Fall 2009 Double Issue Vaccination Risk Awarenessewsletter Network Inc. Swine Flu: to Vaccinate or not ? by Marc GIRARD, MSc, MD, consultant in drug monitoring and pharmacoepi- INSIDE THIS ISSUE demiology; European expert (AEXEA), (abridged) ; original at: http://www. rolandsimion.org/IMG/pdf/To_vaccinate_or_not.pdf 2: VRANews 8: What’s in your H1N1 Rationale • In healthy adults: “There is not enough evidence to decide whether routine Flu Vaccine? Projects of forced fl u vaccination vaccination to prevent infl uenza in 15: If you’re Too Hot, Get a Shot certainly raise serious issues regarding healthy adults is effective” 16: Why this Doctor Questions fundamental liberties, but more simply, • In healthy children: “If immunisation they also raise signifi cant health issues, in children is to be recommended as a Flu Vaccination which require a factual analysis. [The vac- public health policy, large-scale stud- 17: Cardiovascular Risks from cine was mandated in France; Canadians ies assessing important outcomes and Swine Flu Vaccine have been coerced via fearmongering.] directly comparing vaccine types are 19: They Came, They Lied, Basically, vaccines are drugs amongst urgently required.” Not without irony, others (and, as will be demonstrated the authors add the following com- They Conquered below, far more complicated agents as ment: “It was surprising to fi nd only 21: Good Questions Deserve compared to most available drugs). From one study of inactivated vaccine in Good Answers my professional experience in drug de- children under two years, given cur- 22: Gardisil Researcher velopment and pharmacoepidemiology, rent recommendations to vaccinate I have a simple conceptual frame of rel- healthy children from six months old Drops a Bombshell evant issues to be analysed: 1. Which in the USA and Canada.” 24: Letters benefi t? 2. Which risk? 3. Which cost? • In healthcare workers who work with 27: Newsclips the elderly: “There is no credible evi- 31: Alert: Toxic Ingredients in H1N1 dence that vaccination of healthy people 32: Membership and Order Form 1. Which benefi t ? under the age of 60, who are HCWs caring for the elderly, affects infl uenza Vaccines against seasonal fl u complications in those cared for”. There’s no need to be an epidemiolo- Swine Flu Mania—A Case The Cochrane collaboration is a non- gist to grasp the problem raised by this of Collective Insanity profi t network dedicated to performing series of reviews which included all the systematic reviews of health care inter- available relevant studies (randomized By Edda West ventions, including a number of drug controlled trials, cohort and case-control treatments. Independent in principle, its studies) performed from 1966 to 2006: As swine fl u hysteria took a fi rm grip reviews are not always above criticism, throughout 40 years, nobody (in par- of Canadians these past six months, it as is the case with all of us. However, ticular neither the manufacturers, nor became glaringly evident to anyone do- there is general agreement that the Co- any health agency) has proved able to ing a little independent research outside chrane reviews are amongst the most produce convincing evidence of a signif- mainstream media, that there is a seri- reliable assessments available in the fi eld icant benefi t related to vaccines against ous disconnect between the reality of of medical care. The Cochrane collabo- infl uenza! This is even more paradoxi- “evidence based medicine” and the my- ration has recently published thorough cal since, as everybody knows, available thology public health offi cials have spun reviews on fl u vaccines; the signifi cance studies are rather skewed towards an around the effectiveness of fl u vaccines. of these retrospective assessments is even overestimation of benefi ts because of the Historical evidence now shows that greater since they have been subjected publication bias. Throughout 40 years, annual fl u vaccination of increasing num- to quite recent updates. As opposed to the manufacturers have never made any bers of people over nearly 4 decades, has the implacable promotional activism of effort to get any scientifi c evidence of made no difference whatsoever in pro- health authorities (WHO included), their the effi cacy of their fl u vaccines. Within tecting people from the disease or death conclusions are damning. the same period, the health agencies have from it. ( 1, 2) never requested any scientifi c evidence • In the elderly (65 years and more): of effi cacy for the fl u vaccines for whose When the World Health Organization “according to reliable evidence the registration (or not) they were respon- (WHO) elevated H1N1 to level 6 pandemic usefulness of vaccines in the commu- nity is modest”. Swine Flu: to Vaccinate? continued on page 10 Editorial continued on page 3 VRAN NEWSLETTER the dictates of corrupt policy makers, the Vaccination Risk Awareness Network Inc. VRANews need for us to maintain this source of fac- P.O. Box 169, Winlaw, B.C. V0G 2J0 Never in the 30 years being involved tual information is greater than ever. If ever Coordinator and newsletter editor: Edda West in the vaccine issue, have I nor others in there was a reason for Canadians to support [email protected] 250-355-2525 this work, seen such hysteria, such obnox- the work of VRAN—to support this source of independent and truthful reporting about VRAN Board of Directors: ious propaganda pumped out continually Mary James—President by the government and dutifully broadcast vaccination, this is it! Rita Hoffman—Vice-President by its lackeys, the mainstream media. Edda West —Secretary/Treasurer You, our members are our only means Dr. Jason Whittaker—Director VRAN Speakers Bureau Leona Rew—Board Member The degree to which people are cap- of support. VRAN receives no government Gloria Dignazio—Board Member tive to this type of propaganda hinges of or corporate support which is why we can Susan Fletcher—VRAN Researcher course on whether a person is motivated speak the truth! We thank you for keeping Thanks to Catherine Orfald for the newsletter layout. to cast about for a broader perspective. VRAN alive over the years. We thank you Statement of Purpose: Take a little step back from the party line for your ongoing support, despite these hard • VRAN was formed in October of 1992 in re- that says you and your whole family need economic times and your commitment for sponse to growing parental concern regarding the swine fl u shot, and you’ll discover that putting us at the top of your “to give” list. the safety of current vaccination programs in a number of diverse and highly respected use in Canada. research groups have shown fairly conclu- This year, as a fundraising bonus we con- • VRAN continues the work of the Committee Against Compulsory Vaccination, who in 1982, sively that infl uenza vaccines are a scam tinue to offer Catherine Diodati’s wonderful challenged Ontario’s compulsory “Immunization —that despite the increased numbers of book, “Immunization: History, Ethics, of School Pupils Act”, which resulted in amend- people submitting to fl u shots in the last Law and Health, along with Neil Miller’s ment of the Act, and guarantees an exemption few decades, it hasn’t made a dent in mor- “Vaccine Safety Manual”, as well as two of conscience from any ‘required’ vaccine. bidity and mortality stats. new bonus offers. Please remember the • VRAN forwards the belief that all people have the right to draw on a broad information base when fundraising bonus goes to anyone who deciding on drugs offered themselves and/or their Worse still, mainstream media seems donates $150 or more over and above children and in particular drugs associated with incapable of any independent investiga- their annual membership donation. potentially serious health risks, injury and death. tive journalism anymore, with the result VACCINES ARE SUCH DRUGS. that the research and studies showing fl u Please send your donation to: VRAN • VRAN is committed to gathering and distributing infor- mation and resources that contribute to the creation of vaccines to be worthless, never get any Fundraising, P.O. Box 169, Winlaw, health and well being in our families and communities. airtime, or mention in the media. It’s as if BC, V0G 2J0. they simply don’t exist. Only pro-vaccine VRAN’s Mandate is: propaganda is allowed to get through on Additional bonuses we are offering • To empower parents to make an informed deci- sion when considering vaccines for their children. the mainstream airwaves. Thus, the pub- this year and 2010 are: Lina Moreco’s • To educate and inform parents about the risks, adverse lic is effectively and intentionally kept powerful new documentary, Shots in the reactions, and contraindications of vaccinations. clueless about the fact that fl u vaccines Dark, and Jennifer Craig’s new book, • To respect parental choice in deciding whether are ineffective and almost worthless. “Jabs, Jenner & Juggernauts”. or not to vaccinate their child. • To provide support to parents whose children have suffered adverse reactions and health in- It astounds me that ordinary doctors Shots in the Dark is the best docu- juries as a result of childhood vaccinations. haven’t heard of the extensive Cochrane re- mentary produced in many years. The • To promote a multi-disciplinary approach to child view, fi rst published in 2005 which basically fi lm was created by Lina Moreco and and family health utilizing the following modalities: sounded the death knell for fl u vaccines. Four funded and released by the National Film herbalist, chiropractor, naturopath, homeopath, years later, not only is it business as usual, but Board. The fi lm’s sensitive interviews refl exologist, allopath (regular doctor), etc. • To empower women to reclaim their position as a hugely geared up business with the govern- with affected families is enriched by the primary healers in the family. ment tossing billions of dollars into the largest critical insights of dedicated doctors and • To maintain links with consumer groups similar to ours national mass vaccine program ever conduct- scientists whose cutting edge research re- around the world through an exchange of information, ed. Yet they know very well that the H1N1 veals the biomedical mechanisms which research and analysis, thereby enabling parents to vaccine won’t make any difference to the trigger the neurological injuries vaccines reclaim health care choices for their families. • To support people in their fi ght for health free- course this virus will take as it travels across are capable of causing. dom and to maintain and further the individual's the country. Clearly whatever intent public freedom from enforced medication. health agencies once had to protect the health The fi lm is an international inquiry into of the public, this is no longer their mandate. the tragedy shared by families whose once VRAN publishes a newsletter 2 to 3 times a year as Their agenda has changed. They are now healthy children fell into the abyss of autism a means of distributing information to members and the community. Suggested annual membership fees, lackeys of BigPharma and the World Health spectrum disorders and other neuroimmune including quarterly newsletter and your on-going Organization who can arbitrarily declare pan- illnesses following vaccination. Following support to the Vaccination Risk Awareness Network: demics without just cause. the enormous increase in cases of autism $35.00—Individual $75.00—Professional and other neuroimmune disorders, research For years, we’ve posted factual informa- in cell biology and neuroimmunology is We would like to share the personal stories of our membership. If you would like to submit your story, tion about the ineffectiveness of fl u vaccines now demonstrating the impact of vaccines please contact Edda West by phone or e-mail,as on our website and articles in this newslet- on the cellular level. indicated above. ter—our sole intent being to make the truth available to whomever is searching for it. VRAN website: www.vran.org √ With mainstream media having caved in to VRANews continued on page 3 VRANews cont. from page 2 home after an unexpected, brief illness with Editorial cont. from page 1 Jabs, Jenner & Juggernauts is a small his beloved wife Ingri by his side. I still can’t status, it triggered panic around the world book that tells a big story—the story of believe he’s gone. At age 46, with so much and set the vaccine industry into high gear Edward Jenner, the revered father of vac- work still to do, and so much life still to en- with governments obediently following. cinology. Jenny Craig, herself a PhD in joy, he was too young to go. I can still hear Level 6 means that the 194 countries who nursing, minces no words in recounting the the echo of his wonderful boyish giggle that are signatories to the WHO’s health poli- story of this charlatan who, by deceit man- always made me laugh, which Lord only cies are committed to following its disease aged to wrangle himself into the medical knows I needed now and then doing this control protocols. Level 6 used to mean societies of the late 1700’s. Jenner convinced work and feeling so much pain and suffering that the new pathogen travels quickly and them that by applying pus from cowpox pus- infl icted on so many by vaccinology. carries a substantially increased risk of tules into small cuts made with a lancet on a morbidity and mortality. healthy person, that it would prevent the far Don was an inspired writer and unre- worse disease of smallpox. The story of the lenting warrior for truth and justice. He When Dr. Tom Jefferson a lead re- origin of vaccination is a fascinating one—a inspired everyone who had the good for- searcher at the Cochrane Collaboration, story that reveals the foundation of deceit on tune to meet him. He and his wife, my dear a highly respected international network which the vaccine paradigm is constructed. friend Ingri Cassel, together published the of researchers who appraise medical evi- Idaho Observer, a pro-liberty newspaper dence, was asked if he thought that the that took on the toughest issues in politics, WHO declared a pandemic prematurely, Appreciation to Susan and Harold Fletcher health, and world events. Predictably, ev- he had this to offer—“Don’t you think ery month when the I.O. went out to its there’s something noteworthy about the In October we received a call from the ardent supporters all across the U.S. and fact that the WHO has changed its defi ni- clerk of the Government’s Standing Com- Canada, an important update about the tion of pandemic? The old defi nition was mittee on Health inviting a representative vaccine issue would also be included. a new virus, which went around quick- from VRAN to appear on a panel to discuss ly, for which you didn’t have immunity, the H1N1 pandemic and to offer our views/ As well, Ingri is the director of Vaccina- and which created a high morbidity and concerns about the new vaccine. Susan tion Liberation, VRAN’s sister organization. mortality rate. Now the last two have Fletcher has been VRAN’s science analyst Vaclib is the strongest voice in the U.S. been dropped, and that’s how swine fl u for many years. She has written many out- advocating for repeal of the mandatory vac- has been categorized as a pandemic.” (3) standing articles for us, and is also a Board cination laws which tyrannize countless member. Susan seemed the obvious perfect families in that country. Don and Ingri were In 2005, Dr. Tom Jefferson and his person to represent our views to the parlia- always on the cutting edge of “vaxworld”, research team at the Cochrane Collabo- mentary committee. And we were in luck as generously sharing information, articles and ration discovered that fl u vaccines have Susan was able to set aside her other com- help in editing when I needed it. been overrated and have little value in mitments, and dive into the preparation of a protecting the public from yearly infl u- written statement for the Committee. Very Don and Ingri worked harder than any- enza outbreaks. In his article entitled short notice was given for attendance before one I know. I marveled at their ability to Infl uenza Vaccination: Policy versus Ev- the Committee. From the time we received keep up their grueling pace—writing ar- idence published in the British Medical the invitation, to the time Susan and her hus- ticles, scouring the international news Journal, Jefferson says, “Evidence from band Harold boarded the plane in Vancouver networks for the best and most ethically systematic reviews shows that inactivat- for Ottawa, was about one week. articulated sources of a host of issues, at- ed vaccines have little or no effect on the tending diverse meetings and conferences, effects measured”. Needless to say, he Please read Susan’s humorous account running a weekly radio show. Don’s joyful, has little expectation that the H1N1 vac- of her experience, the whirlwind trip from light hearted spirit carried everyone through cine will make much of a difference in their home in Sechelt (coastal British Co- the most challenging and intense times. the current outbreak. (1) lumbia) to Ottawa, the postponement and then cancellation of the meeting, after Our mutual friend Dr. Sherri Tenpenny “For now, at least, I don’t really see any they got to Ottawa, and fi nally, the tele- spoke from her heart for so many of us fundamental difference—no difference in conference from Vancouver. Her article when she said, “The world has lost a Giant the defi nition between this and a normal is entitled They Came, They Lied, They Placeholder for truth, freedom and liberty. fl u epidemic. Swine fl u could have even Conquered !—Very funny—a must read. Don’s work will live on through the hun- stayed unnoticed if it had been caused by dreds of amazing pieces he crafted with some unknown virus rather than an infl u- Our deepest appreciation goes to Susan and insight and style.” Don inspired countless enza virus”, says Dr. Jefferson. Harold Fletcher for this effort, and for all their thousands of people with his intellect, his efforts on behalf of VRAN over many years. wit, his laughter, and his love for life and “The WHO and public health offi cials, Thank you Susan and Harold for your selfl ess humanity. How fortunate I am to have virologists and the pharmaceutical com- and devoted commitment to this work!! known this beautiful being in friendship, panies have built this machine around in mutual personal philosophy and shared the impending pandemic. And there’s a aspirations to help make the world a better lot of money involved, and infl uence, and In Memory of Don Harkins place for our children and grandchildren. careers, and entire institutions! And all it Don’s legacy lives on, as does his spir- took was one of these infl uenza viruses to My dear friend, Don Harkins passed it—inspiring us to do the very best we away on September 19, 2009. Don died at can—“No matter what”. √ Editorial continued on page 4 VRAN Newsletter ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ Page 3 Editorial cont. from page 3 who, in Lisa Jackson’s view, makes other built huge, population-based policies on mutate to start the machine grinding.” (3) skeptics seem “moderate by compari- the fl imsiest of scientifi c evidence. The son.” Among his fellow fl u researchers, most unethical thing to do is to carry on (3) When the Cochrane fl u researchers Jefferson’s outspokenness has made him business as usual.” fi rst published their meta analysis in something of a pariah. At a 2007 meet- September 2005, we were elated that fi - ing on pandemic preparedness at a hotel This is the same lame argument used nally, an independent research team had in Bethesda, Maryland, Jefferson, who’d by medical authorities when this topic published a thorough investigation of been invited to speak at the conference, comes up relevant to the role of vaccines the performance of infl uenza vaccines was not greeted by any of the colleagues triggering autism in some children. For over 37 years. Those of us in the vaccine milling about the lobby. He ate his meals years we have heard that it would be awareness and truth movement expected in the hotel restaurant alone, surrounded unethical to deprive a control group of that Cochrane’s meta-analysis would in- by scientists chatting amiably at other children from getting vaccinated in or- fl uence public health policies in a positive tables. He shrugs off such treatment. As der to have a comparative study looking way. We thought the Cochrane research a medical offi cer working for the United at the long term health outcome of two would inspire public health offi cials to Nations in 1992, during the siege of Sa- groups—the vaccinated versus unvacci- alter their deceptive yearly barrage of rajevo, he and other peacekeepers were nated children to determine what negative hysterical fl u propaganda, and bring it in captured and held for more than a month impact the currently overloaded vaccine line with the sobering reality presented by militiamen brandishing AK-47s and schedule has on the long term health of by the researchers. reeking of alcohol. Professional shunning children. This comparative study would (3) seems trivial by comparison, he says.” look at the relationship of vaccines to How very, very naïve of us to imagine autism and many other chronic degenera- that any such thing would happen—that “Tom Jefferson has taken a lot of heat tive disorders. a fastidious analysis of the accumulated just for saying, ‘Here’s the evidence: it’s world fl u vaccine literature would alter not very good,’ says Dr. Sumit Majumdar, We say it is completely the status quo of business as usual. What a researcher at the University of Alberta. unethical to keep vaccinating these past few years following the publi- “The reaction has been so dogmatic and children with the overloaded cation of the Cochrane data have shown even hysterical that you’d think he was vaccine schedule imposed us, is that when it comes to vaccines, advocating stealing babies.” Yet while on them today even if you present public health policy other fl u researchers may not like what without knowing what the over- makers with clear cut evidence of the in- Jefferson has to say, they cannot ignore all health impact is. effectiveness of infl uenza vaccines, they the fact that he knows the fl u-vaccine will shrug it off, ignore it and discard literature better than anyone else on it as irrelevant. This is how the vaccine the planet. He leads an international We say it is completely unethical to paradigm retains its protected status as an team of researchers who have combed keep vaccinating children with the over- elite group of drugs, immune to scrutiny through hundreds of fl u-vaccine studies. loaded vaccine schedule imposed on or honest appraisal by even the most re- The vast majority of the studies were them today without knowing what the spected researchers. deeply fl awed, says Jefferson. “Rubbish overall health impact is. Whereas the pro- is not a scientifi c term, but I think it’s vaccine camp says it would be unethical The media in its pro-vaccine bias has the term that applies.” Only four stud- to do any studies that would deprive a lost any scrap of integrity it ever had. ies were properly designed to pin down group of children from being vaccinated. During these many months of H1N1 the effectiveness of fl u vaccine, he says, It is a moot argument as there now exists propaganda, not once, while listening and two of those showed that it might be a large group of children in North Ameri- to television or radio news, did I hear effective in certain groups of patients, ca whose families refuse vaccination—so mention of the Cochrane review or a such as school-age children with no un- this group already exists as a baseline suggestion that its fi ndings should send derlying health issues like asthma. The from which to begin research. vaccine policy makers back to the draw- other two showed equivocal results or ing board. The ONLY article I have no benefi t.” (3) And who is there to stop this deceit? found appearing in mainstream media When the most respected researchers on with any credibility appears in the No- Jefferson also calls for placebo con- the planet have concluded that fl u vac- vember, 2009, The Atlantic, written by trolled trials, in which the health outcome cine policies are based on “rubbish”, two women—Sannon Brownlee, a senior of vaccinated groups would be compared what then is needed to stop these people research at the New America Founda- with those getting a placebo. The medi- from forcing their fraudulent policies tion, and Jeanne Lenzer an investigative cal world is appalled at this suggestion, on the public? How can meaningful journalist and frequent contributor to the saying that “It is considered unethical to changes, based on honest evaluation of British Medical Journal (BMJ). (3) do trials in populations that are recom- vaccination policies be brought about mended to have a vaccine”. They insist when fundamental medical ethics have They write, “THE MOST vocal—and that the vaccine is effective, and that been abandoned? Certainly not by a com- undoubtedly most vexing—critic of the depriving people of the vaccine who placent public that fl ocks like lemmings gospel of fl u vaccine is the Cochrane are recommended to get it, is unethical. to the vaccine clinics, infected only by Collaboration’s Jefferson, who’s also