"IS ALUMINUM THE NEW MERCURY?"
By Anne Dachel
In all the news reports from around the country about Gardasil, I couldn't find a single reference to the aluminum in this vaccine. All the pleasant sounding commentators who reassured us that it hasn't been proven that the HPV vaccine caused healthy teenage girls to suddenly develop things like paralysis never mentioned it. They had quotes from the CDC/FDA/Merck saying things like, "Based on the facts that we've received, the information does not suggest that this event was causally associated with vaccination."
On July 3, U.S. News and World Report published the article, Is HPV Vaccine to Blame for a Teen's Paralysis? (HERE) by Deborah Kotz, one of their senior editors. The story was about a 13 year old girl in Utah who received Gardasil and within a month developed a degenerative muscular disease that has, after a year, left her paralyzed. A spokesperson for Merck, the drug company that makes Gardasil, sees no connection.
For years, the media, the medical community, and health officials have told us the same thing about autism and the mercury in vaccines, the second deadliest element on Earth and a known neurotoxin. I suppose if toxic mercury is safe, aluminum--another neurotoxin-- in vaccines must be too.
However, in a piece for Mothering Magazine, Is Aluminum the New Thimerosal?, (HERE)
author Robert W. Sears, M.D. tells us he's not convinced about the safety of aluminum use. The main reason he's doubtful is because he can't find the any research on aluminum in vaccines.
Doctor Sears writes, "As a medical doctor, my first instinct was to worry that these aluminum levels far exceed what may be safe for babies. My second instinct was to assume that the issue had been properly researched, and that studies had been done on healthy infants to determine their ability to rapidly excrete aluminum. My third instinct was to search for these studies. So far, I have found none."
In A Shot in the Dark Kimber Pasquali wrote, "Gardasil contains 225 mcg of aluminum and, although aluminum adjuvants have been used in vaccines for decades, they were never tested for safety in clinical trials."
CNN reported about nearly 8,000 adverse reactions that have been filed about Gardasil. (HERE)
It's clear that when the issue is the aluminum content, the manufacturer, the FDA, the CDC all have a lot of explaining to do.
Anne Dachel is Media Editor for Age of Autism.
I love all of these comments. The people here are wonderful and intelligent.
Iron Oxide is another adjuvant that would make a good substitute for Alum: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23195035
And I paraphrase:...malaria vaccine antigen...surface protein...was conjugated to IO nanoparticles...Immunizations in outbred mice...achieved 100% responsiveness with antibody titers...was highly stable...maintaining its antigenicity, immunogenicity, and ability to induce inhibitory antibodies. Further testing in nonhuman primates, Aotus monkeys, also elicited 100% immune responsiveness...No apparent local or systemic toxicity was associated with IO immunizations.
Iron Oxide can bind antigens and has a good "inflammatory response". With this, as well as a Calcium Oxide Adjuvant used in Europe, the vaccine proponents have absolutely no justification for the use of Alum as an adjuvant.
There are safer adsorbtive adjuvants; they are effective.
Posted by: Narad | August 25, 2016 at 09:20 PM
I've read where cilantro added to smoothies is helping children with autism. Evidently, it pulls metals out of the body and parents are saying children with autism are almost craving the cilantro. I might add that I stick a handful of fresh, organic cilantro into my own smoothies, not only because it tastes so good but also because it adds a nice kick to the fruits and vegetables I use: fresh beets, carrots, cucumber, apples, pears, berries, etc.
Check it out online!
Posted by: Toni Volk | December 01, 2014 at 11:43 AM
...and now the medical establishment has finally noticed that something fishy may be going on with so-called placebos:
http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/57933/
"most placebo formulations are not reported. She [researcher Golomb] analyzed more than 175 placebo-controlled trials published between January 2008 and December 2009 in the New England Journal of Medicine, the Lancet, the Annals of Internal Medicine, and the Journal of the American Medical Association to see if they listed placebo ingredients. In over 90% of the trials that used placebos in pill form, no formulation was mentioned. This 'breaches basic scientific standards of rigor' and 'compromises the foundation on which medical decisions are based, and on which the fate of lives may rest,' Golomb writes."
"In the past ten years an increasing number of new drugs have been pulled from clinical trials because they were found to be no more effective than placebos, leading some to wonder if the placebo effect is strengthening. One of Golomb’s coauthors, McMaster University epidemiologist Murray Enkin, believes that drug trials against placebos aren’t a fair fight. 'With a new drug, the implicit claim is that it is better than anything else, either more effective, or cheaper, or more stable,' says Enkin. 'We should be comparing new drugs to the other best available drugs, not to something we think has no effect. And, if you can’t do that, at least you can be honest and say what it is you are comparing it to.'"
