Bonnie & Steve - most of the following was extracted directly from Centers for Disease Controls website, www.cdc.gov. After reading, you can decide if we are all taking part in one big influenza experiment.
Who Decides Who Gets Vaccinated?
The Center for Disease Control’s 15-member Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) makes recommendations each year on who should be vaccinated. Ten years ago, for the 1999–2000 season, the committee recommended that people over age 65 and children with medical conditions have a flu shot. Seventy-four million people were vaccinated. Next season (2000–01) the committee lowered the age for universal vaccination from 65 to 50 years old, adding 41 million people to the list. For the 2002–03 season, the ACIP added healthy children 6 months to 23 months old, and for 2004–05, children up to 5 years old. For the 2008–09 season the committee has advised that healthy children 6 months to 18 years old have a flu shot each year.
Its recommendations for influenza vaccination now covers 256 million Americans – 84 percent of the U.S. population. Only healthy people ages 19–49 not involved in some aspect of health care remain exempt. Pharmaceutical companies have made 146 million influenza vaccines for the U.S. market this flu season.
Bonnie & Steve - why the rush to get the entire country vaccinated? Almost all the ACIP members who make these recommendations have financial ties to the vaccine industry. The CDC therefore must grant each member a conflict-of-interest waiver.
How the Strains for the Influenza Vaccine Are Selected.
The WHO Global Influenza Surveillance Network's selection of viruses for the vaccine manufacturing process is based on its best estimate of which strains will be predominant the next year, amounting in the end to well-informed but fallible guesswork. The 2007-2008 Northern Hemisphere vaccine was described as 40% effective.
Bonnie & Steve - they have yet to get it right so far.
Vaccine Policy Opinion Presented in the British Medical Journal (2006).
"Public policy worldwide recommends the use of inactivated influenza vaccines to prevent seasonal outbreaks. Because viral circulation and antigenic match vary each year and non-randomized studies predominate, systematic reviews of large datasets from several decades provide the best information on vaccine performance. Evidence from systematic reviews shows that inactivated vaccines have little or no effect on the effects measured. Most studies are of poor methodological quality and the impact of confounders is high. Little comparative evidence exists on the safety of these vaccines. Reasons for the current gap between policy and evidence are unclear, but given the huge resources involved, a re-evaluation should be urgently undertaken.
Source: http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/333/7574/912
Influenza Vaccines Available to the Public.
Injections contain inactive (dead) influenza viruses. FluMist Nasal Spray is a live virus and in some cases can cause the flu. Recently, there have been several vaccine recalls and closings due to non-compliant manufacturing practices.
Bonnie & Steve - the preservatives added to the vaccines are abominable.
- Influenza (Afluria)
Beta-Propiolactone (disinfectant considered a carcinogen in mice/rats; no data available for humans), Calcium Chloride, Neomycin (antibiotic), Ovalbumin, Polymyxin B (antibiotic), Potassium Chloride, Potassium Phosphate, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Taurodeoxychoalate.
- Influenza (Fluarix)
Egg Albumin, Egg Protein, Formaldehyde or Formalin, Gentamicin (antibiotic), Hydrocortisone (steroid), Octoxynol-10 (spermicide), Tocopheryl Hydrogen Succinate, Polysorbate 80, Sodium Deoxycholate, Sodium Phosphate, Thimerosal (<3>)
- Influenza (Flulaval)
Egg Albumin, Egg Protein, Formaldehyde or Formalin, Sodium Deoxycholate, Phosphate Buffers, Thimerosal (mercury)
- Influenza (Fluvirin)
Beta-Propiolactone, Egg Protein, Neomycin, Polymyxin B, Polyoxyethylene 9- 10 Nonyl Phenol (Triton N-101, Octoxynol 9), Thimerosal (multidose containers mercury), Thimerosal* (single-dose syringes <3>
- Influenza (Fluzone)
Egg Protein, Formaldehyde or Formalin, Gelatin, Octoxinol-9 (Triton X-100), Thimerosal (multidose containers mercury)
- Influenza (FluMist Nasal Spray)
Chick Kidney Cells, Egg Protein, Gentamicin Sulfate (antibiotic), Monosodium Glutamate (excitotoxin), Sucrose Phosphate Glutamate Buffer
Reported Adverse Events From the Flu Vaccine.