Jefferson argues that they have it back- the engineered fear they have been pro- an epidemiologist trained at the famed wards. “What do you do when you have London School of Tropical Hygiene, and uncertainty? You test” he says. “We have Editorial continued on page 5 Page 4 ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ VRAN Newsletter Editorial cont. from page 4 Gary Null writes in a recent essay, called cure can be worse than the disease, grammed to obey. “Under normal circumstances, when a or can be useless. There may be other al- public health measure is advocated or ternatives, safer, more effective things we (6) Without some breakthrough to lift the mandated, and it is accepted without can do. It all depends on the evidence.” veil of ignorance, the truth of this issue question by all Federal health agencies, just never spreads far or wide enough to state and local health departments, and Obesity During Pregnancy alter public perception. As long as main- promoted by the mainstream media Increases Risks of Flu stream media takes its marching orders with unquestioning support from the from drug companies, and kow tows to orthodox medical community, then it is An American study found that one of the health offi cials without question, the assumed that such measures at the very more powerful risk factors for being admit- people won’t know they are dupes of least meet basic scientifi cally proven cri- ted to the ICU and of dying was obesity. Dr. the government and drug policy makers teria. Foremost should be public health Russell Blaylock emphasizes that pregnant who will continue lying to them. Clearly, safety and that the proven effi cacy of a women are NOT at high risk of getting sick it matters not to vaccine policy makers health program be implemented accord- enough to end up in ICU (intensive care), what the evidence actually shows, nor ing to rigorous scientifi c gold standards. UNLESS the pregnant woman is also that something is very, very wrong with When this standard is ignored and de- obese. Obesity played a signifi cant role in this picture—that despite high vaccina- nied, as is now being done by our health the risk to children as well as to pregnant tion rates, death rates among the elderly offi cials, then the wellbeing of the na- women. Obesity in pregnancy substantially during fl u season have increased rather tion is placed at risk. Consequently, we increases risk of serious illness. Obese peo- than decreased. see the concerns regarding the swine fl u ple are admitted 6x more often than those vaccine focusing upon supply rather than of normal weight. So now, here we are $1.5 billion dol- health. Our government health offi cials lars in the hole, and the fi nal cost of this have baptized vaccine safe and, there- Dr. Blaylock warns about vaccina- H1N1 caper is expected to exceed $2 fore, there is no reason for further debate. tion during pregnancy—“It is known that billion. And you know whose money is In fact, so certain are those in charge of stimulating a woman’s immune system paying for this caper. the nation’s vaccination programs, even during midterm and later term pregnancy democratic discourse about vaccination signifi cantly increases the risk that her controversies has been marginalized and baby will develop autism during child- What Must Not Be Cannot Be smothered. There is no dissenting opinion hood and schizophrenia sometime during published in any major industrial medical the teenage years and afterward. Back in the 1970’s, German physician, journal or magazine, nor found on any of Dr. Ehrengut collected data on the num- government health websites.” (5) Compelling scientifi c evidence also bers of children suffering neurological shows an increased risk of seizures in injuries following pertussis vaccination. Null continues, “When put to the test, a the baby and later as an adult. In fact, a He found extensive “pro-vaccination meticulous review of the scientifi c litera- number of neurodevelopmental and be- bias”. Then as it is today, when a child ture fi nds that virtually all of the Federal havioral problems can occur in babies suffered neurological damage post vac- health agencies’ assumptions are held in born to women immunologically stimu- cination, it was denied by the majority of error. Furthermore, we are shocked that lated during pregnancy.” (7) doctors. “No doctor likes to report seri- the CDC, FDA and HHS, with all of their ous post-immunization events which he resources, refuse to take into consideration “It is true that serious fl u infections or may have caused”, he said. The result is the large body of clinical evidence that con- E. coli infections during pregnancy are a ‘conspiracy of silence’. In response to tradicts their biased vaccine policies.” ( 5) a major risk for all these complications, the question why doctors continue to turn but a woman’s risk of becoming infected, a blind eye to vaccine damage infl icted on Commenting on the enormous quan- is a very small fraction of 1 %, yet they children and the vehement denial of a di- tity of tax funded dollars being spent not are calling for all pregnant women to be rector of a university children’s clinic in only on this experimental H1N1 vaccine, vaccinated with at least three vaccines, Germany who claimed he had never seen but on any infl uenza vaccine, now shown two of which contain mercury. There is a neurological complication following im- by the Cochrane Collaboration to be less also evidence to show that a large number munization, Ehrengut coined the phrase than even marginally effective, Arthur of these women will gain no protection “what must not be, cannot be”. (4) Schafer, director of the U of Manitoba’s from the vaccine.” (7) Centre for Professional and Applied Eth- “What must not be, cannot be”, is the ics, says “Good ethics requires good Dr. Sherri Tenpenny concurs. She says endlessly recurring theme in “vaxworld’. facts, and the ethical debate so far has “Women who received infl uenza vaccine Monopoly medicine’s intransigent denial been who should be the fi rst to get the during pregnancy had the same risk for ILI that vaccines play a role in the autism vaccine, and there has been virtually no (infl uenza like illnesses) when compared with epidemic and other neurological disorders discussion of the safety and effectiveness unvaccinated women, adjusting for women’s that now affl ict hundreds of thousands of of the drug,” age and week of delivery.” She continues, previously normal children, insults the in- “Vaccines made no difference to outcomes to telligence of all the parents who witnessed “Vaccines to treat seasonal fl u have not the mom or the baby in either the vaccinated their healthy children unravel shortly af- been effective, and there is no evidence to vs. unvaccinated population.” (8) ter vaccination. Well known health writer suggest a vaccine for H1N1 will be more Gary Null calls it “medical denialism”. effective,” He added, “As well, the so- Editorial continued on page 6 VRAN Newsletter ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ Page 5 Editorial cont. from page 5 vant will substantially increase immune carbohydrates in their children’s diets. (7) Dr. Blaylock cites the work of Dr. response and the likelihood of harm to This goes for pregnant moms as well.” Bronze, a professor of internal medicine unborn babies. at the University of Oklahoma Health “One major factor being left out of all Sciences Center writing for WebMD, “The majority of children respond discussion of these vaccines, especially who notes that animal studies have shown poorly to fl u vaccine, says Dr. Blaylock. those for small children and babies, is that vaccines harm unborn babies and “It is interesting to note that babies re- the effect of other vaccinations on pres- that no safety studies have been done spond poorly to either the seasonal fl u ently circulating viral infections such as in humans. “A recent study done by Dr. vaccine or the H1N1 vaccine. One of the the H1N1 variant virus. It is known that Laura Hewitson, a professor of obstetrics largest studies ever done, found that chil- several of the vaccines are powerfully at the University of Pittsburg Medical dren below the age of 2 years received immune suppressing. For example, the Center, found that a single vaccine used no protection at all from the seasonal fl u measles, mumps and rubella virus are in human babies, when used in newborn vaccine.” Blaylock refers here to the Co- all immune suppressing, as seen with the monkeys, caused signifi cant abnormali- chrane review which analyzed 51 studies MMR vaccine, a live virus vaccine. ties in brainstem development. This mass involving more than 260,000 children and vaccination program for H1N1 variant found that below age 2 years, the season- This means that when a child receives virus will be the largest experiment on al fl u vaccine offered no protection and the MMR vaccine, for about two to fi ve pregnant women in history and could end those older than 2 years, only 33 to 36% weeks afterwards their immune system as a monumental disaster.” (7) had protective antibody response.” (7) is suppressed, making them highly sus- ceptible to catching viruses and bacterial Teresa Binstock, Researcher in Devel- Remember, antibodies do NOT equal infections circulating through the popu- opmental & Behavioral Neuroanatomy immunity. Antibodies simply indicate ex- lation. Very few mothers are ever told reiterates Dr. Blaylock’s cautions in a posure to the pathogen. It is well known in this, even though it is well accepted in recent article posted on the Generation immunology that a person with high lev- the medical literature. Rescue website. “An increasing body els of antibodies can still get the disease!! of peer-reviewed evidence indicates that In fact, it is known that the Hib vaccine when a woman is pregnant, transiently el- for haemophilus infl uenzae (a bacterial evated cytokines can induce atypical brain Dr. Blaylock Warns Every Parent That infection) is an immune suppressing vac- development in her embryo or fetus. Ill- Other Vaccines INCREASE Risk of H1N1 cine and that vaccinated children are at a nesses and vaccinations induce elevation higher risk of developing haemophilus in- of cytokines, and these elevations can be In 2003 it was reported by the CDC fl uenzae meningitis for at least one week heightened in individuals with alleles of that 90 children died from seasonal fl u after receiving the vaccine. These small genes related to immune responses. An complications. Ironically, as shown by children receive both of these vaccines. implication of citations supporting these Neil Z. Miller in his excellent book— relationships is that vaccinating pregnant Vaccine Safety Manuel—once the fl u At age 2 to 4 months, they will receive women is likely to induce cognitive and vaccine was given to small children the a Hib vaccine. Therefore at age 2 to 4 behavioral pathologies in as least some death rate from fl u increased 7-fold.10 months, and again at age one year, they children whose mothers were vaccinated Not surprising, since the mercury in the are at an extreme risk of serious infectious while the child was in utero. Schizophre- vaccine suppresses immunity. complications caused by vaccine-induced nia and developmental disabilities are immune suppression. The New Zealand/ pathologies that may ensue.” (9) • 1999—29 deaths Australian study found that the highest • 2000—19 deaths death in the young was from birth to age Binstock asks—“More generally, we • 2001—13 deaths 12 months, the very time they were get- ask if vaccinologists are prone to hubris? • 2002—12 deaths ting these immune-suppressing vaccines. Their willingness to inject thimerosal and • 2003—90 deaths (Year of mass squalene despite voluminous evidence of vaccinations of children under age 5 The so-called healthy children and harm caused by those substances appalls. years) babies that have ended up in the hospital An autism parent raises an important • 2006—78 deaths and have died may in fact be the victims issue, are many and perhaps most vac- • 2007—88 deaths of immune suppression caused by their cinologists rushing forth while ignoring • 2008—116 deaths (40.9% vaccinat- routine childhood vaccines. We may advances in immunology, while ignor- ed at age 6 months to 23 months)11 never know because the medical elite ing fi ndings which indicate why some will never record such data or conduct individuals are more likely to experience “Parents should also keep in mind that the necessary studies. Recall also that adverse effects from vaccinations, espe- this study, as well as the Australian/New the seasonal fl u vaccine, which is rec- cially during pregnancy?” (9) Zealand Study found that childhood obe- ommended for all children over the age sity played a major role in a child’s risk of 6 months, each year, is also immune It could be more than a “monumen- of being admitted to the ICU or dying. suppressing because of the mercury-con- tal disaster” in Canada where pregnant This is another dramatic demonstration taining thimerosal in the vaccine.” (7) mothers have been injected with squalene as to the danger of obesity in children adjuvant enhanced vaccine – unlike in the and that all parents should avoid MSG A recent Canadian study found U.S. where the decision was made to use (all food-based excitotoxin additives), non-adjuvanted fl u vaccine. The adju- excess sugar and excess high glycemic Editorial continued on page 7 Page 6 ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ VRAN Newsletter Editorial cont. from page 6 phen (brand name is Tylenol), also called natural defense mechanism of the body that those who have gotten the seasonal paracetamol in the U.K. or Australia & has gone into high gear. When an infection influenza vaccine in the past may New Zealand. While health offi cials con- develops, your child’s body responds by be at greater risk from getting H1N1 fi rmed that Evan had tested positive for manufacturing additional white blood cells, and having complications. Flu vac- H1N1, there is the possibility that there called leucocytes. They destroy bacteria cines will nearly always decrease may have been other factors in his death, and viruses and remove damaged tissue your overall immune function, such as meningitis or a bacterial infection. and irritating materials from the body. The NOT enhance it. And now we have This possibility was raised by Dr. Alain activity of the white cells is also increased, very young children who have been Poirier, Quebec’s chief public health of- and they move more rapidly to the site of injected with flu vaccines these past fi cer. Unfortunately Evan’s family chose the infection. This part of the process, called several years along with other sched- to forego autopsy, so we’ll never know leucotaxis, is stimulated by the release of uled vaccines, which along with the what other condition might have compli- the pyrogens that raise body temperature. immune suppressing effect of the reg- cated his situation. Hence the fever. A rising body temperature ularly scheduled vaccines they get, simply indicates that the process of healing makes them even more vulnerable to One thing is for sure, the continuous is speeding up. It is something to rejoice contracting H1N1. ingestion of Tylenol was not of benefi t to over, not to fear.” him as it could have masked the true de- Can Over-the-Counter Drugs lead gree of how ill he was while suppressing During fl us and colds, instead of reach- to More Severe Illness & Death? his immune system. As well, he may have ing for antipyretics (fever suppressing built up a cumulative toxic level of acet- drugs like Tylenol), there are many useful The risk factors associated with OTC’s aminophen over a number of days that natural remedies that can help support you (over the counter remedies) are unfortu- became life threatening. Fever suppress- through the illness. Dr. Loreen Dawson, a nately not well known by most parents. ing drugs can mask important symptoms Naturopathic doctor in Sechelt B.C offers a Over the years we’ve brought the risks such as decreasing respiratory rate which few suggestions that you may fi nd useful. associated with fever reducing drugs can confound accurate diagnosis. If Evan to the attention of our readers. Perhaps had an underlying bacterial infection such • Sugar and sweets weaken immune it’s time to do so again. (12) When young as meningitis, then appropriate medical function—avoid as much as possible Evan Frustaglio, the 13 year old Ontario treatment could possibly have saved his • Dairy products often create mucus boy died so suddenly after complaining life. But we’ll never know. (10) in the nose, sinuses and throat which of fl u like symptoms for a few days, a gives bacteria and viruses an ideal me- review of the many news articles about We know from the medical litera- dium to grow on his death revealed some information that ture that acetaminophen, (the medicinal could perhaps offer a clue that perhaps content of Tylenol), suppresses immune Essential Prevention his death was not just because of H1N1. function. According to vaccine research- Children—HMF powder or similar ex- er, Hilary Butler, there is a 30 year history cellent quality lactobacillus acidophilus Evan’s illness started with a sore discussing and describing the immune and bifi dus probiotics (no other strains throat and cough Friday night while at a suppressing effects of acetaminophen. of probiotic proven to be effective for hockey tournament. By Saturday night In a personal communication with Hi- reducing fl u symptoms in children)—¼ after hockey, he had developed symp- lary, she shared with me a letter she had to ½ tsp/day—reduces fl u symptoms by toms that were more fl u-like in nature recently sent to Dr. Chen of the CDC in 70% and need for antibiotics by 84% and when over-the-counter medication which she chastised him for failing to (Pediatrics, Aug 2009) wasn’t helping with a fever, the family be current on information that has been went to a walk-in clinic on Sunday after- around for decades, including a WHO • Vitamin D—2000iu/day for adults, noon where they were told the boy had a (world health organization) bulletin that 1000iu/day for school age children (Dr. regular fl u and were instructed to contin- warns against the use of paracetamol (ac- Mercola recommends higher doses – see ue treatment with Tylenol and Gravol. etaminophen) or any related type of drug article on vitamin D in this newsletter) The parents were assured that everything for fever—“that these should never be Prevention Options—for those at higher was fi ne—that he was “breathing nor- used for fever, because it suppresses the risk due to home or work environment or mally, and were instructed to continue to immune system; masks serious disease underlying medical conditions, choose 1 give him the medication to keep his fever and if you put those two things together, or 2 of these: down, and that “everything should be you can have a recipe for disaster.” (11) fi ne”—‘He is breathing normally, con- • Excellent quality multi vitamins (Thorne tinue to give him the med … and keep A basic “must read” on the benefi ts of Encaps)—2/day with any meal his fever down and everything should be fever, is Dr. Robert Mendelsohn’s book, • Mucoccinum—1 tablet every 1-2 fi ne. His father reported that “Less than How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of weeks—homeopathic fl u prevention 24 hours later my son is gone.” (10) Your Doctor which has an excellent chap- • Astragalus/ginseng combination—½ ter on fever. He reassures us that fever has tsp/day—to strengthen immune system In Evan’s case, and many other cases an important function. “If your child gets • Jade screen (traditional Chinese for- we’ve heard of and read about over the an infection, the fever that accompanies it mula to prevent colds and fl u)—½ tsp years, the emphasis is always on keeping is a blessing, not a curse. It occurs because once/day the fever down, and that the sick person of the spontaneous release of pyrogens that • Elderberry tincture—tasty for children was advised to continue with acetamino- cause the body temperature to rise. This is a Editorial continued on page 8 VRAN Newsletter ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ Page 7 Editorial cont. from page 7 angerous+than+virus+ethicist/1867678/story.html – ½ tsp once/day 7. Dr. Russell Blaylock on Dr. Mercola’s; Swine What’s in your Flu-One of The Most Massive Cover-ups in H1N1 fl u vaccine? • Vitamin C—1000mg 2-3 times/day American: http://articles.mercola.com/sites Hydrotherapy—After exposure, the virus articles/archive/2009/11/03/What-We-Have- The Straight, November 19, 2009 settles in your throat and/or nose and begins Learned-About-the-Great-Swine-Flu-Pandemic. to multiply. When the population of the vi- aspx By Alex Roslin rus is high enough (2-5 days), your body 8. Dr. Sherry Tenpenny, On Pregnancy & H1N1 Chris Shaw wasn’t always skeptical starts to react against it, and you get symp- vaccine: http://drtenpenny.com/FluShotsAnd- about vaccines. The neuroscientist at the toms. Gargling with salt water and doing Pregnancy.aspx University of British Columbia had his nasal lavage daily will reduce the viral load 9. Teresa Binstock: Vaccination-induced cytok- teenage son vaccinated with most of the ines: schizophrenia & developmental disabili- in your throat and nose, and should greatly ties, Sept. 2009 http://www.generationrescue. recommended shots. But then he started reduce your risk of getting sick. org/binstock/090907-vaccination-cytokines- studying some of the ingredients common- schizophrenia.htm ; Generation Rescue is an ly found in vaccines. What he discovered Other—Dress warmly, cover chest and international movement of scientists, physicians caused him to go cold turkey on all shots neck, wear a hat if needed. Get lots of and parent-volunteers researching the causes for his six-year-old daughter. And that in- sleep. Do what you can to reduce stress and treatments for autism and helping more than cludes the vaccine for the H1N1 fl u. and unnecessary “busyness”. Wash your 20,000 children begin biomedical treatment. hands frequently, and always before eat- 10. Death of Evan Frustaglio - news sources re- “I am not convinced H1N1 is suffi ciently ing. Avoid touching your hands to your ferred to: Globe & Mail, Oct. 27/09: http://www. hazardous to most people to risk the potential theglobeandmail.com/news/national/healthy- eyes, nose or mouth. Cough into your young-teen-dies-of-swine-flu/article1339503/ downside of the vaccine,” Shaw said over the sleeve. Use disposable tissues only. Montreal Media Station, CJAD: http://www.cjad. phone from his offi ce in the research pavilion References & Notes: com/node/1014382 , CBC, Oct. 27/09: http:// at the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. 1. Dr. Tom Jefferson, Br. Medical Journal, www.cbc.ca/canada/story/2009/10/27/frustraglio- Evidence vrs. Policy : http://www.bmj.com/cgi/ h1n1-toronto-hockey113.html Shaw isn’t an easily dismissed vaccine content/full/333/7574/912 11. Hilary Butler, Personal communication, conspiracy theorist. He is a leading expert 2. Shannon Brownlee and Jeanne Lenzer; Does the Nov. 12, 2009 on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Vaccine Matter? November 2009, Atlantic http:// 12. Edda West; Is Fear of Fever Hurting our Chil- or Lou Gehrig’s disease) and Parkinson’s www.theatlantic.com/doc/200911/brownlee-h1n1 dren?: http://vran.org/alternatives/alternatives- disease. While investigating unusually general/is-fear-of-fever-hurting-our-children/ 3. Dr. Tom Jefferson interview, Der Spie- high rates of ALS and other neurological gel –: http://www.spiegel.de/international/ —Mercola – Common Links in Swine Flu deaths: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/ disorders among veterans who have Gulf world/0,1518,637119,00.html archive/2009/10/31/CDC-Says-Kids-That-Die- War syndrome, he found evidence that 4. VRAN Newsletter Summer 1995, Primal From-Swine-Flu-Have-Coexisting-Bacterial- Health Research quote by Dr. Michel Odent the cause may have been aluminum salt, Infections.aspx 5. Gary Null Ph,D & Richard Gale, rec’d by an ingredient in the cocktail of vaccines —Mercola: Why is Canada changing its flu vacc email from Richard Gale Nov. 12, 2009 - Federal given to soldiers before deployment. policy: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/ Health Agencies Continue to Deceive Americans: archive/2009/11/10/Canadian-Provinces-Suspend- Congressional Report on a Vaccine Mercury- Although aluminum salt isn’t present in the Seasonal-Flu-Shots-and-Recommend-Vitamin-D. Autism Link Ignored for Six Years - Progressive H1N1 vaccine, Shaw’s discovery made him aspx ; Excellent vitamin D information here. √ Radio Network, November 12, 2009 concerned about other vaccines, including the 6. Aldo Santin, Winnipeg Free Press, Flu Vac- swine-fl u shot. He isn’t alone in his thoughts. cines may be more dangerous than virus: http:// www.vancouversun.com/health/vaccine+more+d Despite a full frontal assault of news about the dangers of the fl u and the im- portance of vaccination, a survey in late October revealed that only 36 percent of Canadians said they would get the shot. Lack of trust in the vaccine was cited as the main reason for vaccine opposition. Another poll in November found that 65 percent of Canadians believe the media has overreacted to the threat of swine fl u.