Posted by: Theresa O | February 25, 2011 at 01:59 PM
Please mothers and daughters do PAP tests,do not take this toxic Gardasil. Merck has no
proof that this vaccine reduce rates of
cervical cancer. They sucked in a lot of people by fear mongering and using agressive
marketing strategies.The adverse side effects
are increasing and the number of death now over 50. Aluminum is a neuro-toxic. Autism
and Alzheimers are rising together with many
neuro-degenerative illnesses.Research and educate first.Your FDA had failed (F).
Posted by: C. Professional | December 06, 2009 at 11:01 AM
Curt, another thing you might consider about what you call the "sheeple". People like Rebuttal like to dismiss evidence of harm from vaccines as either being mere post hoc ergo propter hoc fallacies or arguments by anecdotes. However, the same people, when asked how they are so sure that vaccines are effective, will regale you with tales of woe from yesteryear about the ravages of polio (anecdotes) or about the statistical relationship between the polio vaccine and disease reduction (post hoc ergo propter hoc).
The simple fact is that there is absolutely no reason to believe that vaccinations are effective other than these reasons. After all, nobody could argue that vaccines make any sense. No immunologist anywhere in the planet can explain how T-cells "remember" or why it is that we need boosters, or why the precondition for "herd immunity" is constantly being raised from two thirds of the population to 80 per cent to 90 per cent to 99 per cent. Nor can doctors explain how viruses, which are not actually alive in any meaningful sense, can be killed or rendered "inactive" (attenuated).
On the other hand, common sense tells us that injecting mercury, aluminium, formaldehyde, foreign animal proteins and assorted other substances into babies (and adults) is extremely dangerous, the only question being how dangerous. So the correlation would appear to make sense.
Polio was never eradicated from the West, we simply relabelled it meningitis, acute flaccid paralysis, Guillian Barre, chronic fatigue syndrome etc. Smallpox was not caused by a virus but by bedbugs (hence the transmission by blankets), it was reduced when we learnt of better ways to wash our linen, but it still occurs, but again, is generally relabelled as cowpox, fatal chicken pox etc.
The reason we are told we need boosters is because the vaccines don't work. But doctors, instead of concluding that the vaccines don't work, instead conclude that people are not vaccinated enough!
The same goes for "herd immunity", the vaccines don't work so the doctors conclude that not enough people are vaccinated.
Of course, with some vaccines, there is absolutely zero (not even concocted) evidence of effectiveness. For example, the flu vaccine. So doctors conclude that the flu virus must be mutating! But how can this virus mutate four or five times a year, when the small pox virus has never mutated? After all the theory of evolution stipulates that all mutations are random, so this is impossible.
Posted by: punter | July 12, 2008 at 08:40 PM
Hi Craig:
Well, I have not devoted much thought to this idea, nor any study, so perhaps it would indeed be impossible. But I wasn't suggesting that travelers be quarantined for weeks. I was only suggesting that if people go abroad to countries where there are outbreaks of certain diseases, like measles, for example, that they could be tested for exposure to the measles virus before they are allowed to return to the U.S. Personally, I don't care about measles -- but if the government really believes this is such a terrible disease, then let them screen people returning to the U.S. from countries where there is an outbreak. Seems a lot simpler than vaccinating every single human being in the U.S. against measles. My guess is, if you put it to them this way, the CDC would back track real quick and say, "Measles isn't such a big deal. Let them come here with measles." But they can't have it both ways. Either it is a big deal, in which case we should do everything possible to prevent its return to the U.S., or it's not a big deal, in which case we should not require everyone in the U.S. to have a measles vaccine. So, I'm just saying, why not force the CDC to consider each disease, one by one, and decide which ones should not be permitted to enter the U.S., and do whatever it takes to make sure the disease doesn't enter, and then scrap the whole mandatory vaccine program. The government could still make vaccines available for people who want them -- for example, for those who are traveling abroad and want to be vaccinated, or for those who have bought into all the fear-mongering from the government about measles and chicken pox. But why should any parent be forced to vaccinate their child against a disease that could be stopped at the border?
Posted by: lisa | July 12, 2008 at 03:47 PM
Who is ignorant, you said that the woman who made the video said:
"She claims we are "morally obligated to vaccinate our children because autism is never fatal. Measles is fatal."
Oh, I guess she never hears these stories about autistic children getting lost in the woods for days and either starving to death or freezing. I guess she's never heard of these kids drowning. Or walking along a train track and getting hit because they don't understand what's happening. Or going into seizures, then a coma and dying. Autism isn't fatal? My ass!!!!
