West Nile Virus Mutating into a more Virulent Strain

It seems to be working fine

Via: TheWashingtonpost
 The West Nile virus epidemic of 2012, the worst in a decade, may be notorious for yet another reason: The virus, in some cases, is attacking the brain more aggressively than in the past, raising the specter that it may have mutated into a nastier form, say two neurologists who have extensive experience dealing with the illness. One doctor, Art Leis in Jackson, Miss., has seen the virus damaging the speech, language and thinking centers of the brain — something he has never observed before. The other, Elizabeth Angus in Detroit, has noticed brain damage in young, previously healthy patients, not just in older, sicker ones — another change from past years.But a scientist for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the federal agency has not seen any evidence that the virus is causing a different type of brain damage. He said doctors may be seeing more-serious cases this year because there are more cases overall. But he acknowledged that the CDC does not collect the granular data needed to quickly determine whether the virus is causing more-severe brain damage.
 Still, Angus, who has treated West Nile patients for a decade, and Leis, who has more experience treating severe West Nile illness than perhaps any doctor in the country, both suspect the virus has changed — a view bolstered by a Texas virologist whose laboratory has found signs of genetic changes in virus collected from the Houston area. “I’ve been struck this year that I’m seeing more patients where the brain dysfunction has been very much worse,” said Angus, of Detroit’s Henry Ford Hospital. “It makes you wonder if something’s different, if something’s changed.” And while the virus in the past has typically invaded the brain and spinal cord only of people who have weakened immune systems, such as the elderly and transplant or cancer patients, Angus this summer treated a severely affected woman in her 20s and a man in his 40s. Leis said he is seeing much more severe encephalitis — inflammation of the brain — than he has in the past. “It is clearly much more neuroinvasive, neurovirulent,” he said. Four patients Leis treated this summer had lost their ability to talk or write. Another was paralyzed on one side, as often seen in strokes, not West Nile infections. Others experienced recurring seizures.
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The Flu Shot will make you Sick

Vaccines are Poisons

Via: PittsburghCBS
 The flu vaccine is designed to protect against the most commonly circulating strains of the virus expected in a given season. For instance, this year’s protects against two types of Influenza A — one from California and one from Australia — and a type of Influenza B originating from Wisconsin. Unfortunately, nothing is perfect, and doctors at St. Clair Hospital have been seeing cases of the flu. “Probably 10 patients a day at least and those are confirmed with viral swabs,” says ER physician Dr. Wayne Ludkiewicz, “and some people have said they’ve even gotten a flu shot.”Circulating flu viruses and the vaccine change every year. And because there are so many strains of the flu, it would be hard to design a vaccine to cover them all.
 The vaccines work by priming your immune system to fight off specific proteins on the surface of specific viruses.“I mean, nothing is 100 percent. Even though they’ve had the flu shot, there are various strains that are not protected,” says Dr. Ludkiewicz. The Allegheny County Health Department says it has not received reports of flu cases from strains not covered by this year’s vaccine. In general, the flu shot is about 60 percent effective in adults ages 18 to 64. “I think with the holidays and families getting together, sharing their germs and food and love and presence, I think we’ll see a resurgence in a week or two,” Dr. Ludkiewicz predicts. The CDC says this year’s vaccine is a 90 percent match to the circulating strains. In other words, 10 percent of what’s out there is not a match.
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Nurses Union Against Mandated Masks for Nurses Refusing Flu Shots

Make Choice Mandatory

Via: Endonurse
As the state prepares for the upcoming influenza season, the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), the state's largest union of registered nurses and health professionals, strongly opposes a new policy being implemented by a number of hospital and health care employers calling for mandatory masking of healthcare workers as a component of a flu prevention program, and threatens to fire nurses who don't wear the mask throughout the hospital all day. "Rather than focus on systems and policies that actually prevent flu transmission, many institutions are now focused on setting a misguided and ineffective policy which mandates that healthy healthcare workers wear a mask for eight to twelve hours while on duty if unvaccinated," according to a position statement approved today by the MNA/NNU Board of Directors. "We encourage nurses to become educated on the risks and benefits of the influenza vaccine and decide whether to vaccinate, but there is no medical evidence that the masking of nurses or healthy workers prevents the transmission of influenza."
 "No one cares more about protecting the public health than nurses as we are on the frontlines in protecting our patients from all types of illnesses, including the flu, every day," said MNA/NNU president Donna Kelly-Williams, RN. "But we cannot and will not support useless policies, especially policies that are only designed to coerce nurses into doing something against their better judgment and policies that may cause them personal harm, with absolutely no benefit for any patients." "The medical evidence shows that surgical masks are designed to prevent dispersion and are not designed to prevent inhalation of airborne particles containing virus, therefore masks would be more effective if placed on people who are coughing or sneezing, whether patients or workers," says Margaret O'Connor, an occupational health and safety specialist with the MNA/NNU. "Masking an asymptomatic nurse is neither preventive in the spread of infection nor appropriate." O'Connor added, "Under hospital masking policies, patients, visitors and vendors, who are more likely to be vectors of illnesses, are free to walk around facilities unmasked while nurses and others are forced to wear masks, with no benefit to the patient population."
 The MNA/NNU position is strongly supported by a nationally recognized expert on the issue. "Mandatory masking in lieu of vaccination of healthcare workers as is being implemented in Massachusetts makes no sense and will do little to stop the spread of infection," said William Buchta , MD, MPH, who is a Fellow with the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and a medical director of employee occupational health Service at Mayo Clinic, and who was in Massachusetts two weeks ago to speak about flu prevention and vaccination programs. "There are a number of proven means of reducing hospital infections that need to be implemented, but this is not one of them."
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Experts differ on the dangers of Researching the H5N1 Virus

"We need this virus research"

Via: Cidrap
Some professional groups and scientists think it's a good idea to classify highly pathogenic avian (HPAI) H5N1 influenza viruses as "select agents" requiring special research precautions, while others say the step is unnecessary and would impede research, according to comments they have filed with the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). For example, the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), a physician organization, says H5N1 viruses should be in the select agent category, whereas the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) argues against the idea, noting that circulating H5N1 viruses have poor transmissibility in humans. Several vaccine manufacturers recommend that the attenuated H5N1 strains used to make vaccines should not be included in any select agent designation, because that could slow vaccine development if an H5N1 strain gained greater human transmissibility. Aside from the select agent question, the IDSA and some scientists suggest that H5N1 vaccination should be required for lab workers who handle H5N1 strains that can spread among mammals.
 In mid-October HHS asked the public to comment on whether H5N1 should be designated an HHS special agent, which means that labs handling it would have to register with the agency and meet special requirements for physical security and personnel screening and training. The department also asked for comments on whether special safety and containment measures are needed for research involving H5N1 strains with increased transmissibility in mammals. The request followed the publication earlier this year of two controversial studies describing genetically modified H5 strains that were capable of aerosol transmission in ferrets. Officials originally had set a Dec 17 deadline for commenting, but last week they extended the deadline to Jan 31, 2013. Because of the threat they pose to poultry, HPAI H5N1 viruses are already listed as select agents in the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA's) Select Agent Program. But the viruses are not on HHS's select agent list.
 HHS's request for comments followed a determination by a federal interagency committee that H5N1 viruses may pose a severe threat to human health and safety. The finding came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Intragovernmental Select Agents and Toxins Technical Advisory Committee (ISATTAC), which includes members from various HHS and USDA agencies and the departments of Homeland Security and Defense. The committee considered the findings concerning the transmissibility of genetically modified H5N1 viruses among ferrets, along with the virus's virulence and the low level of immunity in the population.
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South Dakota to Propose Bill Allowing Opt-Out Of Mandatory Vaccinations