Even many health workers aren’t con- vinced. In two separate surveys, in the U.K. (Pulse) and Hong Kong (British Medical Journal), published in August, half of health-care professionals said they didn’t intend to get the vaccine.

Canadian health offi cials and some news- paper columnists have reacted by accusing

What’s in your Vaccine? continued on page 9 Page 8 ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ VRAN Newsletter What’s in your Vaccine? cont. from page 8 Straight, and the Public Health Agency What we don’t often hear is that the ad- vaccine opponents of being conspiracy of Canada did not respond to a request juvanted vaccine caused dramatically more mongers or just plain irresponsible. Who is for an interview. side effects than the nonadjuvanted ver- right? Is the cure really worse than the dis- sion. Ninety percent of 62 subjects reported ease? Let’s look at some numbers. The H1N1 vaccine includes a compo- pain (versus 37 percent of 62 people for the nent called an adjuvant—which is used to nonadjuvanted vaccine), 34 percent had First, the disease. Swine fl u had killed boost the drug’s effectiveness—that has muscle soreness (compared to 8 percent 161 Canadians as of November 12. That raised a lot of questions. GlaxoSmithKline with the nonadjuvanted shot), and 14 per- works out to one death per 200,000 says the adjuvant has been tested on 45,000 cent experienced a headache (as opposed to Canadians in the past six-and-a-half people worldwide and that clinical trials are 8 percent for the nonadjuvanted shot), ac- months. Over the same period of time, now being done on children. In an e-mail, cording to the product-information sheet. major cardiovascular diseases typically spokesperson Melanie Spoore said the claim 240 times more Canadian lives company is planning 25 trials of its various Although these reactions are minor, (about 39,000), cancer claims 230 times H1N1 vaccines before November 2010. the leafl et also says four of 253 people more (37,000 deaths), pneumonia kills studied experienced “severe adverse re- 18 times more (2,800), and accidental She also said a different but closely related actions”. Three of the four were deemed falls claim eight times more (1,260), ac- vaccine made by the company, for the H5N1 to be unrelated to the vaccine, but one cording to calculations based on 2005 fl u, includes the same adjuvant and “is gen- case of hypersensitivity (which can mean Statistics Canada fi gures. erally well-tolerated and has an acceptable anything from an allergic reaction to au- safety profi le” in both kids and adults. toimmune disease) was determined “to be H1N1 has about the same death rate related to vaccination”. That one serious as hernias. But we don’t see scary front- But Shaw has concerns about the com- reaction might not sound like a lot, but it page headlines for months on end about pany’s trial results for the H5N1 vaccine. actually translates into a rate of 395 cases hernias, pneumonia, or falling down. The product leafl et mentions a study in per 100,000 people. That’s more than 50 which the company injected the vaccine times the rate of hospitalization due to “It’s really not causing—and is not into pregnant rats. It found “an increased H1N1 itself: 7.3 per 100,000 Canadians. going to cause and nowhere has caused— incidence of fetal malformations” and signifi cant levels of illness or death,” Dr. “delayed neurobehavioural maturation”. Sucharit Bhakdi is concerned some seri- Richard Schabas, Ontario’s former chief Another study did not produce the same ous vaccine reactions could go unnoticed. medical offi cer of health, told the CBC outcome.But Shaw says the rat results de- He is a professor of medical microbiol- on November 12. Schabas said H1N1 serve more study. “Anytime you observe ogy at the Johannes Gutenberg University “has ultimately turned out to be, from a such outcomes, it is a concern,” he said. of Mainz in Germany. In October—in a pandemic perspective, a dud”. coauthored paper in the journal Medical The leafl et also mentions a study on Microbiology—he warned of a possible What about the vaccine? Is it safe? ferrets. The animals were given adjuvant- increase in the risk in heart problems due Despite the onslaught of confi dent pro- ed and nonadjuvanted H5N1 vaccines to mass H1N1 vaccination. nouncements from health offi cials and and then exposed to the fl u. The ferrets doctors, Shaw says he hasn’t seen enough that got the adjuvanted vaccine were pro- Speaking by phone from his offi ce, information on the safety of the vaccine. tected by the vaccine. But those that got Bhakdi cited the higher rate of heart “If the science were there, we could make the nonadjuvanted vaccine all died. problems when 1.4 million U.S. soldiers a rational decision. But it’s a coin toss.” were vaccinated for smallpox before the This result could be a concern, Shaw 2003 Iraq war. Soldiers who received Looking for answers, Shaw turned to said, because Canadian authorities are the vaccine had almost 7.5 times the rate the 24-page product-information leaf- telling pregnant women to get the nonadju- of heart infl ammation of nonvaccinated let on the vaccine released by drug giant vanted H1N1 vaccine since the adjuvanted personnel, according to a study by U.S. GlaxoSmithKline. Health Canada used version hasn’t ever been tested on pregnant military medical researchers in 2004 in this document in approving the shot. The women. Shaw also said the animal-study the American Journal of Epidemiology. leafl et leaves Shaw cold. “You couldn’t information in the leafl et lacks many turn this in as a master’s thesis anywhere I important details and would be “unpublish- “Unexpected serious adverse effects know of and get a passing grade,” he said, able” as presented. “Any [medical-journal] thus may follow in the wake of a general calling the leafl et a “shocking document”. referee would kick this out the window.” vaccination program,” Bhakdi’s paper said. Yet health authorities and doctors Shaw said the material lacks basic informa- The company’s leafl et also paints a pic- are urging people with heart problems to tion. For example, there is no safety data at all ture of the vaccine’s side effects in humans get the H1N1 vaccine on a priority basis for several groups of people—pregnant wom- somewhat different than the usual line and do not appear to be monitoring them en, people aged over 60, kids aged 10 to 17, from health authorities. The Public Health for possibly elevated risks, he said. and children under three. For kids three to nine Agency of Canada says on its Web site that years old, there is only “very limited” data. the adjuvanted vaccine is as safe as the Shaw is also concerned about Canada’s “Where is the safety data that the government nonadjuvanted shot. It also says the rate of monitoring of the side effects of vaccina- used to license the vaccine?” Shaw asked. “serious adverse events” from vaccination tions, calling the system “fl imsy”. What is extremely low—typically “about one for Health Canada would not talk to the every 100,000 doses of vaccine”. What’s in your Vaccine? continued on page 10 VRAN Newsletter ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ Page 9 What’s in your Vaccine? cont. from page 9 What’s more, Shaw notes, those daily Swine Flu: to Vaccinate? cont. from page 1 especially worries Shaw is the possibility of safety levels were set for consumption of sible. In spite of this depressing state of longer-term side effects from the vaccine. mercury in food, not for injection directly into affairs, these vaccines are increasingly Most vaccine safety studies monitor patients the body. Injecting a neurotoxin like mercury promoted (and, quite often, reimbursed) for a few days or, at most, several months. has much more impact than eating it, he said. with the active participation of regula- tory bodies. As rightly pointed out by That isn’t enough, Shaw says. With Squalene is another controversial the leading authors of these Cochrane some vaccines, the most serious reactions component of the swine-fl u vaccine. It’s reviews, their activism in promoting fl u have taken years to surface. “Neurological an oil found in animal livers and is used vaccines places health agencies as well problems don’t happen overnight,” he said. as an adjuvant in vaccines and also as a as their “experts” in an objective confl ict “It took fi ve to 10 years to see the bulk of moisturizer in cosmetic products. It is of interest. the Gulf War–syndrome outcomes.” primarily gotten from shark livers—a fact that has upset conservation groups Vaccines against swine fl u One of the best examples involves a worried about endangered shark popu- controversial ingredient present in the lations. Some companies, like Unilever For health agencies as well as their H1N1 vaccine: thimerosal. Thimerosal is a and L’Oréal, have agreed to stop using experts, it is a recurring theme that a form of mercury used in some vaccines as a squalene in cosmetic products. longstanding past experience with vac- preservative. Drug makers agreed to phase cines against seasonal fl u is clearly it out of most vaccines after the U.S. Food Debate has raged for years about wheth- relevant for the development of new vac- and Drug Administration found in 1999 er or not squalene is responsible for Gulf cines against swine fl u and justifi es the that mercury levels in children who had War syndrome. Most research suggests frightening swiftness of their current de- gotten multiple shots often exceeded safety that’s not the case, but in recent years much velopment. But as demonstrated in the levels set by the Environmental Protection more solid evidence has found squalene previous section, a thorough assessment Agency (EPA). Nonetheless, thimerosal can cause autoimmune diseases like lupus of this past experience is now available still remains in many fl u vaccines. and rheumatoid arthritis in animals. and it’s disastrous. Worse, the manufac- turers and health agencies are not content Controversy has raged for years about Still other questions have been raised with using this disastrous precedent as whether or not thimerosal is behind soar- about polysorbate 80, another component a shield: they seek to take advantage of ing childhood autism rates. While that of the H1N1 vaccine adjuvant. Studies a supposed pandemic emergency to get debate continues, a 2008 study in the U.K. have found it can cause severe allergic rid of time-consuming regulatory prereq- journal Toxicological and Environmental reactions and hypersensitivity. uisites regarding major pharmaceutical Chemistry found that boys who were giv- innovations such as new adjuvants or en a vaccine containing thimerosal were In the end, we might only get a good pic- new processes of viral cultures, each of nine times more likely to have develop- ture of the vaccine’s side effects long after them likely to require years of research. mental problems than unvaccinated boys. swine fl u has run its course. Then again, with If, in some 40 years of anti-fl u routine, Canada’s lax monitoring system for side ef- those responsible have not proved to The Public Health Agency of Canada fects, we may never know which was worse. be capable of producing any sound evi- says on its Web site that thimerosal is safe dence of effi cacy for their vaccines, who and that the amount in the H1N1 vaccine Reprinted with appreciation from The is ready to believe that they will do better is below Health Canada’s daily safety limit Straight on line at: http://www.straight. under the pressure of emergency? set for mercury. “There’s signifi cantly less com/article-270843/vancouver/whats- mercury in the vaccine than you would your vaccine. Swine fl u per se fi nd in a can of tuna fi sh,” the site states. Chris Shaw, PhD is a neuroscientist The intrinsic effi cacy of a drug against In fact, the amount of mercury in the and is assistant professor, ophthalmol- a disease is not the last word of the benefi t nonadjuvanted H1N1 vaccine does ac- ogy, physiology, and experimental assessment: it remains to be demonstrated tually exceed the daily safety level for medicine at the University of British Co- whether the risks of this disease are signifi - pregnant women. Health Canada has es- lumbia Faculty of Medicine. Research cant enough to require any treatment. To be tablished the safe dietary level of mercury led by Dr. Shaw shows a link between specifi c, the question is whether, on the basis for pregnant women at 0.2 micrograms the aluminum hydroxide used in vac- of objective available data, swine fl u appears (millionths of a gram) per kilo of body cines, and symptoms associated with threatening enough to require an extraordi- weight. The nonadjuvanted H1N1 vac- Parkinson’s, amyotrophic lateral sclero- nary wealth of preventive measures. cine contains 25 micrograms of mercury. sis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease), and Alzheimer’s. For 80 years, doctors have The answer is obviously NO. Even the Simple math tells us an average Canadian injected patients with aluminum hydrox- most alarmist media agree that, for the time pregnant woman—weighing 80 kilograms ide, he said, an adjuvant that stimulates being, the new virus seems rather less viru- at term—gets about 56 percent more than immune response. “This is suspicious,” lent than its seasonal predecessors. Modest the daily safe level of mercury when given says Shaw. “Either this [link] is known though it appears now, the severity of swine a dose of the nonadjuvanted vaccine. By the by industry and it was never made fl u as currently assessed is markedly biased EPA’s stricter standards, that same dose is public, or industry was never made to towards an overvaluation. Obviously, the actually triple its daily safe level. do these studies by Health Canada. I’m not sure which is scarier.” √ Swine Fu: To Vaccinate? continued on page 11 Page 10 ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ VRAN Newsletter Swine Flu: to Vaccinate? cont. from page 10 Benefi t / risk ratio past experience with vaccines against death toll has been exaggerated. seasonal fl u can, in no way, be used as Any drug, even targeting trivial symp- a reassurance regarding the safety of At the end of April, within a single day, toms, carries a potential of hazards, some the new vaccines. From this statement of the number of Mexican deaths ascribed of which may be severe: just think of the fact, it is also possible to raise a question to swine fl u dropped from some 200 to 7 precedent of thalidomide, a product nor- parallel to that made about the effi cacy only ; there are many similar examples. mally used to relieve pregnant women parameter: if, within some 40 years, the World areas where the rate of presumed from their nausea. As drugs amongst manufacturers or regulatory bodies have deaths was highest were also those with others, vaccines against swine fl u will not been able to gather any convincing the least performing health systems, so therefore induce hazards whose frequency evidence about fl u vaccines, who can that one may wonder about: 1/ the base- and severity will be diffi cult to anticipate, believe they are able to assess the safety line health status of patients with a fatal as is usually the case when drug exposure of new vaccines in a climate of method- outcome; 2/ the adequacy of medical has not been wide enough. The correlate ological hurry and regulatory anarchy? care in case of respiratory complications; of the inherent drug-induced toxicity is 3/ the reliability of etiological diagnosis the benefi t/risk ratio, which, in the case in As everybody knows, the marked in- (it is perfectly possible to suffer from a point, may be considered from two com- volvement of the biggest pharmaceutical mild fl u and to die from an infarction—or plementary standpoints. Having regard to fi rms in vaccine sectors is fairly recent. an assassination for unrelated reasons). the average mildness of swine fl u, it could Thus, if one refers to documents published In contrast with their hysterical report- happen that, by their frequency or their se- before this self-seeking involvement ing of most deaths, newspapers usually verity, the unwanted effects of a vaccine (with its impact on the integrity of medi- remained discrete on the question of un- could overtake the risk inherent to the dis- cal publications...), it is easy to record derlying diseases and medical history. Yet ease that it is supposed to prevent. that, the adverse effects of fl u vaccines a trivial cold, not even infl uenza, may be were then acknowledged as an obvious suffi cient to kill a patient suffering from The target of a vaccine is prevention: fact. To take just one example, the 30th immunodepression…that is not a scoop. a majority of vaccinated subjects are edition of the reference book Martindale, not supposed to contract infl uenza. But in 1993, reads that adverse effects were Objectively low though it was, the however “collective” the benefi t might “as for vaccine in general” (including number of fatal cases was exaggerated by be, who would be stupid enough to take anaphylaxis and effects on the nervous an underestimation of the total number of even a small risk of adverse effect from system), with an additional mention of cases, as the symptoms were so mild in a drug which carries no personal bene- pericarditis, Henoch-Schönlein purpura many of them that they did not feel the fi t? For a drug whose personal benefi t and acute polyarteritis. Finally: “An need to visit a doctor. If, amongst 10,000 is negligible, the sole acceptable level epidemiologic and clinical evaluation of recorded cases, death occurred in 10 of iatrogenic risk must be zero or these cases suggested a defi nite link be- cases, the apparent mortality is 1/1,000; something quite close. On the basis of tween vaccination and the onset of the however, if in addition, 90,000 patients available data, is it possible to contend syndrome [of Guillain-Barré] with ex- did not display signifi cant symptoms, the that the level of risk related to the new tensive paralysis...Infl uenza virus which real mortality will drop to 1/10,000. vaccines against swine fl u is near zero? lack a swine infl uenza virus component Clearly NO, and this will be demonstrat- seem not to raise the risk of paralysis Once established that swine infl uenza ed below. above background levels”. currently corresponds to a fairly mild form of infl uenza, health agencies retort that Past experience with this therapeutic class Five years before, the 11th edition of their concern is not the virus as it is now, Meyler’s Side Effects of Drugs, another but as it could become in near future after One major argument of health authori- reference book, listed amongst the ad- a mutation. However, propensity to mu- ties to justify the urgent development of a verse reactions reported with infl uenza tate is a strong characteristic of any virus new vaccine in the setting of a regulatory vaccine: “neurological reactions [ranging] in general, and of infl uenza viruses in par- anarchy is that in their pharmacological from polyneuropathy to meningoencepha- ticular; there is nothing new in that. If this principle, vaccines against A/H1N1 have litis and Guillain-Barré syndrome”, optic swine virus is supposed to mutate in the nothing new: their development may ben- neuritis, myocardial infarction and peri- future, this could be in the direction of an efi t from the acquired 40-year experience carditis, interstitial lung disease, as well even lower virulence. And, as the vaccine with seasonal fl u. Apart from the intrin- as drug interactions. This acknowledged is currently prepared against the current sic contradiction of a virus new enough evidence from the past of a signifi cant strain of the virus, it could be ineffective to justify a panic but classical enough to toxicity of fl u vaccines downgrades to against a mutated strain (this unexpected- require only experience acquired with lies or ignorance the contrary state- ness of a mutation is the classical excuse the traditional virus (!), let us summarize ments of most “experts” now. of the manufacturers each time the effi - our past experience with vaccines against cacy of the vaccines against seasonal fl u seasonal fl u. Risk of vaccines and Duration of action proves to be obviously poor). In short, it suffi ces to go back to the Usually, when a drug is administered, previous Cochrane reviews (see 1.1): ac- it has a limited duration of action; within 2. Which risk? cording to the authors, there is a lack of the fl uctuations of its elimination (which evidence regarding the safety of fl u vac- Risks of drugs in general and cines, especially in children. Therefore, Swine Flu: to Vaccinate? continued on page 12 VRAN Newsletter ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ Page 11 Swine Flu: to Vaccinate? cont. from page 11 tagonism between supporters of vaccines Acceptable though it may be in some may take some weeks with some drugs), and antivaccinationists. preventive indications precisely target- the duration of its pharmacological ac- ed against signifi cant infectious risks tion is more or less restricted to the time Unlike any other domain in therapeu- (which, I repeat, are not uniformly dis- of administration. In contrast, vaccines tics, vaccination cannot be a matter of tributed all over the world), this risk have a quite unusual particularity: for academic controversy: either you have of autoimmune hazard is statistically only one administration (sometimes fol- no doubt about the obvious benefi ts of correlated to the number of vaccines ad- lowed by a few boosters), the expected every vaccine and you are on the side of ministrated. Thus, it is not exaggerated effects are supposed to last for years, de- “Reality”; or you are inevitably on the to assert that the continuous reinforce- cades or even the whole life span. Yet, side of “myth”, “misinformation”, “mis- ment of the immunization schedule, strangely enough and still in contrast with conception”, “falsehood”, “archaism”, with its increase in the autoimmune risk, usual drugs, the safety trials performed etc. Actually, evidence is more balanced. is certainly not offset by a parallel effort with most vaccines are extremely short: to extend or deepen the epidemiological from the Physician Desk Reference, for To be frank, it is clear that antivaccina- assessment of these new recommenda- example, one may learn that those car- tionism is on the agenda of some sects—to tions. To take just one example, since ried out during the development of the say nothing about the paranoid. No doubt the time of my medical training, the tar- hepatitis B vaccine Engerix did not last either that most antivaccinationist groups geted population for the immunization more than 4 days. have vested interests in the marketing of against seasonal infl uenza has shifted “alternative” medicines as opposed to “al- from fairly small “at risk” groups to Accepted though it is by regulatory lopathic” products, with papers, journals everybody every year, which means on authorities, this design is obviously defec- or sites closer to sales promotion than to average an additional burden of some tive, especially to assess delayed adverse scientifi c communication. For a profes- 80 new immunizations in each person effects. But in addition and as exempli- sional in pharmaceutical development, over his/her life span: to the best of my fi ed by the abovementioned Cochrane however, it is no less true that vaccine knowledge (and as confi rmed by the Co- review or by experience, these trials are, promotion—even performed in the most chrane reviews), progress in the safety in practice, quite often carried out in a prestigious journals (like NEJM, The assessment of these vaccines is not in fairly lax manner. It seems to be taken for Lancet or BMJ)—is distinguished by a keeping with this dazzling increase. granted that, compared with other drugs, distressing amateurism—to say nothing vaccines cannot induce signifi cant risks, about latent confl icts of interests. Marked Associations so that monitoring their safety requires in particular by gross inconsistencies and neither effort nor rigor. a rare illogicality, this pro-vaccine ama- As illustrated by the Physician Desk teurism feeds anti-vaccine movements, Reference or any equivalent book, the is- The Engerix (hepatitis B vaccine) case making every person endowed with a sue of drug interactions is a crucial one once again gives an eloquent illustration minimum of cultural background and el- with any pharmaceutical product. Com- of this paradox. It appears from the sum- ementary logic able to point out its most pared with this norm, concerns about mary of product characteristics that some blatant failures. interactions seem quite diluted as soon as 8 years were necessary to see the mention the product in question is a vaccine. Yet, as of a risk of “anaphylaxis”. Thus, it took no «The mosaic of autoimmunity» exemplifi ed by ‘Meyler’s Side Effects of less than 8 years for the manufacturer or Drugs’ 11th edition, there is no convinc- the health agencies to record the most im- A vaccination corresponds to the ing reason to believe that vaccines do not mediate drug-induced reaction that could introduction into a human organism of an- expose immunized subjects to signifi cant be imagined. One can hardly rely on the tigenic material which has been subjected problems regarding interactions with oth- same “experts” to assess properly delayed to more or less precise identifi cation and er drugs. In addition, there is no reliable adverse effects such as auto-immune which carries per se a potential for in- evidence that the risk of multiple immuni- diseases, multiple sclerosis or lateral ducing reactions of autoimmunity, for zations has been seriously considered. amyotrophic sclerosis or to assess prop- example by a mechanism of molecular erly the safety profi le of the new infl uenza mimicry (if there is a similarity between To take just one example, it does not vaccines which, in contrast with Engerix this antigenic material and any physi- seem that the frightening issue of sudden (whose development took several years), ological structure of the self). In addition infant death syndrome (SIDS)—which will have been developed within a maxi- and as with every drug, even a minute cannot be ignored on the basis of anec- mum of a few weeks. contamination or impurity during the dotal evidence (as refl ected by experience manufacturing process is likely to trig- or by the VAERS, amongst other data)— Here is the appalling illogicality of vac- ger an unwanted immune reaction and, in has received the epidemiological attention cine development: whereas these drugs particular, an autoimmune one. Overall, it deserves. This poverty of clinical or are supposed to exert their benefi cial im- there is a strong record of the potential epidemiological research on drug interac- munological effects on a very long term, of vaccines to produce autoimmune dis- tions induced by vaccines is all the more they are never conscientiously suspected eases (such as rheumatic disorders). paradoxical since, as stressed above, the (and, in any case, never conscientiously duration of action is normally far more assessed) regarding their potential to exert Already signifi cant if not frequent prolonged with vaccines as compared with adverse immunological effects within the from an epidemiological standpoint, any other drug subjected to a far more rig- same long term. This blatant illogicality this autoimmune risk is obviously justifi es a re-appraisal of the ferocious an- magnifi ed by the use of adjuvants. Swine Flu: to Vaccinate? continued on page 13 Page 12 ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ VRAN Newsletter Swine Flu: to Vaccinate? cont. from page 12 There is wide agreement that, even about prescription in pregnant women or orous screening in this regard. when clinical trials are properly carried below a certain age. Once an additional out, the probability of recognizing a haz- postmarketing experience is available, it Risks of vaccines against infl uenza ard is near zero if it occurs at a frequency becomes possible to envisage a progres- of 1 in 1,000 exposed patients. This lack sive extension of the drug indications, but As compared to vaccines in general, of statistical power inherent in clinical always at the price of a new development those targeted against infl uenza have two development is the classical plea of the with appropriate clinical trials leading to a additional drawbacks. They require an addi- manufacturers once the toxicity of their new drug application. Experience shows tional immunization every year which is not products can no longer be denied, as was that the regulatory authorities are often a booster dose, but corresponds each time the case in the Vioxx affair. Presently, overcautious regarding such extensions to a new active principle. If the current rec- a number of experts claim that swine and that the probability of the application ommendations of health authorities were to fl u could hit one third of the population being rejected is far from negligible. be followed, it is clear that over a life span, with a mortality of 0.1% (which, in my fl u vaccines would be major contributors to opinion, is probably an overestimation). Yet, in the case in point and accord- the mosaic of autoimmunity. From a simple Applied to the USA population, these ing to health agencies, who will be the Hippocratic standpoint, the imprudence of estimates correspond to 100 million af- subpopulations to be fi rst and foremost such recommendations is vertiginous. As fected persons, with a maximum death exposed to these fl u vaccines developed well, depending on the characteristics of the toll of 100,000 persons, mainly in the el- in an incredible technical and regulatory virus isolated as responsible for the epidem- derly or in patients made vulnerable by anarchy?