Measles is fatal? Really? I had measles as a kid, and I'm fine. How many here know of people who had measles growing up and died as a result. The fear-mongering tactics of people like the one you described is nauseating.
Posted by: Craig Willoughby | July 12, 2008 at 03:16 PM
Lisa, not to pick on you, but with testing the travellers, i can't see how that would work...quarantine everybody traveling abroad for weeks? not even a blood draw for every traveller could discover what they are potentially incubating after being exposed to something the day before their return.
if you are convinced all the germs come from abroad and should be stopped at all costs, we'd have to ban traveling...
my children are not vx'ed by the way, and one change i would like to see in how we approach disease is for sick people to take their time to get better instead of trying to keep going at all costs. if you have the flu, stay home and get well instead of pumping yourself full of tylenol or whatever they recommend and going to work. if your child is under the weather, keep them home, give them chicken soup, let them sleep, instead of hauling them to a daycare/preschool/playground, where they pass their bug on to others AND are exposed to more at the time their system is already challenged.
of course, i understand that not everybody can afford to skip a week of work to care for a sick child or to get over something themselves with present attitudes towards these matters. a societal change of attitude is necessary to make it possible. instead of vxing all kids with chicken pox, spend that money on paying their parents' sick leave. does it make sense?
Posted by: doubt it can work- but here's another suggestion | July 12, 2008 at 01:34 PM
This woman responded to the "Green Our Vaccines" youtube video with yet another counter video. She claims we are "morally obligated to vaccinate our children because autism is never fatal." "Measles is fatal." Frankly, I am too tired to refute yet another hateful video, but this is what is circulating now in response to the rally. She warns us to be careful what you wish for. Can you believe this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKHWt9kmL5E
Posted by: Who Is Ignorant? | July 12, 2008 at 12:31 PM
First of all, I apologize to everyone who has heard me say these same things many times, and feel free to skip this post. But I feel compelled to respond to “Rebuttal”.
Mr. or Ms. Rebuttal, you are failing to understand that we are not anti-vaccine. We believe that vaccines have both benefits and risks, and that in the current environment the benefits are being exaggerated and the risks are being denied without adequate study.
You say, “Two recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in our state have illustrated that despite our best efforts, these diseases are still with us and can still cause serious health consequences.” What serious health consequences have occurred? You say, “In San Diego, 70 kids were placed under quarantine for 3 weeks. In Pinole, the Waldorf School, which does not require vaccines due to the beliefs of its founder, officials shut the school down and required all children to be tested and treated for whooping cough exposure.” Are these serious health consequences? No, these are temporary measures taken to prevent spread of these illnesses.
You say, “Uninformed views by a generation of parents and anti-vaccine advocates who haven't seen the horrors of these illnesses and the tears they cause are directly compromising the health of our state's children.” I grew up in the late 50’s and 60’s. All the kids I knew came down with measles, mumps, chicken pox, flu, german measles and whooping cough. NOBODY I knew suffered any lasting effects. Yes there are rare complications, but many people including me believe that the current vaccine schedule is causing an epidemic of autism, ADD, auto-immune disorders, and serious allergies, which is hardly a good trade-off.
Apparently measles in rare cases has serious complications. So maybe we should vaccinate against measles. But do we have to vaccinate against measles, mumps, German measles and chicken pox all at the same time? My daughter suffered a febrile seizure 4 days after receiving these vaccines. No big deal to you, I’m sure. Parents request a measles vaccine by itself but are told that it is not available.
You say that, “In the late 1990s, the culprit was the MMR vaccine. Studies exonerated it.” That is quite simply not true. Studies have not exonerated the MMR vaccine.
You say, “Their proof is often anecdotal information from the internet chat rooms full of people with the same opinion, ‘social proof’ provided by their celebrity advocates (which include David Kirby, author of the pseudoscientific Evidence of Harm and Playboy model Jenny McCarthy…” 4,900 families have filed claims stating that their children became autistic after receiving vaccines. Thousands of parents recently marched on Washington D.C. protesting against unsafe vaccines. These parents saw what they saw. This is evidence which is being ignored by most of our medical and scientific community. Have any of these cases been investigated by the CDC or FDA? If not, why not? Dr. Bernadine Healy, former head of the National Institutes of Health, recently answered that question. Below is an excerpt from www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/05/12/cbsnews_investigates/main4086809.shtml:
"I think that the public health officials have been too quick to dismiss the hypothesis as irrational," Healy said.
"But public health officials have been saying they know, they've been implying to the public there's enough evidence and they know it's not causal," [reporter Sharyl] Attkisson said.
"I think you can't say that," Healy said. "You can't say that."
Healy goes on to say public health officials have intentionally avoided researching whether subsets of children are “susceptible” to vaccine side effects - afraid the answer will scare the public.
