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Much of the world is eagerly awaiting the release of this new flu vaccine. Many people -- including government health authorities, doctors and lay people -- view a swine flu vaccine as the solution to the current H1N1 flu pandemic.
For them, five months is too long to wait. Never mind if it is far too short a time to fully test the safety of a new drug or vaccine.
They believe a H1N1 vaccine will prevent further spread of the flu. They never question if such a vaccine will indeed prove to be effective. Worse still, they never consider the possible flu shot side effects.
In Singapore, for example, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) at end-July sent out to all households a booklet titled Frequently Asked Questions about Influenza A (H1N1 2009).
The booklet mentions in passing that antiviral drugs for the flu, such as Tamiflu and Relenza, may produce side effects. But it does not elaborate on what these side effects might be. With regards to possible swine flu vaccine side effects, however, not a single word was written. The HPB ignores the issue completely, as if such effects either do not exist or are not important enough for the public to be informed.
Such an omission could have been deliberate, with the aim of not discouraging people from getting themselves vaccinated. It could equally have been merely careless -- perhaps the booklet was prepared by a junior officer, or more probably, by a public relations / advertising agency copywriter, who is unaware about flu vaccine side effects.
Either way, I consider it highly irresponsible. Here is a link to a letter I wrote to the Singapore press about this.
The US Center for Disease Control, even though it encourages vaccination, is at least responsible enough to list out the more common side effects of flu vaccines, including a possible swine flu vaccine. Whether it is right in leaving out serious side effects like the crippling disease Guillian Barr syndrome, is debatable since such side effects are claimed to be rare.
Consumers who wish to find out the full facts about swine flu vaccine thus have to turn to websites such as this one, which discusses topics such as:
Thankfully, in this Internet age, there is another source of information about the possible harm of a swine flu vaccine. Several prominent doctors have written commentaries about why a flu vaccine might prove deadlier than the flu itself and some of these commentaries are being actively forwarded in e-mails.
Making active rounds is a commentary by Dr Russell Blaylock, titled Vaccine may be more dangerous than swine flu. Dr Blaylock, a neurosurgeon, is probably best known for his books about the harm of aspartame and MSG, which he described as excitotoxins -- substances that excite brain cells to the point of death.
He is also a staunch opponent of vaccination and his website has many articles the harm of vaccines. In the artcle about the swine flu vaccine, dated 7 July 2009, Dr Blaylock raises concerns about both the track records of vaccine manufacturers Baxter and Novartis, and the technologies they use for this new vaccine:
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The Baxter vaccine, called Celvapan, has had fast track approval. It uses a new vero cell technology, which utilizes cultured cells from the African green monkey. This same animal tissue transmits a number of vaccine-contaminating viruses, including the HIV virus.
The Baxter company has been associated with two deadly scandals. The first event occurred in 2006 when hemophiliac components were contaminated with HIV virus and injected in tens of thousands of people, including thousands of children. Baxter continued to release the HIV contaminated vaccine even after the contamination was known. The second event occurred recently when it was discovered that Baxter had released a seasonal flu vaccine containing the bird flu virus, which would have produced a real world pandemic, to 18 countries. Fortunately, astute lab workers in the Czech Republic discovered the deadly combination and blew the whistle before a worldwide disaster was unleashed. |
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Novartis appears to have won the contract, since their vaccine is near completion. What is terrifying is that these pandemic vaccines contain ingredients, called immune adjuvants, that a number of studies have shown cause devastating autoimmune disorders, including rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis and lupus.
Animal studies using this adjuvant have found them to be deadly. A study using 14 guinea pigs found that when they were injected with the special adjuvant, only one animal survived. A repeat of the study found the same deadly outcome... Studies of other immune adjuvants using careful tracer techniques have shown that they routinely enter the brain following vaccination. What most people do not know, even the doctors who recommend the vaccines, is that most such studies by pharmaceutical companies observe the patients for only one to two weeks following vaccination -- these types of reactions may take months or even years to manifest. |
Also widely circulated is an interview by the German newspsper Spiegel, with epidemologist Tom Jefferson, covering a wide range of issues -- dangerous fear-mongering, misguided, money-driven research and why we should all be washing our hands a lot more often.
Here is the section where Mr Jefferson speaks about the new swine flu vaccine and flu vaccinations in general:
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SPIEGEL: For a number of years... 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 the flu virus in circulation will have changed by the time that the vaccine product is finished with 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. |
There are lots more similar articles and it is not difficult to find them via an Internet search. However, probably the best indication that a new flu vaccine may not be all that safe comes from a recent news report about a new legislation passed by the US government.
On 17 July 2009, it was reported that “Vaccine makers and federal officials will be immune from lawsuits that result from any new swine flu vaccine, under a document signed by Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius."
The background to this?
The last time a swine flu vaccine was developed was in 1976. That year, some soldiers at Fort Dix, New Jersey, developed swine flu and one died. Fearing a pandemic similar to the 1918 Spanish flu, the US government launched a massive campaign and had 40 million Americans vaccinated.
What happened next? Well, a pandemic did not happen. Instead, thousands of people filed lawsuits claiming that they suffered serious side effects, particularly Guillian-Barre Syndrome, a disease that causes crippling of the limbs. The US. And the US governement ended up paying out what one law professor describes as "quite a lot of money".
So now the government still wants to have people vaccinated, but it will not allow them to sue if things go wrong.
Will things actually go wrong? Perhaps it is too early to tell. But if you look at the list of flu vaccine ingredients, you should not be surprised if things do go wrong. So far, the swine flu vaccine does not have a good track record.