—the elderly, pregnant women, ics, each year the new infl uenza vaccines are severe underlying diseases. Overall, this children and patients with underlying prepared in an incredible rush, which has mortality would not have much impact diseases—and, according to some ex- no equivalent elsewhere in pharmaceutical on the average life expectancy there. perts, even the newborn babies. It must development. Here is most probably the be said without any political correctness: genuine cause of the disastrous results of the Inasmuch as most of the alarmism re- this is criminal nonsense! Cochrane review: it is simply not possible garding swine fl u is based on “the worst to develop drugs within 2-3 months. Ar- case hypothesis”, let me temporarily As a single counter-example, no less guing the contrary is both irresponsible adopt the same rhetoric: so, let us sup- than 20 years and a fantastic exposure and deceitful. pose that the “clinical trials” on the new were necessary before the neonatal haz- infl uenza vaccines will miss 1 adverse re- ards of serotoninergic antidepressants Additional risk related to the case in action in 1,000 exposed patients, and that such as Prozac were identifi ed, and yet point / Prevention and its risks this reaction will be fatal (a pessimistic these products were developed in the hypothesis, of course, but not extravagant standard way, including very long studies In evolution, immunity is not a stock from a statistical standpoint: there are in animals and over an incommensurable given once and for all to individuals: it precedents). Thus, if obliged, or panic- duration comparatively speaking. It took is a dynamic system which requires pe- stricken, the whole of the US population some 15 years or more to put Prozac on riodic reactivations, especially as far as was vaccinated, there would be 300,000 the market but, in its principle, this drug “non specifi c immunity” is concerned. It deaths: three times the death toll due to is far simpler than products which may may be diffi cult to fi nd reliable epidemi- infl uenza and, this time, in babies, chil- contain several antigenic parts added to ological evidence on this point, but there dren, young adults, all of them in perfect adjuvants. It’s worth noting too, that the are a number of good reasons to take as a health—with a major impact on average risk of foetal toxicity is still debated with serious hypothesis that trivial viral infec- life expectancy. Not to speak of the other these antidepressants. tions such as cold or fl u have the adaptive adverse reactions of these new vaccines function of maintaining the reactivity (e.g. Guillain-Barré syndrome), as it nev- Bypassing the regulatory process of our non specifi c immunity. In other er happens that a drug carries the risk of words, even if these infections carry an one hazard only. Although quite restrictive legally and undisputed burden in terms of individual highly signifi cant as far as public health casualties, they are probably benefi cial The “protected species” of pharma- is concerned, the process of a new drug on the scale of the general population. It ceutical development application (NDA) and its registration is is striking that a number of scholars who widely ignored by most people, includ- are certainly not antivaccinationists rec- Pharmaceutical development has al- ing most health professionals. ognize that natural infections could have, ways considered as “protected species” overall, a protective role against autoim- four categories of persons: the elderly, Usual duration of drug development mune diseases and that anti-infectious pregnant women, children and patients prevention (with vaccines or, in some with underlying diseases (cancer, auto- As opposed to the public declarations cases, with antibiotics) may increase immune disease, diabetes...). As a matter of some “experts”, the development of a the risk of diseases such as asthma or of policy and allowing for exceptions new drug is not confi ned to clinical stud- diabetes. This should be taken into con- (e.g. to develop a treatment against Al- ies. Besides the mass of administrative sideration when assessing the benefi t/risk zheimer’s disease or metastatic cancer), data, it includes three main parts. of immunizations. study protocols exclude these subjects: as a consequence easy to verify, the sum- • Chemical, pharmaceutical and biologi- Scale effect mary of product characteristics of new drugs usually includes severe warnings Swine Flu: to Vaccinate? continued on page 14 VRAN Newsletter ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ Page 13 Swine Flu: to Vaccinate? cont. from page 13 of an NDA. The NDA includes all inves- 3. Which cost? cal documentation: composition of the tigations carried out by the manufacturer drug, method of preparation, control of during the drug development to comply Vaccine prices—The recurring theme starting material, control tests on inter- with quality, safety and effi cacy criteria of the manufacturers to justify the ex- mediate materials, control tests on the required by pharmaceutical regulations. orbitant price of their drugs has always fi nished product, stability testing, bio- Yet, according to the media, quite early been the time spent in their development: availability/bioequivalence, data related in the summer, governments of devel- years, and sometimes more than a decade. to the environment risk assessment for oped countries such as the US, the UK, Thus, you should expect that the cost of products containing genetically modi- Germany and France (which are not vaccines developed within a few weeks fi ed organisms... supposed to lack legislation or regula- only should be lowered accordingly: this • Pharmacotoxicological documenta- tory bodies) have prided themselves on does not seem to be the case. tion: toxicity, reproductive function, having ordered (and even paid for) huge embryofoetal and perinatal toxicity, amounts of vaccines against swine fl u Number to treat—Having regard to mutagenic potential, pharmacodynam- and on being ready to trigger or even the enormous population targeted by an ics, pharmacokinetics, local tolerance, force massive campaigns of immuniza- immunisation, as compared to the cur- environment risk assessment... tion. [Canada’s contract for pandemic rent mildness of swine fl u, the relevant • Clinical documentation: clinical phar- infl uenza vaccine was signed in 2001, parameter to assess the cost/benefi t of the macology, clinical experience... worldwide the fi rst signed.] vaccination should be the number to treat: Without entering into more details, it how many people should be vaccinated is clear already why it is simply not pos- It’s not diffi cult to document that, as to avoid one fatal case of infl uenza? And sible to develop a new drug within one, of the end of Sept, 2009, these vaccines with the prospect of a massive campaign: two or three months. According to R J are still in their phase of development— how many persons will be vaccinated to Harman’s ‘Development and Control of which, in the process described by the avoid one fatal case of infl uenza? Medicines and Medical Devices’,: “Prior current legislations, normally precedes to the introduction of high-density com- submission of an NDA. One may raise an Indirect costs—To the direct cost of puter storage media (e.g. CD-ROMs), interesting question (to my knowledge, the vaccines (and of the remuneration of the physical size of a marketing autho- never brought up before): how is it pos- the health professionals who would per- rization application could be daunting”. sible to buy, pay for and administer a form the injections), indirect costs should It’s my guess that the physical size of the drug before the health authorities have be added. According to some medical applications regarding the new vaccines complied with their duty of protecting sources, up to 30% of adults developing a authorised against swine fl u is, by no consumers by carefully assessing the Guillain-Barré syndrome may have neuro- means, “daunting”. quality, safety and effi cacy of this new logical sequels, and the proportion could be agent? [GlaxoSmithKline’s ArepanrixTM higher in children (and of course, Guillain- For any clinical trial, the natural units H1N1 vaccine received Health Canada’s Barré syndrome is not the only hazard one to measure the duration of the process approval on Oct 21 via an “interim or- can expect with vaccines developed in an are years and not months, and certainly der” adopted by government Oct 13. The unprecedented rush, some by fi rms which not weeks or days. In addition, one single vaccine’s “information leafl et” disclosed have a previous history of malpractice.) study is not suffi cient for a drug develop- an absence of clinical data for age groups [Canada’s adjuvanted Arepanrix has cost ment. Finally, when you have performed 6 mos to 17 yrs and over 60 yrs as well $400 million. Add to that the cost of the all the required studies, you have to assess as for concomitant administration with non-adjuvanted version, non-adjuvanted them as a whole in an “expert report”, other vaccines.] vaccine purchased from Australia, wages once again a quite complicated docu- for all those involved in the “roll-out” of the ment normally structured by persnickety How is it possible to have a pre-spec- vaccine, costs re attendance at meetings, guidelines and templates. Such an expert ifi ed schedule of approval in a process advertising, post-approval monitoring, etc report has to be done for each part of the where the approval may be delayed or and total cost must be in the billions.] dossier—pharmaceutical quality/ pharma- even rejected? And how is it possible for cotoxicological data/ clinical data. I say governments to spend public funds by Resource allocation—From a scientifi c nothing of the physical making of the ap- paying in advance for products whose point of view it’s a safe bet to claim that the plication, which includes amongst others introduction on the market may never be swine virus can mutate and become exceed- a scanning of all individual data (that of granted? The answer is clear: our health ingly naughty, as no serious professional the patients, and of the animals included authorities have never been seriously can deny such a possibility. But the relevant in the toxicological studies). I ask vaccine thinking of genuinely assessing the question is rather the probability of such a manufacturers and governmental agen- new infl uenza vaccines. And while giv- mutation. In a world where money is lim- cies to explain how such an enormous task ing by their orders a strong signal to the ited, once you focus on one issue, you take may be compressed into a few weeks. manufacturers that they were ready to resources away from other issues. Therefore, co-operate in transforming into a block- our responsibility as experts is not to cry Which registration? buster any dirty kind of vaccine mixture, wolf. It is rather to rank priorities of health our governments applied the fi nishing problems on the basis of available data in or- Normally, the introduction of a new touches by making sure that no judicial der to enlighten the politicians about resource drug on the market is conditioned by a litigation could hit the manufacturers. allocation. Until the contrary is proven, I registration process entailing the scien- This is a scandal and a tragedy! tifi c assessment by regulatory authorities Swine Flu: to Vaccinate? continued on page 15 Page 14 ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ VRAN Newsletter Swine Flu: to Vaccinate? cont. from page 14 So, for instance, pregnant women are maintain that thus far, available data do If you’re too hot, get a shot at special risk and should take a particu- not make swine fl u a health priority, not lar version of the vaccine, which Health for any country, nor internationally. Here’s a good chuckle over this whole Minister Leona Aglukkaq said would be obnoxious affair; The Globe and Mail ready but others say will be two weeks Profi tability—At the end of the 1990s, offers you this: later than the stuff now shipping. Why did it was not a secret that drug makers were they delay that critical batch? We don’t becoming nervous about possible defl ation By Rick Salutin know. Some experts say get a shot now; of the indecent profi tability of their busi- The H1N1 experts try to sound clear others say wait. A TV reporter summa- nesses because of blockbusters coming out and decisive even if they’re totally at sea. rized the chaos: “It’ll be up to pregnant of patent and, more seriously, their lack of women to choose which one they’ll get.” innovation. Since then, it suffi ces to skim DRUMROLL, please. We have rolled That isn’t inconsistent, it’s brutal. It’s through the economic press to note that out the H1N1 vaccine. It’s in the ware- like your doctor telling you to choose be- vaccines have become the providential sec- houses—hold on, I’m being told it’s now tween a triple and a quintuple bypass. tor for maintaining this profi tability. In spite been approved by our tests, though our of their depressing lack of imagination for tests aren’t complete and most of them Why not just go ahead and die? the creation of valuable new chemical enti- aren’t ours and we already knew most ties, it did not take drug manufacturers long of what we now know before this. Never It’s all presided over by many of the to understand that from the point of view mind. You can get the vaccine, but not yet. clowns who performed during the 2003 of pure profi tability, vaccines offer two And maybe not when you go for it since SARS crisis. There’s Dr. Donald Low, major advantages: 1/ with adequate lob- there’s not enough for everyone so we’re who looks like one of the actors who bying (thanks to the WHO experts and to asking people who aren’t at risk not to get used to play doctors on headache ads, those of governmental agencies with their it though if they go they can get it. Except with a “simulation” caption underneath. vested interests), it is not diffi cult to widen in some places. Anyway, it’s a Go! … He and others ran off to explain to inter- the target population to everybody; 2/ with national meetings what heroes they were their slapdash development, vaccines are In fact, it was CBC news who trum- just as the second round of SARS hit. Or not expensive to make. It should have been peted, “It’s a go!” They joined the Dr. Allison McGeer, who always has the an eminent priority for health agencies to general rollicking mood. Personally I’d look of a character in a disaster movie. protect citizens against such prospects. In- like to know where to go to be inoculated Dr. David Butler-Jones has joined the stead, they have preferred to serve the against the confusion and lack of clarity troupe. He’s from Manitoba, where na- manufacturers’ interests, giving cred- surrounding this story. tive reserves were denied hand sanitizers, ibility to the tales of pharmaceutical since they contain alcohol, and body bags promotion by their outrageous alarmism How did it start? Last April, Dr. were sent instead. The show must go on. and supporting the amateurism of vac- Margaret Chan, of the World Health Orga- cine makers by ignoring the regulations nization, said a pandemic was “imminent” The actual disease looks like it will they should have the duty to enforce. and “the whole of humanity“ was “under be mild if widespread. But the clowns— threat” from it. And you thought human- pardon, experts—seem to have had a ity was under threat from stuff like nuclear booster shot of PR that causes them to Conclusion arsenals and global warming. But she may try to sound clear and decisive even if have felt she had to match some of the they’re totally at sea. This in turn makes As mentioned above, a positive con- hysterical overstatement already abroad. the rest of us feel crazy, since we assume it sequence of the swine fl u story could be means something. (e.g., Dr. Low: “We’re a radical reappraisal of the ferocious an- Then this summer, the bottom appeared seeing disease now. And we’re seeing in- tagonism between vaccine promoters and to fall out of the panic. Under advice ap- creasing disease in British Columbia and antivaccinationists. This time, by dint of parently from WHO and others, Canada we’re seeing it in Ontario right now.”) ignoring the basics of drug development, decided to delay production of the H1N1 things have gone too far and everybody vaccine in favour of seasonal fl u vaccine. It would be a relief if they shut up may take notice. It is time now to go back, This at least is how it seems to Richard occasionally, if only to convey the im- to understand that vaccines are drugs Schabas, Ontario’s former chief medi- pression that they’re thinking. Instead amongst others, with their potential of cal offi cer. But this fall, he says, reports they all act, as Groucho said to Mrs. hazards and the inherent requirement of a of H1N1 rose again, as was predictable, Teasdale, as if they’ve been vaccinated cautious assessment regarding their benefi t/ since new fl us normally replace old ones. with a phonograph needle. risk ratio. It is time now to stop considering The geniuses in charge abruptly tried to that vaccines must be benefi cial and that speed up the vaccine they’d held back, http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/ they cannot be risky. It is time to require with limited, confusing results. Dr. Scha- opinions/if-youre-too-hot-get-a-shot/ that the elementary principles of drug de- bas says he has no idea why they didn’t article1334581/ √ velopment not be ignored as grossly as they make the switch in summer. I, however, are now with vaccines. It is time to recog- will risk a guess. Realizing they had over- nize that the human body is not a bin for done it in the spring, they underdid it to the dangerous gadgets that, through lack of compensate in the summer, then reverted professionalism, Big Pharma develops in- to panic in the fall. This is consistent with stead of useful drugs. √ their consistent record of inconsistency. VRAN Newsletter ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ Page 15 disorders (ASD), and the younger ones Why This Doctor Questions Flu Vaccination yet to be diagnosed, and you get at least by Dr Damien Downing, MD 100,000 children in the UK. Most swine FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE fl u vaccine contains thiomersal. That’s the Orthomolecular Medicine News Service, November 1, 2009 preservative, nearly 50% of it mercury, that is probably a major cause of autism. http://www.theoneclickgroup.co.uk/news.php?start=2980&end=30 00&view=yes&id=3947#newspost A proper risk analysis would identify the risk of autism as the greater likely cost, (OMNS, November 1, 2009) 2009 may cine without proper safety testing, and both human cost to the individual and be the year of the vaccine show-down, the with effi cacy totally unproven. A 2005 fi nancial to the state. Fair discussion of moment when enough of us start question- study was unable to “correlate increasing risk is prevented by management of the ing all we’re being told about vaccines. A vaccination coverage after 1980 with de- information fl ow. There is no mainstream survey published in the BMJ in August clining mortality rates in any age group.” news medium left on which you can rely reported that less than half of healthcare Instead they attributed the reduction in for accuracy and balance. workers in Hong Kong were willing to ac- deaths to acquired “herd” immunity— cept “pre-pandemic” fl u vaccination. And nothing to do with vaccines. (1) that was before a letter from the Health A recent paper in the New Protection Agency to 600 United King- Global sales of vaccines were worth England Journal of Medicine dom neurologists on July 29th warning $24 billion in 2008, up 30% on the reported that the swine fl u virus them to be on the alert for an increase in previous year, and greatly exceeding pre- that caused the outbreak in cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome follow- dictions from only 2 years before. Just 1977 “was probably an ing the vaccination campaign. in time for the manufacturers, as sales accidental release from a of “old-fashioned” pharmaceuticals are laboratory source.” If nurses and doctors start question- generally approaching saturation. ing vaccination for themselves, sooner A recent paper in the New England or later we’ll have to advise patients to Journal of Medicine reported that the make their own minds up. They seem to Power swine fl u virus that caused the outbreak be doing so anyway. A poll by Fox News, in 1977 “was probably an accidental re- often described as a right-wing channel, Governments love pandemics. They lease from a laboratory source.” During found that 51% thought taking the H1N1 support a system in which compulsory vac- that outbreak, the USA launched a mass vaccine carried a greater risk than not be- cination is imposed against our will, and vaccination campaign, but this led to at ing vaccinated. Yet both in the USA and where nutrients, which can provide cheap, least 25 deaths and 500 cases of Guillian- the UK, this year’s swine fl u vaccine will safe and effective treatments for many Barre syndrome. There were thousands be rolled out without adequate safety problems are being outlawed on the basis of injury claims. This time around, to testing. What’s going on? Two things: of manipulated and fl awed evidence. protect their profi ts, the manufacturers profi ts and power. clearly needed immunity from prosecu- The term “biopower” was fi rst coined tion, which has now been granted to them by French philosopher Michel Foucault by the US and UK governments. Profi ts to describe the use by governments of technologies to control populations, that Pharmaceutical companies love pan- is, to control our bodies. Vaccination is a The Real Solution demics; they are a great way to sell good example of this; a technology that practically-useless drugs such as Tami- governments seek to impose on us, os- There are dozens of offi cial websites fl u. A thorough review by the Centre for tensibly to prevent a harm such as death out there offering conventional advice Reviews and Dissemination at York Uni- and damage from measles.Take measles on how to protect yourself from swine versity found that these drugs reduced the as an example; what is the real risk from fl u: stay away from other people, wear a duration of fl u symptoms by less than a it? Nobody really knows. All the recent mask, get vaccinated, take Tamifl u, and day, and recommended that giving them to evidence comes from developing coun- so on. But the real solution, the one they healthy adults “is unlikely to be the most tries with serious nutritional problems; aren’t telling you about, is nutritional. one death in a million cases of measles, There is plenty of evidence for nutritional A 2005 study was unable to perhaps. What is the risk of developing intake making a difference - to your risk “correlate increasing autism if you get all or most of the long of developing fl u symptoms, to your risk vaccination coverage after 1980 list of vaccinations for children? It’s 1 of complications, and to your time for re- with declining mortality rates in in 64 in the fi ve-to-nine year olds now, covery. The simple message is to consider any age group.” according to Professor Baron-Cohen, taking the following (all doses approxi- Director of the Autism Research Centre mate, and no danger from any of it): appropriate course of action.” Pandem- in Cambridge. That means there are over ics are also a good way to sell vaccines. 