"You're saying that public health officials have turned their back on a viable area of research largely because they're afraid of what might be found?" Attkisson asked.
Healy said: "There is a completely expressed concern that they don't want to pursue a hypothesis because that hypothesis could be damaging to the public health community at large by scaring people. First of all," Healy said, "I think the public’s smarter than that. The public values vaccines. But more importantly, I don’t think you should ever turn your back on any scientific hypothesis because you’re afraid of what it might show."
As an example, Healy points to the existing vaccine court claims.
CBS News has learned the government has paid more than 1,300 brain injury claims in vaccine court since 1988, but is not studying those cases or tracking how many of them resulted in autism.
The branch of the government that handles vaccine court told CBS News: “Some children who have been compensated for vaccine injuries…may ultimately end up with autism or autistic symptoms, but we do not track cases on this basis.”
"What we’re seeing in the bulk of the population: vaccines are safe," said Healy. "But there may be this susceptible group. The fact that there is concern, that you don’t want to know that susceptible group is a real disappointment to me. If you know that susceptible group, you can save those children. If you turn your back on the notion that there is a susceptible group… what can I say?"
*********
You say that thimerosal “was removed from vaccines in 2002”. Actually, some vaccines still contain thimerosal. And, vaccines containing thimerosal were not recalled. They remained on the shelf until expiring years later.
You say, “these groups keep changing their target”. We do not fully understand the mechanisms by which vaccines can injure babies. But we do know that there are many cases of vaccine injury, which deserve further study. Multiple viruses, toxic metals such as mercury and aluminum, proteins used to grow the viruses, various other chemicals – there are many ingredients which may over stimulate and derail the developing immune system and/or injure the developing nervous and digestive systems. We would like these issues to be studied further.
The very worst thing you say is, “So perhaps it's time that California eliminated its personal belief exemption.” Vaccines must be a personal choice. They carry risks. The decision on whether to fully vaccinate, not vaccinate, or give fewer vaccines on a slower schedule is a decision that should be made by parents, who are the primary caretakers of a child who has a serious illness or a vaccine injury.
Posted by: Twyla | July 11, 2008 at 11:31 PM
Thank you, Herd. What Rebuttal does not understand or acknowledge is that we "parents and anti-vaccine advocates who haven't seen the horrors of these illnesses and the tears they cause" indeed have seen some really tragic horrors occur to our own children, and have shed unending tears over the brain damage that vaccines caused our children. I would never ignore or disregard the despair of a parent witnessing their child succomb to the ravages of any disease, so why is this self-proclaimed caring "doctor" completely discounting the suffering of parents and their autistic children? What kind of man, woman, or doctor, for that matter would be so pompous and sick as to do that? Autism is no joke! My children deserve much better than this kind of doctor for their care!
Posted by: Not an MD | July 11, 2008 at 11:05 PM
To those who are keep pointing to the recent (and may I also say, very small) outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases here in the U.S., and arguing that this is why everyone must be vaccinated, here's something else to consider. These outbreaks do not materialize from thin air. They do not come from bug bites or contaminated water. They come from people, and the people they're coming from are overseas travelers who are picking these illnesses on another continent. So instead of vaccinating millions of children in the U.S. every year in an effort to prevent the spread of these diseases, why not set up a screening system for people who return to the U.S. from overseas? Labs could be set up in all the major international airports. If people arrive on U.S. soil with measles or polio or whatever, they could be quarantined and treated. Seems to me this would be much easier and more cost-effective than paying for all these millions of "well-baby visits" and vaccinations. It would also be safer. True, this wouldn't stop vaccine-preventable diseases from being transmitted via illegals from over the border. But from what I'm reading, that's not where the diseases are originating anyway. They're originating overseas. And of course, with true border security, we could screen people coming from Mexico and South America as well. There's always, always more than one solution to every problem -- if there's any.
Posted by: lisa | July 11, 2008 at 06:11 PM
Oh, goody! I get to pick apart rebuttal's idiotic scare tactic post! Looks like (for Pr)Offit stuck his hand directly up rebuttal's butt and used him like the puppet he is so that he could vomit this crap to the rest of us.
Let's get started, shall we?
"Both of these diseases can maim or kill children."
Yeah, very true, but how common is that. Is it 1 in 150? No? You think those rare cases are bad, you should see what an autistic child goes through every day.
"Measles, besides causing the classic head-to-toe red rash, can kills and maims—in particular, measles-exposed kids are at risk for encephalitis, an infection of the central nervous system that can lead to permanent mental disability."
You mean like what happened to my son after receiving his vaccines? He didn't get it from the measles, though, he got it from the shot.
