The United States embarked on a “universal” program for hepatitis B vaccination in 1991. As of this month, there have been 47,198 reports to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System describing complications following the administration of the hepatitis B vaccine alone or with other vaccines. Of these, 23,406 reports — including 795 deaths — have been about children 14 years of age and younger.

“Influenza vaccination during all trimesters of pregnancy is now universally recommended in the United States. We critically reviewed the influenza vaccination policy of the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice (ACIP) and the citations that were used to support their recommendations.” Thus began the abstract to a paper by David Ayoub, MD, and me, which was just published in the summer issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.

As with many complex issues, unless a question is probed deeply and exhaustively, the most interesting and cogent points may be missed. So it is with a 2005 study on Gulf War Syndrome (GWS) and autism, “Chronic Mycoplasmal Infections in Gulf War Veterans’ Children and Autism Patients”...

An article by human rights journalist Anai Rhoads Ford entitled “Why signing a waiver to avoid vaccines can be considered abuse” was recently circulated to parents’ groups in the United States. Originally written in the fall of 2005, it says, “Recently, The Washington Post printed an article about vaccine waivers that could jeopardize your parental rights. In the article was the following comment: ‘The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that doctors ask parents who refuse to vaccinate their children to sign a waiver indicating they are aware of the risks of refusal.’”

The polio vaccine: a critical assessment of its arcane history, efficacy, and long-term health-related consequences

In an August 2005 Red Flags’ column, I commented on a mumps outbreak in the United Kingdom and how the Department of Health and the press suggested, as usual, that somehow it was caused by researcher Andrew Wakefield’s 1998 Lancet publication, in which he suggested that more investigation was indicated into the role of the MMR vaccine, if any, in regressive autism.

“When looking for health information on the Internet, don’t believe everything you see. Articles published in peer-reviewed medical journals are checked for accuracy, but anyone can put information on the Internet, so there’s no guarantee that the information you find is accurate or up-to-date.”

This statement made last month (1) by someone at the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) is obviously not always true. The accuracy of peer-reviewed studies about arthritis drugs, specifically, has been in question lately in the news and in the courts.  

In the United States, we have Emeril Lagasse and then we have the CDC.

Lagasse grew up in Fall River, Massachusetts and was apparently talented enough to become a career musician. Instead, he became America’s most famous TV chef. After graduating from the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, he trained in Lyon and Paris. When he returned to the U.S., he worked in well-known restaurants in Boston, New York, Philadelphia and New Orleans, where he later opened his first restaurant; he now owns several.

We have five pet “great-grandchildren:” Cracker, a golden retriever; Lola, a bichon frise, whose buddy is a cat named Tessa; Charlie, a cavalier King Charles spaniel; and Yen, a 10-year-old, grey-and-white, all-American cat. Charlie required a pre-adoption interview, 200 miles away from home and cost as much as my first three cars combined. Yen came free from the neighbors who moved to a no-pet condominium.

One of my favorite “Candid Camera” segments was on a new employee in a pie company whose job it was to pick up each pie arriving on a conveyor belt, slip it into a box, turn around and put the box on a second conveyor belt. He did fine for a short while; then the show’s producers cranked up the first conveyor belt and the pies arrived so fast that they were falling on the floor or flying across the room. I feel the same way as that worker. I am simply unable to keep up with all the vaccines that are being released at record speed. No one really can.

3 and [1 +1] ≠ 5

U.S. pediatricians may or may not have noticed the eye-catching headline in the October issue of Pediatric News: “Immunogenic Surprises Limit Combo Vaccines.”

The article by Nancy Walsh started, “Efforts to develop combination vaccines that would streamline immunization schedules have hit some surprising snags including unpredictable immunogenicity, Jim P. Buttery, MD, said at the international congress of the world Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases.”

The good people of Houston, Texas had more bad news last Friday.

This time it was not a hurricane coming their way. 

According to Armando Villafranca of the Houston Chronicle (1), more than 1,000 Exxon Mobil employees and 80 contractors may have received a “fake” flu shot at a health fair that was held at a company complex on Oct. 19 and 20. The “vaccines” were administered by a “state-licensed independent physician’s office” with whom the company had contracted — not by the company’s medical team, as in previous years. The spokesperson for Exxon Mobile said that all 3,800 employees at that particular complex and all contractors were notified and that the company recommended that employees who actually received the “flu shot” be tested for blood-borne infections. 

