will ask for input on the cases from an advisory panel of outside experts at a
public meeting on Friday. Officials said the review was part of the routine monitoring of the
safety of medicines used by children.

In a separate summary posted on the FDA Web site, Roche said: 'There is no increase in
deaths and neuropsychiatrie events in patients on Tamiflu versus influenza patients in
general."

Roche shares fell 2.7 percent in Swiss trading. Shares of Gilead Sciences Inc., which
invented the drug and receives royalties on Tamiflu sales, were down 1.6 percent in afternoon
Nasdaq trade.

Interest in Tamiflu has risen as experts around the world warn of the possibility for an H5N1
bird flu pandemic in people. Several countries are stockpiling Tamiflu, which may be able to
lessen symptoms.

Earlier this week Roche reported two possible suicides of Japanese youth who took Tamiflu
but said there was no clear evidence the drug contributed.

Tamiflu is recognized as causing psychological disturbance, and therefore the apparent

suicidal behavior of these two teenagers has been linked to taking Tamiflu," analysts at
Morgan Stanley Equity Research said in a statement.

The FDA said the 12 deaths it was reviewing included one suicide, four cases of sudden
death and four cases of cardiac arrest. There also were single cases of pneumonia,
asphyxiation and acute pancreatitis.

'The level of detail in these reports was highly variable and determining the contribution of
Tamiflu to the deaths was difficult," the FDA summary said.

"At this point in time, we cannot make an association between Tamiflu and the deaths of
these children," said Dr. Murray Lumpkin, FDA deputy commissioner for international and
special programs. He said no similar cases have been seen in the United States. "But we
thought it was very important to talk about these publicly with our advisory committee,"
Lumpkin said.
The "most alarming" psychiatric events included two cases in which a 12-year-old and a 13-
year-old jumped out of the second-floor windows of their homes after receiving two doses of
Tamiflu, the FDA summary said.

Warnings about possible skin reactions may need to updated on the Tamiflu label, the FDA
said. Twelve cases have been reported, including one of a severe skin problem known as
Steven-Johnsons syndrome that was reported in a 3-year-old. The agency said it had
requested more information from Roche and Japanese regulatory authorities and had
received preliminary responses.

"We ... conclude that there is virtually no chance of the FDA making any significant changes
to the labeling of Tamiflu as a result of these observations," the Morgan Stanley team said.
Roche will present data from three drug databases and a study of Tamiflu use in young
children at the advisory panel meeting, company spokesman Al Wasilewski said. "Over the
past six years, Tamiflu has been used widely and has set a consistent safety record in both
the United States and Japan," he said.
The Flu Vaccine... A Shot in the Dark?
Pat Thomas 18/02/2009

If we truly knew about flu, and the lack of effectiveness of the vaccme being offered as
protection, would we really be so obedient about getting the jab?

It's flu season again. The posters are up in the clinics, your GP has a stack of NHS information
leaflets and advertisements and articles are appearing in the media carrying the health authority
message that it's time to get vaccinated.

Stirring up fear and apprehension through association is not a new tactic, but among the more
troubling aspects of this message is the way that promoting a vaccine for flu places influenza on
a par with more devastating diseases such as smallpox and diphtheria. Nevertheless the scare
tactics have worked. Flu vaccine uptake among the over 65s, for example, has risen for each of
the last three years from 65, to 68 and now 69 per cent against the government target of 70 per
cent set three years ago.

The catch phrase on this year's NHS information leaflet is: 'If you knew about the flu you'd get
the jab'. But if people truly knew about flu, and the lack of effectiveness of the vaccine being
offered as protection, would they really be so obedient about getting the jab?

How deadly is the flu?

According to the UK Department of Health (DOH), 3,000 to 4,000 excess deaths are attributable
to flu in non-epidemic years. During epidemics this figure rises; in 1989-90 there were
apparently 30,000 excess deaths in Great Britain attributable to flu. The new DOH 'factsheet'
Influenza: The Disease and The Vaccine goes further, estimating that an additional 12,500 people
die each year during the flu season in England and Wales. In the US, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) website notes that, on average, 36,000 people die each year from
flu in the US.

Contrast these figures with those from the Office for National Statistics, which show that in 2004
only 33 people died of influenza in England and Wales, and the CDC's own data showing that in
2002 just 753 people died from flu and in 2001 only 257.

The discrepancy between actual deaths and those reported in 'factsheets' arises from the practice
of combining flu deaths with a percentage of those from pneumonia and other respiratory
diseases, making flu appear more deadly than it is.

The most recent CDC National Vital Statistics Report, for example, lists influenza and
pneumonia as the seventh leading cause of death in 2002. Break down the figures and you find
that only 753 of those deaths were flu-associated, while 65,321 were pneumonia-associated. Ifall
flu-associated deaths are removed, pneumonia-associated deaths would still rank number 7, but
influenza would barely register on the medical radar.
Tbe whole truth?
In the UK, totalfludeaths are also the result of combining influenza and pneumonia deaths, but
the DOH's influenza factsheet goes further combining data onflu,pneumonia and bronchitis, to
paint its dramatic picture offlu!related mortality. In small print it acknowledges: 'It is difficult
to establish how many people are seriously affected byflueach year as hospital admissions and
deaths may be due to complications or the infection making other illnesses worse.'

In other words they are guessing and it is the laziest kind of guesswork since the winter season
can bring about a whole range of health complications, including higher cholesterol levels and
worsening glucose control, which have nothing at all to do with viruses. In fact, according to a
2002 report published in the British Medical Journal in which British scientists tracked the
causes of excess winter deaths over the preceding 10 years,fluaccounted for less than three per
cent of all excess winter deaths in the UK (a higherfigurethan in other developed countries). In
this country 'cold stress' ! lack of adequate heating indoors and lack of appropriate winter
clothing when outdoors ! was the bigger killer.

Health professionals justify combiningfludeaths with pneumonia deaths by insisting that

'influenza leads to pneumonia', but the facts don't generally support this. The American Lung
Association, for instance, acknowledges over 30 different causes of pneumonia (one of which is
influenza). A single bacterium ! Streptococcus pneumoniae ! is responsible for up to 50 per cent
of all cases of pneumonia. Pneumonia is also caused by other bacteria such as Staphylococcus
aureus, Pertussis (whooping cough), Streptococci, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (a common
cause of walking pneumonia). There are also many noninfectious causes of pneumonia such as
asthma, aspiration offluids,toxic exposures and immunodeficiency.

Neither the CDC nor the DOH track the specific causes of the pneumonias that result in death.
What is clear, however is that influenza is not the major cause of pneumonia and not a major
cause of death. What has also become clear is that thefluvaccination does not prevent death.

Earlier this year a report in the medical journal Archives ofInternal Medicine dropped a
bombshell: although immunization rates in the elderly (people over 65) have increased 50 per
cent in the past 20 years, there has not been a concurrent decline influ!relateddeaths.

Another year, another vaccme

Vaccines are the sacred cows of medicine, you can't question their effectiveness or publicise
their adverse effects without sustaining a volley of criticismfromthe medical orthodoxy.
Nevertheless we should be sceptical of their necessity and effectiveness, especially for seasonal,
selflimiting illnesses like the flu.
There are three types offluvirus ! types А, В and С Influenza A occurs morefrequently,is the
most virulent and is responsible for most major epidemics and pandemics. Influenza В often
cocirculates with influenza A during the yearly outbreaks, but generally causes less severe
illness. Influenza С usually only causes a mild or asymptomatic infection similar to the common
cold.
Within each of these types there are many different strains of influenza virus. While some are
more common than others, there are literally hundreds of flu viruses that can be circulating at any
one time. Nevertheless, every February the scientists at the World Health Organization meet tó
try and divine the three that are likely to cause the most misery the following winter. The viruses
they choose - two type As and one type B, say - are then included in that year's vaccine.

Problematically, in the several months between formulating the vaccine and administering it, the
viruses - which are naturally constantly evolving and mutating - may have changed, or new ones
may have emerged.

Maybe you will be infected with the virus that matches the vaccine, but then again maybe you
won't; flu 'experts' often get it wrong. For example, in 1994 they predicted that Shangdong,
Texas, and Panama strains would be prevalent that year, thus millions of people were vaccinated
against these viruses. However, when winter arrived, it was the Johannesburg and Beijing strains
that circulated through society. It was a similar story in 1996,1997 and most recently, in 2003
when the vaccine was made from flu strains that were uncommon that season.

No Protection
While the flu vaccine is vigorously promoted by health agencies as the 'best' protection against
flu, proclamations of how many people didn't get flu thanks to vaccination are little more than
fantasy; there is no truly reliable way to tell who would or would not have contracted the disease.
What is more, studies into the efficacy of the vaccine continually show mixed results.

Health authorities justify the yearly vaccine campaign with data showing that when the match
between the vaccine and circulating viruses is close, the flu vaccine provides a 70-90 per cent
chance of temporary immunity in healthy persons under 65 years of age - a bizarre justification
for the effectiveness of the jab given that healthy people don't need the vaccine and are not
among those targeted by government campaigns.

At any rate, reviews of the benefits of the flu vaccine in otherwise healthy adults show these
figures to be overstated. While vaccinating healthy individuals temporarily reduces the number
of people carrying the virus, it does not reduce the number people who ultimately go on to
develop flu.

Recently doctors at the prestigious Cochrane Collaboration, a respected international

organisation that conducts and publishes systematic reviews into the effectiveness of medical
treatments, set out to find the answer to a simple question: how effective are flu vaccines for
healthy people under the age of 60? They reviewed 25 good quality clinical trials, published in
medical journals between 1969 and 2002, in which healthy people between the ages of 14 and 60
years had been randomly given either an actual or placebo vaccine. Their conclusion? Only six
per cent fewer vaccinated people got flu, compared to the unvaccinated people. In addition, the
influenza vaccine did not reduce the number of working days lost, nor did it reduce the incidence
of flu-related complications, deaths or hospitalisations.
In at-risk groups, such as those aged over 65, officialfigurestell us that the effectiveness rate is
dramatically lower than for healthy individuals, around 30-40 per cent. To put this into context
most placebos, if enthusiastically promoted by a physician, will work 30-70 per cent of the time.
And even if the vaccine containstiie'right' strains, not everyone responds to it by producing
antibodies (see below). As many as 40 per cent of people over age 65, for example, do not
respond to the vaccination.

Declarations of how many vulnerable people didn't getfluthanks to vaccination are also little
more than fantasy, based on 'after the event' data collection. The only reliable way to tell who
would or would not have contracted the disease is to track illness rates among vulnerable people
during thefluseason. Last year, for thefirsttime ever, that is what the US federal government
did. The CDC-funded study followed health care workers in Colorado, where the 2003-04 flu
season started with a vengeance. Results showed that virtually the same percentage of people
suffered from influenza-like illness whether they were vaccinated or not, and that the vaccine
'was not effective or had very low effectiveness' againstflu-likeillness.

The results of these and other recent studies have dealt a serious blow to vaccine proponents.

Hidden ingredients
Apartfromits low effectiveness against constantly evolving viruses, there is also concern over
the various ingredients of thefluvaccine. Most vaccines are grown on animaltissues.The flu
vaccine is grown in chicken eggs, which makes it unacceptable for vegans and those with egg
allergies.

Flu vaccines can also contain some alarming 'inert', or inactive ingredients. The formulation
varies between manufacturers but can include preservatives such as aluminium hydroxide,
associated with Alzheimer's disease and seizures, thimerosal - a mercury-based neurotoxin, and
phenol, which is a human carcinogen. Antibiotics such as neomycin, streptomycin and
gentamycin sulphate are also sometimes included as preservatives.

Vaccines can contain traces of the chemicals used to inactivate the viruses including
formaldehyde - a known carcinogen. Thefluvaccine can also contain a range of stabilisers
including the neurotoxin monosodium glutamate (MSG), potassium phosphate, sucrose and
sorbitol.

For this reason opponents of lhe vaccine say that, for most people, theflushot does not protect,
but instead weakens the immune system making the recipient more vulnerable to illness. The
same people who are being targeted for the jab, the elderly, the very young and the immune
compromised, are those least able to withstand such a systemic chemical assault.

For some people the adverse effects of the jab - fever, fatigue, painful joints and headache - can
be more intense than suffering through a week or so offlu.In some patients thefluvaccine can
be a trigger for asthma attacks. Optic neuritis and permanent blindness, vasculitis and joint
problems are other rare, but welldocumented adverse effects.
However it is Guillain-Barre Syndrome - a devastating immune-mediated nerve disorder
characterised by muscle weakness, numbness, pain and paralysis - that remains the most serious
reported reaction to a flu vaccine, and this usually occurs within two weeks of vaccination. The
risk appears to vary from year to year, though globally the vaccine accounts for hundreds of
cases each year. One possible cause is that flu vaccine contains the disease trigger
Campylobacter jejuni, a bacterium found in 40-50 per cent of chickens eggs.

Cultural cure-all
The shortsighted health authority strategy for winter wellness involves improving 'herd
immunity' - vaccinate the majority to lower the risk for a minority. US health authorities are
currently considering implementing universal flu immunization for all Americans, and the UK
can't be far behind in this thinking. But widening flu vaccination programmes to include healthy
people will not protect the most vulnerable because exposure to a virus is only a small part of
why we succumb to flu.

Logically if exposure was the only factor, each of us would get sick every time we were exposed
to a flu virus, yet this is not the case. To understand why some people are more vulnerable to flu
than others we need to address the bigger picture of what makes us ill and stop relying on crude
calculations of who is most at risk.

While health authorities tend to classify the very young and very old as being the most
vulnerable to flu, age per se is not a reliable indication of risk. Social status is much more
influential.

In a supposedly classless society this is a contentious assertion. But medical research consistently
shows that adults and children of lower socioeconomic status are at higher risk for a wide range
of communicable infectious diseases, especially respiratory infections, and their complications.

With regard to flu, this concept has a certain amount of historical precedence. While many
authorities promote the idea that the 1918 flu pandemic, which killed around 30 million people
worldwide, was an egalitarian disease, a closer look at the data says otherwise.

According to a summary published in the British Medical Journal in 2000, data from the 1918
pandemic showed a striking impact in areas such as sub-Saharan Africa and India, where the
death rate was 30 per 100,000 population, compared with five per 100,000 in Europe and North
America. The estimated 20 million deaths in India were among those living in poor, crowded and
starving conditions. In Europe, the epidemic was more devastating than usual because of the
poverty, the run-down immune systems and poor nutritional health of both military and civilian
populations following the deprivations of the First World War.

This year the UK Government has tacitly acknowledged the special vulnerability of
disadvantaged individuals through its special efforts to target people from black and minority
ethnic communities - statistically those most likely to be living in poverty.
People living in poverty face many unique health challenges. Often they live in substandard or
crowded housing, with inadequate heating, damp and mould. They arefrequentlyignorant of
basic hygiene measures - such as regular and thorough washing of hands - that can stop the
spread of viruses. They may be stressed physically and emotionally, their bodies overloaded with
environmental toxins such as heavy metals (ie leadfromold paint) and subsisting on a
nutritionally poor diet. Childrenfromlow-income families are also less likely to have been
breastfed, and thus are denied an essential foundation for a healthy immune system.

Wanting to protect the vulnerable is commendable. But in the absence of education, improved
living standards and better hygiene, employing a vaccine as protection is like spitting on a raging
fire. Yet in a recent consultation document entitled Making Markets for Vaccines - A Practical
Plan, produced by the Center for Global Development (CGD), an independent think tank that
conducts research and analysis into global poverty and inequality, the veryfirstline says:
'Vaccines are a very effective way to tackle poverty'. It goes on to say: 'As well as preventing
death and illness, immunization also contributes to greater attendance in school, increased
productivity, enhanced lifetime earnings and economic growth.'

Read that again and ask yourself if you still believe that vaccines aren't being aggressively
marketed as cures for social problems. The vaccine as a panacea remains the unshakeable
mindset of the medical community. While the CGD report focuses on spreading the vaccine
gospel to the developing world, its ethos can be seen in the developed world as well where
vaccines are a endorsed as a remedy for so many things that are too complicated (better hygiene,
encouragement to breastfeed) or too expensive (winter-proof housing, higher benefit rates) for
the government to fix.

Throwing pharmaceutical solutions at social problems never works and is ultimately more
damaging to human health and well-being. Nevertheless, encouragement from government and
publicityfroman acquiescent media means that Big Pharma is currently rubbing its hands with
glee. As drugs like Vioxx take big bits in the court and the adverse effects of popular magic
bullets such as HRT, Prozac and Ritalin shake people's faith in drug solutions to common health
problems,revenuesfromvaccines and other panacea drugs are helping to keep drug companies
in the black.

Flu vaccines generated about one billion dollars in worldwide sales last year, and the market is
expected to double by 2007. In the future, for companies like Avenus Pasteur, Chiron and
GlaxoSimthKline, Christmas will come in October and last well into April.

We are currently in the grip of an organised attempt to keep us fearful of even the most
innocuous illnesses and, as aresult,keep us consuming drugs that do no good whatsoever. The
government misinformation campaign and the yearly media circus that surrounds the influenza
vaccine is a good illustration of this.

Thankfully thefluvaccine is not (yet) compulsory. People have the choice to either choose or
refuse it. The question is: Now that you know more aboutflu,and thefluvaccine - will you be
getting a jab?
COMMON SENSING THE FLU
If you do succumb toflu,two antiviral drugs zanamivir (Relenza) and oseltamivir (Tamiflu) are
currently being promoted as the best way tofightback. Taken within a day or two of the onset of
symptoms these drugs are supposed to lessen the duration of the flu and reduce debilitating
symptoms. In addition, Tamiflu is currently being touted as effective prevention for all types of
flu including bird flu (though given that bird flu is exceptionally rare in humans, it's tempting to
ask where the supportive data for this claim comes from).

Unfortunately medical research shows that at best, both drugs provide about a one!day reduction
in influenza symptom duration. What is more, there will be pressure for high risk individuals to
take drugs like Tamiflu for weeks on end to the exclusion of simpler methods of prevention, and
the safety and efficacy of these remedies in individuals at high risk of pulmonary disease, such as
pneumonia, has not been established. Fortunately other methods of protection may be just as
effective without the risk of adverse effects.

In a perfect world healthy people would recognise that the best protection against a new virus is
a successful, managed encounter with the real thing. Rather than trying to avoid flu, consider
simple common sense measures to keep virus populations to a minimum while boosting your
own immunity:

• Wash your hands. Hands are the main vehicles for transmitting virusesfromperson to person.
Wash thoroughly and frequently during the day, especially after going to the toilet or before
preparing food.
• Eat well. Winter diets can be low in essential nutrients like Vitamins С and A. Go out of your
way to includefresh,deeply coloured vegetables in your daily diet such as spinach, broccoli,
tomatoes and peppers. Avoid foods that destroy these nutrients such as sugar, caffeine, and trans
fats.
• Exercise. Regular moderate exercise improves immune function and reduces susceptibility to
cold andflu.If you can take exercise in the open air, rather than in enclosed potentially germ!
ridden environments, so much the better.
• Watch your stress levels. The ability of stress to depress immune function and
to precipitate and aggravate infectious diseases is widely recognised in medicine and some
physicians believe that stress may be the single biggest risk factor for flu. Research shows that it
is not just the stress of work and family that are influential ! the stress of being lonely and
disconnectedfromyour social group is equally devastating to immunity.

FLU VACCINE ROULETTE

This year's vaccine contains two virusesfromlast year's vaccine: type A/New Caledonia/20/99
(HlNl)!like strain and type B/Shanghai/361/2002!like strain.
It also contains one new virus: type A/California/7/2004 (H3N2)!like strain.

Like all flu vaccines it is madefrominactivated parts of these viruses. These virus parts
correspond to parts of proteinsfloatingaround in your body. When the virus latches onto a
matching protein, it stimulates the body to produce antibodies that help to destroy the
corresponding virus. The catch is that a flu vaccine can only stimulate your immune system to
protect you against the viruses in the vaccine, with some lesser protection against very similar
viruses. If you are exposed to a different virus or to a mutated form of the same virus, the
vaccine won't keep you from getting sick.

This piece first appeared in the Ecologist October 2005

http://www.theecologist.org/pages/archive_detail.asp7content_ids2315
Calculating U.S. Influenza Deaths
By F. Edward Yazbak, MD, FAAP
Posted on Justice Awareness and Basic Support on 09/24/2006 18:10:22
http:/AvMm'.jabs.org.iik/fonim/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=293

For years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been
telling anyone who would listen: "Every year in the United States, on average:
5 percent to 20 percent of the population gets theflu,more than 200,000
people are hospitalizedfromflucomplications, and about 36,000 people die
from flu." (1)

It is not clear how the specific statistic - 36,000 American deaths a year
"on average" - was formulated orfromwhat sources it was derived. It seems to
have just suddenly appeared, like a rabbitfroma top hat. It certainly could
have been any other number of thousands of cases. After all, what are a few
thousand deaths up or down?

No one knows when the next number change will come but, when it does, it is
guaranteed to be an increase. Scaring people, especially old people, out of
their wits always sells vaccine and that seems to have become the CDC's main
purpose.

Another well-kept secret is over how many years the influenza deaths were
"averaged." Did the CDC calculate "average deaths"from2000 to 2004 or from
1980 to 2004?

To have 36,000 deaths "on average," there must be years with 26,000 deaths
and about the same number of years with 46,000 deaths and, not to belabor the
point, as many years with 16,000 deaths as with 56,000. At least, this is what
most people would think averaging and "on average" mean.

The past influenza season came and went very quietly because the CDC was busy
with dying birds in the Far East and Turkey. We will neverfindout where
exactly the most recent "deathsfromflu"will fit on the curve, but it is a
good bet that 2005-2006 will not be, propaganda-wise, a "real good year."

Testifying before the committee on government reform of the U.S. House of

Representatives on Feb. 12,2004, CDC Director Julie L. Geiterding, MD,
carefully stated that "CDC scientists estimate that an average of 36,000 people
diefrominfluenza-related complications each year in the United States." (2)

It is not clear why the director made the distinction, while under oath,
between deaths from the flu and deaths from complications of theflu.A few
people, including this writer, think there is a distinct difference between the
two; many others do not think so.
To place the CDC influenza deaths in perspective, the U.S. lost 33,741
officers and enlisted men and women in Korean War battles from 1950 to 1953.
(3) And a special communication published by the Journal of the American
Medical Association listed 43,000 deaths due to motor vehicle crashes and
29,000 involvingfirearmsin the U.S. in 2000. (4)

The National Vital Statistics Report for 2001, published on Sept. 18,2003
[Vol. 52, No. 3], was the last official U.S. government report on influenza
mortality before the CDC director's appearance at the February 2004
Congressional hearing. Certifiedfiguresabout Influenza mortality [J10-J11]
were listed on page 31 of thereport.(5)

There were, in all, 257 influenza deaths recorded in 2001.

Of those, 13 deaths were under the age of 5; 50 were between 5 and 54; 21
from 55 to 64; 21 between 65 and 74; 56from75 to 84; and 96 were 85 years old
or older.

Also in 2001, there were 61,777 official deaths due to pneumonia (J12-J18) of
which 48,686 (79 percent) were 75 years old or older.

The same document (table 11, page 35) lists the reciprocal number of deaths
per 100.000 population. In 2001, influenza-pneumonia deaths (J10-J18) amounted
to 21.8 per 100.000 with influenza at 0.1 and pneumonia at 21.7.

With the U.S. population being around 284 million in 2001, it would seem that
the calculated number of 284 (0.1/100.000) deathsfrominfluenza would be close
enough to the actual listed number of 257.

The following should be kept in mind:

"Pneumonia" is caused by bacteria, viruses and fungi. Elderly patients (75

years and over) who have laboratory confirmed influenza disease may develop
pneumonia but diefromother underlying serious conditions, such as heart or
kidney failure to name just two. It is not known how many of the 48,686 elderly
individuals who died in 2001 had received the influenza vaccine that year.
People ofthat age are usually vaccinated early in the season and certainly
more frequently than others. In the U.S., influenza/influenza-like illnesses
only occur during thefluseason, a period of three months on average and
rarely four months. Pulmonary complications and specifically deaths due to
influenza will only occur during that short period, while other causes of
pneumonia deaths exist year-round.

Most people who have influenza-like illness, as the condition is fondly

referred to by the CDC, do not have influenza; only a small percentage of them
are ever confirmed by culture or other accurate laboratory means. For the
period 2000-2005, influenza virus positive cultures were 11 to 18.9 percent of
the obtained cultures with a mean of 12.5 percent It is well known that the
virus strains in the community may be different from those in the available
vaccine. Because immunity is strain-specific, vaccination in such cases is
essentially ineffective in preventing disease. The percent of antigenic match
between 2000 and 2005 varied from 11 to 63.2 percent with a mean of 54.2
percent. The maximum effectiveness of the vaccination effort, therefore, ranged
between 2.1 percent in 2003-2004 and 11.5 percent in 2002-2003 with a mean of
7.2 percent. (6)

Taking all these facts into consideration, it is safe to say that only a
small percentage of the 61,777 individuals who died of pneumonia in 2001
actually had influenza. Clearly, therefore, a large majority of individuals who
died that year of pneumonia did not die of influenza or influenza-related
complications.

In addition, the CDCfiguresclearly show that a large percentage of those

who died were elderly and, historically, the elderly, as a group, have always
been better vaccinated. As to the 257 individuals who were actually listed as
influenza deaths in the 2001 statistical report, the influenza virus was
actually identified in only 18 of them, the 18 classified as J10. (6)

Apparently in 2001, not even 257 people died of influenza or influenza-

related complications.

The Monthly Vital Statistics Report of Sept. 17, 1981 sheds additional light
on the issue. Under pneumonia and influenza, the report states: "An estimated
52,720 deaths in 1980 were attributed to pneumonia and influenza. The age-
adjusted death rate for this cause increased about 14 percent from 11.1 per
100,000 population in 1979 to 12.6 in 1980,reflectingthe influenza epidemics
in 1980 and the absence of one in the previous year. For pneumonia and
influenza, death rates increased for the age groups 35 years and over." (7)

The above statement by none other than the CDC suggests that around 1.5
deaths per 100,000 were or could have been attributed to influenza or influenza
complications in 1980, an epidemic year, when one would have expected a very
large number of cases and more severe illness and certainly in a period when
influenza vaccination was not as popular as it is now.

Considering that the U.S. population was around 226.5 million in 1980,1.5
deaths per 100.000 would translate to around 4,000 deaths that year. So here we
have official CDC statistics listing around 4,000 deaths, unconfirmed by viral
cultures,frominfluenza and influenza-related complications in 1980, a banner
year, and maybe 18 or 257 in 2001 and the propaganda machine is still talking
about "an average of 36,000 deaths" a year.
How preposterous!

References

1. Key Facts about Influenza and the Influenza Vaccine, CDC.

Available at http://www.cdc.gov/flu/keyfacts.htm

2. J.L. Gerberding. Protecting the Public's Health: CDC Influenza

Preparedness Efforts. Testimony before the Committee on Government Reform U.S.
House of Representatives, Feb. 12,
2004. Available at
http://wvAV.aic.gov/washmgton/testmiony/In2122004200.htm

3. America's Wars: U.S. Casualties and Veterans.

Available at http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0004615.html

4. A.H. Mokdad et al. Actual Causes of Death in the United States, 2000. JAMA. 2004; 291 :
1238-1245. Available at http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/291/10/1238

5. E. Arias et al. Deaths: Final Data For 2001. National Vital Statistics
Reports. Volume 52, Number 3. Sept. 18,2003.
Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr52/nvsr52_03.pdf

6. D.M Ayoub, F.E. Yazbak. Influenza Vaccination During Pregnancy: A Critical Assessment
of the recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. J. Am Phys
Surg. 2006; 11(2): 41-47. Available at http://www.jpands.org/voll lno2/ayoub.pdf

7. Annual Report of Births, Deaths, Marriages and Divorces: United States

1980. Monthly Vital Statistics Report: Vol. 29, No.13. Sept. 17,1981.
Available at http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/mvsr/supp/mv29 13
Why the Fiu Vaccine Doesn't Work
By Dr Joseph Mercóla

Each year enormous effort goes into producing that year's vaccine and delivering it to
appropriate sections of the population. And yet, year after year there are studies showing that
flu vaccines DO NOT provide any benefit.

Two years ago a study in the British Medical Journal concluded that the effectiveness of
annual flu shots has been exaggerated, and that in reality they have little or no effect on
influenza campaign objectives, including reducing the number of hospital stays, time off
work, and deathfrominfluenza and its complications. Other studies, done prior and
subsequently, also confirm these findings.

However, preventing flu-related deaths in the elderly has been, and still is, the primary
argument for recommending flu shots each year. And, according to the theory of "herd
immunity," a majority of the population must be vaccinated in order to protect the lives of the
elderly and other categories of people susceptible toflu-relatedcomplications.

However, the flu prevention strategy set by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) has been called into serious question time and again. Another studyfrom2005,
published in the Archives of Internal Medicine also could not find support for the use of flu
vaccine to prevent deaths in the elderly. The report highlights that=2 Oalthough immunization
rates in people over 65 have increased dramatically in the past 20 years, there has not been a
consequent decline in flu-related deaths.

Do You Know What the Risks are?

Instead, there is emerging evidence that flu shots cause Alzheimer's disease, most likely as a
result of combining mercury with aluminium and formaldehyde. Mercury in vaccines has
also been shown to be a contributing factor in autism. Other serious, and potentially deadly,
adverse reactions to the flu vaccine include joint inflammation and arthritis, anaphylactic
shock (and other life-threatening allergic reactions), and Guillain-Barré syndrome, a paralytic
autoimmune disease.

And, in the case of Tamiflu, thousands of cases of abnormal behaviour, neuropsychiatrie

problems like convulsions, delirium or delusions, and brain infections, have been reported.
(Tamiflu is approved for treatment of uncomplicated influenza A and В in children 1 year of
age or older. It is also approved for prevention of influenza in people 13 years or older.)

More Scientific Research Backing Up Recommendation to Avoid Fiu

Vaccines Like the Plague
For those of you who are still unconvinced, there s plenty of scientific evidence available to
back up the recommendation to avoid flu vaccines ! if not for their potentially serious or
deadly side effects, then for the simple reason that they don't work, and don't offer any real
benefit to offset their potential health risks.

A sampling of these studies include:

 • A recent study published in the October 2008 issue of the Archives of Pediatric
& Adolescent Medicine found that vaccinating young children against the flu
had no impact onflu-relatedhospitalizations or doctor visits during two recent
flu seasons. The researchers concluded that "significant influenza vaccine
effectiveness could not be demonstrated for any season, age, or setting"
examined.
• A study published in the Lancet just two montiis ago found that influenza
vaccination was NOT associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia in older
people. Vaccination coverage among the elderly increased from 15 percent in
1980 to 65 percent now, yet there has been no decrease in deaths from influenza
or pneumonia.
• That Lancet study supports a similar study donefiveyears ago, published in The
New England Journal of Medicine, which concluded that vaccination against
pneumonia does not reduce your risk of contracting the disease.
• Research published intiieAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care
Medicine last month also confirms that there has been no decrease in deaths
from influenza and pneumonia, despite the fact that vaccination coverage among
the elderly has increased from 15 percent in 1980 to 65 percent now.
• Last year, researchers with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases, and the National Institutes of Health published this conclusion in the
Lancet Infectious Diseases: "We conclude that frailty selection bias and use of
non-specific endpoints such as all-cause mortality have led cohort studies to
greatly exaggerate vaccine benefits."
• A large-scale, systematic review of 51 studies, published in the Cochrane
Database of Systematic Reviews in 2006, found no ev idence that thefluvaccine
is any more effective than a placebo in children. The studies involved 260,000
children, age 6 to 23 months.

For most people, the flu shot does not prevent illness, but actually does the polar opposite-it
weakens your immune system and makes you more predisposed to the illness. The people
who actually die after contracting thefludo so because they are already sick and have
compromised immune systems, and that certainly doesn't have to include you.

In addition to making sure your vitamin D levels are in the optimal range, the following tips
are sure-fire ways to improve the function of your immune system and greatly reduce your
chances of getting thefluthis winter:

• Avoid sugar.
• Get plenty of sleep.
• Exercise regularly.
• Eat a whole foods diet
• 0A

Eat garlic regularly.

• Support yourself during stressful times.

Source: htrn://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/l 1 /18/do-flu-shots-work-ask-a-

vaccine-manufacturer.aspx
COMMENTS:

Mercury in Flu Shots

SHOULD YOU GET THE FLU SHOT?
By RFD Columnist, Dr. Sherri Tenpenny

News reports have been flooding us with articles warning that the impending flu season
may be the worst in years. Even though it is difficult to separate the facts from the hype,
a close evaluation of the flu vaccine will reveal that serious questions must be raised
about the recommendations that are routinely touted, namely high efficacy with little
risk. Anyone considering a flu shot should become informed about the substances
coming through that needle, and should be determined to investigate the safety and
efficacy issues that are still unresolved.

The Vaccine Virus

Each year, a new vaccine is developed that contains three different viruses (one
influenza В and two influenza A strains). CDC officials select the new viruses based on
which viruses were prevalent during the flu season in China and Australia the previous
year. The CDC admits that the viruses selected for the new vaccine are chosen on the
basis of an "educated guess." [i]

What's in a Flu Shot?

The influenza virus is grown in "specific pathogen"free" (SPF) eggs. Eggs are tested for a
variety of agents—usually between 23 and 31—to confirm the absence of those specific
pathogens. Laboratories limit the number of agents that are screened due to the shear
abundance of potential viruses and/or bacteria to choose from. In addition, screening for
every potential agent would be cost prohibitive.[ii] If none of the tested agents are
detected, the vaccine is reported as "pathogen free."

However, it should be understood that there is a distinct difference between "pathogen

free" and "specific pathogen"free." In its July 1996 report, the Institute of Medicine
acknowledged that E2although it is not possible to produce a completely uncontaminated
animal, it is possible to produce an animal [or egg] certified to be free of specific
pathogens."[iii] Viruses that are harmless to their animal host, however, may be
potentially harmful to humans.

During the manufacturing process, antibiotics (neomycin, polymyxin В and gentamicin)

are added to eliminate stray bacteria found in the mixture. The final solution can contain
the following additives in any combination: Triton X"100 (a detergent); polysorbate 80
(a potential carcinogen); gelatin; formaldehyde; and residual egg proteins. In addition,
many of the influenza vaccines still contain thimerosal as a preservative. Thimerosal
(mercury) is being investigated for its link to brain injury and autoimmune disease.

Does the Flu Shot Protect?

There are no guarantees that the influenza viruses selected for the vaccine will be the
identical strains circulating during a given flu season. In fact, it has recently been
announced that this year's flu vaccine does not include the strain that is being reported
by doctors in the community called the "A Fujian" strain. Outbreaks have been reported
in Texas, Colorado and elsewhere [iv] that involve strains that do not match the current
flu vaccine. CDC tests have confirmed that more than 80 per cent of the 55 strains of
influenza virus isolated thus far are the A Fujian strain. Even so, the CDC still maintains
that the current vaccine could provide cross"protection against the new variant, but the
fact is, no one knows for sure.
Moreover, the majority of illnesses characterized by fever, fatigue, cough and aching
muscles are not caused by the influenza virus. Non-influenza viruses (e.g., rhinoviruses
respiratory syncytial virus [RSV], adenoviruses, and parainfluenza viruses) can cause
symptoms referred to influenza-like illnesses (ILI). Certain bacteria, such as Legionella
spp., Chlamydia pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Streptococcus pneumoniae,
have been documented as the causes of ILL[v]

Notably, these microbes are not part of the flu vaccine. Unless an organism's antigen is
contained within the vaccine, there is no protection conferred by the vaccine. It is
estimated that most adults will average 1-3 episodes of ILI, and most children will
average 3-6 episodes. The CDC also admits that "many persons who have been
vaccinated against influenza can still get the flu"[vi]

Targeting the Elderly

The flu vaccine is generally recommended for persons aged 65 and older, and those with
medical conditions who could experience serious complications from the flu. Medical
journals report broad differences in effectiveness for the elderly, ranging from 0 to 85%.

The CDC states that 90% of deaths from influenza occur among the elderly. Considering
that nearly 65% of all deaths (from any cause) occur in this age group, it is nearly
impossible to prove that flu shots significantly increase life expectancy in this group. The
truth is that most people—young and old—will weather a bout of the flu without
hospitalization or complications.

A Serious Concern: Alzheimer's Disease

Hugh Fudenberg, MD, an immunogeneticist and biologist with nearly 850 papers
published in peer review journals, has 20 reported that if an individual had five
consecutive flu shots between 1970 and 1980 (the years studied), his/her chances of
getting Alzheimer's Disease is ten times higher than if they had zero, one, or two
shots, [vii]

Dr. Boyd Haley, Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry at the University of
Kentucky, Lexington has done extensive research in the area of mercury toxicity and the
brain. Haley's research has established a likely connection between mercury toxicity and
Alzheimer's disease, [viii] In a paper published in collaboration with researchers at
University of Calgary, Haley stated that "seven of the characteristic markers that we look
for to distinguish Alzheimer's disease can be produced in normal brain tissues, or
cultures of neurons, by the addition of extremely low levels of mercury."[ix]

Does this prove that the mercury contained in the influenza shot can be directly linked to
Alzheimer's? No, absolutely not. But further research in this area is critically needed
because the absence of proof is not the "proof of absence."[x]

Flu Vaccine Now for Children

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) adopted a resolution effective
March 1, 2003 that expanded the use of the influenza vaccine to include children aged 6-
23 months. The recommendations also included vaccinating those aged 2 to 18 years
who live in households containing children younger than 2 years of age.[xi]

The flu vaccine most commonly given to children is Fluzone, a trivalent vaccine grown in
chicken eggs. Harvested with formaldehyde and containing the recommended ratio of 15
ug of each of the three prototype viral strains, each dose of Fluzone also contains 25 ug
of mercury.[xii] The new CDC recommendations include giving the influenza vaccine to
children beginning at six months of age and then annually, for the rest of their lives.
Children less than age 9 receiving their first flu shot, two doses of vaccine are
recommended, with a minimum interval of one month between the two doses. However,
the CDC does not provide ь direct reference to substantiate this =0 A
recommendation.[xiii]

On June 17, 2003, the FDA approved an intranasal influenza vaccine for use in healthy
persons aged 5"49 years. Flumist is a live"virus vaccine that can cause a litany of
problems.

Alternatives?
If you choose not to receive the flu shot, have a discussion with your doctor regarding
other options. However, some simple and possibly quite effective things you can do for
yourself to prevent the flu include: 1) avoid white sugar;[xiv] 2) exercise regularly; 3)
get adequate sleep; 4) eat a healthy diet, omitting trans"fats; 5) drink plenty of purified
water daily and 6) wash your hands. A common way people contract viral illnesses is by
rubbing their nose or their eyes after their hands have been contaminated with a virus.
The CDC states, "the most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick is to
wash your hands."[xv]

We are so used to taking medications—for prevention and treatment—that it is difficult

to comprehend that these modest recommendations are really the most powerful ways
to minimize the likelihood of getting the flu.

Making the Decision

You may decide to consult a physician who is schooled in alternative medicine to assess
a variety of options for you and your family. What is most important, in the end, is to
become as informed as possible regarding your options for keeping healthy and avoiding
the flu.

REFERENCES
[i] Sabin, Russel and Reynolds. Breakdowns Mar Flu Shot Program Production,
distribution delays raise fears of nation vulnerable to epidemic. San Francisco Chronicle.
Feb. 25, 2001
0A
[ii] Charles River Laboratories, A Laboratory Animal Health Monitoring Program:
Rationale and Development,' (Winter 1990); Source: Internet address
[iii] Institute of Medicine Press Release: Federal Guidelines Needed to Ensure Safety in
Animal"to"Huma n Organ Transplants. July 17, 1996.
[iv]CBS: The Associated Press. CDC Says Flu Season Is Going Strong in Parts of U.S.,
Vaccine Doesn't Match Strain Doctors See.
[v] MMWR. November 9, 2001 / 50(44);984"6
[vi] MMWR Nov. 9, 2001/50(44); 984!6
[vii] Hugh Fudenberg, MD, is Founder and Director of Research, Neurolmmuno
Therapeutic Research Foundation. Information from Dr. Hugh Fudenberg came from
transcribed notes of Dr. Fudenberg's speech at the NVIC International Vaccine
Conference, Arlington, VA September, 1997. Quoted with permission.
[viii] The Relationship of Toxic Effects of Mercury to Exacerbation of the Medical
Condition Classified as Alzheimer's Disease by Boyd E. Haley, PhD.
20
[ix] NeuroReport, 12(4):733"737, 2001
[x] http://www.testfoundation.orQ/
[xi] MMWR. 2002;51[RR!3]:1!31
[xii] Package insert. Influenza Virus VaccineFluzone® 2003 " 2004 Formula
[xiii] MMWR. 2002: 51 [RR"3], pg. 19
[xiv] All forms of refined sugar depress white blood cells' ability to destroy bacteria. See
Sanchez A, et al. Role of sugars in human neutrophilic phagocytosis. Am J Clin Nutr
1973;26:1180.
[xv]CDC—Handwashing: An ounce of prevention keeps the germs away.
Why the Flu Vaccine Doesn't Work
By Dr Joseph Mercóla

Each year enormous effort goes into producing that year's vaccine and delivering it to
appropriate sections of the population. And yet, year after year there are studies showing that
flu vaccines DO NOT provide any benefit.

Two years ago a study in the British Medical Journal concluded that the effectiveness of
annual flu shots has been exaggerated, and that in reality they have little or no effect on
influenza campaign objectives, including reducing the number of hospital stays, time off
work, and death from influenza and its complications. Other studies, done prior and
subsequently, also confirm these findings.

However, preventingflu-relateddeaths in the elderly has been, and still is, the primary
argument for recommending flu shots each year. And, according to the theory of "herd
immunity," a majority of the population must be vaccinated in order to protect the lives of the
elderly and other categories of people susceptible to flu-related complications.

However, the flu prevention strategy set by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) has been called into serious question time and again. Another study from 2005,
published in the Archives of Internal Medicine also could not find support for the use of flu
vaccine to prevent deaths in the elderly. The report highlights that=2 Oalthough immunization
rates in people over 65 have increased dramatically in the past 20 years, there has not been a
consequent decline influ-relateddeaths.

Do You Know What the Risks are?

Instead, there is emerging evidence that flu shots cause Alzheimer's disease, most likely as a
result of combining mercury with aluminium and formaldehyde. Mercury in vaccines has
also been shown to be a contributing factor in autism. Other serious, and potentially deadly,
adverse reactions to the flu vaccine include joint inflammation and arthritis, anaphylactic
shock (and other life-threatening allergic reactions), and Guillain-Barre syndrome, a paralytic
autoimmune disease.

And, in the case of Tamiflu, thousands of cases of abnormal behaviour, neuropsychiatrie

problems like convulsions, delirium or delusions, and brain infections, have been reported.
(Tamiflu is approved for treatment of uncomplicated influenza A and В in children 1 year of
age or older. It is also approved for prevention of influenza in people 13 years or older.)

More Scientific Research Backing Up Recommendation to Avoid Fiu

Vaccines Like the Plague
For those of you who are still unconvinced, there s plenty of scientific evidence available to
back up the recommendation to avoid flu vaccines ! if not for their potentially serious or
deadly side effects, then for the simple reason that they don't work, and don't offer any real
benefit to offset their potential health risks.

A sampling of these studies include:

 • A recent study published in the October 2008 issue of the Archives of Pediatric
& Adolescent Medicine found that vaccinating young children against the flu
had no impact onflu-relatedhospitalizations or doctor visits during two recent
flu seasons. The researchers concluded that "significant influenza vaccme
effectiveness could not be demonstrated for any season, age, or setting"
examined.
• A study published in the Lancet just two months ago found that influenza
vaccination was NOT associated with a reduced risk of pneumonia in older
people. Vaccination coverage among the elderly increased from 15 percent in
1980 to 65 percent now, yet there has been no decrease in deaths from influenza
or pneumonia.
• That Lancet study supports a similar study donefiveyears ago, published in The
New England Journal of Medicine, which concluded that vaccination against
pneumonia does not reduce yourriskof contracting the disease.
• Research published intiieAmerican Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care
Medicine last month also confirms that there has been no decrease in deaths
from influenza and pneumonia, despite the fact that vaccination coverage among
the elderly has increased from 15 percent in 1980to65 percent now.
• Last year, researchers with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases, and the National Institutes of Health published this conclusion in the
Lancet Infectious Diseases: "We conclude that frailty selection bias and use of
non-specific endpoints such as all-cause mortality have led cohort studies to
greatly exaggerate vaccine benefits."
• A large-scale, systematic review of 51 studies, published in the Cochrane
Database of Systematic Reviews in 2006, found no ev idence that thefluvaccine
is any more effective than a. placebo in children. The studies involved 260,000
children, age 6 to 23 months.

For most people, theflushot does not prevent illness, but actually does the polar opposite-it
weakens your immune system and makes you more predisposed to the illness. The people
who actually die after contracting the flu do so because they are already sick and have
compromised immune systems, and that certainly doesn't have to include you.

In addition to making sure your vitamin D levels are in the optimal range, the following tips
are sure-fire ways to improve the function of your immune system and greatly reduce your
chances of getting thefluthis winter:

• Avoid sugar.
• Get plenty of sleep.
• Exercise regularly.
• Eat a whole foods diet
• 0A

Eat garlic regularly.

• Support yourself during stressful times.

Source: http://articles.mercola.eom/sites/articles/archive/2008/l 1/18/do-flu-shots-work-ask-a-

vaccine-manufacturer.aspx
COMMENTS:

Mercury in Flu Shots

SHOULD YOU GET THE FLU SHOT?
By RFD Columnist, Dr. Sherri Tenpenny

News reports have been flooding us with articles warning that the impending flu season
may be the worst in years. Even though it is difficult to separate the facts from the hype,
a close evaluation of the flu vaccine will reveal that serious questions must be raised
about the recommendations that are routinely touted, namely high efficacy with little
risk. Anyone considering a flu shot should become informed about the substances
coming through that needle, and should be determined to investigate the safety and
efficacy issues that are still unresolved.

The Vaccine Virus

Each year, a new vaccine is developed that contains three different viruses (one
influenza В and two influenza A strains). CDC officials select the new viruses based on
which viruses were prevalent during the flu season in China and Australia the previous
year. The CDC admits that the viruses selected for the new vaccine are chosen on the
basis of an "educated guess." [i]

What's in a Flu Shot?

The influenza virus is grown in "specific pathogen"free" (SPF) eggs. Eggs are tested for a
variety of agents—usually between 23 and 31—to confirm the absence of those specific
pathogens. Laboratories limit the number of agents that are screened due to the shear
abundance of potential viruses and/or bacteria to choose from. In addition, screening for
every potential agent would be cost prohibitive.[ii] If none of the tested agents are
detected, the vaccine is reported as "pathogen free."

However, it should be understood that there is a distinct difference between "pathogen

free" and "specific pathogen"free." In its July 1996 report, the Institute of Medicine
acknowledged that E2although it is not possible to produce a completely uncontaminated
animal, it is possible to produce an animal {or egg] certified to be free of specific
pathogens."[iii] Viruses that are harmless to their animal host, however, may be
potentially harmful to humans.

During the manufacturing process, antibiotics (neomycin, polymyxin В and gentamicin)

are added to eliminate stray bacteria found in the mixture. The final solution can contain
the following additives in any combination: Triton X"100 (a detergent); polysorbate 80
(a potential carcinogen); gelatin; formaldehyde; and residual egg proteins. In addition,
many of the influenza vaccines still contain thimerosal as a preservative. Thimerosal
(mercury) is being investigated for its link to brain injury and autoimmune disease.

Does the Flu Shot Protect?

There are no guarantees that the influenza viruses selected for the vaccine will be the
identical strains circulating during a given flu season. In fact, it has recently been
announced that this year's flu vaccine does not include the strain that is being reported
by doctors in the community called the "A Fujian" strain. Outbreaks have been reported
in Texas, Colorado and elsewhere [iv] that involve strains that do not match the current
flu vaccine. CDC tests have confirmed that more than 80 per cent of the 55 strains of
influenza virus isolated thus far are the A Fujian strain. Even so, the CDC still maintains
that the current vaccine could provide cross"protection against the new variant, but the
fact is, no one knows for sure.
Moreover, the majority of illnesses characterized by fever, fatigue, cough and aching
muscles are not caused by the influenza virus. Non-influenza viruses (e.g., rhinoviruses
respiratory syncytial virus [RSV], adenoviruses, and parainfluenza viruses) can cause
symptoms referred to influenza-like illnesses (ILI). Certain bacteria, such as Legionella
spp., Chlamydia pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Streptococcus pneumoniae,
have been documented as the causes of ILI.[v]

Notably, these microbes are not part of the flu vaccine. Unless an organism's antigen is
contained within the vaccine, there is no protection conferred by the vaccine. It Is
estimated that most adults will average 1-3 episodes of ILI, and most children will
average 3-6 episodes. The CDC also admits that "many persons who have been
vaccinated against influenza can still get the flu"[vi]

Targeting the Eiderlv

The flu vaccine is generally recommended for persons aged 65 and older, and those with
medical conditions who could experience serious complications from the flu. Medical
journals report broad differences in effectiveness for the elderly, ranging from 0 to 85%.

The CDC states that 90% of deaths from influenza occur among the elderly. Considering
that nearly 65% of all deaths (from any cause) occur in this age group, it is nearly
impossible to prove that flu shots significantly increase life expectancy In this group. The
truth is that most people—young and old—will weather a bout of the flu without
hospitalization or complications.

A Serious Concern: Alzheimer's Disease

Hugh Fudenberg, MD, an immunogenetlcist and biologist with nearly 850 papers
published in peer review journals, has 20 reported that if an individual had five
consecutive flu shots between 1970 and 1980 (the years studied), his/her chances of
getting Alzheimer's Disease is ten times higher than if they had zero, one, or two
shots, [vii]

Dr. Boyd Haley, Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry at the University of
Kentucky, Lexington has done extensive research in the area of mercury toxicity and the
brain. Haley's research has established a likely connection between mercury toxicity and
Alzheimer's disease, [viii] In a paper published in collaboration with researchers at
University of Calgary, Haley stated that "seven of the characteristic markers that we look
for to distinguish Alzheimer's disease can be produced in normal brain tissues, or
cultures of neurons, by the addition of extremely low levels of mercury."[ix]

Does this prove that the mercury contained in the influenza shot can be directly linked to
Alzheimer's? No, absolutely not. But further research in this area is critically needed
because the absence of proof is not the "proof of absence."[x]

Flu Vaccine Now for Children

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) adopted a resolution effective
March 1, 2003 that expanded the use of the influenza vaccine to include children aged 6-
23 months. The recommendations also included vaccinating those aged 2 to 18 years
who live in households containing children younger than 2 years of age.[xi] -

The flu vaccine most commonly given to children is Fluzone, a trivalent vaccine grown in
chicken eggs. Harvested with formaldehyde and containing the recommended ratio of 15
ug of each of the three prototype viral strains, each dose of Fluzone also contains 25 ug
of mercury.[xli] The new CDC recommendations include giving the influenza vaccine to
children beginning at six months of age and then annually, for the rest of their lives.
Children less than age 9 receiving their first flu shot, two doses of vaccine are
recommended, with a minimum interval of one month between the two doses. However,
the CDC does not provide a direct reference to substantiate this =0 A
recommendation.[xiii]

On June 17, 2003, the FDA approved an intranasal influenza vaccine for use in healthy
persons aged 5"49 years. Flumist is a live"virus vaccine that can cause a litany of
problems.

