Thanks for the MMRV link, MinorityView. What I can't figure out is whether there isn't something a little ridiculous about the data used to make those recommendations. Apparently, the second dose of MMRV is less likely to cause febrile seizures than the first dose of MMRV, so the CDC appears to be recommending MMR and V separately (although on the same day?) for the first dose, then MMRV for the second. What I don't see anywhere is whether a specific set of children was studied, and compelled to get the second dose of MMRV after seizing after the first dose of MMRV. I mean, it's likely that there would be fewer seizures reported with the second dose, because what doctor is going to give a kid MMRV again after the kid seized the first time? So the susceptible population eliminates itself from the second set of data. I've read this paragraph (below) over and over, and I can't tell whether kids who seized after MMRV dose #1 were given MMRV dose #2. It seems to me that seizure rates were compared, but that was as far as the math went.

"Risk for Febrile Seizure After Second Dose of MMRV Vaccine

Rates for febrile seizures are lower among children aged 4--6 years (the recommended age for the second dose of MMRV vaccine, MMR vaccine, and varicella vaccine) than among children aged 12--15 months (14). In prelicensure studies conducted among children who received their second dose in their second year of life and 3 months after their first dose, the second dose of MMRV vaccine was less likely to cause fever than the first dose (12,13). Among children aged 4--6 years who received MMRV vaccine for their second dose, the rate of fever was similar to the rate following a second dose of MMR vaccine and varicella vaccine at the same visit (19).

Assessing the risk for febrile seizures after the second dose vaccination was not an initial objective of either postlicensure study. In light of findings from first-dose studies, the workgroup requested available data on febrile seizures risk after the second dose from both VSD and Merck. In the data that VSD provided in response to this request, the febrile seizure risk after the second dose was inferred from data among children aged 4--6 years, which is the age when the second dose is routinely recommended. In the data provided by Merck, second-dose subjects were children aged 1--12 years (>95% were aged 4--6 years) who had received MMR vaccine previously, with or without varicella vaccine (for most children in the MMR vaccine and varicella vaccine group, only a second dose of MMR vaccine was administered) (20). During 7--10 days following vaccination, the VSD study identified one febrile seizure among 84,653 children aged 4--6 years who received MMRV vaccine and no febrile seizures among 64,663 children the same age who received MMR vaccine and varicella vaccine administered at the same visit (17). No febrile seizures occurred during the 5--12 days postvaccination in either group in the Merck-sponsored study (25,212 children received a second dose of MMRV vaccine, and 24,788 received a second dose of MMR vaccine and varicella vaccine at the same visit) (20). Therefore, among children aged 4--6 years, postlicensure data do not suggest that children who received MMRV vaccine as a second dose had an increased risk for febrile seizures after vaccination compared with children who received a second dose of MMR vaccine and varicella vaccine at the same visit."

Following Natasa's link, check out the sneaky phraseology of the pharma shill (oops, I mean reporter). "responsible for the deaths of 500,000 infants each year, primarily in low- and middle-income countries." Have you ever heard a country described as "middle-income" before? Clearly, this phrasing was designed to make readers think "low- and middle-income families," and then think, "that could be me," and then line up for the contaminated shot. A better way to put it would have been "primarily in sub-Saharan Africa."

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5903a1.htm

for the CDC article on MMRV recommendations

Do you think they'll at least update the package inserts to list the newly discovered viruses in the ingredients?

Update .. late Friday .. as usual ..

http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100507-716126.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines

The Wall Street Journal breathlessly reports:

"FDA Panel Members Back Use of Merck, Glaxo Rotavirus Vaccines"

"Karen Midthun .. acting director of FDA's Center for Biologics and Research said the agency would be "very expeditious" in making recommendions about whether either vaccine should be used."

And just who benefits most from expediency? The children .. or .. the stockholders of Merck and Glaxo?

I don't know about you .. but .. who the hell is running the FDA? Why in God's name has the FDA allowed our children to become pawns .. sacrificial lambs .. for the benefit of those heavily invested in the stock market?

