This blog entry is authored by David Wee, one of Orin Levine's graduate students at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. This post is the second of a three week series entitled "Tomorrow's Vaccine Policy Leaders."
A new study has found that 12 percent of American parents force their children to smoke.
Now that I have your attention, allow me to settle your anxiety for a moment by telling you that, fortunately, no such study exists.
But don't relax just yet.
While there is no evidence that parents are forcibly putting their children at risk for small cell lung cancer, millions of American parents are putting their children at risk for at least one of many potentially fatal and entirely preventable diseases.
In an article published on Monday in the April issue of Pediatrics, researchers from the University of Michigan have found that 12 percent of parents in the US have refused at least one recommended vaccine for their children, taking part in the allowance for philosophical exemptions from childhood vaccine mandates. While critics of such policies believe that mandates should be tightened in order to improve compliance and public health, advocates contend that such measures would place unnecessary restrictions on the personal freedoms that make our country great. However, a properly functioning democracy relies on well-informed citizens, so let's get the facts straight.
It's obvious that leaving one's children unvaccinated will put them at a higher risk of contracting a preventable disease, but that possibility is commonly underestimated by parents in developed countries like ours where vaccine coverage is high and once widespread vaccine preventable diseases, like measles, rubella, and diphtheria, are rare.
So just how high is the risk? For one such disease, pertussis, or whooping cough, the odds of getting infected are 23 times higher in unvaccinated children compared to vaccinated children.
To give you a sense of the magnitude of that association, it's about the same as comparing the odds of lung cancer in a person who has smoked at least two packs of cigarettes a day for 20 years to a person who has never smoked a single cigarette in his entire life.
Still don't buy the analogy? Perhaps you're with the 25 percent of parents in the University of Michigan study who believe that vaccines can cause autism. If so, then you're buying into the influence of an anti-vaccine campaign that has dismissed dozens of peer-reviewed studies that demonstrate the safety of vaccines while basing many of its arguments on one scientific study that has since been retracted by the medical journal in which it was published and by 10 of its 13 original co-authors. A major contributor to the retraction was the discovery that the lead author had been paid nearly $800,000 from a law firm involved in class-action lawsuits against vaccine manufacturers.
The discovery of the link between tobacco and lung cancer has been one of the greatest achievements in public health over the last century, an achievement that is significantly overshadowed by the millions if not billions of lives and healthy life years that have been saved by the advent of vaccines. You wouldn't give your children cigarettes; please don't let them live without vaccines.
About the Author
David Wee received his Masters in Global Disease Epidemiology and Control Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and has performed research on dengue fever vaccines. He is currently a student at the University of Michigan Medical School.
Follow Dr. Orin Levine on Twitter: www.twitter.com/orinlevine
The epidemiology we have regarding autism and vaccine ingredients is not any better:
http://www.14studies.org/
According to some it is worse. I believe RKF Jr. said something to the effect, "It's not even high quality fraud."
A more helpful representation of what we "know" and do not know regarding autism causation on at least one line of research is given here:
"To summarize, of the 58 empirical reports on autism and heavy metal toxins, 43 suggest some link may be present, while 13 reports found no link. Even with the tendency for null results not to be reported, it cannot be said there is no evidence for a link between heavy metal toxins and autism: although the question may still be open-in sum, the evidence favors a link."
http://medicalvocis.health.officelive.com/Documents/Sorting%20Out%20the%20Spinning%20of%20Autism%20-%20Heavy%20Metals%20-%20Mercury%20-%20and%20Incidence.pdf
Parents do not need rhetoric. We need honest representation of what we know about all threats to the lives and well-being of our children.
by the two psychologists, Mary Catherine DeSoto, PhD; and Robert T. Hitlan, PhD was fascinating. A good read. Thank you NG4W.
http://www.uni.edu/desoto/vita.htm
The CDC declaration, that the injection of vaccines with the mercury (equivalent to 4 U.S. ounces of D009 mercury hazardous waste) is safe to inject into the bodies of children and pregnant women, is immoral.
And CDC bases this declaration on highly paid off shore researchers like this one:
“Vaccine Researcher Flees with $2M… The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded research conducted by Thorsen and his colleagues at Aarhus University. The CDC asked the researchers to conduct studies to determine whether thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative and adjuvant used in vaccines, played ay role in causing autism.â€
See NBC news at:
http://www.laleva.org/eng/2010/03/nbc_11_atlanta_reports_vaccine_researcher_flees_with_2m.html
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In the fall of 2009, there was the problem of developing a vaccine for the 2009 H1N1 flu fast enough. So that there wasn't as much choice as one would have liked regarding the non-issue of thimerosal in flu vaccine. That shouldn't be a problem this fall because there's been the normal amount of time to make the vaccine.