Says South Dakota

Via: Livewire
A Republican legislator in South Dakota will introduce a bill that would make it simpler for parents to opt their children out of mandatory vaccinations for religious reasons, the Argus Leader reported on Friday.  Although the state already has a religious exemption for mandatory school vaccinations, the opposition must be etched in the religion's doctrine. Newly elected state Sen. Jeff Monroe of Pierre, S.D. said his bill will ease those requirements and allow any “sincere, verifiable religious belief” to qualify for exemption. “As the law is right now, the Lutheran denomination does not have as part of its doctrine that it’s opposed to vaccination. Well, of course not. It was established (almost 500) years ago,” Monroe said. “I want the law to function so if someone doesn’t like it, and that’s the reason, they can (opt out).” South Dakota's secretary of health, the state medical association and the state association of school nurses have all signaled opposition to Monroe's proposal.
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Newborn Seized Because Mom Questioned Necessity of Vaccination

Forced Vaccinations

Via: Momaroo
This is what you get for questioning the "authority" and for having the audacity to have your own voice in medical decisions for your children: a social worker takes custody of an hours old newborn, while still in the hospital, and prevents her mother from seeing her other than to nurse her every 3 hours. All because she asked too many questions. Yeah. It happened. At Hershey Medical Center in Pennsylvania. Jodi Ferris had planned a homebirth, but when things progressed too quickly for even the midwife to arrive, her husband called an ambulance, and their daughter was born on the way to the hospital. When they arrived at the hospital, there was a lot of activity. Jodi asked a lot of questions about the care and condition of her daughter. Part of that was because she received conflicting answers. And then?
  Angela Lopez-Heagy arrived. The government social worker. She announced that she was there to conduct an investigation, the allegations of which she refused to divulge. Jodi told the social worker that she wasn't comfortable answering questions unless she knew what the allegations were. (Go girl.) Jodi's husband was with their other children back at home, arranging care for them so he could join her at the hospital. The social worker threatened Jodi that if she didn't answer the questions, she would call the police and take custody of the newborn, Annie. And then she grilled Jodi about why she didn't consent to the Hepatitis B vaccination for Annie. This is about a vaccination consent?!! There were other questions, too... They were more generalized.
 Periodically, the social worker left the room during this interrogation. And when she did? A hospital staff member blocked the door to prevent Jodi from leaving her room. She was, for all purposes, held prisoner in her hospital room. And then? The social worker came back with a "safety plan." Jodi asked to see it. It wasn't written on paper yet. It was a carte blanche verbal consent to "whatever the hospital wants." And if she didn't? Angela Lopez-Heagy would take custody of Annie. Jodi asked to wait for her husband. The social worker said no. A police officer instructed Jodi to hand Annie to a nurse. Jodi begged the social worker to allow her to sign the "safety plan." She would do whatever it took to keep custody. But the social worker said, "That window has closed." They took the baby. And the officer escorted Jodi out of the hospital. And off the hospital's property.
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Mercury is FDA approved as a Vaccine Preservative

Vaccines are Toxic

Via: Courthouse News Service
 The Food and Drug Administration is not liable for approving a mercury-based vaccine preservative because more expensive, mercury-free vaccines are available upon request, a federal judge ruled. Thimerosal is a mercury-based compound that is FDA-approved as a vaccine preservative. Organizations such as the Coalition for Mercury-Free Drugs, however, have expressed concern about the preservative. As a precautionary measure, most vaccines administered to children or pregnant women do not include thimersosal, but the flu vaccine is a significant exception. "Thimerosal-preserved flu vaccines are necessary to ensure sufficient supply at a reasonable price," according to the judgment.
     In August 2007, the coalition submitted a citizen petition to the FDA, asking the agency to ban the use of thimerosal in all vaccines for young children and pregnant women. When the FDA denied its petition, the coalition filed a federal complaint, alleging the FDA violated its duty to ensure the safety of vaccines. A federal judge in Washington dismissed the complaint, finding that the coalition lacked standing to bring its claim. Last week, the D.C. Circuit affirmed."We recognize plaintiffs' genuine concern about thimerosal-preserved vaccines," Judge Brett Kavanaugh wrote for a three-judge panel. "But plaintiffs are not required to receive thimerosal-preserved vaccines; they can readily obtain thimerosal-free vaccines. They do not have standing to challenge FDA's decision to allow other people to receive thimerosal-preserved vaccines." (Emphasis in original.)
     "Plaintiffs may, of course, advocate that the legislative and executive branches ban all thimerosal-preserved vaccines," Kavanaugh added. "But because plaintiffs are suffering no cognizable injury as a result of FDA's decision to allow thimerosal-preserved vaccines, their lawsuit is not a proper subject for the judiciary." "In light of plaintiffs' avowed intention to refuse thimerosal-preserved vaccines, plaintiffs cannot show that they face a 'certainly impending,' or even likely, risk of future physical injury from thimerosal in vaccines," the decision states. "To be sure, plaintiffs point out that vaccination is often compulsory for children whose parents seek to enroll them in public schools. But thimerosal-free versions of required vaccines are available, as plaintiffs have conceded, so parents concerned about the effects of thimerosal can obtain thimerosal-free vaccines for their school-age children."
     Furthermore, "rven if vaccine providers generally charge a higher price for thimerosal-free vaccines, the mere existence of a price differential would not establish that thimerosal-free vaccines are not readily available at a reasonable price. The price might be higher for the simple reason that things packaged individually (like thimerosal-free vaccines, which are packaged in single doses) generally cost more than the same things packaged in bulk (like thimerosal-preserved vaccines, which are packaged in multi-dose vials)," Kavanaugh concluded.
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Yampa Valley Medical Center makes Flu Shots Mandatory for Employees

Mandated Poisons

Via: Steamboattoday
 Steamboat Springs — Yampa Valley Medical Center has implemented a new policy making flu shots mandatory for its employees. Under the new policy, which took effect Monday, YVMC employees are required to get flu shots by the end of the year. The policy states that consequences for not getting the flu shot include termination. There are exemptions for health or religious reasons, but anyone without a vaccination must wear a surgical mask while in contact with patients, according to the policy. For Dr. Mark McCaulley, YVMC’s medical director of infection prevention, the hospital’s stance on the issue is firm in the interest of patient safety.
 “It’s appropriate and imperative,” he said about the new policy. “We don’t want to deprive people of their right to individual choice, but if you’re going to work in health care, we have those obligations.” YVMC is not alone in its new policy. On the heels of a February decision by the Colorado Board of Health, state-accredited health care facilities in Colorado must prove 90 percent of their employees are receiving the vaccination by the end of 2014.
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Syracuse hospitals make workers wear masks if they refuse Flu Shots

Scarlet Letter?