Dear Red Flags Readers,

We received the following pamphlet from India this morning and would like to share it with you. 

It is safe to say that many of us know very little about autism in India and about the vaccination practices in that country. The attached pamphlet demonstrates how well-informed Indian parents are about autism research and how concerned they are about pediatric vaccination practices.

In “Trust me: I have the statistics to prove it,“ (1) I described the findings published on July 29, 2005 in the Mortality and Morbidity Weekly Report of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) under the title “National, State, and Urban Area Vaccination Coverage Among Children Aged 19-35 Months — United States, 2004.” (2)

It was evident that the CDC took great pride in the achievements of its National Immunization Program (NIP) and particularly in the results of a 2004 vaccination survey, which showed that the 80.9 percent vaccination coverage for the 4:3:1:3:3 series of children aged 19-35 months had exceeded the Healthy People 2010 goal. 

In the spring of 2004, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that all children 6- to 23-months of age be vaccinated against influenza because they were at “substantially increased risk for influenza-related hospitalizations.” (1)

A review in The Lancet suggests that influenza vaccination of infants is useless.

What is ProQuad?

1. A glorious four-wheeling experience in Southern France?
2. A fast roller skate?
3. A titanium fishing lure?
4. A new vaccine?
5. All of the above?

If you answered number 5, you are correct.

In the hills of southern France, sightseers use four-wheel, all-terrain vehicles to enjoy the breathtaking scenery of the “Cotes du Luberon” during the day and relax with the wonderful meals and wines of the region in the evening. “This is the real Provence, full of character. A sweet dolce vita of a climate and pure clean air which just breathes the incredible contrasts between a rich, and variable natural environment: the blue strides of lavender, the subtle nuances of green in the forests, the flamboyant and blinding colors of the cliffs of ochre, or the austere white of the limestone hills.” (1, 2)

There is a new concept in vaccination practices these days. If for some reason you cannot vaccinate group A — or if such vaccination is not effective — then vaccinate group B instead.

This notion was illustrated in a remarkable statement by Stephen Cochi, acting chief of the National Immunization Program (NIP) at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in response to the good news survey discussed in “Trust Me. I Have The Statistics” (1)

Mumps suddenly a serious problem

Ill-advised decisions by U.K. medical authorities may have put children in harm’s way

The department of health in the United Kingdom has blamed physician Andrew Wakefield for declining MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccination rates since he suggested that monovalent, or single, measles, mumps and rubella vaccines be made available alongside the triple live-virus vaccine.

LEARNING FROM THE FRENCH EXPERIENCE

This update has been written for the numerous prescribers and health professionals who are logically disturbed by a growing discrepancy between the recommendation to protect public heath by hepatitis-B vaccination (HBV) and an accumulation of alarming data on the hazards of this prophylaxis.

See also Concerns about the Infant Mortality Rate in the United States

As anyone who has read “Concerns about the Infant Mortality Rate in the United States” would know, I only included –for the sake of brevity- the first and last “Shaken Baby Syndrome” reports to VAERS.

After submitting the article – an Infant Mortality Rate analysis - to Red Flags, I started wondering what a review of ALL eight “Shaken Baby Syndrome” reports to VAERS would have shown.

According to a November 24, 2004 report from the Centers for Disease control and Prevention (CDC), the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) increased to 7.0 infant deaths per 1,000 live births in 2002 from the record low of 6.8 per 1,000 live births in 2001 - the first rise in the U.S. IMR in over forty years.

Very few today would question that we are dealing with increasing patterns of sickness in today’s children as compared with earlier generations. Neurobehavioral problems are epidemic including autism, learning disabilities, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. In my experience, when elementary school teachers have been questioned about this matter, answers have been unanimous and emphatic, that they are now seeing a much greater incidence of these disorders with almost visible increases by the year. The same can be said for allergies and general patterns of sickness.

My primary interest is Regressive Autism, its incidence and its MMR connection.