Those who got the vaccine last year, should get it again as the immunity from the flu through the vaccine wanes very quickly and the flu infecting people will the more dangerous (for the non-elderly) 2009 H1N1 flu. Those who were not vaccinated last year should get vaccinated this fall.
There is no reason for parents to worry about the amount of thimerosal in the flu vaccine. And there is no reason for pregnant women to worry about it either.
But any parents who are worried about it, have a pretty simple solution. Make sure that the flu vaccine you get doesn't have it.
H1N1 Package Insert
"Vaccine have not been established in pregnant women or nursing mothers
or children
When you are being told not to worry, worry! Do the research yourself, it's given to you by the pharmaceutical industry on the package inserts. The risks are not theoretical.
1:110 diagnosed with autism
1:6 receive special education services in the public school
My son is counted amongst the VAERS. He has documented brain damage. His diagnosis is autism, CAPD, SID and bowl disease. It's no joke and not a "non-issue"
H1N1 Package Insert:
"Vaccine have not been established in pregnant women or nursing mothers
or children
AUTISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH
AUG 3, 2010
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/ID/229731
Environmental experts, researchers and a parent of a child with autism testified on the state of research into the role of environmental factors in autism and neuro-development disorders. Among the topics they addressed were research funding, autoimmunity, and the need for more information from chemical companies.
Dr. Linda Birnbaum
Director of the National Institute of Environmental Heath Sciences overseeing autism research and other neruo-developmental research.
"The rapid increase in autism is environmental."
"Windows of susceptibility where chemicals can damage the brain. Chemicals listed as neuro-developmental toxicants’: Lead, Arsenic, Mercury, Manganese, PAH’s, Tobacco and PBDE’s."
Dr. Paul Anastas
Assistant Administrator of the EPA office of research and development and science advisor to the EPA.
"Is this environment or is this genetics? Genetics can’t change this quickly to explain the dramatic increase in autism. Environment + Genetic Susceptibility = Autism. Triggers are released because of environmental exposures."
Sounds a whole lot like what "we've" been saying about this issue all along. Parents we all need to stand together and demand as consumers for safer ingredients and a tailored vaccination schedule. Some children who have immune system alterations might be at high risk for vaccine adverse reactions. Lets filter out these children and not force toxins into their bodies that cause life long disabilities.
“In the United States, companies routinely hire doctors as consultants to market drugs and devices to their colleagues and other health professionals at medical conventions and small gatherings. Such consulting arrangements are legal in the United States as long as the companies do not pay doctors directly to write prescriptions for their products.â€
See http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/14/health/policy/14drug.html?_r=2&hp
And…
See http://adventuresinautism.blogspot.com/2009/12/julie-gerberding-named-head-of-merck.html
What happened to medical ethics based on primum non nocere principle?
Is it now the Kickbacks-r-us principle?
The raw power of the multi-billion $$$ pharmaceutical industry *profoundly* influences medicine at every level: what happens in medical school, clinical practice, medical research, and what medical journals publish. This is becoming a HUGE problem in medicine. Several books written by prominent, mainstream MDs are starting to blow the story wide open (if anyone will listen).
1) “Overdosed America. The Promise of American Medicine. How the Pharmaceutical Companies are Corrupting Science, Misleading Doctors, and Threatening your Health.†By John Abramson MD (Harper Collins, 2005, 2008). Dr. Abramson is on the clinical faculty of Harvard Medical School.
2) “On the Take. How Medicine’s Complicity with Big Business Can Endanger Your Health.†By Jerome P. Kassirer MD (Oxford University Press, 2005). Dr. Kassirer is Distinguished Professor at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. He was Editor-in-Chief of NEJM for more than eight years.
3) The Truth About Drug Companies. How They Deceive Us and What we Can do About It.†By Marcia Angell MD (Random House, 2005). Dr. Angell worked at the NEJM for two decades. She is a former Editor-in-Chief.
Thank you for the excellent book referrals--by MDs with integrity
Kenneth Stoller, a pediatrician, publicly asked this question three years ago “…why haven’t pediatricians come forward to demand the end of the use of ethylmercurithiosalicate [Thimerosal] once and for all, and to advocate for the treatment of these children before it is too late?â€
See http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/eletters/117/4/1028
So where is the answer by pediatricians to this question? Stony silence.
It's eye-opening.
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There is no reason for parents to worry about the amount of thimerosal in the flu vaccine. And there is no reason for pregnant women to worry about it either.
