Live Webcast: Deirdre Imus' "A Forum on Vaccines"

We would like to extend an invitation for physicians, health officials, legislators and parents to join in a historic discussion on October 23rd, at Hackensack University Medical Center. 

Click HERE to register for the live webcast of “A Forum on Vaccines: All Sides of the Issue.”

The forum will address issues relating to the safety of the recommended vaccine schedule for infants and children, which continue to emerge as a national debate resulting in numerous news articles. This is particularly true here in New Jersey.

The forum and panel discussion will provide differing perspectives on vaccinations, vaccine policy, parental concerns and finding common ground. The guest speakers will be:

Deirdre Imus, founder and president, The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology®
Heather Howard, Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services
Jeffrey Boscamp, M.D., FAAP, chair, American Academy of Pediatrics/NJ Chapter Infectious Diseases Committee, chairman and physician-in-chief, The Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center
Margaret C. Fisher, M.D., FAAP, chair, Section of Infectious Diseases, American Academy of Pediatrics, and medical director, The Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center
Lawrence Rosen, M.D., chief of Pediatric Integrative Medicine, The Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center
David Kirby, journalist and author Evidence of Harm: Mercury In Vaccines and The Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy

More details below:

THE DEIRDRE IMUS ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER FOR PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY® HOSTS FIRST EVER JOINT FORUM ON INFANT AND CHILD VACCINES

Marks the first time leaders on both sides of the debate will come together

WHAT:

Joint Forum on Infant and Child Vaccines Hosted By The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, New Jersey.

The forum and panel discussion will provide fair and balanced information on vaccinations, vaccine policy, parental concerns and finding common ground as well as stimulate discussion and further consideration about the trajectory of public health policies. It will bring together physicians, health officials, legislators and parents and present great opportunities to share information vitally important to all of us.

WHEN:

October 23rd, 2008

* Doors open at1:00pm
* Program begins at 1:30pm
* 4:15 panel discussion with audience Q&A

WHERE:

The Hekemian Conference Center
Hackensack University Medical Center
30 Prospect Avenue
Hackensack, New Jersey 

ABOUT DEIRDRE IMUS:

Deirdre Imus is the Founder and President of The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology® at Hackensack University Medical Center and Co-Founder and Co-Director of the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer. Deirdre is the author of two New York Times bestsellers -- the newest book in the Green This! series, Growing Up Green, Baby and Child Care; a practical family guide to raising children in an ever increasing toxic world; and Green This! Volume 1: Greening Your Cleaning, offering a wealth of insights and expertise for protecting families from harmful chemicals. She is also author of The Imus Ranch: Cooking for Kids and Cowboys, a national bestseller, and a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post.

ABOUT THE DEIRDRE IMUS ENVIRONMENTAL CENTER FOR PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY:
The Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology® at Hackensack University Medical Center represents one of the first hospital-based programs whose specific mission is to identify, control and ultimately prevent exposures to environmental factors that may cause adult, and especially pediatric cancer, as well as other health problems with our children.  The Center’s mission is twofold: to enhance health by educating our children, their parents and the public-at-large about the carcinogens and other environmental factors that occur all too commonly in our lives…and to serve as a voice that can realistically help shape policy decisions that impact the environment and our well being.

Comments

[Sandy Gottstein]

Twyla,

I believe Deirdre said the webcast will be available online for a year. I don't see that it is available yet, though. Anyone?

All the best,
Sandy

[Maggie]

This was an awesome event. I am eagerly awaiting the study from Montreal. Great job all involved.

[Twyla]

It is so great that this happenned. Thank you so much, Deirdre Imus and David Kirby. I wish I could have heard it. I hope recordings or DVDs will be available.

[Patrick]

Hindsite 20/20- I would have liked to see more focus on the unbalanced Power of the Pharmaceutical Industry. I feel like this is one area that the representatives from the AAP and us could discuss on common ground. Deirdre started a conversation with her comment ending in, "Money, Money, Money!", but quickly she was interupted and the subject changed.

I know Doctors have major issues with drugs in the pipeline. For example the Lamictal pill taken for fungal infection. My spouse and I with different doctors recently asked our individual doctors about this pill and they BOTH refused the idea of prescribing it, as the risk of liver damage was too high.

With this common ground (mis-trust of product) it would have been great to move back to the subject of giving pharmaceutical companies more power by mandating vaccines.