Alternatives?
If you choose not to receive the flu shot, have a discussion with your doctor regarding
other options. However, some simple and possibly quite effective things you can do for
yourself to prevent the flu include: 1) avoid white sugar;[xiv] 2) exercise regularly; 3)
get adequate sleep; 4) eat a healthy diet, omitting trans"fats; 5) drink plenty of purified
water daily and 6) wash your hands. A common way people contract viral illnesses is by
rubbing their nose or their eyes after their hands have been contaminated with a virus.
The CDC states, "the most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick is to
wash your hands."[xv]

We are so used to taking medications—for prevention and treatment—that it is difficult

to comprehend that these modest recommendations are really the most powerful ways
to minimize the likelihood of getting the flu.

Making the Decision

You may decide to consult a physician who is schooled in alternative medicine to assess
a variety of options for you and your family. What is most important, in the end, is to
become as informed as possible regarding your options for keeping healthy and avoiding
the flu.

REFERENCES
[i] Sabin, Russel and Reynolds. Breakdowns Mar Flu Shot Program Production,
distribution delays raise fears of nation vulnerable to epidemic. San Francisco Chronicle.
Feb. 25, 2001
0A
[ii] Charles River Laboratories, A Laboratory Animal Health Monitoring Program:
Rationale and Development,' (Winter 1990); Source: Internet address
[iii] Institute of Medicine Press Release: Federal Guidelines Needed to Ensure Safety in
Animal"to"Huma n Organ Transplants. July 17, 1996.
[iv]CBS: The Associated Press. CDC Says Flu Season Is Going Strong in Parts of U.S.,
Vaccine Doesn't Match Strain Doctors See.
[v] MMWR. November 9, 2001 / 50(44);984"6
[vi] MMWR Nov. 9, 2001/50(44); 984"6
[vii] Hugh Fudenberg, MD, is Founder and Director of Research, Neurolmmuno
Therapeutic Research Foundation. Information from Dr. Hugh Fudenberg came from
transcribed notes of Dr. Fudenberg's speech at the NVIC International Vaccine
Conference, Arlington, VA September, 1997. Quoted with permission.
[viii] The Relationship of Toxic Effects of Mercury to Exacerbation of the Medical
Condition Classified as Alzheimer's Disease by Boyd E. Haley, PhD.
20
[ix] NeuroReport, 12(4):733"737, 2001
Гхі http://www.testfoundation.ora/
[xi] MMWR. 2002;51[RR"3]:1"31
[xii] Package insert. Influenza Virus VaccineFluzone® 2003 " 2004 Formula
[xiii] MMWR. 2002: 51 [RR"3], pg. 19
[xiv] All forms of refined sugar depress white blood cells' ability to destroy bacteria. See
Sanchez A, et al. Role of sugars in human neutrophilic phagocytosis. Am J Clin Nutr
1973;26:1180.
[xv]CDC—Handwashing: An ounce of prevention keeps the germs away.
800,000 Doses Of Kids' Flu Vaccine Recalled
Tests Show Vaccine May Not Be Strong Enough To Protect
Against Virus
MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer

ATLANTA — Health officials are recalling hundreds of thousands of doses of swine flu vaccine
after tests indicated they may not be potent enough to protect against the virus.

The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention notified doctors about the recall Tuesday.
The recall involves about 800,000 doses made by Sanofi Pasteur. The doses are pre-filled
syringes intended for young children, ages 6 months to almost three years.

Health officials recommend children those ages get two doses, spaced about a month apart.

Health officials say it's not clear how many doses have already been given, but they don't
think children need to be re-vaccinated. The lots passed potency tests when they were first
shipped, but tests indicate the potency waned after.

http://www.wfsb.com/tu/5M2JVICRf.html

70% of FRENCH REFUSE SWINE FLU VACCINEDD

10 November, 2009D

Online poll draws invective comments against H1N1 vaccination of childrenD

Many French remain hostile to H1N1 vaccination, which begins this Thursday for three priority
groups: families of babies 6-month old and younger, health personnel and people weakened
by other health conditions.

An online poll carried in today's issue of French daily Le Figaro, which tends to draw an
informed, educated readership, asks "H1N1: Should we get (our) children vaccinated?0

Currently running 70 percent "non" (no) the non-scientific poll has drawn not only comments
negative toward the vaccine, but often virulent attacks against the vaccination policy.

Below is a representative selection of comments for and against. The author has translated
the comments into English.

"No-one really knows the risks that this quickly-thrown-together vaccine poses to test
subjects. If, as many doctors say, this vaccine handicaps children for life, whose fault will it
be..?"

"Mortal danger! No-one should get vaccinated because that will lead to a catastrophe in 20
years. Everyone knows the sequels that this vaccine leads to..."

"Dear doctors, scientists and immunologists. According to what I read here, you all seem to
have studied one or the other to be able to give us all formal lessons on the subject. Well both
my wife and I work in the health sector and we are going to get vaccinated, as are our two
children."

"There is no H1N1 flu, there are just 94 million vaccine doses to sell."

"This is political. The French are making a political issue of it. The comments here are
lamentable. Moreover, if, god forbid, H1N1 turned out to be more serious than was thought
and that there were deaths, the French would do the opposite to what they are saying today."
"Fear, skeptical doctors, no one is satisfied with the efficiency of (his ineffective vaccine)
against H1 N1. During the Gulf War the Americans invented a vaccine for soldiers with a lot of
ingredients. The results and secondary effects were catastrophic."

"I have spared my children from all vaccinations, including obligatory ones my children are
doing very well."

"It's precisely the fact that our children are obliged to be vaccinated against certain illnesses
that those illnesses no longer exist! If everyone did things like you do, your children would
already be seriously ill. Your behavior is egocentric, it lacks civility, and you should be put in
front of a judge."

"Crazy! They're talking about vaccinating as many people as possible but we don't even know
the secondary effects of the vaccine...."

"France = 65 million doctors!!! It's very fashionable, but (criticizing the vaccine) is at the origin
of an enormous wave of disinformation in this country!"

"It's just a way of getting rid of the stockpile. Maybe we will know the truth when a heroic
journalist somewhere is ready to let us know the truth....be patient."

"It's a political conspiracy....to kill part of the population. And it just happens that children and
weaker people will be those who die the easiest!"

"NO! Not with adjuvants. The German government and the army get vaccines without
adjuvants, so why should the French be injected with adjuvants?"

http://www.fleshandstone.net/commentarv/1681 .html

Children to get just half dose of swine flu vaccine | Mail Online

By Mail On Sunday Reporter

Children receiving the swine flu vaccination will now be given only half the original dosage in
a single shot after fears it could cause a high fever.

The Government had previously recommended two separate 0.25ml doses of the Pandemrix
vaccine, given three weeks apart.

But after warnings from the European medicines watchdog that the second dose could cause
fevers of up to 38C (100F), the Government now recommends one 0.25ml dose for children
under ten.

A patient is given a swine flu vaccination: Children are to be given half the previous level of
the vaccine after warnings from the European medicine watchdog

A patient is given a swine flu vaccination: Children are to be given half the previous level of
the vaccine after warnings from the European medicine watchdog It is half the amount given
to adults and older children but still enough to provide immunity.

Children with weakened immune systems will continue to get two doses of 0.25ml each.

The updated safety advice was disclosed days after the start of the second wave of the
Government's swine flu vaccination programme.

It aims to inoculate three million children aged between six months and five years - the group
deemed most at risk of needing hospital treatment.

Meanwhile, the medicines watchdog, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory
Agency (MHRA), reported four people had died after receiving the Pandemrix vaccine,
although all had serious underlying health conditions and the deaths are not being linked to
the jab.
One baby died in the womb three weeks after its mother was given the jab and five women
miscarried, although the incidents are being described as 'coincidental'.
One person developed the paralysis condition Guillain-Barre Syndrome which was linked to a
swine flu jab given in America in the Seventies.

The MHRA had received 1,506 reports of minor adverse reactions to Pandemrix such as
swelling at the site of injection, nausea or 'flu-like' illness.
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and immunisation, which recommended the dosage
change, said that children could be given paracetamol if they developed a fever after
vaccination. The Department of Health said that the vaccine remained safe.
Read more: http://www.dailvmaii.co.uk/news/article-1235444/Children-iust-half-dose-swine-
flu-vaccine.html#ixzzOZnlXfzMO

GSK says still no answer on whether H1N1 vaccine batch triggers more reaction
By Helen Branswell Medical Reporter (CP) - Nov 24, 2009
TORONTO —The investigation into whether a batch of H1N1 vaccine may have triggered a
higher-than-normal rate of allergic reactions hasn't yet come up with answers, vaccine
manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline said Tuesday.
And health officials in Quebec said they are still trying to determine if the death of an elderly
man who died of anaphylaxis after receiving a pandemic flu shot was triggered or hastened
by the vaccination.
"Investigations being undertaken by GSK, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of
Canada (PHAC) have not yet been completed," GSK spokesperson Megan Spoore said in an
email about the pulled batch of vaccine.
The lot, No. A80CA007A, comprised 172,000 doses of vaccine that were shipped last month
to British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario and Prince Edward Island.
Quebec did not receive vaccine from the batch under investigation.
After discussions with Health Canada, which regulates vaccines, GSK told provinces last
week not to use any more doses from this lot after it came to light that six cases of
anaphylaxis had been reported in people who had H1N1 shots from the batch.

The event is raising a lot of questions. Here are some answers:

Q: What is anaphylaxis?
A: Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that in extreme cases can lead to death. Marked
by sudden onset, the reaction can produce hives, cardiovascular problems and swelling of the
tissues in the mouth and airways that can compromise breathing.
True anaphylaxis has to meet an internationally accepted diagnostic criterion called the
Brighton collaboration case definition. It must involve at least two organ symptoms - in other
words, some combination of reactions involving the skin, heart and respiratory systems.

Q: What causes anaphylaxis?

A: Anaphylaxis is an allergic response to exposure to an allergen, a non-pathogenic (i.e. not a
germ or a fungus) substance that's capable of triggering a response from the immune system.
For some people, pollen is an allergen. For others, peanut protein is.
Why some people are allergic to some things and others are not isn't clear. But when a
person with an allergy encounters the specific allergen, his or her immune system generates
a type of antibodies that trigger the release of histamines into their system, says Dr. Scott
Halperin, a vaccine expert at Dalhousie University. Histamines induce the response.

Q: How is anaphylaxis treated?

A: True anaphylaxis is treated with epinephrine (adrenaline). That's the stuff in EpiPens
carried by people with life-threatening allergies.

Q: Are there any doses of this suspect batch of vaccine left?

A: By the time GSK issued the halt-use order last week, all but about 20,000 doses of the
batch had been used, a spokesperson for the Public Health Agency of Canada says.

Q: So that's about six cases of anaphylaxis out of about 152,000 shots given. Is that unduly
high?

A: GSK said in a statement Tuesday that the expected rate of anaphylactic reactions to flu
shots is in about one in 100,000.

Q: Is anaphylaxis a reaction seen with other vaccines or just flu shots.

A: "Any time you immunize somebody with something, there's always a chance of an allergic
reaction," says Dr. John Treanor, an influenza vaccine expert at the University of Rochester in
New York.

And if you vaccinate millions? "Some people are going to have anaphylaxis, absolutely,"
Treanor says.

Halperin says the rate of anaphylactic reactions will vary depending on the type of vaccine
used and the age of the people the vaccine is being given to.

It can even vary by location. Australia saw higher than expected rates of anaphylaxis when it
roiled out its HPV vaccine campaign - about 2.6 cases per 100,000 shots, according to one
study. But those elevated rates weren't seen in North America.

Q: Why do some people have allergic reactions to vaccines?

A: "For most times people have anaphylaxis, you don't know exactly what it is. And vaccine is
a complex mixture," Halperin says.

Most flu vaccine - and all the flu vaccine used in Canada - is produced in eggs. If there was
residual egg protein in the vaccine it could trigger an allergic response in people with egg
allergies, he says.

With the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, reactions have occurred that are
believed to be due to an antibiotic that is used in the production process, Halperin says.

Q: Why would one batch of vaccine produce more reactions than others?

A: Treanor says that's a difficult question to answer.

"It's hard for me to think of what the mechanism would be for a lot-specific increase in
anaphylactic reactions," he says.

T h e only thing that would make sense if it was really true that you were seeing with a specific
batch that there were more anaphylactic reactions that there's something in that batch that's
not in the other batches... that people tend to be allergic to."

http.7/www.aooqle.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeaM5hvRQAwdPH-
BPk6w5naAkGI6ZUaw
H1N1 less lethal than feared: U.K. study

By CBC News
The strain of swine flu virus currently circulating around the world is less deadly than
previously thought, say British scientists who compared its effect to that of other pandemic
viruses.

The strain of swine flu virus currently circulating around the world is less deadly than
previously thought, say British scientists who compared its effect to that of other pandemic
viruses.

The 2009 flu pandemic is about 100 times less lethal than the 1918 Spanish flu and nearly 10
times less fatal than the flu pandemics of 1957 and 1968.
Thosefindingswere reported in Thursday's online issue of British Medical Journal, BMJ.
After analyzing British health department data on all reported swine flu patients who were
hospitalized between July and Nov. 8, the researchers estimated that about 26 of every
100,000 people infected with the H1N1 influenza A virus that causes swine flu died. That is a
death rate of 0.026 per cent.

Thefindingsare similar to a U.S. study published on Monday that estimated the death rate in
the current swine flu pandemic is 0.048 per cent, or one death per every 2,000 cases.
'The first influenza pandemic of the 21st century is considerably less lethal than was feared in
advance," England's chief medical officer, Liam Donaldson, and his co-authors from Britain's
Health Protection Agency wrote in the study.
In comparison, the fatality rate for the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic was two to three per cent,
compared with around 0.2 per cent for the pandemics in 1957-1958 and 1967-1968. Fatality
estimates for previous pandemics were probably less reliable since they were based on
statistical methods and death certificates, with few ? if any ? lab confirmations.
Since the past pandemics, there have been advances in medicine such as ventilators to help
patients with breathing problems, as well as better housing, health care and nutrition,
Donaldson said.
When the World Health Organization declared swine flu had reached a pandemic stage in
June, the agency described it as "moderate," with most people infected showing mild
symptoms and recovering without medical treatment.

A pandemic designation reflects how widely a virus has spread, not the severity of illness.
Findings not a reason for inaction
Donaldson's study suggested two-thirds of those who died from H1N1 would be eligible for
the H1N1 vaccine under the British government's plan, which prioritizes those at highest risk
of developing complications from the flu.
This includes patients sick in hospital, pregnant women, people with asthma or other
underlying health problems and health care workers.
"Viewed statistically, mortality in this pandemic compares favourably with 20th century
influenza pandemics. A lower population impact than previous pandemics, however, is not a
justification for public health inaction," the study's authors concluded. "Our data support the
priority vaccination of high-risk groups."
Some of the deaths, 38 per cent, occurred in people not considered at high risk.
The findings also reinforced calls to prescribe antiviral medications for people at highriskor
those showing severe symptoms.
Most of the people who died of swinefluin Britain, 78 per cent, had been prescribed antiviral
drugs. But of these, 76 per cent did not received them within the first 48 hours of illness as
recommended.
Infection rate higher among native populations
Also on Thursday, U.S. health officials said an estimated 15 per cent of Americans had been
infected with the H1N1 virus by mid November.
In its weekly report on death and disease, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) suggested the death rate among the aboriginal population in the U.S. is
about four times higher than that of all other racial and ethnic groups combined.
Similarly, indigenous populations in Australia, Canada and New Zealand have been found to
have a three to eight times higher rate of hospitalization and death associated with swine flu.
There is a lot of debate about why the rates are higher among aboriginal populations, but it
likely reflects environmental conditions such as nutrition in early childhood, access to health
care and the a higher likelihood of underlying disease such as diabetes and asthma, said
CDC director Dr. Thomas Frieden.
http://license.icopvriaht.net/user/viewContent.act?clipid=418842350&mode=cnc&tag=3.8471
%3Ficx id%3D%2F2009%2F12%2F10%2Fh1 n1-pandemics-studv.html

In early December 2009, it was just over 6,000 who had died worldwide from H1N1. One
week later, it Is over 10,000 in the US alone and over 50,000,000 who have had it? Since
Americans are not being tested for H1N1; since anyone who says ah-choo at any point in
their day is told they have'it;and since the government has lied before about these things,
they have GOT to think we are all really, really stupid to believe this crap! These are all made
up figures (the use of the word estimates is another way of saying - we are making up these
numbers to prove our point) and are not worth the e-paper they are printed on.

CDC: About 1 in 6 Americans have had swine flu

December 10, 2009
By MIKE STOBBE AP Medical Writer
Swine flu has sickened about 50 million Americans, and killed about 10,000, according to new
estimates released by federal health officials on Thursday.
That means about 1 in 6 Americans have had the illness, said Dr. Thomas Frieden, director of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The estimates are for the first seven months of the pandemic, from April through mid-
November. The new numbers are a big jump from previous estimates, which said swine flu
had sickened 22 million Americans and killed about 4,000 through mid-October.
Most of the increase is due to cases that occurred after early October, when the nation saw
the peak of a second wave of illness, CDC officials said.
The CDC also estimates that nearly 200,000 people were hospitalized through mid-November
— about the same amount that occurs normally in an entire winter flu season.

While the elderly account for most of the hospitalizations and deaths from seasonal flu, the
largest proportion of reported swine flu hospitalizations and deaths are in non-elderly adults,
CDC officials said.

More than three-quarters of the deaths were people ages 18 to 64, according to the CDC.

The new estimates seem to echo an unpublished, in-depth CDC analysis of 100 U.S. swine
flu deaths. About 80 percent of those deaths were in people ages 20 through 59, and 45
percent were obese, that research found.

Flu estimates are tricky and inexact because many illnesses are relatively mild and go
unreported, and hospitalizations and deaths often involve maladies beyond the flu. The CDC
actually thinks that between 34 million and 67 million Americans have gotten sick from swine
flu, but Frieden gave 50 million as a midpoint estimate.

Flu estimates are also difficult to compare. Seasonal flu kills about 36,000 Americans each
year, according to a long-standing estimate. But that number includes many elderly people
who had not only seasonal flu and related pneumonia but also heart attacks and strokes. The
new CDC swine flu estimates do not include heart attacks and strokes, mainly because there
hasn't been time to collect that kind of data.

So it's likely the new estimate is conservative, and undercounts elderly deaths, CDC officials
acknowledged.

Even so, the number of hospitalizations and deaths of younger people from swine flu far
exceed what normally occurs in the same ages from the winter flu.

This flu is much harder on younger people," Frieden said at a press conference in Atlanta.

The swine flu pandemic has so far hit in two waves in the United States: First in the spring
when it was first identified, then a larger wave that started in the late summer.

In late October, 48 states reported widespread flu activity. Increasingly, that appears to have
been the peak of the second wave. Since then, fewer states have been reporting widespread
cases, and the number of school closings due to swine flu has at times dropped to zero.

But there are still plenty of ill people — as many as during the worst days of many regular flu
seasons. And CDC officials have said the signs of declining cases do not necessarily mean
the worst is over.

About 15 percent of Americans have had swine swine flu, Frieden said. Between 5 percent
and 20 percent of Americans get seasonal flu each year, experts believe.

Even though tens of million of Americans have had swine flu, the majority haven't, so it's still
important to get a vaccination, Frieden added. Swine flu vaccine first came out in early
October in very limited supplies. But deliveries are increasing dramatically, and now about 85
million doses are available.

Also on Thursday, the CDC released a study that found American Indians and Alaska Natives
have died from swine flu at a rate four times greater than other Americans.

The study looked at swine flu deaths in 12 states that are home to about half of the nation's
American Indians and Alaska Natives, and counted 42 people in those groups who died of
swine flu or its complications by mid-November.

That was a rate of nearly 4 out of every 100,000 people for that group, compared to a rate of
about 1 per 100,000 for everyone else.
The finding was not surprising. American Indians and Alaska Natives have higher rates of
diabetes, asthma and other conditions that make them more vulnerable. The two groups also
have higher poverty rates, and were hit harder than other people during past flu pandemics.
The study is being published in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
http^icense.icopyright.net7user/viewContent.act?clipid^18842348&mode=4:nc&tag=3.5721
%3Ficx_id%3D20091210-pf1onfile-V6587

Interview with Epidemiologist Tom Jefferson

07/21/2009 12:19 PM
'A Whole Industry Is Waiting For A Pandemic'
The world has been gripped with fears of swine flu in recent weeks. In an interview with
SPIEGEL, epidemiologist Tom Jefferson speaks about dangerous fear-mongering,
misguided, money-driven research and why we should all be washing our hands a lot more
often.
SPIEGEL: Mr. Jefferson, the world is living in fear of swine flu. And some predict that, by next
winter, one-third of the world's population might be infected. Are you personally worried? Are
you and your family taking any precautions?
Tom Jefferson: I wash my hands very often - and it's not all because of swineflu.That's
probably the most effective precaution there is against all respiratory viruses, and the majority
of gastrointestinal viruses and germs as weil.
SPIEGEL: Do you consider the swine flu to be particularly worrisome?
Jefferson : It's true that influenza viruses are unpredictable, so it does call for a certain degree
of caution. But one of the extraordinary features of this influenza - and the whole influenza
saga - is that there are some people who make predictions year after year, and they get
worse and worse. None of them so far have come about, and these people are still there
making these predictions. For example, what happened with the birdflu,which was supposed
to kill us all? Nothing. But that doesn't stop these people from always making their
predictions. Sometimes you get the feeling that there is a whole industry almost waiting for a
pandemic to occur.

SPIEGEL: Who do you mean? The World Health Organization (WHO)?

Jefferson: The WHO and public health officials, virologists and the pharmaceutical
companies. They've built this machine around the impending pandemic. And there's a lot of
money involved, and influence, and careers, and entire institutions! And all it took was one of
these influenza viruses to mutate to start the machine grinding.
SPIEGEL: On your Italian homepage, there is a "pandemic countdown" that expires on April
1. Don't you think the situation calls for just a bit more seriousness?
Jefferson: I'm just using it ironically to expose the false certainty that we are fed. Will one-third
of the world's population get swine flu? Nobody can say for sure right now. For now, at least, I
don't really see any fundamental difference, no difference in the definition between this and a
normal flu epidemic. Swine flu could have even stayed unnoticed if it had been caused by
some unknown virus rather than an influenza virus.

SPIEGEL: Do you think the WHO declared a pandemic prematurely?

Jefferson: Don't you think there's something noteworthy about the fact that the WHO has
changed its definition of pandemic? The old definition was a new virus, which went around
quickly, for which you didn't have immunity, and which created a high morbidity and mortality
rate. Now the last two have been dropped, and that's how swine flu has been categorized as
a pandemic.

SPIEGEL: But, year after year, 10,000!30,000 people in Germany alone die from influenza. In
the Western world, influenza is the most deadly infectious disease there is.

Jefferson: Hold on! These figures are nothing more than estimates. More than anything, you
have to distinguish between an influenza!like illness and a genuine flu, the real influenza.
Both of them have the same symptoms: a sudden high fever, a sore throat, coughing,
rheumatic pain in the back and legs, possible bronchitis and pneumonia. But realflues,real
influenzas are only caused by influenza viruses, while there are more than 200 different
viruses that cause influenza!like illness. When it comes to figures related to so!called flu
deaths, you always get other causes of death caused by other viruses mixed in. Now, in the
case of elderly people who die of pneumonia, nobody would do a postmortem tofigureout if it
was really an influenza virus that killed them. Approximately 7 percent of influenza!like illness
cases are caused by influenza viruses. It's a very small percentage. What I know is that real
influenza is systematically overestimated.

SPIEGEL: And what about the 200 other kinds of viruses?

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Jefferson: They're not as popular as influenza. Researchers are just not as interested in that.
Take rhinovirus, a horse!derived virus. It's the most commonly isolated agent in common
colds. There are a hundred different types of these rhinoviruses. They usually only cause a
normal runny nose, but they can be deadly, too. Or so!called RSV, the human respiratory
syncytial virus, that is highly dangerous to infants and small children.

SPIEGEL: So why aren't researchers interested in it?

Jefferson: It's easy: They can't make money with it. With rhinoviruses, RSV and the majority
of the other viruses, it's hard to make a lot of money or a career out of it. Against influenza,
though, there are vaccines, and there are drugs you can sell. And that's where the big money
from the pharmaceuticals industry is. It makes sure that research on influenza is published in
the good journals. And that's why you have more attention being paid there, and the entire
research field becomes interesting for ambitious scientists.

SPIEGEL: But is there any scientific reason to be interested in influenza viruses?

Jefferson: The strict focus on influenza is not only misguided; it's also dangerous. Do you
remember something called SARS? That was a truly dangerous epidemic. It was like a
meteor: It came and it went quickly, and it killed a lot of people. SARS took us by surprise
because it was caused by a completely unknown Coronavirus. Where did it come from?
Where did it go? Or is it still here? We still don't know. There are lots of other strange things
like that coming out. Every year, a new agent is identified. For example, there's something
called bocavirus, which can cause bronchitis and pneumonia in small children. And there's
something called metapneumovirus, which studies say is responsible for more than 5 percent
of allflu-relatedillnesses. So, we should keep our eyes open in all directions!

SPIEGEL: But the great pandemic of 1918/1919 was caused by an influenza virus, and it
killed up to 50 million people around the world. Or do scientists contest that?

Jefferson : It's very well possible that it was, but there are many aspects about the 1918/1919
pandemic that still puzzle us. It was only 12 years ago that we learned that the H1N1 virus
caused it. But there was also a lot of bacterial activity going on at the time. And it's particuiaríy
unclear why the mortality rate for the flu dropped so dramatically after World War II. Today,
you only get a fraction of what was standard before the war. When it comes to the later
pandemics, such as the "Asianflu"of 1957 or the "Hong Kongflu"of 1968/69, you can barely
detect them as exceptional figures when it comes to death statistics as a whole.

Contradictions between Scientific Findings and Practice

SPIEGEL: So why should we even speak of pandemics at all?

Jefferson: That's something you should ask the World Health Organization!

SPIEGEL: In your opinion, what do you think it takes to make a virus like the swine flu a
global threat?

Jefferson: Unfortunately, we can only say that we don't know. I suspect that the whole issue is
much more complex than we are even able to imagine it today. Given all the viruses that
produceflu-likesymptoms, perhaps Robert Koch's postulate that one particular pathogen
causes one particular disease doesn't go far enough. Why, for example, do we not get
influenza in the summertime? In the end, the pathogen is there all year long! Already in the
19th century, the German chemist and hygienist Max von Pettenkofer had developed a theory
about how the pathogen's contact with the environment can alter the disease. I think that
research in this direction would be worthwhile. Perhaps it would allow us to understand the
pandemic of 1918/1919 better or to be able to assess the dangers of swine flu.

SPIEGEL: Humans have better defenses today than they did in 1918, and it probably won't
be long before we have a swine flu vaccine. Last week, Germany's federal government
announced that it wanted to buy enough for 30 percent of the population. How much do you
think that will protect us?

Jefferson: When it comes to pandemic vaccination, as we say in English, the proof is in the
pudding. The proof is in using it. We'll see. It does generate an antibody response, but will it
really guard against the disease?

SPIEGEL: Are you pessimistic about that?

Jefferson: No, I'm just saying I think we're about to find out (laughter). Let's have this
conversation again in about a year's time, shall we?

SPIEGEL: For a number of years, as part of the Cochrane Collaboration, you have been
systematically evaluating all the studies on immunization against seasonal influenza. How
good does it work?

Jefferson: Not particularly good. An influenza vaccine is not working for the majority of
influenza-like illnesses because it is only designed to combat influenza viruses. For that
reason, the vaccine changes nothing when it comes to the heightened mortality rate during
the winter months. And, even in the best of cases, the vaccine only works against influenza
viruses to a limited degree. Among other things, there is always the danger that thefluvirus
in circulation will have changed by the time that the vaccine product isfinishedwith the result
that, in the worst case, the vaccine will be totally ineffectual. In the best of cases, the few
decent studies that exist show that the vaccine mainly works with healthy young adults. With
children and the elderly, it only helps a little, if at all.

SPIEGEL: But aren't those the exact groups that influenza immunization is recommended
for?

Jefferson: Indeed. That's one of the contradictions between scientific findings and practice,
between evidence and policy.

SPIEGEL: So, what's behind this contradiction?

Jefferson: Of course, that has something to do with the influence of the pharmaceutical
industry. But it also has to do with the fact that the importance of influenza is completely
overestimated. It has to do with research funds, power, influence and scientific reputations!

SPIEGEL: So, at the moment is it reasonable to keep vaccinating against seasonal influenza?

Jefferson: I can't see any reason for it, but I'm not a decision maker.

SPIEGEL: And what about Tamiflu and Relenza, two of the anti-flu medications that are being
deployed against swine flu? How well do they really work?

Jefferson : If taken at the right time, on average, Tamiflu reduces the duration of a real
influenza by one day. One study also found that it diminishes the risk of pneumonia.

SPIEGEL: Could these medications lower mortality rates associated with the flu?

Jefferson : That's possible, but it has yet to be scientifically proven.

SPIEGEL: And what about side effects?

Jefferson: Tamiflu can cause nausea. And there are things that point toward psychiatric side
effects. There are reports coming out of Japan that young people who have taken Tamiflu
have had acute psychotic reactions similar to those found in schizophrenics.

SPIEGEL: So, is it sensible to use such medications at all?

Jefferson : When it comes to severe disease, yes. But under no circumstances should
Tamiflu be handed out to whole schools, as is currently sometimes being done. With that
being the case, it doesn't surprise me at all that we're already hearing reports about resistant
strains of swine flu.

SPIEGEL: In Germany, the government is supposed to stockpile flu medications for 20

percent of the population. Do you see that as being sensible?

Jefferson: Well, at least there are much cheaper ways to accomplish a lot more. For example,
school children should be taught to wash their hands regularly — preferrably after every class!
And every airport should install a couple hundred wash basins. Whoever gets off a plane and
doesn't wash their hands should be stopped by the border police. You could tell for example
by putting an invisible, neutral dye in the water. And wearing masks can be sensible, as well.

SPIEGEL: Has it really been shown that these measures work?

Jefferson : There are several good studies on this that were done during the SARS epidemic.
They are so-called case-control studies that examined individuals that had had close contact
with the SARS virus. They compared the characteristics of those who had been infected with
the virus through this contact with those of people who had not been infected. These studies
resulted in very clear results.

SPIEGEL: You sound pretty impressed.

Jefferson: I am. What's great about these measures is not only that they are inexpensive, but
also that they can help against more than just influenza viruses. This method can fight against
the 200 pathogens that bring aboutflusymptoms as well as against gastrointestinal viruses
and completely unknown germs. One study done in Pakistan has shown that hand washing
can even save children's lives. Someone should get a Nobel Prize for that!

SPIEGEL: Mr. Jefferson, we thank you for this interview.

Interview conducted by Johann Grolle and Veronika Hackenbroch.

http://www.spieael.de/international/world/0.1518.637119.00.html

Australian Scientist Repeats - Swine Flu Lab-Escape Claim in Published Study

By Simeon Benne

Nov. 24 (Bloomberg) - Adrian Gibbs, the virologist who said in May that swine flu may have
escaped from a laboratory, published hisfindingstoday, renewing discussion about the
origins of the pandemic virus.

The new H1N1 strain, which was discovered in Mexico and the U.S. in April, may be the
product of three strains from three continents that swapped genes in a lab or a vaccine-
making plant, Gibbs, and fellow Australian scientists wrote in Virology Journal. The authors
analyzed the genetic makeup of the virus and found its origin could be more simply explained
by human involvement than a coincidence of nature.

Their study, published in a free, online journal reviewed by other scientists, follows debate
among researchers six months ago, when Gibbs asked the World Health Organization to
consider the hypothesis. After reviewing Gibbs' initial three-page paper, WHO and other
organizations concluded the pandemic strain was a naturally occurring virus and not
laboratory-derived.

"It is important that the source of the new virus be found if we wish to avoid future pandemics
rather than just trying to minimize the consequences after they have emerged," Gibbs and
colleagues John Armstrong and Jean Downie said in today's eight- page study.

Gibbs and Armstrong are on the emeritus faculty at the Australian National University in
Canberra and Downie is affiliated with the Centre for Infectious Diseases and Microbiology
Laboratory Services at Sydney's Westmead Hospital, according to the study.

While the exact source of the new H1 N1 strain is a mystery, their research has "raised many
new questions," they said. The authors compared the genetic blueprints of flu strains stored in
the free database Genbank and found the pandemic virus's nearest ancestors circulate in
pigs.

'Simplest Explanation'

While migratory birds may have acted as conduit for their convergence, human involvement
in bringing them together is "by far the simplest explanation," Gibbs said in a telephone
interview today.

Gibbs wrote or coauthored more than 250 scientific publications on viruses, mostly pertaining
to the plant world, during his 39-year career at the Australian National University, according to
biographical information on the university's Web site.

"Knowing Adrian Gibbs, he will have thought through it pretty logically and come to that
conclusion," Lance Jennings, a clinical virologist with Canterbury Health Laboratories in
Christchurch, New Zealand, said in a telephone interview, "it's up to someone else to try and
prove it or disprove it."

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=ajw2AS.d1wK8
Just one in five diagnosed with swine flu on hotline
actually had the disease | Mail Online
By Daniel Martin

Last updated at 8:09 AM on 09th December 2009

Hundreds of thousands of people were wrongly diagnosed with swine flu after calling the
Government's emergency helpline, it was revealed yesterday.

Around 800,000 people were incorrectly told to stop work and take the Tamiflu drug, costing
employers hundreds of millions of pounds and adding to the NHS drug bill.

In fact just one in every five people diagnosed by the controversial call centres actually had
the illness.

Research published today has revealed that just one in five people diagnosed with swine flu
by the National Pandemic Flu Service actually had the illness

And at the height of the scare during the summer the rate fell to as low as one in 20, the
Health Protection Agency disclosed.

The revelation came as a survey concluded there was no clear evidence that Tamiflu reduced
the risk of life-threatening complications.

The Government's pledge to vaccinate all under-fives against swine flu this month was also
mired in chaos as GPs pulled out of the scheme in a row over cash.

Just 20 per cent of ail cases diagnosed by the National Pandemic Flu Service were actually
cases of swine flu, HPA scientists found. Everyone diagnosed by the service was given
vouchers to get Tamiflu.

It means that more than 800,000 of the 1 million packets of Tamiflu - which cost around £15
each - were given out needlessly.

In the busiest week 40,000 doses of Tamiflu were dished out - yet now it would appear that
95 per cent - 36,000 packets - should not have been.

It could also mean that millions of working days were lost by people taking time off claiming to
have been hit by the pandemic.

Businesses say the mistakes have lost them more than £500million after thousands took the
opportunity to take swine flu 'sickies'.

This will also raise concerns that the system could have encouraged the virus to become
resistant to Tamiflu.

Critics have attacked ministers for handing out the drug in such huge quantities at the
beginning of the outbreak, when it was feared that up to 65,000 may die.

Now the expected death toll has been revised to less than 1,000 - with 270 having died so
far, of whom 80 per cent had other illnesses or underlying conditions.

Scientists warned in the summer that handing out the antiviral to healthy people could be a
bad move, because a more resistant form of the virus could be dangerous in those with
underlying health problems which makes them more likely to die from the disease.

Two weeks ago it emerged that thefirstcase of Tamiflu-resistant swine flu being passed from
person to person had occurred in Wales.

The Government's swine flu call centres, staffed by unqualified students and temps, were set
up to take the strain off GPs' surgeries.
More than 800,000 of the one million packets of £15 Tamiflu were prescribed needlessly.
Millions of working days were lost by people taking 'swineflusickies'

People with suspected swinefluwere told to ring the helpline or a related internet site to get
the antiviral rather than visit their doctors. The requirement to get a sick note from the GP was
waived.

Similar tests of patients diagnosed by GPs found half of their patients were also
misdiagnosed.

Liberal Democrat health spokesman Norman Lamb said the potential danger to misdiagnosed
patients is 'seriously concerning'.

'Ministers had years to prepare for such an outbreak but completely failed to put in place an
effective flu-line service,' he added.

And Mark Wallace, of the Taxpayers' Alliance, said: 'If call centres were so inaccurate, then it
suggests this was more about PR than medical treatment. In effect, this was a very expensive
press release.'

A Department of Health spokesman insisted the 'best scientific advice' states Tamiflu should
still be taken as soon as possible. To suggest otherwise is potentially dangerous,' he added.

Read more: http://www.dailvmail.co.uk/news/article-1234135/Just-diaanosed-swine-flu-

hotline-actuallv-disease.html#ixzz0ZnmOFWOk
The Truth About Tamiflu
- The Atlantic (December 10, 2009)
httD://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200912u/tamiflu

Two months ago, we pointed out ¡n our story on flu in The Atlantic
that the antiviral drug Tamiflu might not be as effective or safe as
many patients, doctors, and governments think. The drug has
been widely prescribed since the first cases of H1N1 flu surfaced
last spring, and the U.S. government has spent more than $1.5
billion stockpiling it since 2005 as part of the nation's pandemic
preparedness plan.

Now it looks as if our concerns were correct, and the nation may
have put more than a billion dollars into the medical equivalent of a
mirage. This week, the British medical journal BMJ published a
multi-part investigation that confirms that the scientific evidence
just isn't there to show that Tamiflu prevents serious complications,
hospitalization, or death in people that have the flu. The BMJ goes
further to suggest that Roche, the Swiss company that
manufactures and markets Tamiflu, may have misled governments
and physicians. In its defense, Roche stated that the company
"has never concealed (or had the intention to conceal) any
pertinent data."

The BMJ's investigation began innocently enough, with an update

of a review by the Cochrane Collaboration, a widely-respected
international consortium of researchers who periodically examine
the medical literature to assess the safety and effectiveness of
various treatments. Roche has claimed that its drug reduces
hospital admissions by 6 1 % in patients who were otherwise
healthy before they got the flu. It has also said that Tamiflu
reduces such complications as bronchitis, pneumonia, and
sinusitis by 67%, and lower respiratory tract infections requiring
antibiotics by 55%. A 2006 Cochrane review of Tamiflu came to
similar conclusions—based largely on a paper that looked at ten
studies, all of them funded by the company.

The dog ate my homework

But when the Cochrane team, led by Chris Del Mar, from Bond
University in Australia, re-examined the studies they had
previously used in 2006, they found some discrepancies. It turned
out that only two of the ten studies had ever been published in
medical journals, and those two showed the drug had very little
effect on complications compared to a dummy pill, or placebo. So
the Cochrane reviewers decided to look at the data for themselves.

First they went to the lead authors of the published studiets—the

researchers who were supposed to have access to all of the data.
One author said he had lost track of the data when he moved
offices and the files appeared to have been discarded. The other
said he'd never actually seen the data himself, and directed the
Cochrane team to go directly to the company.

Four months and multiple requests later, the Cochrane

researchers had a hodgepodge of data from the company,
including two studies that showed the drug was ineffective, but
which the company had never published. Roche also provided
data from a third study, which involved 1,447 adults and
adolescents aged 13-80, the largest study of the drug ever
conducted. Yet the company never published that one either. (A
summary of this and other studies is available at www.roche-
trials.com). But with only partial data, the Cochrane team couldn't
even figure out what the study had been intended to measure.

In the meantime, two former employees of Adis International, a

large communications company, came forward with documents
showing they had ghostwritten some of the published studies of
Tamiflu. One of the ghostwriters told the BMJ, "The Tamiflu
accounts had a list of key messages that you had to get in. It was
run by the [Roche] marketing department and you were
answerable to them. In the introduction . . . I had to say what a big
problem influenza is. I'd also have to come to the conclusion that
Tamiflu was the answer."

Stockpiling

The Cochrane team eventually concluded that the evidence that

Tamiflu reduces complications, hospitalizations, or deaths is weak
at best, and if the drug does offer any benefit, it is slight indeed.
This is precisely the conclusion of the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA), and the UK's National Institute for Health
and Clinical Excellence (NICE). As we reported in our story in The
Atlantic, the FDA directed Roche to state on the drug's label the
following caveat: "Tamiflu has not been proven to have a positive
impact on the potential consequences (such as hospitalizations,
mortality, or economic impact) of seasonal, avian, or pandemic
influenza." An FDA spokesperson told the BMJ, 'The clinical trials .
. . failed to demonstrate any significant difference in rates of
hospitalization, complications, or mortality in patients receiving
either Tamiflu or placebo." Yet in the wake of the H1N1 pandemic,
the FDA gave temporary approval for the drug to be given to
hospitalized flu patients, who are at risk of dying.

Another big unknown is just how safe—or dangerous—Tamiflu

may be. According to an FDA spokesperson, side efTects may
include potentially fatal heart problems. If the drug is going to be
used to prevent death, it seems reasonable to ask whether or not
its potentially deadly side effects are outweighed by potential
benefits. We asked the FDA whether it had required Roche to
conduct an additional trial or trials looking at whether or not, on
balance, the drug reduces more serious complications than it
causes. This week, a spokesperson reported back that there has
been no such request made to Roche.

All of which leaves open the question of why governments around

the world have invested so much—on the order of $3 billion since
the emergence of H1N1 last spring, according to investment bank,
JP Morgan—in a drug that appears to do so little.

The answer may lie in the politics of disease. Far from a

commercial success when it was initially approved by the FDA in
1999, Tamiflu's fortunes began to look up in 2003, after the SARS
outbreak and the emergence of bird flu. Then Hurricane Katrina
hit. In the wake of criticism over ¡ts handling of the disaster in New
Orleans, the Bush Administration announced a multi-billion-dollar
pandemic and bioterrorism preparedness strategy, which included
stockpiling millions of doses of Tamiflu.

As the nation's lead public health agency, the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention appears to be operating in some
alternative universe, where valid science no longer matters to
public policy. The agency's flu recommendations are in lockstep
with Roche's claims that the drug can be life-saving—despite the
FDA's findings and despite the lack of studies to prove such a
claim. What's more, neither the CDC nor the FDA has demanded
the types of scientific studies that could definitively determine
whether or not the company's claims are true: that Tamiflu reduces
the risk of serious complications and saves lives. Nancy Cox, who
heads the CDC's flu program, told us earlier this year she opposes
a placebo-controlled study (in which one half of patients would be
given Tamiflu and the other half would be given placebo), because
the drug's benefits are already proven.

There are a couple of take-home messages here. One is pretty

obvious: Tamiflu may not be doing much good for patients with the
flu who take it, and it might be causing harm. The more important
issue, however, involves the need for trust in science and
medicine. Governments, public health agencies, and international
bodies such as the World Health Organization, have all based their
decisions to recommend and stockpile Tamiflu on studies that had
seemed independent, but had in fact been funded by the company
and were authored almost entirely by Roche employees or paid
academic consultants. So did the Cochrane Collaboration, at least
in its earlier assessments of Tamiflu. Millions of flu patients have
taken the drug as a result.

That trust appears to have been misplaced, and a drug touted as

beneficial on the basis offlimsyevidence has by now become so
entrenched that no one appears willing to conduct the sort of study
needed to prove whether or not it can, in fact, save lives.
http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/cidrap/content/influenza/swineflu/
news/dec0909tamiflu-br.html D

Reports probe Tamiflu

benefits, call for clinical data
transparency
Lisa Schnirring Staff Writer

Dec 9,2009 (CIDRAP News) - In an update of a review on the role of

neuraminidase inhibitors in seasonal flu prevention and treatment, the
authors reversed a previous conclusion that oseltamivir (Tamiflu)
prevents complications like pneumonia in healthy patients because they
were unable to reconstruct the data in one of the key studies that found
a benefit.

The review was published today in the British Medical Journal (BMJ),
along with an investigation that the journal conducted with England's
Channel 4 News on the authors' attempts to obtain the raw data from
Roche, which supported the earlier studies and is the maker of Tamiflu.

The BMJ's investigative report and an accompanying editorial say

difficulties the review authors had in verifying the data cloud
government stockpiling policies and point to other problems with drug
company transparency in the drug approval process and medical journal
pubHshing practices. They also wrote that an earlier Cochrane Library
review, published in 2006, should have been more rigorous.

Though today's BMJ articles focus on seasonal flu and healthy patients,
they may have implications for pandemic flu, because Tamiflu is the
drag of choice for managing H1N1 infections, especially in those with
severe illness and those at high risk for complications.

Analysis includes 20 studies

The research team, which included experts from Australia and a
doctoral student from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
analyzed 20 published trials on neuraminidase inhibitor use in seasonal
flu that focused on prevention, treatment, and adverse reactions.
However, they dropped eight trials that were included in the 2006
review, because they were never published and the researchers weren't
able to verify the results. According to the BMJ investigative report,
Roche wouldn't send the authors the raw data without a signed
confidentiality agreement.
They concluded that neuraminidase inhibitors have a modest effect
against seasonal flu symptoms in healthy adults, but a scarcity of good
data undermines the previousfindingthat Tamiflu is useful in
preventing flu complications. The investigators wrote that independent
randomized trials are needed to resolve uncertainties.

During negotiations with the authors over the raw data, Roche sent
them a group of observational studies. An analysis of those studies in
the same issue of BMJ found that oseltamivir may reduce the risk of
pneumonia in healthy patients who haveflu,but the benefit is small and
side effects and safety should be considered. The authors of the analysis
also said interpreting the observational studies was difficult, because
some patients were included in more than one study.

In an editorial in the same issue oí BMJ, the journal's editor-in-chief, Dr

Fiona Godlee, and Mike Clarke, director of the Cochrane Centre in
Oxford, England, wrote that Roche hasn't done anything wrong by
current pharmaceutical standards, but they said the current system isn't
working and "gives a false sense of security."

They wrote that drag company studies are often shrouded in secrecy
and aren't always subject to full independent review. They call for more
publicly funded trials and said governments should pass laws requiring
access to raw data on licensed drugs.

Data access limited

Fred Hayden, MD, a virologist at the University of Virginia and
coordinator of influenza activities at the Wellcome Trust, an
independent medical research funding charity based in London, was the
corresponding author of an analysis that included raw data from some
of the Roche-supported studies that Australian researchers couldn't
obtain from Roche. That report, published in a 2003 issue of Archives of
Internal Medicine, has been widely use to support Tamiflu use for
preventingflu-relatedpneumonia and hospitalizations. Hayden said
that after several moves he was unable to track down the raw data and
advised them to request itfromRoche.

Hayden told CIDRAP News that the 2003findingsare still valid and
that he supports the researchers' access to the primary data. Roche said
in a response to BMJlhat it would provide the raw data to researchers
who have a legitimate need for it on a password-protected Web portal.
"There's no question that this is the right thing to do," Hayden said.

The new BMJ review might send a confusing message to clinicians who
are in the midst of treating pandemic H1N1 patients, Hayden said. He
said the review focuses on uncomplicated seasonal influenza, and he
cautioned physicians not to generalize too broadly from it in their
management of pandemic HiNi cases.

Studies on patients with H5N1 avian influenza infections from different

countries have shown that early oseltamivir treatment can reduce
mortahty, and clinicians are seeing the same pattern for patients with
pandemic H1N1 flu.

Hayden is part of a World Health Organization (WHO) panel of antiviral

experts that met in June to update WHO guidance for pandemic H1N1
management. He said the group meets again in January to review the
most recent data, and he doesn't think the BMJ review will have much
of an impact on the discussions.

WHO evaluating reports

Charles Perm, PhD, a scientist with the WHO's global influenza
program, told CIDRAP News that the WHO is still evaluating all of the
BMJ reports to see how they might affect its antiviral guidelines.
However, he said the review isn't based on any new evidence and that its
conclusions contain findings about neuraminidase inhibitor use that are
already well known, such as a modest benefit in otherwise healthy
patients.

He pointed out that the pandemic H1N1 virus is affecting a different age
range than seasonal flu, with a small number of very severe cases,
including some involving viral pneumonitis. Researchers are building
up a body of evidence from 6 months of clinicians' experience in
managing pandemic H1N1 patients, and the data suggest oseltamivir is
having an impact on severity and hospitalizations.

When queried about a response from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) to the BMJ review, CDC spokesman Tom Skinner
referred CIDRAP News to a recent perspective article by Tim Uyeki,
MD, MPH.

Uyeki, a medical epidemiologist in the CDC's Influenza Division, wrote

in a Nov 18 article in the New England Journal ofMedicine that
evidence "supports the benefit of neuraminidase inhibitors (oseltamivir
or zanamivir) in reducing complications, including deaths, among
hospitalized patients with 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1)."
Uyeki cited three observational studies of oseltamivir in seasonal flu
that showed reduced mortality in hospitalized patients.
"Taken together," Uyeki concluded, "although data are limited, findings
of observational studies all point in the same direction, suggesting
benefit of early neuraminidase inhibitor treatment for hospitalized
influenza patients as well as for patients presenting >48 hours after
illness onset."

Some conclusions already accepted

Vincent Racaniello, PhD, professor of microbiology at Columbia
University and author of Virology Blog, told CIDRAP News that the
BMJ studies are well done and the conclusions are valid, but he said
scientists have known for a long time that neuraminidase inhibitors are
marginally effective. "They were approved because there are no other
antivirale available," he said. "In people with lab!confirmed influenza,
they work about 70% of the time in reducing symptoms by a day. That's
been known for years and these meta!analyses confirm that."

He said the new BMJ review's conclusion that there is no benefit from
postexposure prophylaxis for influenza!like illness contradicts earlier
studies, but he said some of the illnesses might not have been flu and
may not have been affected by neuraminidase inhibitors. "That's one
reason why the authors of this study call for more trials," Racaniello
said. The other reason they support more study is because they're not
sure that the drugs don't prevent complications, he added.

The issue the BMJ articles raise about the release of clinical trial data is
"terrific," Racaniello said. "This is immediately relevant because, for
example, many people would Uke to see the results of H1N1 clinical
trials before deciding to take the vaccine. They aren't widely available,
yet the vaccine is in use," he added.

Racaniello predicted that the new review won't have much affect on
policies regarding the use of neuraminidase inhibitors. The drags help,
even if experts aren't sure if they help with complicated influenza, he
said. "The study emphasizes the fact that we don't have very good drags
against influenza and we need to have more. Some are in development,
but it's not enough."