But any parents who are worried about it, have a pretty simple solution. Make sure that the flu vaccine you get doesn't have it.
To the contrary--there is much to worry about !!!
MERCURY KILLS BRAIN CELLS
There are 91 million projected doses of seasonal flu vaccine WITH 50 parts per million mercury (of the 2010-2011 flu vaccine supply contains Thimerosal) recommended for 6 month olds and pregnant women—EACH SHOT WITH THE MERCURY CONTENT EQUIVALENT TO A HALF CUP OF D009 MERURY HAZARDOUS WASTE!
See http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaxsupply.htm#table
See http://www.cdc.gov/FLU/ABOUT/QA/thimerosal.htm
Just more scare tactics.
2) Furthermore, “The level of mercury that is “safe†to the developing nervous system has not been determined.†[1]
3) Indeed, that it is undetermined “what -if any- level of mercury exposure is safe to the developing infant.†[1]
4) “The University of California MIND Institute supports the removal of thimerosal [ethyl mercury] from all vaccines, and encourages parents to specifically request that the vaccines given to their children be thimerosal free. [1]
May I emphasize that the developing spinal cord and brain of term infants, preterm infants, and the fetus is much more susceptible to insult/injury from heavy metal (e.g., lead, methyl mercury, ethyl mercury) and other toxin exposure than an infant even 6 months older. The neurological and immunological system of an infant child undergoes profound development in utero and during the first 6 months of postnatal life. Mercury exposures at this time are extremely risky. “The level of mercury that is “safe†to the developing nervous system has not been determined.â€
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[1] http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/newsroom/vaccineposition.html
6) This means that --unknown-- numbers of pregnant women (and the developing spinal cord and brain of the fetus) and 6+ month old infants are being exposed to a known neurodevelopmental toxicant!!!
7) How is this not a -direct- violation of the landmark July 9, 1999 FDA/AAP/US-PHS “joint statement†calling for vaccine manufacturers to stop using thimerosal as “soon as possible�!?
Fantastic posts below. Bravo! Thanks for all the documentation and links!
“U.S. Inquiry of Drug Makers Is Widenedâ€
See http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/14/health/policy/14drug.html?_r=1&hp .
The NY Times article has a link to the following Merck vaccine manufacturer disclosure:
See http://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/310158/000095012310074336/y83714e10vq.htm .
“As previously disclosed, Old Merck is a party to individual and class action product liability lawsuits and claims in the United States involving pediatric vaccines (e.g., hepatitis B vaccine) that contained thimerosal, a preservative used in vaccines…
In these actions, the plaintiffs allege, among other things, that they have suffered neurological injuries as a result of exposure to thimerosal from pediatric vaccines...
Old Merck has been successful in having cases of this type either dismissed or stayed on the ground that the action is prohibited under the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (the “Vaccine Actâ€)…
The Company is aware that there are approximately 5,000 cases pending in the Vaccine Court involving allegations that thimerosal-containing vaccines and/or the M-M-R II vaccine cause autism spectrum disorders.â€
W. Eugene Smith, in his 1974 book MINAMATA - The story of the poisoning of a city, and of the people who choose to carry the burden of courage, said “The morality that pollution is criminal only after legal conviction is the morality that causes pollution.â€
They lost despite the very low bar set by the 'vaccine court' to succeed. There are quote marks around 'vaccine court' to indicate that while it behaves much like a court, it is actually administering a compensation scheme where the requirements to succeed are very low compared to a regular court.
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1721109,00.html .
Read about the vaccine court ruling on Hannah Poling here:
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1721109,00.html .
That is what the CDC recommends as safe, in a flu shot with Thimerosal preservative, for a 6 month old child.
See http://www.cdc.gov/FLU/ABOUT/QA/thimerosal.htm
But it is perfectly fine when injected into a child or infant in the amount of 12.5 mcg in a flu vaccine.
Those are the facts. There are different limits for different purposes. The original concern with thimerosal was infants getting too much in too many vaccines when they were too young. That concern was answered by removing it from the vaccines given routinely to infants and children in Canada and the US. Aside from a trace amount in one vaccine, the only exposure that still exists is in some flu shots. The first half does is given at 6 months at the earliest. The second half dose no earlier than a month after that. Then a year goes by before another half dose.
So parents, don't let this type of fearmongering change your decision to what is best for your child.This is especially true this year as 2009 H1N1 will be pretty much the only type of flu infecting anyone in 2010-2011. And this is a virus that is particularly dangerous to infants and small children.
