Currently viewing the category: "vaccine"

Disease by Vaccination

By On · Add Comment · In Nigeria, polio, swine flu vaccine, vaccine, vaccine-associated paralytic polio (VAPP), World Health Organization (WHO)
Big trouble in Nigeria. Efforts to eradicate polio in the African nation have taken a wrong turn. The polio vaccine being administered to Nigerians is causing a polio surge. You heard right, Nigerians are contracting polio from the very substance meant to curb it. Pretty scary for outside observers, and pretty awful for the Nigerian people.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the polio virus used in the oral polio vaccine (OPV) that is currently being administered in Nigeria has gone through a mutation, causing poliomyelitis, a disease-induced paralysis, in 124 children. Nigerian officials have reported that this number has doubled from the year before, and the cause is primarily from a mutation in the strain contained within the vaccine.

Polio vaccine comes in two administration forms–injectable polio vaccine (IPV), which is the form predominantly used in the U.S., and the oral version. OPV is preferred in third world countries because of it’s low cost and ease of administration. It does provide added benefits over IPV in that it protects the intestinal tract, preventing infection through the mucosal lining of the digestive tract. Because polio is transmitted through fecal-oral transmission, the protection added by the OPV is a big plus. Even here in the U.S., the polio vaccine schedule has been changed to include both injectable and oral doses.

Whereas IPV contains a killed virus, leading to zero chance of mutation, the OPV is a live viral strain (it’s attenuated, which means weakened), and can thus mutate. This comes as a particularly unfortunate circumstance for Nigerian public health, as fears and suspicions have slowed the vaccination process for years. History has shown that Nigerians have distrusted the polio vaccine, believing the vaccine would sterilize their children and infect them with HIV. Their low vaccination rates had led to exportation of polio to twelve different countries as a result.

The WHO believes that Nigeria’s vaccine-associated paralytic polio (VAPP) cases have been occurring since 2005. At that time, aware of the outbreaks, WHO officials believed that the outbreaks would be easily contained, but they have been severely wrong. Some experts believe that the VAPP outbreak can cause an epidemic as bad as one caused by a wild virus (one found in nature).

I find this situation scary, since our trusted experts and officials assure us that they have our public health under control. We are advised to vaccinate, to get on lifestyle drugs (statins, antidepressants, and so forth), and to turn to medical authorities for advice on our health care. But what if the authorities are wrong? What if they don’t know everything about a particular procedure, drug interaction, or even physiology? You are aware that we only understand a fraction of the workings of the human body, yes?

Here’s is what I mean: The current crisis in health care is the swine flu. We are being told to vaccinate our children. Countries around the world are stockpiling vaccines, and mass inoculations are being prepared. Schools around the country are getting ready to handle everything from vaccinations to quarantine. Are you confident in the assurances of the government that a swine flu vaccine is warranted, and most of all, safe? You are a braver citizen than me, oh-trusting-one. Knowing what I know about the adjuvant in the swine flu vaccine, as well as knowing that flu is flu, and I probably had swine flu last year (haven’t been so sick in all my life), why would I take the chance. My motto is, as always, god bless the availability of all drugs and vaccines for the people who want them, but I’ll choose the one’s I want to give to me and my family, thank you very much. And I ain’t touching that swine flu vaccine.

Did You Get Flu Vaccine?

By On · Add Comment · In cold, flu shot, rhinovirus, vaccine
My daughter Delilah has been sick as Swiss measles outbreak–has a nasty cold, probably the same one you have. Hacking dry cough, lots of snot, fever–I’ve seen so many people in my practice with this nasty little bug, and even more that I’ve talked to. It’s that time of year, all right.

Did you get a flu shot? I didn’t. I was sick about a month ago–same thing that’s going around now. I didn’t get my daughters a flu shot either, despite massive pushing from our pediatrician. It got me wondering, why don’t they have a vaccine for the common cold? It can’t be because the rhinovirus is benign; I mean, my daughter has been nailed. After eight days of labored respiration and irrepressible cough, I think she’s been through the ringer. So why no vaccine?