In the United Kingdom, the issue of MMR remains in the forefront with a David and Goliath scenario unfolding for the last seven years: On one side, the mighty Government, the Prime-Minister personally, the Health authorities, the Press –some of it very ugly- and large useless epidemiological studies and on the other side, Andrew Wakefield with his study of 12 children and a small group of faithful devoted and informed parents.

• Adding a mercury preservative to vaccines over six decades ago was reckless.
• Not offering thimerosal-free vaccines to American children during the nineties - when those vaccines were available for Scandinavian children - was wrong.
• Ultimately, the truth comes out.

1. Thimerosal

Thimerosal is a water-soluble organic mercury compound that has been used as a preservative in vaccines and pharmaceutical products – from eye drops to hemorrhoidal ointments - since the late 1930’s. It contains approximately 49% mercury and is metabolized in the body to ethylmercury and thiosalicylate. The product is also called Elicide, Mercurorothiolate, Merfamine, Merthiolate, Mertorgan, Merzonin, Thimerosalate, Thimersal and Thiomersalate. According to the CDC, Thimerosal has been used in injectable vaccines because “it is effective in killing bacteria and in preventing bacterial contamination, particularly in opened, multidose containers”.

An excellent article was just published in the March issue of Vaccine: To vaccinate or not to vaccinate-that is the question: why are some mothers opposed to giving their infants hepatitis B vaccine?

A new MMR-Autism epidemiological study from Japan has just been published.
No effect of MMR withdrawal on the incidence of autism:
a total population study

Honda H, Shimizu Y and Rutter M

 

Epidemiology cannot disprove causation

They are at it again. Those determined federalists and lobbyists for big Pharma, who view informed consent advocates and vaccine victims as an impediment to exercising more control over and making more money off of America’s forced vaccination system. This time, they are using the public’s memory of September 11, 2001 to push a Senate bill (S.3) deceptively entitled "Protecting America in the War on Terror Act of 2005."

Apples and Oranges Too

The following two statements are frequently heard:

• Flu kills some 30,000 Americans a year
• Flu vaccination saves many lives, particularly among the elderly.

Many have questioned the first statement and wondered how that figure of 30,000 a year was reached, particularly when it is well known that flu seasons, like the weather, are so variable every year.

The flu vaccine manufactured by Chiron in its British plant was banned for use in the United States. The CDC mounted an intense publicity campaign in the fall of 2004 because of the resulting “perceived” shortage.

The “threatening” epidemic never materialized and the flu season will be ending soon.

The following are the lessons to be learned from this season’s happenings:

At the present time Americans and their children are in the midst of an epidemic of chronic disease and disability. The Centers for Disease Control admits that 1 American child in 166 has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. In 1970, autism affected 4 in 10,000 children. By 1991, 5,000 autistic children were in the public school system; by 2001, that number had grown to 94,000.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes weekly reports during the influenza season. The latest available report (1), written on November 24, describes the Influenza activity during week 46 of 2004 (November 14 to 20).  

The population of the United States was estimated at slightly above 294.8 million that week.

A total of 1,118 specimens were submitted for viral testing to the U.S. World Health Organization (WHO) and National Respiratory and Enteric Virus Surveillance System (NREVSS) collaborating laboratories during that week. Of these, 36 (3.2%) were positive: 9 were influenza A (H3N2) viruses, 18 were influenza A viruses (not sub-typed), and 9 were influenza B viruses.

On September 30th, Merck and Company announced the “Voluntary Worldwide Withdrawal of VIOXX®” (1). By now, everyone has obviously heard that VIOXX has been withdrawn, that thousands of people may have suffered heart attacks or strokes and that the FDA may have been aware of problems with the drug for sometime.

What seems to have been less noticed is the fact that the withdrawal of VIOXX was “worldwide” and that is where the difference between drugs and vaccines is so evident. When a drug is found to have caused problems, it is just withdrawn from the shelves and returned to the manufacturer. In the case of VIOXX, printed forms were made available in doctors’ offices that patients can complete and return to the manufacturer with any and all unused pills in their original package and the sales slip, for a partial refund. More importantly, the company stopped manufacturing the product all together.