I would have liked to hear the AAP admit how little power they have as most of their curriculum has been dictated by the Pharmaceutical companies. Doctors have no power when vaccines are mandated. They are rendered useless. We can just stop by our local foodmart. The flu shot is basically over-the-counter, but important enough to mandate. Some day this means we could get all our vaccines injected at our schools.

I wonder what the AAP representatives think of bio-medical treatment and detox particularly. Is Dr. Boscamp detoxing his daughter? He seemed open enough to the idea that vaccines were not safe, that I would not be surprised if he is actively taking care of his daughter. He openly showed through his motions that if offered a toxin-free shot vs. a toxin-laden shot that the option was obvious.

...just some nagging thoughts I had after the event.

Oh and the question of how they would treat a child with autism. Would they see him/her flapping their hands in the air and not responding with eye contact and quickly diagnose the child as having autism and send them on their way. "Your child is physically up to par...he just has autism. Have a nice day."

[Angela Warner]

I know he's from the AAP, but Dr. Boscamp suggested early in his presentation that even though I have two children with autism, I should still vaccinate the rest of my children to protect the herd!

GOD I am so sick of this mentality I could puke. He outright lied through omission of the fact about when many of these diseases sharply declined. He NEVER once fully addressed the safety of vaccines. I am glad this ignorant doctor is done speaking.

David's presentation was wonderful!!!!! as usual and very balanced sticking to the facts without the dramatization and sensationalism just seen.

David, thank you so much for bringing the truth and balance to this forum! I hope to see at least one more speaker do as you did, but I am not holding my breath!

Deirdre Thank you for making this possible! Thank you soooo much for your tireless advocacy for all children!

[María Lujàn]

Hi parental concern
Related to aluminium there is recent published literature that open more questions:
a-Macrophagic myofascitis is a known and proven by clinical analysis medical conditions related to the Al in vaccines.

J Child Neurol. 2008 Jun;23(6):614-9. Epub 2008 Feb 15.
Macrophagic myofasciitis in children is a localized reaction to vaccination.Lach B, Cupler EJ.
Macrophagic myofasciitis is a novel, "inflammatory myopathy" described after a variety of vaccinations, almost exclusively in adults. We examined the relevance of histological findings of this myopathy to the clinical presentation in pediatric patients. Muscle biopsies from 8 children (7 months to 6 years old) with histological features of macrophagic myofasciitis were reviewed and correlated with the clinical manifestations. Patients underwent quadriceps muscle biopsy for suspected mitochondrial disease (4 patients), spinal muscular atrophy (2 patients), myoglobinuria (1 patient), and hypotonia with motor delay (1 patient). All biopsies showed identical granulomas composed of periodic acid-Schiff-positive and CD68-positive macrophages. Characteristic aluminum hydroxide crystals were identified by electron microscopy in 2 cases. The biopsy established diagnoses other than macrophagic myofasciitis in 5 patients: spinal muscular atrophy (2), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (1), phospho-glycerate kinase deficiency (1), and cytochrome c oxidase deficiency (1). Three children with manifestations and/or a family history of mitochondrial disease had otherwise morphologically normal muscle. All children had routine vaccinations between 2 months and 1 year before the biopsy, with up to 11 intramuscular injections, including the biopsy sites. There was no correlation between histological findings of macrophagic myofasciitis in biopsies and the clinical symptoms. We believe that macrophagic myofasciitis represents a localized histological hallmark of previous immunization with the aluminum hydroxide adjuvants contained in vaccines, rather than a primary or distinct inflammatory muscle disease. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18281624?ordinalpos=3&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

See the links at left…

Vaccine. 2002 May 31;20 Suppl 3:S5-6. Links
Macrophagic myofasciitis: a summary of Dr. Gherardi's presentations.
Brenner A.
Dr. R.K. Gherardi presented two papers at the symposium, detailing his researches into a proposed new clinical entity which he has entitled Macrophagic Myofasciitis (MMF). In his first paper he described the histopathologic and immunologic characteristics of the condition, and in the second, the clinical and serologic features. Dr. Gherardi believes that MMF, a syndrome of ascending myalgias, fatigue and diffuse musculoskeletal pain, may be related to a chronic immune response to aluminum granulomas persisting at the sites of prior immunization with aluminum adjuvated vaccines.

This is looking in children. Related to adults there are other avenues of research on Alzheimer and ALS and Aluminium bioaccumulation.

