Flu Vaccine: Right To Know!
By Jim Thompson
Our SD delegation in congress sent their staff to hear David Kirby and Mark Blaxill at Rep. Maloney’s office. Next they received all the follow-up information including: David Kirby’s slides; a response refuting Rep. Waxman’s Dear Colleague letter; a request to the IACC to post warnings about the risk to pregnant women and children from mercury in flu shots; and several emails about mercury toxicity with references from the USEPA, FDA, and AAP.
So while congress works on a national solution, and except for those 5 or so states that already ban it, do we just sit by and watch the massive continued use of Thimerosal in flu vaccines for pregnant women and children? No! The next step is to talk and inform people within arms reach in our own communities.
During the past week after talking to a nurse, special ed teacher, parish priest, UPS driver/mom, plumber, and employees at five retail stores – and asking if they knew about their right to know about mercury in vaccines and the right to ask for mercury free vaccines the response was “No.” But for all those asked to please post a one page bulletin with that information - the answer was an enthusiastic “Yes!”
Will you please consider posting the following bulletin with this information in your community? This is a one page bulletin (Click here) that explains that there is mercury in the flu shot. While we continue the necessary work with congress to act on a national basis, please ask yourself this: How many children might be spared right now by this simple act?
INFORMATION
Flu Vaccines May Contain Mercury
You have a RIGHT to ask for THIMEROSAL FREE VACCINE
Thimerosal is a Vaccine Preservative with 49% Mercury by weight
Ask for a Vaccine Package Insert
Or
Download a Vaccine Package Insert at (CLICK HERE)
“Mercury in all of its forms is toxic to the fetus and children, and efforts should be made to reduce exposure to the extent possible to pregnant women and children as well as the general population.”
Source: American Academy of Pediatricians, Technical Report: Mercury in the Environment: Implications for Pediatricians, Pediatrics 2001;108;197-205.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/108/1/197
Provided by Citizens for Safer Vaccinations, [Your Address, Date]
Jim Thompson is a registered professional engineer. He and his wife Susan live and work in rural South Dakota. Their first granddaughter was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, epilepsy, verbal apraxia, motor disorder, and sensory integration disorder. Her loving memory has influenced his family’s decision to help protect children from vaccine injuries.
Jim and Susan,
Thanks for your hard work to bring the mercury toxin in vaccines to light. I am a SD resident and (circuitously) found that you were supporting some legislation to promote awareness of mercury in vaccines that got tabled. I am part of a breastfeeding Moms group in Rapid City, and we all avoid vaccinations and would be happy to help in any legislative effort next year. (I am there anyway supporting the midwife legislation - we keep trying :-).
The new "replacement" for mercury in vaccines is aluminum, which is also a neurotoxin.
Keep up the good work!
Mary
Posted by: Mary Anderson | February 20, 2009 at 06:41 PM
i know, i see tons of ads for flu shots! i work in the medical field so i am around the flu all the time. my husbad is in the medical field too. at our work they are making the flu shot something we have to get or our name gets flagged and we get harrassed by our bosses! i was shocked. (i already got my flu shot because my doc blind sided me with it the other day! i am allergic to thimersol i have anaphylactic shock to it. big shocker huh?) so anyway it is my choice to get because i work around it so much. but my kiddies aren't getting it this year. considering the flu shot didn't even work last year! and my daughter never got the shot last year and she fared just fine. i'm thinking of doing the vit D supplement with them though. i'm gonna see what my DAN doc thinks. i have a great pedi and she said i didn't need to give them their flu shots. in fact the office hasn't even called to bug me. unlike my old pedi who i'm sure would have been up my a$$ and around the corner by now!
Posted by: jill r | October 29, 2008 at 02:34 AM
Reading all your comments about your basic acts of caring and kindness to other parents and children and knowing that children will be spared the risks associated with mercury exposure is an inspiration. Thank you.
p.s. please keep it up.
Posted by: jimthompson | October 26, 2008 at 06:27 PM
Someone with artistic ability (and energy) needs to do some kind of huge art display or "installation" on this idea. I can picture a giant syringe with maybe the pictures of children scattered below; a body of carnage under the needle. Of course, it would be displayed in some very high profile, public museum......
Posted by: jennifer | October 26, 2008 at 06:21 PM
My husband e-mailed this flyer to everyone at his office and he got lots of "thank you's" and one "now you tell me." I'm about to send an e-mail to my entire list, putting the message in the body of the e-mail as well as attaching the flyer.
So far, the public library and the civic center have agreed to post it! The health department refuses to return my call. (They initiated automatic phone calls to every resident, reminding them to get flu shots.)
One more thought...