The most recent drug debacle surrounding Vioxx lays bare the irresponsible actions of Merck. The FDA estimates that more than 27,000 cases of acute myocardial infarction and sudden cardiac death occurred in the USA between 1999 and 2003 due to Vioxx. Could this be a direct result of Merck changing its core values from “People above Profits” to “profits above all else”? Already feeling the economic hit as stock values tumble, more bloodletting is bound to follow as the lawsuits filed against Merck start pouring in. Merck’s likely litigation bill is targeted to be a staggering US$10-15billion.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acted responsibly when it was confronted by a serious flu vaccine shortage this fall, that resulted from the banning and withdrawal of several thousand doses of vaccine manufactured in a particular British plant, because of contamination with Serratia marcescens.

Note:  This and all future Red Flags and Scandals columns will be dedicated in loving memory to Nicholas Regush, my mentor, my adviser, my inspiration, but most of all, my friend.  I will never forget you, Nicholas.

"Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty." - Wendell Phillips (1811-1884), paraphrasing John Philpot Curran (1808)

Resistance to any and all evidence suggesting that vaccination can be harmful to certain children, even contributing to their death, is one of the most confounding and consequential obstacles hindering meaningful pursuit of the truth about vaccines. 

Finland is a small and ethnically homogeneous country with a population between 5 and 6 million since 1991. In 2001, foreigners were fewer than 100,000. A national vaccination campaign in Finland effectively eliminated measles, mumps and rubella from the country. A striking increase in several chronic debilitating syndromes has been reported nationwide following the campaign. A causal association has been denied so far, but not convincingly so for many.

Harold E Buttram, MD & Alan R Yurko

Based on personal experiences of the authors in reviewing many cases diagnosed as shaken baby syndrome (SBS), there has been a common pattern of unexpected and sudden onset of apnea with respiratory collapse (cessation of breathing) in a time-related fashion following routine childhood immunizations. For the most part these collapses have occurred during the first 6 or 7 months of life during the time period of routine 2, 4, and 6-month immunizations. It is the purpose of this article to review existing medical evidence and literature indicating that it is both possible and plausible that there is a direct causal relation between immunizations and the abrupt onset of apnea seen in many SBS cases.

Years ago, the description of diseases used to be accurate. Smallpox was a very dreaded, serious, and often fatal illness. Certainly, no parent wished smallpox on his children. Chickenpox on the other hand was a relatively benign illness: a low-grade fever, an itchy rash and a week out of school. Like all childhood illnesses, it was worse in adults and parents were actually hoping that their children could “catch chickenpox” and be finished with it for the future.

The headlines are arresting, the hope almost palpable: Vaccine 'could beat meningitis'; Scientists: Meningitis Vaccine Breakthrough; Meningitis experts pin hopes on new vaccine; Research Raises Hope for New Meningitis Vaccine.

But what is this "meningitis" and can a vaccine really protect us from it?

more here...

Now that "mad cows" are once again in the news, the question on everyone's mind seems to be whether or not ingestion of an infected cow will result in the human form of mad cow disease, vCJD (variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease). What isn't on many people's minds, or widely known, but probably should be, is the fact that vaccine cell cultures, the media in which vaccines are necessarily grown, are rife with animal diseases.

The Disease

Pertussis or Whooping Cough is an acute infectious disease caused by Bordetella pertussis.  The disease has been described for centuries; the organism was first isolated in 1906. Whooping cough is transmitted through the respiratory route usually by droplets of secretions.

The incubation period is usually 7 to 14 days but may be as short as 5 days and as long as 21 days. The disease evolves in three phases. Patients are most contagious during the initial catarrhal stage consisting usually of minor cold symptoms and a slight nocturnal cough. During the paroxysmal stage, which may last for several weeks, the patient has the more characteristic coughing spells, which culminate in an inspiratory whoop and are often followed by vomiting. There is usually a marked leucocytosis (increased white count) and lymphocytosis (increased lymphocyte count). In newborns and young infants, whooping cough may present as apnea and cyanotic spells. During the convalescent stage, the paroxysms subside; the patient coughs less and clinical improvement becomes evident.