"Their proof is often anecdotal information from the internet chat rooms full of people with the same opinion"
Hard to refute anecdotal evidence when there are multiple eye-witnesses and medical documentation that proves that my son degenerated after receiving a vaccine, developing a 106 fever, encepalopathy (that big word you mentioned earlier) and eventually autism. Oh, I know what you're thinking "Not every medical procedure is 100% safe." Well, ya know what? If you are going to do something like this, you'd better damn well be sure that it's safe!
"However, none of them can point to a single study that links vaccines to autism."
Can you show us one study that proves vaccines are safe? Can you show us one study that proves beyond that shadow of a doubt that vaccines do not cause autism? Nope.
"In addition, anybody who understands the business of pediatric medicine knows that the rising costs of vaccines combined with the decreasing reimbursements from insurance companies make vaccines one of the least profitable parts of a practice."
How many billions of dollars did Gardasil make? How many billions of dollars did the pHARMa-whore (for Pr)Offit make from Rototeq? Nope, not profitable in the least (rolling my eyes)
"It was removed from vaccines in 2002, and recent studies have shown that autism rates continue to rise despite it."
Except that your FDA bible shows that quite a few vaccines, including the DTaP, several flu vaccines, and the HepB all still contain Thimerosal as of March of this year. Your vaccine high priests really need to get their lies straight, ya know?
"In this flat world, declining vaccines is selfish."
And refusing to listen to thousands upon thousands of parents all saying the same thing is not only selfish, it's stupid. Refusing to look at a possible connection (and don't say they did...those studies aren't worth the paper I wipe my butt with) because you think that parents who believe that vaccines injured their child are all insane and hysterical. I mean, how could they possibly know more about THEIR OWN KIDS than a freakin doctor, right? I am sick and tired of sacrificing our children for your failing and non-existent "Herd-immunity."
So, did I miss anything? Go back to your High Priests and the herd of blind sheeple and tell them I said "baa!"
Posted by: A Herd of Sheeple says | July 11, 2008 at 05:20 PM
LISA G:
Can you post a link to this info on the trials by Merck?
THANKS!
Posted by: FOR LISA G. | July 11, 2008 at 04:43 PM
Hi Rebuttal,
You are aware that the pertussis vaccine doesn't prevent either carriage or transmission, right? So, no herd immunity with that vaccine.
Posted by: MinorityView | July 11, 2008 at 02:09 PM
That was a really well written piece of smear. I like how you took the time to include both scare tactics and personal attacks all in one tidy package. It would fit right in as an editorial for a major newspaper in the New York area. I really liked this part also
"Over the past decade, this theory, although discredited by study after study, has continued to persist because a small but very vocal group of anti-vaccine advocates insist it's true."
Nails everything so well, especially on the heels of the CDC admitting that it can't examine an epidemic that occurs in susceptible subsets by doing ecological studies with their data. All those past studies must be good though, right? The CDC would never pull statistical shenanigans, right? It's good to have someone like you around to clear it all up.
Tell Dr. Offit hi and to keep up the good work.
Posted by: woo hoo! | July 11, 2008 at 12:58 PM
Two recent outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases in our state have illustrated that despite our best efforts, these diseases are still with us and can still cause serious health consequences.
Both episodes, San Diego's measles and Pinole's whooping cough outbreak, began because a child whose parents refused to vaccinate them got the diseases. While public schools in California require children to be fully vaccinated, our state and 19 others have a personal belief exemption that allows parents to send their children to school unvaccinated.
In San Diego, 70 kids were placed under quarantine for 3 weeks. In Pinole, the Waldorf School, which does not require vaccines due to the beliefs of its founder, officials shut the school down and required all children to be tested and treated for whooping cough exposure.
Both of these diseases can maim or kill children. The bacteria that causes whooping cough infects the respiratory tract of children and releases a toxin that causes severe spasms of coughing, characterized by its namesake "whoop"—the sound of kids suffocating because they can't get oxygen into their bodies. For infants with whooping cough, there may not be any signs at all. These children may develop a mild cold during the day and then suddenly stop breathing, only to be found dead by their parents. Measles, besides causing the classic head-to-toe red rash, can kills and maims—in particular, measles-exposed kids are at risk for encephalitis, an infection of the central nervous system that can lead to permanent mental disability.