Jefferson T, Jones M, Doshi P. Neuraminidase inhibitors for

preventing and treating influenza in healthy adults: systematic review
and meta!analysis. BMJ 2009 Dec 85339 (Early online pubHcation).
Full text: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/.4.4Q/dec07 г/Ъяюб

Cohen D. Complications: tracking down the data on oseltamivir. BMJ

2009 Dec 8; web extra
Abstract:
http^/www.bmjxom/cgi/content/extract/.^^Q/decoS я/Ь.«*а87
Freemantle N, Calvert M. What can we learn from observational
studies of oseltamivir to treat influenza in healthy adults? BMJ 2009
Dec 8;339
Full text: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/33Q/dec07 2/b5248

Godlee F, Clarke M. Why don't we have all the evidence on

oseltamivir? BMJ 2009 Dec 85339 (Editorial)
Full text: http://www.Dmvcom/cgi/content/full/.4.4Q/deco8 a/bfiasi

See also:

Uyeki T. Antiviral treatment for patients hospitalized with 2009

influenza A (H1N1). N Engl J Med 2009 Nov 18
Full text: http://hini.nejm.org/?p=ii88

Swine flu: £500million spent on Tamiflu but British Medical

Journal says it doesn't work
An investigation by the British Medical Journal has found no robust
data to prove that Tamiflu prevents swine flu from becoming a serious
condition.
In what could prove an acute embarrassment to the Government,
analysis by two teams of academics suggests that the benefits of Tamiflu
were vastly over-estimated. And it could call into question the
Government's decision to spend £50omillion stockpiling the drag.
The research, published in the BMJ online, reviewed a number of
studies looking at how well Tamiflu works in otherwise healthy patients.
Some of the data was provided by the drug's manufacturer Roche. But
after some research was thrown out of the analysis, experts said they
could only find evidence to prove Tamiflu reduces the length of illness
by a day.
Although they admitted it was of great use in reducing the severity of
swine flu in people with underlying health conditions, they said this was
not the case in "healthy" swine flu victims.
Dr Fiona Godlee, editor-in-chief of the BMJ, said there was not enough
good research on Tamiflu to prove it works on healthy patients.
"Governments around the world have spent billions of pounds on a drag
that the scientific community now finds itself unable to judge," she said.
The news came as another area of the Government's pandemic flu
campaign also descended into chaos. Health Secretary Andy Burnham
announced that under-fives will be offered the swineflujab in the next
three weeks.
But it quickly emerged that GP leaders were not on-board with the plan,
following a row over how much they would be paid. While the
Government wants to pay £5.25 for each jab given, the British Medical
Association said this was not enough.
The impasse means local health bosses will have to step into the breach
and negotiate a pay deal with family doctors or ask pharmacists and
district nurses to provide the jabs instead.
Last night the Government stood by its decision to offer Tamiflu to all
patients. A spokesman said: "On November 30 the Scientific Advisory
Group for Emergencies reviewed the most up-to-date available evidence
on anti-viral use and concluded that it clearly continues to point
towards a benefit in those with severe illness."
A spokesman for Roche said that they "firmly believe in the robustaess
of the data".
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/i44Q67/-f;oomillion-spent-on-
Tamiflu-but-British-Medical-Journal-savs-it-doesn-t-work

Girlfightsfor life as Tamiflu Ъш!is face' | The Sun |News

By ANDY CRICK
 ,„,„•,!">•—
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•

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Helpline staff told 18!year!old Samantha Millard she probably had the
killer bug and to take the antiviral drug. But after popping just three
pills Samantha developed blisters on her body.
Doctors now fear the drug triggered life!threatening Stevens!Johnson
syndrome, which causes chunks of skin to fall off.
The horror condition affects just three in a million people. If it doesn't
kill a victim they are left covered in scars.
Samantha's shocked mum Deborah took a photograph of her at home
on Friday ! two days after taking Tamiflu. But hours later the teen ! who
hopes to become an air hostess ! was in intensive care unable to breathe
on her own. Last night her condition had deteriorated and she was
transferred to a specialist burns unit at Chelsea and Westminster
Hospital, West London.
Deborah and Samantha's sister Charley, 23, were keeping vigil at her
hospital bedside. Samantha had called her GP in Bicester, Oxon, after
suffering flu-like symptoms. But she was told to call the helpline.
An operator said her headache and runny nose was probably swine flu
and to take Tamiflu. Last night angry Deborah, 41, blasted the helpline
staff. She said: "It shouldn't be the case that people with no medical
background can make these decisions. "These people are just Joe Bloggs
off the street. My daughter could die because of this. Her condition is
getting worse."
She added: "The doctor said because the rash appeared after she took
Tamiflu it was probably caused by Tamiflu." Tamiflu maker Roche is
investigating the case.
A spokesman said it was "difficult to determine the role" Tamiflu played
but it could not be ruled out that it played a part in triggering the
syndrome. The Department for Health defended the helpline.
A spokesman added: "Serious reactions to Tamiflu are extremely rare
and it should still be taken as soon as possible, especially for very
serious swineflucases."
htta://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/2762i33/Girl-fights-
for-life-as-Tamiflu-bums-face.htinl#ixzzoZnixZv6n
Meningitis

•
Meningitis
meningitis vaccine!cause or cure?
This article by Meryl Dorey is the first in a series of 4 on the new vaccines that the government proposes to introduce into the
Australian Childhood Vaccination Schedule. Next issue will cover Prevenar, the vaccine against Pnuemococcal disease,
followed by an article on the Chicken Pox Vaccines, finishing up with an in!depth look at both Oral and Injected Polio
vaccination.
The Parting Shot in our last issue showed a terribly
poignant picture of a happy, smiling baby with
arrows pointing to different parts of his anatomy
demonstrating how 7
I !і\ г.;, „1 Lhe Dosei shots (many of them
1 If infants are vaccinated according to this
.ie • ' i . • ••• ' . :t.!. '• • polyvalent vaccines'
such as DPT and MMR)
can be administered in
one office visit. The
: I I number of vaccines our
• i'i¡. •. • . . l u . i M.I. children are being
•. , . i •• : challenged (some may
Hl..|.|.
IM V í l M l say assaulted) with is
il., .it IMI increasing exponentially.
Fifteen years ago,
children received 4 DPT's
(Diphtheria, Tetanus, and
Pertussis), 4 OPV's (Oral Polio) and one MMR or
MR (Measles. Mumps and Rubella or Measles,
Rubella), a total of 1S or 19 vaccines depending
upon the child's sex. This was still a lot more than
they received 15 years before that, but it is less than
half of the number of vaccines in today's proposed
schedule.
Today, children receive Hib (Haemophilus
Influenzae type B) and Hep В (Hepatitis B) vaccines,
and MMR is recommended for boys as well as for
girls with an initial shot at 12 montiis and at least
one booster before school.
Recently, the government has begun to consider
adding yet more vaccines to the childhood
vaccination schedule. These include Varicella
(Chicken Pox), Meningitec (Meningococcal),
Prevenar (Pneumococcal) and IPV (Injected Polio) to
replace the OPV (Oral Polio Vaccine) and hopefully
do away with vaccine!associated paralytic
poliomyelitis (VAPP). In addition, there are now
recommendations for children to receive the
Influenza vaccine.
All of these shots are already licensed and available
to Australian parents. If they are added to the
schedule however, the government will subsidise
their use and parents must either vaccinate
according to schedule or register as conscientious
objectors in order to receive certain financial
entitlements.
Prevenar is given in a 4!dose schedule for infants
(the schedule varies depending upon the age at
which vaccination is started ! for more details on
this or any other Australian vaccine, check the
AVN's website !http://www.avn.org.au for package
page 10
inserts). Meningitec is given as 3!doscs to infants.
Varicella vaccine is given as a single dose to
infants or 2 doses to adults and adolescents.
Injected Polio is a 4!dose schedule.
proposed schedule, they will receive 40 vaccines
by the time they start kindergarten.
Some of these vaccines are so new (both Prevenar
and Meningitec were only approved in in February
and October 2000 respectively) that their package
inserts state there is no long!term safety or
effectiveness data.
There is scope for an in!depth article on all 4 of
these new proposed vaccines, but for this issue, I
have decided to focus my attention on the one
meant to prevent Meningitis ! Meningitec.
Prevenar is being touted as an ear infection vaccine
though Pneumococcal infections arc also
associated with Bacterial Meningitis. A future
article will investigate this vaccine more
thoroughly.
Basically, meningitis is an infection of the
Meninges ! the membranes that surround the
central nervous system (the brain and the spinal
cord). The Meninges is the prime defender of this
sensitive and vital area of the human anatomy and
what is meant when someone talks about the
blood!brai n barrier. Because we cannot function
without our brains, the body has devoted a lot of
resources towards ensuring that infections cannot
enter this most sensitive area. The blood!brain
barrier usually does a very good job in protecting
us from these sorts of dangerous illnesses. There
are times, however, when for one reason or another,
our defences are not enough and we can develop
either Meningitis or Encephalitis (literally an
inflammation of the brain).
Viral Meningitis is generally milder than Bacterial
Meningitis. It is also most often self!limiting with
only a small chance of any long!term problems.
Bacterial Meningitis, however, can be a dreadful
disease. It has a very rapid onset and can kill within
hours of the first symptoms appearing. The classic
symptoms of Meningitis (particularly of Bacterial
Meningitis) include fever, headache, vomiting,
sensitivity to light (photophobia), irritability, severe
fatigue (lethargy), stiff neck, and a reddish purple
rash on the skin. Untreated, the disease can
progress to seizures, confusion, and eventually
coma and death.
There arc many bacteria and viruses that can cause
informed choice
Meningitis. Vaccines currently address only 3 of
the bacteria!Haemophilus Influenzae,
Meningococcal and Pneumococcal. Of these 3, the
vaccines only cover a very limited number of
strains. For instance, the most common cause of
Meningococcal Meningitis in Australia is the type
В strain ! associated with approximately 70% of the
disease. The Meningitec vaccine, however, is only
intended to prevent type С There are at least 11
other strains of Meningococcal bacteria ! none of
which are addressed by this vaccine. Therefore, the
government is proposing that we administer a
vaccine which, even if it were effective, would only
prevent a very small fraction of the total number of
cases of this already very rare illness.
In addition, these bacteria are associated with
Meningitis, but also with a host of milder illnesses
causing symptoms as common as sore throats and
ear infections to more serious conditions such as
epiglottitis.
The Hib vaccine was introduced to the Australian
vaccination schedule in the early 1990's and its use
has been credited with a huge decline in the
incidence of Hib!associated Meningitis.
This however, is only part of the story. Tv en in an epidemic situation, only a small
While it seems evident that the incidence of Pontage
the capsular form of Hib did decline after the population Will usually SUCCUmb to injection.
introduction of this vaccine (there are two IVhy this ÍS and what protects those who
types - capsular and non-capsular), there don't contract the iCCness is a question that
was an overall increase in the incidence of medicaiscience
non-capsular Hib as well as an increased in
and in many cases, has negCectedto even askl
the rate of Bacterial Meningitis. This
situation is seen both here in Australia and — — — "
in other countries using this vaccine. So whilst we
may have defeated or deferred one of the many
causes of bacterial meningitis, we seem to have
increased the incidence of this disease overall.
In addition, while Hib Meningitis was relatively
easy to treat if caught early enough, as the
incidence of Hib declined, the incidence of both
Meningococcal and Pneumococcal Meningitis
increased - both of which are multi-antibiotic
resistant.
This is a well known phenomenon. According to an
editorial in the CDI Bulletin1, "A more recent study
has shown a 25 per cent increase in serogroup В
disease across all age groups in the United
Kingdom since the vaccination campaign
(Kaczmarski, 2001 abstract). This observation
supports a hypothesis that serogroup replacement
may be an important factor in the epidemiology of
meningococcal disease after the introduction of
new vaccines. It therefore remains to be seen what
the value of meningococcal vaccines will be in the
future control of meningococcal disease. "
Serogroup replacement affects more than just these
3 bacteria and is now being blamed for a resurgence
of Whooping Cough in countries with a
vol 7 no 3
vaccination rate of close to 100%. It shows that
in general, bacteria are a lot smarter (and more
adaptable) than the average vaccine
manufacturer.
Our susceptibility to infections seems to be
governed by much more than exposure to an
illness. Even in an epidemic situation, only a
small percentage of the overall susceptible
population will usually succumb to infection.
Why this is and what protects those who don't
contract the illness is a question that medical
science has been unable to answer and in many
cases, has neglected to even ask!
It seems that there is much more to immunity
than the simple development of antibodies after
infection. As touched on briefly in the last issue
of the AVN's Journal, the production of
antibodies does not necessarily correlate with
immunity just as the absence of antibodies does
not necessarily indicate susceptibility. What we
know about the immune system is vastly
outweighed by what we don't know.
of the OVeraCCSUSCevtiBCe
has heen unabCe to answer
The fact of the matter is that all of us, at some
point in our lives, will play host to the bacteria
that can, given the proper conditions, cause
Meningitis. As you are reading this, fully 25%
of you will have at least one of these bacteria
inside of your nose or throat.
Despite this fact, you are not suffering from
Meningitis. Doctors say that they are not sure
why a bacterium which is so benign in the vast
majority of the population can become so
deadly in a small fraction. One has to assume
that this is because the medical community do
not fully understand what constitutes health or
its absence.
Meningitis is what is known as an invasive
infection. These sorts of infections lie in wait so
to speak. They generally cause no problem until
some immune!suppressing event causes the
body's defences to fall off to the point where
they can take advantage of the situation,
causing illness and possibly, death.
It is well!known in the medical research
community that vaccinations can cause just
Continued on page 34
page 11
Continued from page n
such immune suppression and has been
described in the medical literature for
decades. In fact, this is so well!known
that there is even a special name for it ! a
window of opportunity. This window,
lasting up to 90 days after administration
of vaccines, is known as a time when the
body can be very susceptible to invasive
infections.
Now, consider the two age groups where
Meningitis is the most common ! infants
and young adults. Infants are now
vaccinated at least once every 2 months
for the first 6 months of life. That means
that if the window of opportunity lasts
for 90 days after vaccination, they would
be most susceptible to these infections
for at least the first 9 months of their life
! the time when they are most likely to
get meningitis.
Young adults who go to university have,
for the last few years at least, been forced
to submit to vaccinations if their course
of study involves anything in the medical
profession and many workers are told
that they must vaccinate as well. In
addition, it is not uncommon for people
of this age to burn the candle at both
ends which in and of itself would leave
someone more open to infection.
We know that at least Vi of the cases of
bacterial meningitis occur in infants. The
other half is mostly in young adults.
What, we don't know is whether certain
groups of adults (eg those who recently
received vaccines) are disproportionately
represented in those who develop
bacterial Meningitis.
More information on this is available in
the United States where it is found that
college freshmen (those attending their
first year of university) are much more
likely to develop bacterial Meningitis
than those in any of the other years.
Since the US requires many vaccines
upon entry into university (exemptions
are available though they are not well!
publicised), it adds weight to the theory
that the immune suppression known to
follow vaccination might be responsible
for an unknown percentage of the cases
ofMeningitis.
In fact, if you look at the package inserts
for almost every vaccine, both
Meningitis and Encephalitis will be found
among the side effects that are reported
following its administration. Despite this,
when a child or an adult contracts either
of these conditions after vaccination, it is
paqe 34
rarely reported and even if reported,
rarely associated with the vaccine by the
health profession. The claim is that a
temporal relationship does not
3
necessarily mean a causal link .
Despite the reluctance of the medical
community to follow their own scientific
method when it comes to a vaccine's
ability to cause these and other invasive
infections, it is biologically plausible to
expect that vaccines can and do both
cause and contribute to the development
of both Meningitis and Encephalitis.
Amazingly, the Pertussis (Whooping
Cough) vaccine has been used for more
than 40 years to induce Encephalitis in
laboratory animals in an effort to study
the effects of brain damage. This is
because Pertussis bacteria is known for
its ability to cross the blood!brain barrier,
leading to both Encephalitis and
Meningitis. Despite this, doctors have
emphatically denied that it is possible for
vaccines to cause brain damage in
humans!
The Mumps portion of the MMR vaccine
has been associated with Meningitis
since the I980's (A type called Asceptic
Meningitis ! a form of viral meningitis).
In fact, both the UK and Australia
stopped using the Oka strain of the
Mumps vaccine because it was
demonstrated that as many as l child in
l ,000 was developing Meningitis after its
use. The current Mumps vaccine has
also been associated with Meningitis
though levels of the illness have not
been reported as being quite that high.
So, with the proposed introduction of yet
two more vaccines in an attempt to
prevent Meningitis, are we using a
vaccine to try and prevent a vaccine!
associated infection? And by the use of
yet more immune!suppressing shots, are
we setting up our children and ourselves
for yet more of these invasive and deadly
infections? Unfortunately, these are
questions that most doctors and the
government do not appear to be asking.
As with all other vaccines we currently
use in Australia, these shots have never
been tested by the Australian
government. We rely upon testing
performed overseas, many times by the
very companies that are marketing and
profiting from these vaccines ! a practice
analogous to us using the safety data
from Benson & Hedges to claim that
cigarettes are perfectly safe. But what
has the experience been in other
countries that have used these shots?
Mass!Meningitis vaccination was
instituted by the UK in late 1999 ! the
first country to do so. London's Daily
Express newspaper, in a report that was
filed early in the campaign, compared the
rate of reaction reports to the
Meningococcal vaccine against those
reported to the highly reactive
Whooping Cough (Pertussis) vaccine. It
stated that, "Nationally 4,764 children
have reportedly suffered adverse
reactions following the Meningitis С
inoculation ! around one in every 3,000
cases. Symptoms vary from headaches,
to epileptic fits and black!outs. Only
5,750 reactions have been reported for
the whooping cough vaccine in 37
4
years."
In fact, less than 12 months after the start
of this campaign, there were more than
l ,600 serious adverse reactions reported
to the vaccine with 12 deaths. That is
almost 3 times the number of reactions
reported to DPT in over 37 years! Since
the UK government admits that only
between 10% and 15% of reactions are
ever reported (an overestimate, I feel), the
true figure could be well in excess of
16,000 reactions. This is in less than 12
months!
In addition, there have been outbreaks of
Meningitis in schools among those who
are vaccinated. The BBC reported that,
"Thousands of south Wales school
children are being vaccinated for the
second time after it emerged that an initial
vaccination programme failed to protect
them from the disease. The second round
of inoculation has started at Porth
County Community School in the
Rhondda, after two children at the school
contracted the disease after having the
vaccination two years ago. It is thought
the vaccine used at schools across
Rhondda Cynon Taff in 1999 was stored
at too low a temperature, rendering it less
effective."5 (ed note: more on this later
on in this article)
This sort of reasoning is not at all
unusual when it comes to cases of
vaccine failure. It seems that anything
which would call either the safety or
efficacy of a vaccine into question must
not be allowed. So human error is blamed
in this instance for 2 cases of meningitis
that occurred in a vaccinated population
to vaccinated children.
One person on our AVN E!mail
Discussion list, who lives in the UK said
that, "Yes, I have to say it's the same in
informed choice
the UK. Thousands upon thousands of
adverse reports post Meningitis С
vaccine—in my small town I heard of 2
deaths post Meningitis С vaccine ! both
labelled as Meningitis В deaths! !!!!... One
teenage boy developed Rheumatoid
Arthritis. [The local] area health
authority, as usual, denied any
connection...."
So what is the situation in Australia and
why does our government feel that it
needs to introduce this vaccine after the
dreadful situation that has developed
when it is used overseas? Do they even
look at the experience in other countries
before deciding to introduce a new and
virtually untested shot to our children?
According to the Communicable
Diseases Network Australia ! National
Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System,
the reported incidence of Meningococcal
vaccine in Australia since 1991 is as
follows:
YEAR Total
1991 337
1992 304
1993 380
1994 380
1995 378
1996 424
1997 4%
1998 481
1999 » 595
2000 621
2001 670
2002 286
This table was updated on 9 July 2002
for the reporting period to 2 July 2002.
Please note that 2001 and 2002 data
are provisional and may be revised.
Now, there is no doubt that the incidence
of Meningococcal infections have been
increasing over the last 11 years (this
chart shows reported infections, not
necessarily Meningococcal Meningitis or
Saepticemia6) but will a new vaccination
address the cause of this increase? If the
rate of these infections has doubled as
evidenced by this graph, and if we know
from government reports that the rate of
bacterial meningitis has actually gone up
since the introduction of the Hib vaccine,
then how effective is our vaccination
policy proving to be in the prevention of
this illness?
Despite these very reasonable questions,
our government and our medical
community are pushing ahead with this
policy, and our children ! yours and mine
ОІ 7 ПО 4
! will be the guinea pigs in the name of
the community good.
In fact, even though this vaccine is not
yet part of the schedule in Australia, I
have been made aware of a situation in
Victoria (and possibly other states as
well?) where childcare centres are
actually being used as mobile
vaccination clinics for this and other
vaccines. Our head office was contacted
by a parent with an unvaccinated child
who had gone to drop off her daughter at
her local childcare centre. On arrival, she
saw a notice tacked to the bulletin board
announcing that a doctor would be in
attendance that day and if the parents
wanted their child to receive the
Meningococcal vaccine, they could pay
a fee (approximately $70) and their child
would be vaccinated. Aside from the fact
that vaccinating in this manner directly
contravenes the NH&MRC regulations
because it does not allow a parent to ask
questions of the vaccine provider nor
does it allow the vaccine provider to
obtain a detailed health history for the
child, one can only assume that this sort
of vaccination would greatly increase the
associate trauma for children. How much
harder would it be for a child to be
vaccinated without the comfort and
security of their parents present?
The AVN contacted the centre in
question and discovered that this is a
state!wide policy and that other
vaccines, in addition to the
Meningococcal, could be administered in
this manner. We found out that the
procedure is for parents to pick up the
vaccine from their local chemist
(probably the night before since most
children are dropped off at childcare very
early in the morning ! well before a
chemist's shop would be open), bring it
home and then, take it to the childcare
centre where it would be put into the
centre's fridge until such time as the
doctor comes to administer it. There is no
indication that the cold chain would be
unbroken by this procedure ! something
which doctors admit is essential for both
the safety and effectiveness of the
vaccine. According to the Meningitec
package insert, the vaccine must be
stored at a constant temperature of
between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius. How
will this be ensured without the use of
special fridges and thermometers like
those used in most hospitals and
doctor's surgeries?
The AVN issued the following press
release regarding this situation:
indemnity risk for
childcare centres in
Victoria
With the current controversy over
soaring costs of medical indemnity
insurance, a new and perhaps costly
Childcare!based vaccination campaign in
Victoria has raised questions over who is
responsible for informing parents about
the risks of vaccines and ensuring that a
duty of care has been taken.
It has just come to the notice of the
Australian Vaccination Network, Inc.
(AVN) that children are receiving the
Meningococcal vaccine in childcare
centres. According to centre staff, the
parents are getting a prescription from
their GP, getting it filled at a chemist's
shop, bringing the bottle to the centre
where, at some point during the day, a
doctor comes in to administer the
vaccine. Who is ensuring that the
vaccine is maintained at the correct
temperature during this time? Does the
doctor have access to the child's medical
history as required by the NH&MRC and
does he or she examine the child to
ensure that they arc well enough to be
vaccinated?
The Australian Immunisation Handbook.
7th Edition (NH&MRC March 2000)
states that:
Prior to vaccination, the individual to be
vaccinated or the parent or guardian
should be given adequate information to
make an informed decision. Extra
information should be available if parents
or the vaccinée request it.
The vaccine-provider should allow time
for a discussion with the individual to
ensure the issue of risk has been
addressed."
"How can the requirements of the
NH&MRC be fulfilled if the doctor who
prescribes the vaccine is not even the
same as the one who administers it? Who
knows if the prescribing doctor has even
examined the child prior to writing out the
prescription?" asks Meryl Dorey, AVN
National President.
The Handbook lists the following as a
pre-vaccination check list:
The following information is needed to
assess the fitness of a person for
vaccination. [The person]:
• is unwell today;
• has a disease which lowers immunity
• lives with something who has a
paqe 3S
disease which lowers immunity
• has had a severe reaction following
any vaccine;
• has any severe allergies
• has had a vaccine containing live
viruses within the last month (eg. MMR,
Oral Poliomyelitis or yellow fever) or an
injection of immunoglobulin, ora whole
blood transfusion within the last 3
months;
• is pregnant
• has a medical condition affecting the
brain or spinal cord;
• is living with someone who is not
vaccinated.
Once again, who will be examining the
child on the day of vaccination !
especially since none of the parents
involved in this campaign have ever
received either the manufacturer's
information, the pre!vaccine check list or
any other information about the risks of
this vaccine.
The Handbook check!list then goes on to
state that:
Before any vaccination takes place, the
nurse or doctor will ask you if:
• you have read this information;
• you understand this information;
• you need more information to decide
whether to proceed.
By its very nature, a school or childcare
based vaccination campaign will not
allow parents to do any of these things.
Parents are left out of the picture
completely.
"Even those who feel that vaccinations
are perfectly safe would have to admit
they can be traumatic for a young child.
To have to go through this without the
comfort of one's parents can only
increase the feeling of fear and trauma
that these children must be going
through. In addition, by not having the
parents there at the time of vaccination,
no questions can be asked about the
appropriateness of these shots for that
particular child nor can the administering
doctor have any idea of the medical
history which is the proper procedure,"
Ms Dorey contines. "Vaccination is a
medical procedure and, like all medical
procedures, carries with it certain risks. If
a child is injured as a result of this
vaccine and the parents choose to take
legal action, our legal advisor has stated
that the Childcare centre where the
vaccine is administered, the doctor who
administers the shot and the government
page 36
body that authorised the injection can all
be held liable. Australian law, as upheld
by the High Court judgement of Rogers
vs. Whitaker, guarantees our right to
informed choice and the obligation by
those who are involved with medical
procedures to fully inform.
To date, we have received no response to
our concerns. We need your help to
ensure that this issue is not swept under
the carpet.
Included with this newsletter is a letter
that I would like to ask you all to send to
your local newspapers and radio
stations, your local and state members of
parliament and the Federal and State
Health Ministers. Make other copies and
give them out to your friends.
We are being prepared, like lambs for the
slaughter, to accept all the vaccines the
drug companies can possibly produce !
and believe me, 10,000 is not out of the
question.
In preparation for this policy, a new
study has been published to claim that it
is perfectly safe to use 10,000 vaccines
on a child at one time. This is not a sick
joke ! it is indeed the conclusion drawn
by this so!called study!
According to a study published in a
recent issue of Pediatrics, the journal of
the American Academy of Pediatrics, as
many as 11 vaccines can be delivered to
infants at one time without overwhelming
their immune system. The study,
conducted by Children's Hospital of
Philadelphia and other institutions, was
conducted because many parents have
expressed concern about potential
negative effects of multiple vaccinations
on their infant children. The study
concludes that infants can theoretically
respond to as many as 10,000 vaccines
without negative consequences.7
We must use our voices to inform, to
complain, to protest and to protect our
children's health. There are over 1,000 of
us on this mailing list. If each one of us
contacts 3 newspapers and our
politicians, and if only a small percentage
of the newspapers actually print the
letters, we will have reached a significant
proportion of the Australian public.
There are so many unanswered
questions regarding the introduction of
this vaccine ! not the least if which is the
fact that the package insert of
Meningitec specifically states that it
should not be administered along with
either the injected polio or the chicken
pox vaccines ! and yet it appears that the
schedule will have these vaccines
administered at the same time. Who is
looking out for the health of our families?
A true duty of care needs to be taken in
order for us to be sure that our children
will not be placed in harm's way.
In closing, it is important to note that
these 4 new vaccines are just the thin
end of the wedge when it comes to
vaccination. There are currently over 200
new vaccines in the development stage.
If we do not make our voices heard now,
there is literally no limit to the number of
shots that will be foisted upon our
innocent children.
Endnotes
1 A vaccine which contains multiple disease
antigens.
2 Vol 25 No 3
3 A temporal link is one where two events arc
closely related in time. A causal link is where
one event causes a subsequent even to occur.
Many times, doctors state that reactions which
occur following administration of a vaccine arc
temporally related only ! not causally related.
4 Children in Meningitis Jab Alert; http://
www.linconc.net/cxprcss/00/06/12/ncws/
n0100splash!d.htm l
5 Meningitis revaccination bcgins:http:/.'
ncws.bbc.co.uk/hi/cnglish/uk/walcs/
newsid_l7l5000/l715193.stm
6 Septicemia is the presence of bacteria in the
blood (bacteremia) and is often associated with
severe disease.
7 New York Times www.nylimcs.com 01/0X/02
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informed choice
MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE AND
HOMOEOPATHIC PREVENTION
THE MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT ALWAYS SEEMS TO GET NERVOUS AT THE IDEA
OF COMPETITION. HOME"BIRTH MIDWIVES, CHIROPRACTORS AND
PRACTITIONERS OF OTHER COMPLIMENTARY MODALITIES HAVE SEEN THIS FIRST-
HAND FOR MANY YEARS. NOW, IT SEEMS TO BE THE TURN OF THE
HOMOEOPATHS WITH SEVERAL SYDNEY HOMOEOPATHS RECEIVING ADVERSE
PUBLICITY FORSELLING UNDERCOVER JOURNALISTS MENINGOCOCCAL
PREVENTATIVES. ISAAC GOLDEN, AUSTRALIA'S PREMIERE EXPERT ON THE ISSUE
OF HOMOEOPROPHYLAXIS, PRESENTS INFORMATION ON THE SAFETY AND
EFFECTIVNESS OF THIS FORM OF PREVENTION.

INTRODUCTION Meningitis is an inflammation of the THE COMMON SYMPTOMS OF

Renders of Informed Choice will be awarespinal cord.
of the statements by public health
authorities concerning meningococcal Septicaemia is blood poisoning that
disease, and their calls both for mass
vaccination where possible, and warningsinfection throughout the body.
against "useless" homoeopathic
protection.
This brief article will attempt to provide than 5 years of age are most at risk.
some facts.
THE DISEASE
The following information is based on
publicly available material prepared
by the Victorian and NSW health
departments.
Meningococcal disease is a
potentially very serious illness. The
infection can develop very quickly,
and can be fatal in about 10% of cases,
although if infection is diagnosed
early enough and the right antibiotics
are given quickly, most people make a
complete recovery.
It is caused by bacteria called
meningococci, also known as Neisseria
meningitidis. There are various groups
of meningococci, but the two groups
that are responsible for most
infections are Group В and Group C.
The disease occurs as either
meningitis or septicaemia.
protective coverings of the brain and
appears as a more widespread
Meningococcal disease can occur at
any age, but babies and children less
Teenagers and young adults aged 15!
24 years are also at increased risk.
The disease is spread by contact with
saliva. Because the bacteria cannot live
for more than a few seconds outside a
human body it means that the bacteria
can only be spread by close contact
such as between family members,
close friends, and by kissing.
Basic hygiene can help prevent
meningococcal disease. For example,
washing the hands before eating and
after coughing and sneezing, covering
the nose and mouth when coughing
or sneezing, not sharing cutlery, drink
containers, or any other item that may
be covered with saliva.
People of any age can 'carry' the
germs without becoming ill, and
'carriers' develop immunity to the
strains they carry. Although most
people will be a carrier at some time,
carriers are most common amongst
young adults, especially smokers.
MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE
In infants and young children:
Fever.
Disinterest in feeding.
Irritability.
Extreme tiredness or
floppiness.
Dislike of being handled.
Vomiting and/or diarrhoea.
Turning away from light.
Drowsiness.
Convulsions or twitching.
Rash of red!purple pinprick
spots or larger bruises.
In older children and adults:
Headache.
Photophobia (dislike of bright
lights).
Fever.
Vomiting and/or diarrhoea.
Neck stiffness or aching.
Backache.
Joint pains and sore muscles.
General malaise, off food.
Drowsiness, confusion.
Rash of red!purple pinprick
spots or larger bruises.
Spring 2002 Page 43
Young children may not complain of
symptoms, so fever, pale or blotchy
complexion, vomiting, lethargy (blank
staring, inactivity, hard to wake, or
poor feeding) and rash are important
signs. Signs and symptoms sometimes
appear very quickly, and people with
meningococcal disease can deteriorate
within a few hours.
In meningococcal septicaemia, a rash
is always a very important sign. Most
cases have pale, blotchy skin when
they first become ill. About two thirds
of people go on to develop a patch of
pinprick blood spots that sometimes
spread to form bruises under the skin.
The rash can appear anywhere on the
body.
ORTHODOX TREATMENT
Standard orthodox treatment involves
antibiotic treatment. The earlier
antibiotic and other treatments are
begun, the less damage the disease
will cause. However, this is a very
serious infection, which can progress
very rapidly despite the best
treatment.
Close contacts are offered antibiotics.
These preventive antibiotics are very
good at getting rid of meningococci
from lhe throat, but they are not a
treatment for meningococcal disease.
VACCINATION AGAINST
MENINGOCOCCAL DISEASE
According to the Australian
Immunisation Handbook, 7th edition,
there are two types of vaccine
available.
1. a polysaccharide vaccine that
provides protection against groups A,
C, W135 and Y. It does not work well
in children under two years of age
and provides protection for only
about 2 or 3 years. Thus, it is most
suitable for use in older children and
adults who require relatively short
term protection. In some
circumstances it may be used during
an outbreak of meningococcal disease
caused by one of the groups covered
by the vaccine. The polysaccharide
vaccine is about 85% effective in
adults but effectiveness decreases in
informed choice magazine
young children. For example, one
study showed 55% effectiveness in
children aged between 2 and 3 years
old and no effectiveness in children
aged under 2 years.
2. a conjugate vaccine, protects against
group С disease only. It is suitable for
use in children as young as 6 weeks of
age as well as older children and
adults and gives long term protection
against group С meningococcal
disease. The conjugate vaccine is
claimed to be about 92% effective in
protecting toddlers against invasive
meningococcal disease and about 97%
effective in teenagers. A new vaccine
became available in 2002 ! it protects
children from 2 months of age but
only against meningococcus type C.
There is no vaccination against Group
B, which causes most meningococcal
disease in Australia.
THE HOMOEOPATHIC OPTION
AGAINST MENINGOCOCCAL
DISEASE
As with prevention against other
infectious diseases, homoeopathy has
for many years been able to offer an
alternative to reduce the likelihood of
contracting meningococcal disease !
the remedy Meningococcinum. This
option has, as usual, drawn criticism
from orthodox health authorities,
even though they have not attempted
to research the option objectively and
"scientifically". They have even
claimed that the remedy is made from
their vaccine, which it is not. As with
all homoeopathic immunisations,
there are no molecules of diseased
tissue in the remedy. They are non
toxic.
Two examples of the use of the
remedy Meningococcinum are:
1. In August 1974 (Guarantingueta,
Brazil) there was an epidemic of
meningitis. 18,640 children were
given Meningococcinum 10CH, and
6,340 children were not covered. The
following results were obtained:
18,640 protected homoeopathically
4 cases
6,340 not protected
32 cases.
Based on the attack rate in the
unprotected group, 94 cases would
have been expected in the
homoeopathically protected group.
There were only 4, showing that the
homoeopathic option was 95%
effective.
1
2. In Blumenau, Brazil in 1998, a
rigorous large!scale investigation of
the use of Meningococcinum was
undertaken in persons aged between 0
and 20 years of age. In the first 6
months following administration of
the Nosode, the following results
were obtained:
65,826 protected homoeopathically
1 case
23,532 (estimated) not protected
7 cases.
The group was followed up 12
months after dosage, with the
following results:
65,826 protected homoeopathically
3 cases
23,532 (estimated) not protected
13 cases.
The researchers performed a rigorous
statistical analysis of the results, and
found a statistically significant result
showing that the Nosode
Meningococcinum offered a
protection against meningococcal
disease of 95% in 6 months and 91%
over 12 months.2
Because the homoeopathic method is
based on natural Law, the Law of
Similars, the use of properly chosen
remedies will offer protection against
all the strains of meningococcal
disease for the simple reason that the
symptom picture of all the strains is
similar. Because the method is non-
toxic, it also may be used safely in
infants and debilitated patients.
CONCLUSION
Meningococcal disease is not
widespread in our community, but it
is a potentially devastating disease
where prevention is a clearly superior
option to treatment.
Orthodox vaccines are available
against some strains, but not against
the type В disease, which happens to
be the most common in our
community.
The homoeopathic Nosode
Meningococcinum has been proven to
offer a high level of protection against
the disease. Because symptoms of the
different strains are similar, we expect
it to offer this protection against type
В as well as other types. No method of
protection can guarantee a 100%
success rate.
Given that orthodox authorities can
offer Australians no protection against
type В meningococcal disease, and
given that the homoeopathic option
can, it would be hoped that the
INFANTS INOCULATED AGAINST HEPATITIS В MAY NEED
BOOSTER AT ADOLESCENCE
Adolescents vaccinated against
hepatitis В as infants are at increased
risk of infection in the late teens, but
it is not clear if a booster dose will be
needed when they become sexual
active.
This is the dilemma 14 years after the
start of a study by researchers with
the British Medical Research Council,
and the London School of Hygiene
and Tropical Medicine. The program
in the Gambia began in 1986 as a 40
year trial to test the efficacy of
vaccination against hepatitis В in tiie
prevention of hepatocellular
carcinoma.
Pilot studies had shown that
transmission of hepatitis В virus was
largelv horizontal, from older to
О J '
younger children, and rates of
infection and chronic carriage, which
were high, varied markedly.
Among the children who were first
unproven and "unscientific" attacks
on the homoeopathic option will be
replaced by an objective analysis of
what homoeopathy has to offer, for
the benefit of our community.
We can only live in hope, and make
the facts available. As usual, parents
must make their own choices based
on the facts they can obtain, despite
the efforts of the pharmaceutical
lobby to prevent this.
REFERENCES
1
Dr F X Eizayaga, Treatise on
Homoeopathic Medicine. 1991 E
Marecel, Buenos Aires, pages 282!286.
Reported in Vaccination?, A Review of
Risks ami Alternatives. 5" id Л 998. Isaac Golden has been a practicing
page 122. homoeopath for 18 years. He is the author
of 7 books on homoeopathy, including 3
:
Mroninski C, Adriano E, Mattos G., on homoeoprophylaxis, or homoeopathic
Meningococcinum, lts protective effect immunisation. He is Principal of his own
against meningococcal disease. correspondence College in homoeopathy,
Homoeopathic Links, Winter, 2001, and Faculty head of homoeopathy at the
Vol. 14 (4), pages 230!4. Melbourne College of Natural Medicine.
vaccinated in 1985, 232 were aged one showed that vaccine efficacy against
to five years, 225 aged five to nine infection waned with time but efficacy
years, 220 aged 10!14 years, and 175 against chronic infection remained
aged 15!19 years. high over 14 years," the clinicians
In their latest assessments, clinicians declare.
found that vaccine efficacy
against chronic carriage of
hepatitis В virus was 94 percent,
and did not vary significantly
between the age groups. Efficacy
against infection was 80 percent
overall, but significantly lower in
S
the oldest age group at 65
percent.
Among those not infected in the
oldest age group, 36 percent had
no detectable hepatitis В virus surface
antibody. Time since vaccination and a However, a larger study of efficacy
low peak antibody response were the during adolescence is necessary
most powerful risk factors for before the clinicians can conclude that
breakthrough infection. a booster dose is not needed before
the onset of sexual activity.
"Our long term study of hepatitis В BMJ 2002;325:569
vaccination in infancy in a country
where the infection is endemic
Spring 2002 Page 45
Pneumococcal Vaccination =
The first casualty is the truth
IN THE SECOND OF HER 4"PART SERIES ON THE NEW VACCINES WHICH WILL BE
ADDED TO THE AUSTRALIAN CHILDHOOD VACCINATION SCHEDULE, MERYL
DOREY WRITES ABOUT PREVENAR, THE VACCINE AGAINST PNEUMOCOCCAL
MENINGITIS. NEXT ISSUE, SHE WILL COVER THE CHICKEN POX VACCINE AND
THE ISSUE AFTER THAT WILL BE BOTH ORAL AND INJECTED POLIO.

In the last issue, we discussed
Meningitec, the vaccine against
Meningococcal Meningitis. This time
around, we will cover Prevenar, the
vaccine meant to prevent infection by
Streptococcus pneumoniae, another
bacterium which has been associated
with conditions ranging from the
relatively common otitis media (ear)
infections to potentially more
dangerous conditions such as
pneumonia, Meningitis or
Septicaemia (blood poisoning).
EXACTLY WHAT IS
MENINGITIS?
For those who didn't read the
previous article on Meningococcal,
meningitis is an infection of the
Meninges ! the membranes that
surround the central nervous system
(the brain and the spinal cord). The
Meninges is the first line of defence
for this sensitive and vital area of the
human anatomy and what is meant
when someone talks about the blood!
brain barrier. An infection of this area
can develop into either Meningitis or
Encephalitis (literally an
inflammation of the brain).
Viral Meningitis (sometimes called
aseptic meningitis) is generally
milder than Bacterial Meningitis. It is
also most often self!limiting with
only a small chance of any long!term
problems.
Bacterial Meningitis, however, can be
much more serious. It has a very
rapid onset and can kill within hours
of the first symptoms appearing. The
classic symptoms of Meningitis
(particularly of Bacterial Meningitis)
include fever, headache, vomiting,
sensitivity to light (photophobia),
irritability, severe fatigue (lethargy),
stiff neck, and a reddish purple rash
on the skin. Untreated, the disease
can progress to seizures, confusion,
and eventually coma and death.
Like the other bacteria and viruses
that are linked with meningitis, most
of us will at some point in our lives
play host to S. pneumoniae. It is only
the rare few however who will
actually develop any symptoms of an
infection and only a small percentage
of that rare few will get the more
severe illnesses such as pneumonia,
bacteremia or meningitis.
Prevenar, the 7!valent (containing 7
separate strains of S. pneumoniae
conjugated onto Diphtheria toxin)
vaccine which appears will be added
to the Australian Childhood
Vaccination Schedule in the coming
months, is meant to prevent
Pneumococcal meningitis.
IT IS EFFECTIVE, RIGHT?
There are many bacteria and viruses
that can cause Meningitis. Vaccines
currently address only 3 of these !
Haemophilias Influenzae type В
(Hib), Meningococcal and
Pneumococcal. Of these 3, vaccination
only covers a very limited number of
strains. For instance, there are at least
90 known strains of S. pneumoniae,
the bacterium credited with causing
pneumococcal diseases. Only 7 of
these are covered by the Prevenar
vaccine.'
This issue was considered important
enough for Wyeth Lederle, the
vaccine manufacturer, to include the
following notice in its package insert:
THIS VACCINE WILL NOT
PROTECT AG AINSTS.
PNEUMONIAE DISEASE OTHER
THAN THAT CAUSED BY THE
SEVEN SEROTYPES INCLUDED IN
THE VACCINE, NOR WILL IT
PROTECT AGAINST OTHER
MICROORGANISMS THAT CAUSE
INVASIVE INFECTION SUCH AS
2
BACTEREMIA AND MENINGITIS.
Whilst it is true that the 7 vaccine
strains are considered to be those
most commonly associated with
pneumococcal infections, there is a
phenomenon called 'serogroup
replacement which is a grave concern.
Basically, serogroup replacement is
where, due to a preventative or some
other reason, one type of bacteria or
virus stops appearing quite so often
but rather than this meaning the end
of the illness, it is instead replaced by
another cause.
We have seen this with meningitis
over the previous 10 years since the
Hib vaccine was introduced to the

informed choice magazine

Australian Childhood Vaccination HOW DO YOU KNOW IT'S against a small percentage of the 5%
Schedule. PNEUMOCOCCAL? of ear infections that are bacterial in
S. pneumoniae is diagnosed as being origin.
Originally, Hib (Haemophilias
Influenzae Type B) was the most associated with illnesses based upon Yet even when we look at Prevenar's
common cause of bacterial meningitis what part of the body they are found effectiveness against ear infections,
in Australia. In 1992, several vaccines in. For example: we see that the jury is still out. A large
were introduced and the incidence of Finnish study by Eskola et al which
• If the pneumococcal bacteria attacks
Hib caused by that particular strain looked at the effectiveness of
the lungs, it's known as pneumonia; 6
declined. Unfortunately, there was no Prevenar against otitis media found
• If the pneumococcal bacteria gets
effect on one other strain of Hib that that in those who received the
into the blood stream, it's called
was not contained in the vaccine. In vaccine, whilst there was a 6%
bacteraemia (formerly known as
addition, while Hib!associated decrease in ear infections from any
blood poisoning);
meningitis declined, the rate of both cause (a result that was too small to
• If it attacks a specific part of the be statistically significant), there was
Meningococcal and Pneumococcal
brain, it's known as meningitis, and actually a 33% increase in the
meningitis skyrocketed with an
• If it infects the middle ear, it's called incidence of otitis media from
increase in the overall rate of bacterial 1
otitis media. pneumococcal serotypes that were
meningitis.
When marketing of Prevenar began in not included in the vaccine. In fact, in
While Hib bacteria are more easily the US and other countries, Wyeth 94% of those vaccinated, otitis media
treated with antibiotics, both claimed that this was a vaccine to would not have been prevented!
Pneumococcal and Meningococcal prevent ear infections. Now, as has
bacteria are multi!drug resistant, Despite these results in the raw data,
been demonstrated time and time
meaning that stronger, newer and in Eskola's conclusion in the abstract
again in the medical literature, ear
some cases, more
dangerous antibiotics
need to be used.
...there was actuallu a 3 3 % increase \n t h e incidence of
So while we are told that
the introduction of this otitis media from pneumococcal s e r o t y p e s t h a t were n o t
vaccine cleared
included in t h e vaccine, jn fact, in JĄ"% o f t h o s e vaccinated,
Australia of the scourge
of Hib, the truth is that otitis media would n o t have b e e n prevented!
through the use of this
vaccine, we have only
exchanged one problem for another, was that this was a safe and effective
more difficult one. infections have become increasingly
vaccine for preventing otitis media
common amongst young children
This phenomenon of serogroup and claims despite there being no
over the last 30 years. So, the idea of a
replacement has already been noted evidence to back up his assertion, that
vaccine that could prevent this
in the medical literature when it "up to 1.2 million of the 20 million
scourge of childhood and reduce our
comes to Meningococcal Meningitis. yearly episodes of acute otitis media
reliance on antibiotics would appeal
According to an editorial in the CDI in the United States could
to many parents.
3
Bulletin , "A more recent study has theoretically be prevented if the
shown a 25 per cent increase in serogroupThat appeal is misplaced. There are at [pneumococcal conjugate] vaccine
В disease across all age groups in the least 5 paediatric vaccines which are was widely used." Never let the facts
United Kingdom since the vaccination actually credited with causing get in the way of a good marketing
campaign (Kaczmarski, 2001 abstract). earaches, ear infections and other ear campaign seems to be the credo of so
4
This observation supports a hypothesis related injuries, so this is nothing many major current research papers.
that serogroup replacement may be an more than a vaccine to prevent Especially when your lead researcher,
important factor in the epidemiology of conditions caused by other vaccines! Eskola, was a past employee of
meningococcal disease after the In addition, studies have shown that Aventis Pasteur, a major vaccine
introduction of new vaccines. It therefore 95% of all cases of Otitis media are manufacturer. In addition, Dr. Eskola
remains to be seen what the value of actually caused by viruses and not and another researcher for this study,
meningococcal vaccines will be in the
5
bacteria (which is why using Dr. Kilpi, have both served as
future control of meningococcal disease. " antibiotics to treat ear infections is consultants to Wyeth Lederle
usually less than useless) ! so even if Vaccines, manufacturers of Prevenar.
this vaccine were absolutely perfect at
preventing Pneumococcal otitis
media, it would still only be effective

