The web of conspiracy has expanded somewhat over the years, from those that think the drugs are aimed at chemically coshing the great unwashed (why else would the elite rich, top paediatricians, various politicians and others opt out), to those that think its all about pharmaceutical profit (certainly backed up by a lot of evidence). Anyway, as usual this post isn't intended to offend or sway your decision. All parents have the right to choose and thats what we should all do. Back to my original post from 2010 when I probably had an inclination that I may become a father in the not to distant future :-)
Disease prevention is better than it was 200 years ago, is it because we vaccinate against anything and everything? No, its because we now have better access to food and clean drinking water, along with improved sanitation and better living conditions which published peer reviewed research backs up.
Infant Mortality in the 20th Century, Dramatic but Uneven Progress
The diseases we are vaccinated against frequently return in those that are poorly nourished as they lack immune system function, hence the reason why third world child deaths frequently occur even after vaccination. What they need is food, clean water and sanitation rather than vaccines. Sadly the pharmaceutical industry know that vaccines make profit whilst food, water and sanitation simply isn't patentable.
Tiny little babies are routinly injected with formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde and bovine serum albumin along with the antibiotics: neomycin, streptomycin and polymyxin B. 2-phenoxyethanol a main ingredient of anti-freeze which is a replacement for thimerosol which was used in pollio vaccines. This is the 5 in 1 vaccine known by the catchy name DTaP/IPV/Hib.
Professor Michael Langham was the chair of a government joint committee on vaccination when it became part of the schedule for tiny 8 week old babies. Langman received funding from Merck Sharp and Dohme (MSD) whilst performing medical research at Birmingham University. Rather unsurprisingly MSD in combination with Aventis Pasteur formed a new company called Pasteur MSD and they now supply this five-inone (trade name Pediacel) vaccine to the UK.
In theory it protects against diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough, polio and haemophilius influenza type B. Side effects commonly include (1 in 10 babies);
- pain, redness and swelling at the injection site
- irritability and increased crying
- being off colour or having a fever
Between 1 in 10 and 1 in a 100;
- loss of appetite
- diarrhoea
- vomiting
Between 1 in 1000 and 1 in 10,000;
- febrile convulsions (fits) JAMA paper on the risk of febrile seizures
- floppiness
Less than 1 in 10,000
- high fever (more than 40.5°C)
- unusual high-pitched or inconsolable crying
Not the best odds really!!
It was not until 1946-7 after the substantial fall in diphtheria mortality that a major effort was made to vaccinate those who had been missed and a further 969,000 children under 5 were “immunised.”
“about 36 percent of school age children had been immunised but only about 19 percent of the younger children“
British Journal of Nursing October 1948 p121
The annual birth rate was around 200,000 which means the 969,000 kids represented pretty much all the kids born between 1941 to 1946. Well well, how can the diphtheria vaccination be responsible for the fall if it wasn't generally administered till after the fall.
So, what was responsible? My own father was born in 1947 and we've talked at times about the National Health Service Act 1946 (which came into effect in July 1948) and the impact of the social health and welfare reforms of 1944, 1947 and 1948 which played a massive factor in everyones health which looks pretty good on the graph as it lines up with a decline. Free school milk in 1944 (something that has been reintroduced recently), amongst other nourishment, provided vitamin A to help immune systems fight disease. Coincidentally vitamin A is something that the World Health Organisation (WHO) is keen for third world children to receive for exactly the same reasons.
The decline in general infant mortality (all causes of infant death) closely follows the decline in diphtheria mortality which also demonstrates that the decline in diphtheria mortality was part of a general trend.
Haemophilius Influenza - Now, their are many many ill effects blamed upon vaccines, the most popular being autism (many cases of autism symptoms being caused by vaccines are now being upheld in courts, check out Hannah Poling in the video at the bottom or the Italian Court ruling that MMR vaccine did trigger autism).
However for me I'm always appalled at how lightly people take asthma, which is always linked with vaccinations and in particular the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine. Although no human studies have been completed (why would they), a nasal Hib vaccine has been shown to stimulate Th1 and Th2 cells in mice, and we know that overstimulated Th2 cells in the immune system increases the risk of asthma and allergy. The Hib vaccination has also been shown to raise histamine levels in rats who also suffer increased bronchocstriction. The vaccine has also been shown to cause eosinophil (white blood cells that fight infection) accumulation in the dermis of the skin seen in people with atopic dermatitis (eczema).
So, despite the decrease in many disease (due to increased health and social welfare and not mass vaccination it would seem we have an epidemic of asthma, allergies and skin problems. Pop in my clinic on any weekday and you'll find this to be amongst some of the many problems I'm asked to help with.
It would be interesting to see the results of a human study that specifically examines the effects of Hib vaccine on the incidence of asthma and allergy but I doubt we will as its not ethical to test on humans (although they kind of get to do a mass test when they just allow it on to market).
Asthma statistics:-
- 3 deaths every day
- 5.4 million UK people affected
- 1 hospital admission every 7.5 minutes
- tens of thousands are debilitated by serious asthma
- 1.1 million working days a year are lost due to asthma -
- asthma costs the NHS £1 billion every year
As a kid I had a vaccination (my parents didn't know any different in 1976 and trusted the salesmen (GP's) and I had a serious asthma attack wh, I later suffered with eczema, developed hay-fever, suffered badly at school and in later life with what eventually got diagnosed as an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, and later in life I became allergic to pretty much anything I came across.
Sure I fixed most of it through studying health (and made the best of my Asperger's by using my obsession with health to improve my health), but I certainly don't want my child to go through everything I did for no reason other than corporate greed. Their are a multitude of vaccinations he or she faces nowadays compared to 1976 and I'm just not willing to risk it because of scaremongering.
Coming soon, part 2, the next stages of the vaccination schedule including MMR!!!