As the physician in charge of a bustling Integrative medical clinic, questions about vaccines frequently arise. After reading about the MedImmune-Walmart joint venture, I felt compelled to warn our patients and our internet subscribers of the potentially serious complications that may come from direct and passive exposure to this new vaccine. I also wanted to give a "heads up" to everyone regarding the onslaught of advertising that is about to besiege them.

The results of my new study published in the October 1, 2003, issue of the European journal Vaccine indicate that a higher than expected number of shingles cases was reported among children with a previous history of chickenpox. The rates observed approach those normally seen only in older adults.  Results of the study suggest mass vaccination with varicella (chickenpox) vaccine may be responsible for this adverse effect.  Complications from shingles, which is caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus that lies dormant in the body, result in about three times the number of hospitalizations and five times the number of deaths as those from chickenpox disease itself. Shingles, usually mild in children, can be severe in adults.

From the Pink Sheets to the VAERS Reports

The pink sheets are the minutes of meetings between the vaccine manufacturers and the vaccine authorities and their committees.

VAERS reports are reports of side effects of vaccines made to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System.

On March 27, 2001, Judy Converse, testifying before the Massachusetts House of Representatives Committee on Education, Arts and Humanities (1), stated the following:

Sudden Infant Death Syndrome in VAERS: A Review, published on September 22, 2003 at the redflagsdaily.com Online Conference on Vaccines, raised many questions. One of them was whether the cases of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) under the age of 1 month, which were reported to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), could have been related to the Hepatitis B vaccination, which was administered alone to the infants shortly after birth.

No one would really argue that vaccination decision is a gamble. You either risk potential vaccination effects or potential disease effects.  All smart gamblers ought to know the odds, especially when the lives of children are at stake.

After attending an Institute of Medicine’s Vaccine Safety Review Session, titled "Potential Role of Vaccination in Sudden Unexplained Death in Infancy" held in October of 2002. I submitted these comments on October 28 to the IOM for the record.

SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) is, by definition, the sudden and unexpected death of an apparently healthy infant, whose death remains unexplained after the performance of an adequate postmortem investigation. This includes (1) an autopsy, (2) investigation of the scene and circumstances of the death and (3) exploration of the medical history of the infant and family. SIDS (ICD 9 Code7980) was defined as a syndrome in 1969. It is also known as crib death or cot death.

It is one of the most successful public relations stories of the last two centuries:
the worldwide acceptance of mass vaccination to suppress infectious diseases. Yet the universal use of vaccines as a worthy goal that prevents needless suffering and benefits all mankind has begun to be challenged by a growing number of parents and physicians in the U.S., Canada and Europe. At the heart of the heated public debate is a challenge to the premise that mass vaccination with multiple vaccines safely and effectively controls diseases and improves individual and public health.

There is a webpage floating out there in cyberspace that nicely illustrates the rabidly pro-vaccine camp's attitude about vaccine risks specifically, and the truth in general. Just as they promote injections, with virtually no proper follow-up, i.e., by shooting first, etc., some are not at all reluctant to launch what I consider to be unfair and misleading attacks, failing to determine the fairness and accuracy of their claims.

An ongoing look at the poor quality of vaccine research

One of the biggest challenges facing those of us concerned about vaccine safety and effectiveness is the widespread disbelief that considerable vaccine damage could be occurring. While this perception can probably be blamed on a variety of factors, overcoming it at least partly depends on exposing the generally poor quality of vaccine research.

A former National Cancer Institute Director, Richard D. Klausner, is being called on the congressional carpet to explain why he personally accepted money from universities and research institutes to which the NCI awarded multi-million-dollar research grants during his tenure as Director.

A CDC press release, dated March 28, 2003, tells us seven cases of "cardiac adverse events [three myocardial infarctions, two cases of angina, and two cases of myopericarditis] have been reported among civilian vaccinees since the beginning of the smallpox vaccination program." And another ten cases of myopericarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle and outer lining of the heart) were reported among those in the military who received the vaccine.

Something Rotten In The State Of Research

In an earlier column, I promised that, although I didn't agree with one argument typically used against the notion that vaccines are effective, there was plenty that could said about it, and that more would follow.

Recent headlines provided a humdinger of an opportunity: "Pneumonia Vaccine Doesn't Work for Elderly" and "Vaccine insufficient for elderly, study says".