Spring 2002
WHO IS THIS VACCINE
INTENDED TO HELP?
In Australia, $19 million in funding
was approved for a Pneumococcal
vaccination programme in May 2001.
Then Minister for Health, Dr. Michael
Wooldridge, announced in his press
release that "The program will target
children at highest risk of
pneumococcal disease, specifically
infants and children in Central
Australia, Indigenous children and
others at high risk of contracting this
disease because of pre!existing
illness." 7
This program is similar to one used to
justify the release of Prevenar in the
United States which targeted children
of African!American and Native
American descent. This kind of ethnic
selection led to accusations of racism
in the US.
Dr. J. Bart Classen, an immunologist
at Classen Immunotherapies who has
published data in the British Medical
Journal on the link between the
Haemophilus Influenzae type В
vaccine (Hib) and insulin dependent
diabetes," stated in a press release
that, "The FDA cleared yesterday a
controversial new pneumococcal
vaccine with questionable safety and
a US government advisory panel is
planning to selectively target black
children and Native American
children for immunization. This plan
is being criticized for making children
of certain racial minorities "human
guinea pigs. ...It is possible that 1%
or more of the children who receive
the vaccine may develop insulin
dependent diabetes or another
Systemic Event Prevenar™ Concurrently Prevenar™ Concurrently
with DTP!HbOC
Fever
>/+ 38.0 s С 41.9
Irritability 4.5
Drowsiness 72.8
Restless Sleep 29.9
Decreased Appetite 33.0
Vomiting 9.6
Diarrhoea 12.1
Rash or Hives 1.4
informed choice magazine
autoimmune disease from the
vaccine. ...The government's plan to
selectively target black and Native
Americans is likely to have the effect
of genocide."
This equates with Burnum Burnum's
classification of Aboriginal
vaccination as, "Another form of
white!man' s genocide."
When it comes to Pneumococcal, the
government states that "Rates of
disease in these children [Indigenous
children and non!indigenous children
who live in Central Australia] is 15
times higher than non!Indigenous
children in urban areas."
There is no mention of why this
might be the case and yet, if one
geographic area has a higher rate of
illness than another, while the genetic
make!u p of the people in both those
areas is the same, one would have to
assume that there must be other
factors involved. Indeed, living
conditions in Australia's centre have
long been known to be far from
optimal. Perhaps the government
could have spent our money more
wisely by providing fresh fruits and
vegetables and information on
nutrition and hygiene to the residents
of these areas, rather than throwing
an expensive and self!defeating band!
aid solution such as the Prevenar
vaccine at this problem?
Apart from the issues of Aboriginal
or Central Australian vaccination
however, there is no indication that
Pneumococcal bacteria cause the high
incidence of mortality or morbidity in
with DTaP and HbOC
19.6
1.5
45.9
21.2
21.1
5.6
13.7
0.7
the Australian community at large to
warrant mass vaccination.
SIDE EFFECTS
Dr. Erdem Cantekin, PhD, Professor
of Otolaryngology at the University
of Pittsburgh,' cites a large trial
conducted on the safely of Prevenar
vaccine by an HMO (Health
Maintenance Organisation) 1 0 named
Kaiser Permanente. This study, the
only trial that was conducted to
establish safety and efficacy before
the vaccine was recommended for
mass use in the US, had no placebo"
group. It was also paid for by Wyeth
Lederle, manufacturer of Prevenar
and conducted by Drs. Steven Black
and Henry Shinefield of Kaiser
Permanente who were both paid by
Wyeth Lederle to present the results
across the United States.
Despite these obvious conflicts of
interest, the study found that children
who received Prevenar in this trial
were:
• 4 times more likely to have seizures,
and
• 4 times more likely to have stomach
problems.
Dr. Cantkin stated that "The alleged
benefits for this new vaccine are
greatly exaggerated and the risks are
significant."
According to the American Academy
of Pediatrics, "Available data suggest
that PCV7 (7!valent Pneumococcal
vaccine, i.e. Prevenar) may prove to
be among the most reactogenic
vaccine of those currently used,
Prevenar™ Only !
No Concurrent Vaccines
13.4
1.2
45.8
21.2
18.3
6.3
12.8
1.2
including the DTaP and Haemophilus
conjugate vaccines.12
In one small study of children 20.8
out of 24 (87%) had erythema
(redness of skin produced by
congestion of capillaries) and 4.2 out
of 24 (17.5%) had "tenderness that
interfered with limb movement."13
Referring once again to Prevenar's
package insert, we find the results
illustrated in Table above.
These symptoms can all indicate quite
serious systemic problems. The fact
that some of these are doubled when
Prevenar is combined with other
childhood vaccines (for which the
reaction rate is already too high)
which is how it will be administered
in Australia as well, is of grave
concern. The fact that there has been
no attention paid to these shockingly
high statistics is even more
concerning.
So where are the studies that actually
prove this vaccine is safe?
Unfortunately, they do not exist.
In fact, most of the studies of this
vaccine were either paid for
by the manufacturer and are
therefore suspect, or were so M o s t parents who will present their children for this
small as to not be able to
produce statistically shot would be unaware that theu are research subjects
significant results. In rather than recipients of a proven disease-preventing
addition, most of the
children in these studies therapy.
were followed for a very
short time - 3 days being the
norm. Many times, reactions will not
show up or be reported in that
period. Therefore, this vaccine can
reliably be labelled as experimental.
Most parents who will present their
children for this shot would be
unaware that they are research
subjects rather than recipients of a
proven disease-preventing therapy.
WHAT THE STUDIES SHOW
As stated above, no studies of this
vaccine contained a placebo control
group. They have all used vaccines as
controls. Despite this major flaw, the
largest published research paper to
date showed only a 7% decrease in
new earaches and a 0.1% decline in
instances of invasive pneumococcal
disease - the most important illness
this vaccine is meant to prevent.
In addition, it has been suggested by
researchers that use of Prevenar could
interfere with the effectiveness of at
least two other vaccines (Pertussis
[Whooping Cough] and IPV -
Injected Polio) and possible two
others (MMR - Measles, Mumps and
Rubella and Varicella - Chicken Pox).
A retrospective study of the medical
literature, Are the pneumococcal
polysaccharide vaccines effective?
Meta-analysis of the prospective
trials,14 concluded that,
"...pneumococcal vaccination was
without effect for any outcome.
Present guidelines recommend
pneumococcal vaccine for "high-risk"
groups. There is no evidence from
randomised trials that this is of any
benefit." (ed note: emphasis added) Thismanufactured by Wyeth Lederle,
paper looked at a different version of Prevenar's manufacturer, was
the pneumococcal vaccine, but there
is no reason to think that Prevenar
would be any more effective than the
vaccines in the above-mentioned
study.
HOW WAS THIS VACCINE
EVER APPROVED?
The current situation in Australia is
that vaccines are approved by our
Therapeutic Goods Administration
(TGA),,5 the government body
charged with making sure that our
drugs and vaccines are safe and
effective. Unfortunately, the TGA
does not test vaccines that are
released onto the market. They rely the Rotavirus vaccine in June of 1998
upon testing that is performed
overseas, most often in the US and the had financial ties to pharmaceutical
UK.
So let's take a look at the way that
Prevenar was approved for use in the
US.
The Food and Drug Administration's
(FDA's) Vaccines and Related
Biological Products Advisory
Committee advise the FDA on the
licensing of new vaccines. At least
one permanent member of that
committee, Dr. Kathryn Edwards, has
financial ties to Wyeth, Prevenar's
manufacturer. In fact, Dr. Edwards
received US$255,023 from Wyeth each
year from 1996 to 1998 for the study
of this vaccine.
The American Academy of
Paediatrics is another important
advisor to the government which is
supposed to be unbiased and
unaligned with medical vested
interests. Dr. Margaret B. Rennels
who was one of the movers and
shakers in getting RotaSheild, the
vaccine against Rotavirus to market,
was also involved in the approval
process for Prevenar. RotaSheild, also
withdrawn by the FDA less than 12
months after its approval due to
serious problems with
intussusception which caused the
death and disablement of many
children. Dr. Rennels' university
receives a total of $2.5 million from
various drug and vaccine companies
including Wyeth Lederle.
In fact, according to Congressman,
Dan Burton, Chairman of the US
Congress Committee for Government
Reform, "Four out of eight, half of the
CDC's advisory committee members
who voted to approve guidelines for
companies that were developing
different versions of the Rotavirus
vaccine and so, if one Rotavirus
vaccine is approved, then it is easier
Spring 2002
for the other companies to get their
Rotavirus vaccine approved and half
of the people on that advisory
committee had interests in
pharmaceutical companies that were
manufacturing or working on a
Rotavirus vaccine."16
The National Vaccine Advisory
Committee recommends products for
universal vaccination. Dr. Jerome
Klein, who holds a position on this
committee, has been employed by
most of the major vaccine
manufacturers to testify against
vaccine injured children whose
families are applying for
compensation. He is also chief editor
of www.pneumo.com, the website
paid for by Wyeth Lederle to sponsor
and promote Prevenar.
The situation in the UK, the other
country upon which we rely for
information to approve or disapprove
vaccines, has a very similar situation.
Congressman Burton again:14 "We just
heard what I read when I was talking
about Dr. Wakefield, we heard that 3/
4 or 60 or 70% of the people on the
advisory committees in England have
financial ties to the pharmaceutical
industry and the pharmaceutical
industry says hey, that it's because we
can't find anybody. ...There are
thousands of doctors and scientists
out there who do not have
connections and they ought to be the
ones evaluating these things without
having anything to do with the
people who are going to make a buck
out of it."
So, if the TGA does not
independently test any of the
Australian vaccines but instead, relies
upon testing performed overseas,
almost all of which has been
conducted or reviewed by researchers
and committees with vested interests
in the success of these same vaccines,
how can we have confidence that
these products are either safe or
effective?
informed choice magazine
HOW DO WE STAY SAFE?
Whilst nobody in their right mind
would want their child or themselves
to ever suffer from bacterial
meningitis, is medical vaccination the
only way to prevent infection?
Like all invasive infections,
Pneumococcal meningitis,
pneumonia and bacteremia are all
more common in those whose
immune systems are suppressed in
some way. Among those at highest
risk are people who are HIV positive,
transplant recipients, IV drug users
and those on immunosuppressive
drug therapies.
Most of us who have proper nutrition
and live in relatively hygienic
circumstances should not be at
increased risk of pneumococcal or
other invasive infections. In fact, there
has been evidence in the medical
literature for many years that
vaccinations, by altering the immune
system, can in fact leave us more
susceptible to these types of
problems.
Of course, we should all consult with
our chosen health practitioners if we
have any questions about this or other
health issues, but when it comes to
prevention of pneumococcal
infections, it appears from all the
evidence available, that the vaccine is
not the safe and effective preventative
we have all been led to believe it is.
REFERENCES:
'National Childhood Pneumococcal
Vaccination Program Faci Sheet;
Commonwealth of Australia, Health and
Aged Cate; 2001
:
American package insert for Prevenar
vaccine; manufacturered by Lederle
Laboratories; marketed by Wyeth Lederle;
http://www. whale, to/v/pre vnar.html
!' Vol 25, No 3
4
See: Parotitis from Bivax: Rubella & Mumps
(Merck) 51" Edition of Physicians Desk
Reference, Medical Economics Company p
1653!1654, 1997; Tinnitus and earache from
Engerix!B: Hep В (SmithKline) 5 1 " Edition of
Physicians Desk Reference, Medical
Economics Company p 2656!2658, 1997;
Parotitis and otitis media from MMR (Merck)
5Г' Edition of Physicians Desk Reference,
Medical Economics Company p 1730!1732,
1997; otitis media from Tetramune (DTP and
Hib) (Lederle) 5 1 " Edition of Physicians Desk
Reference, Medical Economics Company p
1449!1452, 1997; otitis from Varivax (Merck)
51" Edition of Physicians Desk Reference,
Medical Economics Company p 1807!1810,
1997.
s
Antimicrobial Therapy for Otitis Media with
Effusion (Secretory Otitis Media), JAMA
December 18,1991.
6
Eskola J, Kilip X Palmu A, et al. Efficacy of a
pneumococcal conjugate vaccine against acule
otitis media, N. Engl J Med 2001;344!403!9.
7
$19 Million for new vaccination program to
protect children from pneumococcal
disease:Wooldridge; 17 May 2001, Minister for
Health and Aged Care.
"BMJ 1999; 319!1133)
'Second International Vaccine Information
Center Conference, September 9, 2000,
Washington DC, http://www.mercola.com/
2001/feb/21/prevenar_vaccine.htm.
"' Black S, Shinefield H, Ray P, et al. Efficacy of
Heptavalent Conjugate Pneumococcal Vaccine
(Lederle Laboratories) in 37,000 Infants and
Children. Results of the Northern California
Kaiser Permanente Efficacy Trial. 38th ICAAC,
San Diego, California, September 24!27, 1998.
11
Placebo: An inactive substance used in
controlled studies of drugs. The placebo is
given to one group of patients and the drug
being tested is given to a similar group; then
the results obtained in lhe two groups are
compared,; Taber's Cyclopedic Medical
Dictionary, Edition 18, F.A. Davis
Company,1997.
l:
American Academy of Pediatrics, Gary D.
Overturf, MD, and the Committee on
Infectious Diseases, http://www.aap.org/
policy/re9960t.html.
" Study number 118!12! Percentage of Subjects
Reporting Local Reactions Within 3 Days of
Immunization in Infants and Children from 7
months through 9 Years of Age, Cited in
Prevenar's insert, http:www.pneumo.com/
vaccine/PI.html as Data on File at Lederle
Laboratories.
" BMC Fam Pract 2000;1(1): Moore RA, VVtffen
PJ, Lipsky BA, Pain Research and Nuffield
Department of Anaesthetics Oxford Radcliffe
Hospitals.
15
http://www.health.gov.au/tga/
"' National Vaccine Information Center 2'"'
International Vaccination Conference.
Washington D.C., 8!10 September, 2000.
Note: The author would like to thank
Michael Horwin, MA, for his excellent
and scholarly work, Prevenar ! A
Critical Review of a New Childhood
Vaccine (September 19, 2000). This
work can be viewed or downloaded
for free at http://www.whale.to/v/
prevnar2.html. It is highly
recommended to anyone who is
looking for more information on this
complex issue.
*password: noshotz

PREVNAR

A Critical Review of a New Childhood Vaccine

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© Michael Horwin, MA

mhbiomed@.aol. com

September 19,2000

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Summary:

Parti:

Potential Conflicts of Interest in Testing, Promotion & Approval

Drs. Black & Shinefield: Wyeth Lederle Paid for Prevnar Studies

Drs. B l a c k Ш Ш Ш ^ШШШШеІ^ёаші е Ш undertook the primary studies cited regarding

Prevnar. Wyeth Lederle, the vaccine D s manufacturer, paid for these studies.

Drs. Black & Shinefield: Wyeth Lederle Paid for Conferences

These doctors have also presented Prevnar at various conferences throughout the world.
Wyeth Lederle subsidized these conferences.

Drs. Stephen L Peiton & Kathryn Edwards: Wyeth Lederle Pays to Reassure Parents

Wyeth Lederle also pays for an Internet forum (pneumo.com) where these doctors answer

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Drs Page 5 of39

Prevnar-related questions from concerned parents. Several of their answers are inconsistent
with relevant information reported from other medical sources.

Dr. Kathyrn Edwards: Wyeth Lederle Pays to Reassure Doctors about Prevnar

The Internet forum subsidized by Wyeth Lederle (pneumo.com) also addresses Prevnar related
questions presented by pediatricians and other clinicians. Several of the answers by Dr. Edwards
demonstrate inconsistent information. Wyeth Lederle'had paid Dr. Edwar^^256^023 per year from
1996to 1998forthesMdyof^pneumococcalvaccinesii.e. Prevnar). Æd^plpsjalsQpne^oMfteen
lull-time merabers:©TïE>AÖs å ^
conmútteethatadvises; _he FDA on the üçensmgof new vaccines;

Dr. Margaret B. Rennels: The Wyeth Lederle-Prevnar-RotaShield Connection

Rennels was instrumental in getting RotaShield to market and is now involved in Prevnar. Her
university receives atptal of over $2.5 millionfromvarious^Jrug and^äcäne^napames^inclüdmg
Wyeth Lederle, PrevnarDs manufacturer. She is also one of the twelve members of the Committee
on Infectious Diseases, the committee that makes vaccine recommendations aspait ofthe American
Academy of Pediatrics^ '

Dr. Jerome Klein: Wyeth Lederle and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee

This doctor has been employed by the major vaccine manufacturers to tjssl^agajnstfaçdne mjured
children. He is also chief editor ofpneumo.com the website paid for by WyemLedérlè' tò sponsor
Prevnar. Рш^ещоге^Щеіп holds»ą ppsition on the NationalVaccmesШШ^ШЫхгШіе&ііЬе
committee that recommends products for universal vaccination.

Part II:

Efficacy of Prevnar and other Vaccines Combined with Prevnar

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The Efficacy of Prevnar

The efficacy of Prevnar appears to be very limited ! 7% fewer new earaches, and 0.1% fewer
instances of invasive рЖеЩрсгРсса! diseñe (compared tö an experimental vaccine used as a control).

Prevnar Interferes With Other Childhood Vaccines

The studies done on Prevnar suggest that it may interfere witii the efficacy of two other vaccines
(pertussis and-I£V^an&^

Statistically Unconvincing Studies

The studies of efficacy of other vaccines in combination with Prevnar used numbers of
children (n = 214,47,156,0) that are statistically questionable in respect to the seven million
children targeted to receive Prevnar.

Part III:

Safety of Prevnar

The Safety of Prevnar

According totóe,American Academy of Pediatrics, Prevnar may prove to be among the most
reactogenic of yaccmes. :,

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Drs Page 7 of39

Danger of Inappropriate Injection

The vaccine insert repeatedly warns the clinician to keep the injection away from a child D s blood
vessels. Doctors and nurses are attentive to this, but parents should be aware that there is always a
danger if the vaccine is wrongly administered.

The Six-Week Threshold is a Very Fine Line

The manufacturer states that injecting a child with Prevnar who is under six weeks may not be safe,
but that it is warranted to inject a six-week old. This does not provide the practitioner with a
reasonable cushion.

ER Visits, Seizures and SIDS Associated with Prevnar

Reviews the emergency room visits, seizures and SIDS associated with administration of Prevnar as
discussed in the package insert.

Possible Allergic Reactions

Pediatricians are warned to be ready for possible allergic or anaphylactic reactions from
administration of the vaccine.

Unknown Toxicity and Carcinogenicity

Prevnar contains aluminum and according to the manufacturer there have been no carcinogenic,
mutagenic or fertility studies done on the vaccine.

Relationship with Chronic Diseases

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No long-term studies have been completed. One researcher sees a causal link to diabetes.

Prevnar is Administered to Immune-Suppressed Children

Prevnar is directed for- aïlmimsj^ation to iimnune-suppressed сЫ that apparently has

not^]^щ\0^ав^.§00Ш^Ш^т^с^^.,

Part IV:

The Bottom Line $

The Bottom Line Why Prevnar Will be Injected Into Your Healthy Child

At $242 per child, Prevnar is expected to deliver sales of between $300!$5005m_lion per year for its
manufacturer.

Conclusion

The safety and efficacy evaluations, and federal approval of Prevnar is laden with ethical questions.
Many of the doctors directly involved in the testing and approval process appear to have significant
conflicts of interest. The efficacy of the vaccine is questionable and safety testing has been terribly
inadequate. There are no long!term studies (i.e. more than 5 years) of the chronic, debilitating and
life toeatening diseases that this vaccine may cause. The fact that the vaccine is bio!engineered by
combining various types and portions of bacteria should require it to undergo considerable scrutiny.
Assuming the vaccine has any efficacy at all, the need for universal vaccination needs to be
reexamined in light of the small number of children who might be at risk from serious complications

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from pneumococcal disease.

Introduction

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On February 17, 2000, the FDA approved a new childhood vaccine called Prevnar. Prevnar is
manufactured by Wyeth Lederle Vaccines. Wyeth Lederle is a business unit of Wyeth-Ay erst
Laboratories, which is a division of American Home Products the sam^çpmpany that manufactured
RotaSMeld, the;yaèffièiA Prevnar is
marketed to prevent pneumococcal infections that can cause earaches, meningitis, blood poisoning
and pneumonia. The American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Infectious Diseases has
recommended universal vaccination. All children should now receive four:doses at 2,4, 6, and 12-15
months of age. 1 For an 18-month old child, this brings the total number of vaccinations he or she
receives totwehty9

Does Your Child Need Prevnar?

According to studies quoted by Prevnar D s manufacturer if your child is over two years old, he or she
has about a 1 in 5,000 chance of being diagnosed with a pneumococcal disease. ^ If your child is
under two, the number is reported to increase to 7.5 in 5,000.47 j j o w dangerous is this disease?
Apparently it can be life threatening in a very small number of children. For example, according to
the manufacturer, Pneumococcal memngitis in childhood has been D associated withO a mortality rate
of approximately 1 in 178,571 children.47 Is it reasonable to expect that your child could be one of
these victims?

According to the 1994 Red Book Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases published by the
American Academy of Pediatrics, children who are atriskof pneumococcal infections are those with
specific predisposing factors. The Redbook states:

^(Pneumococcal Infections) are more likely to occur when predisposing conditions

exist, including immunoglobulin deficiency, HodgkinUs disease, congenital or
acquired immunodeficiency (including HIV), nephrotic syndrome, some viralupper
respiratory tract infections, splenic dysfunction, splenectomy and organ
transplantation. O™

Most healthy chüdrenvâP not have theseriskfactors.

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Part I:

Potential Conflicts of Interest in Testing, Promotion & Approval

Six Key Supporters of Prevnar

Six of the most outspoken supporters of the use of Prevnar for universal vaccination are:

1. Dr. Steven Black of Kaiser Permanente

2. Dr. Henry Shinefield also of Kaiser Permanente

3. Dr. Stephen I. Peiton of Boston Medical Center

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4. Dr. Jerome Klein also of Boston Medical Center

5. Dr. Margaret B. Rennels of the University of Maryland Medical Center

6. Dr. Kathryn M. Edwards of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.

What inspires these doctors to do studies on Prevnar or to get on an airplane and travel thousands of
miles to present Prevnar to other physicians? What motivates them to spend hours addressing the
concerns of fearful parents and cautious pediatricians?

Drs. Black & Shinefield: Wyeth-Lederle Paid for Prevnar Studies

Drs. Shinefield and Black of Kaiser Permanente undertook most of the studies on Prevnar which
proved its efficacy and safety/ According to Dr. Black, DThis vaccine is urgently needed...It is
great news for parents and physicians. D 3 Dr. Shinefield is equally enthusiastic. He states, D It D s a
remarkable vaccine that will have a dramatic effect. D 4

How do we know the vaccine is safe and effective? The manufacturer, Wyeth Lederle Vaccines
points to the studies of Drs. Black and Shinefield to vouch for the vaccineDs safety and efficacy. A
Wyeth press release states:

UResults and data released last September and updated this Mayfroma major
clinical trial conducted by Kaiser Permanente&suggested that the vaccine is effective
against invasive pneumococcal disease caused by seven serotypes (strains) of the
bacteria most prevalent among children in the U.S.O^

Who paid for these studies? According to the Harvard Medical School Office of Public Affairs, the
Dstudy was supported-by agrantfromWyeth Lederle Vaccines & Pediatrics.06 This was confirmed
by the Associated Press, which reported that Wyeth-Lederle Laboratories D paid for the testing. D4

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In fact, thefin!ndaMes?betweenWyeth Lederle Vaccines and; Drs. iBlaefeA&Shmëfield are so close

that the two doctors appeared in a glossy photo in the 1997 Annual Rejrøi&$|AjEiexicaaHome
Products (WyethDsparënf company).^ In the photo you see the two grinning physicians dressed in
white lab coats while a group of children play in the background.

(See http://www.ahp.com/annrpt97/sreport3.htm ).

Drs. Black & Shinefield: Wyeth Lederle Paid for Conferences

Drs. Black and Shinefield also have gone globe trotting to present the wonders of Prevnar to other
doctors throughout the world. This list of conferences where they presented information about
Prevnar includes:

• Washington DC (Friday October 8, 1999) * °

• Buenos Aires (April 10-13, 2000) *l

- Boston (May 15, 2000)12

The one in Washington DC seemed particularly entertaining because it was held at the Smithsonian.
According to the eventDs brochure:

UThe entirefirstfloorof the Smithsonian National Museum of American History will

be open to symposium attendees and their guests during the evening& Visitors of all
ages can experience the thrill of DNAfingerprintingor measuring the radioactivity
of common objects in the hands-on science center. D ^

And who paid for the cost of all these conferences so that the doctors in attendance could learn about
Prevnar, and their families could measure the radioactivity of common objects?

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• The conference at the Smithsonian in Washington DC was D supported by an unrestricted

educational grant from Wyeth Lederle vaccines. D ^

4
• The one in Buenos Aires was D sponsored by Wyeth Lederle vaccines. D *

• The one in Boston was D supported in part by an educational grant from Wyeth!Lederle Vaccine
and Merck Vaccine Division. D "

Would Drs. Black & Shinefield be influenced because their studies and efforts were paid for by
Wyeth!Lederle? Would their professional judgement be swayed because the vaccineDs manufacturer
paid for the conventions they attended? Do you want the efficacy and safety of products that will be
injected into your children determined by people who are receiving money from the corporation
manufacturing that product?

Drs. Stephen I. Peiton & Kathyrn Edwards:

Wyeth Lederle Pays to Reassure Parents

Two other supporters of Prevnar are Dr. Stephen I. Peiton and Dr. Kathyrn Edwards. Both spend
time answering questions about Prevnar from concerned parents and pediatricians. Below are a few
examples:

In this instance, Dr. Peiton assures the concerned mother of a 6!month old who experienced adverse
reactions to Prevnar. On May 4, 2000 she wrote:

ОМу б month old received the Prevnar vaccine two days ago. Her temperature went
to 102.6 and she vomited that evening. The fever dropped to 100 yesterday. The
injection site is very inflammed ! it looks like a burn almost. It has a large knot
under it that is not onlyjust beneath the injection site, but it extendsfromthe site like
a finger. Is this reaction normal? U^

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On May 24, 2000, Pelton replied:

D The most common side effect is local reactions. ' The one that you are describing
sounds somewhat greater than average but is within the spectrum of what we see.D^

On May 7, 2000, another mother advised Dr. Pelton of the unfortunate experience of her young son
after getting Prevnar. She wrote:

My J 0-month old son received prevnar four days ago. Since then he has been
vomiting and developed a rash on his body. I will not let him receive the vaccine
again.D *'

This time, it only took three days for Dr. Pelton to write back. On May 10, 2000 he replied:

D&Rash occurs in about 1% of recipients, vomiting in almost 10% however this was
seen to be equal in children who received other vaccines without Prevnar. U*'

On May 15, 2000, another mom wrote about what happened to her 12-month old daughter after
receiving Prevnar and other vaccines in combination. She wrote:

DMy 12-month-old daughter just received HiB, DTP, Chickenpox and Prevnar
vaccines on 5/1/00. The morning of 5/13, she vomitedfor 3 hours and had diarrhea.
After a visit to the Dr., he had her admitted to the hospital&After a chest x-ray, they
were able to see that it was pneumonia in her lower right lobe of her lung&Ifeel
99.9% confident that this was caused by the combination of vaccines that she
receivedU17

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On May 22, 2000, Dr. Pelton responded:

D&Mostfebrile reactions to vaccine occur within 48 hours of administration. An

event 2 weeks later is unlikely to be due to the vaccine itself. 0^

But his response fails to mention the admission by vaccine manufacturers that pneumonia can be a
3
side effect of gettingtiieffibandDTP vaccines together. ^

On July 24, 2000, Tmjh wrote:

D/Dm concerned about data linking prevnar to the onset of juvenile diabetes. Could
you comment?U*'

On July 25,2000 Dr. Pelton responded:

D The best reference that I am aware of denies any linkage between the two. O ^

This response appears to ignore at least one study completed at the University of Washington which
stated, D Aged 65 years or older and having cardiovascular disease or diabetes mellitus were specific
indications significantly correlated with receipt of influenza and pneumococcal vaccine. D 3** Prevnar
is a pneumococcal vaccine and this study therefore suggests that late onset of diabetes may possibly
be associated with the vaccine. In addition, Dr. J. Bart Classen told the FDA that Prevnar Dmay be
seven times as; toxic"as^éÆémophilus vaccine, possibly causing an estimated400to 700 children to
develop insulin dępęndent#abetes per 100,000 children immunized. These cases of diabetes may not
occur until 3.5 tolfte

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A mother named Anne wrote on August 23, 2000:

DParents magazine had a Prevnar ad, which stated OPrevnar has not been
evaluated for any carcinogenic or mutagenic potential, or impairment of fertility. D
Can you give me a laymanOs explanation&should 1 be worried... ?0 l7

Dr. Kathyrn Edwards responded on September 5, 2000:

D The vaccine has been studied in animals andfound not to be associated with
cancer or infertility. D ¿7

This is an interesting response because we have been unable to find a single published report that
relates to any carcinogenic or mutagenic studies on Prevnar. In fact, the manufacturer D s insert also
fails to cite such a document. We challenge Dr. Edwards to produce such a peer-reviewed study.

A mom named Susan wrote on September 6, 2000:

D (I read) some disturbing commentsfromparents whose children have already

received the vaccine. They said it has terrible side effects, such as poor appetite,
difficulty breathing, sleeping problems, andean cause juvenile diabetes&of course
this has me worried О / '

Dr. Kathryn Edwards responded on September 12, 2000:

D The vaccine was administered to nearly 20,000 children prior to licensure and the

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side effects seen in these children were carefully evaluated and not shown to increase
the rate of diabetes, respiratory problems, or weight loss. D ' '

As we have already seen the diabetes question is not resolved. In addition, as far as respiratory
problems are concerned, it appear, tJiat Prevnar can cause, or contributëtö such a diagnosis.
According to the manufacturer D s insert: croup, pneumoiiia^!sto
32
were assodated wiffithëi^Mnisfration of Prevnar.

The forum where all of these questions are asked and answered is titled DPneumo.com. D The entire
venue is paid for by Wyeth"Lederle Vaccines, the manufacturer of Prevnar. (The site is D supported
by an unrestricted educational grant from Wyeth"Lederle Vaccines. D ) In fact, both Edwards and
18
Pelton are listed as DNational EditorsD on the site. Could Wyeth D s sponsorship of this forum
have anything to do with these doctors D answers?

Dr. Kathyrn Edwards:

Wyeth Lederle Pays to Reassure Doctors about Prevnar

Dr. Edwards is not only busy assuring worrisome parents about Prevnar, butfindsthe time to
reassure concerned pediatricians too. Here are some examples:

On April 1, 2000, Dr. Hemendra Parikh asked Dr. Edwards about the safety of injecting Prevnar and
Comvax simultaneously (Comvax = haemophilus influenzae type b and hepatitis В together). He
wrote:

OHas there been any study to show the impact of the simultaneous vaccination with
the pneumococcal vaccine and other recommended childhood vaccines? Especially
the simultaneous vaccination with prevnar and comvax? U^

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On April 5, 2000 Edwards responded that while there are no studies on this question, it should be ok
anyway:

D&To my knowledge, no studies of the pneumococcal conjugates administered with

Comvax are ongoing but there is not current information to suggest that it would be
a problem. D ^

On April 6, 2000, Dr. Mark McGwire asked:

U Any interactions between anabolic steroids, nutritional supplements and prevnar? U

19

Edwards considered this to be a funny question. She thought that it was rather impossible that a
parent could give a child a vitamin supplement. On April 10, 2000, she replied:

UlUm glad you have a sense of humor. Fortunately infants and young children
receiving the pneumococcal conjugate do not use these supplements and steroids. O ^

Is it ethical that this forum is also paid for by Wyeth Lederle, Prevnar D s manufacturer? (The site is
D Supported by an unrestricted educational grantfromWyeth-Lederle Vaccines. D) Was there a
conflict of interest when Edwards accompanied Drs. Black and Shinefield to Boston on May 12-16,
2000, to speak about Dthe development and performance of conjugate pneumoccocal vaccines (i.e.
Prevnar), D 2 ^ even though the conference was D supported in part by an educational grant from
Wyeth-Lederle Vaccine and Merck Vaccine Division? D 2 " Is it ethical that Wyeth Lederle paid Dr.
Edwards $255,023 per year from 1996 to 1998 for the study of pneumococcal vaccines48 (i.e.
Prevnar) and now Edwards is addressing questionsfrompediatricians and parents about the
product? Is it a conflict of interest that Edwards is one offifteenfull-time members of FDADs
Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee, the committee that advises the FDA
on the licensing of new vaccines?

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Dr. Margaret B. Rennels:

The Wyeth Lederle-Prevnar-RotaShield Connection

Dr. Margaret B. Rennels has also done a study that proved the safety and efficacy of Prevnar.21
Speaking about the importance of herfindingsshe said that there is Dan urgent need for
pneumococcal vaccines that are effective in infants. D4 ^ Dr. Rennels should know because she has a
lot of experience with vaccines especially the rotavirus vaccine. According to her bio (which has a
nice picture of her - see: http://medschool.umaryland.edu/CVD/FACULTY.HTM):

. DDr. Rennels has been involved in Phase 1 through 4 evaluations of new and
improved vaccines for children over the last 15 years. She participated in virtually
all phases of the testing of the recently licensed rotavirus vaccine and was the lead
author on the report of the pivotal U.S. efficacy study. More recently, she has led the
U.S. safety and immunogenicity study of the heptavalent conjugate pneumococcal
vaccine (i.e. Prevnar) &Currently, she is the principle investigator of a large study of
the safety of rotavirus vaccine in premature infants. D 2 2

She certainly is the rotavirus expert. Her journal letters and articles have titles like DRotavirus
vaccine comes of age. D 2 3 And when there was the possibility that RotaShield (the brand name for
the rotavirus vaccine) could cause intussusception (collapsing of the intestines that can lead to death)
she wrote an article entitled DLack of an apparent association between intussusception and wild or
vaccine rotavirus infection. D2 4 Although Dr. Rennels was part of the US Rhesus Rotavirus Vaccine
Study Group subsidized by Wyeth-Ayerst research (the manufacturer of RotaShield)25 her financial
ties with the manufacturer would never interfere with her judgement. Nor would it interfere with her
work as one of the twelve members of the Committee on Infectious Diseases, the committee that
makes vaccine recommendations as part of the American Academy of Pediatrics.3^

Because of the increasing numbers of intussusception injuries related with the vaccine, Wyeth Lederle
Vaccines suspended further distribution and administration of RotaShield on July 16, 1999 and
withdrew itfromthe market on October 15,1999.2^ This was very remarkable because Rennels had
found a Dlack of an apparent associationD only one year before.24

Now, Dr. Rennels is busy demonstrating the DsafetyD of Prevnar. The major vaccine and drug

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manufacturers (including Wyeth) have donated a total of over $2.5 million to the University of
Maryland School of Medicine where Dr. Rennels works.27 Is this ethical?

Dr. Jerome Klein:

Wyeth Lederle and the National Vaccine Advisory Committee

Our last doctor is named Jerome Klein. He has enthusiastically called Prevnar Da big win for kids. D
28
Dr. Klein has done his best to protect thefinancialsanctity of vaccine manufacturers from parents
whose children have been injured or killed by a vaccine. He has been hired by the major drug
companies to testify in legal cases on behalf of vaccine manufacturers and against vaccine-injured
children. HereDs one example as summarized from the legal literature:

On August 22, 1984 a healthy nine-month old baby named Sean Leary was
administered his third DTP vaccine. Sean immediately began vomiting. The next
day, he stopped eating. He stayed alert but was no longer active. That night he
cried out every 15 to 30 minutes. The pediatrician immediately noted the Oobvious
circulation collapse. D There at the pediatricianUs office, USeanUs eyes rolled back
in his head and he stopped breathing. D He was rushed to an emergency room.
Resuscitative efforts failed and Sean was pronounced dead at 1:44 p.m. Dr. Jerome
Klein testified that the relationship between vaccination and SeanOs death was
Omerely coincidental. D 2 ^

Dr. Klein is also a member of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee. This committee makes
recommendations to the assistant Secretary of Health concerning vaccine safety and efficacy. He is
also the chief editor of DPneumo.comD the pro-Prevnar website that is D Supported by an
unrestricted educational grantfromWyeth-Lederle Vaccines. D 3 "

Would Dr. KleinDsfinancialties to Wyeth-Lederle vaccines and other drug companies influence his
pro-Prevnar stance or his actions as a member of National Vaccine Advisory Committee, the
committee that recommends vaccines to our nationDs government? Are you comfortable trusting
your child D s health to individuals like Klein who have long-standing relationships with the
multi-national corporations that manufacture the vaccines?

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Partii:

Efficacy of Prevnar and other Vaccines Combined with Prevnar

The Efficacy of Prevnar

How good is Prevnar? According to the study paid for by Wyeth Lederle and generated by Drs.
Black and Shinefield:

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D 777«? study showed that children in the vaccine group fared better than those in the
comparison group in other ways. In the primary analysis of all acute otitis media
episodes (i.e. earaches), children receiving the investigational 7-valentpnemococcal
vaccine (i.e. Prevnar) had 7 percent fewer new episodes. D'*'

Seven percent few episodes of earaches! Do youfindthat impressive? Keep in mind that there are at
leastfiveother pediatric vaccines that can cause earaches, ear infections or ear-related injury. It
appears that we now have Prevnar, a vaccine designed to prevent adverse effects that can be caused
by other vaccines.33

What about preventing invasive pneumococcal disease? According to datafromthe manufacturer D s

insert, after one dose of the vaccine .016% of the recipients (3 out of 18,906) were diagnosed with
invasive pneumococcal disease.3^ But, .14% of controls (27 out of 18,910 children who were
administered a different experimental vaccine) got invasive pneumococcal disease. 3 ^ This means
that based on this data (relative to the control), Prevnar decreases a child D s chance of getting
invasive pneumococcal disease by about 0.1%!

Prevnar Interferes with Other Childhood Vaccines

When Prevnar is injected along with the other childhood vaccines, does it interfere with the promised
efficacy of the other vaccines? Incredibly, the manufacturer states that in some cases it does and in
other cases they just do not know. Under D Simultaneous Administration with Other Vaccines, D the
package insert states:

D Although some inconsistent differences in response to pertussis antigens were

observed, the clinical relevance is unknown. D 3 2

In other words, Prevnar can interfere with the D effectiveness D of the pertussis vaccines but they
really donDt know a great deal about the implications of this. The manufacturer D s insert also states:

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DMMR and Varicella immunogenicity datafromcontrolled clinical trials with

3 2
concurrent administration of Prevnar are not available. D

This admission is astounding. The manufacturer is stating that they do not know what Prevnar does
to the efficacy of either the MMR or Varicella (chickenpox) vaccines. The insert continues:

DThe response to two doses of IPV given concomitantly with Prevnar&(was)

lower for (poliovirus) Type 1. D 3 2

Here they admit that Prevnar actually interferes with the inactivated polio vaccine.

Apparently, Prevnar interferes with at least two other vaccines (Pertussis and IPV) and may interfere
with two more (MMR and Varicella). This information also appears to be contrary to what some
parents are being told regarding how Prevnar acts in combination with other vaccines.

On April 26, 2000, a nurse revealed her concerns about the safety of Prevnar. She wrote:

О As an RNI have only administered the vaccine to the elderly population, now I was
informed that the pediatrician dose for pneumococcal has been released and
advised IOm not sure the medication is safe&my child is 9 weeks old, how safe and
effective will this drug be to a newborn, who is born healthy? Were there any serious
side effects? Is it safe to administer with his routine vaccines? Ют not comfortable
with the administration of 4 vaccines at once. D ™

Dr. Edwards reassured the nurse that comparable antibody responses are generated. A statement that
is inconsistent with admissions from the manufacture. On May 1, 2000 she wrote back:

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U&It is safe to administer with other vaccines&The administration of four vaccines

at once has been shown to generate comparable antibody responses&U^

Statistically Valid Studies?

How thorough were the studies? According to the Wyeth!Lederle, for the study concerning DPT
and Hib efficacy with Prevnar, the number of infants reviewed (who were given Prevnar) was a total
3 2 32
of 214. For toddlers the total number was 47 children. For reviewing the efficacy of Hep В
with Prevnar the number of infants studied (who were given Prevnar) was 156. 3 2 For toddlers the
3 2
total number was zero.

Over seven million infants and toddlers are scheduled to receive this vaccine. The numbers of
children tested (214, 47,156, and 0) do not appear to be statistically valid in comparison to the seven
million. Therefore, it is possible that no one really knows what Prevnar will or wonDt do in
combination with the other childhood vaccines.

Is this Rational?

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The vaccine establishment is militant; requiring that every child in America receive every vaccine they
decide is necessary. With Prevnar we now have a vaccine that admittedly interferes with the efficacy
of other vaccines. Yet, Prevnar was still approved for universal vaccination. How is that possible?
The message appears to be that it does not matter. Perhaps what matters most is that millions of
units of the vaccine are sold.

Part III:

Safety of Prevnar

The Safety of Prevnar

Prevnar is a bio-engineered product. It is created by combining the protein-polysaccharides from

seven strains of dangerous Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria with diphtheria toxin
(Corynebacterium diphtheriae) grown in casamino acids and yeast extract and purified with
ammonium sulfate.32 Such a creation has never before existed on this earth and the human race has
never before in its entire history been exposed to such a product.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics:

UAvailable data suggest thatPCV/ (i.e. Prevnar) may prove to be among the most
reactogenic (e.g., local reactions and incidence of fever) vaccine of those currently
used including the DTaP and Haemophilus conjugate vaccines.D^

In fact, tije manufacturer D s insert describes reactions as the following:

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Redness & Tenderness

For one small group of children 20.8 out of 24 (87%) had erythema (redness of skin produced by
congestion of capillaries) and 4.2 out of 24 (17.5%) had Dtendemess that interfered with limb
movement. D4^

Danger of Inappropriate Injection

Physicians and nurses know that there is a danger of an anaphylactic reaction if a vaccine is
accidentally injected directly into a child D s bloodstream. Prevnar appears to be no exception. Under
D Precautions, D the package insert states:

DPrevnar SHOULD UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES BE ADMINISTERED

INTRAVENOUSLY. The safety and immunogenicity for other routes of
administration (e.g. subcutaneous) have not been evaluated. D 3 2

Under D General, D the insert repeats this warning and states:

D Special care should be taken to prevent injection into or near a blood vessel or
nerve. D 3 2

And again under DDosage and AdministrationD the warning is stated a third time:

DFor intramuscular injection only. Do not inject intravenously&After insertion of the

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needle&wait to see if any blood appears in the syringe&If blood appears, withdraw the
needle and prepare for a new injection at another site. D 3 2

Most clinicians are very careful and very competent in avoiding this danger. But how reasonable is to
expect that a pediatrician can always avoid injecting the product D near a blood vessel D when an
infant D s or toddler D s blood vessels can be very small and the child may be squirming and moving.
No vaccination is without risk.

The Six-Week Threshold is a Very Fine Line

The manufacturerDs safety threshold is so narrow that it could be deemed medically irresponsible.
For example, according to the insert, D The safety and effectiveness of Prevnar in children below the
age of 6 weeks have not been established. D 3 2 However, the insert goes on to state that D (Prevnar)
can be given as young as 6 weeks of age. D 3 2 This appears to suggest that one second before a
child is 6 weeks old the vaccine is unsafe but one second later everything changes and now it is safe.
There appears to be no responsible safety cushion built into this language.

ER Visits, Seizures and SIDS Associated with Prevnar

In respect to dangerous reactions, the insert describes the following:

D Of the 17,066 subjects who received at least one dose of Prevnar&there were 162 visits to the
emergency room within 3 days of a dose&D32 Obviously some of these visits have nothing to do
with the vaccine (i.e. ingrown toenail) but others may be associated (i.e. pneumonia). In addition,
D seizures were reported in 8 Prevnar recipientsD within three days of vaccination.32 Furthermore,
the insert tells us that, D Twelve deaths (5 SIDS and 7 with clear alternative cause) occurred among
subjects receiving Prevnar. D 3 2 This number was less than the D21 deaths (8 SIDS, 12 with clear
alternative cause and one SEDS-like death in an older child) D that occurred in the control group.
However, both groups (Prevnar and control) received some form of experimental vaccine.
Therefore, all we know is that 33 children are dead and at least 13 died of SIDS. How do these
numbers"compare to unvaccinated children? Has there ever been a study to determine this? What
about visits to the ER or seizures after 3 days, such as on day 4 or 5 or 6 or 7, etc.? It appears that

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no study was completed.

Possible Allergic Reactions

The insert warns doctors that they should have epinephrine (i.e. adrenaline) Dready and (available)D
in case the child has an allergic reaction after vaccination with Prevnar. 3 2

Unknown Toxicity and Carcinogenicity

Each .5 ml dose of the vaccine includes .125 mg of aluminum.32 Aluminum is considered

neurotoxic to humans. Ironically, the American Academy of Pediatrics admits that:

D Aluminum is now being implicated as interfering with a variety of cellular and

metabolic processes in the nervous system and in other tissues. D'"

In addition, as we have already discussed, the manufacturer has admitted that:

DPrevnar has not been evaluatedfor any carcinogenic or mutagenic potential, or

impairment oj'fertility. D-*2

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Our children are the guinea pigs and we will see what happens in a few years. In fact, cancer is now
the leading cause of death by disease for children underfifteenyears old42 and there is a growing
information to suggest potential vaccine-cancer links with other vaccines already administered to
children.43

Relationship with Chronic Diseases

What do we know about Prevnar D s role in causing debilitating and life-threatening chronic diseases?
Not very much. There have been no long-term studies done (i.e. more thanfiveyears). In addition,
it is unclear whether the manufacturer has even looked at Prevnar D s relationship with the growing
list of autoimmune diseases diagnosed in children.

Can Prevnar cause diabetes? As discussed above, at least one researcher believes it can.4^ Will it
cause other diseases? Unfortunately the answer will probably comefromthe 7 million children
targeted to receive the vaccine. Our children are the guinea pigs.

Prevnar is Administered to Immune-Suppressed Children

Prevnar is being administered to immune-suppressed children:

On July 24, 2000, Dr. M. Sadof wrote:

Ulf you have a patient who is immunocompromised and 24 months old which
vaccine do you use&?^

Dr. Pelton responded on July 26, 2000,

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D The current concept for patients like this is to give the prevnar vaccine&D19

Dr. L Eger wrote on August 18, 2000:

OThere is a general recommendation to vaccinate immunocompromised children

with Prevnar. О 19

Dr. Kathryn Edwards responded on August 23, 2000:

DSince the vaccines do not contain live bacterial components they pose no threat to
the patient. О 19

Apartfromthe fact that an immune!suppressed child may not be able to elicit an appropriate immune
response to the vaccine, the more important question is ! how safe is this practice? The answer
appears to be that nobody knows because according to the manufactureras insert there have been no
appropriate studies regarding the administration of Prevnar to immune!suppressed children. Once
again, our children are the guinea pigs.

PartrV:

The Bottom Line $

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Drs Page 32 of 39

The Bottom Line Why Prevnar Will be Injected Into Your Healthy Child

44
Four doses of Prevnar (the amount for each child starting at two months old) costs $232. In this
country alone, approximately seven million children under two!years of age are targeted to receive
34
the vaccine. According to pharmaceutical industry!financial analysts interviewed by the news
agency Reuters, Prevnar is expected to deliver sales of $300 to $500 million a year for its
manufacturer Wyeth Lederle Vaccines.35 Figures like these are relatively typical. The following
information comesfromtwo annual reports:

Type of Vaccine Manufacturer Annual Sales $

Hepatitis Vaccines Smithkline Beecham $278 million50

О Vaccines/ BiologicsO Merck $860 million5!

We have attempted to obtain additionalfinancialdata on specific vaccines, but the manufacturers

refuse to release this information to the public.

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Drs Page 33 of 39

Conclusion

The evaluation of safety and efficacy and federal approval of Prevnar is laden with ethical questions.
Many of the doctors directly involved in the testing and approval process appear to have significant
conflicts of interest. The efficacy of the vaccine is questionable and safety testing has been terribly
inadequate. There are no long-term studies (i.e. more than 5 years) of the chronic, debilitating and
life threatening diseases that this vaccine may cause. The fact that the vaccine is bio-engineered by
combining various types and portions of bacteria should require it to undergo considerable scrutiny.
Assuming the vaccine has any efficacy at all, the need for universal vaccination needs to be
reexamined in light of the small number of children who might be at risk from serious complications
from pneumococcal disease.

Recommendations:

• All the safety and efficacy data related to Prevnar should be reevaluated by independent doctors
and scientists who have nofinancialties to the manufacturer.

• The need for universal vaccination with Prevnar should also be reevaluated by independent
doctors and scientists who have nofinancialties to the manufacturer.

An Important Final Note:

Nothing in this report should be construed as medical advice.

However, as a parent or guardian, you are entitled to make informed decisions regarding what
medical interventions (i.e. vaccines) are administered to your child. There are a number of
exemptions available (i.e. religious, medical) if you decide not to vaccinate. For more information
about using an exemption or about Prevnar or other childhood vaccination we encourage you to read,
research and ask questions. For example, read the manufactureras inserts for all vaccines before
your child is vaccinated. The inserts list adverse reactions, precautions and warnings. All the inserts
are printed in a book called PhysicianOs Desk Reference that is available at most large bookstores.
In additißn, there are a number of reputable organizations that can provide additional information on
childhood vaccination. These organizations include: the National Vaccine Information Center
(NVIC) http ://www. 909shot. com: Informed Parents Home Page

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Drs Page 34 of 39

http://www.unc.edu/~aphillip/www/vaccine/informed.htm: Vaccination Information & Awareness

http://www.accessl .net/via: PROVE http://vaccineinfo.net/; Australian Vaccination Network
http ://www. avn.org. au/; P.A.V.E . http .//www, vaccines.bizland.com/: Eagle Foundation
http : //www, eaglefoundation. org: and many others.

For more information about the conflicts of interest responsible for determining what gets injected
into your child see the August 21, 2000 Staff Reportfromthe U.S. House of Representatives
Committee on Government Reform entitled a Staff Report on Conflicts of Interest in Vaccine
Policy Making D at http://www.house.gov/reform/.

Citations:

(1) Policy Statement: Recommendations for the Prevention of Pneumococcal Infections, Including
the Use of Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (Prevnar), Pneumococcal Polysaccharide Vaccine, and
Antibiotic Prophylaxis (RE9960); American Academy of Pediatrics, Volume 106, Number 02,
August 2000, pp. 362!366. (last visited on 9/14/2000) http://www.aap.org/policy/re9960.html

(2) See for example:

• Shmefield HR, Black S, Efficacy of pneumococcal conjugate vaccines in large scalefieldtrials.

Pediatr Infect Dis J 2000 Арт;Щ4):394!7

• Black S, Shinefield H, Fireman B, Lewis E, Ray P, Hansen JR, Elvin L, Ensor KM, Hackell J,
Siber G, Malinoski F, Madóre D, Chang I, Kohberger R, Watson W, Austrian R, Edwards K,
Efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in children.
Northern California Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center Group. Pediatr Infect Dis J 2000
Mar; 19(3): 187-95

• Lieu TA, Ray GT, Black SB, Butler JC, Klein JO, Breiman RF, Miller MA, Shinefield HR,
Projected cost-effectiveness of pneumococcal conjugate vaccination of healthy infants and young
children. JAMA 2000 Mar 15;283(11): 1460-8

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Drs Page 35 of 39

• Shinefield HR, Black S, Ray P, Chang I, Lewis N, Fireman В, Hackell J, Paradiso PR, Siber G,
Kohberger R, Madore DV, Malinowski FJ, Kimura A, Le С, Landaw I, Aguilar J, Hansen J,
Safety and immunogenicity of heptavalent pneumococcal CRM197 conjugate vaccine in infants
and toddlers. Pediatr Infect Dis J1999 Sep;18(9):757!63

(3) Kaiser Permanente News Release: Investigational vaccine is first to show effectiveness against
childhood ear infections; May 4, 1999 (last visited 5/20/2000)
http ://www. kaiserpermanente. org/newsroom/releases/vaccine 1. html

(4) Associated Press: New vaccine reduces risk of severe pneumonia in children; October 1, 1999
(last visited 5/20/2000) http://www.idahonews.com/10011999/health a/386.htm

(5) American Home Products News & Announcements: American Home Products CorporationOs
Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine for Children Receives Priority Review statusfromFDA, July 21,
1999, (last visited 9/14/2000) http://www.ahp.com/releases/wa_072199b.htm

(6) Harvard Medical School Office of Public Affairs News release, Researchers Find Use of
Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine for Children Could Reduce Disease!Related Costs, March 14,
2000 (last visited 5/27/2000) http://www.hms.harvard.edu/news/releases/03001ieu.html

(7) Associated Press: New vaccine reduces risk of severe pneumonia in children; October 1, 1999
(last visited 5/20/2000) http://www.idahonews.com/10011999/health_a/386.htm

(8) American Home Products: 1997 Annual Report (last visited 9/2/2000)
http ://www. ahp.com/annrpt97/sreport3. htm

(9) (deletedfromtext) http://www.mailbase.ac.uk/lists!p!t/pubuc!health/1999!09/0003.html

(10)MedRegister.Com: Preventing Pediatric Diseases ! A Continuing Medical Education Course (last

visited on 5/26/2000) http://www.mededregister.com/vaccine.html

(11) 9*h International Congress on Infectious Diseases, April 10!13, 2000, Buenos Aires, Argentina
(last visited on 5/26/2000)

http://isid.organize!it.com/9th_congress/sat_svmposia.htm
l

(12) Pediatric Academic Societies & American Academy of Pediatrics Joint Meeting ! Haynes
Convention Ctr. May 16, 2000 (last visited on 5/27/2000)
http ://www. aps!spr. org/Meetings/2000/Monday. htm

(13)MedRegjster.Com: Preventing Pediatric Diseases ! A Continuing Medical Education Course (last

visited on 5/26/2000) http://www.mededregister.com/vaccine.html

tn
(14)9 Tnternational Congress on Infectious Diseases, April 10!13, 2000, Buenos Aires, Argentina
(last visited on 5/26/2000)

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Drs Page 36 of 39

http://isid.organize!it.com/9th_congress/sat_symposia.htm
l

(15) Pediatric Academic Societies & American Academy of Pediatrics Joint Meeting ! Haynes
Convention Ctr. May 16, 2000 (last visited 5/27/2000)
http://www.aps!spr.org/Meetings/2000/Monday.ht m

(16) MedRegister.Com: Preventing Pediatric Diseases ! A Continuing Medical Education Course

(last visited on 5/26/2000) http://www.mededregister.com/vaccine.html

(17) Pneumo.com Online Forum (last visited 9/13/2000)

http://www.pneumo.com/msgboard/messages/parent!messages.htm
l

(18) Pneumo.com О Ask an Experto (last visited on 9/14/2000)

http://pneumo.com/contact/contact2.html

(19) Pneumo.com Online Forum Qast visited 9/13/2000)

http://pneumo.comÆome.html (click on: OOnline Forum for Physicians0)

(20) Pediatric Academic Societies & American Academy of Pediatrics Joint Meeting - Haynes
Convention Ctr. May 16, 2000 (last visited 5/27/2000)
http://www.aps-spr.org/Meetings/2000/Monday.htm

(21) Rennels MB, Edwards KM, Keyserling HL, Reisinger KS, Hogerman DA, Madore DV, Chang
I, Paradiso PR, Malinoski FJ, Kimura A, Safety and immunogenicity of heptavalent pneumococcal
vaccine conjugated to CRM197 in United States infants. Pediatrics 1998 Apr;101(4 Pt 1):604-11

(22) Univesrity of Maryland School of Medicine Faculty (last visited on 9/14/2000)

http://medschool.umarvland.edu/CVD/FACULTY.HTM

(23) Rennels MB, Rotavirus vaccine comes of age, J Pediatr 1997 Oct;131(4):512-3

(24) Rennels MB, et al. Lack of an apparent association between intussusception and wild or
vaccine rotavirus infection, Pediatr Infect Dis J1998 Oct;17(10):924-5

(25) Markwick AJ, Rennels MB, Zito ET, Wade MS, Mack ME, Oral tetravalent rotavirus vaccine
can be successfully coadministered with oral poliovirus vaccine and a combined diphtheria, tetanus,
pertussis and Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine. US Rhesus Rotavirus Vaccine Study Group.
Pediatr Infect Dis J \99 ОсЛ.\ЩЩ:9\2!