55,000 autists in that age group now, • Vitamin D 4,000 International Units Manufacturers now stand to clean up to and 55,000 families stressed, heartbro- (IU) daily the tune of around $50 billion per year ken, even destroyed by it. Add the older from infl uenza vaccines alone, on a vac- kids still hobbled by autism spectrum Why this Doctor Questions continued on page 17 Page 16 ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ VRAN Newsletter Why this Doctor Questions cont. from page 16 Cardiovascular Risks from Swine Flu Vaccines • Vitamin A 25,000 IU daily (unless you’re pregnant or likely to become Overstimulation of the immune system may trigger acute heart disease and sudden so) deaths in the increasing number of people with atherosclerosis; this hidden risk of • Vitamin C 1000 milligrams (mg) sev- mass vaccination programmes against swine fl u could far outweigh the benefi ts eral times daily (at least) By Dr. Mae-Wan Ho, • Zinc 25 mg daily Geneticist, Director, Institute of Science in Society, London, England Mass vaccinations amid mount- Disease Control denies that the deaths This is what I am doing, and what I ing safety concerns are connected with the vaccine. advise my patients. Mass vaccinations for the pandemic But this possibility was predicted in the See your doctor and talk this over. H1N1 ‘swine fl u’ have begun in Britain, paper published by Bhakdi and colleagues [4]. Read the small print of course, and take the United States, Sweden and elsewhere, other supplements if your body tells you targeting hundreds of millions around the it needs them. As for vaccination? That world as concerns mount over the safety Two vaccines with adjuvants is, or at least should be, your decision. of the fast-tracked vaccines [1-3] References: There are two main vaccines with ad- (1) Simonsen L, Reichert TA et al. Impact of The risks identifi ed so far include juvants. One, modeled after Fluad and influenza vaccination on seasonal mortality in the neurological damage, developmen- widely used in European countries in- US elderly population. Arch Intern Med. 2005; tal defects, and autoimmune diseases cluding Germany contains the adjuvant 165:265-272. from vaccine adjuvants; the potential MF59 made by Novartis, and is also de- for generating more virulent disease ployed worldwide mainly for people over (Dr. Damien Downing was qualified at Guy’s agents from live attenuated viral vac- 65 years of age. MF59 is a squalene oil- Hospital, London in 1972, and worked in hospi- cines, and cancer from contaminants of in-water emulsion; but its mechanism tals and general practice in London, Leeds and cultured cells used to grow the vaccine of action is still poorly understood. It York. He spent three years in the Solomon Islands as Medical Officer of Health for the capital, with viruses, or from chemical agents em- appears to induce recruitment of mac- responsibility for Mental Health Services and the ployed in killing the vaccine viruses. rophages (white blood cells that ingests Village Aid Project. On return to the UK in 1980 foreign material and dead cells) to the he established a private practice, focusing on nu- Now, researchers at Mainz University injection site and promote uptake of an- tritional and alternative therapies. He is president Medical Center in Germany led by Sucharit tigen by macrophage and dendritic cells of the British Society for Allergy Environmental Bhakdi have added cardiovascular risks that process antigens to promote produc- and Nutritional Medicine and editor of the Jour- that are not generally appreciated. Ani- tion of specifi c antibodies. Injection of nal of Nutritional and Environmental Medicine. mal experiments and epidemiological fl u vaccines with the adjuvant frequently He is a member of the Orthomolecular Medicine data suggest that over-stimulation of the causes local pain and occasionally fever, News Service Editorial Review Board.) immune system may accelerate athero- indicating that pro-infl ammatory cytok- Nutritional Medicine is Orthomolecular genesis (the build-up of fatty deposits ines (signaling molecules produced by [7] Medicine or plaques on the inner wall of arteries) immune cells) are generated . There is Orthomolecular medicine uses safe, effective [4]. They are especially concerned about further evidence that injection of squalene nutritional therapy to fight illness. For more vaccines containing adjuvants to boost can provoke autoimmune responses [1, 2]. information: www.orthomolecular.org immune response, which could aggravate The peer-reviewed Orthomolecular Medicine the formation of plagues and atherosclero- Flu vaccines with MF59 adjuvant have News Service is a non-profit and non-commercial sis disease. The risks of other widespread been given to children, but there is little informational resource. diseases due to deregulated immune sys- experience with their use in pregnant tems are also possible. Safety trials of women who are currently in the priority Editorial Review Board: [1, 2] Carolyn Dean, M.D., N.D. vaccines conducted so far have not spe- group for vaccination . Damien Downing, M.D. cifi cally taken those possible side-effects Michael Gonzalez, D.Sc., Ph.D. into account, and “unexpected serious Another H1N1 vaccine with adju- Steve Hickey, Ph.D. adverse effects” may follow in the wake vant is developed by GlaxoSmithKline James A. Jackson, PhD of mass vaccination programmes. This (GSK). The adjuvant is AS03 [1], similar Bo H. Jonsson, MD, Ph.D proved prophetic. to MF59 in that it contains squalene, Thomas Levy, M.D., J.D. and in addition, the non-ionic detergent Jorge R. Miranda-Massari, Pharm.D. polysorbate 80 (Tween 80), which is yet Erik Paterson, M.D. Gert E. Shuitemaker, Ph.D. Four deaths in less than two weeks uncharacterized in terms of pharma- cokinetic and immunological properties [4] Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D., Editor and contact Less than two weeks into its mass vac- . Studies with vaccines containing AS03 person. cination, Sweden reported four deaths in infants, young children or pregnant [5] Email: [email protected] √ , among which were at least two with women have not been published. And underlying heart condition. According current clinical studies are being conduct- to the Swenska Dagladet newspaper, ed with children aged 3-17 years. there were also 350 side effects recorded [6]. The Swedish Institute for Infectious Cardiovascular Risks continued on page 18 VRAN Newsletter ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ Page 17 Cardiovascular Risks cont. from page 17 disease triggered by the over-stimula- tive processes perpetrated by the immune tion of the immune system. It accounts system can be infl uenced by unrelated Hidden dangers of H1N1 for 39 percent of deaths in the UK , while immunological events. Again, athero- vaccines with adjuvants 12 million in the USA have atheroscle- sclerosis serves as a case in point, and [4] Immune mechanisms are now im- rosis-associated disease. Atherosclerosis the answer is yes . There is a current plicated in such a diversity of chronic results in narrowing the arteries, pro- debate over whether innate or adaptive diseases that no common denominator ducing stable angina (chest pains due immunity is more important in accelerat- would have come to mind before the to blockage of arterial blood fl ow) or ing and aggravating atherosclerosis. But advent of modern immunology [4]. That else dramatic rupture, producing acute there is broad agreement that pathology is why the potential dangers of vaccine syndromes such as unstable angina, myo- is driven by diverse conditions that stim- adjuvants such as those used with the cardial infarction (heart attack, when the ulate the immune system, such as acute current H1N1 swine fl u vaccines are still blood supply to part of the heart is inter- and chronic infections, stress, smoking not adequately addressed. rupted causing some heart muscle cells and diabetes. to die), or sudden death . Macrophages A major hurdle to addressing the are abundant in ruptured atherosclerotic While macrophages normally perform dangers is the lack of specifi city in the plaques and are suspected of causing the their cholesterol scavenging function in self-destructive processes perpetrated rupture. As they belong to the innate the absence of infl ammation, they readily by an over-stimulated immune sys- immunity branch that does not require induce immune-mediated collateral dam- tem. It is now recognized that the innate, specifi c recognition, macrophages may age by moving to sites of atherosclerotic relatively non-specifi c immune mecha- damage tissues indiscriminately. Mac- lesions that become unstable when acti- nisms are just as culpable as the specifi c, rophages are recruited and activated by vated by immune stimulation. Rabbits adaptive immune mechanisms in the pa- many signals and they have an impres- on a high blood cholesterol diet injected thology of some of the most widespread sive arsenal of molecules to promote with an endotoxin that caused a brief human diseases including atherosclerosis, tissue damage. rise in body temperature of only 1° C infl ammatory bowel disease, demyelinat- developed markedly larger atherosclero- ing disease and non-infectious arthritis; Macrophage recruitment to the devel- sis lesions than controls. Thus, immune and the list is ever growing. oping atherosclerotic plaques is aided by stimulation in the absence of any infec- the expression of special infl ammatory tion can accelerate atherogenesis via the More baffl ing still is that such patho- adhesion molecules in the abnormal lin- activation of macrophages. If, at any logical processes sometimes have their ing of the arterial wall over the plaques, stage, vaccination drives macrophages roots in normal physiological events that which are up-regulated by multiple athero- into their infl ammatory state, the effects serve useful biological functions. sclerosis risk factors including oxidized will be unpredictable and “acute clinical low density lipoprotein (oxLDL, bad events could be precipitated.” It might For example, macrophages are involved cholesterol), smoking, hypertension and be caused by “the adjuvant or another in clearing tissues of cholesterol, which is diabetes. The activated macrophages ex- ingredient, a combination of both, or poorly soluble. Atherosclerosis disease press effector molecules that kill cells and any other infl ammatory events pro- becomes manifest only when this choles- degrade the extracellular matrix. These voked by intramuscular injection of terol clearing role breaks down through include Fas-L and nitric oxide (NO). the vaccine.” overload, and lesions develop in the ar- Macrophage NO up-regulates vascular tery wall. The macrophages then cease to smooth muscle cell (VSMC) surface Fas perform their physiological function and (the binding partner for Fas-L) priming No trial data available become the perpetrator of disease. the VSMC for apoptosis (programmed on cardiovascular risks cell death). As VSMCs promote plaque stability, their apoptosis may contribute There is simply no relevant clinical Macrophages and atheroclerosis to plaque rupture. Macrophages also ex- data that could rule out such immuno- press multiple metalloproteinases (e.g. logical adverse effects resulting from Macrophages are large white blood cells stromelysin) and serine proteases (e.g. vaccination. Trials would have to be that have the ability to phagocytose (en- urokinase) that degrade the extracel- gulf) foreign materials such as bacteria and lular matrix, weakening the plaque and viruses and debris from dead cells. They making it prone to rupture. In addition, There is simply no relevant clini- are a very important component of innate macrophages secrete numerous other ef- cal data that could rule out such immunity, not only in protecting the body fectors including reactive oxygen species immunological adverse effects against pathogens, but also in scavenging that kill bacteria under normal conditions resulting from vaccination. and tissue repair. However, macrophages [9] (see The Body Does Burn Water , SiS are also involved in the development of 43) , but will cause oxidative damage to conducted in individuals with identifi ed atherosclerosis—hardening of the arter- cells when overproduced as the result of risk factors—but these are just the sub- ies due to fatty deposits (plaques) in the environmental stress. jects usually excluded from the trials [1, arterial wall—and especially in the acute 2]; moreover, the follow up observations clinical disease resulting from the rupture would have to be made over extended pe- of the plaques [8]. Macrophages a major culprit riods of time.

Atherosclerosis is an infl ammatory A key question is whether self-destruc- Cardiovascular Risks continued on page 19 Page 18 ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ VRAN Newsletter Cardiovascular Risks cont. from page 18 other diseases with immunopathological components. They came, they lied, These risks do not just apply to peo- they conquered! ple with identifi ed risk factors, but may also apply to healthy young individuals Note: Permission to reprint is given (Please note: some names have been repeatedly challenged with vaccines by the author providing article changed to protect the guilty.) that contain adjuvants over years or remains unchanged from original ver- decades. To make matters worse, the sion. This report has been submitted by Susan Fletcher GSK fl u vaccine with its novel combi- to the US FDA and Sir Liam Donald- For the fi rst time in our seventeen year nation of adjuvants and additives has son, UK Chief Medical Offi cer. View history, VRAN was invited to send a rep- not ever been given to a large number article online at Institute of Science resentative to appear at a meeting of the of recipients. in Society at: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/ federal Standing Committee on Health; CRSFV.php the topic was to be ‘H1N1 Preparedness’. The GSK vaccine was assessed in References: I had the honour of presenting our posi- 400 volunteers [10]. Fever developed in 4 Ho MW and Cummins J. Fast-tracked swine flu tion but not without diffi culty. out of 200 participants that received the vaccine under fire. Science in Society 43 , 4-6, vaccine without adjuvant compared with 2009. On the afternoon of Oct 17th my hus- Ho MW and Cummins J. Swine flu pandemic, to 15 out of the 200 that received the vac- vaccinate or not to vaccinate? Science in Society band and I were about to head out the door cine with adjuvant. The group receiving 44 (in press). to Vancouver where, the following day, the vaccine with adjuvant also showed Tenpenny S. Flu vaccines and the risk of cancer. we were to board a plane to Ottawa. But marked increases in the incidence of all Science in Society 44 (in press). a quick last check of email stopped us in other registered symptoms including lo- Bhakdi S, Lachner K and Doerr H-W. Possible our tracks. A message from the Clerk of cal redness, swelling, muscle aches, all hidden hazards of mass vaccination against new the Committee told us that the Oct 19th signs of infl ammation. influenza A/H1N1: have the cardiovascular risks meeting had been postponed to Oct 21st. been adequately weighed? Med Microbiol Im- We were down for the count but gradually Bhakdi and colleagues pointed out that munol 2009, 198, 205-9. recovered; we decided to go anyway. “Further deaths linked to swine flu vaccine”, The Local, 24 October 2009, http://www.thelocal. se/22846/20091024/ Come the morning of the 20th, I re- The authors did not question the “Fifth “swine flu” vaccine death in Sweden— ceived another message saying that the need for effective vaccine vaccinations still go ahead as planned!” Johann meeting had been cancelled indefi nitely. strategies against H1N1, only Niklasson, 27 October 2009, The Flu Case, http:// On the phone, Conservative MP, Ms Chair, the possibility that the risks of www.theflucase.com/index.php?option=com_co explained that this was due to the roll out mass vaccinations at this stage ntent&view=article&id=1416%3Afifth-qswine- of the vaccine and the great need to have it might outweigh the benefi ts. fluq-vaccine-death-in-sweden-vaccinations-still- to protect Canadians from the risky swine go-ahead-as-planned&catid=41%3Ahighlighted- fl u. Nevertheless, although the Commit- newsA ke&Itemid=105&lang=en Clark TW, Pareek M, Hoschler K, Dillon H, tee had obviously swallowed the Public in 2003, smallpox vaccine was adminis- Nicholson KG, Groth N, Stephenson I (2009) Health line, it wanted me to attend a third tered to 36 000 civilians aged 46–65 in Trial of influenza A (H1N1) 2009 monovalent proposed meeting still to be scheduled. the USA , and fi ve myocardial infarctions MF59-adjuvanted vaccine—preliminary report. N (MI) occurred within 3 weeks of vaccina- Engl J Med http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/ Before returning home I delivered tion. Five cases of MI were higher than query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Ci a small stack of informative articles to the two that would have been expected tation&list_uids=19745215 the clerk of the Committee in the hope in the period within this age-group, al- Boyle JJ. Macrophage activation in atheroscle- they would be disseminated at the actual though it just missed being signifi cant at rosis: pathogenesis and pharmacology of plague (rather than virtual) meeting if and when rupture. Current Vascular Pharmacology 2005, the 5 percent probability level. 3, 63-68. it occurred. The Clerk asked me to at- Ho MW. The body does burn water. . Science in tend a rescheduled meeting of Oct 26th. The authors did not question the Society 43 ,14-16, 2009. Quickly detecting my scowl, she asked if need for effective vaccine strategies Leroux-Roels I, Borkowski A, Vanwolleghem I’d attend via video conference. against H1N1, only the possibility T, Drame M, Clement F, Hons E, Devaster JM, that the risks of mass vaccinations Leroux-Roels G (2007) Antigen sparing and Finally, the big day arrived. Sitting in at this stage might outweigh the ben- cross-reactive immunity with an adjuvanted the executive chair at the Vancouver video efi ts. H1N1-related mortality is very rH5N1 prototype pandemic influenza vaccine: a conference locale I thoughtfully arranged low in Europe , and nowhere near randomized controlled trial. Lancet 370:580–9. my papers on the desk and waited for the [1, 2] Reed S (2009) Brief overview of use of oil- that due to seasonal fl u . in-water emulsions as adjuvants for influenza meeting to start. After much trouble with vaccines. http:/ www.who.int/vaccine_research/ equipment which was allowing me to hear Why not hold mass vaccination in re- documents/Brief_overview_of_use_of_oil-in- what was being said in Ottawa but not al- serve, as we have already won the fi rst water_emulsions.pdf √ lowing them to hear me, Ms Chair called round; and if mass vaccination is imple- the meeting to order. In attendance were mented, at risk individuals should be eleven MP’s and four “expert witnesses” given vaccines without adjuvants. as well as staff and several dark-clothed individuals lurking in the background. The same arguments against mass vaccinations would extend to the many They Came, They Lied... continued on page 20 VRAN Newsletter ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ Page 19 They Came, They Lied... cont. from page 19 must have reminded Ms Chair of my pres- other ignorant Committee members how As the fi fth witness, it wasn’t clear to me ence because she fi nally invited me to vaccine adjuvants work. Ms Chair, too, whether or not I was considered “expert”. signal her if I had something to say. fawned over the four “experts”, noting their “intelligence”. The fi rst witness invited to speak was Although it wasn’t easy to attract Ms Dr Public Health. To be polite, his dis- Chair’s attention (Did she think I was The fi rst MP to ask questions was sertation would have been helped by waving at Santa Claus?) I did manage to Kristi Duncan, Lib. She was concerned a tinge of editorial clipping. Ditto for make a few extra points. I told the Com- about using adjuvanted vaccine for preg- Dr Health Canada’s presentation. It oc- mittee that vaccine trials commonly use nant women and noted that a pregnant curred to me that the politicians must vaccines as placebos and I’d really like friend had consulted six obstetricians have been attending meetings on another to know what placebos were used for and still didn’t know if she should get planet if they hadn’t heard most of this the H1N1 vaccine trials; I held up Gary the adjuvanted vaccine or wait for the fl uff before. Not wanting to appear rude, Matsumoto’s list of thirty peer-reviewed unadjuvanted one (Excuse me, ‘pregnant I patiently waited through presentations studies showing squalene led to autoim- friend’, I have a suggestion…). Apart by Mr Glaxo Smith Kline and Mr Sanofi mune diseases and told them the reference from Judy Wasylycia-Leis, the only MP Pasteur. Did I detect a nuance of rivalry for that list was included in my presenta- who referred to my presentation, asked when both Mr Kline and Mr Pasteur em- tion article; and I asked if they knew that useful questions and displayed intelli- phasized their employers’ contributions only about 10% of viruses tested for an- gence was Nicolas Dufour, BQ. He was to Canada’s economy and research and nual FluWatch reports were confi rmed to interested in squalene and had heard from development? I’m sure Mr Kline’s eyes be infl uenza. constituents who were less than enthused glistened when he mentioned the pos- about the vaccine. Dr Carolyn Bennett did sibility that, in future, his new vaccine Dr Public Health admitted even his let the words, “compensation plan” pass might replace the annual fl u shot. friends were getting tired of hearing his her lips but Ms Chair allowed Mr Pas- voice on the media; he was making a teur to delve into that subject, realizing, But at last it was my turn; after the huge effort to promote the vaccine by in- of course, what an appropriate responder seemingly endless chaff from “experts” forming the public that H1N1 was highly he would be. However, Mr Pasteur noted Ms Chair asked me to speak—for fi ve infectious and to be feared. Oddly, de- that, most importantly, a compensation minutes. Not being accustomed to spite this contention, he was sure that, plan might alert the public to the fact that speaking to “experts” or politicians, I’d more than six months after H1N1 may vaccines harm; vaccine uptake might di- crammed as much information as possi- have fi rst infected Canadians, there was minish and we couldn’t have that. ble into a written presentation. I laid out still “very little immunity to this virus”. VRAN’s position loud and clear: the illog- How he could have known this was a Before the meeting ended I was able icality of focusing so much money, time mystery as was how he knew that the to quote the lines from the Injury Table of and effort on a disease linked to deaths only way “the pandemic” would go away the US National Vaccine Injury Compen- of only about 0.00025% of the popula- was if all of us got sick from H1N1 or sation Program which indicate death as a tion; the risk of autoimmune disease due got jabbed (Apparently he doesn’t visit possible event. I informed the committee to the squalene in the adjuvanted vaccine naturopaths.) Dr Health Canada had dif- that death has never been recognized as a plus the risk from thimerosal; the risk of fi culty understanding what NDP MLA, vaccine adverse event in Canada and was immune overreaction if the vaccine was Judy Wasylycia-Leis, meant by “inde- about to drive home that point when Ms jabbed into people who’d already been pendent H1N1 vaccine trials”. Ms Chair Chair abruptly cut me off to ask some- infected or who were jabbed with ad- allowed Mr Kline to help him out but, thing from a member with Conservative ditional vaccines up to a year later; the with some diffi culty, Judy managed to views. need for an unbiased vaccine adverse interrupt Mr Kline and repeat her request event monitoring/reporting system and for data from independent trials. No re- Dr Public Health had left the meeting the need for a national no-fault vaccine sponse was offered. half an hour early. No doubt he had other adverse event compensation plan. audiences to convince that H1N1 vac- Mr Kline did cast one furtive glance cine is unquestionably safe. Judging by I also mentioned the need for fully my way when I spoke of the squalene the reception the Committee as a whole informed consent, but judging by the at- studies. He referred to squalene as “fi sh afforded him, he’d have had no problem tention paid to my presentation versus that oil”, no doubt enhancing its image in doing so despite admitting there was afforded the other four witnesses it seems Committee members who were inclined no clinical data for: pregnant or breast- this concept is completely foreign to many to fortify their health with DHA. For feeding women; infants, children and Committee members. During the next those less keen on bothering with that, adolescents 6 months to 17 yrs old; those segment of the meeting, members asked he revealed that polysorbate is an in- over 60 yrs; or concomitant administra- questions and Ms Chair, in turn, directed gredient in ice cream. One rather obese tion with other vaccines. them to the “experts”, completely ignor- MP who looked as if she might enjoy ing me even when I would have been the polysorbate contributed a commercial The only hope I have is that someone obvious person to ask. Thus, Dr Public for vaccinations in general, reminding us at that meeting will have emerged from Health, Dr Health Canada, Mr Kline and of smallpox, polio and all the other “vac- the fog to review the evidence I provided, Mr Pasteur were allowed to spread the cine preventable” diseases. She cloyingly including the incisive swine fl u vaccine gospel a second time. After all but 1/2 hr deferred to Dr Public Health’s creden- analysis by Dr Marc Girard. If they do, of the 2 hr meeting remained, the Clerk tials and asked him to explain to her and surely they will “get it”! √ Page 20 ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ VRAN Newsletter tain formaldehyde (a known carcinogen). randomized trials (25 in all) studying in- Good Questions There is also the issue of how much infl u- fl uenza vaccination. They concluded that Deserve Good Answers enza actually exists in the population. The “the evidence does not support universal By Moreah Rayner following stats compiled by VRAN come immunization of healthy adults. Period.” from the Public Health Agency of Canada Questions, questions, questions. Any- and their ‘FluWatch” program: the average Cassels and Schafer continue on by say- one who knows me knows I ask a lot of rate of infl uenza from 2003 to 2008 was ing “Well, it seems that despite its spread, questions. So here I am again asking, only 10.3%. VRAN, on its webpage dis- this fl u virus is a bit of a dud for the fear- not only to get answers but to provoke cussing the Infl uenza Vaccine sums it up: mongers. If, as seems not unlikely, the thought. Yes, I am talking about what “Laboratory testing year in and year out H1N1 virus mutates, our government will most people these days are talking about: shows that the majority of infl uenza like have purchased enormous quantities of swine fl u, otherwise known as H1N1 illnesses are NOT associated with the infl u- a fl u vaccine around which we will have and the big burning question ‘did you enza virus, but arise from other pathogens virtually no safety or effectiveness data, get your shot?’ So here is another view- unaffected by the vaccine.” and an already existing and very costly point, what you do or do not do with it is stockpile of probably useless drugs.” So obviously your decision. But what I am With regards to the H1N1 vaccine: In I ask why would our government do this? presenting is information, because ulti- an August 6, 2009 article in the Vancou- Why ignore research from the Cochrane mately, no matter where you sit on the ver Sun, Arthur Schafer, director of the Collaboration (www.cochrane.org)—a vaccine issue, it is all about making an University of Manitoba’s Centre for Pro- prestigious international not-for-profi t in- informed decision. fessional and Applied Ethics stated “The dependent medical review organization? race to create a vaccine for the H1N1 fl u And furthermore how ethical is it to ig- A recent poll that was conducted for virus could place the public at a greater nore these fi ndings? CTV News and The Globe and Mail risk than the illness the vaccine is de- showed that 51% of Canadians do not signed to prevent.” Epidemiologist, Tom Jefferson, who want the H1N1 vaccine. Our government has worked with the Cochrane Collabo- has spent an incredible amount of money Schafer also says “Good ethics re- ration for 15 yrs, is quoted in a July 21, (our tax dollars) on this vaccine and the quires good facts and the ethical debate 2009 interview with SPIEGEL (a Ger- thought that a majority of us may not want so far has been who should be the fi rst man newspaper) saying “Sometimes to be injected, I imagine, is quite unset- (to get the vaccine) and there has been you get the feeling that there is a whole tling. So let the scare tactics begin. Yes virtually no discussion of the safety and industry almost waiting for a pandemic there have been tragic recent deaths. I effectiveness of the drug. Schafer said to occur.” When questioned on this, he cannot imagine the grief and devastation the real question is one of relative risks answered “The World Health Organiza- of losing a child. If these very sad events and benefi ts. The H1N1 fl u, he said, has tion (WHO) and public health offi cials, have been a result of swine fl u this does proved to date to be no more lethal than virologists and the pharmaceutical com- not mean that every person or child that seasonal fl u. Vaccines to treat seasonal fl u panies. They’ve built this machine around contracts it will have these rare results. have not been effective, and there is no the impending pandemic. And there’s a evidence to suggest a vaccine for H1N1 lot of money involved, and infl uence, and Sadly, every year people die from in- will be more effective.” careers, and entire institutions! And all it fl uenza or infl uenza like illnesses (ILI). took was one of these infl uenza viruses to Unfortunately this is a reality, but my In the August 5, 2009 issue of the mutate to start the machine grinding.” question is do vaccines help? Dr Peter Globe and Mail, Alan Cassels (a Drug Szilagyi, a Pediatrician at the Strong Policy Researcher at the University of Jefferson also discusses how the WHO Memorial Hospital in Rochester, New Victoria) and Arthur Schafer are dis- changed its defi nition of pandemic to fi t York has stated: “Signifi cant infl uenza cussing the H1N1 vaccine: “What do what is currently happening with swine vaccine effectiveness could not be dem- we know about its effectiveness or its fl u: “The old defi nition was: a new virus, onstrated for any season, age or setting.” safety? The answer is, not enough. If one which went around quickly, for which In addition, quoting an article from the takes past fl u campaigns as any indica- you didn’t have immunity, and which cre- Vaccination Risk Awareness Network tion, it is likely the effectiveness of the ated a high morbidity and mortality rate. (VRAN) (www.vran.org) titled Health vaccine is going to be exaggerated, while Now the last two have been dropped, and Offi cials in Denial over Uselessness of the potential harms will either be ignored, that’s how swine fl u has been categorized Flu Shots “Researchers from the Na- understated or simply unknown. In that as a pandemic.” To be clear, the WHO is tional Institute of Allergy and Infectious scenario, the rush to vaccinate yourself stating that there is no longer a require- Diseases (NIAID) found no correla- and your children might not turn out to ment for a high morbidity and mortality tion between an increase in fl u vaccine be such a grand idea.” rate in order for a virus to be considered coverage over the past two decades nor a pandemic. a decrease in infl uenza-related deaths The article goes on to say that “Some among the elderly.” public-health offi cials have described There has also been very little infor- fl u vaccines as “highly effective,” but mation with regards to the ingredients in To add to this, all but one of the fl u the internationally recognized Cochrane this vaccine. In a July 7, 2009 article Dr vaccines presently being used in Canada Collaboration (which accepts no money Russell Blaylock, a Board Certifi ed Neu- contain thimerosal (a preservative which is from the pharmaceutical industry) did approx 50% mercury) and all of them con- a systematic review of all high-quality Good Questions... continued on page 22 VRAN Newsletter ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ Page 21 Good Questions... cont. from page 21 rosurgeon, Author & Lecturer was quoted Gardasil Researcher Drops A Bombshell saying: “What is terrifying is that these Harper: Controversial Drug Will Do Little To Reduce Cervical pandemic vaccines contain ingredients, called immune adjuvants that a number of Cancer Rates studies have shown cause devastating au- By Susan Brinkmann, toimmune disorders, including rheumatoid Sunday, October 25, 2009 arthritis, multiple sclerosis and lupus.” Dr. Diane Harper, lead researcher in there will be a 91.4 percent decline just the development of two human papilloma with current treatment. Even if 70 per- He continues by saying “What most virus vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix, cent of women get the shot and required people do not know, even the doctors said the controversial drugs will do little boosters over the same time period, which who recommend the vaccines, is that to reduce cervical cancer rates and, even is highly unlikely, Harper says Gardasil most studies by pharmaceutical compa- though they’re being recommended for still could not claim to do as much as tra- nies observe the patients for only one to girls as young as nine, there have been ditional care is already doing. two weeks following vaccination—these no effi cacy trials in children under the types of reactions may take months or age of 15. Dr. Harper, who also serves as a con- even years to manifest.” The above-men- sultant to the World Health Organization, tioned adjuvant is squalene, a type of oil Dr. Harper, director of the Gyneco- further undercut the case for mass vac- that when added to vaccines can increase logic Cancer Prevention Research Group cination by saying that “four out of fi ve their effectiveness. at the University of Missouri, made women with cervical cancer are in devel- these remarks during an address at the oping countries.” At a July 13, 2009 WHO Press Con- 4th International Public Conference on ference, Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, Director Vaccination which took place in Reston, Ms. Robinson said she could not help of the Initiative for Vaccine Research Virginia on Oct. 2-4. Although her talk but wonder, “If this is the case, then why for the WHO, confi rmed that there is no was intended to promote the vaccine, par- vaccinate at all? But from the murmurs of safety data regarding the use of squalene ticipants said they came away convinced the doctors in the audience, it was appar- adjuvanted vaccines for pregnant wom- the vaccine should not be received. ent that the same thought was occurring en, people suffering from asthma and to them.” children between 6 months to 3 years of “I came away from the talk with the age. Now I know that some will say that perception that the risk of adverse side However, at this point, Dr. Harper studies show it is safe to inject squalene effects is so much greater than the risk of dropped an even bigger bombshell on into humans but there is a catch. Ac- cervical cancer, I couldn’t help but ques- the audience when she announced that, cording to VRAN in their article Swine tion why we need the vaccine at all,” said “There have been no effi cacy trials in Flu Vaccine—A Public Health Experi- Joan Robinson, Assistant Editor at the girls under 15 years.” ment: “A noteworthy point to understand Population Research Institute. is that studies claiming it is safe to in- Merck, the manufacturer of Gardasil, ject squalene into the human body have Dr. Harper began her remarks by studied only a small group of girls under primarily been sponsored by the phar- explaining that 70 percent of all HPV 16 who had been vaccinated, but did not maceutical industry or the military. infections resolve themselves with- follow them long enough to conclude However, the more than two dozen inde- out treatment within a year. Within two suffi cient presence of effective HPV an- pendent peer reviewed published studies years, the number climbs to 90 percent. tibodies. documenting the health destructive ef- Of the remaining 10 percent of HPV fects of squalene as an injected adjuvant infections, only half will develop into This is not the fi rst time Dr. Harper re- all reach a similar conclusion—squalene cervical cancer, which leaves little need vealed the fact that Merck never tested typically induces a range of autoimmune for the vaccine. Gardasil for safety in young girls. Dur- diseases when injected into the body.” ing a 2007 interview with KPC News. She went on to surprise the audience com, she said giving the vaccine to girls There is a lot more available informa- by stating that the incidence of cervical as young as 11 years-old “is a great big tion for anyone who is interested. I will end cancer in the U.S. is already so low that public health experiment.” with this quote from the July 25, 2009 is- “even if we get the vaccine and continue sue of the Toronto Star. When asked about PAP screening, we will not lower the rate At the time, which was at the height of the H1N1 vaccine, Dr Neil Rau, an Ontario of cervical cancer in the US.” Merck’s controversial drive to have the Medical Director of Infection Prevention vaccine mandated in schools, Dr. Harper re- and Control responded: “I won’t get one There will be no decrease in cervi- mained steadfastly opposed to the idea and until there have been a million doses given cal cancer until at least 70 percent of the said she had been trying for months to con- and there is evidence it is safe.” population is vaccinated, and even then, vince major television and print media about the decrease will be minimal. her concerns, “but no one will print it.” Moreah is a long time VRAN member living in Jasper, Alberta. Her article Apparently, conventional treatment “It is silly to mandate vaccination was published in the Fitzhugh (Jasper and preventative measures are already of 11 to 12 year old girls,” she said at newspaper) and in the Rocky Mountain cutting the cervical cancer rate by four Outlook-Banff and Canmore, Alberta √ percent a year. At this rate, in 60 years, Gardisil Researcher continued on page 23 Page 22 ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ VRAN Newsletter Garadisil Researcher cont. from page 22 To achieve the healthy blood levels, the time. “There also is not enough Vitamin D—What You Need to Know most adults will need about FIVE THOU- evidence gathered on side effects SAND (5,000) units of vitamin D every to know that safety is not an issue.” Compiled by Edda West day. Interestingly, the majority of people I see in my travels that are taking vitamin When asked why she was speaking out, The essential benefi ts of vitamin D are D are taking 1,000 units, and they believe she said: “I want to be able to sleep with being discussed on most alternative health they are taking “high” doses. Don’t fool myself when I go to bed at night.” care sites on the internet, and certainly by yourself. As an adult, you likely need Naturopathic physicians counseling their about 5,000 IU’s a day.” Since the drug’s introduction in 2006, clients on measures they can take to pre- the public has been learning many of vent the fl u. We now know that people “The best way to optimize your vita- these facts the hard way. To date, 15,037 living in countries like Canada, in the min D levels is through appropriate safe girls have offi cially reported adverse side northern hemisphere often become vita- sunshine or safe tanning bed exposure. effects from Gardasil to the Vaccine Ad- min D deprived during the dark months However, there are many times when it verse Event Reporting System (VAERS). of late fall and winter, when the sun is too can be nearly impossible to get enough These adverse reactions include Guil- low to stimulate production in the skin. sun. The darker your skin is, the farther liane Barre, lupus, seizures, paralysis, Over the last few years, researchers have away from the equator you are, and the blood clots, brain infl ammation and fi nally connected the dots between our further away you are from the sum- many others. The CDC acknowledges vulnerability to seasonal fl us, colds and mer months, the less likely it is that you that there have been 44 reported deaths. respiratory illnesses to lack of sun expo- will produce adequate vitamin D levels sure and decline in vitamin D levels. from sun exposure alone. It’s important Dr. Harper also participated in the to realize that vitamin D requirements research on Glaxo-Smith-Kline’s ver- One health writer, Mike Adams says, are highly individual, as your vitamin D sion of the drug, Cervarix, currently in “People who are high in vitamin D have the status is dependent on numerous factors, use in the UK but not yet approved here. nutritional power to activate their immune such as the color of your skin, your lo- Since the government began administer- system so that it can respond to invad- cation, and how much sunshine you’re ing the vaccine to school-aged girls last ing pathogens. Crucially, vitamin D also exposed to on a regular basis.” year, more than 2,000 patients reported manages to balance immune response and some kind of adverse reaction including prevent infl ammatio—the leading cause Dr. Mercola strongly recommends nausea, dizziness, blurred vision, con- of death in the 1918 infl uenza pandemic. you monitor your blood levels regularly vulsions, seizures and hyperventilation. when taking oral vitamin D supplements Several reported multiple reactions, with So not only does vitamin D protect you to make sure you’re staying within the 4,602 suspected side-effects recorded in from the initial infection; it also prevents optimal range. That means getting your total. The most tragic case involved a 14 your body from over-reacting and killing blood tested for vitamin D levels several year-old girl who dropped dead in the you with infl ammation (which typically times a year. Dr. Mercola offers guide- corridor of her school an hour after re- gets expressed as bacterial pneumonia, an lines about optimal levels of vitamin D. ceiving the vaccination. infection of the lungs).” We are reading He says, “Based on the most recent re- more and more about “cytokine storms” search” says Dr. Mercola, “the current The outspoken researcher also which refers specifi cally to the body’s recommendation is 35 IU’s of vitamin D weighed in last month on a report pub- over-reaction to infl ammation, which can per pound of body weight”. lished in the Journal of the American then become a life threatening event. Medical Association that raised ques- To clarify what you as an individual tions about the safety of the vaccine, Dr. Mercola writes extensively on the might need, blood testing is the only saying bluntly: “The rate of serious ad- benefi ts of vitamin D. His website offers way to accurately monitor your vi- verse events is greater than the incidence a wealth of information about the lat- tamin D levels. Mercola writes, “The rate of cervical cancer.” est research on vitamin D. He says, “It OPTIMAL value that you’re looking is estimated that 25 to 50 percent of any for is 50-65 ng/ml. This range applies Ms. Robinson said she respects Dr. healthcare budget could be saved with for everyone; children, adolescents, Harper’s candor. “I think she’s a sci- adequate vitamin D serum(blood)levels. adults and seniors. It’s worth to clarify entist, a researcher, and she’s genuine I want to emphasize that under summer here that ng/ml are U.S. units of measure. enough a scientist to be open about the conditions it is frequently possible to Much of the world uses nmol/l. risks. I respect that in her.” generate about 20,000 units of vitamin D by exposing your skin to the sun. Remember, If your test results are mea- However, she failed to make the case sured in nmol/l, simply multiply the above for Gardasil. “For me, it was hard to re- Currently, the U.S. recommended daily values by 2.5 to get the correct ranges.” sist the conclusion that Gardasil does dose (RDA) for vitamin D is 400 IU (interna- almost nothing for the health of Ameri- tional units) for the majority of the population. Choose the right kind of vitamin says can women.” This dose was recommended to prevent rick- D says Dr. Mercola. He emphasizes ets, which works well, but does nothing to that the natural form of vitamin D is D3 http://thebulletin.us/ar- give the far more important protection from (cholecalciferol), which is the same vita- ticles/2009/10/25/top_stories/ cancer, heart disease and infections. doc4ae4b76d07e16766677720.txt √ Vitamn D continued on page 24 VRAN Newsletter ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ Page 23 Vitamin D cont. from page 23 Plus, there’s no money to be made on min D your body makes when exposed to selling vitamin D (it’s one of the most in- LETTERS sunshine. Once it is in your body, it must expensive supplements around) and sun Hello! My name is Jennifer and I am be converted to a more active form. Vi- exposure is free! So don’t count on any 32 years old. Approximately 5 years ago tamin D3 is converted 500 percent faster major corporations or drug companies to I received a tetanus shot for a hairstyling than vitamin D2 (synthetic kind of vit.D), help get the message out—rather, count injury (cut the end of my fi nger off!)... I and is clearly a better alternative. on them to try and suppress this lifesav- was in shock at the time and went to the ing information.” walk in clinic to have my fi nger cleaned One problem with blood testing is that and bandaged. Without having the chance currently, the reference range indicating “There is so much compelling evidence, to think about it, I was given a tetanus normal levels of vitamin D is way below that I believe optimizing your vitamin D shot for possible infection. If I could turn optimal. levels is one of the absolute best strategies back time I never would have agreed. for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and Currently, conventional medicine vitamin D defi ciency is likely the TRUE My arm turned bright red within min- views the normal range to be between culprit behind the seasonality of the fl u— utes, became sore and swollen in no time 20-56 ng/ml. If testing for vitamin D not the fl u virus itself.” and this lasted for over a week. I can’t levels, Dr. Mercola says “It’s important exactly remember what my other symp- to realize the difference between what Dr. John Cannell, founder of the Vi- toms may have been at the time, as I was conventional medicine considers to be tamin D Council, fi rst introduced the a busy single mom trying to balance fam- “normal,” versus what is optimal. In fact, hypothesis that infl uenza is merely a ily and school. your vitamin D level should never be be- symptom of vitamin D defi ciency .Dr. low 32 ng/ml, and any levels below 20 Cannell’s research can be found at the Over the past 5 years I have noticed ng/ml are considered serious defi ciency Vitamin D Foundation: http://www.vi- symptoms that I never had before. The states.”, increasing your risk of as many rologyj.com/content/5/1/29 most debilitating is chronic fatigue like as 16 different cancers and autoimmune symptoms... I am just SO tired all of diseases like multiple sclerosis and rheu- The Public Health Agency of Canada the time. I am sleepy again 20 min after matoid arthritis, just to name a few.” (PHAC) has confi rmed that it will be waking up in the morning, even after 10 investigating the role of vitamin D in hours of sleep. I have had to quit jobs be- Grassroots Health’s “D-action” panel protecting against swine fl u. The agency cause I couldn’t keep up and would get is saying that, “Breast cancer is a disease started a study last year on the role of progressively fatigued. My naturopath so directly related to vitamin D defi cien- vitamin D in seasonal infl uenza, which has been treating me with homeopathics cy that a woman’s risk of contracting the it said it will now adapt to the H1N1 for adrenal fatigue, which has helped, but disease can be ‘virtually eradicated’ by swine fl u virus, reports Nutraingredients: the symptoms always seem to return. elevating her vitamin D status to what vi- http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/ tamin D scientists consider to be natural Research/Canada-examines-vitamin-D- My left arm is still numb at the injec- blood levels. Grassroots Health is trying for-swine-fl u-protection tion site. The left side of my body ‘feels’ to raise vitamin D awareness among Ca- different than the right, including loss of nadians. Despite epidemic-level vitamin feeling, tingling, weakness and in some D defi ciency in Canada, fewer than nine References & Notes: places pain. My toes are numb although per cent of Canadians have ever had their this also has improved slightly. Lifting vitamin D levels checked by a profes- • GrassrootsHealth has launched a weights has helped with this feeling of sional and most who have do not know worldwide public health campaign to ‘imbalance’, however I get so fatigued their vitamin D blood level. (See link to solve the vitamin D defi ciency epi- when I go to the gym that I cannot keep Grassroots Health below in Notes & Ref- demic in a year through a focus on a workout routine (one workout session erences) testing and education: http://www. that is very low in intensity can easily tire grassrootshealth.net/ me out for a week or more). Dr. Mercola advised that ,“The OP- • Dr. Donald Miller: Vitamin D in a TIMAL value that you’re looking for New Light: http://www.lewrockwell. I also developed vertigo and am un- is 50-65 ng/ml. This range applies for com/miller/miller25.html able to drive any faster than 60 km/hr everyone; children, adolescents, adults • Mike Adams, Health Rang- without feeling like I am going to ‘fl y off and seniors.” er: http://www.naturalnews. the road’. com/027231_Vitamin_D_immune_ “As a result of fl awed assumptions system_vaccines.html I never really thought that these symp- about sun exposure, and the subsequent • Dr. Mercola: How Much Vitamin D toms could be attributed to the shot that recommendations, a vast majority of Do You really Need to Take ? http:// I received 5 years ago (I did wonder why people are defi cient in vitamin D. It’s articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/ my arm still felt funny after all this time) thought that over 95 percent of U.S. se- archive/2009/10/10/Vitamin-D-Ex- and it has only been after I began research- nior citizens may be defi cient, along with perts-Reveal-the-Truth.aspx √ ing H1N1 vaccine (and came across more 85 percent of the American public.” info about vaccines in general) that I be- gan to put the pieces together. “Clearly, the word needs to get out but the mainstream media is slow to react. Letters continued on page 25 Page 24 ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ VRAN Newsletter Letters cont. from page 24 polysorbate 80 in a buffered solution has doctor, Health Canada, CDC, WHO. As I decided to stop vaccinating my chil- been shown to be an excellent anti-fertil- a result, not only is their young child dren years ago (they only received 3 ity combination, in anti-fertility research placed in a diffi cult predicament but the vaccinations). performed by scientists for the W.H.O. other patients in the ER as well.