Dr Mercola says that taking supplements of Vitamin D also wards off the flu since he thinks the lack of vitamin D is due to people being indoors more in the winter so they don't get any vitamin D from the Sun. He thinks there's a correlation between lack of vitamin D and flu season always taking place in the winter. So, adding in a suggestion to take Vitamin D might fit in well.
Posted by: sign lady | October 25, 2008 at 03:40 PM
Please do give out information to doctors too- especially pediatricians. They are ill informed and misinformed. And do you think that there is anyone who wants to inform them?The CDC? The AAP? I know this by talking to my daughter who is a pediatrician, but never sees autistic kids because she is a neonatologist. Please correct me if I am wrong- but is it not true that California has waived the ban on mercury vaccines for two years in a row ? My daughter thought it was only one. Where can one go to get correct information on this? Please post comments. Also, please understand that doctors have many misconceptions about what autism is and what it means to parents. When the doctors get educated, the CDC and the AAP and IOM wont be able to fool them any longer. Also, someone needs to do a comparison between mothers who refuse flu shots and those who allow them to be given to themselves and their 6 month old infants. There will surely be more autism in the latter category.
Posted by: Cherry Sperlin Misra | October 25, 2008 at 03:03 PM
The local flu vax marketing campaign has weathered very minor acts of civil disobedience hereabouts, including the removal of a crude mimeograph advertisement from an elevator at one hospital, the absconding of a political poster style lawn sign from outside a chain grocery/pharmacy, and the collection of a package insert from a dental school flu vax site. The last event elicited a plaintive remark from a staffer, to the effect that their flu vax was thimerosal-free. The lawn sign may be altered or otherwise utilized for purposes not intended by vax marketers.
Posted by: Mike | October 25, 2008 at 03:10 AM
Everywhere I look I see get your flu shot. My childrens school has a recording calling my house for the FLU SHOT CLINIC. Flyers everywhere! Its insane. On a postive note I have convinced 2 people to slow the vaccines and never to give their babies the flu shot. At least I've done little something.
Posted by: Lora | October 24, 2008 at 09:37 PM
good job Jim-in today's Calgary Herald (in the editorial section) Susan Martinuk wrote an article about the flu shot being forced down NJs' throats. Google up Calgary Herald if you want to read it. Yesterday I emailed a few American Lung Ass'n clinics and the media department and let them know how silly their flu shot campaign makes them look (a lot of the ingredients probably cause asthma, etc.) I also called up the Canadian Lung Ass'n to thank them for not promoting the flu shots-she seemed glad that I called to give them some feedback about it.
I have to get some pamphlets about vaccination concerns so I can distribute some too. Go Garbo and all you other bad asses!! THis is fun...
Posted by: jennifer | October 24, 2008 at 08:03 PM
Christine is exactly right. The reason the CDC does not remove Thimerosal or ban it, is then they would have a difficult time explaining why it is still in vaccines for third world countries. They will never admit it is not safe, they always cover themselves. Like Amalgam fillings, the FDA has never classified them as safe to implant in a human mouth. Even though they have signed a consent decree to do so by next year.
Posted by: noflushot | October 24, 2008 at 05:43 PM
I got a bunch of flu vaccine pamphlets from SafeMinds. I left half of them in our pediatrician's waiting room (which is plastered with Pharma signs). The other half I put in our school office, where they have a whole wall of clear plastic bins they use for school forms, informational brochures, etc. I kind of didn't mention it to anyone, I just did it when nobody was looking. It felt kind of naughty and great.
Posted by: Garbo | October 24, 2008 at 05:05 PM
I went to a Target in NY the other day and the woman told me they only had a handful of Mercury Free Flu shots for pregnant women. But, I could ask my doctor for one.
I wasn't asking because I wanted a shot- I was just checking to see what they were going to say.
I've never gotten a flu shot and never will.
Posted by: Christine Heeren | October 24, 2008 at 04:54 PM
Let's be clear. While flu vaccine is almost certainly useless, providing shots without mercury costs the CDC just $3.12 per shot and all doctors ought to be able to supply it:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/cdc-vac-price-list.htm
Why would the CDC want to save this piffling amount of money? Is this because if they stopped injecting mercury into American kids it would put the focus on the export to the developing world? The WHO scedule delivers the same amount of mercury between birth and 14 weeks as a US infant received in 1999 by six months.
http://www.jabs.org.uk/pages/mercuryautismuk.asp
What credibility can a government and profession have if they are prepared to do this?
Posted by: John Stone | October 24, 2008 at 02:09 PM
Jim Thompson,
Thank you for your work here. It's a great idea, and I often think that more is accomplished at the grassroots level.