Via: Syracuse
Two of Syracuse’s three hospitals are making nurses and other workers who skip the flu shot wear masks. St. Joseph’s and Crouse are taking the precaution as an early flu outbreak intensifies and lands more people in the hospital. The mask rule applies to staffers who work directly with patients. Upstate University Hospital is not requiring unvaccinated workers at its downtown and Community campuses to wear masks. “When we get into mandatory use of a mask, we have union issues,” said Dr. John McCabe, chief executive officer of University Hospital. McCabe said he doesn’t know if a mask requirement is “worth the fight.” About 68 percent of workers at Upstate’s downtown campus and 80 percent at its Community campus have been vaccinated. Employee vaccination rates are 83 percent at Crouse and 93 percent at St. Joe’s.
 The state Health Department says all health care workers should be vaccinated against influenza to protect their health and the health of their patients. State Health Commissioner Dr. Nirav Shah, speaking at a recent meeting of the state’s Public Health and Health Planning Council, called the failure of health care workers to get vaccinated “deplorable.” He said unvaccinated workers should wear masks. Less than half of the state’s health care workers were vaccinated during the 2011-2012 flu season, Shah said. Nationally 67 percent of health care workers were vaccinated during the last flu season, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. McCabe said he agrees with Shah. “I don’t understand why someone who spends their time taking care of patients and devoting their life to that doesn’t see this is part of that,” he said. The flu started earlier than usual this year and is hitting hard. The Onondaga County Health Department received reports of 506 laboratory-confirmed cases in the week ending Dec. 15. Of those cases, 46 involved people who were hospitalized. The county has seen 1,277 confirmed cases so far this season.
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Vaccinated Kids Hospitalized More than Unvaccinated Kids

Vaccine are Toxic

Via: Sagepub
In 1986, Congress passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (PL-99-660) requiring health care providers to report suspected vaccine reactions to a centralized reporting system. As a result, the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), cosponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), was established in 1990. VAERS is a postmarketing safety surveillance program that collects information about possible adverse reactions (side effects) that occur after the administration of vaccines licensed for use in the United States. Current and historic VAERS data are public access, available to health care providers, vaccine manufacturers, and the general public.
VAERS receives approximately 30,000 reports annually. Since 1990, VAERS has received over 350,000 reports, most of which describe mild side effects, such as fever and local reactions. About 13% of all reactions are classified as serious, involving life-threatening conditions, hospitalization, permanent disability, or death. By monitoring such events, VAERS helps to identify unusual patterns of reports and important safety concerns.
 Several factors could contribute to whether an infant will have an adverse reaction to vaccines, including a genetic predisposition, illness (which may be a contraindication to vaccine administration), quality of vaccines (which can vary by manufacturing methods), and sensitivity to one or more vaccine components. Some infants might be more likely to experience an adverse reaction due to biochemical or synergistic toxicity associated with concurrent administration of multiple vaccines. Yet, studies have not been conducted to determine the safety (or efficacy) of administering multiple vaccine doses during a single physician visit based on the CDC’s recommended vaccine schedule.
 To explore the correlation between the total number of vaccine doses administered and serious adverse events reported, a statistical analysis was performed. Cases that specified either hospitalization or death were identified among infants, defined as children aged <1 1990="1990" 2010.="2010." p="p">Vaccine Exemption Forms

Thimerosal: Who Makes It And Why?

Thimerosal is Mercury

Via: Matchdoctor
 Ever take you children for immunizations and watch the nurse, use a syringe to draw out of a larger vial, the amount needed? Ever wonder why, in a doctors office that no one worries about the vial becoming contaminated? Because of the preservative, Thimerosal, it doesn't. Any germs, bacteria or viruses, exposed to the thimerosal preservative dies. And your children may, too.
 Thimerosal is the preservative used by vaccine manufacturers, and banned in every country, except our own! Eli Lilly and Company in the late 1920s and early 1930s began using it as the preservative against studies results. Thimerosal, 49.6 percent mercury by weight, is metabolized or degraded into ethylmercury and thiosalicylate. Mercury, or more precisely, ethylmercury, is the principle agent that kills contaminants. The Department of Defense classifies mercury as a hazardous material that could cause death if swallowed, inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Studies indicate that mercury tends to accumulate in the brains of primates and other animals after they are injected with vaccines. Mercury poisoning has been linked to cardiovascular disease, autism, seizures, mental retardation, hyperactivity, dyslexia and many other nervous system conditions. That's why the FDA rigorously limits exposure to mercury in foods and drugs. Some common sources of mercury include dental amalgam fillings, various vaccines and certain fish contaminated by polluted ocean waters.
 Eli Lilly and Co. not liking the results of the FDA study, hired an independent company to do a new study. In 1930, the company hired it's own doctors to perform thimerosal experiments in Indianapolis City Hospital, on meningitis patients during a break out there. Findings from that study, still quoted in the company's brochures as recently as 1990 stated that "thimerosal of a very low order of toxicity....for man." Andrew Waters, who is involved in a lawsuit against Eli Lilly, claims that most critical studies on the toxicity of thimerosal were suppressed by the company until now.
 Since 1999, the number of immunizations rose to 12 to 15 per child, the public finally became privy to the possible dangers of thimerosal. One 1999 study revealed that some infants, due to a genetic or developmental factor, lack the ability to eliminate mercury. Trace amounts of mercury in these infants, when accumulated over several vaccines, could pose a severe health risk. Some vaccines, such as vaccines for hepatitis B, contained as much as 12.5 micrograms of mercury per dose. That's more than 100 times the EPA's upper limit standard when administered to infants.  Statistical evidence links thimerosal with nervous system disorders
 In June 2000, federal officials and industry representatives were assembled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to discuss the disturbing evidence. According to Tom Verstraeten, an epidemiologist who had analyzed the data on the CDC's database, thimerosal appeared to be responsible for a dramatic increase in autism and other neurological disorders. Verstraeten told those at the meeting that a number of earlier studies indicate a link between thimerosal and speech delays, attention-deficit disorder, hyperactivity and autism.
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160,000 Flu Shots Recalled Linked to Alzheimer's

160,000 Flu Shots Recalled Linked to Alzheimer's The vaccine manufacturing company Novartis has recently made the news this time with the recall of 160,000 dosages of the Aggripal influenza flu vaccination in both the United Kingdom and Italy. The recall was due to ‘particles seen floating in the vials’ the particles were later determined to be protein aggregates. When researching protein aggregates we soon find that they are not only dangers misfolded proteins but they are also toxic and linked to amyloidal diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Pion’s. These 160,000 doses of Aggripal were so saturated with protein aggregates that they were visible to the naked eye as floating particulate matter. These toxic injections are referred to as ‘hot batches’ meaning they are concentrated dosages of viral components that have clumped together in a bolus of immune system shocking protein aggregates. Read the rest...

