PAUL OFFIT AND THE NYT

David Kirby has quite a bit to add to the Offit piece over at HuffPo, HERE.

The New York Times ran an Op-Ed piece HERE by Dr. Paul Offit of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia today.  I'm not even going to get into the slap in the face to the Poling family and the 4900+ other families waiting for their cases to be heard. Or the rest of us with a child with autism.  Instead, I'm going to concentrate on how Dr. Offit presents himself. 

Oh, by the way, did you see today's news (HERE)that a panel of cardiologists is recommending that docs STOP prescribing Vytorin for it's clear lack of effectiveness in patients? No wonder Merck wants that Rototeq vaccine that Paul Offit promotes to be injected into every American child three times, by law no less. Got to make up those profits somewhere. Your baby is a fine place to start.

The bio below his Op-Ed piece reads:  "Paul A. Offit, chief of the infectious diseases division of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, is the author of “Vaccinated: One Man’s Quest to Defeat the World’s Deadliest Diseases.”

We thought you should understand the implications of the rest of Dr. Offit's bio (including his disclaimer line in the piece.) Just to be clear. If he's going to speak out in a national publication about the safety of vaccines, you should know that he has a financial interest in vaccinations. And that he has served on the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP.) Perhaps The Times just didn't have enough column inches to spare for that part?

Paul Offit makes money every time your child has her 2 month, 4 month and 6 month well visit and receives the Rotateq vaccine, which is now safely ensconced on the AAP vaccine schedule.

If you don't think it's ethical to proclaim vaccinations as universally safe in a national newspaper without disclosing your financial interest, call Dr. Steven Altschuler, head of CHOP. His number is below. As is the Children's Hospital of Philapdelphia ethics statement HERE.

We perform our work in accordance with the values of the Hospital and its affiliates, which include Compassion, Commitment, Communication, Family-Centered Care, Innovation, Respect, Service Excellence, Teamwork, Accountability, Integrity and Ethical Conduct.
The reputations of the Hospital and its affiliates are among their most valued assets and we strive to assure that we act at all times in a manner that will reflect positively on the long-term reputations of the Hospital and its affiliates.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Head of the Hospital: Steven Altschuler
215-590-1000

Official CHOP Bio

Special Interests: Rotavirus vaccines and protective immune response to rotavirus

From Wikipedia:

Offit is a co-patent holder for RotaTeq, a rotavirus vaccine manufactured by Merck in 2006. It is the second vaccine against rotavirus to be introduced in the United States (the first, RotaShield, was withdrawn from the market six months after its introduction because of an association with intussusception).

The rotavirus vaccine is necessary to protect public health, according to many experts. In the US, rotavirus is blamed for killing about sixty children a year. Rotavirus is often a deadly disease in developing countries, where it is thought to cause nearly a million deaths annually from severe dehydration.

From The Scientist

"People were dying of rotavirus, and although it doesn't kill many people in this country, it causes a lot of suffering, and 60 children dying of it is not trivial. It was an unmet medical need." Michelle Goveia, a medical director for pediatric vaccines at Merck, remembers, "It seemed like a very good idea with solid research behind it, so Merck thought it would be a very promising venture."

From Health Freedom
Paul Offit, M.D., vaccine patent holder, consultant to the Merck drug company (maker of the HPV vaccine Gardasil), and has been one of fifteen policy makers on the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

QUOTES

In October, 1998, Offit began his tenure on the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Out of four votes pertaining to the ACIP's rotavirus vaccine recommendation, he voted yes three times, before abstaining from voting on ACIP's decision to withdraw its recommendation for routine use of the vaccine after its first, albeit brief, market introduction. At the meeting where the decision was made, he explained that "I'm not conflicted with Wyeth, but because I consult with Merck on the development of rotavirus vaccine, I would still prefer to abstain because it creates a perception of conflict." The CDC has granted conflict of interest waivers to every member of the APIC advisory committee.

Kim Stagliano is Managing Editor of Age of Autism.

Comments

[Terri Lewis]

Martha,

Welcome! You've come to the right place, where we know this issue isn't debatable.

Vaccines can and do take lives as well as save them. Vaccines can harm as well as help.

The way children are being immunized today (too many shots, too soon, and many--I say most--unnecessary) the risks of following the "program" far, far outweigh any benefits.

There may be some help, some relief, for your son--even at his age now. Please look at www.generationrescue.com. There are doctors, there are rescue angels, there is hope for some relief and improvement at any age.

I hope to see you here again.

We will not go away until they stop throwing our children into the pit. We will not shut up until vaccines are given sparingly, cautiously, and only with full parental consent of all known risks.