Whose job is it, anyway?

Two important jobs it is hoped and expected that both health experts and the media will fulfill properly, are getting the facts, and getting them straight. Unfortunately, time and time again, the public has been let down on both scores. Perhaps no example illustrates this point better than recent events regarding the smallpox vaccine and cardiac events.

Obviously, no one can know everything, or even close to it. That's why we need experts and their expert advice.

But even the most expert advice is imperfect, and the most expert advice, rare. We are left with having to judge such advice with inexpert knowledge.

more here...

The definition of a "fanatic", according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is "a person marked or motivated by an extreme, unreasoning enthusiasm, as for a cause." A definition of "faith" in the same dictionary is "belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence".

When do promoters of a cause cross the line from being dedicated to fanatical? When do their methods move from being based on reason to being based on faith?

I told you so. I told you so in the scientific literature. I told you so on the internet. I told you that an HIV vaccine would never work.

This week, the long-awaited results from an independent trial of the world’s best hope for stopping AIDS with a vaccine have shown it to be a failure, disaster, catastrophe, folly,

Amid the glib reassurances, the unremitting claims that "the benefits of vaccines (far) outweigh their risks", the CDC quietly released some of the results of eleven years of vaccine adverse events reported to VAERS.

During the period covered, over 125,000 adverse reactions to vaccination were reported.

more here...

Resistance to any and all evidence against vaccination - it is among the most confounding and consequential of the obstacles hindering meaningful pursuit of the truth about vaccines.

Perhaps the most puzzling resistance can be found among some parents whose children may have been harmed by vaccines.

more here...

Vaccines are usually touted as one of the safest, most effective public health measures of all time. One of the cornerstones of vaccine policy is that regardless of arguable risk, vaccines are very effective at preventing disease.

more here...

Vaccinations - Garbage In/Less Than All The Garbage Out?

One of the many questions troubling those of us concerned about vaccine safety and their use is just exactly where that which is injected (or ingested or inhaled) goes after it enters the body. Unfortunately this question doesn't even seem to enter the radar screen of many who promote vaccination.

more here...

Recently, a number of highly provocative and substantive disclosures have been reported in the mainstream press. These revelations, combined with a growing number of other important admissions threaten to shake the very foundation upon which official vaccine policy, and the rationale underlying their use, rests.

more here...

When is an oops not really an oops? When you get to solve the problems you cause, and make money doing both!

With great fanfare, but amid considerable debate and hesitation, the chicken pox vaccine emerged on the scene in 1995. Never mind that prior to introduction of the vaccine, chicken pox among children was considered a benign disease, with relatively few serious, long-term complications and rarely a death. Never mind that getting chickenpox in childhood generally confers lifelong immunity, thereby preventing its occurrence during adulthood, when it can be severe. Never mind that getting the vaccine during childhood may increase the likelihood of getting the disease as an adult. (Although it's too soon to tell if chickenpox vaccine received during childhood can be counted on to work throughout adulthood, we now know that measles and other vaccine immunity does appear to wane over time.) Never mind that the strongest argument proffered in favor of the vaccine was eliminating "work days lost". (And what about those parents who are willing and able to stay home and care for their children? Make it difficult! Get states to mandate the vaccine for school entry!)

The Homeland Security Act - The Aftermath

What just happened? What are the problems with the Homeland Security Bill? Can they be fixed?

For those of you who were visiting Mars during the past couple of weeks, Congress just passed a last minute version of the Homeland Security Bill, one which contained many provisions never before included, some which had either failed to go anywhere (e.g., the "Frist Bill"), and others that had been thought to be under the jurisdiction of each individual state.

Last week, in a surprise move right before Congress was scheduled to adjourn for the year, a Homeland Security Bill was dropped in the laps of the U.S. House. This bill contained new provisions, some of which had never been discussed or even seen by most House or Senate members, as well as some highly questionable riders few seemed to have known about, including one which would force all litigation against thimerosal manufacturers such as Eli Lilly, into the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP). Rather than take a chance that the public would decry any effort to defeat the Homeland Security Bill, given the unprecedented mid-term "sweep" by the Republicans, thought by many to have been due to public frustration with Senate failure to pass the earlier Homeland Security Bill (which the House had passed months before), the House quickly voted to accept the new version. They then adjourned.