There are many potential reasons why parents reject vaccines, but these days it's often due to the perception that vaccines cause autism. Over the past decade, this theory, although discredited by study after study, has continued to persist because a small but very vocal group of anti-vaccine advocates insist it's true. Their proof is often anecdotal information from the internet chat rooms full of people with the same opinion, "social proof" provided by their celebrity advocates (which include David Kirby, author of the pseudoscientific Evidence of Harm and Playboy model Jenny McCarthy, who, in her last appearance on Larry King Live, was screaming expletives and telling the audience she would rather her son have had measles instead of autism) and the "expert opinion" of doctors with views on the fringe of medicine, like Santa Monica pediatrician Jay Gordon (whose entire pediatric practice is unvaccinated) or the father-son team of Mark and David Geier (who make money selling expensive, unproven, and potentially dangerous treatments for autism and regularly act as paid expert witnesses in vaccine-related court cases).
However, none of them can point to a single study that links vaccines to autism. If they do, the studies they point to are in non-peer reviewed journals or weak, biased studies funded by anti-vaccine groups (the Geiers themselves publish such studies regularly). This junk science is the equivalent of a journalist publishing a story in the National Enquirer and expecting the public to believe it.
Anti-vaccine advocates also accuse the entire medical community of being part of a conspiracy to hide the truth about vaccines because somehow, we all profit from administering them to children, and don't care about the consequences. The notion is simply irrational: There are thousands of pediatricians in this country and to insist we don't care about kids despite our years of training and dedication to them is insulting. In addition, anybody who understands the business of pediatric medicine knows that the rising costs of vaccines combined with the decreasing reimbursements from insurance companies make vaccines one of the least profitable parts of a practice. We will continue to provide them regardless, because we know vaccines save lives.
Finally, these groups keep changing their target: In the late 1990s, the culprit was the MMR vaccine. Studies exonerated it. Then the culprit became thimerasol, a mercury-based preservative. It was removed from vaccines in 2002, and recent studies have shown that autism rates continue to rise despite it. Now, they have decided to implicate other components used to keep vaccines safe and effective. One "study" even accuses the Tylenol parents give their children after receiving the vaccines for pain control as causing autism.
Regardless of the weakness of their allegations and the conflicts o, many parents have been listening via the news and Internet and making the ill-informed decision to refuse vaccines. The outbreaks in both areas are the consequences and a harbinger of what may come if this trend continues. The Centers for Disease Control say there have been at least 95 cases of measles in 11 states in just the first five months of this year.
In the past, such outbreaks may have been confined to a small town or village. Today, all an exposed or ill child has to do is get picked up from school in one part of town and let their mom or dad drive them down the freeway to the park in your part of town, where they'll be exposing an entirely new set of children to potentially fatal illnesses. This possibility, as we have seen, is a scary fact. Compare that with the scary accusation that vaccines cause autism.
A mother of an infant in San Diego who had to quarantined made a case about the consequences of having an unvaccinated child in a recent interview: "If you decide not to vaccinate, don't take your child, your unvaccinated child, to a foreign country where there is a higher incidence of measles and other diseases. And if you do do that and you bring your child back sick, don't take that child to public places until you know what's really going on with them."
She makes the point better than any doctor. In this flat world, declining vaccines is selfish. In fact, Dr. Gordon, interviewed on the News Hour as well, seems to make his patients rely on the health of others: "I think the children who receive no vaccines at all are statistically safe." His point is that those of us who vaccinate our kids support those who don't with "herd immunity," meaning that immunized kids shed small amounts of the weakened virus in vaccines out of their body, exposing others and allowing their bodies to develop antibodies against it. But, as we've seen, as more parents refuse to vaccinate, herd immunity wanes, and scourges of the past reappear.
Uninformed views by a generation of parents and anti-vaccine advocates who haven't seen the horrors of these illnesses and the tears they cause are directly compromising the health of our state's children. So perhaps it's time that California eliminated its personal belief exemption. If that's an inconvenience for some parents, perhaps Mr. Kirby, Ms. McCarthy, and Dr. Gordon can start a school in their part of town, like the Waldorf school's founder did so long ago.
Posted by: rebuttal | July 11, 2008 at 11:56 AM
I've been following aluminum closely because my daughter has motor coordination and balance problems that doctors had been unable to pinpoint a cause for. I finally took her to my son's DAN and she has high aluminum in her bloodstream. There has been a study, by Shaw et al, that was published in November of last year that links the aluminum adjuvant in vaccines to motor neuron death in the lab and Gulf War Syndrome. Also, there's someone at FDA who was supposed to be in charge of a study of aluminum but that was dated 2006 and I've not been able to find any actual results anywhere. Is the study incomplete or have they buried it? I'm away from home otherwise I'd have the specific citations for the above. I wish there were an internet tool for determining total burden of aluminum in the vaccines, like NVIC has for mercury. I think it could be really important.