I second Vicky Debold ROCKS! I LOVE that she got in the bit about HERV-K contamination of MMR and Varicella. And Barbara Loe Fisher, too! And whoever that lady Holly Franz (?) is from Lawrence Livermore National Labs!

There seemed to be a general acknowledgment/resignation that the cat is out of the bag, the new techniques are going to be used, and they'd better get on board so they can be ahead of the curve rather than behind. Most interesting is good old Bruce Gellin. His takeaway (paraphrased) is "don't try this at home" even though the costs of these tests are coming down radically, and "we probably need to talk to the the journals", to develop strategies for evaluating the studies and data that are going to inevitably be coming from disparate sources -- like people who don't work for pharma companies. That smells to me like an effort at suborning prior restraint of publication of studies they don't want validated. Wonder if he's ever lobbed a call in to Neurotoxicology. Note to Bruce: You might as well give it up. The monkeys are winning this one, in the end. This ain't Simpsonwood 1999.

And this little piggy went to...jail.

Vicky DeBold!!!!!! I Love You!!! You ROCK! Thank you for your tireless efforts to make sure our kids are safe and parents are informed!

I think Paul Offit was quoted as saying that vaccines are so much safer today because they actually contain less antigen.

Well, do they?

23 states. 19 sick. E.Coli contaminated lettuce again... An immediate recall is issued. People have been hospitalized. This is dangerous, folks.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100507/ap_on_bi_ge/us_lettuce_recall

But we have unexpected findings of porcine virus DNA (two types) known to cause wasting disease in pigs. No problem. It doesn't matter one bit. We assure you, it's safe. Any thing you may hear about people getting sick, developing autism or another disability, or dying after receiving a vaccine or a series of them; well it's just plain hogwash.

The country can go without lettuce for awhile, but we can not let them go without these life saving vaccines because unlike lettuce, vaccines are the greatest medical miracle EVER!

Now back to E.Coli and the lettuce producer we've narrowed this down to in Yuma, AZ.

Well, GSK commits to new cell bank. Big expense and cost, but will be another case of, "Well, we're removing it, but even though we are, it was safe and fine." Offit already has his spin for that. He just has to do a find and replace with PCV and thimerasol and he can spit out the same statement.

I feel for the FDA guys.

Consider this: an ouside research team brings about this discovery (albeit one they themselves didn’t anticipate or welcome) and puts FDA in the hotspot – use of deep sequencing technique to check for vaccine contaminants is REALLY something that FDA should have pushed for as soon as the technique became available. We can only speculate why they didn’t …

The outcomes of the afternoon session will be very very interesting and indicative of where FDA stands right now, and how good they are of wriggling their way out of this “unconfortable” situation.

In the morning session “The committee will discuss what additional steps should be considered to address this finding (of contamination)”.

But in the afternoon session “the committee will discuss and make recommendations on the use of advanced analytical detection methods not currently applied for the characterization of cell substrates, viral seeds, and other biological materials used in the production of viral vaccines for human use.”

Now this is something HOT HOT HOT. If they do recommend these new “advanced analytical detection methods” all hell just might break lose for themselves and their pharma friends. God only knows what else is hiding in those biologicals that deep sequencing can reveal!!! If they push for manufacturers to check their products, they could well open the Pandora’s box. Very very risky.

If on the other hand they say something like “oh there is this new techique, it is your decision whether to use it or not…”, then FDA will leave themselves open to future criticism in case any naughty naughty external parties again have the cheek to carry out random deep sequencing on those products and again reveal some inconvenient contaminants…

Damned if they do, damned if they don’t.

I really feel for them, poor old FDA.

This will be a big deal in industry. They are asking some of the right questions. They are taking this seriously.

Should be a recall, not only for the pig virus, but because it STILL causes intesusseption (see VAERS)

"Calm down, everyone. The government is not here to create disorder. We're here to preserve disorder" - Altering quote from a Former Chicago Mayor. :)