I wouldn’t do it anyway, because I’m sure it wouldn’t do squat. Just like the flu vaccine. As I reported back in December, very few Americans are getting the flu shot this year. And we haven’t been hit yet with the massive flu epidemic that we’ve been told for years would happen unless everyone got their flu shot. Uh..told you.

Even better, doctors are now saying the flu shot doesn’t prevent the flu, it only lessens symptoms. Ha, ha, ha…what a crock of sh*#! Last year it was, “The flu vaccine protects at risk people, like children or the elderly, from the flu.” Today it’s, “You can get the flu even if you’ve been vaccinated, and even if it hits the right virus, you just may not get as bad of a flu.” Yeah…exactly what I’ve been saying.

To the credit of the flu shot pushers, the new word on the hospital floor is that people who haven’t gotten flu shots should try to ride the season out. Bout time somebody started talking sense.

Flu Shot Study Update

By On · Add Comment · In flu season, flu shot, flu strain, vaccine
Remember my post on the unplanned flu shot study? Remember how I pointed out that only 33% of the American population had received a flu shot as of December ’08, and that only an estimated 17% more would be receiving the vaccine all season? Do you also recall how I pointed out that 80-90% of the population needs to be inoculated for protection to take place–at least theoretically?

OK, OK…you must remember all the other post of mine regarding the flu shot. Remember? You know, that I think it’s the biggest scam of the last two centuries; that the flu shot doesn’t protect against diddly (read this); that if you’ve bought into the flu shot hype, you’ve been duped royally. Well, let’s add a little more fuel to the fire.

Experts now report that the flu may be off to a slow start–flu-like symptoms have been below normal all season. Well whaddaya know. Lets see, government agency sells public on shaky vaccine–one meant to combat rapidly mutating organism. Scientific community admits difficulty getting vaccine strain right, as whole process is guessing game as to which flu strain will rear its ugly capsid in any given year. Despite this, public still buys into flu shot BS.

Rewind to 2007: Record numbers of Americans go out and get the flu shot, yet we experience the worst flu season in three years. Now 2008: People say, “Up yours!” to the flu shot and stay away in record numbers, and to date…flu cases are down! Hmmm…does anybody else smell something fishy?

Well it’s no surprise to me–I’ve been reporting this story for over two years. The flu shot is bona fide bovine scat. And you know what gives me gran satisfacción? People are getting it. Yes! But wait…is it possible that getting the flu shot, gulp, gives you the flu? Public health officials say, “Absolutely not!” But go ahead, read the side effects–sounds like flu to me. Okay…flu-like symptoms. Whatever. But check it: flu shots up…flu up. Flu shots down…flu down. Could it? Nah, it’s just coincidence…right?!?!

Unplanned Flu Shot Study

By On · Add Comment · In Centers of Disease Control (CDC), flu, flu shot, herd immunity, vaccinated, vaccine

We’ve got an interesting unplanned study underway in the U.S. this flu season. According to recent reports, only one third of Americans have received a flu shot this year. And based on a survey of 4,000 people, only seventeen percent more are planning on getting one. Nice–a fifty-fifty split.

So what’s the study? Well, public health officials at the U.S. Centers of Disease Control (CDC) recommend that 85% of the population (261 million people) get vaccinated against the flu to prevent pandemonium. The flu kills 36,000 people and sends 200,000 to the hospital in the United States annually.

If you’ve listened to my podcast on vaccinations (Dr. Nick Show, Episode 8) then you know all about herd immunity. Herd immunity is the protection an entire population receives from a certain number of the people getting vaccinated. This number is roughly 80-90%. So by 261 million Americans receiving the flu vaccine, we should in theory be “protected” against the devastation promised by the flu. Hmmmm….