(26) American Home Products News & Announcements OWyeth Lederle Vaccines Voluntarily
Withdrawsfromthe Market its Rotavirus VaccineO (last visited on 6/17/2000)
RotashieldDhttp://www.ahp.com/releases/ahp 101599.htm D

(27) See¡_University of Maryland School of Medicine Donors and Medical System Donors: (last
visited 9/14/2000 - Under О Contributions О click on OMedical SystemO and OSchool of MedicineO)

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Drs Page 37 of 39

http://www.umm.edu/annualreport/9798ar/site/main.htm

Examples include: Warner!Lambert Company ! 1,000,000!4,999,999; Parke!Davis !

$500,000!$999,999; Hoffman LaRouche, Inc. ! $250,000!$499,999; Merck & Company !
$250,000!$499,999; Bristol!Myers Squibb ! $250,000!$499,999; SmithKline!Beecham
$100,00!$249,999; Abbott Laboratories ! $10,000!$49,999; Pfizer Inc. ! $10,000!$49,999;
Wyeth!Ayerst Laboratories $10,000!$49,999 to Medical System and $10,000!$49,999 to Medical
School; American Cyanamid ! $l,000!$9,999, etc.

(28) Klein JO, The pneumococcal conjugate vaccine arrives: a big win for kids, Pediatr Infect
Dis J, 2000 Mar, 19(3) 181!2

(29) Learv v. Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. 1994 WL 43395 (Fed.Cl.)

(30) Default Pneumo.com contentframehttp://pneumo. com/home.html (see top of page)

(31) Kaiser Permanente News Release: Investigational vaccine isfirstto show effectiveness against
childhood ear infections; May 4, 1999 (last visited 5/20/2000)
http ://www.kaiserpermanente. org/newsroom/releases/vaccine 1, html

(32) Pneumoccocal 7!valent Conjugate Vaccine (Diphtheria CRMi 97 Protein) Package Insert (last
visited on 9/13/2000) http://www.pneumo.com/vaccine/PI.html

(33)See: ParotitisfromBiavax: Rubella & Mumps (Merk) 51 s t Edition of Physicians Desk

Reference, Medical Economics Company p. 1653!1654, 1997; Tinnitus and earache from Engerix ! В:
Hep В (Smith Kline) 51 s t Edition of Physicians Desk Reference, Medical Economics Company p.
2656 ! 2658, 1997; Parotitis and otitis mediafromMMR (Merck) 51 s t Edition of Physicians Desk
Reference, Medical Economics Company p. 1730 !1732, 1997; otitis media from Tetramune (DTP
and Hib) (Lederle) 51 s t Edition of Physicians Desk Reference, Medical Economics Company p. 1449
!1452, 1997; otitis from Varivax (Merck) 51 s t Edition of Physicians Desk Reference, Medical
Economics Company p. 1807 !1810,1997.

(34) Health News Daily, Volume 12, Issue 32, Friday February 18, 2000

(35) ABC News: Pneumococcus Vaccine Approved as reported in Reuters February 17, 2000

(36) Technical Report: Prevention of Pneumococcal Infections, Including the Use of

Pneumococcal Conjugate and Polysaccharide Vaccines and Antibiotic Prophylaxis (RE9960)

American Academy of Pediatrics, Gary D. Overturf, MD, and the Committee on Infectious
Diseases (last visited on 9/14/2000) http://www.aap.org/policy/re9960t.html

aj*»

(37) See: Tetramune (DTP and Hib) (Lederle) 51 s t Edition of Physicians Desk Reference, Medical
Economics Company p. 1449 !1452.

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Drs Page 38 of 39

(38) Buchwald D, et al. Influenza and pneumococcal vaccination among Native American elders in a
primary care practice. Arch Intera Med 2000 May 22;160(10): 1443!8.

(39) Pneumoccocal 7!valent Conjugate Vaccine (Diphtheria CRM*, 97 Protein) Package Insert See:
http://www. pneumo.com/vaccine/PI.html Note: The calculation presented results from dividing all
invasive pneumococcal serotypes that the children were afflicted with in the О intent to treat О figures
(children who received at least one dose of the vaccine) by the number of children and comparing the
percentages for Prevnar and the control. This data is derived from the text andfiguresin Table 1 of
the package insert. The studies conducted by Drs. Black and Shinefield claim an efficacy rate of over
90%. But this is computed using relative percentages, not absolute numbers. For example, in the
article entitled Efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of heptavalent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine
in Children. Northern California Kaiser Permanent Vaccine Study Group (Pediatr Infect Dis J 2000
Mar; 19(3); 187!95), Black, Shinefield et al claim an efficacy of Prevnar of over 97%. There were 40
cases of pneumococcal disease (39 in control group and 1 in Prevnar group). Therefore the control
group accounted for 97.5% of the children with pneumococcal disease (39/40 = 97.5%). Compared
to the control group, Prevnar was 97.5% effective. But these are relative percentages and present a
confusing message regarding absolute efficacy and value of the vaccine. For example, imagine your
child had a .0000000000000000001 chance of getting a disease (18 zeros). And the vaccine reduced
this rate to .000000000000000000001 (20 zeros). Based on Black and ShinefieldOs approach
(relative percentage) this hypothetical vaccine is actually 99.9% effective. But, as a parent I would be
most interested in the absolute value of the vaccine. О Tell me my child O s risk of getting the disease
if I donOt vaccinate. Tell me my childDsriskof getting the disease if I do vaccinate. D According to
LederleOs datafromthe package insert, if you donDt vaccinate with Prevnar theriskis
approximately 20 in 100,000 (0.020%) for all persons, and 150 in 100,000 (0.15%) for children
under two. If you do vaccinate with Prevnar, theriskdecreases to 3 out of 18,906 (.016). If you
vaccinate with the control vaccine, theriskis 27 out of 18,910 (0.14%). By looking at this
comparison, Prevnar provides an absolute value of 0.13% (0.15 ! 0.016 = 0.13%) compared to no
vaccination, and 0.12% ( 0.14 ! 0.016 = 0.12) compared to the control. (In fact, the data may
already be skewed in favor of Prevnar because the Prevnar and controlfigureswere for various ages
of children but the comparison without the vaccine is being made to infants. This inflates the
comparative efficacy of Prevnar because infants have a higher rate of pneumococcal disease
compared with older children.)

(40) Study number 118!12 ! Percentage of Subjects Reporting Local Reactions Within 3 Days
of Immunization in Infants and Children from 7 Months through 9 Years of Age, Cited in
Prevnar D s insert http://www.pneumo.com/vaccine/PI.html as О Data on File at Lederle
Laboratories. D

(41) Aluminum Toxicity in Infants and Children (RE9607), Pediatrics Volume 97, Number 3
March, 1996, pp. 413!416. (last visited on 9/14/2000): http://www.aap.org/policv/01263.html

(42) USPHS. 1991. Vital Statistics of the United States, 1988, Volume П: Mortality. National
Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Public Health Service, Washington, DC.

Í43, http://ouralexander.org/BurtonDan2velec.doc

(44) Abramowicz, Mark. A pneumococcal conjugate vaccine for infants and children, Medical

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Drs Page 39 of 39

letter on Drugs & Therapeutics, May 20,2000

(45) DoctorDs Guide to Medical & Other News, Experimental Vaccine Shows Promise Against
Pneumococcal Disease in Kids, April 7,1998 (last visited on 5/28/2000)
http://www.plsgroup.com/dg/6B37A.htm

r
(46) 1994 red Book Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases, 23 ! Edition published by
the American Academy of Pediatrics, 1994, p. 371.

(47) According to the manufactureros insert, there are an estimated 10 to 30 cases per 100,000
children less than or equal to two years old. Taking the mean of 20 cases per 100,000 = 1 case
in 5,000. If your child is under two, the number is 140 to 160 cases per 100,000. The mean of
150 cases per 100,000 is equivalent to 7.5 cases in 5,000. The manufacturer states that DThe
annual incidence of pneumococcal meningitis in children between 1 to 23 months of age is
approximately 7 cases per 100,000 persons О and that this disease D has been associated with
8% mortality.D Seven cases per 100,000 is equivalent to 70/1,000,000. 8% of 70 = 5.6.
5.6/1,000,000 = 178,571. Source of data: Pneumoccocal 7!valent Conjugate Vaccine
(Diphtheria CRM197 Protein) Package Insert (last visited on 9/13/2000)
http://www.pneumo.com/vaccine/PI.html

(48) Conflicts of Interest in Vaccine Policy Making, Majority Staff Report, Committee on
Government reform, U.S. House of Representatives, August 21,2000, p. 17.

(49) New 'Tuskegee!Like Experiment' Planned with Pneumococcal Pneumonia Vaccine, Reported by
Classen Immunotherapies (last visited on 9/18/2000) http://vaccines.net/pneumoco.htm

(50) SmithKline Beecham 1999 Annual Report, Principal Products p. 38.

(51) Merck 1999 Annual Report, Financial Section, p. 31

header.htm

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MMR
Measles
Mumps
Rubella
;
 Measles vaccination may not protect for life ffewSd*ntltt4NOY9mbertSt

E VIDENCE is growing that the vacdne

used worldwide against measles may
not always provide lifelong protection
against the disease, e Canadian iden tilt liai
warned. As t result, health, offidals may
tøve to modify thdr Immunisation strat-
egies iii order to prevent art epidemic In
developed countries.
Speaking at the Internationa) Conference
on comparative, and Applied Virology held
in Banff, Raymond Marusyk of the Univer-
sity of Alberta and the provindal public
health laboratory said that the rack of life-
time protection appears to have been the
explanation behind recent outbreaks of
measles in Europe. Canada and the US. He
added that it was important for health
offidals td be aware of the limitations of lhe
vacdne.
. Up to two years ago, measles had been
largely eradicated in Europe- and North
Arnerica. But the disease was never under
control in developing nations, where up to 2
million children a year die of the disease.
Infants under 12 months are at particular
risk and can develop serious complications
from.the fever and the. rash 'caused by
the. disease. In rare, instances/ they may
come down -with subacute sclerosing
pimèncéphaHtis, a brain disease with no
known cure.
Most sdentists believe measles is caused
by a "monotypie" virus. This means that, in
the laboratory, it is impossible to distinguish
Leigh Dayton, Vancouver
between virus samples taken around the
world. There is, nonetheless, some ev-
idence; that there may be two viruses in-
volved. The*diseasc is highly infectious, and
spreads on droplets which are inhaled or
ingested.
• The lint vacdnes developed in the US in
the early 1960s were inade korn killed virus.
They proved ineffective against the disease
and were quickly replaced by the live
vacdne in use today. Most countries with an
immunisation programme vacdnate infants
at about 12 months and give final "booster
shots" at 5 and 6 or 11 and 12 years. It is
assumed, incorrectly says Marusyk, that as
wi(h oral polio vaccines, lifelong immunity
is thus ensured.
According to Marusyk, the effectiveness,
or "half-life , of the vacdne appears to drop
sharply In developed countries where there
is little or no "wild-type virus" to boost
immunity. Evidence to support this hypoth-
esis cpmes from Ulliana Chocarro of the
National Institute of Microbiology in
Buenos Aires, Argentina. She told the
Banffmeeting that a niew study conducted in
Buenos Aires found no significant dif-
ference in antibody levels between'adults
(of all ases) who were vacdnated and those
who had measles, which is common in the
country.
In addition the virus used in the vacane,
like its wild counterpart, produces a self-
limiting, infection of the airways that is
eventually knocked out by antibodies. This
is in'contrastto the polta viedne virus, for
instance, which settles in the gut and is
continuously "shed" into the lymphatic
system. Shedding boosts immunity.
"Also," said Marusyk, "lhe podo virus is
a very good.antigen, whereas the.measles
virus is a relatively labile virus that is
affected by conditions in the lab." It is also
noi clear now the measles vacdne antigen
provokes an immune reaction, or whether
the antigens produced are thesame as those
triggered by infection with a wild measles
vims.
If the vaccine produces antibodies that
differ slightly from naturally produced anti-
bodies, that could explain why93 percent of
infants recently tested by Marusyk and his
colleagues showed no immunity by the age
of six months. The mothers of the 120 babies
had all.been vacdnated. Normally, anti-
bodies that have been transferred at birth
from the mother to the child remain present
for a year.
The University of Alberta team began
investigating; the antibody response of in-
fants after a measles epidemic swept the
campus in 1987, in spite-of a 98 per cent
immunisation rate, t h e researchers were
concerned that babies bom to women with
obviously poor defence against infection
would be inadequately protected. D

From a probation report, vaccination,' which quite

Yaccination started
problems court told
Hamilton Staff
'The man who at-
tempted to.rape an
'Auckland, - w o m a n
"nine '•• 'days before
raping;.and murder-. .
ing "English tourist
'Monica- Cantwell had
psychiatric ^problems •
stemming 'from . a
vaccination, a t . 18
'months old/ the High
•Court .in. Hamilton
was told yesterday. •
- Charles 'John Coulam,
who is serving a life sen-
tence for Miss Cantwell's
murder, was yesterday sen-
tenced to five years In
§risaa for the attack on the
emuera ' woman - In
November last year. "« •*-"
5 JAS N e w s l e t t e r APRIL 1 9 9 1
The counsel for Coulam,
Mr„.Phll 'Co*inell,.:.sald
Coulam, in-his favour,'had
pleaded''guilty to:' the
charge, which ardse'from
information Coulam had vo-
lunteered. - "- ''• *•• •
' "He was not a suspéctrlie
simply wanted it cleaned
up." • ;. •
Remorse
• АІthough Coulam ». ac!;
cepted the police summary;
of facts, Mr.Connell said
Coulam !disputed he had.
threatened to kilt ! the
woman.! Rather, he = had
threatened to hurt her,!Mr
ConneUsaid.
Бе said .Coulam feltre!
morse for the terror and the.
lasting effect bis actions:
would leave with the com«
plainanL
"He Is sorry."..
It was clear that despite
material advantages and a,
supportive, loving family,
Coulam had had difficulties
from the age of eight when
a brain : dysfunction.. had
been discovered,
пеІІетШ.'.1 V "
Mr.! Con!
..",'
! 'At 15 years 'old, Coúlam
had!psychiatrie treatment,
which his parents, had
thought ' !Inadequate,,. Mr
ConneUsaid.
Relevance! \\ .
•He hoped' 'the :. prison gating, public safety was
authorities' accepted''the
psychiatric difficulties .and
would assess Coulam.',.v •
•!'If will !figure 'In'!,the vant authorities will keepit
minds of the'parole board."
Mr Justice Anderson said
that. Coulam. was already
.serving a Hie, sentence, so
there was no practical •con-
sequence of the sentence he
was about to Impose.'! ',
.'!To Coulam's credit*the
judge said he !had acknow-
ledged the attack and*had a
sense of shame and!regret
foF! the !terror he hadY!ln!
fllcted on his: victim.
••• The : offence, and been . a! weapon 'invhlved
Coulam's. probation report!
had relevance for Coulam.
future custodial manage«
ment, he said. ••
! The • probation ! report (shed with firm sentencesr
showed that at 18 months
old Coulam had had>.,vio!
ieht reaction to a standard
probably caused seizures
for many years.
(Authorities .
'A brain «can at eight
years old disclosed a brain
malfunction. . Sińce then,
.Coulam's. conduct hadoscll!
'lated from.relatively; high
physical and academic
achievement to vlolejit !re-
sponses, .Mr Justice Ander-
son!said. . " . *
Although the medical his-
tory could be seen as miti-
etUi "a !concern, the judge
said. '
1
"I do'not doubt the!rele-
[public safety] at the fore-
front'of their minds." '
Mr Justice Anderson told
Coulam that in thé interest
of the community he'would
have appropriate care In
the'future.*'
." He said,tfie'off¿лее had
many 'aggravating features.
It had! Involved burglary
with the purpose of commit-
ting sexual violation, itwas
premeditated, there, ba-
and there bad been a threat
to safety.
"In order to demonstrate;
suca, conduct will .be pon*
The. Judge sentenced
Coulam b live years !in
prison.:
 HjggB MEASLES . „______.__ ЪуНШВХШЛШ
English meafcles is ą contagious viral disease with a 14 dary incubation period
following !"туИЧяі contact. The recipient feels tired, has a slight fever and pains ir
the head and back. Ihe eyes redden and a sensitivity to light can develop. The fevex
¿ises Until about the third or fourth day -«hen it reaches 103 - 104"F. Sometimes
anali spots called Koplik spots can be seen inside, the mouth, and a rash of small pini
spots appears below the hal ri-frie and behind the ears. Ibis rash spreads downwards to
cover doe body in' about 36 hours. ' The pink spots may run together, but fade away in
about three or f our days leaving a slight brownish stain which gradually fades away.
Measles is contagious for seven to eight days, beginning three to four days before the
rash appears. If one of your children contracts measles, the others will have been
exposed to it before you know the first child is sick.
• • *•
Allopathic treatment is. only required if the child develops a secondary infection.
Complementary medicine can be useful, i.e. Omega 3's found in fish oils can markedly
reduce sensitivity to light and, can prevent or reduce the severity of secondary
infections. '-*'•'
A vaccine is available, and according to the prescribing information available to
parents, is a live vaccine made with attenuated virus propagated in chick-embryo t
tissue. It also contains an antibiotic called Neomycin В sulphate. The directions
state that it should be given to children f rom 9 months of age and older to protect
against measles in early'life. Infants younger than 9 months may fail to respond to
the vaccine because of the presence of circulating maternal antibodies.
The precautions section states that Ris!з ах should not be given to any subject
with:
1) acute respiratory or other febrile infections,
2) immune deficiencies.
3) ongoing intense inmmosuppressive therapy
4) circulating human iiirounoglobin or blood transfusion
given within three months
5) a know sensitivity to egg protein
6) a known sensitivity to neomycin (antibiotic)
7) pregnant women
Ihe précautions further state that Tuberculin testing of children should not
be carried out until about 2 months after vaccination because it may depress the
tuberculin skin reaction and give rise to false negative results.
On the New Zealand form there are no side effects mentioned, ano the list of
those who should not receive the vaccine is not complete. Ihe above list should
also include: ' • '* •

8) persons'with active untreated tuberculosis

9) persons who have received any other live virus vaccines within a month
with the exception of polio which may be given simultaneously
10) persons with blood disease,leukaemia, cancer of the lyirjphátic system or
•other tumour of the bone marrow.
SIDE ЕБТЕС!S OF MEASLES V A G O N E
»
Despite the fact that members of the New Zealand medical profession deny ćhe
existence of side effects, they do exist. Most appear to be minor side effects
with few apparent problems sudi es fever, modified rash,;, nasal and respiratory
syinptoms and mild copgh. Other apparently milder symptoms such as diarrhoea,
vomiting; and convulsions, can become persistent, .and cyclic, and lead to more
severe problems.

' . 6 IAS Newsletter APRIL 1991

 •
Medical literature does refer to other more ¡rare, but serious effects 'which
include:

ataxia mental retardation

aseptic meningitis seizure disorders
hemiparesis thronibocytopenia
encephalitis . ¿ubacute sclerosing panencephalitis S.S.P.E
toxic epidermal necrolysis anaphylactic shock
Guillain Barre syndrome
Dr Mendelsohn an American paediatrician went further and added multiple sclerosis,
Reyes syndrome, juvenile-onset diabetes and even a relationship with Hodgk"ns
disease and cancer.

Ihe measles vaccine can be followed by atypical measles, a particularly virulent

formi bf measles characterised by severe pmumonia and other l i f e threatening
conditions. I t i s very hard to diagnose and even harder to treat.
Mien we'as parents are faced with the decision making process, some of the key
influencing factors can undoubtedly be information from the media, which includes
the »following:
# 1) ' 'Measles can have serious complications, from which some children can
die # bronchial and ear infection, eye problems'.
2) 'Measles can cause a long#term disease called subacute sclerosing
panencephalitis which i s always f a t a l .'
3) 'Measles i s much more serious for inimunoconipromised children,

QHEEEFORE
4) we must create herd iiranrity to protect the vulnerable public.

Vaccination i s always promoted as the private and public solution and to

decline such a procedure i s considered irresponsible child#abuse by some members of
the medical profession.
• j.We are not t o l d that there are some very important variables to consider, not to
mention unspoken problems and the potential for future d i s a s t e r .
ШИТ IS MEASLES?
What a s i l l y question! Everyone (at l e a s t i n New Zealand...) knows what measles
i s . But DO we r e a l l y know what measles #flås?. Many people w i l l t e l l you, very firmly,
that their children have had measles more than once.. I!ieoretically t h i s i s not
possible. And those of us who have gone through t h i s remarkable phenomenon of having
two or more "identical'; episodes i n the same c h i l d w i l l know a l l the medical answers:
1) "many more viruses, other than true measles, can cause measles#like
•diseases."
2) "You can only distinguish the REAL measles with a blood#test"
One of the tenets of the measles immunisation programme has been that
Immunisation has been responsible for the fact that some young doctors today wouldn't
recognise measles i f they f e l l over i t . But seme of us have some questions —— like,
for instance:

яшшшаашяЁ—яа^—ЮЁЁЁШшшшяшжя—ШЁШЁшшшятшшЁ—ашЁшяяшшшааяшівшщшшшшт
7 IAS Newsletter APRIL 1991
 Do these decline graphs which the authorities quote as historical proof include
all these other non-measles, viruses which can cause these syndromes identical to
measles?
Do the present day graphs include all morbilli-like
infections?
How can these graphs be reconciled?

OTAT ¿RE THE FACTORS THAI CAN MAKE MEASLES SO SEBIOTJS?

In America you might be told "non-vaccination"

but elsewhere it has been said:

that children who die form measles are typically those

with malnutrition or some other severe intercurrent
condition (Eendrikse R.6. Trans Roy Soc Med
Hyg 1975, 69:31 - 32.)

Ihe Lancet (1981, August 1, pg 237) stated that

in 1961 half the deaths attributed to measles were in
children with serious chronic disease ór disability.

In 1982 (Tropical Doctor, October Part 2 pages 219 - 221) J.J.M. Sauter states
quite categorically "that well nourished children only rarely develop complicated
measles: and that the clinical picture in malnourished, measles is very typical and
entirely similar to that of diseased children suffering from severe Vitamin A
deficiency i.e. xerophthalmia". He also mentioned that vitamin A would heal the "eye
problems associated with acute severe measles.

Ibis work appeared to' have been ignored, or rubbished, until 1987, when an _.
article from Africa found that vitamin A reduced severe secondary complications and
deaths by such a high percentage that the recommendation was that vitamin A should be
administered to all children regardless of whether there was a vitamin A deficiency
or not (B.M.J. 294:294-296 31/1/87),

ВОТ, you may say, malnutrition only exists in other countries. lhat depends on
how you define malnutrition, In a book railed NÖTRITION, І Ш Ш Т Г А Д О INFECTION by
R.K. Chandra (Plenum Press) both under and over nutrition are considered mal (bad)
nutrition. And .other authors have pointed out such things as zinc deficiencies causing
thymus dependant abnormalities and simple sugars resulting in.a breakdown in cell
mediated imrjriunity (Int Rev Exp Pat!Vol. 23, 1982, pg 49) So by definition, varying
degrees of bad nutrition can exist everywhere.

In New Zealand during the last "epidemic" the public was terrorised with public
announcements that 2 children had died, "so get your child vaccinated". Not once did
anyone hear that those two children had ncrri—hodgfćLns lymphoma and mucolipidosis
(I#cell diseases) and that one had been immunised. Both died from secondary
bacterial infections. This information slid into the New Zealand Medical Journal in
13 May 1987, several years after the fact, but in.the meantime, the Australian press
had enlisted these two New Zealand deaths' in a successful bid to bolster their own
flagging campaign.

Ihere is no doubt that complications can be severe, but just how severe is now
more in your control than ever before.

—пшатяшявашшшшвЕЮвшЕшааят
8 IAS Newsletter APRIL 1991
 WHAT ABOUT SEVERE DISEASES SOCH AS S.S.P.E.?

The vaccine is credited with the hefty demise of this nasty critter, BOI the
vaccine can still cause S.S.P.E., and there is good evidence to assume that an immune
malfunctioni perhaps coupled with nutritional factors', plays a significant factor in
the etiology of S.S.P.E.

HOW DOES IHE VACCINE AFFECT TBE BODY?

The public is given no information about this. However, it is reasonable to

assume from contraindications and precautions that this vaccine has a profound and
significant suppressive effect oh the ілтшпе system.

History teaches us very clearly that vaccines can do other things than just
antibody formation. The measles vaccine has had a chequered career with the
earlier killed, vaccine proving a disaster because recipients of this vaccine later
developed severe atypical measles on each subsequent exposure to wild virus. It
would seem, therefore, that a serious subtle derangement of the immune system had
occurred. With the live Vaccine, the authorities made thé mistake of giving it too
early with the result that, many babies did not develop iinmunity and » subsequent
attempts to reinmiunise were usually futile. It would'appear-that, yet again the
immune system was damaged in some unknown way, with the result being an inability to
deal with measles infections.

Contrary to the information sheet available.in New Zealand, this vaccine is now .
given at 15 months and. While some children dutifully go on to get full-blown measles
Паапу'more get what has been called in New Zealand "masked measles", a mild form of
. measles which can be difficult to diagnose because of absence of Koplik spots апсГ
raśh.

The implications of masked measles are not yet understood, but there is #good
reason to be concerned. It has been found that measles infection without a rash in
childhood, results in later development of immunoreactive diseases, sebaceous skin
diseases> degenerative diseases of bone and cartilage and certain tumours, Lancet,
Jan 5 1985, pg 3. While this article dealt with exposure in early life, (some with
possible .iimronoglobin# administration) and recommends. #vaccination, the author, has
overlooked the very fact that, vaccination often causes measles without a rash. It
could well be that seemingly unrelated diseases now,, could be linked with a prior
immunisation suppression of the natural disease. Such a connection would be
impossible to prove.

DOES MEASLES AS A DISEASE HAVE ANY BENEFICIAL EFFECTS?

Many parents comment on how* their children show improvement in skill development
(speech, walking etc) following measles, but this is anecdotal l.: However, the Lancet
11/5/77, and 16/5/81 report remission of juvenile rheumatoid arthritic#and Hodgkins
disease,# in several patienta following natural measles. Several other Etudies have
also shown measles to result in remission of psoriasis (Dec 87, Annals Trop Med)

WHAT OF H E EFFECTS OF MEASLES VACCINE Ш РОІШЕ Ш В _ Ш І С № 5 ?

»
Quite apart from the controversial issue of potentially hazardous viruses in
vaccines from the culture medium, a new, disturbing trend has emerged. In previous
years, mothers with immunity from natural measles have conferred passive immunity to
their children for 12 ! 15 months. Since immunisation j a high percentage of babies
do not have long!term protection, as evidenced by measles infections prior to 12
months!of age. The Journal of Pediatrics, May 1986, 1Q8 (i): 671 *! 676) stated;

9 IAS Newsletter APRIL 1991

 "Many of today's infants receive less.antibody at/birth apd^te^
measles and responsive to'the vaccine at "an earlier'agè'Ûhan'jraś.'the"'case! a aecaei¿_
. . . . . • .-_•' . * . .• -**•»* • w . » * u 4 v 4 " :•_*_-Jr-«*a»»• " * . - *• ..~*_t. !•.*!*„т* «s».,

ago". •!' . !.. .....

' This problem was. well i l l u s t r a t e d in 1982'.when Dr Francis"; Black ^¿cnissed t h i s
very r e a l problem, that púbséquént gen^ations of ; y a c c i i a ^
lees and less antibody.and that i t rnigfrt not be - ¿ ¿ " l a n g ' S ^ ^
susceptible at 2 months of age. i f that happened while vì^^ÌJ^ifi^aJpw^/^re -.
should expect ä aerious increase in measles.mortality (Yale'¿J_;!BÍp"¿ilea-1982,
55; 351-360. •
By the same token, i t : would be reasonable to :^а^^^О^'а^І^^:УВВе^^^^!!ІІ^^^
given ąt the same'early age 'in cOTjuncÜcn with "several * | ^ ^ № m ^ i ^ t ^ ^ i ^ Jp|!
expected to cause coraiderable added!Ш
However, "id.t^;.'the"present.!Ьі^ Aniexlcän': -•
children and adults how 'experiencing"-raturai measles following R e c i ñ e antiljMy.'f a i l -
off, i t could be that wild virus глау build up'to "a: levisi;'tòére Joiir babięs"'ćan "again'
have good гшгигаІ! pro tection'.'" ' ' ••""'""•
1
!••».•.._.

parents regarding methods ;pf elimin!t^^ 'Ithe

the risks which•
:• our' forefathers 'occasionally hád?:tõ/?bear
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 From: John Scudamore <whale(S)8nterprise.net>

This extract from the Dawbams Solicitorsfeetsheet brings to mind Neil Millers "vaccine ploys
" Isn't It amazing how measles has suddenly
become a serious illness after the introduction of the
MMR vaccine"?
Setting the illnesses in context by Richard Barr & Kirsten Limb:
Something curious has happened to the "official" perception of the childhood diseases
which are the subject of the MMR or MR vaccines (Measles, Mumps, Rubella). They
have all officially become more serious since vaccines were introduced. It is instructive
to put the three diseases into perspective. The following extracts and summaries are
from two family health guides published 13 years apart:

The MacMillan Guide to Family Health, an authoritative health manual edited by

Dr. Tony Smith the deputy editor of the British Medical Journal and published in
1982; and

The British Medical Association Complete Family Health Encyclopaedia published

f in І995 (first published 1990). This is also edited by Dr. Tony Smith.

We have chosen the first publication because it came out some years before MMR
vaccines were introduced into this country. It has been observed by Dr. Viera Scheibner
!v
' that diseases inexplicably appear to become more dangerous at about the time when new
. vaccines are introduced. Contrast the entries in die two publications: . !

Measles: From the MacMillan Guide to Family Heath 1982:

"Measles is a highly contagious disease which chiefly affects the skin and respiratory
tract. It is a notifiable disease. The incubation period is 10!14 days. The first symptoms
are raised temperature, runny nose, red watering eyes, dry cough and sometimes
diarrhoea. By the third day the temperature falls and tiny white spots like grains of salt
appear inside the mouth. On the fourth and fifthdays temperature rises again and the
characteristic measles rash appears, starting on die forehead and behind die ears and
gradually spreading to the rest of the body but not usually the limbs. By the sixth day the
rash is fading and by the seventh day all the symptoms have gone.

"In the vast majority of children who catch measles the disease disappears within 10 days
and die only after effect is lifelong Immunity to another attack" [our emphasis]
In contrast 1995 !From the British Medical Association Complete Family Heath
Encyclopaedia 1995:

The following are quotations from the book. Note the difference in emphasis and detail.
"A potentially dangerous viral illness that causes a characteristic rash and a fever....
Measles was once very common throughout the world occurring in epidemics.

i
 It is now less common in developed countries due to immunisationn "Prevention of
measles iś important because it can have rare but serious complications.... It can also be
serious, andsometimes fatal, in children with impaired immunity (such as those being
treated for leukaemia and those infected with AIDS vkus). In developing countries
measles is still common, accounting for more than one million deaths every year,
especially in malnourished children whose defences against infection are seriously
impaired"

"The most common complications are ear and chest infections. Diarrhoea vomiting and
abdominal pain also occur. Febrile convulsions are common with measles and are not
usually serious. A serious complication, occuixing in about one in a thousand cases is
encephalitis (inflammation of the brain).... Seizures 'and coma may follow sometimes
leading to mentalretardationor even death. Very rarely (in about one in a million
cases) a progressive brain disorder, known ás SSPE, develops years after thè acute
illness. Measles during pregnancy results in death of the foetus in about one fifth of die
cases" •

"Immunisation against measles is usually offered at about 15 months of age and

produces immunity in about 97% of die cases. Side effects of the measles vaccine are
generally mild" [no mention of any serious side effects of die vaccine]

Measles viewed in 1967

Another example of the apparent change in die nature of measles is this extractfroma
paper by Christine Miller BM B.Ch, of the National Institute for Medical Research
London published in 1967 one year before the measles vaccine was introduced on a wide
scale..

"MEASLES is now the commonest infectious disease of childhood in the United

Kingdom It occurs in biennial epidemics in which the total number of cases usually
exceeds half a million, and between diese peaks there is a continuous substantial
incidence. There is no doubt that most of mese cases in England today are mild, last only
for a short period, are not followed by complications and are rarely ratal, but mis is not
the whole picture and other factors have to be considered.

"OPPOSING VIEWS: Measles is always a social nuisance whenever it occurs and

nearly always an unpleasant episode for the child and the family. Most children develop
measles during preschool or early school life, and when more man one child is infected at
tiie same time it is an exhausting and trying period for the mother, especially if she goes
out to work. Outbreaks in schools and hospital wards also cause waste of time and
inconvenience, and there have been severe outbreaks in die Armed Forces. To die doctor
an epidemic of measles means an increase in work in the late winter and early spring
when he is already especially busy. A recent survey in a number of areas in this country
(unpublished) showed that the majority of measles cases are visited at least twice by die
general practitioner, and in many cases more than twice. This is a heavy burden on die
National Health Service, which also bears die cost of antibiotics with which most cases
aretreated
 "In spite of these factors, some physicians consider that measles is so mild a complaint
mat a major effort at prevention is not justified. On the other hand, others believe that, on
the whole, die implications of an epidemic are serious and that die disease should be
prevented if possible. These opposing views are of topical importance in measles
vaccines"6.

Measles viewed in 1979

In the well respected publication The Theory and Practice of Public Health it is stated:
"While die infectivity of measles is still very high in all types of population and
environment, the results of infection vary greatly. In Britain and many other developed
countries today measles has lost much of its severity, but the disease can still sweep
through virgin populations with great ferocity... On the other hand immunity is
probably lifelong, and when measles has invaded an isolated community, older
members have been protected by immunity acquired over sixty years earlier. In
developing or underdeveloped countries measles may still cause serious complications
and carry a fatality rate of up to 25 per cent

In contrast 1994-
From: MEASLES why every child in school needs to be protected from measles this
autumn. 1994 [Health Education Authority/Department of Health Publication)
' "Unfortunately, measles can be much more serious than most people think. School-age
children who get it are likely to be very ill. These children will have a hightemperature,a
rash, a cough, a cold and sore eyes. Other symptoms are headaches and not liking bright
light.Measles can cause pneumonia, blindness, deafness and even brain damage.
Measles can also be fatal. In fact its the disease most likely to cause inflammation of the
brain. This is known as 'encephalitis1. Worryingly, four out often children who get this
kind of encephalitis will suffer long-term brain damage."

Our reason for emphasising this apparent change in the perception of the illnesses is to
raise á question-mark over the rationale for MR or MMR vaccines. Vaccination is an
invasive procedure. Children, once vaccinated, are inevitably put on direbt risk (however
large or small that risk might be) of vaccination side effects. On the other hand, if
nature is allowed to take its course, they may never catch all or any of the illnesses; and if
' they do, the evidence suggests that their immunity to further attacks will be far greater
than is provided by any vaccine. Furthermore, there is some evidence that catching
measles actually protects children against some conditions, such as allergies. A recent
trial in Guinea-Bissau found that 25.8% of participants who had the measles vaccine
suffered from allergies, as opposed to 12.8% who had die wild measles. 10

In the Immunisation Awareness Newsletter of December 1991, other advantages of

catching measles are considered, as this passage shows: "The advent of complications
during these diseases essentially depends on the age and the health of the child, as. well
as on treatment We have lost the common sense and the wisdom that used to prevail in
the approach to childhood diseases. Too often, instead of reinforcing the organism's
defences, fever and symptoms are relentlessly suppressed.

i
 This is not always without consequences over die development of the disease. On die
other hand, given the depth to which die child's organism is affected by the disease
measles, for example, there can also be positive consequences.

For the child's organism to defeat a disease by its own means, enables it to mature its
immune system, and develop increased resistance. The latter will be useful for the
organism against other diseases during childhood, and likewise in adulthood.
Over many generations, parents, doctors, and educators have noted that children may go
through an important stege of their development thanks to a childhood disease.
Conditions in which heredity is a factor, such as eczema, asthma, orrecurringinfections
of die respiratory system, may be improved or even cured after measles.

"This 'cure potential' of childhood diseases can be demonstrated by an example. There is

a serious childhood disease affecting the kidneys, the nephrotic syndrome, ín which the
kidneys lose their vital excretion function as aresultof disturbed immunological
processes. Up until the 1960s, at die Bale University Paediatrics Clinic, artificial
. infection with die measles was used to treat this syndrome; mis brought about at least an
improvement in most cases." 11

The process of vaccination involves submissionto a inedical procedure, for the benefit of
a community; not just for oneself or one's immediatefanuìy. Therefore, for a vaccination
to be justified, there must be: a serious threatfromthe disease(s), and a significant benefit
from thevaccine.

If the diseases are not as serious as they are now claimed to be (and we have found no
indication that any of them has become more serious in the past 15-20 years - quite the
reverse)12; and if the vaccines are more dangerous than they are admitted to be, then die
risk/benefit ratio is altered. At the very least, parents should know about it Behind die
scenes, it is acknowledged that vaccines are indeed not as safe as they could be "The
goals of immunization are to eradicate infectious diseases while minimizing morbidity
caused by the vaccine, particularly to prevent neurological damage. The object of the
study is to evaluate neurological complications associated with the immunization.
Immunization is an important public health measure. Acute reactions warrant support for
development of improved vaccines."13

If vaccines are so safe why do they need to be improved?

We Must Have The Freedom To Choose ÄRespect Everyone's Choice

Any infonnatíon obtained here is not to be constnied as medical OR legal advice. The decision to vaccinate
and how you implement that decision is yours and yours alone.
 GrPs earned of kilter тшЫ es
NZ Herald 15 JAN 1887 ' " ~ :
~ ~T
. ' ' Hilary Butler
Ifs that time of the year, when the Health Department has to come up with the. latest¡f¿ar tactic upon which to
launch Immunisation AwarenessWeek, traditionally launched at the end of February every year. So they pick on one
disease and saturate the media for as long as the journos co-operate.
This year it is measles, with headings reminiscent of wartime-propaganda, and predictions just to spice it up:

Measles fears
prompt warning
North Shore Times-Advertiser 21 JAN 1897

7-* ..,,. -- i i , , и . i •

"Measles will affect 50,000, kill up to 10, and put 900 in hospital"

900 .inhospital? Quite possibly, when a "quick" visit to outpatients results in anyone there for more than 3 hours
being "admitted''or "put" into hospital in thc'statistlcs. It's a new change iti the way things are, which will guarantee
boosted numbers, and...do they hope, more money? (Laughable if you're only there for a large splinter removal...)
Then we have the Chairman of the Marlborough General Practitioner's Association Immunisation Committee, Or Jim
Vausc, saying that:
"news of an impending epidemic was not scare tactics but an event able to be
accurately predicted"— Mariborough Express, 27 January 1997
The North Shore Times Advertiser, 24 January, chimes in saying that North Health expects an announcement soon
from the Ministry of Health on a national strategy to minimise a measles epidemic. (This time, the word "expected"
before "measles" has gone). Apparently, once this national strategy is in place, they will work closely with Plunket,
independent practitioner associations, general practitioners and public health nurses to combat the epidcmicAgain,
the word "expected" is noticeably absent.
This' biisincss of WE NEED A NATIONAL REGISTER keeps coming up all over the place, with doctors quoted as
saytag!"! don't know wiry we don't have one anyway".
Dr Gillian Durham is quoted in the Evening Post as saying that an "epidemic" had already hit New Caledonia and it
was inevitable that New Zealand would be hit

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The Otago Daily Times. 12 January 1997 adds a new twist, quoting Dr Michael Baker, saying that:
In "1991, 570 people needed hospital care and six died "
This is interesting. Other papers just say thatfourdeaths occurred in babies too young to be immunised. I wonder
what these two new deaths are all about? Have they been kept quiet because they were «vaccinated"?
The Walroa Star, 27 February 1997 says:
"Four of tbe six. children who died were not vacdnated "
TheTäupoTimes,21 February 1997 inflates it even further i
"Seven New Zealanders died in tbe 1997 measles epidemic, four of them bad not
been vacdnated,"
Nowhere does it mention the tacts (published in 1991) that these FOUR were too young to be vaccinated, or that up
until last year thesefourwere the only deaths publicly admitted to.
In the USA in 1988 and 1991, the problems were similar.
i щ ' • ______!__!__!__!__!____!_!_.__!_^__^__»__M__M__^__^__^__^__^__^__^__^__»__^__M__^__!
Measly Figure: Measles decreased 42 percent in the USA last year tkr3,655
cases (CDC). That's tbe first drop in three years, since the record low of
1,497 cases i a '83. Nearly thi*ee!fonrths of the cases were patients, mostly
children, who'd been Y?ftàmVtáfcfltfgftt ДИ**«1«* «nywav.
USA Today UFE, September 2,1988.

In the last two years more than 4$,Ó00 cases of measles and more than 100
deaths were reported, almost half of the fatalities'Involving unvaccinated
preschool children.
Tbe Washington Post, June 14,1991, Al 7.

In trying to find out why the children died there was only one hint given in the BRITISH MEDICAL TOURNAL.
11 May 1991, Pg 1106:

In New York City over 2,000 cases of measles...eight people mainly

immunocompromised — have died. Most affected are children under one
year old of poor, inner, city Afro-American and Latin families.

Interesting, in New Zealand in 1991 measles predominantly affected Polynesians, Pacific Islanders and the
sodocconomically disadvantaged, with the Maorirateof hospitalisation eight Ümes higher than the non-Maori.
Is there a precedent to this NZ likingforcrystal gazing? (Sorry. Medical modelling.) Yes. OPERATION SAFEGUARD
which took place in the United Kingdom in 1994 at a publicity cost of 3.5 million pounds. 100,000-200,000 cases,
thousands of hospitalised complications and 50 deaths were predicted unless 7.1 million children were vaccinated
in November of that year, which they were.
The trouble was there were major sideeffects.The medical people continue to deny these of course, but plenty of
bad media followed with lots of doctors criticising the programmeforoverstating risks, emotional bladcmail, needless
departmental hysteria etc. Good spread, with plenty of coverage in all the respectable papeis as well as giving the
lawfirmDAWBARNS chough workfor-thenext 20 years.secklng compensationforhundreds of permanently damaged
children.

• Finally someone, with a little morefiscalresponsibility than our New Zealand stargazers, decided to research
OPERATION SAEEGUARD which had a medical cost of 20 million pounds... The results were published in a
nine page article in the BULLETIN OF MEDICAL ETHICS.August 1995, the conclusions of which were:
1. There was never going to be a measles epidemic in 1995;
2. there was no justificationforsimultaneous rubella immunisation;
3. the mass campaign had been planned as an experimental alternative to a 2-dosc vaccination schedule of
measles, mumps and rubella;
4. the government knowingly misled parents about the needforthe campaign and about therelativerisksof
measles disease and measles vacdne;
5. the Department of Health broke the European Union's law on contracts, and tendering, to ensure that two
vaccine manufacturers were awarded the contract. (It's called rewarding one's buddies.)
 Bl_¡ I^SOer" Hc.12«?; rW_J І!Т.!ІПЧ4Г. N E W S

Meastes jab policy under fire

Anthony Middleton
A 12!YEAR!dld boy 'a dying of a
brain disease following a measles
varønation he received during the
Government's' recent campaign to
inoculate seven million children
against the disease.
The boy, who lives in the south-
east of England, does not know
that he has been given six months
to live and so cannot be identified.
He contracted the disease. SSPE, a
form of measles which attacks the
brain, after being inoculated last
November.
. Within a week of the inoculation
he began to have headacheą became
drowsy, lost weight and started
losing "his balance. He is now
confined to wheelchair.
His is just one of.80 cases where
chOdi#n are believed to have become
seriously ill after'being given Ihe
¡noc*__rion against measles, mumps
and rubella (MMR) during the £21-
million Operation Safeguard which
began last November and ended in
January'this year.
The campaign was designed to
cover, the estimated seven per cent
of children who had not already
been inoculated against the diseasea
But instead of testing to identify the
small number who had not already
been covered, the Government con-
ducted a blanket campaign and
Peculated all chairen again. It is in
cases where children are inoculated
rwicethat ŚSPE can.develop.
The parent's organ!atari, Jabs, set
up in December 1993tocampaign on
behalf of the affected children, said
other A%nesses and problems caused
by varanations include arthritis,
the development of learning diffi-
culties, ME and Guillain!Barre
syndrome, 'which inflames nerves'
and impairs movement.
Medical journal The Lancet
recently reported a link between
measles inoculation and Crohn's
disease, which affects the digestive
tract and can be fatal.
And several people suffering from
SSPE have already received com-
pensated from the Vaccination
Damage Unit.
WhDejabs emphasises that is is not
against іюхлііагіоп. it believes this
method of blanket vaccination is
dangerous and unethical. Jackie
Fletther, who set up Jabs when her 20!
month!old son Robert'developed
epilepsy and learning difficulties
after being given MMR two.years
ago, said tbe Operation should have
tested to find out which children
were abr!dymrnroe or aDergfctothe
vacandoti "The mocuhtimshaiki
ha ve been done by a family doctor
who knew the history of the diDdrea*
she said. 'Instead they were carried
out like a school photograph, without
regard for individuals. *
However, last week the Department
of Health announced that the
Operation had been an "incredible
success" among children of all ages
and that there had only been 21 con!
firmed cases of measles this year. At
the time' of thè Operation, the
Government warned, of a-possible
measles epidemic, predicting up to
200.000 cases and 50 deaths.
l>RicrenJWdioI_^edirxrofthe
Bulletin of Medical Ethics, has been
opposed to Operation Safeguard
since it began. 'I think the
Government failed to prove there
may be an epidemic" he said. "The
information provided tò parents
was inaccurate in that it played
down the likelihcod of side-effects."
A spokesperson for the
Department of Health said -that
while it accepted that sorrai children
did contraa illnesses from inocu-
lations, it was sceptical that MMR
could have caused SSPE in the 12-
year-old boy. She added: "The pro-
gramme was a success. Without it
there could have been an epidemic
with many deaths."

DrTli-Hard Nicholson, the editor of the Bulletin of Medical Ethics told the TIMES, Thursday 31 August 1995, that
doctors and parents were misled by government advisors using WHO statistics aimed at the developing worldrbut
that'government doctors may have been keen to "gain favour in international circles by showing it could be done in
the developed world", and at the same time gave the contract to Merrieux and Smith Kline Beecham, who as it
happened had large supplies of vaccine about to pass its "use-by" date.
The United Kingdom Health Department said in reply:
"We make no apology for a campaign wbicb shows we could bave virtually wiped
out measles in this country. "
It als'ó.'justified the campaign by pointing out that in thefirsthalf of 1995 they had only had 4;400 cases, half the
number of cases in thefirstsix months of 1994.This was presumably measles being wiped out. Our N.Z. authorities
say that the only UK cases of measles have been from Importations.
But then, the USA authorities also make similar predictions:

The conquest of Measles and Rubella:

These two destructive diseases have almost been entirely eliminated in
the United States." — SaulKrugman
Natural History —January 1983, Pg 16

Measles wiped out: Measles and mumps have just about been eradicated In
the US. according to official sources. Only 175 cases of measles and 30 of
mumps were reported in the first half of this year, compared with 14,000 in
the first half of 1990.
New Zealand Doctor—Pg 25,25 November 1993

3 IAS Na&wsuftTTER, Vou 9/NO. 3

 Meanwhile again in America, in the December 1995 issue
of Infectious Diseases in Children, page 19, we see the big THE TIMES
heading:
THURSDAY AUGUST 311995
Families9 Ч егe
MEASLES ELIMINATION PLAN CALLS FOR
IMMUNIZATION, SURVEBLLANCB.
misled over
Followed by:
T h e number of reported measles cases swelled to 963
measles danger
during 1994, which still represented the second lowest
level ever recorded, t h e s e continuously low levels are
encouraging, but ADHERENCE TO A NATIONAL
MEASLES ELIMINATION PLAN remains critical...the
four-part plan calls for a high level of immunization i BY JEREMY LAURANCE, HEALTH CORRESPONDENT
with two doses o f measles-containing Vaccine, MORE than seven million
ENHANCED SURVEILLANCE, rapid respons e to children.' vacdnated against
outbreaks, and global control". measles in Britain's biggest
public health campaign were
victims? of an urmecessary
It is no coincidence that Bill Clinton's Health programme, scare, a doctor claims today.
which depended on a Nationwide vaccine register (which Dr Richard Nicholson, edi-
was soundly defeated, but they're going ahead with anyway), tor of the Bulletin of Medical
has been taken up in Australia, and has its proponents'here. Ethics, says doctors arid par-
ents were misled by xiytmA.
This register will label everyone under the guise of гост jWvuen who predicted
IMMUNISATION RECORDS, and will put this information ãn ep_iinruc on the basis of
in a centralised data-bank so that 'PLANS' can be easily co- inadequate* evidence. He
claims that there was never
ordinated.
going to be an epidemie and
that the tjovernment "know-
The trial American tracking system, discussed in "Infectious Ingly misled parents about the
Diseases in Children", August 1996, involves an elaborate needforthe campaign and the
"grocery store "-type system involving cojour-coded forms, relative risks of measles and
measles immunisatiim".
barcodes for patient identification and vaccines, with a Last November, ministers
centreal computer, which not only records patient data but announced a £20 million mass
will be able to"fax"the doctor when another vaccine should vacdnation for'all children
be administered to specific patients. aged 5 to 16 because the World
Health Organisation had pre-
dicted that without it there
All very "logical", wouldn't you think? Apparently the New would be 100.000 to 200.000
Zealand Health Department has already cleared the idea of cases of measles. The WHO
such a scheme with the people who matter — the Maori. said thousands of children
would be admitted to hospital
The question that should be asked is: with measles complications
and about SO would die. It
claimed that the campaign
Could "Operadon Safeguard" happen here? The answer is was a success aner measles
Yes because the World Health Organisation is urging all ПЖ'гЯіТ?г1рт1ІД1Ц '
г
countries in the Western Pacific basin to conduct a similar ЙІЕИ_Ш__1_ Р number
campaign between now and 1998 "to eliminate measles from thefirstsix months of I99"
in the magazine's Septan#
the region". Dr Gillian Durham stated in a letter dated 14 ber issue. Dr Nicholson says
February 1997 to a member that the predictions depended
on unlikely assumptions
"...we are considering a similar campaign in NZ... The about the low protective effect
Sundayilmes Magazine appears to sensationalize the adverse of the vaccine and die nigh
transmission rate of measles
effects of vacdnation.Their findings are in marked contrast in'secondary schools. He says
to THE CAREFUL SOENTIFIÇ SCRUTINY of the adverse die WHO'S backing for mass
events reported by the committee On Safety of Medicines vacdnation in measles control
was aimed at the developing
and the Medicines Control Agency." world but gcrverriment doctors
may have been keen to "gain
Just what you'd expect from a committed advocate to the
onc#and#only#uscful method of "protection". Facts must not
get in the way, especially inconvenient ones.What Dr Durham docs not seem to realise is that there were HEAPS of
articles, not just*one. Where there's smoke, there's fire.
In the meantime, while she considers her options, the message being promoted is"lets blame parents who can't be
bothered vaccinating their babies", as we heard on Morning ReportThe only solution for these people is a Nationwide
Register to keep the "lazy parents" in line.
IAS NEWSIæTTBR, VOL. 9/NO. 3
favourfaiinternational circles
by stowing it could be done in
the developed world". The
threat of the epidemic may
have been seen as an opportu-
nity to test whether a -single
dose of'vaccine could elimi-
nate measles, mumps and
rubella instead of the more
costly two-dose, strategy. He
adds that the campai—i was a
gift horsefordrug companies,
which had large supplies of
vaccine about to pass Its "use
bydate.
He callsforan iridependeni
inquiry, saying that the cam-
paign "misled millions of par-
ents into allowing needles to
be stuck imo their children for
-purposes 'other than those
given in public"..
The Hc_lth Depararam
sald; "We make no acologv for
a camp
could I
measles in this country."
D Overerowdlnjj is making
psychiarric wards in London
hospitals prone to daily occur-
rences of assault and sexual
harassment, according to the
Royal College of Psychiamsis.
It said yesterday mat the
safety of patients and the
public was being put at risk
because mental health ser-
vices in the capital were 'un-
able to cope with demand.
A survey of 12 inner#London
NHS mists conducted by the
college on one day in July
fcrtina 122 parients needed care
for every 100 beds available.
More than 120 incidents of
violence were repeated during
the week before or after the
survey day. There were 66
cases of sexual harassment
and one uf sexual assault
4
 The Health Department says that "we" owe the six year gap between 1991 and this "expected" epidemic to the
wonderful vaccination campaign in 1991. And they want to do another? Yet page 20 of the Infectious Diseases in
Children, December 1996 concerning America, which had a similar epidemic from 1989"1991 says this:
"Maybe tbe reason we are at a nadir is because we bad so much natural infection
between 1989 and 1991, and we are benefiting from that epidemic."
We will hear plenty in the future about how they will eliminate measles by the year 2000: When you hear this, don't
forget that' in 1967 they confidently predicted in medical journals that measles would be a disease of the past by
1969"
But you see, they have a plan. Actually...they have more than one plan, and the other one is integrally tied in with
this one...
And if they don't succeed, you know who will get the blame don't you?! US:

"New Zealand bas the chance of being the first in the world to eliminate
measles, but efforts are being undermined by anti"vaccination groups, health
authorities w a r n . "
Evening Post, 28 July 1992

When all else fails, find a scapegoat!

