http://radiofreethinker.com/tag/vaccination/Posts Tagged ‘Vaccination’
The Case for Censoring the Anti-Vax Movement
Posted by Don McLenaghen on March 15, 2013
Okay, now I have been in some lively discussions about my push to censor the Anti-Vax movement because of the health dangers they pose to the community. I have equated them to yelling Fire in a crowded theater, but perhaps that was not the best analogy.
First, when I say directly responsible, some may confuse direct with proximal…or immediate cause. I am not saying that a speaker at this conference are going out and killing babies with their hands…and that is why the fire analogy was a poor choice on my part.
But I still claim, at least for some, a direct causal link from their talk to the deaths of children. I think a better analogy is hate-speech…perhaps comparing them to Holocaust deniers would be, if not equivalent in magnitude, similar in form.
So, hate-speech works on the principle if a person says something that is demonstrably false, which actually or likely will inspire others to act, that because of these actions a group of vulnerable people will suffer.
Do they fit this bill? Yes and no.
Can you guess which one was vaccinated?
These speakers are talking to a group of people who will, by not getting their children vaccinated, directly result in the suffering and possible death of their children and put others at risk in the community. I think there is a direct link, but is what they are saying demonstrably false?
First, the idea they truly believe it is not a defence. I suspect many a racist has a firm and honest belief in the inferiority of other races.
Is what they are saying demonstrably false…to the point any reasonable person would know so? And I accept the onus is on me and it’s a high bar I must reach.
To answer this question, I checked out what they are going to talk about. The topics include: Vaccines cause Autism, Heavy Metal poisoning from vaccines, Vaccines are unphysiological, Disease (at least the measles) is good for building the immune system, and Aluminum builds up in the body causing brain damage.
Life before vaccination
So, willful ignorance causing suffering and death….The claim that vaccines cause autism has been researched extensively by groups both in the ‘big Pharma’ camp and out. Statistical analysis shows NO link, every mechanism claimed by the anti-Vax movement has been debunked. This is a lie, and they know it or should know it.
Heavy Metal poisoning from vaccines? Well, it’s true you can be poisoned by heavy metals in sufficient quantities. The heavy metal they are referencing is Aluminum.
First, it’s not aluminum proper but aluminum hydroxide…think of the difference between rust and steel.
There is no evidence that it is toxic in the blood stream, there is very controversial evidence that when applied directly to brain cells there is a toxic effect, but one could say that if you applied salt directly to a brain cell it would have adverse effects.
Some dubious studies show a correlation between aluminum build up and Alzheimer’s but this is no longer seen as likely.
That said, the amount of aluminum required for this to be a factor is orders of magnitudes greater than that found in all the vaccinations a child is exposed to.
Again, willfully false.
They also try to discredit vaccinations with ‘research’ proportion “The whole basis for vaccinations is unphysiological. The vast majority of infections enter the body through the nasal passages & Gastro-Intestinal Tract.”
Trying to make the case that it does not target the right area therefore cannot illicit an good immune response and that by injecting directly into the muscle you are poisoning the brain with aluminum and actually giving the disease to the child by circumventing that “80% of the body’s immune system is situated at these junctures”.
To be fair this is so much Gish-Galloping and plopping down of disconnected comments, claims and circular referencing it’s hard to condemn this as anything other than paranoid ranting.
Table 1 The impact of vaccines on disease burden in the US[1]
Still, willful or at least dangerously delusional.
Smallpox (1901) 100 Diphtheria (1921) 99.99 Pertussis (1934) 98.20 Tetanus (1923) 98.34 Polio (1952) 100 Measles (1941) 99.99 Rubella (1969) 99.97 Mumps (1968) 99.86 Haemophilus influenzae type-b (1992) 99.75
Just to give an idea of how out there this group is, they are propagating the conspiracy that AIDS was created and distributed by the World Health Organization as part of some United Nations plot. Their comments quote research into the H1N1 vaccine….well let me quote:
Some of the crazy anti-vax propaganda
Documents “implicating the CDC, WHO, numerous Vaccine manufacturers along with Government Agencies in collusion with The Rockefeller Trust, Rupert Murdoch & other Media, Real Estate & Medical Industry moguls — in a genocidal plot to use vaccines, in particular the H1N1 flu vaccine as a bio-weapon to deliberately sicken & depopulate the planet”
It is ironic that they are ignoring some real issues about vaccination that are important. The possible link discovered between the H1N1 vaccines and people with a genetic predisposition to narcolepsy. The idea that mandatory flu vaccinations can be only 60-70% effective.
The idea of doing clinical trials on which vaccines and methods work best; at present this cannot be done because it’s deemed unethical to deny a patient the ‘best treatment of the time’.
This is equivalent to a hate group that is causing real harm and deaths. There is no sense of responsibility and they are willfully propagating falsehoods and lies.
They, at least this particular group, should be banned from public speech, vilified by society, most notably in this case at SFU. If this was Ernest Zundle, I doubt SFU would allow his rant nor hide behind free speech rights to defend it.
Free speech should only be denied in rare and extreme cases…I believe this is one of those cases.
Further Reading — The Good:
The Bad:
- Anti-vax 101: Tactics and Tropes of the Anti-vaccine Movement
- Aluminum Adjuvants in Vaccines
- Ethylmercury
- Occupational risk factors in Alzheimer’s disease: a review assessing the quality of published epidemiological studies
- Aluminium hydroxide
And the Criminal:
- Aids & The WHO Connection — Criminal Intent
- Measles are marvelous
- World Health Organization Mafia — Lies, Flies & Conflicts of Interest
- Polio — United Nations & The Great Cull
[1] ENCYCLOPEDIA OF LIFE SCIENCES & 2007, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. http://www.els.net
How vaccines work
From Jenner to Wakefield: The long shadow of the anti-vaccination movement
Posted in Don's Blogs | Tagged: Anti-vax, Free Speech, hate speech, SFU, Vaccination, Vaccination Awareness Network | 4 Comments »
Radio Freethinker Episode 202 — Stompin’ Tom Edition
Posted by Don McLenaghen on March 12, 2013
This week:
— Stompin’ Tom Connors,
— Censoring the Vaccine Awareness Network,and
— Atheist Churches?
Download the episode here!
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––—
Stompin’ Tom Connors
stompin’ Tom Connors is a Canadian icon, a true patriot, and a musical ambassador for our great nation. His contributions to Canadian culture, patriotism, and international goodwill on behalf of Canada are of great significance to Canadians at home and abroad. We discuss the man and his legacy.
Find out more:
Censoring the Vaccine Awareness Network
- State Funeral for Stompin’ Tom Connors
- How Stompin’ Tom planned his own public memorial
- Stompin’ Tom Connors
- Official Site — StompinTom.com
on makes his case that the Anti-Vax-ers or at least the Vaccine Awareness Network should be banned from the public forum for community health reasons. Censorship should be rare and require a high-bar, but he thinks they reach it.
Find out more:
Further Reading — The good:
The Bad:
- Antivax 101: Tactics and Tropes of the Antivaccine Movement
- Ethylmercury
- Occupational risk factors in Alzheimer’s disease: a review assessing the quality of published epidemiological studies
- Aluminium hydroxide
And the criminal:
Atheist Churches
- Aids & The WHO Connection — Criminal Intent
- Measles are marvelous
- World Health Organization Mafia — Lies, Flies & Conflicts of Interest
- Polio — United Nations & The Great Cull
What are there, why are they and what does it mean to the atheist/skeptic community?
Find out more:
––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––—
- Adam Lee’s — The New Ten Commandments
- Calgary Secular Church
- 10 new virtues for atheists: Alain de Botton unveils new manifesto
- Good without God: Atheist churches offer non-believers community and ritual without faith
- What happens at an atheist church?
- The Sunday Assembly
Skeptical Highlights:
Distinguished Neuroethics Lecture
Scott Kim, associate professor of psychitry and the co-director for the Center for Bioethics and Social Sciences in Medicine at the University of Michigan, will talk about the ethics of research with impaired adults who cannot consent.
When: March 13, 2013 @ 4:00
Where: Brain Research Centre @ UBC — Vancouver
Cost: Free
Provincial Elections
Get your civics on and get a job making democracy work. The provinical election is coming up and Elections BC is hiring Elections officers, clerks, supervisors and information helpers. Its at least one day, good pay and you can say you did your part keeping what shreds of democracy we have left alive.
ElectionsBC
Posted in Show notes | Tagged: Anti-vax, Atheist Church, censorship, Free Speech, Skeptic Community, Stompin Tom Connons, Vaccination, Vaccine Awareness Network | Leave a Comment »
Radio Freethinker Episode 167 — Global Austerity Edition
Posted by Don McLenaghen on May 22, 2012
This week:
— Space X launch,
— Dangers of overselling vaccination ,
— Canada’s endangered scientist,
— Austerity: does it work (Part 1 of 3 interview with Seth Klein).
Download the episode here!
Topics:
Space X Launch
Space X successfully launched the Falcon 1 rocket carrying the Dragon cargo capsule to restock the International Space Station.
Find out more:
Dangers of overselling vaccination
New research shows that overselling vaccination causes people to be less likely to get their children vaccinated.
Find out more:
Canada’s endangered scientist
- When Pro-Vaccine Messaging Backfires
- Debunking Vaccination Myths: Strong Risk Negations Can Increase Perceived Vaccination Risks
We discuss the Harper governments budget cuts and the extreme harm they are having on Canada’s scientific community and research. We focus on the Experimental Lakes Area.
Find out more:
Austerity: does it work
- Scientists lash Harper government for pulling plug on Experimental Lakes Area
- Harper and the environment are like oil and water
- 99 stupid things the government spent your money on
Don’s sits down with Seth Klein in the Radio Free Thinker virtual studio and discusses austerity: what it is, does it work and is our governments following the austerity bandwagon.
Seth Klein is director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives for BC.
Find out more:
Skeptical Highlights:
- Canadian Centre for Policy Alternative
- Federal budget drags Canada into age of austerity
- Euro RX — the alternatives to austerity
2012 Best Illusion of the Year Contest
The contest is a celebration of the ingenuity and creativity of the world’s premier visual illusion research community. Visual illusions are those perceptual experiences that do not match the physical reality. Our perception of the outside world is generated indirectly by brain mechanisms, and so all visual perception is illusory to some extent. The study of visual illusions is therefore of critical importance to the understanding of the basic mechanisms of sensory perception, as well as to cure many diseases of the visual system. The visual illusion community includes visual scientists, ophthalmologists, neurologists, and visual artists that use a variety of methods to help discover the neural underpinnings of visual illusory perception.
Illusions of note:
Floating Star — Where when you look at a static image of a ‘blotty’ star on a blotty background, the star appears to be moving.
TBA — When you look at two moving dots directly they move in straight lines but when you look at them with your peripheral vision, they appear to be moving an arch.
The Flashed Face Distortion Effect — When you are looking at two images of faces with a small space between them. You are to focus on the central point while the images on each side are exchanged with other faces. All the images are normal people…however the effect is ‘horrific’.
2012 Best Illusion of the Year Contest
In Search of a Better World: The Utopian Imagination
Another Philosphers’ Cafe forum where Tiffany Werth of SFU asks if what we imagine can shape what is possible.
When: May 23 at 7pm
Where: Waves coffee shop at 900 Howe
Cost: Free
Canadian Copyright Law for Composers
MusicBC’s Bob D’Eith will give a workshop on navigating Canadian copyright laws.
When: May 25 from 2-4pm
Where: CMC BC Creative Hub — 837 Davie
Cost: Free
E-volving Democracy: Online Voting Public Dialogue
This is the first in the “E-volving Democracy” dialogue series highlighting current issues related to technology, democracy, and the theory and practice of collective decision-making. This event is designed for anyone who wants to make change happen — including democracy and social justice activists, open source coders and hackers, philosophers and academics, facilitators, convenors and skeptics.
The session will include a panel discussion featuring Andrew MacLeod (legislative reporter, The Tyee); Steve Wolfman (Computer Science, SFU) and Fathima Cadre (UBC Law and anti-online voting advocate). In small group discussions, participants will identify and prioritize conditions they believe a proposed online voting system would have to satisfy before it could be used in good conscience in a public election.
When: May 26 from 2-5pm
Where: The Hive Vancouver — 128 W. Hastings
Cost: by donation
slutTALK: The (Un)Conference
In-depth conversations about rape culture, victim-blaming, and sexual stigma. Speakers will include representatives from Women Against Violence Against Women, the B.C. Coalition of People with Disabilities, and the F Word Media Collective.
When: May 26 from 1-4pm
Where: WISE Hall — 1882 Adanac
Cost: by donation
Posted in Show notes | Tagged: AntiVax, austerity, budget cuts, Canadian scientist, Experimental Lakes Area, Harper government, Illusion of the Year, Philosphers' Cafe, Seth Klein, Space X, Vaccination | 1 Comment »
Pseudo Censorship
Posted by Don McLenaghen on January 9, 2012
A University of Louisiana professor is suing his university for violation of his first amendment rights by both criticizing his methods as well as preventing him from teaching
The first anti-vaxxers
Professor John Oller Jr., who worked in the Communicative Disorders Department, claims the Dean of Arts became hostile to his theories and systematically excluded him from teaching students. There have been reductions of his class size, a banning of his self-authored textbook, a lack of lecture opportunities and, according to Oller, a general ostracization by his fellow professors. Communicative Disorders Department deals with topics like Autism, Dyslexia and learning disabilities that affect communications. Oller specializes in sign language but more recently has focused on Autism. In 2010 he published a book — Autism: The Diagnosis, Treatment, & Etiology of the Undeniable Epidemic. The forward is written by Andrew Wakefield.
In the book, he promotes the false link between vaccination and the supposed ‘autism’ epidemic. Remember, his expertise is in linguistics not immunology or even biology. There is more; he is also a believer in Intelligent Design and Creationism. He has spoken many times to the Louisiana legislature as an expert to promote the teaching of ID in Louisiana high school biology curriculum.
Oller, when presenting himself to the legislature, is seen as a doctor, as a member of the faculty of the University of Louisiana…using this position of respectability and authority, he gave testimony on a subject matter (biology/evolution) that he has no expertise. As a public representative of the university, this has a direct impact on the image and credibility of the university in general and the faculty of Communicative Disorders directly.
Oller is also a tenured professor…that is, unless he kills a student, he cannot be fired. Usually tenure protects professors from inappropriate persecution, however occasionally the discrimination is warranted, as in this case. Oller has used his academic and teaching platform to espouse his outlandish theories about both the causes of autism and the belief it’s an epidemic…theories in fields that are not his area of expertise. It is because of this that the department attempted to limit the damage he could do in his attempt to pollute students minds. If he had limited his teaching time…his lectures to discussing aspects of overcoming communication deficiencies of those affected by autism…maintained his comments to disorders that affect communication; the position of the dean would be weak.
The Dean and several faculty members (there does not seem to be any faculty that support Oller) mention that on several occasions they have had to deal with issues arising from Oller’s teaching and that they had been told by many his presence hurts the department’s credibility. Again, Oller is welcome to his own personal opinions that he may express and promote on his personal time; however if he uses his academic position to forward his cause…misusing his credential by implying knowledge in topics he does not have credentials…this transforms his personal activities to activities that have implications for the university…a transformation that gives the university a say (veto?) in how he presents himself in those occasions.
volution of the Creationist
He is, in part, being defended by the ADF — Alliance Defence Fund, a servant organization that provides the resources that will keep the door open for the spread of the Gospel through the legal defense of religious freedom, the sanctity of life, marriage and the family. Sorry for the ad hominem…
Okay, I think we have three issues here — is he competent to teach his subject, does his professional activities outside teaching (and outside the university) provide the university justification for workplace actions and lastly does his private activities provide the university justification for workplace actions?
Now, on the first case, Oller was hired to teach about methods of communications and issues arising from that. He was NOT hired to comment, speculate or imply in his capacity as an instructor on the root causes of Autism. Now, instructors are often give some leeway to provide ‘editorial’ comment in class (take any class in political science or economics and you will hear at least one tangential theory from your professor); that said it is unclear specifically how far Oller expounded on his ‘theories’ in class but considering his self-authored textbook, it does appear to be more than a passing comment…to the point where is appears to be a central tenet of his instruction. So, on this ground the university was with its rights to ‘silence’ him.
On the second grounds, his promotion of both anti-vaccination and creationism would involve the university if he gave such lectures through the university lecture circuit or in off-campus activities where he identified himself as both an expert on subject he did not actual have accreditation AND affiliated himself with the university. In doing this, and again it has been claimed by the faculty that he did this not irregularly, he not only risks his own professional reputation but also that of the faculty and university he is associated with. Again, it seems the university has a right to censor his activities as best they can.
On the last point, where he promotes his ‘wacky’ ideas on his own time as ‘just a regular citizen’; although I find his views offensive and dangerous; I do not think the university has the right to interfere with these aspects of his life. IT may, as collateral damage, tarnish the image is a report Googles his name and discovers he is a faculty member but that is not the offence of Oller. However, it seem Oller was not content to limit is activities to ‘private citizen’ acts but used the weight (and thus the prestige) of both his position and his association with a credible institution to make his outlandish remarks.
It’s a shame he will be used in future as an argument against the tenure system. It has it faults but it does provide academics the freedom to be a counterbalance to the establishment; however when one wishes to be counter-establishment there is a greater weight upon them to ensure their views can be backed up with evidence and that they are not a throwback to a disproved and discredited point of view.
Posted in Blogs, Don's Blogs | Tagged: & Etiology of the Undeniable Epidemic, Academic Freedom, Alliance Defence Fund, Autism, autism epidemic, Autism: The Diagnosis, biology, biology curriculum, censorship, communicative disorders department, counter-establishment, Creationism, Evolution, first amendment, first amendment rights, Free Speech, high school biology, immunology, Intelligent design, john oller, John Oller Jr, school board, tenure, Treatment, University of Louisiana, Vaccination | 1 Comment »
Science, Tool of colonial imperialism?
Posted by Don McLenaghen on February 4, 2011
A friend of mine asked me if it wasn’t true that science…WESTERN science is really just part of the whole colonial imperialist baggage intended, and used, to diminish ‘local’ indigenous knowledge and elevate the superiority of ‘western ways of thinking’. As a believer in science, I knew he was wrong…then as an even better skeptic I thought I should exam the question.To start with we should point out there are several ways to look at the question. First is the idea that science made ‘western’ domination possible, then the fact that science may be (claimed to be) neutral but scientists are not and lastly the idea of Scientism. I should also note that I used Europe and European but mean Western which would include Canada, the USA and those non-European countries/colonies that were largely populated by Europeans AND their ideas.
Now, it is a fact (or a quirk of history) that Europe took knowledge and technology from other cultures…altered and improved many…eventually applying them to world exploration and then domination. Europeans did not invent gunpowder but they did ‘perfect’ its use as a weapon. They did not invent oceanic travel but they did improve both the technology of ship-building and
by Jerad Diamond
navigation to the point where they could not only circumnavigate the globe but to do so regularly. Now, I don’t want to go into the why or even how Europe did this expropriation of technology that is a different question (I recommend checking out “Guns, Germs and Steel” and the response to the book). They were not the first imperial power and probably not the last, they were however the first global power.
There is a paradox in colonialism with regard to how science was able to both create and destroy civilizations. One of the greatest crimes Europeans committed (at time accidental — other times with purpose) against the indigenous people of the world was the spread of disease. However through transportation (plagues) and medicine, science was fundamental to Europe’s ability to dominate. Science caused the loss of many indigenous cultures while creating an entirely new one for both Europeans and those they dominated.
Trade routes facilitated the spread of the plague
First you had the science of transportation. Not only did this allow Europeans to travel around the globe encountering new peoples in new lands but to take with them (unknowingly) a plethora of diseases from one continent to another. Ironically, because of the endless waves of plague and disease that ravaged Europe (also due to scientific advances in trade and travel), Europeans became a reservoir of ‘biological weapons’ like smallpox as well as the science to ‘deal’ with it like vaccination and drugs.
Painting of massive deaths in Europe due to bubonic plague
When Europeans first encountered indigenous peoples, local medicine was only adapted to local conditions…which would have little experience with highly ‘communicability’ of disease. Europeans, thanks to extensive Euro-Asian trade, were better equipped both biologically (ie natural immunity) as well as culturally to deal with ‘new’ communicable disease. Thus indigenous people died by the millions while Europeans only died by the hundreds.