I am very upset by this as I feel that I Giving these vaccines to a population is Of course this is not a real case—YET. fi nally have made sense of my symptoms, tantamount to sterilizing them. I urge you As H1N1 progresses we will be faced although defi nitely not the answer I was to cancel the decisions to use PandemRix with such cases in Nelson. On my last hoping for. I take no allopathic medicines in our children ages 3-10, and desist as shift November 2nd, 35 percent of all our and see my naturopath for everything. well from using Focetria in the rest of our ER cases were suspected H1N1—main- Can you direct me to more information population. The orders of the Ministry of ly kids—young and mild to moderately about recovering from a reaction like Health signifi cantly and unnecessarily en- sick. A few had secondary asthma com- this? Is it reversible or is the damage danger our whole population. plications, other pneumonia probably done? Any information you could give secondary to H1N1. Although most did me would be greatly appreciated. I am You have been warned! well, I saw the fear in the eyes of several just so sickened, scared and disappointed parents that night. They all had wanted Jenny L. Craig, Ph.D—Nelson, B.C. - and not really sure what to do now. that fl u shot but it was not yet available. Sincerely, Jennifer ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ Is this media hype? Oh, there is no Letter received via email - Nov. 3/09 hype. It’s here. Look around. Schools are ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ Anti-Immunization Message empty, hockey teams are ravaged. Busi- Should be Ignored nesses are short staffed. The number of hospitalizations in Canada as well as ICU Two letters with opposing I can only imagine. It’s my worst admissions have doubled over the last views about the H1N1 vaccine nightmare. It is one a.m. It’s snowing like couple of weeks. Deaths in young and appeared side by side in The hell. Roads are closed, planes can’t fl y. otherwise healthy and pregnant women My ER is jammed packed. I only have have occurred. Weekender—published and dis- two nurses on hand. A three-year-old tributed in the West Kootenays, asthmatic, suspected H1N1N sufferer in So what do you want to do? Listen to British Columbia.—Nov. 13, 2009 respiratory distress is brought in by para- the advice of someone who is not on the medics. He rapidly becomes limp and we frontlines or get a simple safe shot in the Former Nurse Warns Off have to intubate him and place him on a arm that may ultimately save you or a Flu Shots breathing machine. Now it will be hours loved one? or even days before we can get him to To the Editor of Weekender: Richard Fleet MD, Ph.D. CCFP (EM) an ICU. As a consequence, we now have Emergency Doctor, Before the sheeple line up to have a limited time and staff for everyone else Kootenay Lake Hospital, Nelson, BC toxic brew injected into their blood- that requires our medical attention in- stream in the mistaken impression it will cluding this sick child. Editor’s Note: It seems that Dr. Fleet stop them getting a mild fl u, perhaps they like the majority of doctors in Canada should read the following excerpt from just hasn’t kept up with the science the Israel Truth Times: What we now know from their and what “evidence based medicine” [Cochrane Collaboration’s] now shows about the effectiveness of Dr. Daisy J. Stern MD writes to Pro- systematic review is that flu vaccines. And it’s not good news. fessor Dan Engelhard of Hadassah “There is a wild overestimation While his letter leans heavily on the University Hospital, Israel and says, “I of the impact of these vaccines hypothesis that his ER wouldn’t be reminded you of the squalene and polysor- in the community, and that flooded with sick people if everyone bate 890 contained in these vaccines, and inactivated vaccines have had gotten an H1N1 shot, it seems he about the dangers of autoimmune reac- little or no effect on the hasn’t heard about the findings of the tions, neurotoxicity , and infertility that effects measured”. Cochrane Collaboration’s meta analy- these vaccines present. sis of all flu vaccine studies done over the past 4 decades. What we now know The statistics presented by the CDC He didn’t get his fl u shot. As I ques- from their systematic review is that and other monitoring bodies are severely tion the family, they admit to their fear “There is a wild overestimation of the distorted. H1N1 is a mild infl uenza virus, of the vaccine after they read the letter impact of these vaccines in the com- much milder even than regular, yearly dated November 6 in the Nelson Daily munity, and that inactivated vaccines seasonal infl uenza. Pandemrix has barely News by Jenny L. Craig Ph.D. It warned have little or no effect on the effects been tested on children at all, and has them to avoid “the toxic brew injected measured”. In other words, flu vac- been banned from use in Switzerland into their bloodstream” and so forth…. cines don’t work very well, and you below the age of 18 because of lack of They unfortunately passed on the only certainly can’t rely on them to protect clinical data. signifi cant intervention that could have you or your children from influenza. prevented this. They on this safe vaccine The combination of squalene and despite strong recommendations by their Letters continued on page 26 VRAN Newsletter ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ Page 25 Letters cont. from page 25 erything was fi ne with my pregnancy on doing perfect developmentally and I had Additionally, other recent studies have October 16th, 2009, then on October 28th felt him move earlier that day. My heart shown that fl u vaccines are not only inef- my water broke. Then on October 29th, I goes out to all of you out there who have fective in young children, but especially delivered a stillborn baby boy, and no one had to go through the same heartache and those with asthma. Studies have shown can tell me why… Everyone wants to say loss that I have had in the last couple of that fl u vaccine can make asthma worse. it did not come from the shot but I be- weeks. There is no reason that any wom- lieve it did. My baby was growing at the an or family should have to go through correct pace and everyone wants to brush this. Get the word out to all of the preg- ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ off the vaccination. I say if you have the nant women that you know. I know that if One of the Executive in our Edmonton vaccination and suffer a miscarriage if I had heard that women had been losing Chiropractic Society was in a dilem- they are able to perform an autopsy have their babies shortly after they received ma. His daycare for his child said if they it done. the vaccine, I would have followed my did not get their child the H1N1 shot the gut and not gotten it myself. Maybe then child would be kicked out of day care. I I also agree something needs to be Wyatt would have had a chance at life. just got this update of what happened to done and looked more into with this vac- Anonymous one of the kids that did get the shot in cination because most women are being that daycare. The email is below. ( Let- advised it’s just something that happens, ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ter submitted to us by long time VRAN but I also had two healthy children and Dear VRAN, Member, Bea Campbell in Alberta) normal pregnancies. And when I received this vaccination with my third pregnancy, On September 12, 2007 it was time for A quick update on the situation at my baby is gone. my two month old baby (Mya) and my my son’s daycare, where we received a 18 month old (Brandon) to get their vac- Sioux Falls, South Dakota note indicating the infl uenza and H1N1 cinations. At the time Brandon was on shots were ‘mandatory’ this year, or the ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ dairy formula and Mya was breast feed- daycare positions would be terminated: ing. In the hospital when Mya was born I received the H1N1 vaccine on Oc- the nurses gave her some dairy formu- My son only goes a couple of days a week tober 16th and started experiencing la and a couple of weeks later I gave her and fortunately was not at the daycare cramping on the 22nd. I was nearly 17 another couple of ounces to relieve my yesterday. One of the young kids had the weeks pregnant and gave birth to a still- sore nipples. Neither one of them had H1N1 shot the previous day and had a fe- born baby boy on the 23rd. Like many of any reactions prior to September 12th. brile seizure in front of all the other kids other women, the fi rst thing I suspected and staff. The workers called 911 and he was the H1N1 vaccine. I immediately After the vaccination Brandon start- was taken to hospital by ambulance. As asked a nurse at the hospital if that would ed getting eczema and displaying hyper far as I know the little guy is ok, but sev- have anything to do with it. Without hesi- active behavior. By Christmas we had eral of the daycare workers were taking a tation, she told me “absolutely not.” taken Brandon off of cow’s milk and eggs stress day off today, and there were a lot to relief his eczema and sleepless nights. of upset parents pulling there kids for the I had reservations about getting the day! Please pass this on to your patients. vaccine, but followed the advice of my At the same time Mya started getting long trusted family doctor. In a follow up random rashes and eczema. She would Can we get everyone to start collect- appointment with my doctor 3 days after rub the skin off her face and could not ing these stories and hopefully they get I lost my baby, I asked him if the vaccine be naked because she would scratch un- reported, right now 50,000 people are would have had any adverse effects on my til she bled. She had to wear socks on getting vaccinated every day in Alberta. baby. He also said that it was not possible. I her hands at all times. She even had to don’t believe that my doctor was necessar- bathe in a shirt to protect her from her Dr Don MacDonald ily lying to me—he was simply following own hands. At some point Mya’s Lymph ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ the accepted practices and opinions of his nodes became fi rm and were the size of fi eld. I do, however, believe that as a na- peas. Shortly after the vaccination I gave tion, we are being lied to. Mya a sip of dairy formula and she be- A few letters from the U.S. came covered in a red rash and hives. about miscarriage following This vaccine is NOT safe during preg- vaccination with H1N1 nancy. There has not been enough testing At the time I thought that the rash done to determine this and there are far could have been caused by her new Editor’s Note: Remember that no test- too many “coincidences” for this to be unwashed snow suit. I didn’t suspect ing of H1N1 vaccine was done to prove anything but a result of a vaccine that a milk allergy because she had already it is safe to inject it into pregnant wom- was hastily pushed into production and been exposed to dairy a couple of times. en before unleashing it on the general distribution in an effort to stop wide- In fact we struggled on a daily basis to public, with pregnant women being at spread panic. I have read so many stories determine what was causing the skin the top of the list of priority vacinees. in defense of the vaccine that will talk sensitivity and allergic reactions in I received the H1N1 vaccination on about how common miscarriages are, but our children. We systematically made October 22nd, 2009 and went into labor I would challenge you to ask ANY health changes to many of the normal process- on October 25th, at 16 weeks pregnant care professional how common second es and products we used every day. and we just heard the heartbeat and ev- trimester miscarriages are. My baby was Letters continued on page 27 Page 26 ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ VRAN Newsletter Letters cont. from page 26 The nurse made a few follow up calls Newsclips • We purchased a water purifi cation and made sure that I kept her on benadryl. system for the whole house, Two months later the clinic was calling H1N1 a ‘dud’ pandemic, Ont. • We removed the 10 year old carpet me to revaccinate her. Although, the health offi cial says and installed hardwood fl oors, nurse verbally told me not to bring her • We stopped using scented products back, the nurse did not document any of November 13, 2009. National Post— and harsh chemicals, the reaction, claiming that it was not se- Canada; Dr. Richard Schabas, Ontario’s • We had the furnace ducts cleaned and vere enough of a reaction to report. It was former chief medical offi cer and a top an expensive air fi lter installed. as if it had never even happened. I am a health offi cer in the province says the • We purchased an expensive nurse and I know that it was her duty to following; washing machine to sanitize cloth- write down what she had seen and about ing and bedding. her follow up calls. “In eastern Ontario where I live and work, the outbreak is effectively over. Since this time Mya has had a few ana- If we’re immunizing people now essen- By the time Mya was due for her 4 phylactic episodes and countless rashes. tially you’re barring the barn door after month vaccinations my husband and I We have seen a few homeopathic doctors the horse is well out the farm gate.” Dr. were suspicious and refused the shots. and are trying to do our own research. Schabas said outbreaks of the swine fl u When Mya was six months old I begged We have learned a lot about how to elimi- in populous parts of the country, includ- my GP for an allergy blood test for both nate milk, eggs, wheat and nuts from our ing southwestern Ontario and British children and asked to be referred to a diet. Her skin is a lot better but she still Columbia, are on the wane. dermatologist. Mya’s blood test came has severe allergies (my husband and I back as severely allergic to eggs, milk, do not have any food allergies). Brandon “I seriously question the continued wheat and perhaps peanuts. Brandon’s still battles with allergies and eczema. focus on mass immunization, at least in came back as allergic to eggs, milk and those areas,” he said....”If the ground is possibly peanuts. Our GP, public health The allergist and pediatrician that we shifting under our feet, if the disease is nurse, and dermatologist (who was also saw were certain that these conditions happening sooner than we expected and a well respected pediatrician in town) all could not have been caused by the vac- we can’t immunize 25 or 30 million Ca- assured us that it was not possible for this cinations, both claiming if that was the nadians in an effi cient manner before the to have happened because of the vaccina- case the government would not be vacci- outbreak, let’s ask the question very se- tions. The dermatologist had a different nating our children. The allergists’ main riously: is it worth continuing with this? excuse for everything. concern was to test Mya so we could Because I think increasingly the answer catch her up on her vaccinations. We are is no,” said Dr. Schabas. At six months I quit breast feeding seeing him so that we can get help with Mya. I had tried to eliminate all of those fi nding out what kind of foods she can foods from my diet but I couldn’t meet eat. We are not going to revaccinate her The hype and hysteria around my own nutritional needs (read exhaust- or Brandon. the H1N1 pandemic, the ed) and she was still struggling. The only millions of dollars spent so far relief she had was when we gave her nu- My husband’s cousin had a similar ex- on responding to it, and the tramigen, a diary free, gluten free, egg perience with vaccinations and allergies, dire warnings about it are all free formula. which seems to validate our concerns. But unwarranted we do not feel confi dent enough with our At eight months I shared my con- own knowledge to try and talk other new The hype and hysteria around the cerns and the test results with the public parents out of vaccinating their children. H1N1 pandemic, the millions of dollars health nurse prior to Mya’s vaccination Not to mention the fact that our concerns spent so far on responding to it, and the and she assured me that she needed to be come across as conspiracy theories. dire warnings about it are all unwarrant- vaccinated. Shortly after her shots Mya ed, according to Dr. Schabas—who even began to break out in a rash. The nurse I am pregnant and don’t plan to vacci- questions the pandemic label. panicked and asked me why I had not nate this child yet I am a nurse and want brought benadryl with me. She sent me to protect our children from the diseases He spreads the blame among public home to get Mya some benadryl and told they vaccinate for. Finding support to health offi cials, governments and the me- me to call a doctor if she got worse. She deal with our predicament has been dif- dia. The World Health Organization is also told me to see an allergist before I fi cult. What resources are available for jokingly referred to as the World Hyste- brought her back. We live 3 min from the parents in our situation? ria Organization, he said, and it set a tone clinic. By the time I got her home Mya in the spring with its messaging that was Billie √ was unconscious. I was uncertain what adopted around the globe. action to take so I tried to wake her with ice cubes and she became alert enough to “They’ve just been (champing) at the give her benadryl orally. She remained bit waiting for a pandemic for the last 10 very lethargic, limp and sleepy for about years and I think they dramatically over- 15 minutes then regained some alertness reacted,” said Dr. Schabas. and tone. I was about to call an ambu- lance and regret not doing so. Newsclips continued on page 28 VRAN Newsletter ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ Page 27 women and animals are not available. signifi cant delay in the acquisition of key ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ In addition, a 2005 study funded by the survival refl exes. Neonatal responses in NIH found that ethyl-mercury used in unexposed animals were not delayed. vaccines crosses into the brain of infant Autism Prevalence Now At 1 in primates, resulting in appreciable levels Despite the 1986 Mandate for Safer 91 Children, 1 in 58 Boys of mercury being trapped in the brain. SafeMinds Calls For A Ban on Childhood Vaccines, the Combating Au- tism Act, and recommendations from the Thimerosal from Seasonal and Concern over vaccine safety and the use National Vaccine Advisory Committee, H1N1 Flu Vaccines In Pregnant of thimerosal is well established. In fact the U.S. Government has refused to fund Women and Young Children the Institute of Medicine, HHS’ National research comparing vaccinated versus Note: Safe Minds is the vigilant U.S. Vaccine Advisory Committee, Congress, unvaccinated humans or animals. Such group who blew the whistle on toxic lev- Health & Human Service’s National Vac- a comparison is the only way to assess els in children’s vaccines almost 10 years cine Advisory Committee, the American baseline health and vaccine-caused dam- ago, is concerned about the continuing Academy of Pediatrics former President age, and is absolutely necessary to fulfi ll presence of mercury in fl u vaccines. Dr. Lou Cooper, and former Director our moral obligation to protect children of the National Institutes of Health Dr. by preventing vaccine-caused damage. Monday, October 5, 2009, Res- Bernadine Healy all agree that current [Health Canada denies that the amount ton, VA . A U.S. Study evaluated data research is inadequate to demonstrate of mercury in vaccines constitutes any from a national Survey of Children’s vaccine safety, as required by law, espe- threat to health] Health and found that 1 in 91 chil- cially in terms of risk for neurological dren between the ages of 3 and 17 damage, including autism, in a genetical- This paper focuses on one part of a currently carry an ASD(autism spec- ly susceptible subset of the population. larger comprehensive research program trum disorder) diagnosis -1 in 58 boys. Most have made statements in support investigating the safety of the entire hu- of a study evaluating health outcomes in man infant vaccine schedule by employing Even more alarming, for the subset of vaccinated compared with unvaccinated standard animal research protocols. The children between ages 6 and 14 immu- subjects. program is examining differences in nized during the 1990’s the prevalence To read the complete article go to: developmental behaviors, brain, blood, is actually 1 in 71 children with an au- http://www.safeminds.org/news/ GI tissues, the immune system, health tism diagnosis. This age group represents pressroom/autism-prevalence-ban-on- status, pathology, and gene expression children in the U.S. with the highest thimerosal-H1N1-fl u-vaccine.html profi les between vaccinated and unvacci- exposure to thimerosal, the mercury pre- nated primates. Preliminary results of the servative routinely used until CDC, AAP ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ wider program were presented at the In- and industry recommended its removal ternational Meeting for Autism Research “as soon as possible” from all childhood in London in May 2008. The presenta- vaccines. Despite this recommendation, Study Compares Vaccinated & tion suggested evidence of widespread mercury, one of the most neurotoxic Unvaccinated Baby Monkeys; harm caused by the CDC-recommended substances on the planet, is still used Infant Monkeys Brain Damaged vaccine schedule. [The Canadian infant in most seasonal and H1N1 vaccines. vaccine schedule is nearly identical to by Mercury Containing that of the U.S. except that Hepatitis B SafeMinds continues to call for a ban on Hepatitis B Vaccine vaccine is not given at birth, but recom- mercury-containing seasonal and H1N1 September 30, 2009 - A study pub- mended starting at two months of age. ] fl u vaccines, for pregnant women and lished today in Neurotoxicology, the young children. Theresa Wrangham, leading scientifi c journal in its fi eld, This is the strongest direct evidence President of SafeMinds stated, “We are discovered brain damage in newborn yet that mercury-containing vaccines may especially alarmed by these fi ndings be- monkeys given the Hepatitis B vaccine cause brain injury in human infants. Ani- cause the seasonal infl uenza and H1N1 containing the mercury preservative mal studies using primates are routinely vaccines contain mercury well in excess thimerosal. The Centers for Disease employed to assess the safety profi le of of EPA safe exposure guidelines. Preg- Control(CDC) added this vaccine to the medicines. “Had this study been done as nant women and young children should recommended immunization schedule a pre-clinical trial, the FDA could have not be given mercury-containing medi- for newborn babies in 1991. The vaccine never licensed a mercury-containing cines risking such signifi cant side effects. caused a signifi cant delay in the acqui- Hepatitis B vaccine, nor could CDC The precautionary principal demands the sition of key primate survival refl exes have ever recommended one, at least for removal of thimerosal from all vaccines essential for life in the wild. Mercury is young children and infants” said The- pursuant to the now decade-old recom- especially toxic to the developing brain resa Wrangham, president of SafeMinds. mendation. How long must we wait to get and immune system. a known neurotoxin out of all vaccines?” This study compared infant macaque The new primate study is important All fl u vaccines are categorized by the monkeys vaccinated with the Hepatitis B because it begins to fi ll a crucial gap in FDA as Class C drugs, meaning either vaccine containing the mercury preserva- basic vaccine safety science, comparing studies in animals have revealed adverse tive thimerosal with those who received a the overall health status of those vacci- effects on the fetus and there are no con- saline placebo and those who received no trolled studies in women, or studies in shots at all. The vaccine group showed Newsclips continued on page 29 Page 28 ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ VRAN Newsletter Newsclips cont. from page 28 extremely easy to do without noticing.’ supportive information about the existence nated versus those not vaccinated. “This of this contract on the internet. He says that http://www.metro.co.uk/ study adds substantially to the scientifi c the Swedish Newspapers have seemingly news/article.html?in_article_ evidence that mercury-containing vac- stopped reporting the intermediary results id=214929&in_page_id=34 cines given early in development may of this disguised pharmaceutical trial. lead to increased risk of neurodevel- ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ opmental delays and possibly autism,” Dr. Beeth says that “within the contract stated Sallie Bernard, SafeMinds Execu- is a “Green List” of what the government tive Director. Tamifl u Hallucinations Cause MAY communicate (hardly anything!) Boy to Jump From and the “Red List” of what may absolute- Safe Minds is opposed to the injection Apartment Window ly NOT be made public, like intermediary of mercury containing fl u vaccines into results of the side effects that appear in pregnant women and infants. “Giving Here we have a repeat scenario of a the studies of the controversial squalene mercury-containing fl u vaccines to such few years ago when children given Tami- (and thiomersal) adjuvantated Pandem- vulnerable groups is medical insanity, fl u jumped to their death during the Bird Rix until they have been sanitized by especially when there are suffi cient sup- Flu scare. This drug is thought to cause Glaxo Smith Kline researchers, and pub- plies of mercury-free shots,” stated Jim suicidal ideation in children. With nearly lished by GSK themselves.” Moody, director of SafeMinds. negligible benefi t and such high risk fac- To read the complete story, go to: tors, why would anyone give it to their To see the complete review of this study http://www.nationalexposi- children? go to the SafeMinds website at: http:// tor.com/News/1897.html www.safeminds.org/news/wakefi eld- SEOUL, Nov 14-- A South Korean hewitson-mercury-hepB-vaccine.html ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ teenager who took Tamifl u, an antiviral ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ drug, leaped from an apartment window after suffering from auditory hallucina- Ukraine, WHO and the tion, China’s Xinhua news agency said Geopolitics of Swine Flu Panic British Flu Sufferer Dies from citing a local media report on Saturday. By William Engdahl—Nov. 13, 2009 Acemtaminophen Overdose According to the Korea Food and Drug Administration (KFDA), the country’s A 37 year old sufferer died after ac- drug safety watchdog, the 14-year-old The alternative news media on the cidentally overdosing on paracetamol student living in Bucheon, near capital internet is carrying scare stories about a (acetaminophen) by just half a tablet, an Seoul, took Tamifl u on Oct 30, and was new pandemic plague that has sprung up inquest heard. Acetaminophen has differ- later found at the bottom of his family’s in the Ukraine. Veteran reporter William ent brand names that vary from country apartment building on the same day. Engdahl responds to this fear mongering to country. In North America it is known The KFDA has issued safety warnings with an interesting article in which he as Tylenol. on the use of Tamifl u in 2007 following analyses the complex political maneu- reports of bizarre behaviour by users of vering going on in that country. Deborah Robinson suffered liver and the drug in Japan. In the neighbouring kidney failure after taking sixteen-and-a- Japan, Tamifl u is advised not to be given “Latest reports of what is being half pills in two days. She was not taking to teenagers. called a deadly Swine Flu outbreak in any other over-the-counter remedies at Ukraine according to on sight reports Read the whole story here: http:// the time and sought help after realizing appear to be a political concoction by a www.theoneclickgroup.co.uk/ her mistake. She died fi ve days later. threatened government to avoid election news.php?start=3020&end=3040 defeat and possibly declare martial law. &view=yes&id=4010#newspost Doctors recommend that no more than The details indicate how convenient the eight tablets should be taken within 24 ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ current WHO “Swine Flu” H1N1 “pan- hours. ‘If you’re in pain and reaching for demic” scare is for regimes in trouble. the tablets, you can reach your limit in 24 hours without realizing it,’ said Anne Silence About Vaccine Deaths ”Worldwide media reports in recent days Joshua, NHS Direct chief pharmacist. in Media is Due to have painted a picture of Ukraine as be- Non-Disclosure Contracts ing under the Black Plague or worse. One Ms Joshua said there were no plans to of the most egregious panic-mongers has reduce the recommended dose. But she According to Dr. Eric Beeth, a Swed- been Pittsburgh Swine Flu “mapper” Dr warned: ‘Overdosing on paracetamol is ish doctor currently working in Belgium, Henry Niman who earlier falsely predicted extremely easy to do without noticing. European countries have signed a secret H5N1 Avian Flu would mutate into a dead- Doctors were unable to get enough oxy- contract with vaccine makers prohibiting ly human-to-human pandemic. It didn’t. gen into her bloodstream and she died on the disclosure of side effects from H1N1 February 25. pandemic infl uenza vaccines. He and his ”Niman’s map of the spread of alleged colleagues have advised the Belgian gov- H1N1 Swine Flu since April has given Ms Joshua said there were no plans to ernment in court that this is a disguised WHO, the US Government and CNN and reduce the recommended dose. But she pharmaceutical trial on human subjects warned: ‘Overdosing on paracetamol is with real risks involved. He has circulated Newsclips continued on page 30 VRAN Newsletter ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ Page 29 Newsclips cont. from page 29 how massive an overplay this was. I nation’s attention on the disease, did not major media a convenient graphic to cre- am quite sure that there has been more warrant the ensuing panic. ate the image of a new type of “bubonic high-level coverage of this than all other plague” threatening mankind unless we health stories combined.” While mortality rates among people react with massive doses of untested vac- 20 and younger in Canada will be slight- cines from such unscrupulous pharma By the time this second H1N1 wave ly higher than in a normal fl u season, the bigs like GlaxoSmithKline or Novartis or peters out in December, it will have killed actual number of deaths among healthy Roche with its dangerous Tamifl u drugs. between 200 and 300 Canadians—mak- youngsters will be in the range of just ing it one-tenth as lethal as the seasonal seven, Schabas says. “The risk of a young ”Early on Niman reported about events fl us that strike the country annually. person being killed by a car in Ontario ... in Ukraine: “The rapid rise in reported What’s more, Schabas says, evidence is 100 or more times higher than the risk infections, hospitalizations, and deaths in from the southern hemisphere, where the of being killed by H1N1.” the past few days raise concerns that the fl u is a spring and summer scourge, con- virus is transmitting very effi ciently, the clusively anticipated this comparatively Finally, Schabas argues, public health spike in fatalities and the frequency in low death toll. offi cials have cried wolf many times in hemorrhagic cases in Ukraine have raised the recent past, with bird fl u, West Nile concerns.” Niman added the alarming In particular, H1N1’s May and June run and fl esh-eating disease warnings. Even note, “The number of infected patients through Australia, which mirrors Canada SARS killed just 800 people worldwide, has almost doubled to just under million, in its health care capabilities, showed the he says, when deaths in the tens of mil- compared to the report two days ago.” virus was a temperate one. “By their mea- lions were being forecast. Such “fear Read the full article here: http:// sures, things like physicians’ visits and mongering” undermines their credibility. www.theoneclickgroup.co.uk/ the like, this was no different than a usual news.php?start=3040&end=3060 fl u year,” says Schabas of the Australian Schabas says there is a growing medi- &view=yes&id=4020#newspost experience. “In fact, it was milder.” cal consensus that some apocalyptic plague is lurking out there – in a Chinese ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ But even after its terrifying Mexican poultry farm or an African jungle – just debut in April, where it was blamed for hun- itching to swoop down on humanity. But Note: Rarely do we ever hear a health dreds of deaths, health offi cials knew that all such fears have proven false in the offi cial utter words of skepticism public- H1N1 had no apocalyptic potential. “Within past and are unlikely to be warranted in ly about vaccines. Dr. Richard Schabas about a week of the fi rst stories out of Mex- the future. has been consistent with his cynicism ico, it was becoming clear that the death toll about the H1N1 vaccine. We applaud (there) was in the order of hundreds, not tens “For the past fi ve or six years, lots of him for daring to stick his neck out and of thousands,” Schabas says. public health offi cials, nationally, provin- risk being labeled a heretic. cially, internationally, have been warning “And a mild pandemic in Mexico would people about the dreaded bird fl u pan- How they larded H1N1 be expected to kill 30,000 people.” demic. It hasn’t happened, it hasn’t killed facts with fear—The anybody in the Western hemisphere.” Toronto Star, Nov. 20, 2009 Schabas says accumulating evidence of the ailment’s mildness indicated con- A proper media role, Schabas says, “And any hyperventilating coverage of clusively by early July that it posed no an H1N1 “third wave” predicted for pestilential threat. Schabas also contends “They (health offi cials) sound the spring—would be a sham.” there was no evidence the virus was ca- like burnt-out surfers sitting on pable of rapid mutation, of morphing into a beach, watching the waves go Joseph Hall Health Reporter a more lethal strain. in and out and arguing the next one will be better.” Months of dire swine fl u warnings were That the disease appeared to be target- a dangerous, disruptive cry of “wolf” for ing the young was worrisome to many an ailment Canadian health offi cials knew and gave credence to the ominous public is to remind health offi cials of their past would be a mild, manageable beast. That’s health pronouncements. But this too was pronouncements and to throw a blanket the pointedly caustic judgement of Dr. a canard, says Schabas, who argues that of scepticism over future pandemic fi res. Richard Schabas, a one-time provincial young people are always more apt to catch And any hyperventilating coverage of an health offi cer who says fl u experts knew infl uenzas and that the incidence of H1N1 H1N1 “third wave”—predicted for the in July that H1N1 would hold little threat appeared higher among them largely spring—would be a sham, Schabas says. for Canadians this fall. because many elderly people had pre-ex- isting immunity and didn’t get sick. http://www.thestar.com/news/ Schabas, now Medical Offi cer of insight/article/728283--how-they- Health for Hastings and Prince Edward As with almost any fl u, however, young larded-h1n1-facts-with-fear √ Counties, says many of his colleagues people’s robust immune systems are able fed a credulous media with worst-case to fi ght off the infection in the vast major- warnings while downplaying the fl u ity of cases, Schabas says. And the tragic strain’s relative weakness.”I think the death of 13-year-old Toronto hockey play- media has to get its head around just er Evan Frustaglio, which galvanized the Page 30 ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ VRAN Newsletter ALERT Canadians: Toxic Ingredients in the Arepanrix H1N1 Vaccine Can Harm Your Health human carcinogen by the International War Syndrome. [ Note: This is a brief excerpt from an Agency for Research on Cancer. extensive report—link to the complete “There are now data in more than two article provided below] Health Canada Sodium Deoxycholate dozen peer-reviewed scientifi c papers, from authorized the sale of Arepanrix™ H1N1 ten different laboratories documenting that vaccine based on no conclusive clinical Sodium Deoxycholate is a water squalene-based adjuvants can induce auto- testing. The authorization was based on soluble ionic detergent/bile salt which immune diseases in animals, observed in the Health Canada review of available data causes cell death. It has been shown to mice, rats, guinea pigs and rabbits.” on the quality, safety and immunogenicity weaken the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) of similar vaccines, which established the and subsequently activate seizures. It Oil-based vaccination adjuvants like benefi t/risk profi le in favour of inoculating systematically disrupts the delicate bal- squalene have been proved to generate con- the Canadian population. ance of the immune system. centrated, unremitting immune responses over long periods of time according to a Description and Composition Detergents and emulsifi ers promote tu- 2000 article in The American Journal of mors and cause cells to leak or explode by Pathology. The study demonstrated that a Arepanrix™ H1N1 (AS03-adjuvanted weakening their walls, with no mechanism single injection of the adjuvant squalene H1N1 pandemic infl uenza vaccine) is a for regulating destructive activity. These into rats triggered a chronic, immune- two-component vaccine consisting of an chemicals are not completely purifi ed out mediated joint-specifi c infl ammation, H1N1 antigen (as a suspension), and an of the fi nal vaccine product, so they enter also known as rheumatoid arthritis. The AS03 adjuvant (as an oil-in-water emul- the body at the time of injection. researchers concluded the study raised sion). The virus is inactivated followed questions about the role of adjuvants in by formaldehyde treatment and disrupted Thimerosal—10 Times More chronic infl ammatory diseases. with sodium deoxycholate. Thimerosal in the Canadian Non-Adju- vanted H1N1 Vaccine recommended for Polysorbate 80—Polysorbate 80 is Preservative content: Pregnant Women—Thimerosal has pow- similar to Sodium Deoxycholate in its erful and damaging effects on cells of the ability to increase cell permeability, • 5μg (micrograms) Thimerosal USP nervous and immune systems in mam- damage, and bursting. After injection per 0.5mL dose or 2.5 micrograms mals including humans. Its effect may it can rapidly metabolize into sorbitol organic mercury (Hg) per 0.5mL dose vary depending on the dose. The mercury and ethylene oxide which is much more dose from thimerosal produces acute and toxic than the original chemical. These Adjuvant—artifi cially increases often deadly ethylmercury blood levels. polysorbates have been shown to cause immune response: After only 2 hour exposures, thimerosal dangerous, sometimes fatal effects, • The AS03 adjuvant system is com- at micromolar concentrations causes when given through a needle. Changes posed of DL-α-tocopherol, squalene neuronal membrane damage and altera- in heart function can occur immediately. and polysorbate 80 in a 3mL vial: tions leading to cell death in immune The blood-brain-barrier (BBB) can be • DL-α-tocopherol: 11.86 T-cells. Thimerosal alters the functioning weakened and penetrated, followed by milligrams/0.5mL dose of critical neurotransmitters necessary for seizures and even death. Polysorbates • Squalene: 10.69 proper brain functioning. demonstrate synergistic toxicity with a milligrams/0.5mL dose, wide range of chemicals. • Polysorbate 80: 4.86 Organic forms of mercury are well- milligrams/0.5mL dose known neurotoxic agents and far more Polysorbate 80 has been found to nega- Analysis of Ingredients: dangerous than inorganic mercury tively affect the immune system and cause Formaldehyde—More hazardous than sources. Exposure to organic mercury severe anaphylactic shock which can kill. most chemicals in 5 out of 12 ranking produces predominantly central nervous According to Annals of Allergy, Asthma systems, on at least 8 federal regula- system (CNS) effects that are commonly and Immunology, Volume 95, Number 6, tory lists, it is ranked as one of the most severe and can induce prolonged uncon- December 2005 , pp. 593-599(7), “it is of hazardous compounds (worst 10%) to sciousness, coma and death. (See: Acta current relevance as a ‘hidden’ inductor ecosystems and human health (Environ- Chim. Slov. 2004, 51, 361-372) of anaphylactoid reactions”. mental Defense Fund). Squalene in AS03 adjuvant—Too In addition to this, there have been stud- In the body, formaldehyde can cause dangerous for human use, Squalene ies in Food and Chemical Toxicology which proteins to irreversibly bind to DNA. is not offi cially licensed for use in the showed that Polysorbate 80 causes infertility. Laboratory animals exposed to doses United States or Canada. Oil adjuvants of inhaled formaldehyde over their life- like squalene have been ordinarily used To read the complete report with all times have developed more cancers of to infl ict diseases in animals—for ex- activated links and access to govern- the nose and throat than are usual, as perimentation and study. According to ment reports at the Prevent Disease have workers in particle-board sawmills. independent research, the US military website go to: http://preventdisease. Formaldehyde is classifi ed as a probable used an unlicensed, experimental anthrax com/news/09/102609_Alert_Canadi- human carcinogen by the U.S. Environ- vaccination laced with squalene, with ans_Arepanrix_vaccine_analysis.shtml mental Protection Agency and as a known disastrous consequences, including Gulf √ VRAN Newsletter ¤ Fall 2009 Double Issue ¤ Page 31 VRAN MEMBERSHIP AND ORDER FORM Suggested Annual Membership—$35 or $75 professional Includes Newsletter 3X a year & ongoing support of vaccination risk education P.O. Box 169, Winlaw, BC, V0G 2J0—phone: 250-355-2525, E-mail: [email protected] VRAN website: www.vran.org

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