Terri Lewis

[Martha]

My name is Martha and have a 24 year old son with autism.
When my son was born, he was born a bouncy happy girgley baby boy, apgar score 10.
He was administered the dpt immunization (pertussa). When I brought him home from the doctors office,I gave him Tempra Drops. 18 hours after he was administerd the pertussa vaccine, he woke up with high running fever..and collapsed in my arms...His pediatrition examined him and had him rushed to the emergency saying this could be catastrophic. He remained in the hospital after a week, his fever broke. He came home a very withdrawn baby. I had to wake him up to feed him...Was inclined to sleep more. Later on when he turned three, had no language...Since that last vaccine was administered, the doctors ordered no more dpt shots...To make a long story short, my son has been institutionalized since he was age 10yrs old.. due to rage attacks, and aggressiveness. Why is this then even debatable?

[Sorsha Anderson]

This is not so much a comment - but a request. I noticed Steve Moriarty said his 11 year old has suffered since the MMR at 4 years old (if I've done the math correctly). I have a son who did not regress until after 5 years old and have been looking for others who have had this situation. I'm wondering if you could pass my email onto Steve and ask if he'd contact me. I'd like to hear his story - and also find out if the MMR his child received at 4 was the first or second dose. Thank you! Sorsha Anderson

[Sandy Gottstein]

PS Here is the column I wrote in early 1992 about the IOM's review of multiple vaccinations, which I called " “Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” – The Queen in Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (http://www.vaccinationnews.com/Scandals/Mar_1_02/Scandal6.htm )

The more things don't change, the more they stay the same.

It's high time we clawed our way out of the rabbit hole.

[Sandy Gottstein]

Sadly, that article about the mice has been known by the IOM since 1993, when I included reference to that study in my testimony to them (http://www.vaccinationnews.com/Authors/SandyGottstein/IOMTest1993.htm ). 15 years and nothing has happened, other than continued regurgitation of statements, based on NOTHING, that infants can handle thousands of vaccines.

[Dan, tx]

We the people own the immunization program and it is ours to be able to watch, observe, judge, criticize and critique. The CDC has mistakenly assumed it is theirs to control without our observation. The ACIP has mistakenly assumed it is theirs to profit from without our judgment. The AAP has mistakenly assumed it is theirs to implement without our questions. The pediatricians have mistakenly assumed it theirs to administer without our input.

Since the CDC, ACIP, APP and pediatricians are unwilling to provide us with a safer immunization program. We the people will be taking back our immunization program before they destroy it.

[Angela Warner]

Ok! I simply have heard enough shit about the 10,000 vaccines at once being safe for far too long! What I would ask is, why is no one when responding to this BS Offit (I refrain from using my own personal name for him - and I'm good at taking names and "spinning" them - trust me) continually puts out because he is continually making money off of our children being damaged - why in the hell is no one questioning him as to why he's not taken up the offer to drink all the ingredients in the vaccines calculated per body weight that our children are continually being given because we parents are continually being told that they are safe?

I also want to know why when people are responding to newspapers such as the Times - why is the question of the studies not being addressed? Why are we not directly asking them to make public the studies they have demonstrating that all these vaccines given together at once are safe? We know they have never been done, and they do not have them, but why are we not directly and publicly in papers and internet and on CNN (Gupta where in the hell are you? Is your world being shattered?) asking this question?

Why? Why? Why?

As I said in an email a few days ago to a beloved mom and family in our community pertaining to this hellacious mess Offit and the Gerbil (and many others) have made of our children's and our lives "it is so deep and so tall and we are on our way to conquering it all".

OFFIT YOU'VE MADE ENOUGH MONEY!!!! SHOW ME THE STUDIES!!!!!! Please go retire with your gerbil in a cave somewhere.

Ang

[unatutor]

We need a vaccinated vs. unvaccinated study. Some parallels can be drawn with smoking. While not every smoker gets lung cancer, The vast majority of lung cancer victims ( over 90%) are smokers. I think the unethical medecine men in academia know this. We have to do that study. God Willing.

[Gayle]

Paging Mark Blaxill. Please do a piece on the OSOTEN (original source of the estimated number) for this 10,000 vaccine capability crap that Offit is claiming. This needs to be debunked in a major publication and fast, because the more this outrageous, impossible number is spewed out, the more people will believe it is the truth. I would like to challenge Offit to test this theory out--on himself-- as he continues to state it as fact. How do you think he would do with a giant syringe with 10,000 antigens in a single dose? I do not think a single person on Earth could survive such an innoculation, no matter how sound their immune system. Or, does Offit think the 10,000 antigens should be spread out over time?