Colonial governments vaccinating indigenous population
To add irony to this, science had first enabled Europeans to infect and decimate indigenous populations then, thanks to the ever increasing medical advances (spurred by the challenges to overcome new disease), science then provided a salvation for the locals to ‘save them’ from the very disease the Europeans had brought as well as the local ‘incurables’. Thus Europeans were cast as both the takers of life (because of things like small pox) and the saviours of life (especially in the 19[SUP]th[/SUP] century when ‘modern’ medicine really started), allowing them to take on the persona of gods while instilling a sense of inferiority in the locals.
Nigerian solder keeping guard over slaves
Now this give-and-take of science had its parallels in agriculture, mining, manufacturing and a great number of other areas of life that allowed Europeans to dominate most indigenous cultures both physically as well as psychologically. The most notable of these “other” areas is the science of warfare and in particular weapons.
Haitian revolt for independence from France
First it allowed Europeans to dominate local power structures but then provided the means for locals (friendly to the Europeans of course) to dominate their own rivals as well as offer the only effective resistance to the colonial powers. You had a situation where the only way to defend the local people from colonial invaders was to adopt the science of those very same imperialist.
Europeans splitting the Chinese pie
Now as an aside, this analysis may not completely explain colonization of the ‘old’ culture like China but if goes some ways. Of course having gotten rich and fat from the New World, when Europe turned its eyes on the ‘old’ cultures of the middle east and Asia, it was not as much science but brute force that allowed Europe to become a global power.
Okay, enough of the first part…the HOW science made western imperialism possible. Now let’s look at the idea that science is itself used as a tool of domination.
What do we mean when we say that…science is tool of domination? By this I mean that not only the fruits of science have allowed for imperialism (as already discussed) but the idea, authority or method of science itself has been used to re-enforce that dominance. This is done in two ways; first local knowledge, such as herbalism or shamanism was seen as backwards and ‘primitive’…that the only real medicine was found in a test-tube. Another way it has done this is to use (or misuse) the tools of science to make dogma seem natural and right…giving it an air of authority by the fact it is a ‘scientific fact’ therefore supporting cultural (political, etc.) truths; for example the attempt to use biology to PROVE the superiority of whites over blacks. Another example is the Piltdown man fake.
Piltdown Man skull
For those who are not acquainted with Piltdown Man, it was a partial ‘humanoid’ skull (jaw and scull fragments). In 1912, this “missing link” was found in England by Charles Dawson. It’s ready acceptance in the scientific community was because it fit with the cultural prejudices of the time…England was THE superpower, the birth place of the industrial revolution and the ruler of billions of people around the globe. It was obvious, to those at the time that England had to be the birth place of ‘intelligent’ man. It also confirmed the assumption at the time that the brain drove the evolution of the body…ie big brains with ape bodies evolved into big brains with human bodies…notably the jaw in the Piltdown man was ape-like and the brain case human-like.
However the scientific method moved on and by mid to late 20’s other discoveries (such as Peking Man and the Tsaung Child) showed that the human body (i.e. the jaw, upright walking et al) evolved first then the brain. By 1930, Piltdown man was seen as at best an anomaly and at worst fraud…and proven a fraud by improved dating mechanism in the 1940’s.
Another great example is herbal or folk remedies. One of the greatest growth areas in pharmaceuticals is in the natural pharmacy of evolution, found in the plants and animals of the world. Modern science is checking out rainforest plants to see if they have chemicals that help fight infections…remedies that sometimes were already known, albeit in an anecdotal way, to local ‘medicine’ men.
Aztec medicine man applying herbal remedies
Of course this leads us to the difference between scientist and science. Now medicine men may have, by trial and error, discovered some remedies in the flora/fauna of their habitat however they were not using the scientific method so were not scientists. This is an important distinction. Although it may have been wrong to ‘off handedly’ dismiss local knowledge it was still true that the average life span of the indigenous was perhaps 30, whereasLongevity through the ages
Europeans (at least the upper classes) lived to 50-80…it was bad science to write-off local medicine without investigating but it was also obvious (now and at the time) that Europeans lived longer and thus it would be just human nature for the Europeans to be so dismissive. It became dogma (not without supporting evidence…ie. Global empires) that Europe, Europeans and the ‘western’ ways were always superior to ‘foreign’ and ‘primitive’ alternatives.
To be fair to the medicine men, they did not have the scientific method; they had to use spiritualism and religious/cultural dogma as their guides for discovery. It is by allowing dogma to rule that retarded the development of ‘traditional’ cultures (this included Europe during the religious or dark ages). Now this putting dogma ahead of the scientific method is not limited to the ‘primitive’ cultures, sadly it is all too common in modern science. The saving grace of science though is the scientific method…the method will in the long run correct the errors made by scientist be those errors purposeful or institutional/systemic.
Anatomical "proof" of racism
A great example of this ‘corrective’ nature of the method on the scientist can be seen in the ‘science’ of race and racism. Science once showed that whites were the top of a biological tree of humanity. However, in attempting to affirm previous generations results, assumptions and predictions; the scientific method began to show new generations the holes in the ‘old’ theories…they had to adjust the theory to match the evidence…they had to abandon (however slowly and reluctantly) cultural biases in the light of scientific evidence. It must be accepted that the scientific method is independent of culture but scientist are the products of culture. As such, they often carry the baggage and assumptions of the dogmas of their society which can affect how they apply the scientific method and how willing they are to follow its path.
The Scientific Method writ large
Now what do we mean by scientific method? In this context it has really three parts. One — observe the world, create a model of the world that predicts its outcomes, test those predictions, and adjust the model based on the test results then repeat.The Second part is a commitment to follow the evidence; this is where scientists occasionally fail. Part of the method is the willingness to accept the fact that, given sufficient evidence, ANY and ALL beliefs, theories and models may be wrong and need to be adjusted to match the reality…even if that means abandoning long held ideas…like racism.
The last element is not often acknowledged as part of the method and that is intellectual compaction…that driving need all scientists have to expand the boundaries of knowledge. For those who say that once an scientific idea becomes established it cannot be challenged misses this concept…every up-and-coming scientist wants to make his name in the field…to gain immortality for their contribution to the project of human knowledge.
To that end, one of the best ways to gain this immortality is to prove the ‘old’ way of thinking wrong…to prove an established model is either incomplete or wrong. This means that every generation of scientist, by their very nature, challenge anything that had become ‘dogma’ in science and are, when successful, rewarded greatly for that challenge.
The first supper of sceince
Lastly Scientism; there are two versions of this term (both derogatory), the first is the misuse of scientific claims in fields of study they were not intended or do not apply; an example is the often misuse of quantum science by spiritualist. This definition is not the one that concerns us now; our Scientism is the idea that science itself is dogma…that the ONLY truth…the ONLY way to find the Truth is in and with science. Now this criticism is in some ways a straw man. It is true most scientists and skeptics believe that science if the best way to know the ‘truth’ about anything but that does not mean that they believe science can, in actuality, be applied (or at least applied perfectly) to every question humanity may ask.
On a recent episode we discussed the role of science in ethics. One of the points that came out was the idea that IF science could, with the same accuracy, certainty and predictability as found in physics, be applied to ethics then it could provide ALL the answers. It seems plainly true that science has absolute answers when it comes to launching a satellite into space because the problem, formulas and results are so well known and predictable. IF we could say the same for ethical questions, such as abortion, why would we NOT follow the same path?
However, it was reiterated that (at least for now and probably forever) science could not achieve this level of knowledge and that in the gaps (often very large gaps) the traditions of philosophy have their place. That, because of the complexity of the human mind and society, the role of science may be quite limited in many of the ‘big’ questions.
This however does not mean we should not TRY and apply science (acknowledging itslimitations) and TRY and limit the number of inaccuracies, misconceptions and uncertainties so as to allow scientific predictions to guide our moral and philosophical inquiries as far as they can. For example, we may debate when euthanasia is right but science can at least inform us as the possibility of ‘health’ recovery or not.
So, to answer my friend’s question, which started us on this intellectual journey, is science a tool of imperialism? No, the technology it produces has been used for that purpose but it could have been used otherwise…that even when scientists reinforce cultural superiority, the scientific method will eventually bring down their house of cards and that the belief…no the faith…that science can answer all questions is healthy provided that faith does not itself blind you to science’s own limitations. Faith is not in itself bad, it is only when it is blind to the reality around you that it becomes the handmaiden of dogma and the assassin of truth and progress.
What role does science play in politics?
A force for liberationScience is neutral but technology arising from it helps imperialismA force for dominationScience is neutral but scientist use it for imperialismScience and scientist are neutral but others misuse its resultsOther:
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Vaccines Debate
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http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2...accine-cranks-like-moths-to-a-fly-since-1998/[h=1]Respectful Insolence[/h] [h=1]Andrew Wakefield: Attracting antivaccine cranks like moths to a flame since 1998[/h]Posted by Orac on May 7, 2014
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If there’s a story I neglected to mention last week that I should have, it’s that Andrew Wakefield is being a bully again, trying to use legal intimidation to silence his critics, namely Forbes.com blogger Emily Willingham. Of course, Wakefield has done this so many times that the fact that he’s done it once again is hardly newsworthy, but that never stopped me before, because it’s important to document the pattern of legal harassment. The timing was bad. The antivaccine crank blog Age of Autism posted a copy of Wakefield’s letter after I had already finished Friday’s post, and by the time Monday rolled around many of my readers had been discussing it in the comments so much that I had a hard time motivating myself to mention it, particularly given how many other people had already blogged it, such as Liz Ditz, Harpocrates Speaks, and Matt Carey. (That’s what I get, I guess, for self-enforcing a rule that I don’t post on the weekend anymore, except under exceptional circumstances or to crosspost an already written post elsewhere.)
Particularly amusing was how Andrew Wakefield seemed to take the most umbrage at Emily’s point that the noxious cloud of Wakefield’s fraud had tainted any research into gut issues in autism that it makes it difficult to study because of the associations, a point Peter Lipson also echoed later, after Wakefield’s threat. And it’s true. The combination of utter incompetence and fraud, coupled with being paid off by trial lawyers looking to sue the vaccine industry and needed “evidence” to help their case, plus Wakefield’s wanting to patent an “alternative measles vaccine,” is what led to vaccine-MMR fear mongering that at the same time scared away most legitimate scientists from studying GI issues in autism, lest they be tarred with the Wakefield antivaccine brush. But it’s easy to forget that the original Lancet case series (now retracted) examined GI symptoms in autistic children and tried to link them, not so much autism itself, to the MMR vaccine. It was not so much the paper, but Wakefield’s publicity tour around the paper in 1998 that spread the toxic meme that the MMR vaccine might cause autism.
Sadly, Wakefield continues to do his part to discredit any such research. Just yesterday, I learned of an interview he did with someone called “Billy D” from something called CalJam. Billy D happens to be Billy DeMoss, a chiroquackter from California for whom it appears there is no pseudoscience too evidence-free to embrace, be it cleansing, antivaccine nonsense, or thermography (which, currently, when used as a screening tool for breast cancer, is quackery). No wonder he totally gushes over Wakefield, inserting his proboscis so far up Wakefield’s posterior that if you did an esophagoscopy on Wakefield you could easily pick it. Yes, I know that’s a disgusting metaphor, but it’s no more disgusting that this fawning interview. Listen to it if you dare. The things I do for blogging material.
After Billy D fawns over Wakefield a while, calling him his “mentor” and even going so far as to say that all Wakefield was doing was trying to get some useful information out there to save some children’s lives, Wakefield launches right into what is at best a revisionist history of the MMR story and at worst pure fiction. Oh, hell, it’s just pure fiction that’s so blatantly wrong on so many levels that I have a hard time believing that even Andy believes what he’s saying, if you know what I mean. Seriously. You don’t have to listen to the whole thing to realize it’s a fetid pile of dingo’s kidneys. Just listen to the first few minutes, in which Wakefield regales Billy D with the story of how a mother contacted him because she thought her autistic child had regressed into autism after vaccines and described bowel complaints. He then describes putting together a team of the “best pediatric gastroenterologists in the world at the time” and how he found that there was indeed inflammatory bowel disease (there wasn’t) and how treating the bowel inflammation helped the symptoms of autism (there’s no scientifically compelling evidence that this is true). Hilariously, he even claims that they repeated their trials and got the same results, which is also not true, leading Wakefield to intone piously that there is “no doubt” that there is a link between the bowel and the brain in autism that begins in the intestine with an “inflammatory condition that injures the brain” and that “fast forward 18 years” and the U.S Vaccine Court has supposedly “conceded” that vaccines can cause brain inflammation that leads to autism. (It hasn’t.) He even says that it’s not a question of “whether” vaccines can cause autism but “how they do it” and “how we can put it right.”
This is all within the first three minutes of the podcast. Truly, Wakefield has not lost his talent for compressing BS into black hole-level density! The reason I say that is that the “study” to which Wakefield is surely referring shows nothing of the sort and was plagued with serious violations of human subjects research ethics.
Soon after, we have the pharma shill gambit, in which the delayed reaction to Wakefield’s paper is attributed to its message not having been picked up right away, after which the pharmaceutical industry, finally realizing what St. Andy actually said, “crushed” poor, poor Andy’s research program, leading to his “political and professional exile” to Austin, Texas. Of course, Austin, TX is a nice place, and Andy has managed to make quite a nice place for himself. For a while he was at Thoughtful House, an autism quackery center; that is, until Brian Deer’s demonstration that he had almost certainly committed research fraud led the board of directors of even this antivaccine-friendly institution to decide that he needed to go. Of course, to both Billy D and Andrew Wakefield, it’s all the pharmaceutical industry plotting to discredit him. It’s never to Andy’s own malfeasance and research fraud. It’s never, ever Andy’s fault. It’s always, always the fault of the CDC and pharmaceutical companies.
One of the hilarious parts of this interview is that Billy D proudly describes himself as as “conspiracy guy,” after which he launches into, yes, conspiracy theories, in which the pharmaceutical companies are plotting to suppress Andrew Wakefield’s research. Incredibly, Wakefield implies that vaccines are causing a “dumbing down” of the population, shaving 9 IQ points off of it. (I kid you not; although he backs off later and says that there’s “no evidence” that vaccines are shaving nine points off of boys’ IQ. Apparently, it’s just his “fear.”) What is his evidence for this claim? Wakefield refers to going to his son’s graduation ceremony and noting that all the valedictorians were “all girls.”
WTF?
I kid you not. Wakefield goes on about how there is a “biological basis” for this phenomenon in which boys are more “susceptible” to the evil effects of “toxins” from the vaccines, because “estrogen protects the brain” from all these effects. One thing I can’t believe is that Wakefield actually references the incredible quackery of Mark and David Geier in that he out-and-out says that the effects of mercury on cultured neurons is “potentiated by testosterone” and that “testosterone can exacerbate injury to brain cells caused by mercury.” Seriously, dude. Mercury is not associated with autism. That’s a failed hypothesis. Wakefield even seems to confuse aluminum and mercury in that he says at one point that mercury “boosts the immune response” but then moves on to aluminum as an adjuvant. I couldn’t figure out what the hell he meant, other than that he thought that vaccines are evil.
Perhaps the most telling part of the exchange is where Billy D asks Wakefield if there are any vaccines that have “any efficacy at all.” This leads to Wakefield launching into a meandering bit of blather in which he talks about pharmaceutical companies buying advertising in magazines, promoting a message about vaccinating, and the like. He also claims that it’s all the pharmaceutical companies pushing a message that, if you “question” vaccines, children will die. Of course, one thing that Wakefield forgets to mention is that this is unequivocally true in the sense that anything that leads to decreased vaccination rates will lead to the resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases.
Andrew Wakefield, like many antivaccinationists, doesn’t like being called an “antivaccinationist” or “antivaccine.” This becomes evident in a part of the interview where Billy D asks Wakefield if there are any vaccines that are effective; i.e., if there are any vacines that “work.” It’s clear that Billy D wants Wakefield to say that vaccines don’t work. He doesn’t say that—exactly. He does, however, equivocate. Instead of saying whether vaccines work or not, he does say that vaccines result in the production of antibodies against the organisms for which they are designed, after which he questions whether antibodies actually lead to immunity and pulls out the antivaccine trope of questioning how long the immunity from vaccines lasts. He even goes so far as to claim that the mumps vaccine is not needed, that it doesn’t work, and that mumps is a “trivial disease,” which it is not. (If you develop deafness from mumps, to you it’s not a trivial disease.”
Billy D even asks Wakefield if his children have been vaccinated, and Wakefield seems almost embarrassed to have to admit that he did, in fact, have his children vaccinated, even going so far as to question whether he was actually a good father to have done so and apologetically confessing that he hadn’t “done the research.” At this point, I thought my brain was going to explode, because Billy D likened accepting the science that vaccines are safe and effective to believing in the flat earth. Indeed, he invoked this analogy to try to excuse Wakefield for vaccinating his children and, apparently, to assuage his guilt at having done such a “horrible” thing to his children as making sure they were protected against dangerous infectious diseases because, you know, autism and decreased IQ.
I could go on and on, dissecting the nonsense, quackery, and pseudoscience that permeates this entire interview. I could list, point by point, exactly what is wrong with it and why it is wrong. I’ve done so many times before. But why? If you listen to the podcast, you will see that Andrew Wakefield is completely antivaccine, so much so that he even makes the mind-numbingly stupid statement that, extrapolating from the CDC numbers, one in two children will be autistic in 2025. It was at that point that I had a hard time continuing to listen to the rest of the podcast, and my mind started wandering. It didn’t help that it was late at night and I was tired after an unusually long day (for me) in the operating room. Indeed, as the podcast continued, it all started to drone together: Billy D giving Wakefield a colonoscopy with his nose, Wakefield droning on about how persecuted he is by big pharma, random nonsense about vaccines. I couldn’t take it anymore.
As my mind wandered, I idly checked my e-mail and noticed that one of you, my faithful readers, had sent me a link to this post by Adriana Gamondes over at the antivaccine crank blog Age of Autism. We’ve met Gamondes before. For instance, she’s the one who apparently “created” that infamous Photoshop masterpiece of crankery that supports my view of how “they” view “us” fully, namely the “Thanksgiving baby feast,” in which the heads of pro-vaccine journalists, bloggers, and scientists were Photoshopped onto the heads bodys of people sitting down to eat a Thanksgiving dinner in which the main course was a baby. She’s also known for some rather—shall we say?—far out political views.
It was an incoherent rant, even more so than her the previous rants I’ve seen by her. It was beyond Orac-level logorrhea, over 7,200 words. (I usually top out at around 4,000 to 5,000, with uncommon exceptions, and only once or twice in 10 years that I can remember have I ever surpassed 7,000 words.) it had to do with Catch-22, pharma-government conspiracies, attacks on pro-science bloggers, including yours truly, and a bunch of other stuff that made little sense but seemed to center on the concept that the reason the “gut-autism” connection “pioneered” by Andy Wakefield was so thoroughly torpedoed was because, well, the closest to a coherent “thought” (if you can call it that):
While Andrew Wakefield has published his response to the Forbes article, families who benefitted from Wakefield et al.’s more timely warning have our own perspectives and they run more than a tweet long. Aside from the fact that blaming Wakefield for the lag in autism-GI investigations is a bit like blaming Galileo for the church’s lag in accepting heliocentrism, investigators and physicians who’ve been making money hand over fist drugging the bejesus out of affected children with medications that—whoops—often cause gastrointestinal disease, left children in agonizing pain, denied care to and allowed some affected individuals to die while parents frequently lost custody through state child welfare apparatuses which parroted mainstream claims that attempting to treat bowel disorders in autism was tantamount to “medical child abuse”— all because these investigators feared facing the same media assaults as Andrew Wakefield? And these gutless wonders who would put their “good names” above the lives of children have apparently been the dominant force in the same commercial field we’re now supposed to entrust with the task of coming up with a solution?In other words, there’s so much money to be made in drugging children that pharma isn’t interested in GI issues in autistic children or the fantastical “connections” between vaccines and said GI issues that Andrew Wakefield has championed, not because Wakefield polluted the field to the point that reputable scientists are unwilling to wade in, lest they be tainted by Wakefield’s fraud. Of course, from my perspective, the “quality” of Wakefield’s defenders, like Gamondes, is rather the point. Gamondes’ rambling, pseudo-clever rant that doesn’t even appear to make sense to most of the AoA antivaccine readership has many of the marks of a true crank. (If you doubt this is so, note that John Stone thinks it’s a “magnificent commentary.”) If this were 1999, it would have been published on a web page with garish colors and blinking and rotating letters. This is the sort of person who flocks to Wakefield’s banner. This is the sort of person who is an antivaccinationist. This is the sort of nonsense Wakefield supporters spew, and you can see why just from Wakefield’s interview with Billy D. It basically said the same thing, minus the uninterpretable Catch-22 references and with a smooth British accent to make it sound reasonable.