MMF Disorder Directly Linked to Vaccines

Vaccines are Toxic

Via: Spreadlibertynews
Macrophagic Myfasciitis, known as MMF, is a condition with symptoms of incapacitating muscles and joints, paint, chronic inflammation, and fatigue. Fairly new, it was only first discovered in 1998. MMF is caused by a break down of the central nervous system, similar to MS, and damage to the fatty layer myelin sheaths, which protect the body’s nerves. Without adequate nerve protection, abrasions can occur in addition to the body’s natural reactionary autoimmune response: an inability to transfer appropriate nerve impulses that result in the nerves attacking themselves, resulting in the pain. So how does one acquire such a debilitating condition? Vaccinations.
 Vaccines with traces of aluminum present have been proven to be the direct link to developing MMF. Eleven years ago, just three years after the discovery of MMF, a study was published in the journal Brain, which revealed that aluminum-containing vaccines such as hepatitis A and B shots and tetanus shots are the direct cause of MMF. The study reads, “The association between MMF and multiple sclerosis-like disorders may give new insights in to the controversial issues surrounding vaccinations and demyelinating CNS disorders. Intramuscular injections of such vaccines (that contain aluminum) in experimental animal models induce comparable but transient lesions at the site of injection, suggesting that MMF may occur ‘in a predisposed subset of individuals with impaired ability to clear aluminum from the deltoid muscle.’”
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Huge increases in parents who refuse to vaccinate their children

Vaccine Exemption Map

Via 3AW
The medical community has called for the anti-immunisation lobby to wind back its efforts after figures showed the number of parents refusing to vaccinate their children has increased six fold. The Academy of Science, supported by the Australian Medical Association, is today launching a 20-page booklet to explain the benefits of immunisation and try to debunk common myths. Neil Mitchell has said that in his non-expert view, the actions taken by parents who refuse to vaccinate their children is ‘tantamount to child abuse’. HAVE YOUR SAY: Do you support compulsory child immunisation?
 President of the Australian Vaccination Network, Meryl Dorey told Neil Mitchell the government and media had worked to 'actively suppress' information regarding the risks immunisation posed, and said she supported people’s right to make their own choice. "We believe that everyone has the right to make an informed decision about vaccination, and that includes having access to both sides of this issue," she said. "We absolutely oppose any form of compulsory vaccination." Ms Dorey said whooping cough vaccinations had reached their highest level, yet the number of reported cases of whooping cough had also reached a crescendo. "We have more whooping cough now than we had since before the vaccine was added to the mass vaccination schedule in 1953," she said. "And the reason for that, according to studies that are coming out around the world, is that the vaccine is no longer effective against whooping cough because the disease has mutated and it may actually make more susceptible to contracting whooping cough."
 Ms Dorey said her organisation’s database had recorded 25 deaths which had occurred as a direct result of immunisation since 1998. "Not one of these reactions was ever reported by the doctor involved," she said. However President of the Australian Medical Association, Dr Steve Hambleton, told Neil Mitchell the benefits of immunisation far outweighed the risks. "There are dangers; Like anything, there are side effects though the most common side effects are quite minor," he said. Dr Hambleton said he had seen children experiencing convulsions as a result of immunization, which he said was a ‘very major concern’, but said the vaccination-related morality rate would be very low. "Compared to getting the wild virus, those side effects...are far, far less than what you would get if you didn't have the vaccine on the market," he said. Dr Hambleton said the fact many illnesses had been eradicated by immunisation was leading to a lax approach to vaccinations among some parents. "Parents have never been exposed to kids with measles for example," he said. "Seeing a child carried into a general practice with measles, I haven't seen one for 20 years, but the kids are really sick, they have a really high temperature and they've got a significant risk of actually getting a secondary infection like pneumonia."
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Deadly Chicken Virus Emerges from Vaccine Combination

Mutations Ultimate Goal

Via: Softpedia
Scientists are reporting an unusual condition among chicken grown in Australia. They say that the viruses introduced in the poultry in small amounts, as part of a vaccination campaign, appear to have recombined inside the animals, leading to a severe type of infection. As the new organism starts to attack the chicken, the latter get sick, and die soon afterwards. The condition has thus far only been detected in vaccinated chicken. Researchers believe that such campaigns should be carried out more carefully, in order to avoid such disastrous consequences. The main thing about vaccines is that they should prevent diseases from occurring, not cause them. They work by introducing a small amount of a particular virus in the body.
 The immune system picks up the intruder and destroys it, creating the antibodies necessary for doing so in the process. Then, if the same virus tries to invade – such as during an epidemic – the body is immune to its effects, and makes short work of the pathogen. In the case of animals grown intensively at a large scale, several vaccines are often administered at the same time, Science Now reports. The chance of the tiny amounts of viruses introduced by these vaccines meeting and putting their genetic material in common is very low, yet not non-existent, as the new situation clearly demonstrates.
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Pediatricians: Keep Thimerosal in Vaccines