1 >3: March 1997: OPER^TlÓtá SĄPlEGUARD IS HERE??]]

:
' .';;,'.THe\HëaltH''Department has :gbne to Government for approval for funding to vaccinate every/child aged
" between 2 " 1 0 years, REGARDLESS OF VACCINATION STATUS/before JUNE 1 9 9 7 •'
... :аA'»ЖШ •• • '"...Г:,'"'.—.?".• ;¿-V- '''. '''У"' ' У;\ •''•.< 'іЛ"i"r'',.•'•••
!'.ï- i-'JÃ.'JÃ'*X.XУл AiJ, ' 'U:

Trwsf Л1С. J w r hanÅ ^JaiJt a .rnomenf-; I'm SorTU.; tti^

0V«r шиг ЬйЬіх a",</ heart Us *°*e
' dolile-— / wsi
Wí'll í/nmUniSe it Ojjainí/
•|і5і*7гГГ<
» т^
thi </«л^сг of í/iícííc:
Келгі" «к fhif

Ä~dm CA ____£
І0Ц oíouisr y r hcorl ДІ
tvieaicei ' Khow? | f , s Æ g
Silence?! oufhuhitgre/ | ; 2 r
II' KäS h»
AUT»0RiTV.

Yqi(r hcar-i í{ Crnej-ronal, Your benrr is я Jenaer / W u~uVe «n

íupíi*rfih»«J-4**/ pnwíbye •
Your henrl- И *»h iwrcnf
irreipohiiUí ¿«céíver —
te uour babv ал\({ so ciei у. ¡f- Crno&;i<»na
i cripple. joii.W
is о. ie\hir\ trouble h\a.Ur.
УоЧ skovid be ІгпгпітІ*е</ srafisricj.^ic^ptfr .
afai'riíí jour ¡\eart-- jf í, heeJ/e Uf y««T mlzììtd J

m lïitlf.
10
X.
(¿anij
ГЛ Лде, (Melbourne) — 29 January 1997

S IAS NEWSLETTER, VOL. 9/No. 3

 Independent он Snudai/ —! 3 October 1995

Oxford expert lib?

UUJÎI
backs parents' lis
measles fears i!
sirs
By Jan Roberts campaign. She was later
diagnosed as suffering from
ъ
OXFORD University's Guillain!Barre Syndrome.
professor of paediatrics has Dr Peggy Frith, aconsuliant
spoken out in support of eye specialist in Oxfordshire, та Ia tj i8 8*_í U fr-
If
parents who have criticised the has reported treating a child * •_§»&§!к с !
Governmeni for last year's with severe eye damage, which
mass vaccination campaign is believed to have been linked
against measles and German to the measles vaccination. The CD
measles, which they allege parents of another child
damaged weir children. received a letter' from his
О ! "»"ПіІВДІМІя:
Btî a's-Se
More than 200 other consultani paediatrician which
families have come forward, said: "This is to confirm that
claiming their children Were Andrew seems lo be
affected by the measles suffering...as a result of the мЙІг
• • H J f c l
s
вОД¡ l Mj Hf]
«£4 ESae* pf ll o_* '«_t vgäSJ ai_ ll -l ..
51 s a

„шиш.
vaccine, following last previous vaccination.*' 1 * ¡»
weekend's Independent! on Although many more
Sunday repoa that 85 children parents have corne forward in,
had fallen ill after they were the past few days to speak out ¿Ili»5 a
inoculated. Among the long! about their suspicions, the
terni Illnesses the children had organisers of the Jabś support •U'S*
suffered are epilepsy. Guillain! group for families with
Barre Syndrome, anhritis and vaccine"damaged children
:
encephalitis. believe others are too scared to
The Depanmem of Health do so. Despite the support of
has continued to insist that no some doctors, others are
children have suffered any dismissive.
long!lastingrirteaeffectsfrom Jackie Reicher, secretary of
vaccinations, or that any other Jabs, said: "It is extremely
diseases were triggered. difficult 'for many parents to
•>І8а5&|«!1і
However. Professor Richard come forward. They are scared
Moxon of Oxford University, to alienate their doctors on
together with several other whom they totally depend for
'.leading paediatricians, has the survival of their children."
backed the parents' fears about Already more than 20
the vaccination and lack of families have considered
knowledge about! possible taking legal action against the

HM I.
side!effects. The concerns Government, and last week the
expressed by these parents arc solicitor Richard Barr, who is
very K r i b l e , There S ft representing several families
horrendous gap in this applying for legal aid to sue Ihe S 8 I 8 5 '! «
country's r!uarch." he said. Government, was contacted by
Warrington District Hospital another 40 families. He said:
consultant Dr Richard Briggs "I have been" instructed to
has confirmed that he is investigate legal action on
treating two severely damaged behalf of a number of parents
children suspected of being who believe thai they were not
affected by the vaccine. One properly informed of the risks
child collapsed'jn a Cheshire when their consent was sought 1
school playground a month for their child's vaccination.''
after being inoculated during • Jabs can be contacted on
last year's vaccination 01942!713565.

|1SJ" HI SIM
_*_Я£ І8**|яІІЯ8л2"В'611вІ
UfpiffHillilbsiIftli]
tø

IAS NEWSLETTER, VOL. 9/No. 3 6

THE TIMES THURSDAY AUGUST 311995
Families 'were
misled'over
measles danger
B Y JEREMY LAURANCE, HEALTH CORRESPONDENT
MORE than seven million
children vaccinated against
measles in Britain's biggest
public health campaign were
victims of an unnecessary
scare, a doctor claims today.
Dr Ridiard Nicholson, edi-
tor of the Bulletin of Medical
Ethics, says doctors and par-
ents were misled by govem!
.gagnL_dvisers who predicted
'аЛ*^аапі с oh the*' basis of
inadequate* evidence. He
claims that there was never
going to be an epidemic and
that the Government "know-
ingly misled parents about the
need for the campaign and the
relative risks! of measles and
measles immunisation".
Last November, ministers
announced a £20 million mass
vaccination for all children
aged 5 to 16 because the World
Health Organisation had pre-
dicted that without it there
would be 100.000 to 200.000
cases of measles. The WHO
said thousands of children
would be admitted to hospital
with measles complications
and about SO would die. It
claimed that the campaign
was a success after measles
cases in the first half of 1995
fell to 4,400. half the number
in the first six months of 1994.
In the magazine's Septem-
' ber issue. Dr Nicholson says
that the predictions depended
on unlikely assumptions
about the low protective effect
of the vaccine and the high
transmission rate of measles
in secondary schools. He says
die WHO'S backing for mass
vaccination in measles control
was aimed at the developing
world but government doctors
may have been keen to "gain
favour in international circles
by showing it could be done in
the developed world". The
threat of the epidemic may
have been seen as an opportu-
nity to test whether a single
dose of vaccine could elimi-
nate measles, mumps and
rubella instead of the more
costly two-dose, strategy. He
adds that the campaign was a
gift horse for drug companies,
which had large supplies of
vaccme about to pass its "use
by" date.
He calls for an independent
inquiry, saying that the cam-
paign "misled millions of par-
ents into allowing needles to
be stuck into their children for
purposes other than those
given in public"..
The Health Department
said: "We make no apology for
a campaign which shows we •
could have virtually wiped out
measles in this country."
О Overcrowding is making
psychiatric wards in London
hospitals prone to daily occur-
rences of assault and sexual
harassment, according to the
Royal College of Psychiatrists.
It said yesterday mat the
safety of patients and the
public was being put at risk
because mental health ser-
vices in the capita! were un-
able to cope wim demand.
A survey of 12 inner!London
NHS trusts conducted by the
college on one day in July
found 122 patients needed care
for every 100 beds available.
More than 120 incidents of
violence were reported during
the week before or after the
survey day. There were 66
cases of sexual harassment
and one of sexual assault! ! ,
 Lessons from measles vaccination in developing countries
Vaccination should be introduced only after rigorous trials with mortality as ań end point

1
Controlling measles with standard titres of measles vaccine developed countries for at least a decade, and their appare"
has been limited by the difficulties of reaching and sustaining safety there is accepted as indicating their safety in th'
high enough coverage and the need to delay vaccination developing world,
until most infants have lost maternal antibody (about 9 in developing countries, however, "early" schedules of tv*4'
months of age in developing countries and 15 months in! «Joses, with both doses given in thefirstyear of life, have been
developed countries). A vaccine that is effective in younger 'recommended in populations at risk of morbidity and death
infants is desirable both to protect children before they from measles before 9 months of age.' The relative efficacy of
are exposed to natural measles infection and,because,atten- these strategies in terms of reducing mortality, and their
dance at vacdnation »cosier.« tend? T" fall as children get safety» has riot been formally tested. The results of the
older. analysis by Aaby a alva this week's journal are reassuring in
Edmonston!Zagreb vaccine was shown to be immunogenic rhat mortality unexpectedly fallsj/wiüi standard titre vaccine
in high concentration at the ages of 4!6 months in several before 9 months of age (p 1308).' Residual confounding is,
countries, and in 1989 the World Health Organisation however, always a potential problem in observational studies,
recommended its use in countries where measles before me „nd, although Aaby er al provide considerable evidence that
age of 9 months is a substantial cause of death.1 Shortage of children differed only by their age at vacdnation, there can be
high titre vaccines led to delays in the implementation of this no substitute for a randomised trial, particularly when the
recommendation, and.it was subsequently rescinded after mechanism of the potential adverse reaction or benefit is not
data from three countries with high báçkgr^tuid infant understood.
mortality (Guinea!Bissau. Senegal, and. Haiti) showed The finding of excess mortality after high titre vaccines has
increased overall mortality among children who received high focused attention, on immune function after measles and
titre vaccines at 4!6 months compared with recipients of' measles vaccines. The parallels to the delayed excess mortality
standardtitrevaccines at age 9!10 months.'This unexpected 'seen after natural measles raises the suspicion-that high due
'finding had several surprising features: Firstly, the excess vaccines, like natural measles, cause long term disruption of
mortality did not occur until the second year of life or later— Immune, function, including an ' imbalance - in the type of
a considerable time after vaccination. Secondly, the!excess helper' T'cell response.1 Aaby et al suggest that standard
was particularly pronounced in girls; Thirdly, the.excess!was.:, ' titre vaccines reduce overall mortality by general immuno-
non!specific, representing the usual range of childhood' stimulajtion. The assays needed to investigate these hypotheses
death in the countries concerned. An independent combined . are far from the simple measurement of measles specific IgG,
analysis of the findings, commissioned by. the WHO, esti- the outcome measure used in over 90% of die reported trials of
mated that mortality was significantly increased! (averaging measles vaccines in young infants.
20%) and noted that the design of the trials did not allow The.message is clear. Strategies involving vaccination in
definitive identification of the concentration or the strain of . infants .with maternal antibody, or new measles vaccines,
vaccine as the potenciai cause of the excess.' If trials'had. not rhiist.be tested in randomised trials in which the end point is
been carried out with long term mortality as an end point the mortality and not a surrogate effect such as measles antibody
effect would probably not have been detected as the reporting titre.
of vital events is notoriously incomplete in developing AJHAJLL
countries. Senior lecturer
Responses!to the findings have been of three ldnds~Firstly, . F T CUTTS
the scientific community and funding agencies have re- •Senior It durer
Communicable Disease Epidemiology Unit,
discovered measles. The National Institutes of Health in the Department of Epidemiology and Population Sciences,
United States issued a call for proposals to investigate (he London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine,
phenomenon. Secondly, new technolojdcal approaches are London WCIB7HT
being used to develop measles vaccines that may be!effective
in the first few months of life. Thirdly, public health • I Erpindcd Pro—mmr on Imreoetotftw. Mtiiki immciihaefan bafora » montili ot «t«. ~JV
- ЕрЧгшЫ OrlMOt!!*.
authorities, relying on stanHo!i _! ф ,.._J_ M _u their h!"'« t Barend«* Protrami* м tan—toba. Safcir at Ыф tbr« natala nedan. а~№ CfUimU Rn
against me meastes viras, have adopted new strategies. Some IWWJWI.
3 Katar NA. ІяяпиЛтопжйг after Ыф Лп natia ntdMB tao modi ot t рюа*апе*1Ышп1
have advocated similar mass campaigns to those that have /ajteCÚ7l»eia**)M
* ТЪкЫаАг TH, Oiiubtn GM, A M У, Antti« MT, AMnrc С Borni J. Matta conerei to
proved so v<effective against poliomyelitis in the Amenées. dsniopadÊXviábnototommkKobnKfaMreo^louooacr.BiaVWOmitlMi.iOi.
Others have proposed schedules of two doses of vaccine with f Expended Pre-immt m taimmiutìoo. Global 'л<Ыіе! Опор. Metalo. B!ftr •BfUcmol Яи
І493КІГІ4!І.
the aim of protecting those who fail to seroconvert after the б ЛаЬг ?, Andenen M, Sodcraann M, Jttoban M. Oona J, Рапш_о .M. Reducid en!Owed
first dose.' Regimens of two doses, with both given, after monaStj an« modani natila T!ctfattisn u 4#< montiti tempered with 9#11 month, of tra.
ØAf/lfVStMfilJOS-ll.
maternal antibody has waned, have been used in many 1 О*ЯюОЪ.ЧГш*Ъ1.0ЯтаШСО*Т^гсапооаЫтпаа.11фг1>Ь1<ПЪШЯ1ЬЬ1.
 Autism: A Unique Type of Mercury
Poisoning
by
Sallie Bernard*, «Albert Enayati, B.S., CLE., M.S.M.E., Heidi Roger, Teresa Binstock, Lyn
Redwood, R.N., M.S.N., C.R.N.P., Woody McGionis, MvD.
Ш. MECHANISMS, SOURCES & EPIDEMIOLOGY OF
EXPOSURE
a. Exposure Mechanism
Vaccine injections are a known source of mercury (Plotkin and Orenstein, 1999), and the typical amount
of mercury given to infants and toddlers in this manner exceeds government safety limits, according to
Neal Halsey of the «American Academy of Pediatrics (1999) and William Egan of the Biologies Division
ofthe FDA (1999).
Most vaccines given to children 2 years and under are stored in a solution containing thimerosal, which is
49.6% mercury by weight. Once inside humans, thimerosal (sodium ethylmercurrithio!salicylate) is
:
metabolized to ethylmercury and thiosalicylate ((Sosselin et al, ' 1984). The vaccines mixed with litis
solution are DTaP, ШВ, and Hepatitis В (Egan, 1999). Thimerosal is not an integral component of
vaccines, but is a preservative added to prevent bacterialcontamination. Many vaccme products!are
available without the thimerosal preservative; however, these alternatives have not been widely used
(Egatij 1999). In addition, thimerosal is used during the manufacturing process for a number of vaccines,
from which trace amounts are still present in the final injected product (FDA, personal conmiunication;
Smith!Kline press release on Hepatitis B, March 31,2000).
Since at least 1977 clinicians have recognized thimerosal as being potentially dangerous, especially in
situations of long term exposure (Haenęy et al, 1979; Rohyans et al, 1984; Fagan et al, 1977; Matheson et
al, 1980). For nearly twenty years the US government has also singled Outtiiimerosalas a potential toxin
(FDA\ 1982). In response to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Modernization Act of 1997, which
called for the FDA to review and assess the risk of all mercury containing food and drugs (MMWR, 1999,
July 9), the FDA issued a final rule in 1998 stating.that over"me"counter drug products containing
thimerosal and other mercury forms "are not generally recognized as safe and effective" (FDA, 1998). In
December 1998 and April 1999, the FDA requested US vaccme manufacturers to provide more
information about the thimerosal content in vaccines (MMWR, 1999, July 9); and in July 1999, the CDC
asked manufacturers to start removing thimerosal from vaccines and rescheduled the Hepatitus В vaccine
so it is given at 9 months of age instead of at birth (CDC, July 1999). Ь November 1999, the CDC
repeated its recommendation that vaccine manufacturers move to thimerosal!free products (CDC,
November 1999).
Importantly, based on the CDC's own recommended childhood immunization schedule (and excluding
any trace amounts), the amount of mercury a typically vaccinated two year old child born in the 1990s
would receive is 237.5 micrograms; and atypicalsix month old might receive 187.S micrograms (Egan,
1999). These amounts equate to 3.53 x 10" molecules and!2.79 x 1017 molecules of mercury respectively
(353,000,000,000,000,000 and 279,000,000,000,000,000 molecules). Since thimerosal is injected during
vaccinations, the mercury is given intermittently in large, or 'bolus', doses: at birth and at 2,4,6, and
approximately 15 months (Egan, 1999). The amount of mercury injected at birth is 12:5 micrograins,
followed by 62.5 micrograms at 2 months, 50 micrograms at 4 months, another 62.5 micrograms during
the infant's ¿-month immunizations, and afinal50 micrograms at about 15 months (Halsey, 1999).
Although infancy is recognized as a time of rapid neurological development, to the best of our belief and
knowledge, there are no published studies on the effect of injected ethylmercury in intermittent bolus
doses in infants from birth to six months orto 2 years (Hepatitis Control Report, 1999; Pediatrics, 1999;
EPA, 1997, p.6-56). In contrast, four governmentagencies have set safety thresholds for daily mercury
exposure based On ingested fish or whale meat containing methylmercury. Two of these, guidelines are
based on adult values and two are for pregnant.women/fetuses (Egan, 1999): Applying these guidelines to
a bolus dose scenario (see Halsey, 1999forbolus vs. daily dose discussion), the sum of Hg-doses given at
6 months of age or younger, correlated to infant weights, exceed all ofthe Hg-total guidelines for all
 infants. The 2 month dose is especially high relative to the typical.infant body weight. Halsey (1999) has
calculated the 2 month dose to be over 30 times the recommended daily maximum exposure, with babies
ofthe smallest weight category receiving almost three months worth of daily exposures on a single day.
Halsey's observation is all the more important because even at doses which were not previously thought
to be associated with adverse affects, mercury has resulted in some damage to humans (Grandjean et al,
1998). Given that ethylmercury is equally neurotoxic as methylmercury (Magos et ai, 1985), and that
injected mercury is more harmful than ingested mercury (EPaA, 1997, p.3-55; Diner and Brenner, 1998),
the amount of injected ethylmercury given to young children is causefoi*concern. The potential for Hg-
induced harm is compounded by the special vulnerability of infants (Gosselin et al, 1984). Mercury,
which primarily affects the central nervous system, is most toxic to the developing brain (Davis et al,
1994; Grandjean et aí, 1999; Yeates and Mortensen, 1994), and neonates exposed to methyl (organic)
mercury have been shown to accumulate significantly more Hg in the brain relative to other tissues than
do adults ( EPA, 1997, p.4-1). Mercury may also be more likely to enter the infant brain because the
blood-brain banier has not fully closed (Wild & Benzei, 1994). In addition, infants under 6 months are
unable to excrete mercury, most likely due to their inability to produce bile, the main excretion route for
organic mercury (Koos and Longo, 1976; Clarkson, 1993). Bakir et al (1973) haveishown that those with
the longest half-time of clearance are most likely to experience adverse sequelae, while Aschner and
Aschner (1990) have demonstrated that the longeir that organic mercuryremainsin neurons, the more it is
converted to its inorganic irreversibly-boundform,which has greater neurotoxicity,
b. Population Susceptibility
Nearly all children in the United States are immunized, yet only a small proportion of children develop
autism. The NIH (Bristol et al, 1996) estimates the current prevalence of autism to be 1 in 500. A
pertinent characteristic of mercury is the great variability in its effects by individual. At the same
exposure level of mercury, some will.be affected severely, while others will be asymptomatic or only
mildly impaired (Pale, 1972; Warkany and Hubbard, 1953; Clarkson, 1997). A ten-fold difference in
sensitivity to the same exposure level has been reported (Koos and Longo, 1976; Davis et al, 1994; Pierce
et al, 1972; Amin-Zakd, 1979). An example of variability in children is the mercury-induced disease —
called acrodynia. In the earlier half of this century, from one in 500 to one in 1000 childrenexposed to the
same chronic, low-dose of mercury in teething, powders developed this disorder (Matheson et al, 1980;
Clarkson; 1997), and the likelihood of developing the disease "appears to be dominated more by
individual susceptibility and possibly age rather than the dose ofthe mercury" (Clarkson, 1992). Given
the documented inter-individual variability .of responses to Hg, and the young age at which exposure
occurs, the doses of mercury given concurrently with vaccines are such that only a certain percentage of
children will develop overt symptoms, even as other children might have trait irregularities sufficiently
mild as to remain unrecognized as having been induced by mercury,
с Sex Ratio
Autism is more prevalent among boys than girls, with the ratio generally recognized as approximately 4:1
(Gillberg & Coleman, 1992, p.90). Mercury studies have consistently shown a greater effect on males
than females, except in instances of kidney damage (EPA, 1997). At the highest doses, both sexes are
affected equally, but at lower doses only males are affected. This is true of mice as well as humans (Sager
et al, 1984; Rossi et al, 1997; Clarkson, 1992; Grandjean et al, 1998; McKeown!Eyssen et ai, 1983; see
also review in EPA, 1997, p.6!50).
d. Exposure Levels & Autism Prevalence
Perhaps not coincidentally, autism's initial description and subsequent epidemiological increase mirror
the introduction and use of thimerosal as a vaccine preservative. In the late 1930s, Leo Kanner, an
experienced child psychologist and the "discoverer" of autism,firstbegan to notice the type of child he
would later label "autistic." In his initial paper, published in 1943, he remarked that this type of child had
never been described previously: "Since 1938, there have come to our attention a number of children
whose condition differs so markedly and uniquely from anything reported so far, that each case merits...a
detailed consideration of its fascinating peculiarities." All these patients were born in the 1930s.
Thimerosal was introduced as a component of vaccine solutions in the 1930s (Egan, 1999).
Not only does the effect of mercury vary by individual, as noted above, it also varies in a dose!dependent
manner, so that the higher the exposure level, the more individuals that are affected. At higher dose
levels, the most sensitive individuals will be more severely impaired, and the less sensitive individuals
 will be only moderately impaired, and the majority of individuals may still show no overt symptoms
(Nielson and Hultman, 1999). The vaccination rate, and hence the rate of mercury exposure via
thimerosal, has steadily increased since the 1930s. In 1999 it was the highest ever, at close to 90% or
above, depending., pn the vaccine (CDC, 1999, press release). The rate of autism has increased
dramatically since its discovery by Kanner: prior to 1970, studies showed an average prevalence of 1 in
2000; for studies after 1970, the average.rate had doubled to 1 in 1000 (GUJberg and Wing, 1.999), In
1996, the NIH estimated occurrence to be 1 in 500 (Bristol et al, І996). A large increase in prevalence,
yet to be confirmed by stricter epidemiological analysis, appears to be occurring since the mid!1990s, as
evidenced by several state departments of education statistics reflecting substantial rises in enrolment of
ASD children (California, Florida, Maryland, Illinois, summarized by Yazbak, 1999). These increases
have paralleled the increased mercury intake induced by mandatory innoculations: in 1991, two vaccines,
НШ and Hepatitis B, both of which generally include thimerosal as a preservative, were added to the
recommended vaccine schedule (Egan, 1999).
e. Genetic Factors
ASD isone ofthe most heritable of developmental and psychiatric disorders (Bailey et al, 1996). There is
90% concordance in monozygotic twins and a 3!5% risk of autism in siblings of affected probands
(Rogers et al, 1999), a rate 50 to 100 times higher than would be expected in the general population
(Smalley & Collins, 1996; Rutter, 1996). From 2 to 10 genes are believed to be involved (Bailey et al,
1996).
Individual differences in susceptibility to mercury are said to arise from genetic factors and these too may
be multiple in nature (Pierce et al, 1972; Amin!Zaki, 1979). They include innate differences in (i) the
ability to detoxify heavy metals, (ii) the ability to maintain balanced gut microflora, which can impair
detoxification processes, and (iii) immune over!reactivity to mercury (Nielson and Hultman, 1999;
Hultman and Nielson, 199; Johansson et al, 1998; Clarkson, 1992; EPA, review 1997, p.3!26). Many
autistic children are described as having (i) difficulties with detoxification of heavy metals (Edelson &
Canton 1998), possibly due to low glutathione levels (O'Reilly and Waring, 1993), (ii) iirtestinal
microflora imbalances that can impede excretion (Shattock, 1997), and (iii) autoimmune dysfunction _
(Zimmerman et al, 1993). These characteristics might be reflective of the underlying "susceptibility !
genes" that predispose to mercury!induced sequelae and hence to autism.
As noted above, autism family studies show an exceptionally high concordance rate of 90% for identical
twins. Most environmental factors, such as a postnatal viral infection, tend not to be present at exactly the
same time or at the Same level or rate for each twin. This would cause a difference in phenotype
expression, and thus postnatal environmental influences in general reduce the concordance rate for
identical twins. However, given the extremely high vaccination rate and the high likelihood of
vaccination of one twin at the same time and with the same vaccines as the other twin, mercury!induced
autism via vaccination injection, even though it is an environmental factor, would still lead to the high
concordance rate seen in twins.
Furthermore, among identical twin pairs, the 90% concordance rate is for the milder phenotype: if one
twin has purè classic autism, there is (i) a 60% chance that the other twin will have pure classic autism;
(ii) a 30% chance that the_other twin will exhibit some type of impairment falling on the autism spectrum,
but with less severe symptoms; and (iii) a 10% chance the other twin will be unimpaired. The difference
in symptom severity among the 40% of monozygotic pairs who do not exhibit classic autism may arise .
from either (i) a different vaccination history within pairs, or (ii) the tendency of thimerosal to "clump" or
be unevenly distributed in solution, so that one twin might receive more or less mercury than the other.
One shifiy found a 62% difference in the mercury concentration of ampoules drawn from the same
container of tmmunoglabulin batches containing thimerosal (Roberts and Roberts, 1979).
f. Course of Disease
Age of onset: Autism emerges during the same time period as infant and toddler thimerosal injections
during vaccinations. As noted above, the recommended childhood vaccination schedule from 1991 to
1999 has called for injections of thimerosal starting at birth arid continuing at 2,4, 6, and approximately
15 months (Halsey, 1999); a similar schedule occurred prior to this time but for DTP alone. In the great
majority of cases, the more noticeable symptoms ofautism emerge between 6 and 20 raPnths old - and
mostly between 12 and 18 months (Gillberg & Coleman, 1992). Teitelbaum et al (1998), who have
claimed the ability to detect subtle abnormalities at the youngest age so far, have observed these
 abnormalities at 4 months old at the earliest, the exception being a "Moebius mouth" seen at birth in a
small number of subjects.
Symptoms of mercury poisoning do not usually appear immediately upon exposure, although in
especially sensitive individuals or in cases of excessive exposure they can (Warkany and Hubbard, 1953;
Amm!Zaki, 1978). Rather, there.is generally a preclinical "silent stage," seen in both animals and
humans, during which subtle neurological changes are occurring (Mattsson et al, 1981). The delayed
reaction between exposure and overt signs can lastfromweeks to months to years (Adams et al, 1983;
Clarkson, 1992; Pagala & Wigg, 1992; Davis et ai, 1994; Kark et al, 1971). Consequently, mercury given
in vaccines before age б months would not in most individuals lead to an observable or recognizable
disorder, except for subtle signs, prior to age 6!12 months, and for some individuals, symptoms induced
by early vaccinal Hg might not emerge until the infant had become a toddler (Joselow et al, 1972).
A few autism researchers have suggested a prenatal onset for autism (Kodier et al; 1997; Bauman &
Kemper, 1994), which would preclude a vaccinal!mercury etiology. Others, however, have evidence that
suggest post!natal timings (Bailey, 1998; Comchesne. 1999; Bristol Power, NICHD, DateKeèflnterrôéw,
1999). The general consensus at this point is that fretting cannot be determined (Bailey 'et *• 1996-
Bristol et al, 1996); and, further, that there is "little evidence" that prenatal or perinatal епЩ&яівШоШ
later autism" (Bristol et al, 1996), even though clustering of adverse effects (suboptimality ractors) are
associated with autism (Prechtel, 1968; Bryson et al, 1988; Finegan and Quarrington, 1979). There is also
a general agreement thai, in the great majority of cases, autistic signs emerge among infants and toddlers
who had looked "normal", developed normally, met major milestones, and had unremarkable pediatric
evaluations (Gillberg & Coleman, 1992; Filipek et ál, 1999; Bailey et aí, 1996), so that autism presents as
an obvious deterioration or regression, either before age two or before age three (Baranek, 1999; Bristol
Power, NICHD, Dateline Interview, 1999; LeWioe, 1999).
It is worthwhile to note that early and-intensive educational and behavioral intervention can produce
dramatic gains in function, and the gains made bji thèse children "may be somewhat ипіаце amongthe^
more severe developmental disabilities" (Rogers, 1996). This phenomenonformers u r s i s mat autism
arises from an environmental overlay rather than being purely an organic disease. Additionally, at least1
one study has reported that "re!education and physical treatment1'can improve outcomes in mercurialrsm
(Amin!zaki, 1978).
Emergence of symptoms: The manner in which symptoms emerge in many cases о{$Ша&&фШ&Ш
with a multiple low!dose vaccinal exposure model of mercury poisoning. From a parent's ana
pediatrician's perspective, such an individual is a "normal" looking child who regresses or fails to develop
after thimerosal administration. Clinically relevant symptoms generally emerge gradually over many
months, although there have been scattered parental reports of sudden onset (Filipek, et al, 1999). The
initial signs, occurring shortly after thefirstinjections, are subtle, suggesting disease emergence, and
consist of abnormalities in motor behavior and in sensory systems, particularly touch sensitivity, vision,
and numbness in the mouth (excessive mouthing pf objects) (Teitelbaum et al, 1998; Baranek; 1999).
These signs persist and are followed by parental reporte of speech and hearing abnormalities appearing
before the child's second birthday (Prizant, 1996J Gillberg & Coleman, 1992), mktu^rviti!m^seisrml'
months of when additional and.fjnal mjectioWafe given. Finally, in year twó, there*_f a full blossoming
of ASD traits and a continuing regression or lack of development, so that the mcfetìfee_>ere exp^àfànVof
symptoms occurs at approximately 3-5 years of age.'These symptoms then begin to ameliorate (Ciiùrch &
Goplan, 1995; Wing & Attwood, 1987; Paul, 1987). The exceptions are the subset of those with
regression during adolescence or early adulthood, which may involve onset of seizures and associated
neurodegeneration (Hpwlin, 2000; Paul, 1987; Tuunanen et al, 1996,1997,1999).
As in autism, onset of Hg toxicity symptoms is gradual in some cases, sudden in others (Amin-Zaká et al,
1979 & 1978; Joselow et al, 1972; Warkany and Hubbard, 1953). Inthe case of organic poisoning, the
first signs to emerge are abnormal sensation and motor disturbances; as exposure levels increase, these
signs are followed by speech and articulation problems and then hearing deficits (Clarkson, 1992), just
like autism. Once the mercury source is removed symptoms tend to ameliorate (though not necessarily
disappear) except in instances of severe poisoning; which may lead to a progressive course or death
(Amin-Zaki et al, 1978). As in autism, epilepsy in Hg exposure also predicts a poorer outcome (Brenner
& Snyder, 1980).
 Long term prognosis: The long term outcomes of ASD and mercury poisoning show the same wide
variation. Autism is viewed as a lifelong condition for most; historically, three-fourths of autistic
individuals become either institutionalized as adults or are unable to live independently (Paul, 1987).
There are, however, many instances of partial to full recovery, in which autistic traits persist in a much
milder form or, in some individuals, disappear altogether pnce adulthood is reached (Rogers, 1996;
Church 4- Coplan,vl994; Szatmari et al, 1989; Rimland 1994; Wing & Attvypod, 1987).
Upon exposure, mercury entering the bloodstream tendstp.accurnulate in tissues and organs, primarily
the brain (Koos and.Long, 1976; Lorscheider et al, Í995J¿Once insidetissues,and particularly the brain,
mercury will linger for years, as shown on X rays of a poisoned man 22 yearsafter exposure (Gosselin et
al, 1984), as well as autopsies of humans with known mercury exposure (Pedersen et al, 1999; Joselow et
al, 1972) and primate, studies (Vahter et al, 1994). The continued presence of mercury in organs and the
CNS in particualr would explain why autistic symptoms might persist, why researchers such as
Zimmerman or Singh would detect an on-going immune reaction, why epilepsy might not emerge until
adolescence, or why sulfate transporters in the intestine or kidney might continue to be blocked.
Nevertheless, despite the continued presence of Hg in tissue, the degree of recovery from mercurialism
varies greatly. Even in severe cases, there are reports of full or partial recovery (e.g., Adams et al, 1983;
Vroom & Greer, 1972; Amin-Zaki et al, 1978). In less severe cases, especially those in which exposure
occurs early in life, the more severe symptoms mky ameliorate over time, but milder impairments remain,
especially neurological ones (Feldman, 1982; Yeates &.Mortensen, 1994; Amin-Zaki, 1974 & 1978;
Mathjesin et al, 1999; Vroom and Greer, 1972; EPA 1997j pp.3-10, 3-14, and 3-75). The wide variation
in outcome-is believed to be due, again, to individual sensitivity to mercury,-in this case, the ability of
some victims to develop "immunity" or a "tolerance" to Hg even when the metal is still presentin tissue
(Warkany& Hubbard, 1953).
Course of Disease:
Typical Autism & Ingested Organic Mercury
Typical Autism Progression & Thimerosal Administration
Birth 2 mos 4 mos б mos 15 mos 2 yrs 3!5 yrs 6!18 yrs Adults
Hg dose Hg dose Hg dose. Hg dose Hg dose
Delay, (no signs) Pelay (no signs) subtle signs ! move!ment subtle signs ! sensory definite signs !hearing
& speech full array of symptoms Height of symptom severity Symptom ameliora!tion Occasion!al full or
partial recovery,
Temporal & Dose!Response Relationship for Effects of Ingested Methylmercury
Hg dose Delay (no signs) 1st sign ! sensory 2nd sign ! move! ment 3 rd sign ! speech/ art!iculation 4 th sign !
hearing filli array of symp!toms Symptom ameliora!tion (or death) füll or partial recovery
g. Thimerosal Interaction with Vaccines
As noted above, for most ASD children symptom onset is gradual, but for a significant minority it is
sudden. Additionally, many parents believe mere is a connection between their child's autism and his or
her immunizations. The Cure Autism Now Foundation, for example, reports that half the parents who call
its hotline.mention such a connection (Portia Iversen, CAN president, personal communication). The
association extends not only to the mercury-containing vaccines - DTP/DTaP, НЮ, and Hepatitis В ! but
also to those without thimerosal, particularly the MMR (Bernard Rimland, president, Autism Research
Institute, personal communication). Parents may describe a variety of post!vaccine scenarios: a fever
followed by a short recovery period and then a more gradual symptom onset; onset of symptoms
immediately and suddenly after inoculation with or without fever; or even a mildly impaired child whose
condition worsened after vaccination (CAN Parent Advisory Board Internet list; St. John's Autism
Internet list).
While it is possible that any temporal association between vaccination and emergence of autism is due to
chance, Warkany and Hubbard, who successfully proved the connection between acrodynia and mercury
poisoning to the medical community 50 years ago, offer alternate explanations. In their 1953 article in
Pediatrics, they made the following points:
(a) They noted that high fever accompanied by a rash after mercury administration can be signs of a
"typical, acute, mercurial reaction," and "acrodynia may follow, immediately or after short intervals,
acute idiosyncratic reactions to mercury." This reaction was independent of hypersensitivity to mercury,
as detectedfromskin tests, as they reported that only 10% of acrodynia victims responded positively to
Hg on patch tests.
 Thus in ASD, the fevers and deteriorations seen by parents immediately after a thimerosal-containing
vaccine injection may be a systemic reaction (and not a hypersensitivity response^ to the mercury content,
and thisreactionmay subsequently progress to the emergence of autism, just as topical mercury
administration produced fever and then acrodynia over 50 years ago.
(b) Warkany and Hubbard provided some tentative observations that the administration of a vaccine,
irrespective of whether ornot it contains thiinerosal, can set offa reaction to any mercuric compound that
may also begiven to a child, which in the case of acrodynia, would be topical mercury in powders or
rinses. This inter-reactivity might explain the pronounced effects from the MMR among subsequently-
diagnosed autistic children:
"[One patient] underwent a fourteen day course of antirabies injections six weeks before outbreak of
acrodynia. Ten days after completion ofthe therapy she was treated with ammoniated mercury ointment
and subsequently acrodynia developed...[In another case] antirabies treatment preceded the disease by
three montiis. In several children various immunization procedures-preceded the onset of acrodynia in
addition to [topical] mercurial exposure. This, could be purely coincidental or the vaccination material
may play a role as an accessory factor. It is noteworthy that many vaccines and sera contain small
amounts of mercury as preservatives which are injected together with the biologic material. These small
amounts of mercurial compounds could act as sensitizing substances. In several instances vaccination
against smallpox preceded the development of aerodynie symptoms, and some patients were exposed to
bismuth, arsenic, lead, and antimony in addition to mercury. Such observations deserve attention."
(c) Finally, these two researchers observed that some individuals would react to mercury and then, upon
re-exposure, not show any effects, i.e., they had acquired an unexplained toleranceto it. In other cases,
Hg sensitivity would be maintained. Rarely, though, would reactivity occur with thefirstdose: "more
often the patient tolerates several" before the reaction occurs.
"The organism can harbor appreciable amounts of mercury while remaining in perfect health, and then,
for unknown reasons, these innocuous stores of mercury become toxic. It seems in such cases as if the
barriers which held the mercury in check break down without provocation, or as if the mercury had been
converted from a nontoxic to a toxic form.."
In ASD, this delayed sensitivity would explain why some might develop autism later, not after the first
few vaccines, and it would also explain in part why the more vaccines that are given, the more likely it is
that a given individual will develop a reaction since there are more "sensitizing" opportunities.
Importantly, in susceptible individuals, the reactions described by Warkany and Hubbard are likely to
occur if mercury's presence occurred via injected thimerosal.
 Part 2
Should vaccinations be mandatory?
Dawn Richardson
President, Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education (PROVE), Cedar Park,
Texas; prove@vaccineinfo.net; www.vaccineinfo.net

Parents love their children and want to protect them. But vaccines, like the diseases they are designed
to prevent, carry an unpredictableriskofinjury or death. Parents should befreeto make their own
. informed, voluntary vaccination decisions without being subjected to government sanctions.
All diseases and vaccines are not the same, and neither are all children. Yet current mandatory-
vaccination laws treat chickenpox like smallpox. Over 200 new vaccines being developed for
everything from cocaine addiction to sexually transmitted disease (STD) will be candidates for
mandates. Additionally, some children are at greater biological risk than others for reacting to vaccines.
"One-size-fits-all" mass vaccination policies don't take these differences into account and fail to
minimize theriskof vaccine-induced injury and death for too many children.
Annually, 12,000-14,000 reports of hospitalizations, injuries and deaths following vaccinations are
made to the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), but only 1 -10 percent of
doctors report More than $1 billion has been paid out under the federal vaccine-injury compensation
program, but three out of four applicants are turned away and left to cope on their own.
Recent congressional hearings have raised eye-opening questions about inadequate vaccine licensing
and safety standards; conflicts of interest between drug companies and vaccine policy-makers; and
huge gaps in scientific knowledge about how vaccines impact the body.
Health officials measure public health in terms of high vaccination rates and low infectious-disease
rates, and yet the rate of chronic disease and disability in children is at an all-time high. With children
now getting as many as 39 doses of 12 different vaccines by school entry — while the brain and
immune system are developing at the mostrapidrate- nobody knows whether over-vaccination has
contributed to the dramatic increases in asthma, allergies, learning disabilities, autism, attention-deficit
disorder, diabetes and other chronic neuroimmune illnesses. Yet, the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) insists all children, regardless of their personal disease risk, must get every
government-mandated vaccine for the theoretical "greater good."
Because vaccination is a medical procedure that carries an inherent risk of injury or death, informed
consent to vaccination should be therightof every American. Every parent deserves to begiven
truthful, unbiased information about diseases and vaccines and be allowed to make informed,
voluntary, vaccination decisions for their children.
From the CQ Researcher of Aug 25,2000
© 2000 Congressional Quarterly Inc. All Rights Reserved.
 American Journal of Gastroenterology, September, 2000
Original Contribution
September 2000
Volume 95, Number 9
Pages 2285-2295

A. J. Wakefield, F.R.C.S.,a,b A Anthony, M.Sc, Ph.D., MB.B.S.,b S. H. Murch, PhD.,

F.R.C.P., F.R.C.P.C.H,b M. Thomson, MB.ChB., M.R.C.P., F.R.C J.C.H.,c S. M.
Montgomery, Ph.D.,c S. Davies, 'M.ROPàth:,b J. J. O'Leaiyy MD., D.Phil., .RC.Path.,b
M. Berelowitz, F.R.C.Psych.,e and J. A. Walker-Smith, MD., F.R.C.P., F.RAC.P.,
F.RCP.CHd
OBJECTIVE: Intestinal pathology, i.e., ileocolonic lymphoid nodular hyperplasia (LNH)
and mucosal inflammation, has been described in children with developmental disorders.
This study describes some of the endoscopic and pathological characteristics in a group
of children with developmental disorders (affected children) that are associated with
behavioral regression and bowel symptoms, and compares them with pediatric controls.
METHODS: Ileocolonoscopy and biopsy were performed, on 60 affected children
(median age 6 yr, range 3-16; 53 male). Developmental diagnoses were autism (50
patients), Asperger's syndrome (five), disintegrative disorder (two), attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (one), schizophrenia (one), and dyslexia (one). Severity
of ileal LNH was graded (0-3) in both affected children and 37 developmentally normal
controls (median age 11 yr, range 2-13 yr) who were investigated for possible
inflammatory bowel disease (EBD). Tissue sections were reviewed by three pathologists
and scored on a standard proforma. Data were compared with ileocolonic biopsies from
22 histologically normal children (controls) and 20 children with ulcerative colitis (UC),
scored in an identical manner. Gut pathogens were sought routinely.
RESULTS: Ileal LNH was present in 54 of 58 (93%) affected children and infiveof 35
(14.3%) controls (p < 0.001). Colonic LNH was present in 18 of 60 (30%) affected
children and in two of 37 (5.4%) controls (p < 0.01). Histologically, reactive follicular
hyperplasia was present in 46 of 52 (88.5%) ileal biopsiesfromaffected children and in
four of 14 (29%) with UC, but not in non-IBD controls (p < 0.01). Active ileitis was
present infourof 51 j(8%) affected children but not in controls. Chronic colitis was
identified in 53 of 60 (88%) affected children compared with one of 22 (4.5%) controls
and in 20 of 20 (100%) with UC. Scores offrequencyand severity of inflammation were
significantly greater in both affected children and those with UC, compared with controls
(p< 0.001).
CONCLUSIONS: A new variant of inflammatory bowel disease is present in this group
of children with developmental disorders.
Gastroenterol September;95:2285-2295.
 PRESS RELEASE

April 19,2Ò0Ò

Dear Ms. Linda A Johnson

Гт the parent of an autistic son, Eric and President of an autistic research charity called
the Autism Autoimmunity Project There is an autism epidemic across the U.S. and in
California alone there was an increase of 3.42% of new cases of autism (416 new
children becoming autistic) from January 6th to April 6,2000. In April 1999,1 attended
an autism conference in Atlantic City, NJ where Dr. Jacqueline Bertrand ofthe Center for
Disease Control (CDC) spoke. I asked her how many ofthe autistic childremwere
vaccinated and she said all, that it was a highly vaccinated population. I then asked her if
any ofthe autistic children were tested with an immune blood panel test or if the CDC
intended to do this. She said No.

The CDC has not done basic science in this study. My question is, Where's the Science?.
I issue a challenge to the CDC to fund independent research including an immune panel
blood test of these children. James Oleske, MD ofthe UMDNJ, Newark, NJ has an
immunology lab that can do an immune blood panel test of these children including
checking for elevated measlestiters.Vijendra Singh, Ph.D. ofthe Utah State University,
Logan, Utah can do myelin basic protein antibodies and measles antibodies blood tests
for these children. Also, Professor John OLeary ofthe Coombe Women's Hospital in
Dublin, Ireland has found with very sensitive Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) blood
tests that 24 out of 25 autistic children had measles in the gut.