Injected Flu Vaccine Adverse Events Reported - 30,497
Flu Mist Nasap Spray Adverse Events Reported - 1,077 (available since 2003)
Source: CDC's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) Query 1990-October 2008
Who Should Not Get the Influenza Vaccine.
- Tell your doctor if you have any severe (life-threatening) allergies.
- Influenza vaccine virus is grown in eggs. People with a severe egg allergy should not get the vaccine.
- A severe allergy to any vaccine component is also a reason to not get the vaccine.
- If you have had a severe reaction after a previous dose of influenza vaccine, tell your doctor.
- Inactivated influenza vaccine is not approved in children younger than 6 months of age. NEW Nov 2008
- Tell your doctor if you ever had Guillain-Barré Syndrome (a severe paralytic illness, also called G.B.S.).
- People who are moderately or severely ill should usually wait until they recover before getting flu vaccine.
Is Vaccine Safety Finally a Priority at the CDC?
"CDC supports vaccine safety research. Vaccine safety research is on the way. Funding opportunities are available at PA-08-256 and PA-08-257." Source: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccinesafety/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Immunization Safety Office Scientific Agenda: 4/10/2008
30 Immunization Safety Office (ISO) 5-Year Research Needs
Specific Vaccine Safety Questions -
- Are vaccines associated with increased risk for Guillain-Barré Syndrome?
- Is live, attenuated influenza vaccine associated with increased risk for asthma and/or wheezing, particularly in young children or persons with history of wheezing?
- Is exposure to thimerosal associated with increased risk for clinically important tics and/or Tourette syndrome?
- Are acellular pertussis vaccines associated with increased risk for acute neurological events, particularly hypotonic-hyporesponsive episodes?
- Is immunization associated with increased risk for neurological deterioration in children with mitochondrial dysfunction?
- Is combination measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella vaccine associated with increased risk for febrile seizure and if so are there sequelae?
- Are varicella vaccines (chickenpox) associated with increased risk for clinically important events related to varicella vaccine virus reactivation?
- HPV Vaccine "has no long-term safety studies."
- Zoster (Shingles) Vaccine "because of higher rates of serious adverse events compared with placebo."
- Influenza vaccine has "vast safety data gaps for children 5-18 years."
- Non-antigen components of vaccines (other than thimerosal or ASO4 in bivalent HPV vaccine)
- Simultaneous vaccination is "incompletely studied at time of licensure."
- Safety of different products within the same vaccine category.
- Off label use of vaccines
- Vaccine-drug interactions
- Safety in Special Populations
- Premature and low birth weight infants "are on same vaccine schedule as normal weight, full-term infants."
- Pregnant women are excluded from "prelicensure vaccine trials and data is limited."
- Adults aged ≥65 years "show waning in immune function and little data suggests safety or effectiveness."
- Persons with primary immunodeficiency.
- Persons with secondary immunodeficiency.
- Persons with autoimmune disorders.
- Children with inborn errors of metabolism.
- Autoimmune diseases
- Central nervous system demyelinating disorders "such as Multiple Sclerosis are being investigated in a study to rule out the administration of the influenza vaccine being a cause."
- Encephalitis/ encephalopathy "has a causal relationship with the DTP vaccine.""
- Neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
- Vasculitis syndromes
- Myopericarditis (not associated with smallpox vaccine)
- Clinically important outcomes associated with postimmunization fever.
- Postvaccination syncope and sequelae - "Vaccine providers should strongly consider observing patients for 15 minutes after they are vaccinated."
- 46 cases of Bell's Palsy were noted among people in Switzerland who received the newly licensed intranasal influenza vaccine. The manuscript for this study is currently under development and will soon be published.
Bonnie & Steve - does it not beg the question: why haven't these issues been researched extensively and addressed BEFORE making the current vaccine schedule all but mandatory?
One area of research we think the CDC is getting right concerns the genetic affects of vaccines. The CDC is indirectly admitting that we may not be "one size fits all" and individual needs do exist, even for the vaccines.
Vaccine Safety and Human Genetic Variations Why people develop vaccine-associated adverse events (VAEs)? Do they have genetically determined differences in their immune responses to vaccination, compared to those who do not experience adverse events?
Few studies have been published on the genetic risk factors for VAEs. So CDC is working with partners to study the relationship between human genetics and vaccine safety. Identifying genetic associations and risk of serious VAEs eventually may allow—
- Screening for markers of susceptibility.
- Improved guidance for vaccination.
- Development of safer vaccines.
CDC's Immunization Safety Office (ISO) is developing a genomics initiative to—
- Develop a scientific approach to understanding the genetic basis for VAEs and their proper public applications.
- Increase cooperation between federal agencies, academia, and industry.
- Perform studies to identify genes that may be associated with an increased risk for VAEs.
- Identify strategies for integrating genomics into vaccine safety.
This initiative's long-term goal is to identify genetic features that can be determined before vaccination, so doctors can tailor vaccine schedules to the patients personal risk.
There is increasing appreciation for how human genetic variation may affect the risk for medication-related and vaccine-related adverse events. While substantial research has been done on the genetic basis of medication safety, relatively little research has been done on the genetic basis of vaccine safety.
Closing Comment
Bonnie - as a public health professional, it is difficult to give my blessing to clients who inquire about the flu shot. The evidence is compelling enough that when evaluating risk/reward, please take a "watchful waiting approach." It seems that many Americans agree, as is evidenced by this Consumer Reports Health Survey "hot off the press."
Forty-eight percent won’t get a flu vaccine this year according to a nationwide poll of 2,011 adults. Among the excuses we give for not getting a flu shot:
• 67% of us say it’s better to build our own natural immunities.
• 45% of us say we don’t get sick.
• 41% say someone we know has gotten sick from the vaccine.
• 35% are worried about side effects.
• 27% don’t like getting shots.
• 26% believe the vaccine is ineffective.
• 23% don’t like going to the doctor.
• 16% say we don’t have time.
• And 5% of us even said that we’d rather get sick than go to work.
5 comments:
Thank you for such an insightful, TRUTHFUL post.
The topic of vaccines is one in which I can't seem to read enough, and have grown passionate about.
In fact, the past 2 days I've been debating with others about their safety. Unfortunately, the majority of the people aren't hearing me.
Good for you and thank you again for such a great post.
I truly value this sensible, in-depth, well researched take on the flu shot question. I am forwarding it to aquaintances who, like me, refuse to get the shot, as well as those who swear by getting it, but who have gotten sick nonetheless, denying their illnesses were flu-shot related.
My parents, who were your longtime clients, took to heart your cautionary advice on this subject and effectively transferred their conviction to their children. We, and our self-sustained immune systems, thank you for your guidance and for this honest, much needed post.
I am very grateful to you. I had been debating whether or not to have a flu shot. I had had a dreadful reaction many years ago from what was undoubtedly an active flu virus vaccine. My mind is now settled on not having it. Thanks so very much.
My husband and I have a heated argument every year because I refuse to get a flu shot and he thinks my decision is irresponsible...he feels everyone in our age group 55+ should get one. I have always had a gut feeling that getting a flu shot was not right for me. Over the past ten years or so, I have only had the flu one time and it was a mild case. My husband, on the other hand has had several mild bouts with the flu so I rest my case.
Thank you for confirming what my gut was telling me and for also giving me some good fodder for my annual argument!
Dear Bonnie and Steve,
My Father, a physician, counseled me to have a healthy attitude about my health and to build up my own immune system. He found no reason why a flu shot should be given unless there is a private and in -depth conversation with a knowledgable consumer and his/her MD. So thanks for your research. I did not have any ever; my partner had one during an actual cold he has. Guess what? He is still coughing and congested and it is almost 3 weeks.
Jeannie R.
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