Well it ain’t happening this year. Less than fifty percent of the population will be getting the vaccine. So what do you think? Death and pestilence to sweep through the nation? I guess we’ll see. That’ll be the study. If we experience mass devastation, then I’ll concede–I’ll stop bagging on the flu vaccine. But it’ll have to be a significant difference. Not the same numbers we see every year. I’m betting they’ll be pretty close to the same.

As I keep saying: it is nearly impossible to develop a flu vaccine that matches the current strains in the wild. They mutate too quickly. The influenza virus is the true Master of Disguises.

But I’m excited to see the upcoming results. Even though I think that if the pandemic doesn’t happen, public health officials will rationalize it in one way or another; they’ll never let go of the flu shot fallacy. However, it’ll pretty much prove things to me. Combine it with last year’s flu vaccine debacle (massive illness despite record numbers of people vaccinated), and the flu shot might just be shot.

Flu Shot Bull Shot

By On · Add Comment · In death rates, elderly, flu shot, mortality, vaccinated, vaccine

More BS exposed on the flu shot health watch. Despite proponents talking up the countless benefits, seems like research is proving otherwise. The latest study out of Alberta, Canada showed that elderly people getting the flu shot had no lowered risk of dying from the flu. That’s right–no lowered risk of dying from the flu. If I’m not mistaken, that’s always the reasoning behind the heavy marketing of this bogus vaccine.

Over 700 elderly people were followed, half receiving the flu shot. As it turns out, after adjusting for potential confounders, including functional and socioeconomic factors, no statistical significance was found between death rates of vaccinated versus non-vaccinated people. In other words, just as many flu-vaccinated elderly subjects died as non-vaccinated subjects. Now ain’t that a…bleep.

Anyway, that’s no surprise to me. I’ve been pounding out this story for well over a year, and have been screaming foul for the flu shot for as long as I can remember. Plain and simple: The flu shot is bunk! Thank you but no thank you. Even though flu vaccinations among the elderly have gone way up–from 15 to 65 percent–“there has been no commensurate decrease in hospital admissions or all-cause mortality,” said one researcher. All this despite previous estimates that “50% of reduction in death from any cause had been noted in elderly people who got a flu shot.

Oh well, I guess even these results won’t slow down the flu vaccine propaganda. I’ll just keep saying it until it catches on: You’ve got to get sick! It’s the only way your immune system keeps updated and ready to fight tomorrows invaders. The flu shot merely exposes you to a minuscule proportion of existing flu strains. The influenza virus mutates rapidly. Just keep yourself as healthy as you can, and you shouldn’t have any problem beating the antigen off those little buggers.

Vaccination Guinea Pigs

By On · Add Comment · In Argentina, experimental, pneumonia, Synflorix, vaccine
Wanna know the best way to test a new experimental vaccine? Give it to unsuspecting poor people. Want to know how to get away with shoddy recruitment practices when you get caught–make sure those poor people are in Latin America. Don’t believe me? Read on.

According tho the Argentina’s food and drug administration, an investigation is being launched into the possible link between an “experimental” vaccine and the deaths of 14 children in Argentina and Panama. Pharmaceutical maker, GlaxoSmithKline, developed Synflorix as a vaccine to combat pneumonia–a noble undertaking–but sources say that the mega-drug maker may have used dubious tactics to recruit volunteers. One watchdog group says that many participants were not told of the experimental nature of the vaccine. “They didn’t explain to the parents that this was an experimental vaccine, and a lot of the parents who signed consent forms were illiterate,” said Ana Maria Marchesse, a pediatrician who heads the Health Professionals’ Labor Association in the northern Argentine province of Santiago del Estero, where seven of the 14 children died.

GlaxoSmithKline defends itself by saying that safety is always their utmost concern. In fact, they say, the number of pneumonia deaths among the experimental group was four times less than in the general population. Not bad numbers.

But “Uh, uh, uh, no, no, no…,” say doctors in the Santiago del Estero region of Argentina. They report that they witnessed “poor ethical management” of patient recruitment. “In some cases, they first gave them the vaccine and then gave them a 13-page consent form to sign that I had to read three times to understand,” Dr. Marchesse added.