Again, I issue this challenge to tiie CDC to do basic science by funding independent
immune panel blood testing of these children. Time is ofthe essence because each day
that goes by more children join the autism epidemic that is out there. It is callous and
negligent for the CDC to refuse to look into this.
 Do vaccines cause autism?
DR. Bernard Rimland
Director, Autism Research Institute, San Diego, Calif; www.autism.com/ari
From Los Angeles Times, April 26, 2000
First, do no harm. If the multibillion-dollar vaccine industry had heeded Hippocrates' ancient dictum
and concentrated on making vaccines safe, the 300-500 percent nationwide increase in autism probably
would not have occurred.
Concern for vaccine safety might have prevented the simultaneous sharp rise in other chronic and
debilitating.diseases such as asthma, allergies, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder [ADHD],
learning disabilities and arthritis..
The cause ofthe skyrocketingratesof these disorders, like-the rise in autism, has mystified the experts.
Many thoughtful and informed people believe that medical overexuberance has resulted in an
unintended trade-off: Vaccination against acute'diseases such as measles and rubella has increased
susceptibility to chronic disorders such as autism, asthma, arthritis and ADHD
We learned in the latter half of the 20th century that one must be careful intinkeringwith Mother
Nature. Those marvelous pesticides, herbicides, gasoline additives and other miracles of modem
chemistry have a downside. While we now know that toxic pollution ofthe environment is bad news,
. We are just beginning to learn that pumping toxins - viruses, bacteria, mercury, aluminum and
formaldehyde, for example — into the body in the form of vaccinations for immediate gain may prove
to be costly in the long term.
Those who share my view do not oppose vaccines. What we oppose is overvaccination and unsafe
vaccines
In 1965, parents began telling me that their children became autistic upon getting the DPT (diphtheria,
pertussis, tetanus) shot — a triple vaccine. When another triple vaccine, MMR (measles, mumps,
rubella), was introduced in the 1980s, the alarming reportsfromparents and the prevalencefiguresfor
autism rose sharply. Corroborating evidence is plentiful.
In his testimony before the House Government Reform Committee, Paul Offit, the chief of infectious
diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia - who acknowledged at the hearing that he also is paid
by the Merck Co. to educate doctors about vaccines - attacked the "notion" that giving three vaccines
at once is unsafe
Don't just tell us vaccines are safe. Where are the scientific data? There are none. It is no secret that..
. doctors report only 1 -10 percent ofthe adverse reactions they learn about We cannot afford to deny,
dismiss or sidestep the issue of vaccine safety. Research on this critical problem must be undertaken as
the highest priority.
 American Journal of Gastroenterology. September, 2000
Editoria/
September 2000
Volume 95, Number 9
Pages 2154-2156

i
Eamonn M. M. Quigley, M.D., F.A.C.G.,a and David Hurley, M.B.a

Autism is a behavioral disorder characterized by impairment of social contact and

communication and by restricted andrepetitiveinterests and behaviors (1). Of these
cardinal features, deficits in social contact and interaction are usually the most prominent;
typically, at least one of these features is apparent by the age of 3 yr. Children often seem
normal at birth, only to develop regression to autistic behavior betweentiiefirstor second
years of life: a most distressing scenario for the parents and caregivers (2).
The manifestations of this disorder may vary in severity and may be associated with a
wide range of levels of intelligencefromnormal to impaired. Related disorders include
Asperger's syndrome, pervasive development disorder, not otherwise specified (PDD-
NOS), childhood disintegrative disorder, and Rett syndrome. The etiology of autism
remains unknown. Recent studies have suggested a possible genetic contribution (3), and
there is also evidence for a developmental abnormality in the brainstem (4). Others have
emphasized the possible impact of a number of postoatal factors ranging from
environmental toxins to dietary factors, and a variety of infectious agents. Of these, the
possible relationship to casein and gluten intolerance (5), on one hand, and measles and
MMR vaccination (6), on the other, have generated particular interest As a consequence
ofthe former, many of these children, who often already have a very limited diet because
of highly selective eating patterns, are placed on casein and gluten-free diets, rendering
an already precarious dietary intake even more so. The association between autism and
measles virus and measles vaccination has generated considerable controversy(7)
reaching the lay press and even a Congressional hearing (8).
Autistic childrenfrequentlydevelop gastrointestinal symptoms including constipation,
diarrhea, abdominal discomfort, gaseousness, and distension. Horvath et al. reported a
69% prevalence of histological esophagitis and a 58% prevalence of intestinal
disaccheridase deficiency in a group of 36 autistic children studied by upper
gastrointestinal endoscopy and biopsy (9). Pancreatic insufficiency has also been
suggested (10).
- However, it is the possible association of autism with ileocolonic disease that has
attracted the most attention. Wakefield et al,firstreported prominent ileal lymphoid
nodular hyperplasia (LNH) and ileocolitis in an uncontrolled study of 12 autistic children
and went on to speculate a link to MMR vaccination (6). The same group had previously
postulated a similar link between measles, MMR, and inflammatory bowel disease in
adults (11,12). In this issue ofthe Journal, Wakefield et al. report on a total 60 children
 with developmental disorders (primarily autism) and compare their ileocolonoscopic
findings (bod} macroscopic and histological) with those of 22 "control" children^and 20
with ulcerative colitis. In all, 93%^f^ffectedchildren had LNH in comparisonto-29%of
"controls" and.chronic colitis was identified in 88% of affected children in comparison to
5% of "controls" (13). The authors conclude that children with developmental disorders
frequently exhibit a new variant of inflammatory bowel disease:
"autistic enterocolitis." '

The gut-brain connection is now recognized as a basic tenet of physiology and medicine,
and examples of gastrointestinal involvement in a variety of neurological diseases are
extensive (14). The pathophysiology of these gastrointestinal expressions of a central
nervous system is often unclear, but may variably reflect the parallel involvement ofthe
gut and brain by the same disease process or the consequences of a primary disease ofthe
brain or gut on the gut or brain, respectively. The description of gastrointestinal
dysfunction in autism should come as no surprise, therefore. Indeed, some ofthe
symptoms manifested by these children are quite similar to those reported by adults with
degenerative central nervous system disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, for example
(15). What is of particular interest is the suggestion that a developmental disorder may be
associated with inflammatory bowel disease. Howfirmis this association?
Certain features oftiiestudy limit our ability to adequately address this question. With
regard to the association with LNH, it remains unclear whether this finding reflects a true
abnormality, given the differences in median age between patients and "controls". This
group was also confronted with a ubiquitous issue in pediatric research: that of obtaining
a true control population. Their "controls" were, in facta group of symptomatic children
in whom the diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease had been excluded: hardly a
perfect comparator. LNH could also be a secondary phenomenon, related to infections or
infestations, immunodeficiency, or even constipation (16). The histological appearances
ofthe ileal biopsies, reviewed blindly by three pathologists, commonly included reactive
follicular hyperplasia, marked expansion of lymphoid tissue, and acute cryptitis; ileitis,
eosinophil infiltration, and an increase in intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) were
unusual. Intiiecolon, biopsies showed appearances that were similar to, but less severe
than, those seen in the children with established ulcerative colitis, being perhaps more
reminiscent ofthe features of lymphocytic colitis, as seen in adults (17).
It is of interest, given the proposed association of autism with gluten intolerance, that
colonic inflammation has also been described in adult celiac disease (18). These findings
also need to be interpreted with caution. In particular, one must bear in.mind that this was
a highly selected series-children referred to a highly specialized center being selected for
investigation on the basis ofthe presence of gastrointestinal symptoms. Pending the
performance of appropriate studies, which should include both asymptomatic autistic
children as well as children with other developmental disorders, these findings cannot
and should not be extrapolated to children with autism in general Indeed, a strategy
development subgroup ofthe Medical Research Council in the UK recently concluded
that the case for "autistic enterocolitis" had not been proven (16). Nor is there sufficient
evidence to enable us, in any way, to define the nature ofthe relationship between these
 gastrointestinalfindingsand the neurodevelopmental disorder. In particular there is, at
present, insufficient evidence to establish either a direct or indirect link, (e.g., through an
associated-alteration in mtestinal permeability (19) between an inflamed gutand the
brain, in autism. We must, in particular, resisttoetemptation to predict causation without
the necessary evidence; to do só; could engender false hope and further burden families
who already have more than their fair share of crosses to bear. Furthermore, there is at
present no evidence to suggest that the presence or absence of these features influences
the expression or progression of this distressing disorder, nor is there any suggestion that
therapy based on these findings might ameliorate eithertiiedevelopmental disorder itself
or the associated gastrointestinal symptoms. Ileocolonoscopy should continue to be
regarded, therefore, in the absence.of other indications, as an investigational tool in these
patients.
Wakefield et al. (13) are to be congratulated on opening yet another window onto the
ever-broadening spectrum of gut-brain interactions. Theirfindingsraise many
challenging questions that should provoke further much-needed research in this area,
research that may provide true groundsforoptimism for affected patients and their
families.
a Department of Medicine, National University of Ireland, Cork, Ireland

References
1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental
disorders. 4th ed. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association, 1994.
2. Frith U, ed. Autism and Asperger syndrome. Cambridge: Cambridge University
Press, 1991.
3. Rodier PM. The early origins of autism. Sci Am 2000;282:38-45.
4. Rodier PM, Ingram JL, Tisdale B, et al. Embryological origin for autism:
Developmental anomalies ofthe cranial nerve motor nuclei. J Compar Neurol
1996;370:247-61.
5. Reichelt KL, Scott H, Ekrem J. Gluten, milk proteins and autism: The results of
dietary intervention on behaviour and peptide secretion. J Appi Nutr 1990;42:1-11.
6. Wakefield AJ, Murch SH, Anthony A, et al. Deal nodular hyperplasia, non-specific
colitis and pervasive developmental disorder in children. Lancet 1998,351:637-41.
7. Taylor B, Miller E, Farrington CP, et al. Autism and measles mumps and rubella
vaccine: No epidemiological evidence for a causal association. Lancet
1999;353:2026_-9._
8. Anonymous. Measles, MMR, and autism: The confusion continues. Lancet
2000,355:1379.
9. Horvath K, Papadimitriou JC, Rabsztyn A, et al. Gastrointestinal abnormalities in
children with autistic disorder. J Pediatr 1999;135:559-63.
10. Lightdale JR, Hayer С A, Duer A et al. Evaluation of gastrointestinal symptoms
in autistic children before and following secretin infusion. Gastroenterology
2000;118:A66.
11. Wakefield AJ, Montgomery SM, Pounder RE. Crohn's disease: The case for
measles virus. Ital J Gastroenterol 1999;31:247!54.
12. Wakefield AJ, Montgomery SM. Measles vims as ariskfactor for inflammatory
bowel disease: An unusuallytolerantapproach. Am J Gastroenterol 2000;95:1389!
92.
13. Wakefield AJ, Anthony A, Murch SH, et al. Enterocolitis in children with
developmental disorders. Am J Gastroenterol 2000;95:2285!95.
14. Pfeiffer RF, Quigley EMM. Neurogastroenterology. Semin Neurol 1996;16.
15. Edwards IX, Pfeiffer RF, Quigley EMM, et al. Gastrointestinal symptoms
in Parkinson's disease. Mov Disord 1991;6:151!6.
16. Medical Research Council. Report ofthe strategy development group
subgroup on research into inflammatory bowel disorders and autism. London:
MRC, 1999.
І 7. Fernandez-Bañares F, Salas A, Fome M, et al. Incidence of collagenous
and lymphocytic colitis: A 5-year population-based study. Am J Gastroenterol
1999;94:418-23.
18. McCashland TJ, Donovan JP, Strobach SJ, et al. Collagenous enterocolitis: A
manifestation of gluten-sensitive enteropathy. J Clin Gastroenterol 1992;15:52-4.
19. D'Eufemia P, Celli M, Finocchiaro R, et aí. Abnormal intestinal permeability in
children with autism. Acta Paediatr 1996;85:1076-9.
 THE ROLE OF TH£ RUBELLA VlilUS
IN THE CHRONIC FATIi!rvÆSYW©ROME

Allan D. Lieber man, M.D.

7510 NuitliluccM Drive
Nurtli Cliui lesimi, SC 2ÍM1S

The major symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome is

ABSTRACT chronic, debilitating fatigue thai does nol resolve with bed
rest and which is severe enough Io reduce daily activity
Chronic fatigue is a syndrome lhai may have several below 50% ('or at least six months. Eight ofthe following
causes. Rubella virus has been found to play a major role. symptoms must have ulso begun at (he ousel of l'aligne
In our survey of 112 patients, 52.62% of this population had arid have persisted or recurred over a period of at least six
titers of 1:512 or greater. In Ihe subset of patients found to months.
have high tilers, neutralization with the rubella virus vaccine 1. Mild fever 7. I'leuduclies
proved effective in reversing symptoms of the syndrome. 2. Sore throat 8. Painful joints
Epsiein-Barrvirus, Chronic fatigue syndrome, Rubella virus. 3. Painful lymph nodes 9ч Neuropsychiatrie
4. Muscle weakness complaints
5. Muscle aches 10. Sleep disturbances
6. Fatigue after exercise 11. Sudden Onset in a
healthy!person
INTRODUCTION
A diagnosis of chronic fatigue syndrome also involves
Chronic fatigue is one of the most common presenting elimination of a hpstol' other illnesses characterized by
complaints of environmentally ill patients. Speer (I) and fatigue through personal history, physical examination and
Randolph (2) labeled lhe syndrome the allergic tension laboratory findings.
fatigue syndrome and brain fag, respectively, ascribing an
allergic origin tor this complaint, il came, therefore, as a DISCUSSION
great surprise when 1 read the medical reports of Jones (3),
Strauss (4), Dubois (5), and IComaroff (6), who described Prior to lhe redefinition of this syndrome, we had focused
the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) as the major cause of these on the Epstein!Barr virus and through 1988 had collected
patients' fatigue and called it (he Epstein-Barr Virus data on 512 chronically fatigued patients for evidence of an
Syndrome. Epstein!Barr virus infection. Of the 512 patients with
In 1985, we compared lhe signs and .ympioms of 112 fatigue. У\% had mi rari v •>•«":• •" "*•' " • ; •¡•••i'»
pullciilj '»lio L u úiiiuiiiv ¡uu¡¿uc Mun ш и .!•! .il (Ile above less than lhe accepted Ilter ol 1:40, and 33% were positive
reporters. There was a similarity between *il our patients, at ihe significan! liier of 1:40 or higher. Of Ihe 512
but it was naive to think that all of these patients' syndromes patients, 17% had a tiler of 1:40, 12% had 1:80 and 3%
had the same cause. This realization resulted in lhe had 1:160. .
recommendation by these researchers th:;t the name be A survey of EBV E.A. tilers in 512 patients willi Ominie Fatigue
changed to chronic fatigue syndrome. showed:.
In the March 1988 issue of Ihe Annals of Internal
Medicine, Holmes (7) from lhe Center for Disease Control 172 EDV EA were negative 34%
177 EBV EA were punitive ( < t :40) 35 %
in Atlanta, along with the above major researchers, wrote a
163 EBV EA were positive (-1:40) 32%
working case definition of the chronic fatigue syndrome.
They concluded that this syndrome is currently an 17% have 1:40 ,
operational coucept. Further, it is a syndrome that may 12% have 1:80 -, |32%CEBV +
have several causes. They established the following criteria 03% have 1:160 |15%.CEBV |
j J
for diagnosing the disorder:
One ¡a three er one in seven have serologic evidence ofthe CEBV. Tile
hallmark of Ute CEBV Syndrome is die persistence of antibodies to the
early antigen.

finical Ecology Volume 7 Number 3 -51 Lioberman - Ruballa end Chronic Faüguu
 This means thai if one lakes lite lower significam liter.to
be at least 1:40, (hen one in eveiy three patients with
chronic fatigue lias serologic evidence of a chronic Epstein-
Darr virus infection. If a tiler of 1:80 or greater is
considered necessary lo make (he diagnosis, then one patient
in seven has evidence of a chroni»-. Epstein-Barr virus
infection. Either way these represent a significant number
of patients.
Historically, there have been over 200 known epidemics
characterized as post infectious neuroaeslhenia, and the
chronic fatigue syndrome of the 1980s undoubtedly
represents an addition lo this long list. The Epstein-Barr
virus represents just one cause of chronic fatigue, among
others, which includes the cyiomegalo virus, Ihe adenovirus,
and the newly discovered human herpes virus 6.
In early 1988, Allen (8) reported a study on 200 patients
presenting with the symptoms ofthe alleged chronic Epstein-
Barr virus. He found abnormally high levels of antibody to
lite rubella virus which correlated with Ihe patients clinical
condition. The sicker they were the more evidence of
rubella virus activity there was." The patients also had a
relative T-cell lymphocytosis suggesting that il was an atopic
reaction lo being reinfected with Ihe rubella virus which
produced the syndrome of chronic fatigue. Allen postulated
thai adults were being reinfected by the U.S. herd
inununization program using Ihe newer, mon:-immunogenic
RAI7/3 strain of live rubella vaccine.
Routine use of an attenuated live virus vaccine began in
1969. but in 1979 Ihe more virulent strain (RA27/3) was
introduced which allegedly produces an immunologic
response similor lo thai of ihe wild, virus. Allen (8) noted
lhat the first report uf thé syndrome characterized by chronic
fatigue and elevaled viral antibodies, specifically to Epstein-
Barr virus, came in 1982, and if the writer had done liters
'for rubella virus he speculated lhat he would have found
significantly elevated levels.
Based on these new observai ions, we went back and did
rubella tilers on 114 patients whose diagnoses were
compatible with (he chronic fuligue syndrome. When Ihe
rubella liters of our patient population are plotled against
known post-rubella infection and vaccine immunized
patients, a marked shift lo much higher titers is- observed
(Table 1). Our dala therefore coincide with Allen's findings
where 60% or more of patients with chronic fatigue appear
•lo be affected by lhe rubella virus.
Prior to learning aboul the rubella virus relationship, wc
were neutralizing all of our patients wilh influenza virus
vaccine given together wilh histamine and the immune
enhancer Slaphage lysate (SPL). Of lhe patients with an
EBV EA tiler of 1:40.or higher we had a positive response
' role of 87%. Logically, Ihe next step was to neutralize
those patients fulfilling the general criteria for chronic
fatigue syndrome with rubella virus vaccine.

TABLE 1
Distribution of Rubella Titers

Known exposed or CPS Patients

immunized people . N"114
N»350

00.57% 1:4096 02.63%

01.71% 1:2048 05.26%
04.00% 27% High 1:1024 71% High 21.05% 52.62%
09.70% 1:512 23.68% -1:512
10.86% 1:256 18.42%

13.40% 1:128 10.52%

21.14% 1:64 05.26%
18.86% 72% Low/Medium Idi 19% Low/Medium 01.75%
10.86 1:16 00.88%
05.71% 1:8 00.88%

01.14% 1% No Tiler <t:8 10% No Tiler . 09.65%

Clinical Ecology Volume 7 Number 3

52 Lieber—шп ! Rubella end Chronic Fatigue
 We used the MSD Meruvux as concentrale after killing
ihe virus by healing at 37.5 centigrade for 24 hours or
diluting in phenoluted saline. By running out the
concentration in 1:5 dilutions of nonphenolated saline or
PBS. exposure of (he patient to phenol is minimized. The
patients are tested sublinguale beginning with .05//X2
dilution. The majority of our patients have neutralized on
the #3 with a range of #2-15. Treatment is by sublingual
drop given two to four limes daily. We found thai for a
select group oí-, patients rubella virus neutralization was
dramatically effective in reversing (heir chronic fatigue
syndromes. Three cases are presented to demónstrale this
approach. Treatment with the wrong neutralizing dose
resulted in some patients exacerbating many of their signs
and symptoms and becoming tjuite ill.
CASE STUDIES
Case A is a 32-year-old female with a histo.y of luiiguc
and sensations of lightheadedness and sparine:-.- for the past
two years. Her EBV:VCA tiler was 1:640 and EBV:EA
liter 1:80. She was treated with Пи/SPL/histamiiic drops
wilh only modest improvement. A. tiler against rubella was
(hen drawn and found to be 1:1024. She was treated wilh
rubella virus neutralization twice daily which produced и
'dramatic clearing of her head and fatigue."
Case 8 is a 48!year!old female wilh a history of diarrhea,
which exacerbated in clothing stores and restaurants,
suggesting multiple chemical sensitivities. She had chronic
fatigue with insorfmiit and fibrositis. She had arthritis of her
hands which developed after a rubella vaccination 28 years
ago. She also had two to three bouts of herpes simplex
virus!1 a year and a!history of having had infectious
mononucleosis three limes. Her EBV: VCA titer was 1:640,
EBV:EA was 1:40. We treated her with flu drops alone and
(hen added rubella drops. Since taking the drops she bu-
had no more joint pain, her insomnia is much better and she
. no longer has diarrhea triggered by chemical exposure.
I Case С is a 40!year!old male with a triad of symptoms:
(
sore throat with post nasal drip, malaise, and warm, tingly
t
extremities. His EBV:VCA titer was 1:640, and ihe
EBV:EA 1:160, suggesting lhe Epstein!Barr virus as
I causative. He failed however to respond to treatment with
¡ Ihe flu/SPL drops. In February 1988, he reponed having
ч flu!like aches and pains, malaise and tingling feet.
: rubella titer was drawn and found io be 1:4096. In lhe
: absence of a response to the flu/SPL drops, he was
(!neutralize d to rubella and treated with one neutralizing dose
f twice daily. He responded to the rubella virus vaccine
neutralization with rapid reversal of his symptoms. He has
remained well over the past 12 months and continues to take
two oral doses of rubella'daily.
Clinical Ecology Volume 7 Number 3
RESULTS
With evidence mounting lhai many agents can cause
chronic fatigue, the question needs to be asked whether
(here is a common mechanism responsible for Uns
syndrome. I (hink diere is, and lhat (he mechanism is
a l f i d reactivity or allergy.
Ironically, it was Randolph who reponed in 1944 and
1945 the relationship between infectious mononucleosis and
allergy (9, Ю). Randolph took no position, noting only lite
difficulty in Ihe differential diagnosis and the close
relationship of atopic or allergic patients (o this viral
disorder. Forty!four years luier the question still remains:
Is lhe chronic fatigue syndrome a viral disease or an allergic!
disorder? To many, chronic fatigue is viral, but to
.Randolph brain fag was allergic. Differentiation, however,
wonld be too simplistic, for we now know the multiple
effects of viruses on the inumine system, which clearly
establish a link between allergy, iiitnumology and virology.
It is pertinent to present historically some of the finding*
which relate allergy and viruses» as the cause of the chiome
fatigue syndrome.
In 1981 (he Strannegards found significantly elevated,
levels of EBV antibodies in atopic bul not in non!atopic
controls (11).' Bulina, Heiner, Fiala and Horwitz'showed a
definite pattern for IgE response during infectious
mononucleosis and correlated (leaks of IgE with atypical
lymphocytosis (12). They also noted that IgE reactivity
during vinil infections was not unique fur the EBV as it is '
also found wilh cytomegulo virus, influenza and respiratory
syncytial virus. Shacks, Heiner, Balina and Horwitz went
further in observing lhat in addition to elevation of IgE there
is a marked elevation of lgG4 which occurs later than the
IgE and is sustained for many months (13). Oor increasing
interest in the role of lgG4 as mediator of food sensitivity
makes this a relevant Unding tu (he relationship of EBV to
food and chemical sensitivity. The EBV is a U!cell mitogen
and can perpetuate atopic disease by activating B!cells to
produce IgE and other antibodies againsi any allergen that
the individual encounters during EBV infection or
reactivation. Perelmutter and Potvin demonstrated that T!
suppressor cells rise after EBV infections in non!atopic but
not in atopic individuais, i.e., atopics lose T!suppressor
control. It is lhe loss of T!suppressor control which forms
A Ihe basis for classical allergy and autoimmunity (14). The
observation Ihe thyroiditis was found in patients wilh
chronic EBV exemplifies this point and supports the working
hypothesis we use daily in explaining lhe mechanism of
environmental illness. That is, viruses as well as chemical
injury can dysregulate the immune system, producing allergy
and autoimmunity, both manifestations of immunologically
mediated disease (15).
Uebormon • Rubella ond Chronic Futinuo
 Au additional factor is Ihe observation thai human cells
infected in vitro wilh certain viruses lose delta 6 desmurase
activity (16). If such a viral attack produced a permanently
defective enzyme, il could account for the perpetuation of
illness by viral infection, because this enzyme is essential
for lhe synthesis of prostaglandins which can aller T!
suppressnr cell function • Ihe key mechanism for initialing
allergy and autoimmunity.
The impact, therefore, of a viral infection is far greater
than just the acute infection. After its resolution there may
be major and profound effects to (he body's organs, (issues
and regulatory syslems. TV. size of (his point can be
readily appreciated when we look at ! (he sequelae and
complications of just one vims • the Epstein Barr!Virus •
which can cause pericardilis, glomerulonephritis, nephrotic
syndrome, hepatitis, thyroiditis, neurologic symptoms
including meningitis and encephalitis, acule hemiplegia,
acute cerebellar ataxia, psychosis, depression, schizophrenia, 7
Gullian Barre syndrome. Bell's Palsy, «cute transverse
myelitis and sleep disorders. The EBV can also cause
hematologic sequelae including thrombocytopenia,
granulocytopenia, aplastic anemia, hemocytuphagia, chronic
atypical (non!malignant) lymphocytosis. African Burkeil's
lymphoma, nasopharyngeal carcinoma, lymphoma (B!ccll,
T!cell), and chronic B!cell (malignant) leukemia. The EBV
may also be u cause of the immune dysfunction syndrome,
including proliferative diseases (X!linked and non!X!litiked)
lymphoblastic lymphadenopnthy, and acquired
hypogammaglobulinemia and chronic urticaria (17).
On a practical basis, it is. a common observation thai the
onset of asthma and other! allergic disorders often develop
after an acute viral disease. Little was known about Ihe
effects of a vitus on (he immune system because we rarely
looked for them. Wilh the appearance of T and В
iymphotropic viruses, there is now an awareness thai the
manifestations and complications of the illness are often the 16. Dunbar IM. Паііеу JM. F.ii/yine Deletions mul EFA Metabolism ui
result of an altered immune syilsm.
We need now to put this dan ¡uto proper perspective.
Chronic fatigue • syndrome is a much better name than
Chronic Epstein-Barr virus as it is obvious there are many
causes. Many are undoubtedly caused by viruses - EBV,
rubella, cytomegaio virus, human herpes virus-6 and
adenovirus - but (here are also other identifiable causes
which (rigger (he syndrome, such as candida (18).
In the end there is one observation which is remarkably -
consistent with this population of patients: they are highly
sensitive and/or allergic to (he whole spectrum of the
environment, but especially to foods and chemicals. К is
these sensitivities which provoke the myriad of signs and
symptoms that we see in our ecologically ill patients.
Apparently the observations of Randolph 44 years ago are
not merely coincidental, but are causally related. Viruses
Clinical Ecology Volume 7 Number 3
can alter the inumine response and set up (he
pathophysiology for the development of Igl: and non!lgl!
mediated altered reactivity oi allergy.
REFERENCES
1. Speer F". The Allergic Tension Fatigue Syndrome. /Val CV» N Amer
1954:1:1019.
2. RandnlpliTC.^Allergy a» Causative FacmrnfFaiigiie. In italiUiiy and
(ichavinr Problems of Children. J /Vi/ini 1947:31:560!72.
J. lunes JF. Evidence fur Active Rpsieiu!Huri Vim» Infection ¡n Paliem]
' willi fernstem. Unexplained Illnesses: Elevated Anii-cnrly Antigen
Antibodies. Annali e/fm Med l«-.*>:IOS:l-l-o.
4. Strauss SF., et. al. Persisi ing illness and Fai i g tie in Adults with
Evidence of Epstein-Harr Viius Infection. Annuls af fot Med
19K5:I02:7-I6.
5. Oiilmis R. ci. al. Chronic Miiiiiiiniclciisis Syiiiliiiiuc. So Med I
I984.-77-.11:1376-82.
6. KnmaroffA. llie ЧГЬптіс Mononucleosis" Symlroiiies ¡Imp Prac
I987:22:5A:7|.75
Holmes GP, el al Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A Wuikiug Case
Definition. Annuls iff Int.Util ІУгУЧША:Лі7.«
8 Allen A. Is RA27/J a Cause of Ch&onie Fatigue? МЫ llypoúum
1988:27:217-220.
v. Randolph ТС, Gibson KA The Presence m Allergic Disease ul
Atypical Lymphocytes nuil!Symptoms Suggesting ihe Recovery Phase
of Infectious Mononucleosis A'» i Med Science 1944!207!6384)4.1
10. Randolph TO, Heilig RA 'Піс Coincidence of Alleigli! Disease.
Unexplained fatigue. iiuJ lyiupliiutcunpaihy; Possible Diagnosi".
Confusion wilh Infectious Miitioutii'leosis. .!tin J Med .Yn
I94V209!J06!I4 .
11. Siraruiegnrd I, Straimcgard Ü. Epstein Barr Vims Ann-búdica in
Children Wilh Atopic Disease. Im Aichs Allergy Appi Immuna
I98|-.64:3I4.|V.
12. Ilahiia SL. et.al. IgE Response in lleleriiphil-posi'live Infectious
Mnnonucleosis. J Allergy Clin immuun l978:Sept:l67 I7J
13. ShactsSJ.ei.nl. Increased Serum lgG4 Levels in Acule Epstein-Barr
Viral Mononucleosis. Annals Allergy 1985:54:284-88.
14 Perelmutler L. Potvin L. Studies on T Lymphocytes of Atopic and
Nou-aiupics. J Allergy От Inumino 1980:65:223
15 Weinslein L. Thyroiditis ami 'Chronic Infectious MOIMMMICICOSIS'
Afriv Eng J Med 1987:Nov;l226. p
Cultured Cells. J Biol Oitrn 1975:250:1152!54.
17. Schooley RT. Epstein!Barr ІпГееііопа. In: Harrison's Principles uf
Internal Medicine. I tilt Ed. 1987:138:699!703.
18. Remington DW. Higa BW. Back to Heallh. 1986.
54 Lieber—urn • Rubella and Chronic Faoauo
Polio
Simian virus-40 linked to human giant cell tumors
WESTPORT, May 03 (Reuters Health) - More than a quarter of human giant
cell tumors (GCTs) have DNA evidence of simian virus-40 (SV40), Italian
researchers report in the May issue of Genes, Chromosomes & Cancer.

Dr. Gabriella Gamberi, ofthe Rizzoli Institute, Bologna, and colleagues

note that GCTs are "moderately benign" bone tumors that may progress to
a malignant phenotype. SV40 is an Asian macaque DNA virus, which can
cause tumors in rodents and "may be contributing to the development of
some human cancers."

SV40, they add, can induce tumors through its large T antigen (Tag).
Furthermore, the FOS oncogene may be important in bone development, and
it "has been suggested that high levels of FOS expression in bone tumors
might be related to the presence of SV40."

To investigate, the researchers studied GCT specimens from patients bom

between 1889 and 1977. Polymerase chain reaction testing showed the
presence of SV40 DNA in 30 of 107 GCTs. Of these, 22 expressed Tag
protein and 15 overexpressed the FOS oncogene. The correlation between
FOS expression and SV40-positive GCTs was "highly statistically
significant." FOS was undetectable in the 77 SV40-negative specimens.

The researchers, who speculate that a number of the patients may have
been treated with SV40-œntaminated polio vaccine, conclude that the
virus could "play a role in the development and progression of some
GCTs" and that "the induction of FOS might be an important mechanism."

Genes Chromosomes Cancer 2000;28:23-30.

Westport Newsroom 203 319 2700

eMail: randalln@cris.com - Randall Neustaedter, OMD

A full discussion of this issue can be found in the Polio section of my book The
Vaccine Guider The criteria for diagnosing polio did change when the vaccine
was introduced in the 1950s and this change in diagnosis apparently reduced the
statistic for the number of polio cases dramatically.

Dr. Bernard Greenberg, a biostatistics expert, was chairman of the Committee on

Evaluation and Standards of the American Public Health Association during the
1950s.

He testified at a panel discussion that was used as evidence for the

congressional hearings on polio vaccine in 1962. During these hearings he
 elaborated on the problems associated with polio statistics and disputed claims
for the vaccine's effectiveness. He attributed the dramatic decline in polio cases
to a change in reporting practices by physicians. Less cases were identified as
polio after the vaccination for very specificreasons."Prior to 1954 any physician
who reported paralytic poliomyelitis was doing his patient a service by way of
subsidizing the cost of hospitalization and was being community-minded in
reporting a communicable disease. The criterion of diagnosis at that time in most
health departments followed the World Health Organization definition: "Spinal
paralytic poliomyelitis: signs and symptoms of nonparalytic poliomyelitis with the
addition of partial or complete paralysis of one or more muscle groups, detected
on two examinations at least 24 hours apart." Note that "two examinations at
least 24 hours apart" was all that wasrequired.Laboratory confirmation and
presence of residual paralysis was not required. In 1955 the criteria were
changed to conform more closely to the definition used in the 1954 field trials:
residual paralysis was determined 10 to 20 days after onset of illness and again
50 to 70 days after onset.... This change in definition meant that in 1955 we
startedreportinga new disease, namely, paralytic poliomyelitis with a longer-
lasting paralysis.

Furthermore, diagnostic procedures have continued to be refined. Coxsackie

virus infections and aseptic meningitis have been distinguished from paralytic
poliomyelitis. Prior to 1954 large numbers of these cases undoubtedly were
mislabeled as paralytic poliomyelitis. Thus, simply by changes in diagnostic
criteria, the number of paralytic cases was predetermined to decrease in 1955-
1957, whether or not any vaccine was used.

From Intensive Immunization Programs, Hearings before the Committee on

Interstate & Foreign Commerce, House of Representatives, 87th Congress, 2nd
Session on H.R. 10541, Wash DC: Us Government Printing Office, 1962; p.
96-97

Many of you have probably never heard or seen this...

http:/Awww. whaIeto.freeserve.co.uk/Vaccines/polio1 .html

Provocation polio

"Provocation polio. That is the truth about those outbreaks of polio. And loffer a
well considered personal opinion that polio is a man madedisease."-Viera
¡- Scheibner.

"Poliomyelitis When it occurs within two days of vaccination with any alum-
containing prophlactic, the term 'provocative paralytic p.' is used."—Livingstone's
Dictionary For Nurses 1973.
The following information by the National Anti-Vivisection Society (UK) gives
some insight into the relationship between the diptheria and triple antigen
vaccines and paralytic polio:

'The early triple vaccine against diphtheria, whooping cough and tetanus had
also been shown beyond doubt to cause paralytic polio in some children to whom
it was administered. The incidence of polio in children recently vaccinated
against diphtheria was statistically greater than in unvaccinated children,
symptoms showing in the vaccinated limb with 28 days of the initial injection. This
scandal broke in Britain during 1949, an epidemic year for polio, other reports
soon following from Australia. Papers dealing with this topic are plentiful.

One, British, gives details of 17 cases of polio which followed 28 days or

less after various injections.

Another, Australian, gives details of 340 cases of polio, 211 of which had been
previously vaccinated against whooping cough and/or diphtheria. Of these, 35
had been vaccinated within the preceding 3 months and a further 30 within the
previous year. Dr Geffen reported similar findings from the London borough of St
Paneras, where 30 children under the age of 5 developed polio within four weeks
of being immunised against diphtheria or whooping cough or both, the paralysis
affecting, in particular, the limb of injection. Two medical statisticians at the
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine examined these reports and
concluded that:

"In the 1949 epidemic of poliomyelitis in this country cases of paralysis were
occurring which were associated with innoculation procedures carried out within
the month preceding the recorded date of onset of the illness."

Dr Arthur Gale of the Ministry of Health reported 65 cases from the Midlands,
where paralysis followed about two weeks after an injection: in 49 of these,
paralysis occurred in the injected limb. Then it was reported that of 112 cases of
paralysis admitted to the Park Hospital, London, during 1947-1949,14 were
paralysed in the limb which had received one or more of a course of immunising
injections within the previous two months. In the majority of cases, the interval
between the last injection and the onset of paralysis was between 9 and 14 days.
Again, combined whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus injections were
involved.

This outbreak of polio followed an intensive immunisation campaign during that

time, 1947-49. Following these findings, the Ministry of Health recommended that
diphtheria and triple vaccines should not be used in areas where polio was
naturally present. "From that time onwards, the incidence of paralytic polio
decreased rapidly in Britain, even prior to the advent of Salk vaccination...."
A recent Romanian study demonstrated that injections of antibiotics following
polio vaccination could cause polio. Theresearcherssuggested the rate of
"vaccine-induced polio" in Romania could be reduced from 10.3 per year to 1.4
per year, if antibiotic injections were avoided for 30 days following polio
vaccination.

Correlations with the injections of antibiotics were found: a single injection within
one month of vaccination raised the risk of polio 8 times, 2 to 9 injections raised
the risk 27-fold, and 10 injections or moreraisedthe risk 182 times (Washington
Post, Feb 22,1995) Study Associates Polio Increase With (antibiotic) Injections

A study in India suggested that V* of cases of paralytic polio in the past decade
were caused or made more severe by unnecessary injections (The Lancet vol
341)).

Case of polio from DPT vaccine

Pesticides:
'Today, various other forms of the the word "polio" are still used to describe the
effects of poisoning, though usually with regard to paralysis in animals. A search
of Medline ("polio" and "poison") finds about 45 contemporary articles where
poisoning causality is attributed to polio. The terminology found was:
polioencephalomalacia", "poliomyelomalacia", "polyradiculoneuritis",
"neurological picture similar to that of poliomyelitis",
"polioencephalomyelomalacia", "lumbal poliomyelomalacia", "cerebrocortical
necrosis (polioencephalomalacia)", "Lead poisoning in grey-headed fruit bats
(Pteropus poliocephalus)", "multifocal-poliomyelomalacia", "spinal poliomalacia",
"Polio and high-sulfate diets", "Atypical porcine enterovirus encephalomyelitis:
possible interraction between enteroviruses and arsenicals",
"Polioencephalomalacia and photosensitization associated with Kochia
scoparia consumption in range cattle", "bovine polioencephalomalacia". —Jim
West, Health and Research Publications, http://www3.bcity.com/harpub/

"When the population is exposed to a chemical agent known to produce in

animals lesions in the spinal cord resembling those in human polio, and
thereafter the latter disease increases sharply in incidence and maintains
its epidemic character year after year, is it unreasonable to suspect an etiologie
relationship?"~-Biskind.

First polio epidemic-1887 Sweden. Patent of first pesticide sprayer—1873.

"C.J.'s" POLIO PAGE httpiïpw1.netcom.com/~calabrec/index.html

Albrecht RM. Poliomyelitis from a vaccinée. Lancet. 1968 Jun

22; 1(7556): 1371. No abstract available.PMID: 4172671; UI: 68278677.
Arya SC. Vaccine-associated poliomyelitis. Lancet. 1994 Mar
Program may spark fears on polio vaccine link to cancer p a g e i 0f 2

THE AGE HOME NEWS SPORT BUSINESS CLASSIFIEDS I.T. ENTERTAINMENT SEARCH

Melbourne Online
Tuesday 10 March 1998

Daily News

Program may spark fears onypolio vaccine link to

cancer
By MARY!ANNE TOY
medical reporter

Health authorities are concerned at ABC plans to screen

what they claim is an "alarmist'1 British television
documentary claiming that people injected with a
contaminated .р^щ доіпе in the 1950s and 60s could be at
greater risk of developing cancer.
'"•'">.• h'".::"' •:< :'_'0 4g,À«ff •••-•' '••••• - ; i ; - 'i
Thè Channel 4 documentary, which was shown in Britain
before Cliristmas,Jias been bought by the ABC and is to be
screened on Four Corners, possibly next Monday.

It is not known whether any ofthe contaminated vaccine

was administered in Australia.

It has long been recognised that some batches ofthe world's

first successful polio vaccine, developed by Dr Jonas Salk,
were contaminated with the monkey virus S V40 from its
first use in 1955, until 1963.

The virus was not thought to be harmful to humans, but the

documentary examines recent claims by scientists that
S V40 is milling up in some bone, brain and outerlung lining
cancers. It has not been proved that the virus caused the
cancers or increased the risk of developing a malignancy.

, The documentary's co-producer, Ms Jan Roberts, said from

London that the Salk vaccine, which was grown in the
kidneys of monkeys caught in the wild, was not adequately
screened in the rush to get to market.

¡a- The vaccine was injected in tens of millions of people in

Britain and the United States. It was not until 1963 that
manufacturers ensured the vaccine was free of SV40 after
scientists claimed the vims caused cancer in hamsters.

An oral polio vaccine developed by Dr Albert Sabin and

based on a live but weakened polio virus later overtook Dr
Salle's vaccine in popularity.

Victoria's chief health officer, Dr Graham Rouch, and the

http://www.theage.com.au/daily/980310/news/newsl 1 .html 11/03/98
1
Program may spark fears on polio vaccine link to cancer Page 2 of 2

federal Health Minister, Dr Michael Wooldridge, said

yesterday the docümérMrys claini- c^tilä^cause unnecessary
alarm and hinder immunisation programs.

A federal Health Department spokeswoman said the

department was checking records to establish whether any
contaminated vaccine could have been used in Australia.

A Victorian Health Department spokesman said it was

believed all polio vaccines used in Australia had been
locally made and were SV40-free.

Ф
HOME J THE.NEWS I BUSINESS j SPORT | IT | CLASSIFIEDS
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http://www.theage.com.au/daily/980310/news/newsl 1 .html 11/03/98

Polio jabs linked to Aid
CANBERRA—It was die miracle оГ Uie baby boom. Through- A book about the suppression of a theory linkin
out New Zealand In Ute I9t50s~tens of Üiousands of duldren
lined up at schools for Ihelr dose of Salt's vaccine. Ihe medica- polio vaccinations to Aids sounds grave warning
tion that would keep diem safe" from die crippling and poten- about medicines in the 90s.. GREG AiySLEY "^
tially fatal plague of Uie polio virus. . •, -i -
Unknown to them, Uidr parent- and die offidals who or- investigates/

9 tfk.
dered die (tuse programme of mass vaednaüon— or to the
.millions of others also, eeiklng salvation through Dr Jonas
rSalk's podon around the "world — die vaccine carried a rogue humanity can possibly hope to save Uie lives of die 8 million
; lulduitken a monkey virus potenUally linked to brain tumours duldren who perish each year (rom preventable diseases.
Aid sldn cancer In humans. 'Nor should it be thought that there is anydtiiig wrong wiui
\. -.' But more d ò n Ute shaking the discovery gave to researchers
existing polio vaccines ... that-a mistake may occur in one
and liealdi audiorides was die warning the SV-40 virus held forbatch of vaccine among thousands Is no reason to condemn an
die accelerating science of cross-species medicine in the 1990s.
entire pracdee which l u s saved, and will continue to save, tens
Entirely new and unsuspected plagues lurk In the unknown, of millions pi human Uves and whldi will, in all probability,
wailing only die opportunity to leap from animal carriers to soon bring about the eradication of-polio from die human
attack vulnerable human Immune systems. family.* . . /
Aids already has. Since crossing the barrier from monkeys to But die appalling fact óf Aids remains as a warning beacon.
humans it lias taken less dum four decades to establish Itself as
From only a few thousand early infections it lias raged to a
Uie worst pandemic In human history, and by 2010 will eclipse global toll d o t is extended by one new case every nine seconds.
even die 300-year raisage bf Uie Black Death In Europe, and Ihe
A medical breakdirough tomorrow would sdii not prevent lite
20 million killed by Spanish Influenza in die aftermath of Ute plague causing over die next 25 years more deadis than die
First World War. • • . •Second World War; even If a vacdne appeared hundreds of
.Yet the real message of both polio vaccinadon and Aids hasmillions of people would be economically beyond its protec-
still to' be accepted. There Is now powerful evidence diat Aidstion. By early next century. Aids will liave claimed between 40
- was' unleashed on Uie .world by die pioneers of palio vaccina-and 70 million victims. . ¡¿ v .'"
Uon, and d o t die lessons оГ this tragedy have yet to be learnedYet for alt die millions of dollars poured Into Aids research
. 'by the,hew pioneers,«? с|хію«гіесаевя»*^с»е! True or false. .there is no accepted explanation of how the disease appeared
¿Uve sdenüfic'. esublldimeht Л и в : steadfastly r attempted to in 1959, without, precedent or warning, despite centuries of
^squash! debate on Ute^dVtîory^àrid. publicly sees' rib'need to European contact with Africa. Tlic'Wliite Death explains why. -
1 fully In 4992 an American philosopher, Louis Pascal, postulated
. the theory that enee pf trials of a
live polio jó" ЗООЙРО infants,
!
cWbfc Congo.
.."> In« cultures
devdoped
_. Koprowski
--•Has — a batch of wMÆwaalatef fo' '.another giant óf polio
wsmk varx^udr^'D^Atti^'t-ui^to
lOïe Mtte ОеЫ^'Щ^фаЩ'еЪ: «Зш*М всфаі%;пі^Ье'i d e n t i f i e d іи&ра!оcytoji à t h c í é n k viriu.". . . . .
'^^'ШщЛеЛрз/ an
..-•.?,
supported in die strongest terms, as the only means by which - This batch was used by Dr Koprovrald In Zaire, and it was' '
diere, or die neighbouring countries of Rwanda and Burundi,
diat die first known cases of Aids appeared. There was a single

Animal tissue use seen apparent exception, a British sailor called David Care, who was
believed to havejcbtitracted the'disease in 1957. _ ±
Pascal's crides argued that because litis was before the

as deadly disease risk

Koprowski trials, the Congo experiment could not be responsi-
ble for Aids. But last year die British researchers who carried
out die original tests conceded Can'sremainscould have been
contaminated In die laboratory,'following die conclusion by a
prominent American Aids researcher; Professor David Ho. that
By GREG ANSLEV The institute also noted: 'We feel com- Carr had not died of Aids.
pelled to mention lluit Ihe current, conlrover! From the beginning, Pascal's dieory was ignored or bitterly
CANBERRA —The failure by medical research- sy highlights the problems and difficulties
ers to treat sertoiwl^the dwgry that,Aids could associateti with using monkey t issues for prp! attacked among
by die medical establishment. Only one publication
die International sdence press — die Journal of Medi-
einer humans via polio vacdnes i4as significantly «liirlidn'óf.vacdnes administered lo hunans cal Elli tes—gave it space and editorially urged serious consid-
incrrascd die danger оГ freslT plagues of deadly ... There may well he other monkey viruses
disease caught from animals, says science writer lhat have not yet been discovered thai could eration. In Australia, Dr Brian Martin, a Wollongong University
Julian I'rlhb. •*' . possibly contaminale vaccine lois.' scholar of die suppression of sdentine ideas, picked up Uie
The author of 7ftc' WhiteADentil says polio . Clear warnings оГ cni—s!species iiifeciiun Uieory and published it Internationally. '
vaccines are still produced worldwide in monkey have already tragically appeared: But Pascal, was.not alone.'Two eminent South African
kidneys, and lhe« laYJ^jäya^a-u ««•--—» п..
; grow 41u_,.;t. lA^Ioijla^lluiullers and4aljV>raiory work! •_virpj|pgJsts,-.P^essgrs Mike i-a^tsasjuui Jennifer Alexander,
vaccine in monkey к Т і й е ^ З Р ж . . , . , . . . . . . !t!rtras юііеа
kitted byoy.a .'a lierpes vlnts harmless to its . warned d u t moiikéj tì-sue'usi^u^re^^ru s «flluires could
Tlte perils have also escalated sharply with the ! • simiab carriers, be the sourcebfAids, following their discovery óf at least one
risefaimédirai tnuisplants.of animal tissue and -* 'l'». Conine ^parvovirus, which IrtJled nul- monkey tesdngtposidve for HJV-like andgens. ¿* - - »,
orgaie to humar«, he says. V :л.! ;,' !, lions" of dogs u!urtdwlde. vMahy" veterinary •-- like Pascal, they were vUiiied, Just as the United States
Thereis nodisputingthé. гакЭТЪеonly Іпчііігу ; vMt&suf believe It appeared tn HI78durin« Government researcher who reported' die much' earlier con-
imo III« Aids theory. ,bytAme,ricá's prestigious experiments In which live cai vinis was in- tanunatlon of the Salk vaccine with SV-40 suffered irughtily for
Wist.tr Institute.'concluded it was possible Гог a jecled Into' a' tissue iliade from dog cells. her discovery. American officials suppressed Dr Bemice Ed-
monkey imniunodefii#iency^truś to enier#htini;ms __. • The contamination orSalk's vaccine by dy's findings for two years, demoted ..her, confiscated her
via i vaccine. although' the probability of 'Alili ~tiie'previuusly unknown SV#10 monkey vinu. laboratory and equipment, _nd.finally.gave credit for die dis-
apnearing during polio? temumisatlon was *e.x# • Ebola anil Marint— vinises — the latirr covery to private researchers. ."ф% ' •• •. .
i ! I I I * C I J luvr. ! ! i,j№ i_y¿V»_*lt'ju>Tf;;V ji ;•* •¿l i nanieil for Uu? ЧІепцлп town in ..' Professor William Hamilton, oneofjhe world's most distin-
-.»•_s t*¿. •'•*•
^~' ' which laboratory workers using guished evolutionary biologists, wrobfto the leading sdenUfic.!
Death tolls fn the.world's greatest V African green monkey kidneys • Journals '—Science and Nature —'urging scrutiny of the dieory '
^cuVrtj, "; from..!, a ^ , violently. because of Its Implications for the
disasters- *-..'. • " • . . '-"-.'; 4;liaèiiioirhJigicïfevertwlilrh 'lelt • j ^ emergence'of future plagues. The let-
1. 1980-2010 j 'Aldspapdémfc •»; П ; .40 rriiSon '.hospital .'; wards/., "resenihliiig ters 'were'irejecuid for publication.
2. 1939-45C- WortdWarîl- "_.' 35mffion " slaughterhouses." ! - "_ American Investigative reporter
Cribb says that with one per- Tom Curtis, working with Aids re-
3. 1958430 Great Leap Forward and 30 miffion son in every 10.000 in the West- searcher Blaine Elswood, Independent-
lamirte^Chlna) : em world now. awaiting a ly reachedv.shnilar conclusions to
4. 1917-21 Spai^h;flu.^ndemlc 27 miffion ': transplant- -, researchers have Pascal arid, published his findings In
5. 1348-1665 Black Death (Europe). 25rr_Son - been forced to turn ю animals for r
Rolling Sunie. Not only was he at!
spare parts. ' tacked by the inedical establisliment,
6. 1914-18 WoridWarl •' 20rmtSon So far there have' been more but faced alt—sire lawsuit.
7. 1926-55 Stalinist purges and 20 mätion than a dozen attempts to implant T h e polio vaccine dieory is essen-
collectivisations (USSR) baboon or diimpamee kidneys tial both to medica] idstory and proba-
8. 185064 Taiping rebellion (China) 20 million and balHXHi or sheep hearts uno bly.to rmding à cure to Aids itself,
9. 1914-24 Russian famine and 'llu 20mfflion huiiaitiut. plus regular transfers uf author Cribb says. 'But it is even more
tissues fruiu pigs ami caule. important in what it can teach us about
epidemic Animal transplants are also how new plagues invade humans and
10. 1520-30 Mexican smallpox epidemic 10 miffion due to increase significantly with 'the risk of Ihls occurring In die future.
11.1333-37 'Great Famine* (China) 6 million the breeding of special pigs de- Without objective tesdng of the theory
12.542-94 Bubonic plague in Roman siglieli to reduce ihe inuiiuue re- die perils to htunanlty are bound to be
jection of a foreign oigan, with discounted - - ¿ Ś in cases such as tha#
Empire 5 million the qualified blessing of leading lidomlde, breast Implants, toxic shock
» Л&СГА Т**>*І**шО+т H€»U40CWAa**>**C medical ethics bodies. • syndrome'and lniany oilier medical
IAS NZ VOL 9/1 PAGE-17 mishaps.*. ••
 (^ Pai i г>у
•
.. • !

HEWS {j/ft* *
F Hé i
І 99 Œïte£totor_tølesnqih 7>

ТОРНАМ

.».