Some medical studies linking autism and tics incl tourettes to vaccines:
http://latitudes.org/vaccine-research-thimerosal-tics/
[h=1]Vaccines as a Trigger for Tics and Tourette Syndrome[/h] By Sheila Rogers DeMare, MS | September 4, 2014
We have a very popular article on our site: “Finding Triggers for Tics and Tourette Syndrome: A Must Read.” This week a reader, Melissa, posted a comment for the article asking why vaccines were not included on the list as a tic trigger.
Melissa was right, and vaccines have now been added to the main list. Research has indicated a clear connection. Meanwhile, Melissa added this information:I have 11-year-old triplets. Two of them are ADHD and have had intermittent tics. One of these two did the Cunningham panel (while it was still being researched) and registered in the PANDAS/PANS range. She has always been terrified of shots. Maybe she has a reason to be. She always tics for weeks after vaccines. Nothing in particular, just all of them. I think it’s probably that they burden her (probably overactive) immune system, and tics are the result.
Studies have not been completed on specific vaccines and tics, with or without thimerosal, which has now been phased out of most, but not all, vaccines.
It seems to be a “well kept secret” that research links vaccines containing thimerosal to tics.
Have you seen any articles in the media emphasizing thimerosal in vaccines as a cause of tics? Me neither, but we should have. In fact we are waiting for the national Tourette Syndrome Association to bring this issue of tics and thimerosal to the attention of the media and public. To date (Septemeber 2014) they have not done so.
This article summarizes four studies on the use of thimerosal in vaccines and its effect on neurodevelopmental delays. The research was published between 2004 and 2008.
It is striking that the development of tics was the most common consequence of the thimerosal exposure based on the study of select conditions. We should point out that there is some controversy regarding the statistical approaches used in the different studies, particularly because some studies do not show a link to autism while others do.
To read the abstracts for each study, click on the links below. Our short summary is provided to show the consistent tic connection. As you will see, other neurological conditions were also found to be negatively affected by the thimerosal.
This discovery on the relationship between the toxin methylmercury and the development of tics is hugely important. First, it highlights the relationship between tics and neurotoxins. This should put families on alert that they should not only avoid all exposures to toxins but should also consider evaluation for toxic overload, with follow-up treatment plans developed as needed. Second, given the results of this research, thimerosal exposure should be avoided by those with tics and Tourette syndrome as well as pregnant women. It is currently standard in flu vaccines, but you can request to have the vaccine without the preservative thimerosal.
Don’t believe it? See for yourself
Thimerosal exposure in infants and neurodevelopmental disorders: an assessment of computerized medical records in the Vaccine Safety Datalink.
Summarized results: Consistent significantly increased rate ratios were observed for autism, autism spectrum disorders, tics, attention deficit disorder, and emotional disturbances with Hg exposure from TCVs. Geier & Geier J Neurol Sci. 2008 Aug 15;271(1-2):110-8. Epub 2008 May
A two-phased population epidemiological study of the safety of thimerosal-containing vaccines: a follow-up analysis.
. . . significant associations between cumulative exposures to thimerosal and the following types of NDs: unspecified developmental delay, tics, attention deficit disorder (ADD), language delay, speech delay, and neurodevelopmental delays in general. Geier & Geier Med Sci Monit. 2005 Apr;11(4):CR160-70. Epub 2005 Mar 24
Thimerosal exposure in infants and developmental disorders: a retrospective cohort study in the United kingdom does not support a causal association.
Thimerosal exposure in infants and developmental disorders: a retrospective cohort study in the United kingdom does not support a causal association. With the possible exception of tics, there was no evidence that thimerosal exposure via DTP/DT vaccines causes neurodevelopmental disorders. Andrews, Miller, Grant et al Pediatrics. 2004 Sep;114(3):584-91
Safety of thimerosal-containing vaccines: a two-phased study of computerized health maintenance organization databases.
Relative risks for neurodevelopmental disorders were calculated per increase of 12.5 micro g of estimated cumulative mercury exposure from TCVs in the first, third, and seventh months of life. Results: In phase I at HMO A, cumulative exposure at 3 months resulted in a significant positive association with tics. Verstraeten, Davis, DeStefano et al; Pediatrics. 2003 Nov;112(5):1039-48
http://latitudes.org/vaccine-research-thimerosal-tics/
[h=1]Vaccines as a Trigger for Tics and Tourette Syndrome[/h] By Sheila Rogers DeMare, MS | September 4, 2014
We have a very popular article on our site: “Finding Triggers for Tics and Tourette Syndrome: A Must Read.” This week a reader, Melissa, posted a comment for the article asking why vaccines were not included on the list as a tic trigger.
Melissa was right, and vaccines have now been added to the main list. Research has indicated a clear connection. Meanwhile, Melissa added this information:I have 11-year-old triplets. Two of them are ADHD and have had intermittent tics. One of these two did the Cunningham panel (while it was still being researched) and registered in the PANDAS/PANS range. She has always been terrified of shots. Maybe she has a reason to be. She always tics for weeks after vaccines. Nothing in particular, just all of them. I think it’s probably that they burden her (probably overactive) immune system, and tics are the result.
Studies have not been completed on specific vaccines and tics, with or without thimerosal, which has now been phased out of most, but not all, vaccines.
It seems to be a “well kept secret” that research links vaccines containing thimerosal to tics.
Have you seen any articles in the media emphasizing thimerosal in vaccines as a cause of tics? Me neither, but we should have. In fact we are waiting for the national Tourette Syndrome Association to bring this issue of tics and thimerosal to the attention of the media and public. To date (Septemeber 2014) they have not done so.
This article summarizes four studies on the use of thimerosal in vaccines and its effect on neurodevelopmental delays. The research was published between 2004 and 2008.
It is striking that the development of tics was the most common consequence of the thimerosal exposure based on the study of select conditions. We should point out that there is some controversy regarding the statistical approaches used in the different studies, particularly because some studies do not show a link to autism while others do.
To read the abstracts for each study, click on the links below. Our short summary is provided to show the consistent tic connection. As you will see, other neurological conditions were also found to be negatively affected by the thimerosal.
This discovery on the relationship between the toxin methylmercury and the development of tics is hugely important. First, it highlights the relationship between tics and neurotoxins. This should put families on alert that they should not only avoid all exposures to toxins but should also consider evaluation for toxic overload, with follow-up treatment plans developed as needed. Second, given the results of this research, thimerosal exposure should be avoided by those with tics and Tourette syndrome as well as pregnant women. It is currently standard in flu vaccines, but you can request to have the vaccine without the preservative thimerosal.
Don’t believe it? See for yourself
Thimerosal exposure in infants and neurodevelopmental disorders: an assessment of computerized medical records in the Vaccine Safety Datalink.
Summarized results: Consistent significantly increased rate ratios were observed for autism, autism spectrum disorders, tics, attention deficit disorder, and emotional disturbances with Hg exposure from TCVs. Geier & Geier J Neurol Sci. 2008 Aug 15;271(1-2):110-8. Epub 2008 May
A two-phased population epidemiological study of the safety of thimerosal-containing vaccines: a follow-up analysis.
. . . significant associations between cumulative exposures to thimerosal and the following types of NDs: unspecified developmental delay, tics, attention deficit disorder (ADD), language delay, speech delay, and neurodevelopmental delays in general. Geier & Geier Med Sci Monit. 2005 Apr;11(4):CR160-70. Epub 2005 Mar 24
Thimerosal exposure in infants and developmental disorders: a retrospective cohort study in the United kingdom does not support a causal association.
Thimerosal exposure in infants and developmental disorders: a retrospective cohort study in the United kingdom does not support a causal association. With the possible exception of tics, there was no evidence that thimerosal exposure via DTP/DT vaccines causes neurodevelopmental disorders. Andrews, Miller, Grant et al Pediatrics. 2004 Sep;114(3):584-91
Safety of thimerosal-containing vaccines: a two-phased study of computerized health maintenance organization databases.
Relative risks for neurodevelopmental disorders were calculated per increase of 12.5 micro g of estimated cumulative mercury exposure from TCVs in the first, third, and seventh months of life. Results: In phase I at HMO A, cumulative exposure at 3 months resulted in a significant positive association with tics. Verstraeten, Davis, DeStefano et al; Pediatrics. 2003 Nov;112(5):1039-48
More medical studies proving links between vaccines and autism
http://u2.lege.net/whale.to/a/geier1.html
[2008] Key realities about autism, vaccines, vaccine-injury compensation, Thimerosal, and autism-related research----Gary S. Goldman, Ph.D & P.G. King PhD.
Video interview
DA Geier et al, Neurodevelopmental disorders, maternal Rh-negativity, and Rho(D) immune globulins: a multi-center assessment Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2008 Apr;29(2):272-80 This study associates TCR exposure with some NDs in children
[pdf June 2008] David A. Geier et al. 11 June 2008 "A Prospective Study of Transsulfuration Biomarkers in Autistic Disorders" Neurochemical Research DOI 10.1007/s11064-008-9782-x
[2007] The Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A: Current Issues, an authoritative journal featuring original toxicological research, has published, "A Case Series of Children with Apparent Mercury Toxic Encephalopathies Manifesting with Clinical Symptoms of Regressive Autistic Disorders," by Geier and Geier (2007).
This new study leaves little doubt there is a direct causal link between mercury exposure from Thimerosal-preserved biological products (vaccines and Rho(D) products) and mercury poisoning diagnosed as an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=69427
[2006 pdf] "Influenza Vaccination: Review of Effectiveness of the U.S. Immunization Program, and Policy Considerations," by David A. Geier, Paul G. King, and Mark R. Geier. J Am Phys SurgJ Am Phys Surg, Fall 2006.
False information in DeStefano/Rhodes response to M. Geier 24 March 2004
[pdf] Geier D, Geier M. The true story of pertussis vaccination: a sordid legacy? J Hist Med Allied Sci. 2002 Jul;57(3):249-84.
http://www3.oup.co.uk/jalsci/hdb/Volume_57/Issue_03/pdf/570249.pdf?DID=1721191473605346
Thimerosal in Childhood Vaccines, Neurodevelopment Disorders, and Heart Disease in the United States Mark R. Geier, M.D., Ph.D. and David A. Geier (pdf)
[Feb 2004] Study (Verstraeteten et al.) Misses Link Between Thimerosal and Neurodevelopmental Disorders 23--Mark & David Geier
Jan 2004 A Review of the Relationship between Thimerosal and Autism.
Geier DA, King PG, Geier MR. Influenza Vaccine: Review of effectiveness of the U.S. immunization program, and policy considerations. J Am Phys Surg 2006; 11(3):69–74 and the supporting studies referenced therein. Geier MR and Geier DA. Gastrointestinal adverse reactions following anthrax vaccination: an analysis of the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database. Hepatogastroenterology. 2004 May-Jun;51(57):762-7.
Geier, MR and Geier, DA, "Thimerosal in Childhood Vaccines, Neurodevelopment Disorders, and Heart Disease in the United States," JAPS, Vol 8(1);Spring 2003:6-10.
Geier DA, Geier MR. A prospective study of Thimerosal-containing Rho(D)-immune globulin administration as a risk factor for autistic disorders. J Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Med. 2007 May; 20(5):385–90.
Geier DA, Sykes LK, Geier MR.A review of Thimerosal (merthiolate) and its ethylmercury breakdown product: specific historical considerations regarding safety and effectiveness. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev. 2007 Dec.; 10(8):575–96.
Thimerosal (Merthiolate) is an ethylmercury-containing pharmaceutical compound that is 49.55% mercury and that was developed in 1927. Thimerosal has been marketed as an antimicrobial agent in a range of products, including topical antiseptic solutions and antiseptic ointments for treating cuts, nasal sprays, eye solutions, vaginal spermicides, diaper rash treatments, and perhaps most importantly as a preservative in vaccines and other injectable biological products, including Rho(D)-immune globulin preparations, despite evidence, dating to the early 1930s, indicating Thimerosal to be potentially hazardous to humans and ineffective as an antimicrobial agent. Despite this, Thimerosal was not scrutinized as part of U.S. pharmaceutical products until the 1980s, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finally recognized its demonstrated ineffectiveness and toxicity in topical pharmaceutical products, and began to eliminate it from these. Ironically, while Thimerosal was being eliminated from topicals, it was becoming more and more ubiquitous in the recommended immunization schedule for infants and pregnant women. Furthermore, Thimerosal continues to be administered, as part of mandated immunizations and other pharmaceutical products, in the United States and globally. The ubiquitous and largely unchecked place of Thimerosal in pharmaceuticals, therefore, represents a medical crisis. PMID: 18049924 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Geier DA, Geier MR.A case series of children with apparent mercury toxic encephalopathies manifesting with clinical symptoms of regressive autistic disorders. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2007 May 15; 70(10):837–51.
Geier DA, Geier MR. A prospective study of Thimerosalcontaining Rho(D)-immune globulin administration as a risk factor for autistic disorders. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2007 May; 20(5):385–90.
Geier DA, Geier MR.A case series of children with apparent mercury toxic encephalopathies manifesting with clinical symptoms of regressive autistic disorders. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2007 May 15; 70(10):837–51.
Geier DA, Geier MR. A meta-analysis epidemiological assessment of neurodevelopmental disorders following vaccines administered from 1994 through 2000 in the United States. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2006 Aug.; 27(4) 401–13.
Geier DA, Geier MR. An evaluation of the effects of Thimerosal on neurodevelopmental disorders reported following DTP and Hib vaccines in comparison to DTPH vaccine in the United States. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2006 Aug.; 69(15):1481–95.
Geier DA, Geier MR.A two-phased population epidemiological study of the safety of Thimerosal-containing vaccines: a followup analysis. Med Sci Monit. 2005 April; 11(4):CR160–70. Epub 2005 Mar 24.
OBJECTIVES: This analysis examined the incidence rate of chronic arthritis adverse reactions reported following adult rubella and hepatitis B vaccinations. In this analysis, etiologic mechanisms for chronic arthritis following adult rubella and hepatitis B vaccines were also explored. METHODS: The Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database was analyzed for the incidence rate of reported cases of chronic arthritis in comparison to Tetanus-diphtheria (Td) and tetanus toxoid adult vaccine control groups. RESULTS: Chronic arthritis adverse reactions following adult rubella vaccination were primarily reported in females (female/male ratio = 3.0), at about 45 years-old, and at a mean onset time of 10-11 days following vaccination. Chronic arthritis adverse reactions following adult hepatitis B vaccination were also primarily reported in females(female/male ratio = 3.5), at about 33 years-old, and with a mean onset time of 16 days following vaccination. The incidence rates of chronic arthritis following adult rubella and adult hepatitis B vaccinations were statistically significantly increased, by chi 2 analysis, in comparison to the adult vaccine control groups. The attributable risk of chronic arthritis following adult rubella vaccine ranged from 32 to 53 and from 5.1 to 9.0 following adult hepatitis B vaccine in comparison to the adult vaccine control groups. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that adult rubella and adult hepatitis B vaccines were statistically associated with chronic arthritis which persisted for at least one year. The etiology for these adverse reactions may involve autoimmune mechanisms. Furthermore, potential biases in the reporting rates of adverse reactions to VAERS were not observed. PMID: 12508767 [PubMed - in process]
External
"A Review of Thimerosal (Merthiolate) and Its Ethylmercury Breakdown Product: Specific Historical Considerations Regarding Safety and Effectiveness"
"A prospective assessment of androgen levels in patients with autistic spectrum disorders: biochemical underpinnings and suggested therapies"
"Neurodevelopmental Disorders After Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines -A Brief Communication (VAERS Database)"
"A Comparative Evaluation of the Effects of MMR Immunization and Thimerosal on the Population Prevalence of Autism (US Dept. of Education - Ecological Study)"
"A Meta-Analysis Study (VAERS Database)"
"A Prospective Study of Rho Immune Globulin as a Risk Factor for Autism (Assessment of Autism Clinic Database - Case-Control Study)"
"A Two-Phased Population Epidemiological Study of the Safety of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines (VAERS & VSD Databases)"
"An Assessment of Downward Trends Following Thimerosal Removal (VAERS Database - Ecological Study"
"An Assessment of the Impact of Thimerosal on Childhood Neurodevelopmental Disorders (VAERS Database & US Dept. of Education data - Ecological Study)"
"An Evaluation of the Effects of Thimerosal on Neurodevelopmental Disorders (VAERS Database)"
"Early Downward Trends in Neurodevelopmental Disorders Following Removal of Thimerosal1 (VAERS Database, and data from California Dept. of Developmental Services & US Dept. of Education - Ecological Study)"
"Neurodevelopmental Disorders Following TCVs - A Follow-up Analysis (VAERS Database)
Thimerosal in Childhood Vaccines - Neurodevelopmental Disorders - Heart Disease in the United States (VAERS Database, and US Dept. of Education - Ecological Study with a review of early Verstraten documents from his study of the VSD Database)"
"A Case-Control Study of Mercury Burden in Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders"
"A Case-Series of Children with Mercury Toxic Encephalopathies"
"Published Hormone Research Article 2006"
"Published Mercury and Testosterone Medical Hypothesis"
"Evolving views on the causes of autistic spectrum disorders"
"Response to Critics"
"Thimerosal Does Not Belong in Vaccines"
"Study Misses Link Between Thimerosal and Neurodevelopmental Disorders"
"Geier and Geier Lancet Published Letter"
"Parents Fears About Thimerosal"
"Response to Comments by JR Mann"
http://u2.lege.net/whale.to/a/geier1.html
Geier, MR and Geier, DA
[back] Vaccine critics & studies/sites on vaccine autism link [back] Mercury [back]
"In my view, this is not a scientific issue. This is about as proven an issue as you’re ever going to see, and what’s occurring here is a cover up under the guise of protecting the vaccine program. And I’m for the vaccine program. You keep covering it up and your not going to have a vaccine program," Geier[back] Vaccine critics & studies/sites on vaccine autism link [back] Mercury [back]
[2008] Key realities about autism, vaccines, vaccine-injury compensation, Thimerosal, and autism-related research----Gary S. Goldman, Ph.D & P.G. King PhD.
Video interview
DA Geier et al, Neurodevelopmental disorders, maternal Rh-negativity, and Rho(D) immune globulins: a multi-center assessment Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2008 Apr;29(2):272-80 This study associates TCR exposure with some NDs in children
[pdf June 2008] David A. Geier et al. 11 June 2008 "A Prospective Study of Transsulfuration Biomarkers in Autistic Disorders" Neurochemical Research DOI 10.1007/s11064-008-9782-x
[2007] The Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A: Current Issues, an authoritative journal featuring original toxicological research, has published, "A Case Series of Children with Apparent Mercury Toxic Encephalopathies Manifesting with Clinical Symptoms of Regressive Autistic Disorders," by Geier and Geier (2007).
This new study leaves little doubt there is a direct causal link between mercury exposure from Thimerosal-preserved biological products (vaccines and Rho(D) products) and mercury poisoning diagnosed as an autism spectrum disorder (ASD).http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=69427
[2006 pdf] "Influenza Vaccination: Review of Effectiveness of the U.S. Immunization Program, and Policy Considerations," by David A. Geier, Paul G. King, and Mark R. Geier. J Am Phys SurgJ Am Phys Surg, Fall 2006.