Posted by: Garbo | July 10, 2008 at 10:44 PM
Isn't it rather amazing that the general public (or the "sheeple" as I like to refer to them)were so quick to judge Merck about Vioxx and believe that there was a problem, yet when we talk about Gardacil (or any other vaccine for that matter) they all toe the proverbial line and act like the automatons that the CDC and the AAP have created through years of social engineering. Not to mention the dumbing down of the American populace with neurotoxins. Is it because we want to protect our children soooo badly that we'll believe anything? Or is it because we'd like to have a cure-all and not have to worry about good diet and hygene? That way when your kid does get sick you can say you tried everything and did everything that a good parent is supposed to do, so it obviously couldn't be your fault.
truly pathetic.
wake up people! Think for yourselves!
Posted by: curt linderman sr | July 10, 2008 at 10:23 PM
IMPORTANT NUMBERS - please keep in mind crucial stats when discussing the Gardisil "choice". Approx. 10,000 cases of HPV cerv. cancer with 3,000 deaths out of 151 million U.S. females represents a miniscule 7/1000ths of 1% population with a 3/1000ths of 1% mortality. If Gardisil prevented EVERY case - it wouldn't improve women's health in our country even 1%. So what is Gardisil about except $1.5 billion for Merck peddling a product 99.993% of us WILL NEVER NEED
Posted by: Doreen Carlson | July 10, 2008 at 09:38 AM
This case was considered medically important for the event of aluminum toxicity (OMIC). Information regarding Prevnar (pneumococcal 7 valent conjugate vaccine (diphtheria crm197 protein) injection) was received from a consumer regarding a 15 month old male pt whose speech stopped completely for 2 1/2 weeks, had fever for 5 days, became limp, screamed for hrs and would cry when trying to sleep, reduced his eye contact and became unresponsive when answering to name, was a delayed walker, dragging one leg and reverted to crawling in circles, banging into things. He developed balance problems and dizziness. Additionally, the pt received treatment for aluminum toxicity. At 15 months of age, the pt received the fourth dose on 15Dec05. The pt also received the fourth dose of diphtheria and tetanus toxoids (manf unk) and MMR on 15Dec05. The pt has a past history of five ear infections that occurred before the age of 18 months and a mild virus that developed on an unspecified date just prior to his receiving the last dose of Prevnar. The pt previously experienced pyrexia, fontanel swelling and irritability after receiving his first and second doses Prevnar on 02Nov04 and 04Apr05 respectively. Indication for Prevnar was immunization. Product was administered on 08Dec05, Dose regimen was 1 dose 1 time per day (IM). Additional suspect vaccines included MMR, diphtheria and tetanus toxoids, poliomyelitis vaccine inactivated, poliomyelitis vaccine inactivated, hep B vaccine, hep B vaccine, Hib titer vaccine (haemophilus b conjugate vaccine (diphtheria crm197 protein conjugate) injection) and Hib titer vaccine (haemophilus b conjugate vaccine (diphtheria crm197 protein conjugate) injection). Pt was not taking concomitant therapy. A mother reported that in Dec 2005, after receiving his fourth dose of Prevnar along with other childhood vaccines, her son started screaming for 2-3 hrs (screaming) and would then cry when trying to sleep for the next 3 months.
It was reported in a published article, title as stated above that an infant "by eight months of age" had received "all of her childhood vaccinations." It was reported that the pt was vaccinated with Haemophilus B conjugate vaccoine (+) hpe B vaccine. Other reported therapy included diphtheria toxoid (+) pertussis vaccine (+) tetanus toxoid and a conjugated pneumococcal vaccine. It was reported that the pt "under one year of age" developed a severe local delayed reaction which resulted in "extensive cutaneous scarring to almost all of her childhood vaccinations received by eight months of age." Specific immunoglubulin titers, patch testing, gram stain and culture of aspirated fluid were done. The results were reported to be that specific immunoglobulin titers were unusually elevated indicating a vigorous immune response to these vaccines. A gram stain revealed numerous white blood cells, but no organisms. A culture was negative. Patch testing was positive at 48 and 72 hours for aluminum, but negative for thimerosal and formaldehyde. The etiology of the lesions in this pt were reported as "very likely to be secondary to a DTH reaction to the aluminum adjuvant contained "in" the vaccinations received." Sterile abscess was reportedly to be "unlikely" given the multiplicity of lesions and the high vaccine-specific immunoglobulin titers, both of which were atypical features of sterile abscess. It was reported that given the potential for permanent disfigurement, physicians should be cognizant of the possibility of local DTH reactions to adjuvants in vaccinations that enhance immunogenicity, but can cause severe cutaneous side effects. In patients showing signs of DTH like reactions to vaccines, preparations devoid of these components should be sought and administered in place of those containing the offending agents.