A case of he said, she said? Hmmm…what do you think? I think we’ll be hearing more of this in the near future.

Flu Vaccine Farce

By On · Add Comment · In anti-viral, Centers of Disease Control (CDC), flu, flu strain, flu vaccine, influenza, influenza virus, mutate, Tamiflu, vaccine, virus
Well, well, well–you heard it here first: The flu vaccine isn’t worth all that much. To be fair, the Centers of Disease Control (CDC) is finally fessing up. Yup, you heard right–CDC officials are admitting that more than 50% of the flu strains we are currently seeing in the U.S. are NOT included in this year’s flu vaccine. But you knew that, right? You’re a regular reader of this blog, god bless ya!

U.S. officials have reported that the number of states reporting widespread flu activity has increased from 11 to 31 in just one week. The severity of flu strains is often measured by the number of children it kills in any given year. This season the number is at six–low by public health standards–but people are still getting sick by the boatloads. Hmmm…weren’t flu vaccinations way up this year? Crazy.

Because the composition of the flu vaccine is decided nine months earlier than it is actually made available to the public–an eternity in light of the influenza virus’ ability to mutate–it is often impossible to match exactly the strains that might make their appearance on any given year. To add insult to injury, one influenza expert has disclosed that we are now even seeing some strains developing resistance to Tamiflu, a popular anti-viral used frequently to fight the symptoms of the flu (which is supposed to be prevented through the vaccine–anybody else see a glitch in this reasoning?). According to Dr. Joe Bresee of the CDC’s influenza division, “a less-than-ideal virus match between the viruses in the vaccine and those circulating viruses can reduce vaccine effectiveness.” OK, thank you; finally, some sense. So why bother?

I know a lot of people who are battling the flu right now. Hang in there; you’ll get better. And then you’ll develop your own immunity, which will strengthen your system. Of course, that is until next year, when a new strain will then come around and we’ll get to do it all over again. Boy, ain’t health fun?

New Use for Flu Vaccine

By On · Add Comment · In bird flu, fear, flu, flu vaccine, H5N1, immunity, influenza virus, inoculated, pandemic, vaccine

At the dawn of a looming bird flu pandemic, researchers say they have found a new use for the standard flu vaccine. Scientists at the National Institute for Infectious Diseases Lazzaro Spallanzani in Rome, have found that some volunteers inoculated against the seasonal influenza virus showed antibody protection from the bird flu. Although preliminary, experts are using these results as a way to step-up yearly influenza vaccinations.

It’s no secret how I feel about the flu vaccine–pretty useless as far as I’m concerned; but I will not discount the possibility of cross-over immunity. If, indeed, the annual flu vaccine provides a progressive tolerance to a more virulent viral strain like H5N1 (the nefarious bird flu virus) the more often it is used, then it would certainly warrant mass use. But what I can’t ignore is the convenient opportunity to use fear as a foolproof method of mass marketing.

As I point out in my upcoming book, The Six Keys To Optimal Health, public fear is often exploited as a way to pass legislation or sell product. The greater the threat, the more insidious the exploitation. Remember when North Korea had a nuclear bomb pointed at the West Coast? In L.A. it was used to scare locals into buying duct tape, plastic sheeting and other survival gear in the event of a nuclear blast. Now we’d better prepare for–gulp–the bird flu!

No doubt, an infectious pandemic is long overdo; the world hasn’t seen a bona fide one since 1968. But didn’t we hear the same things about e-bola, hanta virus, and the West Nile virus too? Just think about how many threats we’d have to protect ourselves against every year if we were to allow our fears to get the best of us. We might have to sit through a few more Dustin Hoffman duds at the very least. So why is this one any different?

The truth is that, just as experts believe that each successive flu inoculation adds strength to the vaccinated person’s growing immunity, wouldn’t it be just a likely that catching the flu every year or so would also add to one’s protection? Uh, now let’s just think about that for a minute.