Toxic Poison

Via: Medpagetoday
The American Academy of Pediatrics has endorsed the World Health Organization's stance that thimerosal -- a mercury-based preservative -- should be left in vaccines and should not be subject to a ban contained in a draft treaty from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP). In a brief statement published online in Pediatrics, the academy supported the recommendations drafted by the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on immunization at an April meeting. An AAP spokesperson said that the endorsement was adopted unanimously by the academy's infectious diseases committee. The Pediatrics Infectious Diseases Society and the International Pediatric Association have also thrown their support behind the guidance.
 In 2009, UNEP requested that an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee develop a binding treaty to reduce the hazards of environmental mercury. Included in the draft treaty, which will be debated and possibly finalized next month, is a provision banning the use of thimerosal in vaccines. The WHO has called for the removal of that provision, with SAGE concluding that although it supports efforts to reduce environmental mercury, "it is essential that access to thimerosal-containing vaccines is not restricted under this global initiative."
An Evolving Position on Thimerosal
 Thimerosal has been used to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi in multidose vials of vaccines since the 1930s. In recent decades, concerns have been raised about the potential neurotoxic effects of the preservative and a possible association with autism because it contains mercury in the form of organic ethyl mercury. The FDA tackled the issue in the late 1990s, and its review showed that the cumulative amount of mercury from vaccines included in the routine immunization schedule for infants could exceed the safety threshold set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency based on studies of methyl mercury. The amount did not, however, rise above the thresholds established by federal guidelines from the Agency for Toxic Substance Disease Registry and the FDA.
 Based on those findings, and in addition to growing public pressure driven by congressional hearings and increasing media attention on potential adverse neurodevelopmental effects of thimerosal, the AAP and the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) in 1999 called for the removal of mercury from all vaccines. "Once the FDA calculations revealed that even one federal guideline was exceeded, the AAP and USPHS were obligated to full public disclosure," explained Louis Cooper, MD, of Columbia University in New York City, and Samuel Katz, MD, of Duke University in Durham, N.C., in a commentary accompanying the academy's current endorsement.
 "With that disclosure, it was important to demonstrate a response that could prevent exceeding the guideline levels and also to continue to protect infants by still ensuring full immunization," wrote Cooper, a member of the AAP board of directors in 1999, and Katz, a former chair of the academy's infectious diseases committee. "The joint statement met those obligations while demonstrating an abundance of caution: putting safety first." By 2001, thimerosal had been removed from most vaccines in the U.S. and other high-income countries; it can still be found in some seasonal influenza vaccines and other adult vaccines. In areas of the world with fewer resources, however, thimerosal is still widely used as a vaccine preservative.
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GSK Makes Quadrivalent Flu Vaccine: 4 Times the Poison

Man-Made Bio-Weapons

Via: Medpagetoday
The FDA has given the nod to another influenza vaccine intended to protect against four strains of the virus, according to the drug's maker. The vaccine -- dubbed Fluarix Quadrivalent -- will be available for the 2013-2014 flu season, according to a release from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), of London, England. Unlike current trivalent vaccines, it will include two strains of influenza B, as well as the standard two strains of influenza A.
 The GSK drug is one of a number of quadrivalent vaccines under development; another is being produced by Sanofi Pasteur of Swiftwater, Pa., and has not yet been approved. The first such vaccine to be approved -- FluMist Quadrivalent, an attenuated live-virus vaccine made by Medimmune of Gaithersburg, Md. -- got the FDA OK Feb. 29. Two main lineages of influenza B -- dubbed Victoria and Yamagata -- have been circulating for more than a decade, and choosing which one to include in the annual flu vaccine has been a guessing game. Panels of experts choose what strains of the flu they expect to circulate in any given year, and vaccines are manufactured to include those strains. But because vaccine manufacture takes time, the decision must be made months before flu season actually starts.
 If a seasonal flu vaccine has a B strain that is mismatched against the circulating strain, it offers little or no protection against disease caused by influenza B. Indeed, the company release noted, "various degrees of mismatch have occurred between the B strain included in trivalent vaccines and the B strain that actually circulated, causing an increased risk of influenza-related morbidity across all age groups -- children, adults and the elderly." In fact, the company noted, in six of the last 11 flu seasons, the predominant circulating influenza B strain was not selected by public health authorities and included in that year's vaccine. The GSK release said the U.S. is the first -- and so far the only -- country to approve its vaccine.
 In clinical trials, the company reported, the most common adverse reactions in adults were pain at the injection site, muscle aches, headaches, and fatigue. In children 3 to 18, the most common adverse reactions were pain at the injection site, redness, and swelling, while in children 3 to 6, the most common adverse reactions were drowsiness, irritability, and loss of appetite.
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Here is a video on GSK Giving Bacteria Contaminated Vaccines to Babies:

Official Vaccinated vs Unvaccinated Study Finally Being Done

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Via: Greenmedinfo
Parents say vaccines cause autism and autoimmune diseases and many other acute or chronic disease. The question is: is there any truth to this? How many kids have avoidable chronic illness as a result of vaccines? One way to find out would be to compare vaccinated children with unvaccinated children. The pro-vaccine say of such a study, "it can't be done," for various spurious reasons. But is the bottom line that such a study could possibly bring the whole childhood vaccine schedule into question? If unvaccinated children were shown to be healthier, might vaccination rates fall? Should a comparative study show that that the rate of autism in unvaccinated is significantly less than the rate among vaccinated children, might the Government have to pay a couple of billion to provide these injured people the compensation they deserve?
 Those of us who have only been able to provide lip service can now support it, and help to make it happen. The study will look at several potential health differences, and if it is properly done and statistically sound, with results that show vaccinated children suffer the same mental and physical illness that the unvaccinated do, I will concede the argument. If we all chip in to raise the million US dollars it will take to hire the personnel, do the distribution of questionnaires, analyze the data, and everything in between, the study can be completed. The lead investigator and the creators of the questionnaire are highly qualified to conduct the study. The lead investigator is a visiting professor in the School of Health Sciences at Jackson State University, has MPH and DrPH degrees in epidemiology from Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and an MA in sociology from the University of Essex (UK). The study already has ethics approval and is ready to roll. Here is a short radio clip discussing the lack of such a study thus far, and some other information on the childhood vaccination program. All it needs is funding. As you can imagine, there are no pharmaceutical or government agencies rushing to donate to the cause of answering some of the very questions now being asked in congress today. We need answers, and those answers will only arrive by doing this study.
 Some of the bigger organizations who question vaccines are not donating, so it's up to us. If you long to know the answer as much as I do, please donate something, even five dollars, to help make it happen. If you don't donate anything then please don't whine about how your kid has no way out of the vaccine schedule, about how there is vaccine after vaccine added every few years, about how nobody listens and the medical profession says there is no proof that numerous medical conditions correlate with the number of vaccines given in a lifetime. If you don't get on board then consider that you have just capitulated to, and joined the Paul Offits of the world. The study is called, "Vaccination Status and Health Outcomes among Homeschool Children." Research is being done by epidemiologists at Jackson State University.The pilot study involved four states. That data has not been fully analyzed. The upcoming study will be nationwide in the USA.
 The proposal for the study states: "This study concerns a major current health question: namely, whether vaccination is linked in any way to children's long-term health. Vaccination is one of the greatest discoveries in medicine, yet little is known about its long-term impact. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effects of vaccination by comparing vaccinated and unvaccinated children in terms of a number of major health outcomes, including asthma, autism, diabetes, and learning disability. The study involves a partnership between Jackson State University (JSU), Jackson, MS and the National Home Education Research Institute (NHERI), Salem, OR, which has long been involved in research on homeschool education...This study has been reviewed and approved by the Institutional Review Board of Jackson State University."
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Gates Mass Produces HPV Vaccinations 30 Million Girls Injected by 2020

