Vaccinations .. adverse reactions .. 10-30-98 >Burgess.Gregg@Orbital.COM wrote: >> >> I am writing to correct several factual errors in the letter of Clifford J. >> Harris, MD. His errors are understandable, as it is quite difficult to >> separate fact from the fiction produced by this country's pro vaccine >> propaganda machine. Doctors like Harris are bombarded with biased >> information from the Centers for Disease Control, Vaccine Manufacturers, >> medical trade organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, and >> other non-profit "foundations" funded by vaccine manufacturers and the >> government. Unfortunately, the only way to begin to understand what is >> going on in this field is to attend vaccine conferences, attend government >> vaccine committee meetings, and contact individual researchers on the >> cutting edge of the field. It is the rare doctor that can spare the time >> required to investigate the vaccine issue to the depth necessary to get the >> real picture. The best way to characterize the current situation is that >> what is not known about vaccine safety dwarfs what is known. Precious >> little research dollars are devoted to understanding the problems that are >> known to exist, let alone those that are as yet undiscovered. Therefore, >> many of the pronouncements regarding the safety of vaccines are mere hopes >> at best and outright lies at worst. The only accurate statements that can >> be made are that no vaccine has been proven entirely safe for any >> individual, any vaccine can cause a range of reactions from mild fever to >> death, and no accurate tests exist to identify those individuals who will >> have extreme reactions. The government is not funding any research to >> develop such testing that could screen out potential victims. >> >> I attended the Institute of Medicine's Vaccine Safety Forum on October 27, >> 1998, which was devoted entirely to the topic of the connection between the >> MMR vaccine and Autism. Autism experts and the CDC presented data that >> shows that autism is indeed dramatically rising in the US and abroad. The >> scientific evidence presented by Dr. Wakefield, a gastroenterologist from >> London, was the most compelling yet that shows a highly correleted >> connection between the time of the MMR vaccination and rapid development of >> autistic behaviors and accompanying unusual chronic gastrointestinal >> inflamation. Immunochemical testing has revealed the presence of measles >> vaccine strain virus in the damaged bowel cells. Wakefield's data clearly >> shows that this is no coincidence for the children he has studied. Other >> researchers are working to reproduced Wakefield's results, and early >> indications are that the same pattern is being found. Dr. Singh, a >> researcher from the University of Michigan, has done extensive blood >> immunochemistry testing on austic children, and has found a common pattern >> of extremely elevated anitbodies in these children that correspond to MMR >> components. This work follows on research showing degenerative autism >> following MMR vaccination published by Fudenberg and Gupta in 1996. Perhaps >> more chilling, is data presented from other studies which connect MMR >> vaccination to Attention Deficit Disorder, certainly a milder form of brain >> impairment than autism, but also one that has reached epidemic levels in >> this country. If MMR causes extreme brain damage in a small number of >> children, the bell shaped curve seen in most biological phenomena makes it >> very reasonable to suspect that MMR might cause mild brain damage in a >> large number of children. Certainly, the large majority of children >> injected with MMR do not become autistic. And autism is a complex syndrome >> that probably has a number of causes in addition to vaccination. It is >> unlikely that all autism is caused by MMR, but certainly a significant >> portion of children may well have become autistic as a result of the >> vaccination. >> >> Therefore, I categorically reject Harris's assertion that the connection >> between MMR and autism might be sheer coincidence. All too often have >> vaccine advocates tried to hide behind this silly "it would have happened >> anyway" argument, without presenting any research to indicate positively >> that no connection exists between a vaccination and a reaction. Contrary to >> what Harris wrote, autism is on the rise in the vaccination era as are many >> other chronic immune system disorders such as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, >> Diabetes, Asthma, and brain problems such as ADD. >> >> Harris' comment regarding SIDS is also incorrect. No real research >> investigating the mechanism of death has exonerated the role of vaccines in >> cases of SIDS. Instead, spin doctors from the vaccine establishment wrote a >> series of self-referential papers based on poorly done epidemiology to >> "prove" vaccination and SIDS were unrelated. This pseudoscience rapidly >> became accepted as proof in the medical community that there was no SIDS >> connection, because that is what they wanted to hear. No investigation that >> would hold up to independent scientific scrutiny has yet been done. The >> book is definitely not closed on vaccines and SIDS, as children continue to >> die of SIDS as a result of vaccination. >> >> I also take issue with Harris' presumption that the state of health is so >> much better in this country as compared to third world countries simply >> because we have vaccinations and they do not. Many vaccine preventable >> diseases such as measles are far less serious for children that have >> adequate nutrition and have access to sanitary water and living conditions. >> It is very difficult, if not impossible, to independently assess the affect >> of vaccination and improved living conditions in this country on health. If >> one looks at the data, one finds that the seriousness and incidence of many >> of the vaccine preventable diseases were on dramatic decline in the pre >> vaccine era due to an ever increasing standard of living. Certainly, >> vaccines have had a large effect on reducing infectious disease. But it is >> by no means clear that in the final analysis, vaccines are responsible for >> improving or reducing the overall state of health of our country. >> >> Harris' story of the little girl with tetanus is certainly sad. Both sides >> of this issue can bring up many examples of serious injury and death from >> both the diseases and the vaccinations. But the real tragedy is that unsafe >> vaccines continue to be produced, with no real attempt to improve or >> understand them, and no way for parents to know ahead of time if their >> child will be a victim. No parent can be faulted for trying to do what is >> best for their child, whether that is vaccinating that child for a feared >> disease, or avoid an equally fearsome vaccine with unknown risks. If we are >> to remain a society that cherishes freedom, we must respect the choices of >> everyone. >> >> Gregg Burgess >> Member, Board of Directors >> National Vaccine Information Center > >-- > >*************************************************************** >Karin Schumacher >Vaccine Information & Awareness (VIA) >12799 La Tortola >San Diego, CA 92129 >619-484-3197 (phone/voicemail) >619-484-1187 (fax) >via@access1.net (email) >http://www.909shot.com (NVIC website) >http://www.access1.net/via (VIA website) >*************************************************************** >We Must Have The Freedom To Choose & Respect Everyone's Choice >*************************************************************** >Any information obtained here is not to be construed as medical >OR legal advice. The decision to vaccinate and how you >implement that decision is yours and yours alone. >***************************************************************