Impact in CNS
Brain. 2001 May;124(Pt 5):974-83.
Central nervous system disease in patients with macrophagic myofasciitis.
Authier FJ, Cherin P, Creange A, Bonnotte B, Ferrer X, Abdelmoumni A, Ranoux D, Pelletier J, Figarella-Branger D, Granel B, Maisonobe T, Coquet M, Degos JD, Gherardi RK.
Macrophagic myofasciitis (MMF), a condition newly recognized in France, is manifested by diffuse myalgias and characterized by highly specific myopathological alterations which have recently been shown to represent an unusually persistent local reaction to intramuscular injections of aluminium-containing vaccines. Among 92 MMF patients recognized so far, eight of them, which included the seven patients reported here, had a symptomatic demyelinating CNS disorder. CNS manifestations included hemisensory or sensorimotor symptoms (four out of seven), bilateral pyramidal signs (six out of seven), cerebellar signs (four out of seven), visual loss (two out of seven), cognitive and behavioural disorders (one out of seven) and bladder dysfunction (one out of seven). Brain T(2)-weighted MRI showed single (two out of seven) or multiple (four out of seven) supratentorial white matter hyperintense signals and corpus callosum atrophy (one out of seven). Evoked potentials were abnormal in four out of six patients and CSF in four out of seven. According to Poser's criteria for multiple sclerosis, the diagnosis was clinically definite (five out of seven) or clinically probable multiple sclerosis (two out of seven). Six out of seven patients had diffuse myalgias. Deltoid muscle biopsy showed stereotypical accumulations of PAS (periodic acid-Schiff)-positive macrophages, sparse CD8+ T cells and minimal myofibre damage. Aluminium-containing vaccines had been administered 3-78 months (median = 33 months) before muscle biopsy (hepatitis B virus: four out of seven, tetanus toxoid: one out of seven, both hepatitis B virus and tetanus toxoid: two out of seven). The association between MMF and multiple sclerosis-like disorders may give new insights into the controversial issues surrounding vaccinations and demyelinating CNS disorders. Deltoid muscle biopsy searching for myopathological alterations of MMF should be performed in multiple sclerosis patients with diffuse myalgias.

b-Ingested aluminium is completely differently managed than injected aluminium- and speciation- that is with what other things the Al is present – is very important.

http://www.ehponline.org/members/1994/102-11/devoto-full.html

"Jouhanneau et al. ( 33 ) found only 0.02% of an oral dose of 26 Al, as the citrate, in urine and another 0.02% of the dose in the liver of rats, suggesting absorption of only 0.04% from the gastrointestinal tract.
...
Much of the work conducted thus far on aluminum speciation and distribution has looked at exposures other than ingestion, such as intravenous injection, which can bypass the first-pass effect of the liver. Exposure to dialysis fluid can be considered analogous to intravenous injection because the bloodstream is directly exposed, without being filtered first by the liver."

The abstract of this
Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2001 Feb;33(1):66-79. Safety evaluation of dietary aluminum.
Soni MG, White SM, Flamm WG, Burdock GA.
says
"No reports of dietary aluminum toxicity to healthy individuals exist in the literature."

BUT there are several related to dialysis…and an epidemy of dialysis encephalopathy…

Flendrig JA, Kruis H, Das HA. Aluminium and dialysis dementia. Lancet 1:1235 (1976).
AND
Bersketh RO, Shapiro FL. An epidemic of dialysis encephalopathy and exposure to high aluminum dialysate. Controversies Nephrol 2:42-51 (1980).

c-Alum has been shown to activate the inflammasome through caspase-1 activation, IL-1Beta and Il-18 and this is the basis of the immunostimulatory effect in vaccines. Alum has been used without the knowledge of the mechanism of the stimulation of the immune system… for a century This is a fact