Vaccines are Bioweapons

Via: GlobalHealth
"In an effort to fight the human papillomavirus (HPV), the leading cause of cervical cancer, more than 30 million girls will be immunized against HPV by 2020 with GAVI support, the global health alliance announced on Thursday," Xinhua/Global Times reports. "Rwanda and Uganda have been conducting HPV pilot projects through donations from vaccine manufacturers and are expected to roll out the vaccine nationwide with GAVI support in 2014," the news service writes, adding, "By 2015, GAVI plans to immunize approximately one million girls with HPV vaccines and a large number of other countries are expected to run HPV pilot projects, and by 2020, more than 30 million girls will be immunized against HPV, [GAVI Alliance CEO Seth] Berkley said" (12/7).
"The demand for HPV vaccines has exceeded expectations and we are looking forward to supporting developing countries in introducing these vaccines to protect adolescent girls against cervical cancer," Berkley said in a press release, according to Devex. The GAVI Alliance "planned to support human papillomavirus vaccines in 2008, but had to shelve the project due to funding constraints, according to a fact sheet [.pdf]," Devex reports, adding that a "successful pledging conference in 2011 ... provided the opportunity for GAVI to open its 'funding window' for the vaccine"
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No Flu Shot? Hospital says Staff Must Wear Masks

Choice should be Mandatory

Via: Monroenews
 Some Mercy Memorial Hospital System employees who work near patients now are wearing surgical masks while on the job, a sign that flu season has arrived. The hospital started a policy in September, 2011, requiring all employees to get annual flu shots, except for those who opt out due to medical, religious or personal reasons. But part of the policy requires those who haven’t been vaccinated to wear surgical masks within six feet of patients once the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined flu activity has reached the regional level, so the mask rule now is in effect and will run through the end of the flu season in April. The hospital’s goal is to have at least 90 percent of its employees vaccinated against the flu. “We’re close, but not there yet,” said Matthew Hefner, a hospital spokesman. The hospital began staff vaccinations in September and will continue to offer them through April.
 The CDC said the nation is experiencing an early flu season with high levels of activity concentrated in the south central and southeastern regions of the country at this time. Michigan health officials said the number of lab-confirmed cases of the flu is rising and Michigan estimates its flu vaccination coverage at 38.8 percent, which is lower than the national average of 42 percent. Confirmed cases of flu in Michigan are at a level that was not reached until mid-January of the last flu season, state figures show. “Every year, flu spreads across the country from person to person, family to family, and community to community,” said James K. Haveman, director of the Michigan Department of Community Health. “One of the greatest challenges we face from the flu is the uncertainty of the disease. Flu viruses are constantly changing, which is why we need to protect ourselves and our families with an annual flu vaccine.” Mercy Memorial employees who received the vaccine can be identified by a green 2012 sticker on their employee badge, hospital officials said.
 Employees have the option of getting the vaccination at no cost at Mercy Memorial’s Corporate Connection office or through their personal physicians. They then present proof of vaccination to receive a 2012 badge sticker. Although the flu vaccine is said to be the most effective way to prevent the flu, the best way to prevent its spread is good hand hygiene. People should wash their hands properly for two minutes with an antibacterial soap to help eliminate germs. They should cover their mouths and noses when coughing or sneezing also is key. In addition, they should avoid touching their eyes, noses and mouths which can spread infection. And they should stay home when they are sick to prevent the flu from spreading at places of work or school.s Flu shots are recommended for everyone 6 months and older and for those who are at high risk for complications.
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AIDS-Like Disease Mysteriously Appears Where Merck Conducted Vaccine Trials | USAHM Conspiracy News

HIV Engineered From Cow Leukemia

Via: Usahitman
 In Southeast Asia, specifically Thailand, an AIDS-like “virus” has been found in people that are not infected with HIV. Those infected have their immune-system compromised. Health officials say that this new AIDS “virus” is not contagious, which begs the question: how did these people come down with this new strain of AIDS? This infection does not spread the same as AIDS does, according to Dr. Sarah Browne, scientist with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Browne led the team of researchers in Thailand and Taiwan where the disease made its first appearance. The disease appears to be directed at people of Asian descent; even those living in the US. Browne has concluded that the new AIDS causes those infected to produce autoantibodies that block interferon-gamma, a chemical signal that assists the human body in fighting infections. The new AIDS targets this chemical and leaves the victim unable to fight off any infection – leaving the person vulnerable to developing deadly sicknesses from even the common cold. Browne is touting this new AIDS as “adult-onset” because “we do not know what’s causing [people] to make these antibodies.”
 In 1962, the US Senate received a report concerning chemical and biological warfare. This is the government contract where HIV-like and Ebola-like viruses were bio-engineered by the US military and the bioweapons contracting lab Biomedics. They were producing viral cancer in monkeys that could then be used through genetic engineering to infect humans. Robert Gallo, working with the National Cancer Institute, was part of this project. Millions of people are dying from this US sponsored government project to depopulate certain groups of people because of their ethnic heritage; and the US Congress knew about it, and endorsed its use. Scientific teams from various institutions like the Scripps Research Institute, the Rockefeller University, NIAID’s Vaccine Research Center and Duke University are closely following how they can use the human body’s immune system against the array of HIV strains that keep popping up. In the sub-Saharan region of Africa, drug resistant forms of HIV are being found which leave current treatments ineffective.
 HIV vaccine trials conducted by Merck in 2007 actually made those who took the vaccine more susceptible to the disease. Then in 2009, human experiments in Thailand pointed to drug corporations toward a powerful vaccine that utilized immune system generated anti-bodies as the answer to their dilemma. New vaccines focus on tricking the human body to reject the HIV/AIDS virus by manipulating the immune system. This mutation is suspected to be able to assist the human body in identifying and neutralizing the virus. The pharmaceutical giant Merck, along with the US Military HIV Research Program has been attempting to pioneer the HIV vaccine industry with trials in 2007. This has prompted the study into the human immune system and how to effectively manipulate its functions.
 Merck is returning to Thailand and to the scene of their human experiments in 2007 to trial study a new HIV immunization that will combine two separate vaccines. Johnson&Johnson are joining with Merck, the National Institutes of Medicine and other bio-technological corporations that specialize in researching the viral effects of genetically engineered viruses on the human and animal immune system. With funding from the Gates Foundation, Wellcome Trust, National Institutes of Health and the European Union, HIV research and studies into vaccines will be able to have assistance from groups like the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise.
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Pediatricians in Favor of Poisoning Children with Mercury