False information in DeStefano/Rhodes response to M. Geier 24 March 2004
[pdf] Geier D, Geier M. The true story of pertussis vaccination: a sordid legacy? J Hist Med Allied Sci. 2002 Jul;57(3):249-84.
http://www3.oup.co.uk/jalsci/hdb/Volume_57/Issue_03/pdf/570249.pdf?DID=1721191473605346
Thimerosal in Childhood Vaccines, Neurodevelopment Disorders, and Heart Disease in the United States Mark R. Geier, M.D., Ph.D. and David A. Geier (pdf)
[Feb 2004] Study (Verstraeteten et al.) Misses Link Between Thimerosal and Neurodevelopmental Disorders 23--Mark & David Geier
Jan 2004 A Review of the Relationship between Thimerosal and Autism.
Geier DA, King PG, Geier MR. Influenza Vaccine: Review of effectiveness of the U.S. immunization program, and policy considerations. J Am Phys Surg 2006; 11(3):69–74 and the supporting studies referenced therein. Geier MR and Geier DA. Gastrointestinal adverse reactions following anthrax vaccination: an analysis of the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database. Hepatogastroenterology. 2004 May-Jun;51(57):762-7.
Geier, MR and Geier, DA, "Thimerosal in Childhood Vaccines, Neurodevelopment Disorders, and Heart Disease in the United States," JAPS, Vol 8(1);Spring 2003:6-10.
Geier DA, Geier MR. A prospective study of Thimerosal-containing Rho(D)-immune globulin administration as a risk factor for autistic disorders. J Maternal-Fetal and Neonatal Med. 2007 May; 20(5):385–90.
Geier DA, Sykes LK, Geier MR.A review of Thimerosal (merthiolate) and its ethylmercury breakdown product: specific historical considerations regarding safety and effectiveness. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev. 2007 Dec.; 10(8):575–96.
Thimerosal (Merthiolate) is an ethylmercury-containing pharmaceutical compound that is 49.55% mercury and that was developed in 1927. Thimerosal has been marketed as an antimicrobial agent in a range of products, including topical antiseptic solutions and antiseptic ointments for treating cuts, nasal sprays, eye solutions, vaginal spermicides, diaper rash treatments, and perhaps most importantly as a preservative in vaccines and other injectable biological products, including Rho(D)-immune globulin preparations, despite evidence, dating to the early 1930s, indicating Thimerosal to be potentially hazardous to humans and ineffective as an antimicrobial agent. Despite this, Thimerosal was not scrutinized as part of U.S. pharmaceutical products until the 1980s, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finally recognized its demonstrated ineffectiveness and toxicity in topical pharmaceutical products, and began to eliminate it from these. Ironically, while Thimerosal was being eliminated from topicals, it was becoming more and more ubiquitous in the recommended immunization schedule for infants and pregnant women. Furthermore, Thimerosal continues to be administered, as part of mandated immunizations and other pharmaceutical products, in the United States and globally. The ubiquitous and largely unchecked place of Thimerosal in pharmaceuticals, therefore, represents a medical crisis. PMID: 18049924 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Geier DA, Geier MR.A case series of children with apparent mercury toxic encephalopathies manifesting with clinical symptoms of regressive autistic disorders. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2007 May 15; 70(10):837–51.
Geier DA, Geier MR. A prospective study of Thimerosalcontaining Rho(D)-immune globulin administration as a risk factor for autistic disorders. J Matern Fetal Neonatal Med. 2007 May; 20(5):385–90.
Geier DA, Geier MR.A case series of children with apparent mercury toxic encephalopathies manifesting with clinical symptoms of regressive autistic disorders. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2007 May 15; 70(10):837–51.
Geier DA, Geier MR. A meta-analysis epidemiological assessment of neurodevelopmental disorders following vaccines administered from 1994 through 2000 in the United States. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2006 Aug.; 27(4) 401–13.
Geier DA, Geier MR. An evaluation of the effects of Thimerosal on neurodevelopmental disorders reported following DTP and Hib vaccines in comparison to DTPH vaccine in the United States. J Toxicol Environ Health A. 2006 Aug.; 69(15):1481–95.
Geier DA, Geier MR.A two-phased population epidemiological study of the safety of Thimerosal-containing vaccines: a followup analysis. Med Sci Monit. 2005 April; 11(4):CR160–70. Epub 2005 Mar 24.
David A Geier, Mark R Geier MD PhD. Chronic adverse reactions associated with hepatitis B vaccination. The Annals of Pharmacotherapy 2002: Vol. 36, No. 12, pp. 1970–1971.
In conclusion, our study demonstrates that adult HBV is statistically associated not only with acute neuropathy, neuritis, myelitis, vasculitis, thrombocytopenia, gastrointestinal disease, multiple sclerosis, and arthritis, but some of these patients go on to develop chronic adverse reactions that persist for at least 1 year following HBV. These types of chronic adverse reactions following adult HBV should be discussed with patients contemplating being immunized with HBV and should be included in the differential diagnosis of those who develop them following adult HBV.
Geier DA, Geier MR. A one year follow up of chronic arthritis following rubella and hepatitis B vaccination based upon analysis of the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database. Clin Exp Rheumatol 2002 Nov-Dec;20(6):767-71. MedCon, Inc., Silver Spring, Maryland, USA. [email]mgeier@erols.com[/EMAIL]In conclusion, our study demonstrates that adult HBV is statistically associated not only with acute neuropathy, neuritis, myelitis, vasculitis, thrombocytopenia, gastrointestinal disease, multiple sclerosis, and arthritis, but some of these patients go on to develop chronic adverse reactions that persist for at least 1 year following HBV. These types of chronic adverse reactions following adult HBV should be discussed with patients contemplating being immunized with HBV and should be included in the differential diagnosis of those who develop them following adult HBV.
OBJECTIVES: This analysis examined the incidence rate of chronic arthritis adverse reactions reported following adult rubella and hepatitis B vaccinations. In this analysis, etiologic mechanisms for chronic arthritis following adult rubella and hepatitis B vaccines were also explored. METHODS: The Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database was analyzed for the incidence rate of reported cases of chronic arthritis in comparison to Tetanus-diphtheria (Td) and tetanus toxoid adult vaccine control groups. RESULTS: Chronic arthritis adverse reactions following adult rubella vaccination were primarily reported in females (female/male ratio = 3.0), at about 45 years-old, and at a mean onset time of 10-11 days following vaccination. Chronic arthritis adverse reactions following adult hepatitis B vaccination were also primarily reported in females(female/male ratio = 3.5), at about 33 years-old, and with a mean onset time of 16 days following vaccination. The incidence rates of chronic arthritis following adult rubella and adult hepatitis B vaccinations were statistically significantly increased, by chi 2 analysis, in comparison to the adult vaccine control groups. The attributable risk of chronic arthritis following adult rubella vaccine ranged from 32 to 53 and from 5.1 to 9.0 following adult hepatitis B vaccine in comparison to the adult vaccine control groups. CONCLUSION: This study revealed that adult rubella and adult hepatitis B vaccines were statistically associated with chronic arthritis which persisted for at least one year. The etiology for these adverse reactions may involve autoimmune mechanisms. Furthermore, potential biases in the reporting rates of adverse reactions to VAERS were not observed. PMID: 12508767 [PubMed - in process]
External
"A Review of Thimerosal (Merthiolate) and Its Ethylmercury Breakdown Product: Specific Historical Considerations Regarding Safety and Effectiveness"
"A prospective assessment of androgen levels in patients with autistic spectrum disorders: biochemical underpinnings and suggested therapies"
"Neurodevelopmental Disorders After Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines -A Brief Communication (VAERS Database)"
"A Comparative Evaluation of the Effects of MMR Immunization and Thimerosal on the Population Prevalence of Autism (US Dept. of Education - Ecological Study)"
"A Meta-Analysis Study (VAERS Database)"
"A Prospective Study of Rho Immune Globulin as a Risk Factor for Autism (Assessment of Autism Clinic Database - Case-Control Study)"
"A Two-Phased Population Epidemiological Study of the Safety of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines (VAERS & VSD Databases)"
"An Assessment of Downward Trends Following Thimerosal Removal (VAERS Database - Ecological Study"
"An Assessment of the Impact of Thimerosal on Childhood Neurodevelopmental Disorders (VAERS Database & US Dept. of Education data - Ecological Study)"
"An Evaluation of the Effects of Thimerosal on Neurodevelopmental Disorders (VAERS Database)"
"Early Downward Trends in Neurodevelopmental Disorders Following Removal of Thimerosal1 (VAERS Database, and data from California Dept. of Developmental Services & US Dept. of Education - Ecological Study)"
"Neurodevelopmental Disorders Following TCVs - A Follow-up Analysis (VAERS Database)
Thimerosal in Childhood Vaccines - Neurodevelopmental Disorders - Heart Disease in the United States (VAERS Database, and US Dept. of Education - Ecological Study with a review of early Verstraten documents from his study of the VSD Database)"
"A Case-Control Study of Mercury Burden in Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders"
"A Case-Series of Children with Mercury Toxic Encephalopathies"
"Published Hormone Research Article 2006"
"Published Mercury and Testosterone Medical Hypothesis"
"Evolving views on the causes of autistic spectrum disorders"
"Response to Critics"
"Thimerosal Does Not Belong in Vaccines"
"Study Misses Link Between Thimerosal and Neurodevelopmental Disorders"
"Geier and Geier Lancet Published Letter"
"Parents Fears About Thimerosal"
"Response to Comments by JR Mann"
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/...and-beliefs-on-science-and-technology-topics/[h=4]Vaccines and Access to Experimental Treatments – 18-Point Gap[/h]Asked about whether vaccines for childhood diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) and polio should be required or left up to parental choice, 68% of adults say such vaccines should be required while 30% say that parents should be able to decide whether or not to vaccinate their children. Scientists are more likely than the general public to say that such vaccines should be required for all children: 86% of scientists say this compared with 68% among the general public.
Opinion about childhood vaccines among both the public and scientists is about the same as in 2009. Scientists are a bit more likely to say that vaccines should be required (up from 82% to 86% today). Thus the divide between public and scientists’ views has ticked up from 13 to 18 percentage points today.
Patterns Among the General Public
Younger adults are less inclined than older generations to believe vaccines should be required for all children: 37% of adults under age 50 say parents should be able to decide not to vaccinate their children compared with 22% of those ages 50 and older. Men and women hold similar views about requiring vaccines. There are no significant differences in views about this issue by education or race and ethnicity.
CDC just not interested in researching toxins as a cause of autism, despite letters prompting them to from medical experts
http://www.ageofautism.com/2012/05/...looking-at-vaccines-and-toxins-in-autism.html
[h=3]Letter to CDC's Yeargin-Alsopp "Why isn't SEED looking at vaccines and toxins in autism?"[/h]
Managing Editor's Note: Below is a letter sent to Dr. Marshalyn Yeargin- Alsopp, Medical Epidemiologist and Chief of the Developmental Disabilities Branch of the CDC. We'll let you know if Louise Kuo Habakus (in photo), co-editor of Vaccine Epidemic and Executive Director for FocusAutismInc., receives a response.
May 15, 2012
Marshalyn Yeargin-Alsopp, MD
Chief, Developmental Disabilities Branch, NCBDDD
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30333
Re: Congressional briefing on new autism statistics – April 25, 2012
Dear Dr. Yeargin-Alsopp,
I was glad for the opportunity to meet you at the congressional briefing sponsored by Autism Speaks on April 25 in Rayburn. My boss, Barry Segal, was on an extended trip in the Far East and I wanted to update him before sending this letter.
Thank you for your presentation about the new autism prevalence statistics.
During the Question & Answer period, you called on me. I said that I come from New Jersey, where autism affects a shocking 1 in 29 boys. In your Study to Explore Early Development (SEED), you will not be studying toxins. I expressed deep concern that the CDC is not investigating vaccines as a possible link to skyrocketing autism rates, especially in view of peer-reviewed science that raises grave concerns, and numerous parental reports of autism diagnosis following their children’s post-vaccinal regression.
After the meeting ended, I introduced myself to you and you were kind enough to address my question. You explained that you had neither the marching orders nor the funding to pursue a vaccine causation hypothesis. You said that you were sorely in need of additional funding and suggested that I contact your boss to make this recommendation.
As you suggested, I am copying Dr. Frieden. Barry and I are eager for his and your reply.
My best wishes,
Louise Kuo Habakus
Executive Director
C: Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH
Barry Segal, Founder, Focus Autism
Big Pharma will only provide funding if the study proposal is to show NO link. Any study that is aimed at establishing the truth, presence or absence of link, will not be funded since it creates 50% chance of the vaccine product pulled from the market.Every R&D director wants every damn product launched so they don't get the grilling from the CEO.They want their bonuses. You just can't afford one failed project today. Good product, bad product everything gets launched. Watch out.
Posted by: kathy blanco | May 22, 2012 at 08:34 PM
With regard to the planned Rotavirus rollout in the UK .
2 robotic doctors who have put their names behind it can be petitioned at these email addresses : Pleae campaign , people of the UK ......fight for your lives !
George Kassianos (email address: gckassianos@btinternet.com)
Dr Saul Faust(email address: s.faust@soton.ac.uk)
David Salisbury is the lead as usual (not worth talking to in any form whatsoever.)
Posted by: Simpson Wood | May 22, 2012 at 04:38 AM
They have plenty of funding; it is just being mismanaged!!!
CDC Funding map - 2009
http://www.cdc.gov/about/statefundingmaps/default.htm
Posted by: Gail Gurley | May 18, 2012 at 08:59 PM
Waste of time and energy, isn't it?
Asking Marshalyn Yeargin-Alsopp to study what she's trying so hard to cover for more than 12 years now.
Posted by: vaccine.explorer | May 18, 2012 at 01:15 PM
Excellent post Louise! I am still waiting to hear Marshalyn answer the question.
Posted by: Katie Wright | May 18, 2012 at 01:08 PM
The autism epidemic with all the co-morbid conditions seen to increase in this generation of children should be opening the eyes of many to the extensive cost of "trace" toxic exposures, particularly injected ones, but our "healthcare" officials at best seem only interested in safeguarding healthy pharm profits.
I bet they don't even consider seriously looking at non-pharmaceutical exposures. They know they won't find much, and anything they do find will implicate the injected toxins that much more.
[MENTION=9560]Barbara[/MENTION]j: I'm not familiar with MMR research, but I do know they caused increased mortality through the use of a high measles titre vaccine.
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | May 18, 2012 at 04:41 AM
ASk her this.... The human diploid cells that are being used today are from the 60's. What science has been done in modern times on those lines of dead baby. (God rest their souls) I have asked the CDC this question and they got very angry at me for asking.. sent me to some website, where I asked again,,, and they got very angry at me. Why the cover up on the science behind the dead baby dna shot into children daily. How do we know they were normal when the science of the 60's is far different from today.
Posted by: happy | May 17, 2012 at 09:28 PM
lol She'd get marching orders alright-out on her you know what if she ever suggested such a thing! It's a shame how some people sleep at night with so many children's blood on their hands, but we know that they do. The research is there if they cared to look at it, but like most other things it's easier to deny the truth. If you want to explore early development, then you have to explore ALL of early development and not just the pieces that are of interest or concern to you. Vaccines (sadly) are part of almost every developing child's medical life. We should be looking at EVERYTHING. God, these idiots can't even pretend to fake the funk! The CDC doesn't even care how they “appear” enough to just SAY that they are encompassing vaccines as part of looking into children's medical backgrounds as they pertain to their development. They just outright say they are not going to do it!
Posted by: Angie | May 17, 2012 at 07:41 PM
Marshalyn says she needs marching orders from her boss.
"Political translation":
No way! But to keep on my happy, smiling maks face on I'll appear to pass the buck to someone else.
And that buck is being called out by Louise Kuo Habakus -- good job - hold those feet as close and as long as you can to the fire.
Make the mask give way to the really ugly soul that deals beneath if if you can.
BarbaraJ
I read one of those - (I think) Is it the one that vitamin C was needed to be given to the Aborigine children so they wouldn't have so many that had reactions? That a high percentage of them were - oh- horror were dying?
Posted by: Benedetta | May 17, 2012 at 03:58 PM
There were two studies that I recall surrounding the mmr, very old studies ( wish I could find them) where science acknowledged the need for tweaking the vaccines to make them safer. One was a study of Aborigine children who died shortly after receiving the mmr, the other was a study, a following, of a group after receiving the mmr, which concluded that the children died of other illnesses at a much higher rate than unimmunized children. It questioned the effects on the immune system following mmr , a type of deficiency that persisted for five years. Both I believe were in JAMA, could they have been pulled? I would like to re-visit them , does anyone know where they can be found?
Posted by: barbaraj | May 17, 2012 at 01:28 PM
Dear Louise
Dr. Yeargin-Alsopp should have known that she will NEVER get "marching orders" to look at vaccines and Autism. The IOM Immunization Safety Review Committee (ISRC) guaranteed that at its February 9, 2004 meeting and the IOM promptly anointed the committee findings in its May 2004 Report.
On May 18, 2004, the following statement appeared in the National Academies News: “Based on a thorough review of clinical and epidemiological studies, neither the mercury-based vaccine preservative thimerosal nor the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine are associated with autism, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Furthermore, the hypotheses regarding how the MMR vaccine and thimerosal could trigger autism lack supporting evidence and are theoretical only. Further research to find the cause of autism should be directed toward other lines of inquiry that are supported by current knowledge and evidence and offer more promise for providing an answer.”
On May 11, 2005 I wrote a letter to IOM President Harvey V. Fineberg asking him to withdraw the report of the ISRC Meeting of February 2004 and listing the research that had been published in the following 12 months. (See below)
He never answered!
1. Goldman GS, Yazbak FE: An Investigation of the Association between MMR Vaccination and Autism in Denmark. JAmPhysSurg 2004; 9(3):70-75 http://www.jpands.org/vol9no3/goldman.pdf
2. Stott C, Blaxill M, Wakefield AJ: MMR and Autism in Perspective: The Denmark Story. JAmPhysSurg 2004; 9(3):89-91
http://www.jpands.org/vol9no3/stott.pdf
3. Hornig M, Chian D, Lipkin WI. Neurotoxic effects of postnatal thimerosal are mouse strain dependent. Mol Psychiatry. 2004 Sep;9(9):833-45
4. Burbacher TM, Shen DD, Liberato N, Grant KS, Cernichiari E, Clarckson T. Comparison of Blood and Brain Mercury Levels in Infant Monkeys Exposed
to Methylmercury or Vaccines Containing Thimerosal
.http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2005/7712/7712.pdf
5. Waly M, Olteanu H, Banerjee R, Choi SW, Mason JB, Parker BS, Sukumar S, Shim S, Sharma A, Benzecry JM, Power-Charnitsky VA, Deth RC. Activation of methionine synthase by insulin-like growth factor-1 and dopamine: a target for neurodevelopmental toxins and thimerosal. Mol Psychiatry. 2004 Apr;9(4):358-70.
6. James SJ, Slikker W 3rd, Melnyk S, New E, Pogribna M, Jernigan S. Thimerosal neurotoxicity is associated with glutathione depletion: protection with glutathione precursors. Neurotoxicology. 2005 Jan;26(1):1-8.
7. Geier DA, Geier MR. A comparative evaluation of the effects of MMR immunization and mercury doses from thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines on the population prevalence of autism.Med Sci Monit. 2004 Mar;10(3)
I33-9.
8. Geier D, Geier MR. Neurodevelopmental disorders following thimerosal-containing childhood immunizations: a follow-up analysis.
Int J Toxicol. 2004 Nov-Dec;23(6):369-76.
9. Geier DA, Geier MR. A two-phased population epidemiological study of the safety of thimerosal-containing vaccines: a follow-up analysis. Med Sci Monit. 2005 Mar 24;11(4):CR160-170
10. Blaxill MF, L Redwood L, and Bernard S.Thimerosal and autism? A plausible hypothesis that should not be dismissed. Medical Hypotheses; 62: 788–794, 2004.
11. Humphrey ML, Cole MP, Pendergrass JC, Kiningham KK. Mitochondrial Mediated Thimerosal-Induced Apoptosis in a Human Neuroblastoma Cell Line (SK-N-SH). Neurotoxicology. 2005 Apr 30; [Epub ahead of print]
12. Parran DK, Barker A, Ehrich M. Effects of Thimerosal on NGF signal transduction and cell death in neuroblastoma cells Toxicol Sci. 2005 Apr 20; [Epub ahead of print]
13. Havarinasab S, Haggqvist B, Bjorn E, Pollard KM, Hultman P. Immunosuppressive and autoimmune effects of thimerosal in mice. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2005 Apr 15;204(2):109-21.