Information has been received from a father concerning his 8 year old son with an excessive amount of aluminum in his blood who was vaccinated with a dose of varicella virus vaccine live. The patient's father reported that his son was diagnosed with autism as he went from talking to no talking for no specific reason. Unspecified medical attention was sought and at the time of this report the outcome was unknown. The father also reported that his 12 year old son was also diagnosed with autism after being vaccinated with varicella virus vaccine live (WAES0502USA02642). Upon internal review, autism was considered to be an other important medical event (OMIC). No further information is available.
Information has been received from a nurse concerning her daughter (age not reported) who on an unspecified date was vaccinated IM with a 0.5 mL first dose of Gardasil. Subsequently the patient experienced eczema on both arms. The patient sought unspecified medical attention. The patient's physician believed that the eczema may have been due to the high aluminum content in the vaccine. Additional information has been requested.
Information regarding Prevnar was received from a consumer regarding a patient who developed high aluminum blood levels. Data of administration was not provided. Relevant medical history was not provided. Indication for Prevnar was immunization. Product was administered on an unspecified date. Dose regimen was 1 dose 1 time per day. Concomitant medications were not reported. On unspecified date, a patient reportedly developed a high aluminum blood level (blood aluminum increased). The outcome is unknown. The reporter indicated that 2 patients experienced this event; however, they are not presently identifiable. No additional information was available at the time of this report.
Information has been received from a medical assistant concerning a female in her early 20's who on an unspecified date in 2007 the patient received her first dose of GARDASIL injection. Concomitant therapy on the same date also included another vaccine (therapy unspecified). On an unspecified date the patient received her second dose of GARDASIL. The patient had a "nervous breakdown; some kind of anxiety or severe depression". The patient was admitted to the hospital and was found to have decreased serotonin levels and aluminum toxicity. The dates of the hospitalization are not known but the patient was discharged and was started on an antidepressant (therapy unspecified). The patient has not received her third dose yet.
Information has been received from a physician's assistant, via a company representative, concerning an 18 year old female patient, the daughter of one of her patients, who on an unspecified date was vaccinated with the first dose of Gardasil (lot # not reported). The PA stated the patient had been a normal 18 year old, who immediately after the vaccination, "started acting very strange, almost like she was on drugs, depressed." She added the patient "started to have mental illness, drug-like symptoms." The patient was taken to a specialist, who told her she had abnormally high levels of aluminum in her body as a result of receiving the Gardasil. The specialist felt that the symptoms were caused by the aluminum. At the time of this report, the outcome of the events was not specified. Additional information has been requested.
Posted by: Fed Up | July 10, 2008 at 07:10 AM
I have real concerns about the use of aluminum in the placebo group during one of the more frequently quoted Gardasil studies.
Merck states that, according to the research, there is little concern about reactions at the site of injection. Studies like this include examining the site of injection for the control group and the test group, and if there is a difference in reactions at the site, THEN they have to consider the data and warn the public.
Were you all aware the the bulk of the placebo control group used a solution that had aluminum in it? That resulted in a lot of injection site reactions both with the test group and the placebo group, and since there was no contrast between the two, they did not have to report that the vaccine caused injection site reactions (or AE's - Adverse Events). Sneaky!!
Here's a breakdown to make it clearer: The Merck Gardasil test group had 5,088 subjects. The reason why I'm listing the number of subjects will be clear when you read the next few sentences.
The first CONTROL group received an alumiminum-containing placebo (3,470 subjects). The second control group received a saline placebo (only 320 subjects). When comparing minor AE's, Merck compared data for both placebo groups. However, when comparing data for serious AE's, Merck COMBINED the two placebo groups and then compared it to the Gardasil group.
They do not reveal the difference in serious AE's between the aluminum placebo group and the saline group.
The non-serious adverse events between the saline placebo group compared to the aluminum-containing placebo group and Gardasil group WERE significant. They had no problem showing the data because they were "minor" reactions like fever, injection site swelling, etc.
Can you imagine what the comparison of serious adverse events revealed . . . and Merck doesn't want to reveal it for some reason. What would have been revealed if the control group was ENTIRELY made up of saline placebo subjects??
***...a true saline placebo used in a vaccine safety trial and they only use 320 subjects . . . and then hide the serious adverse event data for those subjects.
What was the purpose of giving the overwhelming majority of control group subjects in the Gardasil study aluminum when it would have been considered ethical to give ALL of them saline?
Did aluminum have some sort of therapeutic benefit over saline in the Gardasil study that we don't know about?
Also, the above link connects to the Gardasil Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting Site. 6697 so far. That's 6697 too many.
Posted by: Lisa G | July 10, 2008 at 07:06 AM