[josephjsalas]

Hg intake has been going down for the past several years. Now if we could
just get the lead out!

[Elizabeth]

That's curious that you said that the Times did not publish Dr. Offit's financial interest. If you would look at the end of paragraph three it states "In the interest of full disclosure: I am a co-inventor and co-patent holder of a newer rotavirus vaccine.". As the co-inventor and co-patent holder of Rotateq, of course he is going to reap benefit from this...that is obvious.

[Theresa]

10,000 vaccines at the same time? Now there's downright villainy if I've ever seen it. Anyone else think of Potter -- no not the current-day hero Harry, but the latter-day villain Henry F. of It's a Wonderful Life, villain #6 on the American Film Institute's list of the 50 Greatest Villains in American film history. When the film was released, letters and film reviews lamented the fact that Potter never got his comeuppance.

I wonder if we write enough letters about this clearly heartless, cold, and downright evil money grabber Offit, if he would some day get his? Read David Kirby's new post at Huffington and you'll just about blow your top!

Time for a letter/phone call/email/fax campaign?

[Steve Moriarty]

I am the father of an 11 year old girl that for the past 7 years has suffered the effects of an MMR vaccination. She's still loaded up with mercury and lead. It took nearly a year to stop the seizures, and three more to re-teach her to do the simplest of tasks, such as feeding herself.
This "doctor" does more harm with an article like this than if he'd taken a club to all of the children whom he fears are not getting vaccinated.
Maybe he forgot this, along with his financial interest in poisoning our children. (But I'm not bitter.) The NYT should know better than to just run this without checking Offit's background. (Does anyone remember when Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., tried to publish an op-ed article on this subject, but the NYT and other papers refused it?)

[Garbo]

Here's my letter to the Times:
If you are going to allow Dr. Paul Offit to speak out in a national publication about the safety of vaccines, you should be obliged to let your readers know that he has a financial interest in the vaccinations he's promoting.

Offit is a consultant for Merck and co-patent holder for RotaTeq, a rotavirus vaccine manufactured by Merck beginning in 2006. Paul Offit makes money every time a child has their 2 month, 4 month and 6 month well visit and receives the RotaTeq vaccine.

A recent study of the government's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), published this month in the Medical Science Monitor (http://www.medscimonit.com/fulltxt.php?ICID=836566), suggests that the introduction of RotaTeq into the vaccine schedule has led to a spike in reports of Kawasaki disease and insussusception, the same dangerous side effects that caused the vaccine's predecessor, Wyeth's RotaShield, to be pulled from the market in 1999.

[Sandy Gottstein]

Perhaps even more important is this, from a Congressional Hearing: ".....He also disclosed that he is paid by the pharmaceutical industry to travel around the country and teach doctors that vaccines are safe..." (http://vaccinationnews.com/rally/openstmntconint.htm )

As for the absurd notion, claimed by Offit in a Pediatrics article (http://www.vaccinationnews.com/dailynews/January2002/InfantsHandleMultipleVax.htm ), that children can handle multiple vaccines (in the case of the article, 10,000), show me the studies comparing the never-vaccinated to those receiving whatever multiple vaccine combo is claimed as safe, and then we can talk. Besides, if infants are that strong, why do they even allegedly need vaccines?

[IOM on the CHOP?]

Offit in the NYT Op-Ed -

"The Institute of Medicine has found that multiple vaccines do not overwhelm or weaken the immune system."

Is this Insitute of Medicine the same one that Julie Gerberding said (on CNN) had done 15 studies and had found no link between vaccines and autism?

Why is it that these two are now pointing the finger at the IOM? Does the IOM know that it is being actively finger-pointed now, and in the media? Is this IOM okay with this finger-pointing? Is the IOM on the "CHOP"-ING block now and is this by informed consent?

[Fed-up]

I found this article by Dr. Tenpenny:

http://ezinearticles.com/?How-Many-Vaccines-at-One-Time-Are-Too-Many?&id=565829

...The potential for disaster looms as both live and attenuated (killed) viruses are injected through multiple vaccinations given on the same day. A study documenting these hazards are real was published in 1986 in Science Magazine, sounding the alarm more than twenty years ago.

The study consisted of injecting two different avirulent (benign) herpes viruses, Virus A and Virus B, into the footpads of mice. When a mouse received 100 particles of either Virus A or Virus B, none of the mice died. However, if a mouse received only one particle of both Virus A and Virus B, 62 percent of the mice died.(3) In addition eleven newly created viruses, called recombinants, were isolated from the dead mice. When these new viruses were injected into the next set of mice, three of these viruses were found to be deadly. This study demonstrates that the simultaneous injection of two benign viruses can recombine with deadly results.(4)