Nature. 2008 Jun 19;453(7198):1122-6.
Crucial role for the Nalp3 inflammasome in the immunostimulatory properties of aluminium adjuvants.Eisenbarth SC, Colegio OR, O'Connor W, Sutterwala FS, Flavell RA.
Department of Immunobiology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven , Connecticut 06520 , USA .
Aluminium adjuvants, typically referred to as 'alum', are the most commonly used adjuvants in human and animal vaccines worldwide, yet the mechanism underlying the stimulation of the immune system by alum remains unknown. Toll-like receptors are critical in sensing infections and are therefore common targets of various adjuvants used in immunological studies. Although alum is known to induce the production of proinflammatory cytokines in vitro, it has been repeatedly demonstrated that alum does not require intact Toll-like receptor signalling to activate the immune system. Here we show that aluminium adjuvants activate an intracellular innate immune response system called the Nalp3 (also known as cryopyrin, CIAS1 or NLRP3) inflammasome. Production of the pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1beta and interleukin-18 by macrophages in response to alum in vitro required intact inflammasome signalling. Furthermore, in vivo, mice deficient in Nalp3, ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a caspase recruitment domain) or caspase-1 failed to mount a significant antibody response to an antigen administered with aluminium adjuvants, whereas the response to complete Freund's adjuvant remained intact. We identify the Nalp3 inflammasome as a crucial element in the adjuvant effect of aluminium adjuvants; in addition, we show that the innate inflammasome pathway can direct a humoral adaptive immune response. This is likely to affect how we design effective, but safe, adjuvants in the future.

AND…

Arthritis Rheum. 2008 Mar;58(3):888-94.
Gene polymorphisms in the NALP3 inflammasome are associated with interleukin-1 production and severe inflammation: relation to common inflammatory diseases?Verma D, Lerm M, Blomgran Julinder R, Eriksson P, Söderkvist P, Särndahl E.
Linköping University , Linköping , Sweden .
OBJECTIVE: NALP3, ASC, and TUCAN are components of the NALP3 inflammasome, which triggers caspase 1-mediated interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) release. Activating mutations in the gene encoding NALP3 (NLRP3) have recently been linked to familial periodic fever syndromes. We undertook this study to determine whether a patient with arthritis and antibiotic-resistant fever carried mutations in the genes encoding the NALP3 inflammasome. METHODS: Genetic analysis of NLRP3 and the gene encoding TUCAN (CARD-8) was performed on genomic DNA from the patient and from a population-based collection of DNA (806 subjects). For in vitro studies of IL-1beta production and caspase 1 activity, blood was obtained from the patient at different time points after administration of anakinra, an IL-1 receptor antagonist, as well as from 5 healthy age- and sex-matched control subjects. RESULTS: Mutation analysis of the patient's genes encoding NALP3, ASC, and TUCAN revealed variations in the NLRP3 (Q705K) and CARD-8 (C10X) genes. The allele frequencies of these single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the population were 6.5% and 34%, respectively. The elevated activity of caspase 1 and the high levels of IL-1beta measured in samples from the patient returned to normal levels after treatment with anakinra. CONCLUSION: Our results indicate that the patient's symptoms were due to elevated levels of IL-1beta, since treatment with anakinra effectively abolished the symptoms. The compound SNPs may explain the increased IL-1beta levels and inflammatory symptoms observed, but further studies are needed to reveal a functional relationship. The prevalence of the polymorphisms (4% of the population carry both SNPs) in the general population may suggest a genetic predisposition for common inflammatory disorders.

Now I wonder

a-How many autistic children, teen and adults carry the NLRP3 AND CARD8? How many one or the other? What is the impact in mitochondrial function and the BBB and the gut permeability when Alum is present in the vaccines that are given at a pediatric visit- 5-7-9 vaccines in 2/3 injections?

b-What impact has the IL-1Beta/IL-18 and caspase 1 activation , especially with the other cytokines activations that are needed and known that take place during the full vaccination schedule with the known differences in NK and other immune dysfunction that different subgroups of autistic children have- to begin with?
Why all this is not properly funded, researched and explored?

[Jeanne]

All registered and ready to go!

Thank you Deirdre, David Kirby, etal! This promises to be a very interesting forum.

[Lin]

Thank you, Deirdre, for continuing to be such an inspirational advocate for a healthier environment and constant voice of reason for our children and future generations. We are sorely indebted to you!

The Wessels

[Parental concerns]

I have only 3 concerns -

1. Why are they still shooting up neurotoxins such as mercury and aluminum into human beings. Which study says they are safe?

2. Where are the studies that show that shooting multiple strains of viruses and bacteria into kids at one go or at the rate on the current vaccine schedule are safe?

3. Where are the studies that identify the susceptible kids to vaccines? There ARE susceptible kids, we all know that. If there aren't any studies, why aren't there any?

[jennifer]

love it!-way to go Deirdre!!
With this kind of activity and exposure I predict some people "jumping ship" in the near future.