Thimerosal is Mercury

Via: Emaxhealth
Physicians and public health experts are joining together to oppose a request by the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative, be removed from vaccines because of concerns regarding its potential neurotoxic effects. The ingredient is rarely used any longer in the United States; however, in developing countries making such a change may put immunization programs under financial duress, thus causing a public health issue, says the World Health Organization.
 Thimerosal is used to prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi in multi-dose vials of vaccines. Because the preservative contains mercury (in the form of organic ethyl mercury), concerns were raised about children, with the many vaccines recommended in early childhood, would exceed the safety threshold set by the US Environmental Protection agency based on studies of inorganic methyl mercury.
 Although at the time there were no studies regarding the potential harm of ethyl mercury and the amount of mercury children would receive would not rise above thresholds set by other agencies, such as the Agency for Toxic Substance Disease Registry and the FDA, thimerosal was eventually removed from vaccines in the United States. Today, most vaccines – with the exception of certain types of flu shots and in some adult vaccines - are given from single-dose vials thus eliminating the need for thimerosal. However, in countries with fewer resources – where children still die from vaccine-preventable diseases - thimerosal is still widely used. It is cheaper and easier to use multi-dose vials of vaccines against diseases such as diphtheria and tetanus, for example.
 The World Health Organization’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) notes that there are no viable alternatives to thimerosal and that replacement with an alternative preservative may affect the quality, safety and efficacy of vaccines. Banning the preservative may also harm the world’s vaccine supply by increasing manufacturing costs (researchers estimate it could cost anywhere from two to five times as much to manufacture thimerosal free-vaccines), reducing manufacturing capacity, increase waste from single-dose packaging and strain transportation and storage space, says Walter Orenstein, MD, of Emory University in Atlanta, a member of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases.
 Reducing mercury exposure "is a wonderful thing," Orenstein said. However, "We need this exception because thimerosal is so vital for protecting children. The continued benefits of thimerosal use in vaccine manufacturing clearly outweigh any perceived risks," he concludes. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the Pediatrics Infectious Diseases Society, and the International Pediatric Association all support WHO in stating that "it is essential that access to thimerosal-containing vaccines is not restricted under this global initiative (to reduce environmental mercury)." The United Nations Environmental Program is convening in a session next month in order to create a treaty banning certain processes and products thought to be “global health hazards” with mercury likely to be on that list.
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Mercury in Dental Fillings Documentary: You Put What in my Mouth?

Would you believe mercury is used in vaccines?

Mandatory Polio Vaccination Bill Linked to School Enrollment in Khyber

Polio Vaccine is Toxic

Via: Dawn
Speaking on a point of order in the House, cleric-turned-politician from Mansehra Mufti Kifayatullah said he would table private member’s bill in the House during the ongoing session for making polio vaccination mandatory for admission to schools. He said the bill stated that parents should be bound to produce anti-polio vaccination certificate while seeking admission for their children to government and private schools in the province. The lawmaker criticised the government over the killing of vaccinators and failure to arrest the culpable people and declared it the government’s inefficiency.He urged the government to provide health workers carrying out anti-polio vaccination campaign with proper security.
 Mr Kifayatullah proposed that the government stop sending vaccinators from door to door and make arrangements for vaccination of children against polio in mosques. During the session, lawmakers from both the treasury and opposition benches condemned the killing of polio vaccinators in the province. Ironically, health minister Zahir Ali Shah and Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti remained absent from the session throughout the discussion on the matter. On a point of order, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MPA Javid Abbasi warned that health of around 800,000 children would be affected if anti-polio drops were not administered to them. He said the government should explain to the people its strategy for running vaccination drive. Awami National Party member Saqibullah Khan Chamkani said UN should stop the US from using health related campaigns for espionage in the province.He also said UN and international community should help Pakistan at this critical moment instead of asking government to suspend immunisation campaign. He said the involvement of the world’s big powers in the immunisation campaign and vested interests had put lives of Pakistani children at risk.
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Mother Questions Vaccinations has Newborn Seized by Police

Forced Vaccinations

Via: NaturalNews
 Another shocking case of tyrannical, overzealous social workers and hospital staff has unfolded in Pennsylvania, where a mom who just gave birth in an ambulance to a healthy baby girl was threatened by a government social worker and accused of not allowing her child to receive "medical treatment." (A claim which is factually false.) In reality, the new mom, exhausting from giving birth in an ambulance, was merely asking questions and trying to determine how her newborn daughter was being treated by hospital staff. A social worker named Angelica Lopez-Heagy continued to threaten the mom, who persisted in asking polite questions to try to determine what she was being accused of. In response, the social worker demanded, "Since you're not going to cooperate, I'll just go and call the police and we can take custody of the baby."
 The social worker then demanded that the mom and dad sign a "safety plan" that would contractually bind them to whatever medical procedures the hospital tries to push on all newborns, including multiple vaccines. The term "safety plan" is really just a linguistic mind trick for the agenda of damaging newborns with vaccines so that they become repeat customers of the medical industry. Vaccines, as NaturalNews readers well know, routinely cause kidney damage, neurological damage and gastrointestinal damage, all of which produce huge long-term profits for hospitals, doctors and drug companies.
 When the mom said she wanted her attorney to look over the document before she signed it, the nanny state social worker invoked her previous threat and called the police. The police then took custody (kidnapped) the daughter while hospital workers claimed the newborn was suffering from "illness or injury." (Completely fabricated to justify their kidnapping.) Then they forcibly vaccinated the baby without her mother's consent! This was all "approved" by the social worker, Lopez-Heagy. Note that even though the hospital stole her baby away, if the baby ends up being vaccine damaged, the entire burden of long-term health care costs for that damage will fall squarely on the mother! In fact, the mom might even be accused of "child abuse" if the vaccine damage side effects in any way resemble physical abuse (which often happens, as vaccines can cause bruising, swelling and brain damage).
 Hospital workers then proceeded to kidnap her daughter and kick the mom out of the hospital, taking "possession" of the newborn child and forcing the mom and husband to sleep in the Wal-Mart parking lot, only allowing her to re-enter the hospital every three hours to breastfeed (and I'm shocked they even allow breastfeeding. Isn't that illegal RAW milk?).
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Stockpiling H5N1 Avian Flu Vaccines: The Pandemic Perfected

Man-Made Poisons

Via:100WAPI
(WASHINGTON) -- A vaccine for the H5N1 avian flu, or bird flu, has been approved by a panel of experts to be stockpiled for emergency use in case of a pandemic. A U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel voted 14-0 in favor that the vaccine, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in Quebec, was in compliance with licensing standards under accelerated approval regulations, reports MedPage Today. H5N1 currently does not spread as easily among humans as it does among domestic foul, but flu experts have feared it could mutate and potentially lead to a pandemic. In infected humans, the virus is highly dangerous. The World Health Organization says since 2003, there have been 608 bird flu cases -- 359 of those cases resulted in death, according to MedPage. Although the FDA isn't required to follow through with the advisory panel recommendations, it generally does, MedPage reports. GSK, who has worked with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in developing the H5N1 vaccine, is hoping the agency will move forward on the panel's approval to stockpile the vaccine.
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Cannabis Cures Cancer

Learn more about other alternative cancer cures.

H5N1 Research Moratorium Ending: Here comes a new Pandemic!