Waters & Kraus, the lead law firm in a consortium of law suits concerning thimerosal in vaccines and consequent neurological damage resulting in autism, just released its most recent bombshell: Eli Lilly, as early as the 1930's, was apparently aware of the harmful nature of thimerosal in vaccines. In an earlier press release Waters & Kraus also revealed that the CDC withheld critical evidence to the Institute of Medicine, instead supplying inconclusive information which contributed to the IOM's (lack of) conclusions regarding thimerosal in vaccines. These facts have only been obtained as a result of the judicial discovery process and would not be known now were it not for pending lawsuits.

If there ever has been a vaccine that, at least on the surface, looks like a hands-down success story, it would have to be the Hib vaccine, against haemophilus influenzae type b, a bacterial infection (in spite of its name), which can be serious and occurs primarily among children under 5 (although breastfeeding is an effective preventative). The best known serious complication of this disease is meningitis, but other very major complications, including epiglottitis, pneumonia, and cellulitis also can result.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) just released its report on the possible relationship between SV40, known to have once contaminated the polio vaccine, and cancer. The committee got a lot right in this mostly excellent review in which they concluded that the "evidence is inadequate to accept or reject a causal relationship". Nevertheless, some aspects of the report warrant discussion.

We Americans are sometimes a bit smug when it comes to our attitudes, especially re: how we compare to other nations and cultures. So it may come as a bit of a surprise to some of us to learn that we don't always score as high as we might think, and, in particular, that we are mistaken in our opinion that we are inevitably tops when it comes to reverence and regard for life, even the lives of our children.

Thank you, Congressman Shays

Those of you who have been following me over the years know that my mantra has always been that there are almost no vaccine safety or efficacy studies using never vaccinated children as controls. (1, 2, 3) It has long been my hope that I would somehow be able to make that point to the right person or persons, to appeal to someone who might have the ability to seriously address the problem.

On September 24th, The Boston Globe reported that 20,000 health care workers will receive the smallpox vaccine. Michael Kranish wrote that "Doctors, nurses, and others who receive the smallpox vaccine might need a three week furlough because, in rare cases, the vaccination could spread sickness, the plan says.

For No Good Reason: The Utterly Misguided Universal Infant Hepatitis B Vaccination Policy

It was hard to believe from the outset - recommending universal vaccination of infants for a lifestyle disease, one normally involving intravenous drug use or promiscuous sex.

more here...

Increasing coverage has been given to what is being termed an "epidemic" in autism and neurobehavioral disorders. Statistics gathered by the State of California Department of Education show that as many as 1 child in 150 suffers from autism. This represents an increase of almost 1200% in the last 10 years of reported cases.

THE NEED TO LOOK BEYOND POLIO VACCINES

Two articles in the April 12, 2002 edition of Science focus attention on a recent outbreak of paralytic disease on the island of Hispaniola. One of the concerns raised is that a type of polio-related virus utilized in polio vaccine underwent changes and combined with a "wild type" enterovirus, and then spread to cause more than 20 virus-confirmed cases of paralytic poliomyelitis.

SO MANY OBSTACLES, SO LITTLE COMMITMENT

This week I got calls from two people, unknown to each other, who had developed pemphigus vulgaris after receiving anthrax vaccine. Pemphigus vulgaris (which I’ll call PV for short) is a rare autoimmune disease in which thin-walled blisters form on the skin and mucous membranes, caused by antibodies that bind to the skin cells which then separate from each other. In the past it was 60% to 90% fatal, but now, with the wonders of steroids and immunosuppressants, it is only about 10% fatal. (The 10% includes those who die from side effects of the treatment.) PV most commonly occurs in the elderly. The two people I spoke with were in their twenties and thirties.

More On The Inadequate Testing Of Drugs

One question that I believe needs a legal resolution is the difference between "research" and "unlicensed use in the absence of research" of investigational products.

FDA generally approves an investigational new drug application (IND) to permit drug developers to perform human studies of the drug. The intention is to gain evidence of safety and efficacy for eventual licensure.