14. Ueha-Ishibashi T, Tatsuishi T, Iwase K, Nakao H, Umebayashi C, Nishizaki Y, Nishimura Y, Oyama Y, Hirama S, Okano Y. Property of thimerosal-induced decrease in cellular content of glutathione in rat thymocytes: a flow cytometric study with 5-chloromethylfluorescein diacetate.Toxicol In Vitro. 2004 Oct;18(5):563-9
15. http://www.ewg.org/reports/autism/execsumm.php
16. Bradstreet JJ, El Dahr J, Anthony A, Kartzinel JJ, Wakefield AJ. Detection of measles virus genomic RNAin cerebrospinal fuild of children with regressive autism: a report of three cases. JAmPhysSurg 2004;9(2):3845 http://www.jpands.org/vol9no2/bradstreet.pdf
Posted by: F. Edward Yazbak MD | May 17, 2012 at 09:59 AM
People who have misplaced faith in our Health Leaders recite their dogma that damage by vaccine has been studied and found exonerated.
Of course the Ages 0 to 6 years Immunization Chart is NEVER shown by said Health Leaders. After seeing the Chart's 26 injected doses by 7 months (2 flu shots to the infant, 1 shot to the pregnant mother), 43 injected doses by 18 months, the question should be "How could hundreds of injected toxins into newborns NOT cause serious and/or permanent damage, or death by SIDS or SUID?"
Recent specific journal papers by Tomljenovic and Shaw clearly spell out the extreme toxicity of aluminum adjuvants so prevalent in many vaccines.
Here's the Schedule:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/child/0-6yrs-schedule-pr.pdf
Again the question, slightly reworded: "Why would these injected toxins NOT cause serious damage?"
Posted by: david burd | May 17, 2012 at 09:01 AM
We as parents of vaccine injured children of course understand the mentality of the people in charge of autism research, and its causes. They still either think or act like mercury is safe in vaccines, not to mention the other toxins in the formulation, so therefore they refuse to look at it, because they are happy with the fraudulent studies done by Big Pharma. This is the CDC method for some time now, not based on science rather, its based on convenience, in other words what ever type of excuse they'd like to use, and lastly the money factor.
Posted by: Victor Pavlovic | May 17, 2012 at 08:25 AM
Louise:
Thanks for your attempt to hold these hucksters to account. However, after watching the AS sponsored giggle-a-thon congressional hearing, well I think I know what their response will be. As a matter of fact, I can hear the guffaws, snickers and outright belly laughs over your reasonable follow up. Inadequate funding? more like inadequate gravitas.
Posted by: Christine Thompson | May 17, 2012 at 07:27 AM
The only reason the CDC is STILL not investigating the vaccines/autism link, is that they already know the answer.
And that answer will put them in a position of having to answer a lot of hard questions, from a lot of incredibly angry people.
Its also a shame that main stream media continues to shield them from having to that face up to what they've done.
Posted by: Barry | May 17, 2012 at 07:13 AM
Louise ..
why in heaven's name should Marshalyn Yeargin-Alsopp, MD, Chief, Developmental Disabilities Branch, NCBDDD
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .. require "MARCHING ORDERS" .. before urgently researching "peer-reviewed science that raises grave concerns, and numerous parental reports of autism diagnosis following their children’s post-vaccinal regression?"
After all, that is HER job .. no?
Okay .. let's assume the chief of the CDC's development disabilities branch cannot "march" forward until ordered to do so .. who then .. pray-tell .. is responsible for issuing her "marching orders"?
Either way .. parents do not deserve .. nor can parents afford .. having a person occupying a position that requires courageous "leadership" .. when that person admits she does not have the courage to lead on her own.
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | May 17, 2012 at 06:55 AM
Marshalyn 'never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity', notably when she fixed up the Madsen study with Poul Thorsen and Jose Cordero (lately also appointed to the IACC).
http://www.vaccinationnews.com/sites/default/files/THECDC~1.PDF
You wonder what she knows about the financial irregularites surrounding Thorsen.
Posted by: John Stone | May 17, 2012 at 06:47 AM
http://www.ageofautism.com/2012/05/...looking-at-vaccines-and-toxins-in-autism.html
[h=3]Letter to CDC's Yeargin-Alsopp "Why isn't SEED looking at vaccines and toxins in autism?"[/h]
May 15, 2012
Marshalyn Yeargin-Alsopp, MD
Chief, Developmental Disabilities Branch, NCBDDD
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road
Atlanta, GA 30333
Re: Congressional briefing on new autism statistics – April 25, 2012
Dear Dr. Yeargin-Alsopp,
I was glad for the opportunity to meet you at the congressional briefing sponsored by Autism Speaks on April 25 in Rayburn. My boss, Barry Segal, was on an extended trip in the Far East and I wanted to update him before sending this letter.
Thank you for your presentation about the new autism prevalence statistics.
During the Question & Answer period, you called on me. I said that I come from New Jersey, where autism affects a shocking 1 in 29 boys. In your Study to Explore Early Development (SEED), you will not be studying toxins. I expressed deep concern that the CDC is not investigating vaccines as a possible link to skyrocketing autism rates, especially in view of peer-reviewed science that raises grave concerns, and numerous parental reports of autism diagnosis following their children’s post-vaccinal regression.
After the meeting ended, I introduced myself to you and you were kind enough to address my question. You explained that you had neither the marching orders nor the funding to pursue a vaccine causation hypothesis. You said that you were sorely in need of additional funding and suggested that I contact your boss to make this recommendation.
As you suggested, I am copying Dr. Frieden. Barry and I are eager for his and your reply.
My best wishes,
Louise Kuo Habakus
Executive Director
C: Thomas Frieden, MD, MPH
Barry Segal, Founder, Focus Autism
Big Pharma will only provide funding if the study proposal is to show NO link. Any study that is aimed at establishing the truth, presence or absence of link, will not be funded since it creates 50% chance of the vaccine product pulled from the market.Every R&D director wants every damn product launched so they don't get the grilling from the CEO.They want their bonuses. You just can't afford one failed project today. Good product, bad product everything gets launched. Watch out.
Posted by: kathy blanco | May 22, 2012 at 08:34 PM
With regard to the planned Rotavirus rollout in the UK .
2 robotic doctors who have put their names behind it can be petitioned at these email addresses : Pleae campaign , people of the UK ......fight for your lives !
George Kassianos (email address: gckassianos@btinternet.com)
Dr Saul Faust(email address: s.faust@soton.ac.uk)
David Salisbury is the lead as usual (not worth talking to in any form whatsoever.)
Posted by: Simpson Wood | May 22, 2012 at 04:38 AM
They have plenty of funding; it is just being mismanaged!!!
CDC Funding map - 2009
http://www.cdc.gov/about/statefundingmaps/default.htm
Posted by: Gail Gurley | May 18, 2012 at 08:59 PM
Waste of time and energy, isn't it?
Asking Marshalyn Yeargin-Alsopp to study what she's trying so hard to cover for more than 12 years now.
Posted by: vaccine.explorer | May 18, 2012 at 01:15 PM
Excellent post Louise! I am still waiting to hear Marshalyn answer the question.
Posted by: Katie Wright | May 18, 2012 at 01:08 PM
The autism epidemic with all the co-morbid conditions seen to increase in this generation of children should be opening the eyes of many to the extensive cost of "trace" toxic exposures, particularly injected ones, but our "healthcare" officials at best seem only interested in safeguarding healthy pharm profits.
I bet they don't even consider seriously looking at non-pharmaceutical exposures. They know they won't find much, and anything they do find will implicate the injected toxins that much more.
[MENTION=9560]Barbara[/MENTION]j: I'm not familiar with MMR research, but I do know they caused increased mortality through the use of a high measles titre vaccine.
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | May 18, 2012 at 04:41 AM
ASk her this.... The human diploid cells that are being used today are from the 60's. What science has been done in modern times on those lines of dead baby. (God rest their souls) I have asked the CDC this question and they got very angry at me for asking.. sent me to some website, where I asked again,,, and they got very angry at me. Why the cover up on the science behind the dead baby dna shot into children daily. How do we know they were normal when the science of the 60's is far different from today.
Posted by: happy | May 17, 2012 at 09:28 PM
lol She'd get marching orders alright-out on her you know what if she ever suggested such a thing! It's a shame how some people sleep at night with so many children's blood on their hands, but we know that they do. The research is there if they cared to look at it, but like most other things it's easier to deny the truth. If you want to explore early development, then you have to explore ALL of early development and not just the pieces that are of interest or concern to you. Vaccines (sadly) are part of almost every developing child's medical life. We should be looking at EVERYTHING. God, these idiots can't even pretend to fake the funk! The CDC doesn't even care how they “appear” enough to just SAY that they are encompassing vaccines as part of looking into children's medical backgrounds as they pertain to their development. They just outright say they are not going to do it!
Posted by: Angie | May 17, 2012 at 07:41 PM
Marshalyn says she needs marching orders from her boss.
"Political translation":
No way! But to keep on my happy, smiling maks face on I'll appear to pass the buck to someone else.
And that buck is being called out by Louise Kuo Habakus -- good job - hold those feet as close and as long as you can to the fire.
Make the mask give way to the really ugly soul that deals beneath if if you can.
BarbaraJ
I read one of those - (I think) Is it the one that vitamin C was needed to be given to the Aborigine children so they wouldn't have so many that had reactions? That a high percentage of them were - oh- horror were dying?
Posted by: Benedetta | May 17, 2012 at 03:58 PM
There were two studies that I recall surrounding the mmr, very old studies ( wish I could find them) where science acknowledged the need for tweaking the vaccines to make them safer. One was a study of Aborigine children who died shortly after receiving the mmr, the other was a study, a following, of a group after receiving the mmr, which concluded that the children died of other illnesses at a much higher rate than unimmunized children. It questioned the effects on the immune system following mmr , a type of deficiency that persisted for five years. Both I believe were in JAMA, could they have been pulled? I would like to re-visit them , does anyone know where they can be found?
Posted by: barbaraj | May 17, 2012 at 01:28 PM
Dear Louise
Dr. Yeargin-Alsopp should have known that she will NEVER get "marching orders" to look at vaccines and Autism. The IOM Immunization Safety Review Committee (ISRC) guaranteed that at its February 9, 2004 meeting and the IOM promptly anointed the committee findings in its May 2004 Report.
On May 18, 2004, the following statement appeared in the National Academies News: “Based on a thorough review of clinical and epidemiological studies, neither the mercury-based vaccine preservative thimerosal nor the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine are associated with autism, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. Furthermore, the hypotheses regarding how the MMR vaccine and thimerosal could trigger autism lack supporting evidence and are theoretical only. Further research to find the cause of autism should be directed toward other lines of inquiry that are supported by current knowledge and evidence and offer more promise for providing an answer.”
On May 11, 2005 I wrote a letter to IOM President Harvey V. Fineberg asking him to withdraw the report of the ISRC Meeting of February 2004 and listing the research that had been published in the following 12 months. (See below)
He never answered!
1. Goldman GS, Yazbak FE: An Investigation of the Association between MMR Vaccination and Autism in Denmark. JAmPhysSurg 2004; 9(3):70-75 http://www.jpands.org/vol9no3/goldman.pdf
2. Stott C, Blaxill M, Wakefield AJ: MMR and Autism in Perspective: The Denmark Story. JAmPhysSurg 2004; 9(3):89-91
http://www.jpands.org/vol9no3/stott.pdf
3. Hornig M, Chian D, Lipkin WI. Neurotoxic effects of postnatal thimerosal are mouse strain dependent. Mol Psychiatry. 2004 Sep;9(9):833-45
4. Burbacher TM, Shen DD, Liberato N, Grant KS, Cernichiari E, Clarckson T. Comparison of Blood and Brain Mercury Levels in Infant Monkeys Exposed
to Methylmercury or Vaccines Containing Thimerosal
.http://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/members/2005/7712/7712.pdf
5. Waly M, Olteanu H, Banerjee R, Choi SW, Mason JB, Parker BS, Sukumar S, Shim S, Sharma A, Benzecry JM, Power-Charnitsky VA, Deth RC. Activation of methionine synthase by insulin-like growth factor-1 and dopamine: a target for neurodevelopmental toxins and thimerosal. Mol Psychiatry. 2004 Apr;9(4):358-70.
6. James SJ, Slikker W 3rd, Melnyk S, New E, Pogribna M, Jernigan S. Thimerosal neurotoxicity is associated with glutathione depletion: protection with glutathione precursors. Neurotoxicology. 2005 Jan;26(1):1-8.
7. Geier DA, Geier MR. A comparative evaluation of the effects of MMR immunization and mercury doses from thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines on the population prevalence of autism.Med Sci Monit. 2004 Mar;10(3)
I33-9.8. Geier D, Geier MR. Neurodevelopmental disorders following thimerosal-containing childhood immunizations: a follow-up analysis.
Int J Toxicol. 2004 Nov-Dec;23(6):369-76.
9. Geier DA, Geier MR. A two-phased population epidemiological study of the safety of thimerosal-containing vaccines: a follow-up analysis. Med Sci Monit. 2005 Mar 24;11(4):CR160-170
10. Blaxill MF, L Redwood L, and Bernard S.Thimerosal and autism? A plausible hypothesis that should not be dismissed. Medical Hypotheses; 62: 788–794, 2004.
11. Humphrey ML, Cole MP, Pendergrass JC, Kiningham KK. Mitochondrial Mediated Thimerosal-Induced Apoptosis in a Human Neuroblastoma Cell Line (SK-N-SH). Neurotoxicology. 2005 Apr 30; [Epub ahead of print]
12. Parran DK, Barker A, Ehrich M. Effects of Thimerosal on NGF signal transduction and cell death in neuroblastoma cells Toxicol Sci. 2005 Apr 20; [Epub ahead of print]
13. Havarinasab S, Haggqvist B, Bjorn E, Pollard KM, Hultman P. Immunosuppressive and autoimmune effects of thimerosal in mice. Toxicol Appl Pharmacol. 2005 Apr 15;204(2):109-21.
14. Ueha-Ishibashi T, Tatsuishi T, Iwase K, Nakao H, Umebayashi C, Nishizaki Y, Nishimura Y, Oyama Y, Hirama S, Okano Y. Property of thimerosal-induced decrease in cellular content of glutathione in rat thymocytes: a flow cytometric study with 5-chloromethylfluorescein diacetate.Toxicol In Vitro. 2004 Oct;18(5):563-9
15. http://www.ewg.org/reports/autism/execsumm.php
16. Bradstreet JJ, El Dahr J, Anthony A, Kartzinel JJ, Wakefield AJ. Detection of measles virus genomic RNAin cerebrospinal fuild of children with regressive autism: a report of three cases. JAmPhysSurg 2004;9(2):3845 http://www.jpands.org/vol9no2/bradstreet.pdf
Posted by: F. Edward Yazbak MD | May 17, 2012 at 09:59 AM
People who have misplaced faith in our Health Leaders recite their dogma that damage by vaccine has been studied and found exonerated.
Of course the Ages 0 to 6 years Immunization Chart is NEVER shown by said Health Leaders. After seeing the Chart's 26 injected doses by 7 months (2 flu shots to the infant, 1 shot to the pregnant mother), 43 injected doses by 18 months, the question should be "How could hundreds of injected toxins into newborns NOT cause serious and/or permanent damage, or death by SIDS or SUID?"
Recent specific journal papers by Tomljenovic and Shaw clearly spell out the extreme toxicity of aluminum adjuvants so prevalent in many vaccines.
Here's the Schedule:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/child/0-6yrs-schedule-pr.pdf
Again the question, slightly reworded: "Why would these injected toxins NOT cause serious damage?"
Posted by: david burd | May 17, 2012 at 09:01 AM
We as parents of vaccine injured children of course understand the mentality of the people in charge of autism research, and its causes. They still either think or act like mercury is safe in vaccines, not to mention the other toxins in the formulation, so therefore they refuse to look at it, because they are happy with the fraudulent studies done by Big Pharma. This is the CDC method for some time now, not based on science rather, its based on convenience, in other words what ever type of excuse they'd like to use, and lastly the money factor.
Posted by: Victor Pavlovic | May 17, 2012 at 08:25 AM
Louise:
Thanks for your attempt to hold these hucksters to account. However, after watching the AS sponsored giggle-a-thon congressional hearing, well I think I know what their response will be. As a matter of fact, I can hear the guffaws, snickers and outright belly laughs over your reasonable follow up. Inadequate funding? more like inadequate gravitas.
Posted by: Christine Thompson | May 17, 2012 at 07:27 AM
The only reason the CDC is STILL not investigating the vaccines/autism link, is that they already know the answer.
And that answer will put them in a position of having to answer a lot of hard questions, from a lot of incredibly angry people.
Its also a shame that main stream media continues to shield them from having to that face up to what they've done.
Posted by: Barry | May 17, 2012 at 07:13 AM
Louise ..
why in heaven's name should Marshalyn Yeargin-Alsopp, MD, Chief, Developmental Disabilities Branch, NCBDDD
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .. require "MARCHING ORDERS" .. before urgently researching "peer-reviewed science that raises grave concerns, and numerous parental reports of autism diagnosis following their children’s post-vaccinal regression?"
After all, that is HER job .. no?
Okay .. let's assume the chief of the CDC's development disabilities branch cannot "march" forward until ordered to do so .. who then .. pray-tell .. is responsible for issuing her "marching orders"?
Either way .. parents do not deserve .. nor can parents afford .. having a person occupying a position that requires courageous "leadership" .. when that person admits she does not have the courage to lead on her own.
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | May 17, 2012 at 06:55 AM
Marshalyn 'never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity', notably when she fixed up the Madsen study with Poul Thorsen and Jose Cordero (lately also appointed to the IACC).
http://www.vaccinationnews.com/sites/default/files/THECDC~1.PDF
You wonder what she knows about the financial irregularites surrounding Thorsen.
Posted by: John Stone | May 17, 2012 at 06:47 AM
i can't believe I watched this, it is a terrible editing job, he never admits to anything....who is supposed to be influenced by this kind of rubbish?
I have yet to weigh in on this subject because some obviously believe that it goes much deeper than it may or may not go.
Yes, our government and other governments purposefully infected people with fucked up things.
They have sprayed cites with all sorts of chemicals..this is quite well documented.
That said…I get my vaccines…not for the flu, because that one is BS…dying from something like the measles or whooping cough or rubella, or tetanus from christ sake is retarded when we have vaccines that work. If we don’t get fucked this way then our fillings are toxic…or the water is toxic…or we have radon seeping into our homes.
That’s all I’m saying on this subject.
Yes, our government and other governments purposefully infected people with fucked up things.
They have sprayed cites with all sorts of chemicals..this is quite well documented.
That said…I get my vaccines…not for the flu, because that one is BS…dying from something like the measles or whooping cough or rubella, or tetanus from christ sake is retarded when we have vaccines that work. If we don’t get fucked this way then our fillings are toxic…or the water is toxic…or we have radon seeping into our homes.
That’s all I’m saying on this subject.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/stevensalzberg/2012/12/03/congress-holds-an-anti-vaccination-hearing/
Steven Salzberg Contributor Fighting Pseudoscience
Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
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[h=5]Pharma & Healthcare 12/03/2012 @ 6:30AM 54,236 views[/h] [h=1]Congress Holds An Anti-Vaccination Hearing[/h] Comment Now Follow Comments
Chicago Department of Health (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I was in my car yesterday listening to C-SPAN (yes, I do that sometimes), when to my stunned surprise I heard Congressman Dan Burton launch into a diatribe on how mercury in vaccines causes autism. No, this was not a replay of a recording from a decade ago. The hearing was held just a few days ago by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
Congressman Burton used this hearing to rehash a series of some of the most thoroughly discredited anti-vaccine positions of the past decade. Burton is a firm believer in the myth that vaccines cause autism, and he arrogantly holds the position that he knows the truth better than the thousands of scientists who have spent much of the past decade doing real science that proves him wrong.