One of my strongest arguments in The Six Keys to Optimal Health is to focus on strengthening our internal defenses–the immune system among other things. Only in this way can we increase our chance of surviving any catastrophe. It almost seems counterproductive to rely on the supply of vaccine and antidote for our continued survival; however, I guess it could happen. But I need way more, by way of information, than what we’ve got now to jump on that train. Until we know more–like does the annual flu vaccine provide protection for a large percentage of people, and can one develop an equal amount of immunity, naturally, through routine exposure and fighting off illness every year–then I’ll avoid the flu vaccine for now. Prove its need beyond a reasonable doubt, and you might just see me standing in the flu-line one day, after all.

Mandatory Flu Vaccinations

By On · Add Comment · In chicken pox, children, flu shot, flu vaccine, herd immunity, Hib vaccine, immune system, immunity, vaccine, virus

Jawohl! You’ve got it–National Socialism is alive and well in the good ol’ US of A. Seems like one state is making flu vaccination mandatory for preschoolers. New Jersey State Health Commissioner Dr. Fred M. Jacobs has approved the requirement that all children attending preschool or licensed day care centers will need to get an annual flu shot. Heil, Herr Commandant!

You all know my feelings on mandatory vaccinations in general, and you definitely know how I feel about the flu shot–it’s pure bunkum! I get the concept of public health; but the flu shot hasn’t been proven to protect anybody, except maybe the manufacturers of the vaccine.

According to recent reports, preschool children are “being targeted because their developing immune systems make them as susceptible to flu complications as senior citizens, and because they are more likely than older kids to spread the virus.” Uh, let me see here….don’t we need to encounter microorganisms to develop immunity? There is no long lasting immunity derived from the flu vaccine anyway, since the virus mutates rapidly and new strains pop up every year. So why force it upon the public? Isn’t it better for kids to contract the flu and strengthen their systems? I just don’t get it.

One thing I do get is the concept of herd immunity. Herd immunity is the protection of non-vaccinated individuals by the large number of vaccinated people in a population. The idea is that an illness has less of an opportunity to spread as there are not enough links in the chain (non-vaccinated people) to create a full blown epidemic. So if people want to vaccinate (and, of course, many will) then, by the process of herd immunity, the population as whole will be safe. Go ahead, give ’em out like candy. There’ll be plenty of takers. There is enough fear of illness to make the flu vaccine business boom. Why make it mandatory for everyone to subject their children to a questionable substance?

I wouldn’t want to give my child the flu vaccine (and believe me, our pediatrician tries; oh boy, does she try). Thank goodness California isn’t yet a part of the Third Reich. Put simply–the flu just isn’t a menacing enough illness for me to go there. What’s next? Chicken Pox. Oh, they try that one too. Haven’t most adults alive today had the chicken pox? But the powers that be are trying to sell us on that nonsense as well. Can’t wait till they come up with the vaccination for stupidity.

And to top it all off, that glorious Reichian state New Jersey has recently had a recall on one of its most common children vaccines. Ah very good, you guessed it, the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine. Granted this is the vaccine for the bacterial flu strain and not the viral one, but it’s still a recall. Appears that 14 million doses of the vaccine produced by Merck (them again?) were contaminated. Contaminated? Scary, man. According to the report, “It was unclear how many of the 1.2 million doses [that got out] were administered to children.” Yikes!

The report goes on to say, “Should the vaccine later prove contaminated, health officials believe most children will experience, at worst, skin irritation around the shot site. Problems could be worse for children with weakened immune systems (emphasis mine).” Isn’t that the group they are supposedly protecting? That really scares heck out of me.

Here’s my advice: Stay up on this story, and any story like it; do whatever you can to prevent its passage in your state. And if you live in New Jersey, get out as fast as you can. Heil Hib-ler!

Sham of the Century

By On · Add Comment · In Centers of Disease Control (CDC), flu, flu shot, flu vaccine, immunity, inactivated virus, influenza virus, side effects, vaccine, viruses

Pssst. Hey Buddy. Wanna buy a bridge? How about a flu shot? Yeah?…thought so sucker.