There is now a copy of this Right To Know notice on the bulletin board at our local IGA (the grocery is close to the Walgreen's, where they didn't want to take it, because they "aren't giving any more flu shots this season," although the "Get Your Flu Shot Here" sign is still on the front door).
I also had a chance to mention it to another mother up at school (she just happened to mention she was taking her school-age daughter for the flu shot) and I told her, "I wouldn't let my kids get one. They still have all the mercury in most of them."
She looked at me; I couldn't tell what she was going to do with this information, but it looked like it was news to her.
At least she can't say she wasn't warned.
Terri L.
P.S. It would be inspiring to hear of others' efforts. If we save just one child from this totally unnecessary mercury exposure, it will be worth it.
Posted by: Terri Lewis | October 24, 2008 at 01:08 PM
Let's keep screaming it HAS 85 TIMES THE EAP safe limit for mercury .. ya think that might get someone's attention!!!! That is so far from freaking "trace" amounts. WTF?
Posted by: Kathy | October 24, 2008 at 12:05 PM
I had to stop by our old pediatricians office on Tuesday to get something from my son's medical file. There was a sign on the door -- flu vaccine clinic today. Kids were getting free pizza & tokens to Chuck E. Cheese. The place was packed with car carriers and I was silently fuming. When I was out of ear shot from the office staff, I spoke to one of the moms. I asked her if she did her homework, if she researched the pros and cons and was comfortable with her decision to vaccinate. She of course rambled off all the misinformation that is out there (flu kills lots of babies, can't go to daycare without it, it protects against the flu). I left her with this -- the flu shot has forever changed my son at 18 months of age. He is now a person with disabilities and I have to live with the fact that I didn't do my homework. Others started listening to me and were very surprised. Wanted to know why the doctor would give the shot if it is not safe. I was getting dirty looks from the staff so I left her with a few webpages and told her to skip the free clinic today and make sure she is comfortable with her decision. She of course said, it was a hassle to drive back to the office so it would be easier to get it today. I said, "is it easier to raise a child with disabilities?" I wish someone would have said something to me, I sure would have researched it.
Posted by: TMC | October 24, 2008 at 11:06 AM
I have moved from Baton Rouge. I was able to request the thimerosal free last year in Baton Rouge. Now I live in rural Mississippi. I called the local pediatric clinic. I asked if the thimerosal free flu vaccine was available. The receptionist first rattled off the times available to get the flu vaccine. I said, "Thank you, but I need to know if you have the vaccine that is free of the preservative containing mercury." She asked someone else and came back to tell me that their flu vaccine had no preservatives. My first thought is full of elation. Maybe they're understanding the risks now and not bringing anything into their office that could harm our children. My second thought is that this is just like before and they're just telling me what I want to hear. I asked, "Are you SURE?" Another lady came on the phone, "Our vaccines do not contain mercury but they do have preservatives so you might want to look elsewhere." Thanks a lot.
Posted by: Christy Harrill | October 24, 2008 at 09:28 AM
Thank you for posting this! I have already been telling everyone I know the same information and posting it online. We all have to work together to get the word out. The media always minimizes this by saying that mercury in thimerosal is JUST in SOME flu shots. There is no JUST about it (25 Mcgs of mercury is 85 times the .3 limit for "biological effects" according to JAMA articles listed on Johns Hopkins Vaccine Safety Website). And the reality is that only 2 (out of 7 or more) flu shots this year are "mercury-free". On Oct. 9 AoA posted what happened to my son as a result of the flu shot added on to his other 15 mos. shots. You are welcome to share this with whomever you like. It's under "Parent Warriors" on the sidebar.
Two of my friends who have worked just as hard as I have, have had more difficulty recovering their sons--they both had the flu shots when they were pregnant and saw signs of autism mcuh earlier in their children. Coincidence?
Posted by: Rachel Ford | October 24, 2008 at 09:05 AM
p.s. How will advising people to download a package insert tell them whether or not they're receiving Thimerosal in the shot they're given? I deleted that line from my signs.
Posted by: sign lady | October 24, 2008 at 08:55 AM
Thank you!! Jim, may I suggest that you reconfigure the word document you link us to, so the sign is on a separate page, and enlarge the letters of the words "Flu Vaccines May Contain Mercury..." through "...Ask For A Vaccine Package Insert." (28-pt. type fits) I've done that on mine, and I plan to bring copies to CVS and Walgreen stores in my town. I will ask managers permission to post the signs, and will report back here what transpires.
Posted by: sign lady | October 24, 2008 at 08:51 AM
FDA needs to issue a black box warning.
Especially to pregnant women.
Warning: This product contains 49% mutagenic Mercury.
Posted by: karenatlanta | October 24, 2008 at 08:20 AM