“(1) Cause, or significantly contribute to, an increase in mortality or an increase in serious irreversible, or incapacitating reversible, illness; or
(2) Pose a substantial present or potential hazard to human health or the environment when it is improperly treated, stored, transported, disposed of or otherwise managed…â€
See USEPA “Criteria for identifying the characteristics of hazardous waste,†under Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations at part 261.10,
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=cb6b517b9b478f5550877ec90b742de2&rgn=div8&view=text&node=40:25.0.1.1.2.2.1.1&idno=40 .
An unused flu shot with thimerosal preservative at 50 parts per million mercury has 250 times the USEPA D009 hazardous waste mercury level.
It is not allowed to be flushed down a toilet.
"The original concern with thimerosal was infants getting too much in too many vaccines when they were too young"
Where do you come up with this stuff. And, who are you to speak for all the parents and scientists who are concerned with thimerosal.
I love watching you downplay thimerosal exposure. Your are again leaving out key points.
1. Pregnant mothers are being injected with seasonal flu and H1N1 vaccines both of which contain thimerosal. It is well established that thimerosal crosses the placental and blood brain barrier. 50 micrograms of thimerosal exposure before a child is born.
2. Children at the age of 6-7 months of age are being injected with H1N1 and seasonal influenza vaccines. 4 shots total, 50 micrograms of thimerosal exposure.
3. Infants and Children are being injected with the DTaP vaccine which contains trace amounts of thimerosal.
Yes parents don't succumb to the fear-mongering campaign that is orchestrated by the greedy drug companies and paid off government health authorities.
Also the H1N1 has never been tested on pregnant women and infants. So buyers beware.
I think this example simply demonstrates why US courts question the integrity of vaccines cause autism crowd.
The error of inappropriately mixing regulatory standards--and thus coming to absurd conclusions—continues despite all efforts to correct these errors.
BTW—you might want to check what the word safe means in this context.
W&N
See
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001566.htm
Mercury is a neurotoxin. It kills brain cells.
Regarding the vaccine containing the neurotoxin mercury in Thimerosal, the distinction between D009 mercury hazardous waste and flu vaccine with thimerosal is an expiration date.
See
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00001566.htm
and
http://www.epa.gov/ttn/atw/hlthef/mercury.html
An alternative suggestion: the vaccine critics choose not to learn the facts because it is
too psychologically painful for them to learn that they have been played for fools.
Please let us know anytime you are interested in substantive discussion.
W&N
Now that I have your attention, allow me to settle your anxiety for a moment by telling you that, fortunately, no such study exists."
Stopped reading there. HP needs rise above these shenanigans.
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One of my errors in writing on vaccines was that I didn't realize how strongly the consensus had become that autism was a strongly genetic disorder. It was only when I read the thimerosal decisions in the vaccine court did I realize how out of date many vaccination opponents had become.
I haven't read anyone disagreeing with the view of special master (judge) Hastings when he wrote:
"Three basic points concerning the causation of autism, which are well-accepted AND NOT DISPUTED by the petitioners in this case, are relevant here."
..."The first basic point is that there is a very strong genetic component to the causation of autism..." (emphasis added)
http://vaccineswork.blogspot.com/2010/03/amazing-plaintiffs-experts-agreed-with.html
The petitioner's is a reference to the experts hired by the petitioners (parents of autistic children) in the Thimerosal cases before the 'vaccine court.'
Yes, after a million other families have taken the risk on your behalf. That's just plain selfish. What about if everyone thought and acted like you???? Would there by any vaccines?
"This is my personal view ... I am sure that many, if not most, of those others who also advocate vaccination would disagree with me".
You're having enough trouble defending yourself. Don't start defending others as well.
"And it is a view that is subject to change depending on the knowledge that I have and the type of vaccine in question".
So, at the end of the day, you make the decision based on your own analysis.
I ask again: Perhaps you could explain how are you different from those you seek to criticise??
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The current scientific consensus regarding the cause for ASD can be found here.
AUTISM AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH
AUG 3, 2010
http://www.c-spanarchives.org/program/ID/229731
Environmental experts, researchers and a parent of a child with autism testified on the state of research into the role of environmental factors in autism and neuro-development disorders. Among the topics they addressed were research funding, autoimmunity, and the need for more information from chemical companies.
Continued
http://www.robertfkennedyjr.com/docs/ThimerosalScandalFINAL.PDF
I agree it is scandalous that Mr. Kennedy is continuing this misinformation campaign.
Since he trained as a lawyer there is no excuse for him not document the US civil court history—his arguments have all been ruled junked science (aka Tobacco Science); so absurd that they can not even be admitted to court.
Good news: anyone that bothers to look can easily see how Mr. Kennedy gets pretty much everything wrong. Doesn’t change the reality that this article just shameful.
W&N