Alright, alright, maybe I’m being a little hard–most people don’t know. They only know what the authorities tell them.

Get your annual flu shot. Prevent the flu. Save your life. Isn’t that the mantra?

Recent reports show that the distribution of flu shots in the U.S. this year is at 103 million–an all time high. Well, I’ve got some bad news for ya–the flu shot is a scam. No, no–it’s not a conspiracy; your doctor really believes in it. And a couple hundred bucks a shot doesn’t hurt the believing process, either.

So how is it a scam? First off, it’s not 100% protection. That is, you can get a flu shot, and…still get the flu. How’s that? Well, according to the Centers of Disease Control (CDC), “It takes about two weeks after vaccination for antibodies to develop in the body and provide protection against influenza virus infection. In the meantime, you are still at risk for getting the flu (emphasis mine).” Furthermore, you can still get the flu due to the variability in flu strains–that is, the current flu vaccine protects (however questionably) against a particular strain, not all of them (also from the CDC; read here). And your protection also depends on the age and health status of the person getting the vaccine (more on this in a second).

Second, the flu virus is one of the most highly mutating organisms there is, so strains change all the time. That’s why you have to get a new shot every year (and don’t forget, a couple hundred bucks a shot also helps with this category). The bottom line is this: you don’t know which flu strain you’ll encounter, and even if it’s “this year’s strain”, you still don’t have total protection.

Lastly (and this is my favorite one), even though the flu shot is an inactivated virus (i.e. it has been killed), it still has potential side effects, and they are:

  • Soreness, redness, or swelling where the shot was given
  • Fever (low grade)
  • Aches

And if you use the spray mist:

  • runny nose
  • headache
  • sore throat
  • cough

And the mist in children:

  • runny nose
  • wheezing
  • headache
  • vomiting
  • muscle aches
  • fever

Call me crazy, but…ain’t that the flu?

So let me put this into perspective: You go to your doctor every year and pay good money for a vaccine that doesn’t work all that well, only protects you from a small faction of microorganisms that can cause the flu, and which actually causes flu-like symptoms. Uh…can I ask a question? WHY NOT JUST GET THE DAMN FLU?!?!

I know, I know, the authorities tell us that it’s for the protection of the elderly, the immunocompromised, and children. However, in the same breath they tell us that the effectiveness of the vaccine is age dependent; and I highly doubt that 20 to 60-year-olds are at the highest risk.

All I can say is this: I’ve never had a flu shot; I’ve had the flu plenty of times; I’ve had the runs, fever, and body aches; and I didn’t want to do anything. So I drank lots of water, and I slept a bunch. I got better, and I developed natural immunity–so, ultimately, I got stronger. Hey, listen–if you feel safer with a flu shot, then go ahead. And when you’re ready, I’ve got an excellent multi-level marketing business opportunity for you…and a bridge.

If you want to read more on this sham, here is an excellent piece published in the British Medical Journal.

And comments to that piece from skeptical MDs in the U.K. (read this because this is from the guys who are administering the shots, so perhaps they have some insights you and I do not have–please scroll down to read the comments).

AIDS Vaccine Enigma

By On · Add Comment · In AIDS, Dr. Peter Duesberg, HIV, Merck, placebo, U.C. Berkeley, vaccine

AIDS researchers are baffled by the latest findings: The AIDS vaccine developed by pharmaceutical manufacturer, Merck Inc., has failed to prevent HIV infection in previously uninfected volunteers. To add to the mystery, those taking the vaccine actually had higher incidences of infection, leaving scientists and Merck officials scratching their heads in disbelief.

The study, a randomized double-blind trial, looked at two groups. The first was given a modified cold virus that was engineered to carry three synthetic HIV genes (genes native to the HIV virus but produced in the lab). The other group was given a placebo. Both groups received prevention counseling. All the volunteers in the study belonged to groups that were already high-risk for infection. The group receiving the vaccine were not only susceptible to infection, but they also contracted HIV at a rate of more than double the placebo group.