Mutating Man-made Viruses

Via: Sciencemag
The end of a historic, 13-month-long global debate over the safety and wisdom of H5N1 avian influenza research may finally be in sight. Speaking after a 2-day meeting here, U.S. government officials said today that they are moving rapidly to adopt a new policy for reviewing certain studies involving the H5N1 virus, in a bid to identify high-risk research before it begins. Scientists said the long-discussed move will enable them to soon lift a landmark moratorium on certain kinds of H5N1 research that they voluntarily imposed in January. The controversy was triggered by two studies that showed how to make the virus transmissible in mammals, potentially sparking a deadly human pandemic. Some influenza researchers working outside the United States said that they may even declare the moratorium dead before the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) adopts its new review policy, expected no earlier than next month.
 "I suspect that we will be seeing a lifting of the moratorium on the part of people who are not NIH-funded," Anthony Fauci, the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) said today at the end of a special meeting dedicated to debating, fine-tuning, and test-driving the proposed H5N1 policy. Many of the 39 influenza researchers who arranged the moratorium, he said, have been "patiently waiting for this particular event. … I would not be surprised if they [now say]: 'OK, we've heard it all.' … Some are going to go ahead with their experiments if their country and funder allow it."
 "We will be discussing lifting the moratorium very soon. … I'm sure I am going to be seeing lot of e-mails about this tomorrow morning," said virologist Ron Fouchier of Erasmus MC in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, who led one of the research teams that helped spark the controversy and also helped organize the moratorium. "It would be really nice if all 39 of us agree to lift it, or at least 37 or 38. But I think some researchers outside the United States are going to decide to resume" their paused studies even without unanimity, he said.The latest debate unfolded before some 200 people, including many of the world's top H5N1 researchers, who gathered in an auditorium on the NIH campus to discuss the draft review guidelines. The rules are supposed to help NIH reviewers decide what kinds of H5N1 research the agency should, and should not, fund. Meeting participants also applied the draft, which the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) released on 27 November, to four hypothetical studies.
 The moratorium and the new rules apply only to a small range of experiments, so-called "gain-of-function" studies, in which researchers use gene engineering or other techniques to make naturally occurring H5N1 viruses more lethal or able to jump to new hosts, such as mammals. Many researchers say that such studies are essential to understanding how the virus might mutate into a form that is capable of sparking a deadly human pandemic, but others argue that the risks of such research outweigh its benefits. The issue came into stark focus in late 2011, when two research teams created H5N1 viruses capable of infecting ferrets. That work sparked a global controversy over whether the results should be published and whether funding agencies should do more to identify problematic studies before they begin.
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Rumors of Plot to Sterilize Muslims with Polio Vaccine Spark Killings

47,500 Cases of Paralytic Polio Caused by the OPV

Via: WorldnewsNBC
Pakistan may be one of the world's three remaining polio-stricken countries but Sartaj Khan has decided that the government-sponsored vaccination campaign is much more sinister than it appears. "These vaccines are meant to destroy our nation," said Khan, a 42-year-old lawyer in the city of Peshawar. "The [polio] drops make men less manly, and make women more excited and less bashful. Our enemies want to wipe us out. "Khan is not alone in the belief, propagated by extremist groups, that is gaining currency in the Pashtun belt of northwestern Pakistan: The government’s anti-polio campaign is a ruse by the Americans to sterilize or spy on Muslims. Many also believe that much like the Pakistani physician, Dr. Shakeel Afridi, who helped the CIA run a fake vaccination program to establish the presence of Osama bin Laden, the army of health workers employed to vaccinate the country’s children are also on the United States’ payroll. The belief has turned deadly: Nine anti-polio workers have been killed by gunmen on motorcycles this week. Some of those killed were teenage girls. Following the violence, the United Nations pulled back all staff involved in the vaccination campaign and officials suspended it in some parts of the country.There are ranks of parents whose awareness is low and suspicions high when it comes to the deadly virus: A November World Health Organization study found that 41 percent of those polled had never heard of polio — and 11 percent refused to vaccinate their children.
 The reality is that polio can paralyze or kill within hours of infection. It is transmitted person-to-person, meaning that as long as one child is infected, the disease can be passed to others. Nuclear-armed and militancy-struck Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are the only countries still struggling with polio.  Extremists have opposed vaccination programs in Afghanistan and Nigeria, although they haven’t resorted to the sort of violence seen in Pakistan. According to the World Health Organization, there were 213 new cases of polio worldwide in 2012, including 56 in Pakistan.
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Vermont Whooping Cough Outbreak involves 90% Vaccinated Kids

Vaccines Injury Your Brain

Via: Vtdigger
Vermont is experiencing the most severe outbreak of pertussis, or whooping cough, in documented history. While state numbers show the vaccine’s inefficacy in the Green Mountain State, top health officials say there’s no better solution. The 568 cases the state has so far recorded this year are double the previous high of 283 cases set in 1997. To address the situation, the Department of Health administered more than 3,200 TDaP — or tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis — vaccinations for free on Wednesday, and the state is encouraging all Vermonters to get vaccinated. The outbreak has also rekindled a passionate debate over how to best address immunization and whether legislation mandating vaccines in school-aged children is necessary.
“The vaccination is the best way we have in public health to protect pertussis,” said Patsy Kelso, state epidemiologist. But the pertussis vaccination is also one of the least effective immunization regimens that are commonly prescribed. According to the CDC, the TDaP vaccination protects seven out of 10 people, and the DTaP — diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis — vaccination used on children has an efficacy rate of 80 percent to 90 percent during and after the five-shot process. After five years, the CDC estimates the efficacy rate drops to 70 percent.
 A New England Journal of Medicine study found that a child’s chance of contracting pertussis increases 42 percent every year after the fifth dose. The Journal of the American Medical Association conducted similar research and came to the same conclusion: The DTaP vaccination wanes in efficacy. In August, the state found that 90 percent of 178 Vermont kids between the ages of six months and 18 years who contracted pertussis had received at least one dose of the vaccination. About 80 percent of those children had received five or six doses. Since then, the state has not recorded how many people who have contracted pertussis were vaccinated, and the state doesn’t plan to use these numbers to make policy. “We know that pertussis can occur in vaccinated people, and our efforts are focused on increasing vaccination rates and tracking cases,” said Kelso. “Whether a case was vaccinated or not wouldn’t change anything we’re doing.”
 According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), roughly 93 percent of Vermont’s kindergartners have received the DTaP vaccination and about 90 percent of kids over the age of 10 have received the TDaP vaccination. Vermont Department of Health Commissioner Harry Chen. VTD File Photo/Alan Panebaker
Commissioner of the Department of Health Harry Chen said that although the vaccination has a lower efficacy rate than others, it still provides a higher level of protection to communities and can help mitigate the effects of pertussis if contracted. “There’s no perfect vaccine, but it is the best thing we have to prevent pertussis,” he said. “So, even if after nine or 10 years it’s only (70 to) 80 percent effective, it’s still the best we have. Certainly the CDC will look at new vaccines. But, until then, our best strategy is to get everyone vaccinated.”
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Here is a video I did on the Washington Whooping Cough Outbreak with 74% Vaccinated involved: