Dispelling Vaccination Myths
Dispelling Vaccination Myths
An Introduction to the Contradictions between Medical Science & Immunization Policy
by Alan Phillips
Preface to This Edition
The following text is taken directly from the Prometheus edition as printed in the United Kindom in 1999. Any references and copyrights refer to that edition.
Introduction
When my son began his routine vaccination series at age two months, I did not know there were any risks associated with immunizations. But the clinic's literature contained a contradiction: the chances of a serious adverse reaction to the DPT vaccine were 1 in 1750, while his chances of dying from pertussis each year were 1 in several million. When I pointed this out to the physician, he angrily disagreed, and stormed out of the room mumbling, I guess I should read that sometime...' Soon thereafter I learned of a child who had been permanently disabled by a vaccine, so I decided to investigate for myself. My findings have so alarmed me that I feel compelled to share them; hence this report.
Health authorities credit vaccines for disease declines, and assure us of their safety and effectiveness. Yet these seemingly rock-solid assumptions are directly contradicted by health statistics, medical studies, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports, and reputable research scientists from around the world. In fact, infectious diseases declined steadily for decades prior to vaccinations, U.S. doctors report thousands of serious vaccine reactions each year including hundreds of deaths and permanent disabilities, fully vaccinated populations have experienced epidemics, and researchers attribute dozens of chronic immunological and neurological conditions to mass immunization programs.
There are hundreds of published medical studies documenting vaccine failure and adverse effects, and dozens of books written by doctors, researchers and independent investigators that reveal serious flaws in immunization
theory and practice. Ironically, most pediatricians and parents are completely unaware of these findings. However, this has begun to change in recent years, as a growing number of parents and healthcare providers around the world are becoming aware of the problems and starting to question the use of widespread, mandatory vaccinations.
My point it not to tell anyone whether or not to vaccinate, but rather, with the utmost urgency, to point out some very good reasons why everyone should examine the facts before deciding whether or not to submit to the procedure. As a new parent, I was shocked to discover the absence of a legal mandate or professional ethic requiring pediatricians to be fully informed, and to see first-hand the prevalence of physicians who are applying practices based on incomplete and in some cases, outright mis-information.
Though only a brief introduction, this report contains sufficient evidence to warrant further investigation by all concerned, which I highly recommend. You will find that this is the only way to get an objective view, as the controversy is a highly emotional one.
A note of caution: Be careful trying to discuss this subject with a pediatrician. Most have staked their identities and reputations on the presumed safety and effectiveness of vaccines and thus have difficulty acknowledging evidence to the contrary. The first pediatrician I attempted to share my findings with yelled angrily at me when I calmly brought up the subject. The misconceptions have very deep roots.
Index
(click on the links below to go directly to that section)
Preface to the Prometheus edition
Vaccination Myth 1: Vaccines are completely safe.
Vaccination Myth 2: Vaccines are very effective.
Vaccination Myth 3: Vaccines are the main reason for low disease rates in the U.S. today.
Vaccination Myth 4: Vaccination is based on sound immunization theory and practice.
Vaccination Myth 5: Childhood diseases are extremely dangerous.
Vaccination Myth 6: Polio was one of the clearly great vaccination success stories.
Vaccination Myth 7: My child had no short-term reaction to vaccination, so there is nothing to worry about.
Vaccination Myth 8: Vaccines are the only disease prevention option available.
Vaccination Myth 9: Vaccinations are a legal requirement and thus unavoidable.
Vaccination Myth 10:Public health officials always place health above all other concerns.
Summary
What You Can Do
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References
Vaccination Myth 1: Vaccines are completely safe.
The Vaccine Adverse Effects Reporting System (VAERS) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. receives about 11,000 reports of serious adverse reactions to vaccination annually, some 1% (112+) of which are deaths from vaccine reactions.[1] The majority of these reports are made by doctors, and the majority of deaths are attributed to the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine, the F' in DPT, often known as the Triple Vaccine in Britain which also includes vaccines for Diptheria and Tetanus. This figure alone is alarming, yet it is only the tip of the iceberg.' The FDA estimates that only about 10% of adverse reactions are reported,[2] a figure supportecLby two National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) investigations. [3] In fact, the NVIC reported that In New York, only one out of 40 doctors' offices [2.5%] confirmed that they report a death or injury following vaccination,' - 97.5% of vaccine related deaths and disabilities go unreported there. Implications about the integrity of medical professionals aside (doctors are legally required to report serious adverse events), these findings suggest that vaccine deaths actually occurring each year may be well over
1,000.
With pertussis, the number of vaccine-related deaths dwarfs the number of disease deaths, which have been about 10 annually for recent years according to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), and only 8 in 1993, the last peak-incidence year (pertussis runs in 3-4 year cycles, though vaccination certainly doesn't). Simply put, the vaccine is 100 times more deadly than the disease. Given the many instances in which highly vaccinated populations have contracted disease (see Myth 2), and the fact that the vast majority of disease decline this century occurred before compulsory vaccinations (pertussis deaths declined 79% prior to vaccines - see Myth 3), this comparison is a valid one-and this enormous number of vaccine casualties can hardly be considered a necessary sacrifice for the benefit of a disease-free society.
Unfortunately, the vaccine-related deaths story doesn't end here. Both national and international studies have shown vaccination to be a cause of SIDS [4,5] (SIDS is Sudden Infant Death Syndrome,' a catch-all' diagnosis given when the specific cause of death is unknown; estimates range from 5 - 10,000 cases each year in the U.S.). One study found the peak incidence of SIDS occurred at the ages of 2 and 4 months in the U.S., precisely when the first two routine immunizations are given,[4] while another found a clear pattern of correlation extending three weeks after immunization. Another study found that 3,000 children die within 4 days of vaccination each year in the U.S. (amazingly, the authors reported no SIDS/vaccine relationship), while yet another researcher's studies led to the conclusion that half of SIDS cases - that would be 2500 to 5000 infant deaths in the U.S. each year - are caused by vaccines.[4]
There are studies that claimed to find no SIDS-vaccine relationship. However, many of these were invalidated by yet another study which found that confounding' had skewed their results in favor of the vaccine.[6] Shouldn't we err on the side of caution? Shouldn't any credible correlation between vaccines and infant deaths be just cause for meticulous, widespread monitoring of the vaccination status of all SIDS cases? In the mid 70s Japan raised their vaccination age from 2 months to 2 years; their incidence of SIDS dropped dramatically. In spite of this, the U.S. medical community has chosen a posture of denial. Coroners refuse to check the vaccination status of SIDS victims, and unsuspecting families continue to pay the price, unaware of the dangers and denied the right to make a choice.
Low adverse event reporting also suggests that the total number of adverse reactions actually occurring each year may be more than 100,000. Due to doctors' failure to report, no one knc~ws how many of these are permanent disabilities, but statistics suggest that it is several times the number of deaths (see petitions' below). This concern is reinforced by a study which revealed that 1 in 175 children who completed the full DPT series suffered severe reactions' [7] and a Dr's report for attorneys which found that 1 in 300 DPT immunizations resulted in seizures.
[8]
England actually saw a drop in pertussis deaths when vaccination rates dropped from 80% to 30% in the mid 70s. Swedish epidemiologist B. Trollfors' study of pertussis vaccine efficacy and toxicity around the world found that pertussis-associated mortality is currently very low in industrialised countries and no difference can be discerned when countries with high, low, and zero immunisation rates were compared.' He also found that England, Wales, and West Germany had more pertussis fatalities in 1970 when the immunization rate was high than during the last half of 1980, when rates had fallen. [9]
Vaccinations cost us much more than just the lives and health of our children. The U.S. Federal Government's National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP) has paid out over $724.4 million to parents of vaccine injured and killed children, in taxpayer dollars. The NVICP has received over 5000 petitions since 1988, including over 700 for vaccine-related deaths, and there are still some two thousand total death and injury cases pending that may take years to resolve. [10] Meanwhile, pharmaceutical companies have a captive market: vaccines are legally mandated in all 50 U.S. states (though legally avoidable in most; see Myth 9), yet these same companies are immune' from accountability for the consequences of their products. Furthermore, they have been allowed to use gag orders' as a leverage tool in vaccine damage legal settlements to prevent disclosure of information to the public about vaccination dangers. Such arrangements are clearly unethical; they force a non-consenting American public to pay for vaccine manufacturer's liabilities, while attempting to ensure that this same public will remain ignorant of the dangers of their products.
It is interesting to note that insurance companies (who do the best liability studies) refuse to cover vaccine adverse reactions. Profits appear to dictate both the pharmaceutical and insurance companies' positions.
Vaccination Truth 1: Vaccination causes significant death and disability at an astounding personal and financil cost to families and taxpayers