In a classic political move, the committee called on scientists Alan Guttmacher from the NIH and Colleen Boyle from the CDC to testify, but in fact the committee just wanted to bully the scientists. Committee members lectured the scientists, throwing out bad science claims, often disguised as questions, thick and fast. Alas, Guttmacher and Boyle weren’t prepared for this kind of rapid-fire assault by pseudoscience.
Burton himself was the worst offender, offering anecdotes and bad science with an air of authority. He stated bluntly:
“I’m convinced that the mercury in vaccinations is a contributing factor to neurological diseases such as autism.”No, it isn’t. Dozens of studies, involving hundreds of thousands of children, have found the same thing: there is no link whatsoever between thimerosal and autism, or between vaccines and autism. And Burton went off the deep end with this:
“It wasn’t so bad when a child gets one or two or three vaccines… Mercury accumulates in the brain until it has to be chelated.”Bang bang, two false claims in 10 seconds. First he claims that mercury from vaccines “accumulates in the brain”, a statement with no scientific support at all. Then he claims that chelation therapy is the solution – a radical, potentially very harmful treatment that no sensible parent would ever force on their child. Unfortunately, some quack doctors have experimented with chelation therapy on autistic children, despite that fact that it can cause deadly liver and kidney damage, and one of them caused the death of a 5-year-old boy in 2005.
Burton also claimed that single-shot vials would “eliminate the possibilty of neurological damage from vaccines” – a claim that was invented out of thin air by the discredited anti-vax doctor Andrew Wakefield, whose fraudulent 1998 study was the spark that started the current wave of anti-vax hysteria.
Congressman Bill Posey from Florida was just as bad as Burton, demanding a study of vaccinated versus unvaccinated children, a standard talking point of the anti-vax movement. (Congressman Posey: do you even realize that your question is almost identical to what Jenny McCarthy asked five years ago, on the Larry King Live show?) Here’s his question to the CDC’s Boyle:
“I wonder if the CDC has conducted or facilitated a study comparing vaccinated children with unvaccinated children yet – have you done that?”Dr. Boyle wasn’t prepared for this. She tried to point out that many studies have been done looking at the relation between vaccines and autism, but she didn’t get very far before interrupted, thus:
Rep. Posey: “So clearly, definitely, unequivocally, you have studied vaccinated versus unvaccinated?”
Dr. Boyle: “We have not studied vaccinated versus unvaccinated.”
Posey: “Never mind. Stop there. That was the meaning of my question. You wasted two minutes of my time.”Dr. Boyle simply wasn’t prepared for a Congressman who was parroting anti-vax activists. It’s too late now, but her response should have been this:
Congressman Posey, only an extremely unethical scientist would consider conducting such a study. To compare vaccinated versus unvaccinated children in the manner you suggest, one would have to withhold vaccines from young children. We know from decades of evidence, involving tens of millions of children, that vaccines save lives. Few if any medical interventions are more effective than vaccines.
But Congressman, the scientific community has done observational studies of vaccinated versus unvaccinated children, comparing autism rates in children whose parents chose not to vaccinate. Those studies show that autism rates were slightly higher in unvaccinated children. That’s right, vaccinated children had autism at a lower rate.
So no, Congressman Posey, the CDC hasn’t done a study of vaccinated versus unvaccinated children. Only a corrupt dictatorship could impose a study like that on its people. Is that what you want?To make matters worse, the House committee invited Mark Blaxill to testify. Blaxill is a well-known anti-vaccine activist whose organization, SafeMinds, seems to revolve around the bogus claim that mercury in vaccines causes autism. His organization urges parents not to vaccinate their children, and giving him such a prominent platform only serves to spread misinformation among parents of young children.
Blaxill’s central claim is that that we’re in the midst of an autism epidemic:
“For a long time, reported U.S. autism rates were low, estimated at about 1 in 10,000. Then around 1990 something new and terrible happened to a generation of children. Autism rates didn’t just rise, they multiplied,” claimed Blaxill in his written testimony.His entire argument builds on this. Yet multiple studies, looking carefully and objectively at the data, indicate that all or nearly all of the rise in autism cases is due to increasing diagnoses, which in turn is due to multiple factors: a dramatically broading of the definition of autism in the early 1990s, a greater awareness of the condition, and a greater willingness of doctors and parents to accept the diagnosis. For an objective summary of the evidence, see the articles by neurologist Steven Novella here and here, which summarize a dozen epidemiological studies. The weight of the evidence shows that the actual incidence of autism is either stable or possibly rising very slowly. There is no “autism epidemic.”
It’s also worth pointing out that Blaxill is a conspiracy theorist who claims that the “CDC has actively covered up the evidence surrounding autism’s environmental causes.”
Congress has every right to conduct oversight into medical research at the NIH and the CDC. But when Dan Burton, Bob Posey, and others decide in advance what the science says, and abuse their power to demand “answers” that validate their badly mistaken beliefs, people can be harmed. Over the past decade, the anti-vaccine movement has successfully convinced millions of parents to leave their kids unvaccinated, and the result has been serious outbreaks of whooping cough, haemophilus, measles, chicken pox, and mumps around the U.S. and Europe.
Some anti-vax parents claim that these childhood illnesses aren’t so bad. I wish they would talk to the parents of young children who have died in recent whooping cough outbreaks. These illnesses can be deadly.
Message to Congress: science isn’t easy, and autism is complicated. Don’t criticize science when it doesn’t give you the answer you thought you knew. That’s not how science works. Thousands of scientists are now trying to identify the causes of autism, and they’ve made progress, especially on the genetic front. The answer might not be simple, but we will find it.
developmental progress, which fits under the generalized heading of Pervasive Developmental Delay, or PDD. The Court found that Bailey would not have suffered this delay but for the administration of the MMR vaccine, and that this chain of causation was not too remote, but was rather a proximate sequence of cause and effect leading inexorably from vaccination to Pervasive Developmental Delay.”
- “Moving on to the alternative hypothesis/diagnosis of autism, Dr. Lopez distinguishes autism as a more generalized condition without a known etiology, and contrasted it to Bailey’s condition, which he says is clearly attributable to demyelination based on neuroimaging evidence. Tr. at 41-42. Dr. Lopez also differentiated Bailey’s condition from autism, because Bailey has been affected in more than one developmental skill area; he clarified by stating that Bailey has “induced pervasive developmental delay…due to ADEM.” Tr. at 32. He noted that the conflation of designations resulted from a medical convention created for the sake of explanation to laymen, but that the two are not properly interchangeable, but actually quite distinct. Id. Speaking more directly, Dr. Lopez stated that “Bailey does not have autism because he has a reason for his deficits.”
There is peculiar circularity here the argument is that it is not classic autism just because it has a known cause, which is of course what many other parents would argue (nor would it be unique for an autism diagnosis to be associated with other loss of skills, as here). So, maybe it is not classic autism, but then perhaps if you are arguing damage as a cause it wouldn’t be.
So, what’s your point? The vaccine caused PDD (Pervasive Development Delay or Disorder), which by the way is the term rather than autism that Wakefield used in his much maligned paper. Incidentally, the HHS told Sharyl Attkisson in an email:
“We have compensated cases in which children exhibited an encephalopathy, or general brain disease. Encephalopathy may be accompanied by a medical progression of an array of symptoms including autistic behavior, autism, or seizures.”
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20016356-10391695.html
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Robert Murdoch AP 1 year ago
Good one!
Reply- [video=youtube;8evktfFRsMM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8evktfFRsMM[/video]
Anne Dachel 2 years ago
The short trailer to the movie The Greater Good http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulmEGbwQsOU makes it clear that there are experts on both sides and a lot of serious questions that need to be asked. The medical community and health officials promote vaccines as the greatest achievement in modern medicine yet there is growing fear over vaccine side effects.
There are over 200 independent studies done by well-credentialed experts that raise serious concerns about vaccine side effects shown on The Greater Good website. http://www.greatergoodmovie.org/learn-more/research/
Also see the National Vaccine Information Center http://www.nvic.org/,
Anne Dachel, Media editor: Age of Autism http://www.ageofautism.com/
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http://vactruth.com/2015/04/23/baby-...r-13-vaccines/
Six Month-Old Baby Dies Just Five Days After Receiving 13 Vaccines
Christina England
April 23 2015
Imagine being emotionally blackmailed by your doctor to have your baby vaccinated with a lethal cocktail of 13 vaccines, which included two doses of the DTaP, three doses of the oral rotavirus vaccine and two doses of the polio vaccination. It sounds impossible, doesn’t it?
However, this is exactly what happened to Alisa Neathery when she took her six month-old unvaccinated baby to the doctor for the first time.
She told VacTruth:
“Prior to the shots being given, when the doctor was discussing the pros of getting vaccinated with me, he explained how he was from a village in Africa. That we were lucky in America to have the opportunity to receive vaccines because where he was from, the mothers had to have like 11 kids each, since most would die off from disease because they were not as fortunate to receive vaccines like we are here in America. He really pushed them on me hard. He spent a lot of time convincing me to give Bently the vaccines, but when it was done, we never saw the doctor again.”
According to Alisa, the doctor spent a long time deciding exactly which vaccinations Bently should receive and told Alisa that they shouldn’t give him too many. The doctor eventually decided on a total of 13 vaccinations, which Alisa now believes led to Bently’s death just five days later.
If this were not bad enough, the hospital then decided to blame Alisa for Bently’s death and called child protective services (CPS), who immediately removed her two year-old daughter from the home and gave her to the grandmother to care for her.
Fortunately, her daughter was returned a few months later.
Imagine being emotionally blackmailed by your doctor to have your baby vaccinated with a lethal cocktail of 13 vaccines, which included two doses of the DTaP, three doses of the oral rotavirus vaccine and two doses of the polio vaccination. It sounds impossible, doesn’t it?
However, this is exactly what happened to Alisa Neathery when she took her six month-old unvaccinated baby to the doctor for the first time.
She told VacTruth:
“Prior to the shots being given, when the doctor was discussing the pros of getting vaccinated with me, he explained how he was from a village in Africa. That we were lucky in America to have the opportunity to receive vaccines because where he was from, the mothers had to have like 11 kids each, since most would die off from disease because they were not as fortunate to receive vaccines like we are here in America. He really pushed them on me hard. He spent a lot of time convincing me to give Bently the vaccines, but when it was done, we never saw the doctor again.”
According to Alisa, the doctor spent a long time deciding exactly which vaccinations Bently should receive and told Alisa that they shouldn’t give him too many. The doctor eventually decided on a total of 13 vaccinations, which Alisa now believes led to Bently’s death just five days later.
If this were not bad enough, the hospital then decided to blame Alisa for Bently’s death and called child protective services (CPS), who immediately removed her two year-old daughter from the home and gave her to the grandmother to care for her.
Fortunately, her daughter was returned a few months later.
Dr. Offit Says Babies Can Tolorate 10,000 Vaccines In One Day
In 2002, Dr. Paul Offit wrote a paper entitled Addressing Parents’ Concerns: Do Multiple Vaccines Overwhelm or Weaken the Infant’s Immune System? In his paper, he explained to parents that an infant can theoretically tolerate as many as 10,000 vaccinations at any one time and that a neonate could develop the capacity to respond to foreign antigens before they are even born.
He wrote that:
“A more practical way to determine the diversity of the immune response would be to estimate the number of vaccines to which a child could respond at one time. If we assume that 1) approximately 10 ng/mL of antibody is likely to be an effective concentration of antibody per epitope (an immunologically distinct region of a protein or polysaccharide), 2) generation of 10 ng/mL requires approximately 103 B-cells per mL,3) a single B-cell clone takes about 1 week to reach the 103 progeny B-cells required to secrete 10 ng/mL of antibody (therefore, vaccine-epitope-specific immune responses found about 1 week after immunization can be generated initially from a single B-cell clone per mL), 4) each vaccine contains approximately 100 antigens and 10 epitopes per antigen (ie, 103 epitopes), and 5) approximately 107 B cells are present per mL of circulating blood, then each infant would have the theoretical capacity to respond to about 10 000 vaccines at any one time (obtained by dividing 107 B cells per mL by 103 epitopes per vaccine).”
And he continued by adding:
“Of course, most vaccines contain far fewer than 100 antigens (for example, the hepatitis B, diphtheria, and tetanus vaccines each contain 1 antigen), so the estimated number of vaccines to which a child could respond is conservative. But using this estimate, we would predict that if 11 vaccines were given to infants at one time, then about 0.1% of the immune system would be ‘used up.’” [1]
Dr. Offit used the words estimate and predict throughout his paper, which leads many to believe that this paper was based upon POSSIBLE outcomes and contained very little scientific fact.
Sadly, it appears that Dr. Offit’s words were taken seriously by Bently’s doctor when he decided to vaccinate this previously unvaccinated baby with a total of 13 vaccinations in one day, in what can only be described as a bid to catch up.
The vaccinations included:
Bently was also given three other vaccinations, which appear to be unidentified on his vaccination card, plus the hepatitis B vaccine and oral polio vaccine.
Little Bently died in his mother’s arms just five days later.
Alisa told VacTruth:
“My son Bently was almost 6 months old when I took him to the doctor for a visit and to begin his first round of vaccinations. I had decided to wait on his vaccinations until he was closer to the age when the sudden infant death (SIDS) rate lowers to begin him on the recommended vaccinations.
That day was April 5, 2012. He did have some congestion in his lungs. The doctor stated it was a slight congestion and that everything would be just fine. He was completely healthy and above his percentile for his age.
The doctor gave him 2 rounds of DTaP in one shot. I did not know this at the time. I didn’t find this out until after my son passed away and I went up to the doctor’s office to ask for his medical report from our visit. That particular injection was the worst for him.
As soon as they stabbed him with the needle, he let out a giant scream. After that, he was not the same. This injection actually happened to turn into a hard red knot on his leg where they stabbed him with DTaP. Even until he was laid to rest one month later, he still has the same hard red knot. I was never asked about why it was there.”
She continued by stating:
“He wouldn’t let me touch his leg. He screamed and cried constantly. I knew babies were fussy after vaccines, but this was excessive. His little vein in his head would bulge out when he cried. I didn’t know what to do. I had nothing telling me this was in any way unusual.
Within a few days he stopped making eye contact with us and he began to twitch and jerk. One side of his body began to slump slightly. If he was not being held, he would scream and cry constantly.
On April 10, 2012, my son appeared to be exceptionally well and he and my daughter played and watched TV while I cleaned the house. Around noon, my daughter laid down for a nap. Around 2 o’clock, my son began getting very sleepy. So he and I sat in our big chair and he fell asleep on my chest.
Two hours later, my husband came home from work and thought my son wasn’t moving. He woke me up saying the baby wasn’t breathing. All hell broke loose from that point on. Bently was pronounced dead at 5:35 pm. Five days after receiving his first and only round of vaccinations.”
This leaves many of us to question whether Bently’s doctor acted in the best interests of his patient or whether his actions were totally irresponsible and amounted to medical negligence.
Mother Did Not Give Her Full Informed Consent
In recent weeks, Dr. Lucija Tomljenovic was asked by activist parental groups in Texas and California to write an opinion in support of resisting the bills calling for abolishing all exemptions to vaccinations other than medical. [2]
In answer to their request, she wrote:
“Medical ethics demands that vaccination should be carried out with the participant’s full and informed consent. This necessitates an objective disclosure of the known or foreseeable vaccination benefits and risks. The way in which pediatric vaccines are often promoted by various health authorities indicates that such disclosure is rarely given from the basis of best available knowledge but rather, largely unproven and/or untenable assumptions on both, vaccine safety and effectiveness.”
Bently’s mother told VacTruth that she was never informed by her doctor exactly which vaccinations were going to be given to her son, nor was she informed of any risks associated with these vaccinations.
She told VacTruth that:
“The doctor asked me to bring him in each month after that April 5th visit to receive each round of shots in just a few months. He even stated that he didn’t want to give my sons little body too many. However the decision he made to give him 13 vaccines was completely excessive I believe.
Had I of known that’s what he was doing I would have refused. However he wasn’t completely forthcoming about what he was doing that day. As I said it wasn’t until I picked up his medical record a couple weeks later that I noticed the 3 separate sheets of paper with in his file stating what shots were ordered and I noticed that on each one it said DTaP twice.”
Many people may question the reason why Bently’s mother did not ask exactly which vaccinations her son was being given before her son was vaccinated, but she told VacTruth that she trusted her doctor and believed that he knew what he was doing.
Sadly, Alisa is one of thousands of parents trusting their doctors every day.
Many parents are unaware that every vaccination carries some risk of an adverse reaction and this is a fact that Dr. Tomljenovic made very clear in her letter to the members of the California Senate Committee. She wrote:
“All drugs are associated with some risks of adverse reactions. Because vaccines represent a special category of drugs which are by and large given to healthy individuals, and for prophylaxis against diseases to which an individual may never be exposed, the margin of tolerance for side effects is very narrow (in fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concurs with this point [1]) and careful assessment of risks versus benefits essential in deciding whether one should be vaccinated or not. Removing the parental rights to exemptions to childhood vaccinations will put vulnerable but otherwise healthy individuals at risk of serious adverse reactions to vaccinations. Such an outcome should be of concern since serious adverse reactions following routine vaccinations in children, including deaths, permanent neurological damage and disabling autoimmune and/or inflammatory conditions have been clearly described in the scientific literature [2-14]. Notably, cases of seizure attacks and deaths occurring as a result of routine vaccinations have occurred even in children and individuals without any relevant prior medical history [7, 15, 16] and in some cases a direct causal link was established between vaccination and the serious adverse reactions [16].”
In her letter, she referred to a paper written by Ken Tsumiyama et al. and stated that:
“It is further likely that an increasing number of individuals, regardless of their genetic background, will react adversely if exposures to compounds with immune adjuvant properties exceed a certain threshold. This concept has in fact been clearly demonstrated by Tsumiyama et al. [57] who in 2009 showed that repeated immunization with antigen causes systemic autoimmunity in mice otherwise not prone to spontaneous autoimmune diseases.” [2]
Interested by this statement, I decided to research their paper, titled Self-Organized Criticality Theory of Autoimmunity, and discovered that Tsumiyama et al. had concluded:
“Systemic autoimmunity appears to be the inevitable consequence of over-stimulating the host's immune ‘system’ by repeated immunization with antigen, to the levels that surpass system's self-organized criticality.” [3]
If they are correct, then their paper proves that Dr. Paul Offit is incorrect and that multiple vaccinations can overwhelm an infant’s immune system, causing a variety of adverse reactions and, in some cases, death.
In further reference to their paper, Dr. Tomlejenovic stated that:
“It is true that people are exposed constantly to infectious agent in the environment, however, there is a vast difference between natural exposure and that induced by vaccinations. The reason for this is that the immune response induced by vaccination is greatly amplified, owing to the addition of adjuvants with immune-stimulating properties.” [2] (emphasis added)
Her words make absolute perfect sense and parents should ask themselves whether or not their children are being over-vaccinated.
The Lasting Impact Of Bently's Tragic Loss
I asked Alisa how she and her family have coped with the tragedy of losing a baby at such a young age, and if she had any words that she would like to share with other families. She said:
“I wish he were still here! It kills me daily to see my daughter play ALONE. She shouldn't have had to go through this kind of loss, none of us should. He was such a sweetheart. He adored his sister, father and I. All of that was stolen from us the day he received all those vaccines.
After that day, he was no longer the same. It completely ripped my entire family apart. Most of my family thought it must have been my fault because infants just don’t die like that, or so they thought.
All his short life he had been a healthy, happy and extremely content little boy. Ahead of his percentiles and then to just die ... so, to my family, it must have been my fault somehow. They did not support my husband and I. We did nothing to deserve that and it’s all because some dangerous, ignorant doctor decided to ruin our lives and steal all the joy from us by killing our son.
I know without a doubt Bently WOULD STILL BE ALIVE if it weren’t for the vaccines and that damn doctor and the decisions he made that day. He caused my son to lose his life.
Since that day, my grandma, my mom and my husband’s mom have all died. They went to their graves being on bad terms with my husband and me. Again, something we can never get back, and we feel it’s all due to my son’s death being ruled as unexplained.