THE mass vaccination, campaigns by ROBERT MATTHEWS Science Correspondent .number of mesothelioma cases has Wales.College.of Medicine, Cardiff,
of the Fifties and/Sixties,may be risenlO-fold, to aboutl.OOO a year, said that new reliability tests rule
causing hundreds,of.'deaths a year mine how common human infec- uncovered evidence linking. '' 40 'and is ^predicted to ; reach 4,000 out; contamination as a possible
because of a.cancer!causing virus tions by SV40 may be, and what to a number of cancers, including • early next century; Until now, the explanation. "There is absolutely
which contaminated thè first'polio factors might predispose Individ-' brain tumours and boné cancer. . - increase was blamed on the asbes- HO question of laboratory contami-
vaccine, according to scientists/-• uals to SV40-related tumours'.". "I've a feeling that the virus t o s industry. nation being to blame," he said.
-'. Known as SV40, the virus/came - Her study, published in the Journal might be implicated in more, such But the new findings are leading "That part of the story is now over.
frorñ.dead monkeys whòsekidney of the National Cancer Institute, as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and ' scientists to suspect that SV40 may The time has come where we have
cells were us£d to/culture thëifirst;. also- suggested : that the monkey. prostate cancer," he said. 'account for a substantial number of to take things more seriously."
-Salk vaccines!. Doctora/estlmate;,- virus' may be passing from those The study is also likely to prompt .'••inèsothèliomàs. Dr Butel. said: "The Dr Jasani said he had little doubt
¡that thé virus wásiniectedintò tens r'given^he contaminated vaccine to a radical rethink by doctors of What .¿çoiisistent association'.of SV40 with that the mass polio vaccination
'of millions during mass vacciria-f'-their children, spreading the cancer happened 40 years ago,-during the. 'that tumour, is compelling." .. campaigns were to blame for SV40
.tion campaigns before; beińg*.Tisk still further, early days of polio vaccination. y; Some'scientists remain sceptical entering the human population. He
.¡detected and screened out ішІЭбЗ..^;;; Blood samples analysed by Dr Until now, SV40 was regarded as; /or the link,; however.}Rpbln-Weiss, added, however, that this could
THose born between 1941.and!l961 ƒ Bütël and her.cpllèagues point to thé harmless, .with no evidence of long- . aprofessor.of viral'óncòlògy'atTJni- - bring new hope to hundreds of can-
are thought'to be most at risk r d f . r s t e a ^ , term health' effects emerging in fol- •versity College, London, said that cer patients, as it suggested that
having been infected.. v '.С^.:^Щ$Я)&$. irihthé'tìurn'àri^pBbulation, with: low-up studies of those vaccinated. 'SV40 is widely used in laboratories many might be treated by a vaccine
Now a new study'of theéifactsoi/ÆlOipe exposed Now it.appears that.these studies and could easily contaminate that attacked SV40. He said: "We
SV40 points to disturbing evijitence;%¡aWctly'ro№ vaccine may not have been conducted over tumour samples, fooling the ultra- could think about saving more than
,i_Mt-1i>A;..mqnkey.,'yirà Dr Butel a long enough period. Nèw-highJjr. sensitive :tests uned to-detect the 2,000 lives a year from mesothe-
•number of human ćańćeb.Tt"cott":"öaid^"T^^^^ present in sensitive laboratory tests have^dis- virus. lioma—and.that is good.news."
eludes that there is ''còmpèllirig^i^mértíumân^ is closed the presence òf SV40 in " ¿Prof Weiss said: "Many of the A spokesman for the Department
evidence linking SV40 to 'bméso¿^beingísp'réad.;aníohg' individuals by many different types of human positive results are probably fatlse of Health said-last night that it was
thelioma, a once-rare type 'of. luriga '|an{unkìl6jvnroute." ' tumour. positives. We've looked at meso- aware that SV40 had contaminated ;
cancer whose prevalence'is rapidly, .¿№he}Sùh'dày_ Telegraph has learnt The most startling results centre thelioma and did find it in some early polio vaccines but insisted?
increasing. . .-. ;.. ;>":;•:•: thatisciéhtists-'iñVBritain have on mesothelioma, until recently cases, but then we got bogged down that there is no evidence that the
Dr Janet Butel of the Baylor Col- joined 'ari'.'infernátiohal effort to linked primarily to exposure to in whether they were due to con- virus caused tumours. She said: "It
lege of Medicine', Texas, and.the confirm the findings. According to asbestos. Studies have found that tamination or not. " is also important to stress that the £
lead author of the study, told The Prof Gordon McVie, the director around 70 per cent of mesothelioma However, Dr Bharat Jasani, a vaccine currently used is rigorously
Sunday Telegraph: "I feel strongly general of- the . Cancer Research cases test positive for the SV40 leading expert on SV40 and meso- checked for safety and efficacy and
$Jablnl956 that research is warranted to deter- Campaign, researchers have so far virus. Over the past 30 years, the theliomas at the University of isfreeofSV40." ч

POLIO...
ARE WE
VICTIMS?
ByMerylDorey
THE VERY WORD POL/O STRIKES FEAR IN THE
HEARTS OF ANYONE WHO LIVED THROUGH T HÉ
DEVASTATING EPIDEMICS OF THE 40'S AND
50'S. TWO PIONEERING SCIENTISTS, SALK AND
SABIN, SAVED US FROM THE DREADED SUMMER
EPIDEMICS. OR DID THEY? WHEN IT COMES TO
THIS ISSUE, LIKE SO MANY OTHERS IN MEDICINE,
THE EVIDENCE DOES NOT SUPPORT THE 'FACTS'
AS WE THOUGHT WE KNEW THEM.
••
"When you inoculate children with a Polio
vaccine, you don't sleep well for two or three
weeks." Dr. Jonas Salk as reported from
Pittsburgh Oct 11,1954
Like so many others who are my age or younger, I have
very little personal experience with the dreaded Paralytic
Polio virus. None of my friends ever contracted Polio
though I once dated a man whose father had one short leg
due to Polio infection and one of my husband's
neighbours lost a brother to this disease as well.
I do, however, remember the stories my mother used to
tell of my grandfather packing her, her sister and brother
off to the country every summer so they would not be in
New York and exposed to Polio. Every time they had a
cold or a sore throat during the summer, my
grandmother would not sleep until the symptoms had
passed without a sign of paralysis.
I was raised hearing of Polio as ancient history - much
like the Bubonic Plague and Scarlet Fever. A dread disease
that we didn't see any more though, unlike Plague and
Scarlet Fever, Polio had not died of natural causes. It was
thanks to the twin saints - Salk and Sabin - that the
world could once again enjoy summer without fear.
After my son Matthew had his vaccine reactions, it took a
long time to stop vaccinating because my belief in
vaccines and the sacrament of medicine were so strong as
was my fear of disease.
The Polio vaccine was the last one to go. My youngest son,
James, received nothing but Oral Polio - three times. I just
felt that the risk of the disease was not worth taking a
chance not vaccinating. And after all, it was oral so there
were no shots to worry about and no screaming on the
part of my baby. Just a quick swallow and back on the
breast - all was well.
By the time my youngest child, Rebecca, came along
however, there were 3 more years of research under my
belt and my attitude towards this vaccine had altered
drastically.
The History of Paralytic Polio
There are stories and pictures in the tombs of ancient
Egypt going back thousands of years which depict people
who were crippled; whose legs were uneven lengths and
who were said to have become this way almost
overnight. These are thought to be the first recorded cases
of Paralytic Polio.
There are many other viruses which can cause similar
symptoms, but let us assume that this was in fact Polio.
The first case reported in the UK (and in fact in Western
Europe as far as I have been able to discover) was Sir
Walter Scott (1771-1832), the great Scottish poet and
novelist, writer of such books as Ivanhoe.
Interestingly enough, when writing on his bout of polio,
he stated that the disease, apart from leaving him lame in
one leg, had in fact been good for him. "...my general
health, which was of more importance, was much
strengthened by being frequently in the open air, and, in a
Vol.1 N0.2 2003 Page 61
word, I who in a city had probably been condemned to
helpless and hopeless decrepitude, was now a healthy,
high-spirited and, my lameness apart, a sturdy child." In
fact, 6 of his brother and sisters died in infancy, but
Walter Scott grew to over six feet tall and was strong and
healthy.
It was not until more than 100 years later that we saw
the first epidemic of Paralytic Polio in 1888 in Sweden.
When I was growing up, I was led to believe that Polio
had been a problem throughout human history. It was a
bit of an eye-opener to discover that this
was not the case.
4»
What are the symptoms of Polio? t 1949 that a method was developed to grow it in a
The word poliomyelitis comes from two
Greek words: polio, meaning gray, and
myelitis, meaning inflammation of the
spinal cord. It is known to affect the
young more often than adults and the
elderly which is why it was formerly
called infantile paralysis.
Even during outbreaks, fewer than one in
100 (possibly as few as one in 1,000) cases
of infection with poliovirus would
produce obvious disease', 2 and even a smaller fraction of
those infected would develop any kind of paralysis.
Polio virus is enteric in nature meaning that it's normally
found in the small intestine and gut. Non-paralytic
Poliomyelitis cannot be differentiated clinically from
aseptic meningitis which is another word for viral
meningitis and can be caused by many, many different
agents.
This begs the question if, during the epidemics of polio
which have occurred over the last hundred years, other
viruses may have been responsible rather than polio
itself?
Polio = Paralysis, Right?
In fact, there are still an incredible number of cases of
paralysis today - and many of them are not caused by
Polio. Fifty years ago before we had the ability to
determine the exact virus associated with paralytic
symptoms, all cases of paralysis were assumed to be
Polio infections. Now however, we know that this is not
the case.
For example, in 1999, India reported 9,580 cases of Acute
Flaccid Paralysis (AFP). Only 2,802 - less than one third,
were determined to be Polio. In the same year, China
reported 5,064 cases of AFP with only one case being
associated with Polio virus. 1
So, even though we have been vaccinating against Polio,
we have not actually prevented paralytic illness.
According to Dr. Dennis H. Geffen, "We are apt to forget
that Poliomyelitis is the least serious of all infectious
diseases with the exception of that one complication or
extension of the disease which destroys motor cells in the
brain and spinal cord and causes paralysis. If we could be
sure that an individual contracting poliomyelitis would
not become paralysed then there might be much to be
Page 62 informed choice magazine
said for spreading the disease in order that the
community might develop immunity." 4
The question then remains; why had this disease which
only affected the odd individual over the last few
thousand years all of a sudden became such a huge
problem that it had changed the psyche of most of the
developed world for the best part of 100 years?
Two Vaccines for One Disease
In the early part of this century, there were efforts to
isolate the agent or agents which were responsible for
what, at that time, was called Paralytic Poliomyelitis.
The virus was isolated in 1909 but it was not until
culture. This enabled the development of both types
of vaccine we currently use today - Oral and Injected.
From the very beginning, viral vaccines proved to be
/j problematic. James Mcintosh, Professor of Pathology
at London University, stated in an address to the
Royal Society of Medicine,'5 "Scientifically, it cannot be
» disputed that from every point of view, the injection
of a virus capable of multiplying in the body of the
individual is bad. When multiplication of the virus
occurs, there is no possibility of estimating the dose
to which the patient has been subjected. Thus the effect
cannot be controlled, and in susceptible individuals, this
may lead to unforeseen results." What a shame that
doctors today are not this sensible!
The original vaccines were and continue to be grown on
monkey kidney tissue. At the peak production time, more
than 4000 monkeys a month were being killed in order to
harvest their kidneys (and sometimes testicles) for
vaccine production.
At least 60 simian or monkey viruses have been known to
contaminate these vaccines. It was impossible to
completely inactivate these viruses without also
completely inactivating the Polio virus which would
have defeated the purpose of giving the vaccines. Most of
these viruses are, even today, completely unstudied and
therefore we don't know anything about the effect of
injecting them into humans. Some of them however have
been shown to cause cancers and other chronic health
problems. The next issue of informal choice will feature an
in-depth report on the connection between Simian
viruses and autoimmunity including cancer and AIDS.
The Salk injected Polio vaccine was launched on April 12,
1955. There was great fanfare and the vaccine was
declared to be "safe, potent and efficient".
Just 13 days later, the first news of disaster arrived.
Children who had received the vaccine began to develop
Polio. In addition, contacts of vaccine recipients were also
contracting Polio from being in close proximity to the
vaccinées. It was discovered that even if the contact didn't
contract Polio, they could become carriers of the virus
and were passing it on to their own contacts.
In fact, the number of people contracting Polio after
vaccination began was greater than what they would
have been without vaccine. In Idaho, polio struck only
vaccinated children in areas where there had been no
cases since the preceding autumn. In 9 out of 10 cases, the
paralysis occurred in the arm in which the vaccine had
been injected.'1
It was discovered that the vaccine had not been properly
inactivated by the formaldehyde treatment. This was all
blamed on vaccine produced by the Cutter company
which was subsequently withdrawn. The problem did
not only involve Cutter stock however, since four out of
six manufacturers licensed to produce this vaccine were
found to have left residual live polio virus in their
product as well. 7
Perhaps these risks would have been considered to be
acceptable if it weren't for the fact that the vaccine was
not as effective as it was claimed to be. Dr. Salk
optimistically claimed that his vaccine was potentially
100% effective. The Francis report however, a large study
on the safety and effectiveness of injected Polio vaccine,
found that the true protection was closer to 60-90% and
even in those who were protected, the duration of
immunity was unknown.
Dr. Albert Sabin, another researcher in the field of
vaccinology, took issue with Dr. Salk's methods of
producing an injectable, killed virus vaccine. Sabin
claimed that killed vaccine would not confer life-long
immunity and Polio is a more serious disease in adults
than it is in children. Therefore, people who receive the
vaccine as children would again be susceptible when
they are grown and could have more serious symptoms
than they would if they'd contracted Polio as a child, (ed
note-interestingly, this is an argument used
by many vaccine-lobby groups about one of
the downsides to all vaccines against
childhood diseases such as Measles and
Chicken Pox).
Dr. Scheele, American Surgeon General,
reported to the AMA, "that the Salk
vaccine is difficult to make and no
batch can ever be proved safe before it
is given to children." 8
So the Salk vaccine was phased out in
most countries and Sabin's Oral Polio
Vaccine (OPV) became the new vaccine
of choice.
Dr. Sabin claimed that immunity conferred from oral
vaccines would be long-lasting. He based these claims on
the fact that in testing, people developed high levels of
serum antibodies. (As a point of interest, the first human
'volunteers'for testing of OPV were inmates in a reformatory. A
different OPV was simultaneously being tested on children ata
California institution for the feeble minded as the next stiy up after
animal testing).
Just as a bit of background, a vaccine is thought to be
effective if, when blood is drawn after vaccination, a high
level of antibodies is found in the serum. This is the ONLY
test of vaccine effectiveness and it has been proven since
the 1930's to be completely false!
Two studies which were published in 1939 and 1942,
investigated the diphtheria antibody concentration in
people who contracted diphtheria in England and Wales.
It reported, "on repeated occasions, it was found that a
sample of serum, taken from a patient with a clear
history of inoculation who had yielded diphtheria bacilli
from nose or throat swabs (a sure sign of diphtheria
infection) ...was found to contain quite large quantities of
diphtheria antitoxin." (in other words, they were serologically
immune to diphtheria yet they contracted it)
Ironically, they found, "...the occurrence of several
instances of non-inoculated persons having no circulating
antitoxin, harbouring virulent organisms and yet
remaining perfectly well." (they were unvaccinated, had active
diphtheria bacteria detectable in their nose and throat ana yet
displayed no symptoms of illness).
We know now and have known for over 60 years that our
method of measuring immunity is completely wrong.
Despite this, we continue to use these useless tests to
show that vaccines work because after vaccination
someone develops antibodies!
Back to polio vaccine.
Because the Sabin is a live virus vaccine, even though the
virus has been attenuated (Bacteria and viruses are made less
virulent by being heated, dried, treated with chemicals, passed
through another organism or cultured under unfavourable
conditions - this is called attenuation. The OPV was attenuated by
being passed many times over monkey kidney tissues) it can
revert to a virulent form at any time and cause polio in
botli vaccinées and their close contacts. This will most
commonly happen within 90 days following
administration of the vaccine, but there have been
documented cases of
the virus remaining
dormant in a vaccine
recipient for more than
20 years before
reverting to virulence.
There have been many
outbreaks associated
with oral Polio vaccine.
In the year 2000, it was
revealed that a large
outbreak of Polio in the
Dominican Republic
and Haiti was found to have been caused by the vaccine-
strain of the virus which had reverted to a virulent form
and spread. What was medicine's answer to this
outbreak? A massive oral polio vaccination campaign. 9
A few years earlier, The Lancet reported on a large
outbreak of Polio among children in Oman. This outbreak
occurred despite (or possibly because of?) the fact that the
children were fully vaccinated. 10
In fact, in both the United States and Australia, with the
exception of cases which have been 'imported' from
overseas, all cases of polio reported for at least the
previous 20 years have been directly related to the oral
polio vaccine.
As a result of this fact, the United States recently decided
to stop using the OPV and instead, have opted to return
to the IPV (injected Polio vaccine) which, they claim,
cannot cause Polio.
Vol.1 No.2 2003 Page 63
 This was demonstrated very clearly recently when, in
Waste not, want not
November 2001, several thousand Indian children were
As we have seen many times and with many other items
hospitalised and at least 10 died following administration
including banned pesticides, industrial chemicals and
of Polio vaccine. The BBC website reported on this event
vaccines, once a country decides to stop using a product,
and blamed it on the Polio vaccine." Less than an hour
it does not just throw away or destroy its existing stocks.
later however, this story was removed and the words
Instead, it looks for another nation, perhaps one that is
Polio vaccine were replaced with the words Vitamin A
too poor to be choosy, and markets it there or, as
drops. It appears that Vitamin A is generally
sometimes happens, 'donates' it to a nation for good will
administered concurrently with OPV in India so, the
or credit of some kind.
decision was made that these reactions must not be
We have seen this very recently with US 'donations' of blamed on the vaccini but instead, on vitamin drops,
genetically engineered corn which could not be sold to This, despite the fact that there were claims that the
Europe or other markets. It was donated to African vaccine being used w as past its use!by date. This is an
countries and those nations which tried to refuse this gift Orwellian attempt to rewrite history on the fly.
have been threatened with y _
Polio is an iatrogenic
serious ramifications.

In 1962, it was determined that

ACUTE
ANTEIUOK POLIOMYELITIS (medically"caused) disease
•; i • . .Чг w!".!/; • • ot ' I As we've seen earlier, epidemics of
the Oral Polio Vaccine which
had been produced using the Keep Out of this House Paralytic Polio simply did not
exist until the late 1800's. Since the
kidneys of Rhesus monkeys was
virus has been around and
contaminated with SV!40, a
humans have hosted J t for thousands of years, we need to
monkey virus which had been shown to cause tumours
be asking what chang ed around this time that would
and cancer in experimental animals. Once this
have caused so many people to become paralysed from
information came out, and it was not revealed willingly,
this normally very mi Id infection?
vaccine manufacturers scrambled to find another anima
upon which to produce their Polio vaccines. It has been known for some time now, though not openly
talked about by doctors, that injections of any kind can
They eventually settled on the African Green monkey
cause normally benign polio virus to attack the central
which supposedly did not carry the SV!40 virus, though
nervous system and become paralytic Polio.
it does, like all other animals, contain many other
contaminants. Smallpox vaccination began in the late 1700's but by the
late 1800's, was very widespread with several countries
The problem was that manufacturers were now left with
(England and Australia to name just two) having
substantial stocks of vaccine which were contaminated
legislation requiring vaccination. It is not coincidental
with SV!40 virus and could not be marketed in the United
that the increase in vaccination rates coincided with the
States or Europe.
emergence of epidemics of paralysis.
The solution was to sell this vaccine to other countries
In April of 1950, an article was published in the Lancet
that may not have had access to information about these
regarding Provocation Polio (paralytic Polio which has been
issues. Australia and New Zealand both received batches
caused or provoked by injections) it was found that a high
of contaminated vaccine and continued to use them until
percentage of children who developed paralysis had
many years after they were banned in the US.
recently been vaccinated and that many time, the
We see the same thing happening today. Oral Polio paralysis started in the limb which had received tiie
Vaccine (OPV) is no longer used in the US. Due to Vaccine vaccine. 12
Associated Paralytic Polio (VAPP), the Americans are
It was also revealed that removal of tonsils and adenoids
now using Injected Polio Vaccine (IPV). The oral vaccine
could be associated with paralysis. As stated so well by
however is now being marketed in developing countries.
Dr. Mark Donohoc:
One of the major problems with this is that this vaccine is
Doyou everwonderwhy the medical profession drops a procedure?
contraindicated (not supposed to be used) for anyone
Certainly not because they have paid their cars off.
who is immune!suppressed or who lives with someone
with immune suppression. There was a problem in that zoe were removing tonsils from people
throughout the 40s and 50s. They were taken to be extra tissue not
African and Asian countries which are the recipients of
needed by humans, but only a source of trouble. Then, during the
countless millions of doses of OPV, are populated by
polio epidemics, it was found that people who had their tonsils
immune!suppresse d people. If we are not talking about
removed were three to five times more likely to develop paralysis.
the millions who have been diagnosed with HIV, we
cannot forget the malnutrition inherent in these nations. That does not mean that they got the polio virus more frequentili.
These people are the most vulnerable to suffering the Simply that without the protection ofthe lymphatic tissue in the
effects of VAPP and yet, this is not taken into throat, there appeared to be a quite strong association between
consideration when choosing which vaccine will be used. getting the polio virus and developing an illness.
As we see in so many other instances however, whenever There were many at that time that suggested that paralytic polio
possible, vaccine!related injuries and deaths must be was an iatrogenic (doctor made) disease. The medical profession
blamed on other causes. dropped tonsillectomy as if it was a hot potato, but I don't know

Page 64 informed choice magazine

that it told many about that.... The iatrogenic part of it was that
we caused thousands of cases ofparalysis. To this day, I don't think According to the Commonwealth Department of Health,
the medical profession has owned up to that problem that it caused
3
in the Australian health community.''
The irony of this whole situation is that vaccines and
other medical procedures were the cause of most cases of
paralytic polio experienced for the last 100 years and the
answer to this problem has been a vaccination which has
also caused paralysis!
Did the vaccine really cause Polio to
disappear?
Wc have all been told, just like I was as a child, that Polio
is being wiped out because of both oral and injected
vaccines. But is that really the case?
First of all, at the time the Polio vaccine was introduced in
1955, the disease was already on the decline. There was in
fact a very big increase in reported cases after
vaccination. In the United States, for instance, reported
incidence went up by as much as 642% (in the state of
Massachusetts) in the year following mass vaccination.
Due to the need to make it appear that vaccination had in
fact caused a decline in disease, the criteria for diagnosing
Polio was changed in July 1956 ! 12 months after
introduction of Polio vaccination in
Australia and after an increase in
disease reports due to vaccine!
associated paralvsis.
Nowadays, we have very sensitive
laboratory tests that can very
accurately determine what virus is
associated with an illness. Back then, however, a
diagnoses was based upon the symptoms that a person
displayed.
Prior to 1956, a person was considered to be suffering
from Polio if they displayed paralytic symptoms for 24
hours. After this time, however, paralysis would need to
persist for 60 days and residual paralysis had to be
confirmed twice during the course of the disease. This
change on its own would have cut the number of
reported cases by a huge amount ! without ever having
actually changed the incidence of paralytic disease which
just months before would have been classed as Polio.
In addition, the definition of a Polio Epidemic was also
changed. Previously, in order for an outbreak to be called
an epidemic, you needed to have 20 cases per 100,000
population. Subsequently, you needed 35 cases per
100,000 ! almost double the number.
So Polio did not disappear but was redefined out of
existence. Even today, there are many other names for
illnesses which, had they happened in the 1950's, would
have been called Polio. Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP),
Coxsackie Virus and Aseptic Meningitis, to name just a
few.
In Los Angeles, USA, in the month of July 1955 (prior to
polio vaccination), there were 273 reported cases of Polio
and 50 reported cases of aseptic meningitis. By September
2966, there were 5 cases of Polio reported and 256 cases of
Aseptic Meningitis.
Polio today
the last case of polio to have occurred in Australia was in
the late 1980's. Interestingly enough however, until fairly
recently, their own journal, the Commonwealth
Department of Health (CDI) Bulletin regularly published
statistics on Polio cases every year in their annual report.
14
For example, CDI 15 November 1993 states that,
"Polioviruses were reported for 185 patients, about
average for recent years. ...67 had gastrointestinal
disease as the reported syndrome, respiratory symptoms
were reported for 55 patients and 20 were infants who
had suffered SIDS (post!mortem tissue isolates).
So every year, it seems that just about 200 cases of Polio
are reported, but they are not actually accepted by
doctors as actually being Polio. The virus is assumed to be
incidental to the illness ! a phenomenon which is not
normal in medicine. Especially in the case of tissue
isolates in babies whose cause of death had been
determined to be SIDS which, by definition, is the sudden
and unexplained death of a previously healthy child. If a
child on post!mortem is found to have polio virus in its
body tissues, that cannot possibly be considered to be
coincidental but rather, it should be considered causal.
Recent advances in technology which allow us to
accurately differentiate between paralysis
caused by Polio virus and paralysis from other
causes, as well as other changes to diagnostic
requirements have led to a decline in polio
numbers.
Whether the vaccine has been responsible in
any way for a decline in paralytic illness is an
unknown.
What we do know is that our use of a live virus vaccine
which causes shedding and excretion of Polio into the
water system will guarantee that this virus will always
be with us.
References:
1
Merck Manual, Fifteenth Edition, 1987. Merck & Co., Inc.
Rahwny NJ USA
г
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, May 19, 2000.
Poliomyelitis prevention in the United States: Updated
Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on
Immunization Practices (ACIP). US Department of Health and
Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333.
I
http://www.who.int/cn/
4
Public Health March 1955.
5
October 19, 1926
0
News Chronicle. May 6,1955.
;
Lancet. June 18, 1955.
* New York Times. June 8, 1955.
9
Polio outbreak raises questions about vaccine; Infectious
Diseases:Science 2000; 290:1867
111
Outbreak of paralytic poliomyelitis in Oman: evidence for
widespread transmission among fully vaccinated children;
Sutter, R.W. et al; Tiie Lancet; Vol 338: Sept 21, 1991; pp715!720
II
/news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/healtli/ncwsid 1651000/
1651863.stm
12
Lancet; Dr. McCloskey: Prophylactic Inoculations and
Poliomyelitis; April 8, 1950
13
Vaccination: A Parent's Dilemma; Greg Beattie; pp 70!71; The
Oracle Press, 1997
14
Vol 17/No. 23 p 547
Vol.1 No.2 2003 Page 65
 Vaccination as a sacrament of science
The study of vaccines (vaccinology) is part of a medical
paradigm which has become so entrenched in our modern
society that its practice can be equated with that of a
religion.

POLIO 2...
Just as there are various rituals and scriptures that most
religions follow, medicine also has its rituals and scriptures.
Anyone who questions the status quo is not considered
merely to be a dissenting voice, but is labelled as a medical
heretic.

a dirty little If burning at the stake were still acceptable, I believe that
many of this c e n t u r y ' s best scientific t h i n k e r s and
innovators would have suffered that fate.

secret
In common with most major religions, the practice of
vaccinology has its mysteries. Unlike religious mysteries
however, vaccines, which should be completely scientific
and operated with great transparency, are shrouded in
more questions than we have answers for.

CONTAMINATED POLIO VACCINES LINKED WITH One of these questions is " just what is in those vaccines?
CANCER AND AIDS
For instance, most people believe that the diphtheria,
tetanus and whooping cough vaccine contains diphtheria,
tetanus and whooping cough bacteria. Or that the polio
vaccine simply contains polio virus.
By Meryl Dorey
The fact is, however, that the viral or bacterial components
of any vaccine make up only a very small percentage of the
total composition of the injection or oral dose.

The vast majority of vaccine ingredients are toxic. They

IN THE FIRST SEGMENT OF THIS 2!PART SERIES ON POLIO :
include chemicals such as formaldehyde, carbolic acid, and
VACCINATION, THERE WAS A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE
2"phenoxyethano l to name just a few.
LACK OF EFFECTIVENESS OF,ВОТНЛНЕ ORAL AND
INJECTED POLIO VACCINES AS WELL AS THE
You will also find heavy metals such as aluminium and
IATROGENIC (MEDIC ALLY!CAUSED) B ASIS FOR M ANY,
mercury, despite government assurances that they would
AND PERHAPS MOST CASES OF PARALYTIC
be removed or reduced in quantity. These vaccines will
POLIOMYELITIS. "'"
continue to be used as a money"saving measure, despite
the known health risks, until they are used up.

I N PART 2 , WE C O M E TO ANOTHER IMPORTANT With the exception of the genetically engineered Hepatits
VACCINATION ISSUE. O N E THAT IS FAR T O O OFTENì5 B, all vaccines are cultured on or grown in animal or human
SWEPT UNDER THE RUG OR IGNORED BUT WHICH C A N ^ tissue or blood products which can and do contain an
JHäVE A N EFFECT, N O T O N L Y P N T H E V A C C I N E S
unknown number of viral and bacterial contaminants.
RECIPIENT BUT POSSIBLY, O N THE HUMAN RACE AS A
WHOLE. THE ISSUE OF FOREIGN ANIMAL AND HUMAN In Ireland, the High Court of that country awarded a large
V I R U S E S BACTERIA; A N D OTHER ćOńTAMINAńTśIL compensation payout to the family of Kenneth Best who
WHICH C A N CAUSE DISEASE, DEATH A N D IN THE LONG became permanently brain"damaged after administration
RUN MAY CHANGE THE GENETIC MAKE$UP OF HUMANS of a DPT vaccine which had been released without ever
FOREVER. undergoing the prerequisite safety checks. In his decision,
the presiding judge determined that vaccines contain many
more ingredients than those which they are stated to
contain and that both the effect of these ingredients on
health and the method by which the vaccines are meant to
induce immunity is unknown to science.

Dirty shots
Debate has raged in the scientific and medical community
a b o u t the a d v i s a b i l i t y of u s i n g a n i m a l organs
(xenotransplantation) to transplant into humans due to the
very high risk of transmitting foreign viruses and bacteria
at the same time.

Page 60 informed choice magazine

Little do most people realise, however, that just this sort of
thing has been going on for the entire 200 year history of
vaccination!
It is a dirty little secret that the polio vaccines - both oral
and injected - are and have been contaminated with as
many as 60 viruses of monkey origin. Known as simian
viruses, these 'free-loading' agents have been associated
with a whole range of illnesses which were formerly either
unknown or very rare but have become much more common
since the use of this vaccine.
Some of these include (but
are not limited to) certain
cancers (bone, brain and I
lung) including I
mesothelioma, chronic %
fatigue, fibromyalgia, fi
myalgic encephalomyelitis, Ï
cytomegalovirus infections, %
marburg virus, ebola virus
and the list goes on and on.
In fact, the very first outbreak of both Marburg and Ebola
Viruses, haemorrhagic diseases with a very high mortality
rate, occurred in factories which processed monkey kidney
tissue for vaccine production!
In addition, many of the polio vaccines contain gelatine and
other blood-based products which may be derived from
cattle. This materia] caused a panic when it was revealed
that the British herd it had been sourced from may not have
been cleared of BSE or mad cow disease. The vaccine involved
was withdraw n from use, but not before h u n d r e d s of
thousands and possibly millions of children had received
it. Cold comfort to the families involved and colder comfort
still to those who received this vaccine, knowing that the
prions which cause BSE in cows and CJD/vCJD1 in humans
are undetectable in laboratory tests and cannot be killed
by sterilisation.
One of the dangers of introducing foreign viruses into the
human body is that viruses, which are just bundles of genetic
material w r a p p e d in a protein envelope, operate by
hijacking our DNA, a basic building-block of our existence,
to reproduce. By operating in this way, it becomes not just
possible, but likely that eventually these combinations of
viral genetic material and our own DNA will produce a
new and perhaps deadly virus which never existed before.
A river of tears - HIV and polio vaccine
Many eminent scientists and researchers believe that this
is how the HIV virus first came about.
HIV, the virus which is believed by many to be the cause of
the AIDS epidemic, is almost indistinguishable from SIV or
simian immunodeficiency virus.
Julian Cribb, former science reporter for The Australian
newspaper and now owner of his own consultancy on
science communication, wrote a very well-researched
investigative book about this issue called The White Death. 2
He traced the earliest-known outbreaks of AIDS in Africa,
Brazil, Haiti and the gay communities in New York and San
Francisco. He discovered that all of these events followed
hot on the heels of vaccination c a m p a i g n s with
contaminated polio vaccines.
Edward Hooper, in his book, The River, also linked the polio
vaccine with the emergence of HIV and AIDS.
Brian Martin, a researcher at the University of Wollongong,
has listed several key reasons why Polio vaccines should
be considered to be the cause of the AIDS epidemic. 3 They
include:
• The location coincides dramatically. The
earliest known cases ofAIDS occuired in central Africa,
in the same regions where Kaprowski's4 polio vaccine
was given to over a million people in 1957-1960.
• Tiie timing coincides. There is no documented
cascofHiV infection or AIDS before 1959. Centuries
ofthe slave trade and European exploitation of Africa
exposed Africans and others to all other diseases then
known; it is implausible that HIV could have been
present and spreading in Africa without being
recognised.
• Polio vaccines are grown (cultured) on monkey kidneys which
could have been contaminated with SPVs. Polio vaccines could not be
screened for SPV contamination before 1985.
• In order for a virus to infect a different species, it is helpful to
reduce the resistance ofthe new host's immune system. Kaprowski's
polio vaccine was given to many children less than one month old,
before their immune systems werefully developed. Indeed, in one trial,
infants were given 15 times the standard dose in orda'to ensure effective
immunisation.
It is estimated that more than 53 million people have been
infected with the HIV virus since the late 1950s when the
first case was discovered. More than 2/3 of these are Africans
- a statistic that does not even begin to tell the tale of tragic
misery engendered by this infection which threatens to turn
10% and more of Africa's children into orphans.
If it were found to be true that polio vaccine was indeed the
source of the AIDS epidemic, its deadly effects would rival
those of the black death, bubonic plague, which at one point
killed up to 50% of the population of Europe.
And this is but one side-effect of the polio vaccine. But ONE
contaminant of at least 60, most of which have never been
studied thoroughly or indeed, at all.
The fortieth simian virus discovered, or SV-40, is one of
these contaminants which has undergone quite a bit of
research as to its effects.
It doesn't pay to speak out
In 1959, Bernice Eddy, a US government scientist in charge
of ensuring that the polio vaccine was free of dangerous
contaminants, discovered that something in the vaccine was
causing cancer when it was injected into baby hamsters in
her lab.
She immediately went to her superiors to warn them of
this finding. They scoffed at her, saying that the hamsters
must have developed cancerous tumours 'spontaneously'!
Vol.1 No.4 2003 Page 61
Her reward for coming forward with this information and
urging that the vaccine be withdrawn until the infectious
agent could be identified and filtered out? She was chastised,
demoted and warned to be quiet. Her laboratory and
equipment were taken away from her.
From 1959 to 1961, she had to do nothing while tens of
millions of Americans and others around the world were
unknowingly placing themselves at risk from a vaccine they
had been assured was safe.
Finally in 1961, she received permission from her superiors
to report on her work at a meeting of the New York Cancer
Society. At the meeting, she revealed that her research had
shown her that the virus, now identified as SV-40, was
capable of causing cancer in laboratory animals. She warned
that the same could be true in humans.
After that meeting, her boss, Joseph
E. Smådel, told her in a letter that,
"you have apparently stirred up a
hornet's nest and there are some
who are sufficiently credulous to
believe that the use of monkey
kidney tissue culture in man may
induce cancer in them." 5 She was
o r d e r e d to s u b m i t a written
manuscrip t for review prior to
speaking out in public and was
demoted, once again.
A number of studies were quickly
done and showed that, even though
SV-40 could cause cancer in
laboratory animals, it was safe for
humans.
Faith in the vaccine h a d been
damaged however so in 1963, the US government bowed to
public pressure and changed its method of production for
polio vaccines, using kidneys from a different breed which
was presumed to be free of this agent.
Of course, there was still a substantial quantity of the SV-
40-contaminated vaccine and, since it would be a shame to
have to dispose of all of this product and lose all that money,
the drug companies did what drug companies so often do.
They sold it overseas. At least some of this contaminated
vaccine ended up in New Zealand where it was used until
at least the late 1960s. It is unknown whether any of it came
to Australia.
At least 98 million American children received the
contaminated polio vaccine between its release in the mid-
1950s and its withdrawal in 1963. Studies have been done
which compare the rate of cancer .in these children with
those of the present day who have supposedly received a
vaccine free from SV-40 contamination. These studies have
shown that, when adjusted for the growing number of
vaccinated children, the rate of cancer has not increased;
therefore, even though SV-40 can cause cancers in laboratory
animals, it does not cause it in humans.
Page 62 informed choice magazine
Polio vaccine is still contaminated with SV-40
The conclusion that SV-40 does not cause cancer in humans
is based on the assumption that before 1963 the polio vaccine
was contaminated with SV-40 virus whilst the vaccine we
use today is free of that agent.
Unfortunately, this is not the case.
Stanley Kops, an attorney from Philadelphia in the United
States, has revealed that papers discovered as part of a
lawsuit against Lederle, producer of the oral polio vaccine,
showed that the seed stocks for all polio vaccines, sourced
from Merck w h o produced the original doses, were
contaminated with SV-40.
Think about it. You need a pool of virus to start producing a
vaccine, much like you need a bacteria
culture to produce sourdough bread or
yogurt. So, you take a little bil of this 'seed
culture' and then use it to grow larger
batches of vaccine.
If the original seed contains a
contaminant, then the larger batches will
as well. As you grow the agent you want
(polio), you will also grow the agent which
is not supposed to be there. Because it was
in the original seed stock. The only way to
end this cycle is to make a new seed from
uncontaminated material and this was
never done.
This continuing contamination has been
suspected for many years, simply
because of the n u m b e r s of cancers
containing SV-40 DNA which are now
showing up among children who were
born after 1963 and therefore should not have received a
contaminated vaccine.
It is now k n o w n , however, that the vaccine is still
contaminated. Indeed, that it was never clean in the first
place. It is known that everyone w h o received a polio
vaccine has also received SV-40 - and as many as 60 other
monkey viruses.
In a speech at the International Vaccination Conference in
Washington D.C. (November 2002), Stanley Kops recounted
what had occurred at an IOM (Institute of Medicine) meeting
on SV-40 and cancer at which he had presented his data on
the continuing contamination of these vaccines.
"...at the end ofthe speech, a presenter got up who presented from the
National Institutes of Health on the issue of SV-40 and he showed
epidemiological data to support the notion that SV-40 does not cause
cancer. His basic premise was that since (here has been a rise in childhoo
cancers since 1963 and everyone knows that the product isn't
contaminated after 1963, then clearly SV-40 plays no role in causing
these tumours. He got up and asked one question [after Kops'
presentation]. He said, 'If you are right sir, all of our epidemiological
work is useless. ' And I said, "You are absolutely correct doctor, it was
useless. "
(( \
LAWSUIT FOR CHILD KILLED BY CONTAMINATED POLIO VACCINE
The following is an excerpt from a letter to Congressman Dan Burton in the United States by Michael and Raphaë
Horwln, parents of Alexander who died from a brain tumour that tested positive for SV!40DNA.theHorwlns have
spent years researching how this contamination could have occurred and all the evidence points tplhß polio vaccin
being the source. They have taken the American vaccine manufacturer,'American Home Products, to court and
the course of their case have discovered a lot of shocking information which iridicates'fhąiS$40 contamination is
still occurring today despite assurances to the contrary. The original letter and a full list of references caribe found
äthttp://www.ouralexahder.org/ßurtonSV4Ö%^ , " , ," л . ' ,

I am writing.this letter on June 7,2003. Exactly seven yeans ago, on June 7,1996, my/śon Alexander was born. He
would die in my arrrią 30 months later in a little motel room in Houston, Texas as We, his..parënts|.tried desperately
to safe his life. .Th.isi.letter is written in commemoration of Alexander's short life and the injustice ttìàtbjefell him and
the cause of the brain tumor (medulloblastoma) that killed him. .. . ; ;"

In 1961, federal regulations were implemented to ensure that SV40 would ho. iònger contaminate the роІіргуа^
Despite these regulationSj we contend that the OPV has been sporadically contaminated With SV4Ö for the last four
decades. AsaYésult,we allege that someof the children who have been administered the^ontanriìnated vaccines
have been stricken with cancer and others are at risk. The main points are sunimarlżed bélòw: ' •

1): -SV40 (Sí^ían;ViTus Number 40) is a.cancer 'causing itiohkeyv^

'African Green Monkeys. Jhe kidney cells of .thêsë;%o; species pf,tirø^ -
'been used tö create poliovirus strains and manufacture the Öra
2) SV40 is ä human carcinogen for brain cancer and mesothelioma and it is a suspected carcinogen in osteosarcomas
-.'; (bonecancers)and Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas. '•••: . ; . •' ; ; v';-;/; ~4';. .,/•'..
3) Alexander was administered the OPV in November 1997. He was diagnosed with a brain.tumor in August 1998.
Alexander died on January 31,1999.
4) Four independent laboratories using DNA testing and laser micro-dissection found SV4Ö in Alexander's brain
tumor ••.:.••:.;.."•• ';•'..•:'•,; ; .'..;'•'< '-.'•
5) SV40 has been found ¡n the cancers of many other children. Pediatric brain tumors and other childhood cancers
including osteosarcomas (bone cancer) and Non-Hodgkins Lymphomas have been found to contain SV40.
6) When Alexander was born on June 7m, 1996,1 had his cord blood saved and stored by a private laboratory. The
cord blood was the blood shared by Alexander and myself at the time of Alexander's birth.•;, We had this blood
tested for SV40.This marked the very first time the cord blood of a child with an SV40 positive brain tumor would
be tested for SV40. To the astonishment ofthe scientists it was negative for SV40. This suggested that at the
timé Alexander was born he had not been exposed tó SV40.
7) It isknown that SV40 can be spread through contaminated blood so my husband and myself underwent a battery
• of tests from 2000 to 2001. Using a variety of sophisticated DNA tests to isolate the genetic fingerprint of the
SV40 virus including Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), the scientists checked blòòd.urine "arid semen multiple
times looking for any trace of SV40 (even antibodies). The scientists were once again surprised: Despite the
repeated tests byjeadirig SV40 laboratories both ín the United States and Europe/we had absolutely no trace of
SV40. •:
8) The scientists concluded that Alexander did not get SV40 froni his parents, nor did he give SV40 tp us.
9) The original огаГроНо vaccine (OPV) seed stocks created by Dr. Albert Sabin and used tó make OPV since 1961
were known to be contaminated with SV40. In fact, SV40 was isolated from Sabin's OPV seeds - the original
material used to make OPV for four decades.
10) Dr. Sabin had admitted that OPV seeds were contaminated with SV40 in a peer-reviewed scientific publication.
Dr. Sabin wrote, "The three types of the large lots produced by Merck, Sharp and Dohmein rhesus monkey
kidney cell cultures contained SV40."
11) Lederle, the sole American manufacturer of OPV for many years, received their OPV seeds from Merck, Sharp
and Dohme. There is no evidence that Lederle ever tested their seeds for SV40 nor discarded their presumably
contaminated seed stocks.
12) There are Lederle documents (not under a protective order) that demonstrate that their early OPV vaccines were
contaminated¡with SV40.
13) Lederle did not use the SV40-neutralization procedures recommended by Dr. Sabin. .
14) Monkeys used to produce OPV were not tested for SV40 by Lederle because of economic considerations.
15) After reviewing all of the Lederle records and the Lederle systems in place, our expert concluded that the
contamination detected in the OPV material ultimately administered to Alexander was SV40.
16) The medical literature is unequivocal - the pediatric brain cancer rate in the U.S. has been climbing at a rate of
approximately 3% for the last four decades.
I 17) A recent study has demonstrated that 11 % of Americans are currently infected or have been infected with SV40. J

Vol.1 NoA 2003 Pave 63

(f — • . л
SV40 is not only responsible for causing the cancer, but also for making these particular cancers incurable.
Orthodox cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation can not cure an SV4Ó positive cancer
AgovernmenLinyestigàtion should demand to know: .

t> Why was a vaccine manufacturer allowed to use vaccine seed stocks for four decades that came from a
'.. sourcecõnfâminated;WÍthSV4Ö? ":С:У •.^".лй.":•;('..":• •"....:• •ã'.^.' : --^V: ,;: :;л ;:••;.":.:/•!,:.• ,
УІ>' МЙуШ i:
;>'•'; Whyw^ęr^ to detect SV40 during Q^j^^^^^piñí^^^i^te the.yir.us .ever required
by thefoderaigovernment?- -\ . '" - ' /
T> Why arén.|chiídren with cancer testedfor SV40 when they are diagnosed, notwhënthey are dead, because an
; SV40 positive roncier/męarjs that chęmó and radiation willb"ineff^^^^ '; '• ; ;.;••• •.•'.".;..
e:
> WhyJs thef " significant percérítage oí Americans1 (children and adults) walking around with evidence of
haying h a d i ^
, :;.' treatment?,'/ * ..'" .''••" • ' , " « • " • " " " • ;. , . . ;

Like õiir sohj many children aré already dead, victims of this virus, and many adults', wili.be stricken later; Time is
pf the essence, höt for оцг;^
causing virus.

'•".'Sincerely,.; ; : '• ^ ' ;' "^/,,,"",. ." ' £;'
: 4
•>''.- •'. "/•''•• ',. ••'••'.» •'•"'•', •'•¡••f'- ••i.--- -'.. ••'-'.;•'V"-'-"-: ' .-..''"-;•• :" •'-•• '•'-'- i'.« •'••'-,'- -, .-'-•:'-•'.'' !,'i--,'.Ç.'-;'--'"i..''•','•' v'.."".',-.'.'.'. :"
Raphaële Moreaù-Hòrwin.M.A:, M.F.'S:•"•".-.,'• ::•"{>:'":•
y
^ - - ^ ..¿-¿fe*^--.^ _ _ | | _ _ _ _ і _ _ _ і | ш __
The link grows stronger
Michele Carbone, a young Italian pathologist working in
the United States, has become one of a growing number of
researchers who are finding SV!40 virus in human cancers.
Mesothelioma, an incurable cancer of the Mesothelial tissues
in the lungs, has been linked for many years to the use of
asbestos. It has been thought that after exposure to this
substance a person was more likely to develop this disease
many years later.
This would not explain however, why the incidence of
Mesothelioma, which had been extremely rare before the
1950s, has becoming much more common.
All of the epidemiological studies which had been performed
to show that there was no connected between SV!40 and
cancer were too short in duration to actually pick up these
conditions which could take between 20 and 40 years to
develop.
Carbone had just conducted experiments in which he had
injected SV!40 into dozens of hamsters. Every one of them
developed mesothelioma and died within three to seven months!
He enlisted the help of Harvey Pass, the chief of thoracic
surgery at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda,
Maryland. Together, they discovered that 60% of the
mesothelioma samples contained SV!40 DNA. In addition,
in most of the positive samples, the SV!40 was active which
suggests that this was not just a coincidental virus but
rather was likely to have been the cause of the cancer.
Since this initial study, scientists from at at least 17 major
laboratories around the world have confirmed his results.
; • - • - . " * . • ' • ' - ; • " * :-'
: : r
'.•:.'.-. : '-'.
Michael Hoiwih, M.A.,J.D.' ' : «.'>
i
This would explain why only 10% of people who are
diagnosed with mesothelioma have ever reported heavy!
exposure to asbestos.
The virus has also been found in rare brain (see above) and
bone tumours. In 1996, Carbone found that SV!40 was
associated with one!third of osteosarcomas (bone cancers)
and almost half of the other bone tumours he tested for. It
has also been found in pituitary and thyroid cancers.
If it is true that the polio vaccine is still contaminated with
SV!40, and by all accounts from the papers discovered from
the vaccine manufacturers themselves it seems likely that
they are, then we can expect to see these types of cancers
rise exponentially.
These viruses are with us forever
In 1996, a study conducted by Mauro Tognon in Italy found
that 45% of sperm samples and 23% of blood samples from
healthy people tested positive for SV!40 virus. That means
that this virus can be transmitted both sexually and through
blood products (ed note: the very way that HIV is known to be
transmitted).
This means that even if we were to stop administering all
contaminated vaccines today (and remember that all
vaccines, bar the Hep B, are contaminated with foreign
viruses and bacteria), these viruses will still be with us and
we can spread them to others as well as to our children.
The short!term side effects (epilepsy, brain damage, death)
of vaccination and those that are longer!term and auto-
immune (asthma, eczema, autism, diabetes, etc.) are only
one side of the story.

Page 64 informed choice magazine

If the science is correct, then by allowing these foreign Age of mother may not cause Down's
invaders into our children's bodies, we are not only exposing
them to the possibility of increased risks of cancer and other Syndrome
forms of autoimmunity, but we are planting the seeds of
Down's syndrome is something that every expectant
the super!bugs of the future as well as raising the possibility
mother worries about, especially if she is over 30 years
that the human genome may be changed forever.
old. But researchers from Tel Aviv University have
It is one thing to make a mistake with tragic results. It is discovered that the link is much more to do with the
quite another to perpetuate this error and increase the woman's inability to metabolise folate and methyl. It is
deaths and devastation caused, _u this lack, rather than age, that is the more significant
marker.
References Although a dose of just 0.4 mg of folic acid every day was
1
A central nervous system disease that causes presenile dementia. Caused by believed to be enough to protect against NTD, the
prions, this disease is known to be transmitted by organ transplants and researchers say a dose of around 5 mg is needed. The effect
contact with brain or spinal cord matter. Its transmissibility through the
blood is unknown at this time. Once contracted, the latent period can be in is amplified if the woman also takes cobalamin. Other
excess of 20!30 years. It is incurable and always fatal. researchers have suggested that women need only eat food
:
Angus & Robertson 1996, 266 pages. ISBN 0!207!19041!0 that is fortified with folic acid, but the Tel Aviv research
' http://www.uow.edu.au/arts/sts/bmanin/dissent/documents/AIDS.' team argues that supplementation works far better as a
4
Hilary Kaprowski, a pioneer of the polio vaccine.
5 preventative. This last recommendation is significant, and
http://www.aidsinfobbs.org/articles/morestufr7009
goes against the general view that fortified food, and
Internet References: especially flour, is sufficient to raise the nutritional status
of most women.
Tor those who would like to do more research into this issue on the
internet, we suggest the following websites for starters: Interestingly, the Birth Defects Foundation in the UK
Images Of Poliomyelitis ! links between paralytic polio and supports supplementation, and urged women to continue
pesticides http://www.geocities.com/harpub/ taking folic acid in the wake of the recent Food Standards
Polio vaccine information compiled by Sheri Nakken ! http:// Agency report that seemed to suggest all vitamins and
www.nccn.net/~wwithin/polio.htm supplements were, at best, lethal.
The Poisoned Needle ! an excellent book by Eleanor McBean
Source: The Lancet, 2003; 361:1331-5 via http://
first printed in 1957. The entire book can be downloaded
ivww.wddty, co.uk
and read for free from this site or just the chapter on Polio
vaccine dangers ! http://www.whale.to/a/mcbean.html
Whale's Polio site. Check out this excellent compilation of freecaf.1800 101 301
articles and spend some time browsing the rest of this site.
Great information! h ttp://w w w. whale, to/v/pol io2.htm Ійскіч ошщеі 'ъ
Chiropractor, Christopher Kent, exposes the myth that
vaccines w e r e w h a t w i p e d out Polio ! http://
members, t ripod.com/DrSugi/polio.h tmi
tedeum
S0APS G
AM excellent article by Neenyah Ostrom which questions so
much of what we've been told about Polio virus and the : • saco/ tree Śkitteaw öSs|rSreS6ijis Ш
Polio vaccine. You need adobe acrobat reader (it's free) for ШИШ fier"i extra ••••: v.- ¡Й
this P a g e . http://www.chronicillnet.org/articles/ • , IhetBOÄ 9_nBBuf all
paralyticpolio.pdf Pure, luxurious Ca-ítik: Ёйагяраоз
The Lethal Dangers ofthe Billion!Dollar Vaccine Business,
by Andrea R o c k " a n excellent article from Money Magazine _2 and natural Freo bars deiefgarüs
.....,..,... .,,, -.,...
••$•.
'
" http://www.mindspring.com/"schlafly/vac/money.txt ski n ca re made sh imica •• i ; lives
Sd ! 1С ""•:• —til llü ¡i
ìli the •:.-;. ' s
Cri г.!i . ': : •• "г
The hug!a!bub will save you time, traditional way. Fo! •• ,::".!;" '"•.:•.'• МЧЙ ... i
money and.,.your sanity. •".: rani
*í*.{jisli.--i_i:r_._i!..i1>- .i L.p
When your Ьй_*уteelusa ta yam tieart" Kulma
She ¡h« ai that $ы? rwetfe Anti 1Ы as you '.:.. • s ' '.•-'•.• I"; Bit І '•'.!' ! :
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, .'. j ' :.;•::» •..' '.': іа*.Ш_І : S
prudüb-t!. tu Éarity, -rstjraäl and separarte you
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frem jfi-jr baby. Mo reed to щяга ïIDUTS
.' гяім.уіЬп ',ip,
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;fcr mere Wrrri-tänn, arbeta- aid _tа_тюпи_ /

YiWw.hugabub.CûiTi 1 02 6665 5569 s о¿ips.com .au
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