Huh? You mean, the group receiving the vaccine actually contracted HIV more than the non-vaccinated group? Quite the mystery, isn’t it? Here’s what makes this especially strange–it is not possible for the vaccine itself to have caused infection: It wasn’t HIV! Whoa. What happened then? Well, nobody knows. But you better bet I’ve got a theory.

Here it goes: HIV is not the sole factor causing AIDS. Before I take credit for this idea, just know I didn’t think of it. The first person I heard it from was a researcher at my alma mater, U.C. Berkeley Professor of Virology, Peter Duesberg. Let’s just say this controversial theory–this little bit of logic thrown in the face of scientific and political dogma–really grabbed my attention back in the early nineties when I first heard it. And now, here might be another piece of evidence hinting at its possibility. I won’t go into detail on his reasoning because it can get quite involved; and you can read it here on your own, anyway. Suffice it to say, however, that if you go against conventional wisdom, you will be ostracized and ridiculed by your peers, and also the public at large. Dr. Duesberg lost much of his funding in the form of research grants because of his controversial theory; and while I was still a student, he was forbidden from teaching–blacklisted if you will; censored; effin’ scary.

And so here we are with new research that makes no sense within the context of how we currently understand HIV and AIDS. But don’t expect the mainstream political and scientific machine to back off of their dogmatic position any time soon. When you have years and years, and billions and billions of dollars, invested in a paradigm, it’s pretty hard to give it up and look elsewhere.

This can be summed up beautifully by Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, which co-sponsored the trials. The results are “both disappointing and puzzling,” he said. “Certainly, the failure of this HIV vaccine product was unexpected, but this setback should not and can not diminish our commitment to developing an effective HIV vaccine.” Stay tuned, but don’t expect me to win any research grants anytime soon, either.

Our Civil Liberties Being Challenged Once Again

By On · Add Comment · In Avandia, cervical cancer, disease, FDA, health, HPV, human papilloma virus, illness, lifestyle choices, mandate, mandatory, sexual behavior, Thalidomide, vaccinate, vaccinations, vaccine, Vioxx
Mandatory HPV vaccinations are once again at the top of the legislative agenda. California is the latest state to introduce a bill requiring girls entering sixth grade to receive the three standard doses of the HPV vaccine.

HPV stands for the human papilloma virus, a sexually transmitted organism that is the cause of genital warts and 70% of all cervical cancers. On the surface, this may seem like a good idea to protect the lives of young women of our society. However, forcing people to vaccinate themselves against a disease that results from lifestyle choices is simply preposterous. This is no morality trip – I don’t think this mandate, in any way, is going to encourage young women to engage in sexual behavior as some suggest. But, I do think that when it comes to our health, the choice should be ours alone.

Now, this is very different from the scenario of being at risk of developing illness by being in the same room as someone who, say, has measles, or tuberculosis or even the flu. You cannot catch HPV without sexual contact, so the public health is not threatened in any way. Using the argument that mandatory vaccination will save lives is using the ends to justify the means. It would be like vaccinating people against drugs and alchohol – a la A Clockwork Orange – to prevent drunk driving deaths.

Sound like an exaggeration to you? It’s not. Consider this: I have a beautiful, healthy and happy 14-month-old daughter, Delilah, who is the apple of my eye. I don’t know anything about this vaccine other than the government (i.e. the FDA) says it’s safe. Do you know how many substances the FDA has deemed safe that we found out later were not? Here are a few:

So why would I want to give a vaccine to my daughter that hasn’t been comprehensively tested? I’m never the first to try out the new version of Internet Explorer, either. Quite frankly, I’d rather take my risk with my daughter contracting HPV, then inject her with something I know very little about. That’s just my opinion. If you want to vaccinate your daughter, go ahead. Nobody wants to stop you. If I, or she, decide down the road that we should do it, then we will – just don’t force it down our throats.

Copyright © 2013 Dr. Nick Campos - All Rights Reserved.