It was listed on his death certificate as 'S.U.D.S. SUDDEN UNEXPLAINED UNEXPECTED DEATH SYNDROME.' There has been no justice for my son whatsoever. We want answers, answers that we never got! All we have been left with is loss after loss after loss! That is not ok on any level! I will never vaccinate again, period! We cannot afford to lose any more.”
Conclusion
Deciding on whether to vaccinate your baby is never easy. In this case, Alisa decided to hold back on having her baby vaccinated until he was older. She was then emotionally blackmailed and forced into having her baby over-vaccinated with a massive cocktail of vaccines, by whom many would call an overzealous doctor.
She was not offered any information on the vaccinations being given to her baby, she was not given any paperwork and she was not offered any advice on any possible adverse reactions.
Alisa trusted her doctor to do the right thing and was let down in the worse possible way and believes that the doctor should be held accountable for the death of her son. She said:
“No one was ever held accountable for my son Bently's death. That kills me every day.”
She is now bringing a case against her doctor.
If you would like to help Alisa and her family to get justice, please go to Baby Bently’s Support Campaign.
Baby Bently Neathery
References
Six Month-Old Baby Dies Just Five Days After Receiving 13 Vaccines
Christina England
April 23 2015
Imagine being emotionally blackmailed by your doctor to have your baby vaccinated with a lethal cocktail of 13 vaccines, which included two doses of the DTaP, three doses of the oral rotavirus vaccine and two doses of the polio vaccination. It sounds impossible, doesn’t it?
However, this is exactly what happened to Alisa Neathery when she took her six month-old unvaccinated baby to the doctor for the first time.
She told VacTruth:
“Prior to the shots being given, when the doctor was discussing the pros of getting vaccinated with me, he explained how he was from a village in Africa. That we were lucky in America to have the opportunity to receive vaccines because where he was from, the mothers had to have like 11 kids each, since most would die off from disease because they were not as fortunate to receive vaccines like we are here in America. He really pushed them on me hard. He spent a lot of time convincing me to give Bently the vaccines, but when it was done, we never saw the doctor again.”
According to Alisa, the doctor spent a long time deciding exactly which vaccinations Bently should receive and told Alisa that they shouldn’t give him too many. The doctor eventually decided on a total of 13 vaccinations, which Alisa now believes led to Bently’s death just five days later.
If this were not bad enough, the hospital then decided to blame Alisa for Bently’s death and called child protective services (CPS), who immediately removed her two year-old daughter from the home and gave her to the grandmother to care for her.
Fortunately, her daughter was returned a few months later.
Imagine being emotionally blackmailed by your doctor to have your baby vaccinated with a lethal cocktail of 13 vaccines, which included two doses of the DTaP, three doses of the oral rotavirus vaccine and two doses of the polio vaccination. It sounds impossible, doesn’t it?
However, this is exactly what happened to Alisa Neathery when she took her six month-old unvaccinated baby to the doctor for the first time.
She told VacTruth:
“Prior to the shots being given, when the doctor was discussing the pros of getting vaccinated with me, he explained how he was from a village in Africa. That we were lucky in America to have the opportunity to receive vaccines because where he was from, the mothers had to have like 11 kids each, since most would die off from disease because they were not as fortunate to receive vaccines like we are here in America. He really pushed them on me hard. He spent a lot of time convincing me to give Bently the vaccines, but when it was done, we never saw the doctor again.”
According to Alisa, the doctor spent a long time deciding exactly which vaccinations Bently should receive and told Alisa that they shouldn’t give him too many. The doctor eventually decided on a total of 13 vaccinations, which Alisa now believes led to Bently’s death just five days later.
If this were not bad enough, the hospital then decided to blame Alisa for Bently’s death and called child protective services (CPS), who immediately removed her two year-old daughter from the home and gave her to the grandmother to care for her.
Fortunately, her daughter was returned a few months later.
Dr. Offit Says Babies Can Tolorate 10,000 Vaccines In One Day
In 2002, Dr. Paul Offit wrote a paper entitled Addressing Parents’ Concerns: Do Multiple Vaccines Overwhelm or Weaken the Infant’s Immune System? In his paper, he explained to parents that an infant can theoretically tolerate as many as 10,000 vaccinations at any one time and that a neonate could develop the capacity to respond to foreign antigens before they are even born.
He wrote that:
“A more practical way to determine the diversity of the immune response would be to estimate the number of vaccines to which a child could respond at one time. If we assume that 1) approximately 10 ng/mL of antibody is likely to be an effective concentration of antibody per epitope (an immunologically distinct region of a protein or polysaccharide), 2) generation of 10 ng/mL requires approximately 103 B-cells per mL,3) a single B-cell clone takes about 1 week to reach the 103 progeny B-cells required to secrete 10 ng/mL of antibody (therefore, vaccine-epitope-specific immune responses found about 1 week after immunization can be generated initially from a single B-cell clone per mL), 4) each vaccine contains approximately 100 antigens and 10 epitopes per antigen (ie, 103 epitopes), and 5) approximately 107 B cells are present per mL of circulating blood, then each infant would have the theoretical capacity to respond to about 10 000 vaccines at any one time (obtained by dividing 107 B cells per mL by 103 epitopes per vaccine).”
And he continued by adding:
“Of course, most vaccines contain far fewer than 100 antigens (for example, the hepatitis B, diphtheria, and tetanus vaccines each contain 1 antigen), so the estimated number of vaccines to which a child could respond is conservative. But using this estimate, we would predict that if 11 vaccines were given to infants at one time, then about 0.1% of the immune system would be ‘used up.’” [1]
Dr. Offit used the words estimate and predict throughout his paper, which leads many to believe that this paper was based upon POSSIBLE outcomes and contained very little scientific fact.
Sadly, it appears that Dr. Offit’s words were taken seriously by Bently’s doctor when he decided to vaccinate this previously unvaccinated baby with a total of 13 vaccinations in one day, in what can only be described as a bid to catch up.
The vaccinations included:
- Two doses of the DTaP – diptheria, tetanus and pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine
- Hib – haemophilus influenzae type B vaccine
- IPV- inactivated polio vaccine
- Pneumococcal vaccine
- Three doses of oral rotavirus vaccine
Bently was also given three other vaccinations, which appear to be unidentified on his vaccination card, plus the hepatitis B vaccine and oral polio vaccine.
Little Bently died in his mother’s arms just five days later.
Alisa told VacTruth:
“My son Bently was almost 6 months old when I took him to the doctor for a visit and to begin his first round of vaccinations. I had decided to wait on his vaccinations until he was closer to the age when the sudden infant death (SIDS) rate lowers to begin him on the recommended vaccinations.
That day was April 5, 2012. He did have some congestion in his lungs. The doctor stated it was a slight congestion and that everything would be just fine. He was completely healthy and above his percentile for his age.
The doctor gave him 2 rounds of DTaP in one shot. I did not know this at the time. I didn’t find this out until after my son passed away and I went up to the doctor’s office to ask for his medical report from our visit. That particular injection was the worst for him.
As soon as they stabbed him with the needle, he let out a giant scream. After that, he was not the same. This injection actually happened to turn into a hard red knot on his leg where they stabbed him with DTaP. Even until he was laid to rest one month later, he still has the same hard red knot. I was never asked about why it was there.”
She continued by stating:
“He wouldn’t let me touch his leg. He screamed and cried constantly. I knew babies were fussy after vaccines, but this was excessive. His little vein in his head would bulge out when he cried. I didn’t know what to do. I had nothing telling me this was in any way unusual.
Within a few days he stopped making eye contact with us and he began to twitch and jerk. One side of his body began to slump slightly. If he was not being held, he would scream and cry constantly.
On April 10, 2012, my son appeared to be exceptionally well and he and my daughter played and watched TV while I cleaned the house. Around noon, my daughter laid down for a nap. Around 2 o’clock, my son began getting very sleepy. So he and I sat in our big chair and he fell asleep on my chest.
Two hours later, my husband came home from work and thought my son wasn’t moving. He woke me up saying the baby wasn’t breathing. All hell broke loose from that point on. Bently was pronounced dead at 5:35 pm. Five days after receiving his first and only round of vaccinations.”
This leaves many of us to question whether Bently’s doctor acted in the best interests of his patient or whether his actions were totally irresponsible and amounted to medical negligence.
Mother Did Not Give Her Full Informed Consent
In recent weeks, Dr. Lucija Tomljenovic was asked by activist parental groups in Texas and California to write an opinion in support of resisting the bills calling for abolishing all exemptions to vaccinations other than medical. [2]
In answer to their request, she wrote:
“Medical ethics demands that vaccination should be carried out with the participant’s full and informed consent. This necessitates an objective disclosure of the known or foreseeable vaccination benefits and risks. The way in which pediatric vaccines are often promoted by various health authorities indicates that such disclosure is rarely given from the basis of best available knowledge but rather, largely unproven and/or untenable assumptions on both, vaccine safety and effectiveness.”
Bently’s mother told VacTruth that she was never informed by her doctor exactly which vaccinations were going to be given to her son, nor was she informed of any risks associated with these vaccinations.
She told VacTruth that:
“The doctor asked me to bring him in each month after that April 5th visit to receive each round of shots in just a few months. He even stated that he didn’t want to give my sons little body too many. However the decision he made to give him 13 vaccines was completely excessive I believe.
Had I of known that’s what he was doing I would have refused. However he wasn’t completely forthcoming about what he was doing that day. As I said it wasn’t until I picked up his medical record a couple weeks later that I noticed the 3 separate sheets of paper with in his file stating what shots were ordered and I noticed that on each one it said DTaP twice.”
Many people may question the reason why Bently’s mother did not ask exactly which vaccinations her son was being given before her son was vaccinated, but she told VacTruth that she trusted her doctor and believed that he knew what he was doing.
Sadly, Alisa is one of thousands of parents trusting their doctors every day.
Many parents are unaware that every vaccination carries some risk of an adverse reaction and this is a fact that Dr. Tomljenovic made very clear in her letter to the members of the California Senate Committee. She wrote:
“All drugs are associated with some risks of adverse reactions. Because vaccines represent a special category of drugs which are by and large given to healthy individuals, and for prophylaxis against diseases to which an individual may never be exposed, the margin of tolerance for side effects is very narrow (in fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concurs with this point [1]) and careful assessment of risks versus benefits essential in deciding whether one should be vaccinated or not. Removing the parental rights to exemptions to childhood vaccinations will put vulnerable but otherwise healthy individuals at risk of serious adverse reactions to vaccinations. Such an outcome should be of concern since serious adverse reactions following routine vaccinations in children, including deaths, permanent neurological damage and disabling autoimmune and/or inflammatory conditions have been clearly described in the scientific literature [2-14]. Notably, cases of seizure attacks and deaths occurring as a result of routine vaccinations have occurred even in children and individuals without any relevant prior medical history [7, 15, 16] and in some cases a direct causal link was established between vaccination and the serious adverse reactions [16].”
In her letter, she referred to a paper written by Ken Tsumiyama et al. and stated that:
“It is further likely that an increasing number of individuals, regardless of their genetic background, will react adversely if exposures to compounds with immune adjuvant properties exceed a certain threshold. This concept has in fact been clearly demonstrated by Tsumiyama et al. [57] who in 2009 showed that repeated immunization with antigen causes systemic autoimmunity in mice otherwise not prone to spontaneous autoimmune diseases.” [2]
Interested by this statement, I decided to research their paper, titled Self-Organized Criticality Theory of Autoimmunity, and discovered that Tsumiyama et al. had concluded:
“Systemic autoimmunity appears to be the inevitable consequence of over-stimulating the host's immune ‘system’ by repeated immunization with antigen, to the levels that surpass system's self-organized criticality.” [3]
If they are correct, then their paper proves that Dr. Paul Offit is incorrect and that multiple vaccinations can overwhelm an infant’s immune system, causing a variety of adverse reactions and, in some cases, death.
In further reference to their paper, Dr. Tomlejenovic stated that:
“It is true that people are exposed constantly to infectious agent in the environment, however, there is a vast difference between natural exposure and that induced by vaccinations. The reason for this is that the immune response induced by vaccination is greatly amplified, owing to the addition of adjuvants with immune-stimulating properties.” [2] (emphasis added)
Her words make absolute perfect sense and parents should ask themselves whether or not their children are being over-vaccinated.
The Lasting Impact Of Bently's Tragic Loss
I asked Alisa how she and her family have coped with the tragedy of losing a baby at such a young age, and if she had any words that she would like to share with other families. She said:
“I wish he were still here! It kills me daily to see my daughter play ALONE. She shouldn't have had to go through this kind of loss, none of us should. He was such a sweetheart. He adored his sister, father and I. All of that was stolen from us the day he received all those vaccines.
After that day, he was no longer the same. It completely ripped my entire family apart. Most of my family thought it must have been my fault because infants just don’t die like that, or so they thought.
All his short life he had been a healthy, happy and extremely content little boy. Ahead of his percentiles and then to just die ... so, to my family, it must have been my fault somehow. They did not support my husband and I. We did nothing to deserve that and it’s all because some dangerous, ignorant doctor decided to ruin our lives and steal all the joy from us by killing our son.
I know without a doubt Bently WOULD STILL BE ALIVE if it weren’t for the vaccines and that damn doctor and the decisions he made that day. He caused my son to lose his life.
Since that day, my grandma, my mom and my husband’s mom have all died. They went to their graves being on bad terms with my husband and me. Again, something we can never get back, and we feel it’s all due to my son’s death being ruled as unexplained.
It was listed on his death certificate as 'S.U.D.S. SUDDEN UNEXPLAINED UNEXPECTED DEATH SYNDROME.' There has been no justice for my son whatsoever. We want answers, answers that we never got! All we have been left with is loss after loss after loss! That is not ok on any level! I will never vaccinate again, period! We cannot afford to lose any more.”
Conclusion
Deciding on whether to vaccinate your baby is never easy. In this case, Alisa decided to hold back on having her baby vaccinated until he was older. She was then emotionally blackmailed and forced into having her baby over-vaccinated with a massive cocktail of vaccines, by whom many would call an overzealous doctor.
She was not offered any information on the vaccinations being given to her baby, she was not given any paperwork and she was not offered any advice on any possible adverse reactions.
Alisa trusted her doctor to do the right thing and was let down in the worse possible way and believes that the doctor should be held accountable for the death of her son. She said:
“No one was ever held accountable for my son Bently's death. That kills me every day.”
She is now bringing a case against her doctor.
If you would like to help Alisa and her family to get justice, please go to Baby Bently’s Support Campaign.
Baby Bently Neathery
References
Here is what was said:
http://healthimpactnews.com/2014/cd...cine-link-to-autism-in-african-american-boys/
[h=3]UPDATE: Whistleblower revealed as Dr. William Thompson.[/h] [h=4]Whistleblower Says CDC Knew in 2003 of Higher Autism Rate Among African-American Boys Receiving MMR Shot Earlier Than 36 Months[/h] by Focus Autism
MarketWired
Excerpts:
A top research scientist working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) played a key role in helping Dr. Brian Hooker of the Focus Autism Foundation uncover data manipulation by the CDC that obscured a higher incidence of autism in African-American boys. The whistleblower came to the attention of Hooker, a PhD in biochemical engineering, after he had made a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request for original data on the DeStefano et al MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) and autism study.
Dr. Hooker’s study, published August 8 in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Translational Neurodegeneration, shows that African-American boys receiving their first MMR vaccine before 36 months of age are 3.4 times more likely to develop autism vs. after 36 months.
According to Dr. Hooker, the CDC whistleblower informant — who wishes to remain anonymous — guided him to evidence that a statistically significant relationship between the age the MMR vaccine was first given and autism incidence in African-American boys was hidden by CDC researchers.
Dr. Hooker has worked closely with the CDC whistleblower, and he viewed highly sensitive documents related to the study via Congressional request from U.S. Representative Darrell Issa, Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. The CDC documents from Congress and discussions that Hooker had with the whistleblower reveal widespread manipulation of scientific data and top-down pressure on CDC scientists to support fraudulent application of government policies on vaccine safety. Based on raw data used in the 2004 DeStefano et al study obtained under FOIA, Dr. Hooker found that the link between MMR vaccination and autism in African-American boys was obscured by the introduction of irrelevant and unnecessary birth certificate criteria — ostensibly to reduce the size of the study.
The results of the original study first appeared in the journal Pediatrics which receives financial support from vaccine makers via advertising and direct donations, according to a CBS News report. The DeStefano et al study is widely used by the CDC and other public health organizations to dismiss any link between vaccines and autism — a neurological disorder on the rise. Dr. Hooker stated “The CDC knew about the relationship between the age of first MMR vaccine and autism incidence in African-American boys as early as 2003, but chose to cover it up.”
The whistleblower confirmed this.
“We’ve missed ten years of research because the CDC is so paralyzed right now by anything related to autism. They’re not doing what they should be doing because they’re afraid to look for things that might be associated.” The whistleblower alleges criminal wrongdoing of his supervisors, and he expressed deep regret about his role in helping the CDC hide data.
Read the Full Press Release here.
[h=4]CDC Whistleblower Confesses to Vaccine-Autism Fraud: Tuskegee Revisited[/h]
[video=youtube;sGOtDVilkUc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGOtDVilkUc[/video]
References
Measles-mumps-rubella vaccination timing and autism among young african american boys: a reanalysis of CDC data. Brian S Hooker,Translational Neurodegeneration 2014, 3:16 Published: 8 August 2014
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/fact-or-fiction-vaccines-are-dangerous/[h=1]Fact or Fiction?: Vaccines Are Dangerous[/h] Overwhelming medical evidence proves that negative side effects are rare and minor
March 6, 2015 |By Dina Fine Maron
Credit: Thinkstock/Photodisc/Getty Images [h=3]More on this Topic[/h]
The world greets newborn babies by bombarding them with everything from dust to disease-causing microbes. Babies can deftly parry exposures to certain harmful substances, thanks to antibodies passed onto them in the womb. But this kind of inherited immunity is short-lived, so a child must develop her own immune system response to combat life-threatening diseases. That’s where vaccines come into the picture.
By age two, most children will receive almost 30 shots designed to boost a child’s natural defenses against disease. Yet at the same time, parents who take their children for those recommended vaccinations might be inundated with Web site and celebrity-espoused rumors making false claims that shots are not necessary or cause autism. At best, navigating this landscape can be confusing. But when weighing the risks of encountering life-threatening disease against the benefits of receiving a vaccine there’s no contest. The vast majority of children do not experience anything worse than short-lived redness or itching at the spot of the shot. So why is there so much misinformation?
One reason is developmental timing. Children receive a bevy of vaccines before age two, roughly overlapping with when children with autism spectrum disorder may noticeably develop symptoms like the inability to gain new skills. That coincidence has helped the autism–vaccine connection myth persist. And what may have once been passed around by neighborhood gossip is now amplified worldwide by Web sites and social media. But the science simply does not bear out such fears. In August 2011 the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report that examined eight childhood vaccines and potential side effects. It found that vaccines are largely safe and that side effects are usually very rare and minor.
Side effects
The overwhelming medical evidence finds that most vaccine side effects among newborns and young children are mild—swelling, redness and a small, hard lump at the site of the injection—and typically pass within a couple days. A far less common but serious vaccine side effect, occurring in fewer than one in a million cases, is an immediate allergic reaction that can be treated with common medications to ease itching or swelling or, in more serious cases, by administering epinephrine. Rarely, with certain vaccinations there can be other problems. After receiving the first shot of the measles–mumps–rubella (MMR) vaccination, for example, a child has a roughly one in 3,000 chance of developing a fever that leads to a seizure. Such seizures do not lead to any permanent neurological damage. Moreover, they also occur more generally when kids develop high fevers—afflicting up to 5 percent of young children. That does not mean it is not upsetting to see. “It’s hard to watch your child seize,” says Paul Offit, a pediatrics professor at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. His own daughter had a seizure after receiving the combo vaccine against diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis but he says it’s important to remember that this type of seizure does not cause long-term consequences. And scientific evidence finds that MMR-related seizures are actually less frequent than ones that occur as a direct result of the measles infection itself.
What’s in a vaccine?
When a person encounters a pathogen, there is no way to predict whether it will induce a mild or severe form of disease nor how the body will react. But vaccines are selected to contain a weakened or dead form of the disease-causing germ that can spark an immune response. Exposure will thus allow the body to build up immunity in a controlled way. The immune system reaction stops this compromised foreign invader in its tracks at the site of injection. And the key to vaccine success is that, afterward, the immune system starts to create fast-response infection fighters called memory cells that will circulate throughout the body and be able to recognize (and fend off) that pathogen in the future.
These weak or killed stimulants, called antigens, are grown in a lab setting, isolated and then mixed with preservatives, stabilizers and a substance like aluminum that will trigger the immune system to vigorously respond to the vaccine. The process saves lives: Among children born in the past two decades, vaccinations will prevent more than 20 million hospitalizations and 732,000 deaths, according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control estimates.
Why do vaccines cause any side effects?
Like any medicine, immunizations can lead to a negative reaction. That’s not surprising because every individual is different. Genetic variations, immune deficiencies and environmental exposures all contribute to how a person’s body reacts to inoculations against disease.
But are so many shots dangerous?
Expert medical bodies including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) urge parents to vaccinate their kids against 16 diseases. The CDC schedule for childhood vaccinations, which relies on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and is endorsed by APP, is drawn up based on data detailing when the body’s immune system will mount the best response to the vaccine and, secondly, balanced against the need to protect kids at the earliest age possible. There is no scientific data suggesting a medical benefit from spacing out vaccines over a longer period than the official recommendations.
Vaccines are also regularly evaluated for safety. Before they are added to the recommended regimen they must undergo testing to make sure they won’t interfere with one another. There have also been multiple studies that evaluated vaccines’ cumulative effects.
Still, pediatricians face continual pressure from some worried parents who sometimes want to spread out the recommended inoculation schedule or postpone certain vaccinations, decisions that can prolong the period of vulnerability to disease. For example, a new nationally representative study published in the April 2015 Pediatrics found that in an average month 93 percent of surveyed doctors received at least one request from parents to spread out shots. And it happened relatively frequently: more than a fifth of the 534 surveyed physicians reported that 10 percent of parents made such requests. Parents’ wishes were then often honored—the majority of the surveyed clinicians ultimately agreed to do so, at least some of the time.
Yet fears about a child’s body not being able to handle potent vaccines are misguided. Children’s immune systems respond to several hundred foreign substances that trigger an immune response every day. In contrast, the complete schedule of recommended childhood vaccinations includes under 200 antigens.
Do vaccines cause autism?
Some concerns about vaccines stem from discredited work that suggested they lead to autism. (The findings were subsequently retracted and the physician who did that small study was barred from practicing medicine due to ethical lapses.) More than a dozen studies have added to the body of evidence that this link does not exist. Expert groups including the IOM and the AAP agree that vaccines do not contribute to children’s autism rates. The vaccine additive thimerosal, a preservative that contains a form of mercury (organomercurcial, not methylmercury) also does not cause autism. It is now only included in pediatric vaccines in trace amounts (or not at all) but there is no medical evidence that it causes autism in patients.
Can’t children thrive without vaccines?
We live in a crowded, fast-moving world, and disease travels easily. The data is clear: Failure to immunize a child comes with a much more formidable risk—leaving children vulnerable to contracting a potentially debilitating or lethal illness. Some children are too sick or too young to receive inoculations, so they remain at risk. If those children or other unvaccinated kids come into contact with someone else who was not protected against certain microbes, that can set off a wave of disease like the measles outbreak currently spreading in the U.S. Maladies that have become uncommon, such as polio and measles, can also quickly reappear if we stop vaccinating against them, particularly when they are unintentionally imported across geographic borders. The measles outbreak currently rippling through the U.S., for example, has genetic markers that suggest it came from an overseas traveler. Protecting kids actually helps protect everyone.
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Measles Outbreak in U.S.: Top 5 Conspiracy Theories
Published 7:13 pm EDT, February 4, 2015 Updated 7:19 pm EDT, February 4, 2015 Comment By Sam Prince 1.7k
A Disneyland outbreak of measles has spiraled into a nationwide debate about the anti-vaccine movement and its lasting effects on the health of Americans.
CNN reports that just one month into 2015, there are 102 cases of measles reported across 14 states. In 2014, there were 644 cases of measles reported total. That means at this rate, we could expect expect at least double the amount of measles cases in the U.S. for 2015.
President Obama, Governor Chris Christie, and other public officials have all weighed in on the debate with news organizations focusing on the anti-vaxxer movement.
But what is the anti-vaxxer movement and what sort of fringe theories do they believe?
Here are the top 5 conspiracy theories associated with measles and other sorts of vaccines.
1. Egyptians Thought Measles was a Natural Stage of Childhood Development
(Getty)
One main point anti-vaxxers like to bring up is that measles is an ancient disease. It is acknowledged in many ancient manuscripts throughout antiquity.
Measles arose in the Middle East and it is first mentioned in text by ancient Egyptians. According to Principles and Practice of Clinical Virology by Arie J. Zuckerman:…the first known reports of measles (in Egyptian hieroglyphics) failed to recognize the infectious nature of the illness, and described it as a normal part of child growth and development.Anti-vaxxers choose to still view measles this way, as another childhood illness similar to chickenpox.
However, there’s a stark contrast between measles and chickenpox as Redditor kgt5003 eloquently explains in a discussion about ancient Egyptians and the measles. They write:But the Measles, as all diseases do, mutated into more deadly strains when people’s immune systems were fighting it off easily on their own. That is what diseases do. They evolve until they are able to accomplish their aim. The problem with people not being vaccinated for the Measles now is that if enough unvaccinated people get the Measles it will again evolve into a strain that nobody is vaccinated for/no vaccination exists for which could start a pandemic. Nobody wants Measles, Polio, Diphtheria, etc. to make a comeback. People live much longer, healthier lives now without that shit.This is backed up by NewScientist.com:
It seems unthinkable that we could lose the measles vaccine. Yet we might. Just as bacteria mutate and become resistant to antibiotics, so viruses mutate to outwit a child’s vaccine-induced immunity. Both these pharmacological weapons must be used wisely to stop their targets evolving resistance. While there is no sign yet that any measles virus has completely escaped the power of the vaccine, there are growing fears that it may be able to (see “Monster in the making”). The faster we get everyone vaccinated, the less likely this is to happen.According to the WHO, measles “is one of the leading causes of death among young children even though a safe and cost-effective vaccine is available.”
Measles has doomsday capabilities. Chickenpox, on the other hand, only kills about 100 people per year. And there is now a chickenpox vaccine available, too.
2. Measles Vaccine Contains Toxins
Anti-vaxxers are vocally fearful of their childrens safety, saying that catching the measles is a lot less worse than putting unknown chemicals like the measles vaccine into their bodies.
For such arguments they often cite horrible stories from around the globe, like this one reported by The Sydney Morning Herald:As many as 36 children were on Tuesday night reported to have died excruciating deaths after receiving tainted measles vaccines under a United Nations-sponsored program in the rebel-held north of Syria.Using these stories as fodder for their fears, anti-vaxxers often overlook the political zeitgeist that most of these stories take place in. More so, this tragedy from war torn Syria is the only story one can find about tainted vaccines causing death. A Google search brings up nothing more.
The program was suspended amid rumours of sabotage surrounding the high-profile international effort to ensure the civil war does not result in an outbreak of measles.
3. Anti-Vaxxers Fear the Government
(Getty)
Anti-vaxxers are notoriously anti-government, fearing that their right to not inoculate their children against preventable diseases will soon be trumped by the federal government.
Such opinion columns like that of USA Today columnist Alex Berezow often corroborate their fears. Berezow writes:Parents who do not vaccinate their children should go to jail.Anti-vaxxers then often turn to the Constitution and their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as being at stake.
Anti-vaxxers often claim the right not to put “poison” in their children’s bodies. That is ludicrous. A mountain of data has demonstrated that vaccines are safe and effective. Insisting otherwise is akin to believing that the moon landing was faked.
However, there are currently no laws being made to penalize anti-vaxxers… but there’s been a lot of discussion. An academic article titled Free to Choose but Liable for the Consequences: Should Non- Vaccinators Be Penalized for the Harm They Do? writes:Is there a case or holding non-vaccinators legally liable for harm caused to others by their inaction? This will depend on the answers to two questions. First, does the scientific capability exist to prove that Jinny infected Michael with measles? If so, are there legal grounds for either criminal or civil liability?What do you think should be done? Should there be legal ramifications for anti-vaxxers if admissible in court? Comment below.
4. Vaccines Cause Autism
Actress Jenny McCarthy arrives at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 19, 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (David Becker/Getty Images)
One of the biggest arguments by the anti-vaccine movement is that vaccines are the cause of the dramatic rise of autism diagnosis for children in the United States.
The movement picked up media attention when former Playboy Playmate of the Year Jenny McCarthy championed the cause.
According to ScienceBasedMedicine.org:In recent years the antivaccine movement has focused on the claim that vaccines are linked to neurological injury, and specifically to the neurological disorder autism, now referred to as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However the scientific evidence overwhelmingly shows no correlation between vaccines in general, the MMR vaccine specifically, or thimerosal (a mercury-based preservative) in vaccines with ASD or other neurodevelopmental disorders.The rate in increase of autism is probably best attributed to the fact that doctors have gotten better at diagnosing it since it was identified in 1943 by child psychiatrist Leo Kanner.
The primary argument made for an association between thimerosal and ASD is that the rate of diagnosis of ASD has been steadily increasing since the early 1990s. At that time also the routine vaccine schedule was increasing, resulting in an increasing total dose of thimerosal. The antivaccinationists then assume causation from correlation to blame rising ASD rates on thimerosal.
However, by 2002 thimerosal was completely removed from the routine vaccine schedule, and now remains only in some flu vaccines. The total dose of thimerosal exposure is far below 1990 levels, before ASD diagnoses began to rise. Antivaccinationists predicted that ASD rates would fall dramatically in the years following the removal of thimerosal from most vaccines – but rates have continued to rise without even the slightest change in the rate of increase. This is a powerful refutation of the thimerosal-autism hypothesis, and has been replicated in other countries.
5. Measles Transmitted by Vaccinated People
This is one of the more bizarre beliefs that some anti-vaxxers hold.
The basis for their hypothesis comes from a 2011 New York City measles scare. A April 2014 article from ScienceMag.com writes:… a fully [twice] vaccinated 22-year-old theater employee in New York City who developed the measles in 2011 was released without hospitalization or quarantine. But like Typhoid Mary, this patient turned out to be unwittingly contagious. Ultimately, she transmitted the measles to four other people, according to a recent report in Clinical Infectious Diseases that tracked symptoms in the 88 people with whom “Measles Mary” interacted while she was sick. Surprisingly, two of the secondary patients had been fully vaccinated. And although the other two had no record of receiving the vaccine, they both showed signs of previous measles exposure that should have conferred immunity.There is basis to this story, however. The Oxford Journal writes:
This is the first report of measles transmission from a twice vaccinated individual. The clinical presentation and laboratory data of the index were typical of measles in a naïve individual. Secondary cases had robust anamnestic antibody responses. No tertiary cases occurred despite numerous contacts. This outbreak underscores the need for thorough epidemiologic and laboratory investigation of suspected measles cases regardless of vaccination status.This rare occurrence could stem from the fact that people aren’t getting vaccinated and that measles is mutating, as cited in fact one, or that this person simply holds a strange genetic make-up. It wasn’t too long ago that it was discovered that many Northern Europeans are resistant to HIV.
https://jonrappoport.wordpress.com/...cinated-except-the-prime-ministers-daughters/
Australia: everyone must get vaccinated, except the Prime Minister’s daughters
Apr26 by Jon Rappoport
Australia: everybody must get vaccinated, except the Prime Minister’s daughters
2006: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott refused to vaccinate his daughters
Meet vaccine refuser, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott
by Jon Rappoport
April 26, 2015
NoMoreFakeNews.com
We’re talking about Tony Abbott, who just ruled from on high that there are no more exemptions from vaccines in Australia.
No more conscientious objections, no more religious exemptions. Only the rare medical exemption, permitted by a doctor. And suddenly, every family who refuses vaccinations for their children will lose up to $15,000 per year, per child, in federal support money. Every family in Australia is eligible for federal money.
Tony has officially ripped away citizens’ right to choose. Australia is now officially a medical police state.
But…
Back in 2006, Tony was singing a very different tune concerning his own daughters.
On November 9, 2006, news.com.au had the story: “Abbott rules out cancer vaccine for his daughters” (see also theaustralian.com.au “I could be seen as ‘cruel’ on Gardasil: Abbott”):
“FEDERAL Health Minister [at the time] Tony Abbott has said that while he may be seen as a ‘cruel, callow, callous, heartless bastard’, he would not be rushing to have his own daughters vaccinated [with the HPV shot] against cervical cancer.
“‘I won’t be rushing out to get my daughters vaccinated, maybe that’s because I’m a cruel, callow, callous, heartless bastard but, look, I won’t be,’ Mr Abbott said on Southern Cross radio.”
How interesting. How revealing. Tony Abbott, a vaccine refuser. Then. But now he’s the Pope of forced vaccinations for all Australians, whether they want them or not.
I don’t see Australian media outlets rushing to cover this contradiction. A reader pointed me to the 2006 article. Otherwise I never would have known about Tony’s double life.
Back in 2006, Tony had a bizarre justification for his anti-vaccine stance. The news.com.au article spells it out:
Tony: “If there is a national immunisation program [that includes the HPV shot], I certainly will be making sure that they [his daughters] get vaccinated under the program.”
Tony: “The [national] program is what the experts think clearly is absolutely necessary, and at the moment the experts don’t think this [HPV shot] is absolutely necessary.”
The article continues:
“The PBAC [Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee] yesterday knocked back the application from Australian manufacturer CSL to make the Gardasil [HPV] vaccine available free to all females aged 12 to 26.
“Gardasil halts the spread of sexually-transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes 70 per cent of cervical cancers. At present it costs $460 for the recommended three doses.
“The PBAC said it made the decision because the vaccine program — which would have cost about $625 million during its first four years — was not value for money.”
Let me take this apart.
Tony was saying he wouldn’t have his daughters vaccinated with the HPV shot because there was no national program for it.
That’s like saying, “If the supermarket doesn’t sell cherries, I won’t let my daughters eat them.”
You see, the only reason a national program to vaccinate girls with the HPV shot wasn’t instituted, in 2006, was because of money. The cost vs. value of the program was determined to be “not worth it.”
Conventional researchers, doctors, and vaccine manufacturers in Australia were quite confident, in 2006, that the vaccine was safe and effective. Otherwise, they never would have considered it, in the first place, for the national vaccine program.
(As far I’m concerned, HPV is one of the most useless and dangerous vaccines in existence, but for the purposes of this argument, we’re talking about the conventional mainstream view.)
Tony was deciding to reject what he considered to be a safe and effective vaccine for his own daughters–for whatever bizarre reasons he cared to advance. Because he had the right to choose. And because he held a high post in government. And because he decided he could do whatever he wanted to do.
But now, flashing forward nine years, Tony is telling every person in Australia what they have to do. No choice. No freedom. No right to seek out information independently and make a decision based on that information.
Australia is a medical police state, with Tony, the old vaccine refuser, at the helm.
If that isn’t cause for uproar in the Land Down Under, what is?
“Hi, I’m Tony. I’m your boss, your ruler, your King. What I say goes. For you. But not necessarily for me. That’s the way it works, don’t you know? The King makes rules for everyone else, but he can do what he damn well pleases. He’s above the rules. He’s different. He’s the Lord of the idiots and slaves, but he himself is free. That’s the deal. It’s none of your business. Just keep your eyes straight ahead and your mouths shut and march forward. That’s your fate. I so command it.”
Jon Rappoport
The author of three explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED, EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29[SUP]th[/SUP] District of California. He maintains a consulting practice for private clients, the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free emails at NoMoreFakeNews.com or OutsideTheRealityMachine.
Australia: everyone must get vaccinated, except the Prime Minister’s daughters
Apr26 by Jon Rappoport
Australia: everybody must get vaccinated, except the Prime Minister’s daughters
2006: Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott refused to vaccinate his daughters
Meet vaccine refuser, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott
by Jon Rappoport
April 26, 2015
NoMoreFakeNews.com
We’re talking about Tony Abbott, who just ruled from on high that there are no more exemptions from vaccines in Australia.
No more conscientious objections, no more religious exemptions. Only the rare medical exemption, permitted by a doctor. And suddenly, every family who refuses vaccinations for their children will lose up to $15,000 per year, per child, in federal support money. Every family in Australia is eligible for federal money.
Tony has officially ripped away citizens’ right to choose. Australia is now officially a medical police state.
But…
Back in 2006, Tony was singing a very different tune concerning his own daughters.
On November 9, 2006, news.com.au had the story: “Abbott rules out cancer vaccine for his daughters” (see also theaustralian.com.au “I could be seen as ‘cruel’ on Gardasil: Abbott”):
“FEDERAL Health Minister [at the time] Tony Abbott has said that while he may be seen as a ‘cruel, callow, callous, heartless bastard’, he would not be rushing to have his own daughters vaccinated [with the HPV shot] against cervical cancer.
“‘I won’t be rushing out to get my daughters vaccinated, maybe that’s because I’m a cruel, callow, callous, heartless bastard but, look, I won’t be,’ Mr Abbott said on Southern Cross radio.”
How interesting. How revealing. Tony Abbott, a vaccine refuser. Then. But now he’s the Pope of forced vaccinations for all Australians, whether they want them or not.
I don’t see Australian media outlets rushing to cover this contradiction. A reader pointed me to the 2006 article. Otherwise I never would have known about Tony’s double life.
Back in 2006, Tony had a bizarre justification for his anti-vaccine stance. The news.com.au article spells it out:
Tony: “If there is a national immunisation program [that includes the HPV shot], I certainly will be making sure that they [his daughters] get vaccinated under the program.”
Tony: “The [national] program is what the experts think clearly is absolutely necessary, and at the moment the experts don’t think this [HPV shot] is absolutely necessary.”
The article continues:
“The PBAC [Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee] yesterday knocked back the application from Australian manufacturer CSL to make the Gardasil [HPV] vaccine available free to all females aged 12 to 26.
“Gardasil halts the spread of sexually-transmitted human papilloma virus (HPV), which causes 70 per cent of cervical cancers. At present it costs $460 for the recommended three doses.
“The PBAC said it made the decision because the vaccine program — which would have cost about $625 million during its first four years — was not value for money.”
Let me take this apart.
Tony was saying he wouldn’t have his daughters vaccinated with the HPV shot because there was no national program for it.
That’s like saying, “If the supermarket doesn’t sell cherries, I won’t let my daughters eat them.”
You see, the only reason a national program to vaccinate girls with the HPV shot wasn’t instituted, in 2006, was because of money. The cost vs. value of the program was determined to be “not worth it.”
Conventional researchers, doctors, and vaccine manufacturers in Australia were quite confident, in 2006, that the vaccine was safe and effective. Otherwise, they never would have considered it, in the first place, for the national vaccine program.
(As far I’m concerned, HPV is one of the most useless and dangerous vaccines in existence, but for the purposes of this argument, we’re talking about the conventional mainstream view.)
Tony was deciding to reject what he considered to be a safe and effective vaccine for his own daughters–for whatever bizarre reasons he cared to advance. Because he had the right to choose. And because he held a high post in government. And because he decided he could do whatever he wanted to do.
But now, flashing forward nine years, Tony is telling every person in Australia what they have to do. No choice. No freedom. No right to seek out information independently and make a decision based on that information.
Australia is a medical police state, with Tony, the old vaccine refuser, at the helm.
If that isn’t cause for uproar in the Land Down Under, what is?
“Hi, I’m Tony. I’m your boss, your ruler, your King. What I say goes. For you. But not necessarily for me. That’s the way it works, don’t you know? The King makes rules for everyone else, but he can do what he damn well pleases. He’s above the rules. He’s different. He’s the Lord of the idiots and slaves, but he himself is free. That’s the deal. It’s none of your business. Just keep your eyes straight ahead and your mouths shut and march forward. That’s your fate. I so command it.”
Jon Rappoport
The author of three explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED, EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29[SUP]th[/SUP] District of California. He maintains a consulting practice for private clients, the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free emails at NoMoreFakeNews.com or OutsideTheRealityMachine.