Flu Shots How Safe Are They

Here we go again. This time the Flu vaccine that was first used in Australia has been band because to many children came down with health complications. Now this same vaccine brand may come here to the US.

Although this story is from April 23, 2010 in Australia, the CDC is promoting the use of Afluria which is made by the same company (CSL Biotherapies) that produced Fluvax, the brand that caused 23 children to be hospitalized (one went into a coma and the others had severe convulsions.) This story should go viral so we can help prevent 165 million doses of flu vaccine from being used up. The push is big since they dump out the overage each year and yet have purchased for this year 40 million more than last year... See www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaxsupply.htm

Flu vaccination ban goes national after fever, convulsions in children
WAToday.com.au

by Chris Thomson
April 23, 2010
Seasonal flu vaccinations across Australia for children under five have been suspended after 23 children in Western Australia were admitted to hospital with convulsions following their injections. One child, aged 1, remains in a coma in a Perth hospital.

Commonwealth chief health officer Professor Jim Bishop yesterday announced the suspension while authorities urgently review data from around the country.

WA's chief public health officer Tarun Weeramanthri has defended the response time in closing down the state's juvenile flu vaccine program amid revelations that children were presenting with convulsions more than two weeks ago.
- Rogue batch may be to blame
- National warning to GPs
- Perth mum: 'I was petrified'
- WA free vaccine program suspended

More than 60 children around the state may have had adverse reactions to the vaccine, including fevers, vomiting and febrile convulsions - a type of fit brought on by a high fever. One child remains in a critical condition in hospital after being given the vaccine. Dr Weeramanthri said he had few details on the child's condition but they were "seriously ill".

He said a national process set by the Therapeutic Goods Administration had been observed in responding to the reactions. Under the process the best clinical information was collected from as many doctors as possible and an assessment made on the "totality of that".

"We take all reports very seriously and we believe we've acted in a very timely fashion," Dr Weeramanthri said.

"We've been monitoring the situation, we've been talking to clinicians and we've acted as soon as we can."

He said that since this year's vaccine program started a month ago, 23 children under the age of 10 had presented to Princess Margaret Hospital with convulsions related to vaccinations they had received less than 12 hours before.

Another 40 convulsion cases had been detected in the past month in children at other metropolitan hospitals and in Bunbury. Doctors are now working to determine how many of those children received the flu vaccine.

Aside from the convulsions, affected children were suffering fever and vomiting within 12 hours of their flu shots. A teleconference today with state, territory and TGA officials confirmed the picture in other states would not be available for "a few days".

Dr Weeramanthri said the TGA was assessing the geographical spread of symptoms across Australia, and directly testing batches of vaccine for any impurity.
Click here for the rest of the story

Think about this and remember that the body will continue to hold on to what ever TOXIC chemicals are injected into the body.
As per the CDC US vaccine schedule:
In 1983 - 10 injections contained 30 vaccines. Now In 2010 - by 6 years of age is 36 (shots) injections containing 109 vaccines.

* Never have they done studies of the cumulative effects of all vaccine ingredients and they keep adding more vaccines to the mix.

To your health and success
Robert

The fact that the flu shots are ineffective in every age group hardly seems to matter to those who continually promote their use. Multiple studies published in highly reputable publications have documented that flu shots are ineffective in all ages. For example, The Cochrane Collaboration produced a series of articles in 2005 reviewing the published literature to determine the effectiveness of the flu shot. Nothing substantiating its usefulness was found.

In a review of 51 studies involving more than 260,000 children, including 17 papers translated from Russian, researchers concluded that there was "No evidence that injecting children 6-23 months of age with flu vaccines is any more effective than placebo."(3)

So should You Get A Flu Shot?
By Dr Sherri Tenpenny www.nmaseminars.com

Here is what is being said:
News reports have been flooding us with articles warning that the impending flu season may be the worst in years. Even though it is difficult to separate the facts from the hype, a close evaluation of the flu vaccine will reveal that serious questions must be raised about the recommendations that are routinely touted, namely high efficacy with little risk. Anyone considering a flu shot should become informed about the substances coming through that needle, and should be determined to investigate the safety and efficacy issues that are still unresolved.

The vaccine virus
Each year, a new vaccine is developed that contains three different viruses (one influenza B and two influenza A strains). CDC officials select the new viruses based on which viruses were prevalent during the flu season in China and Australia the previous year. The CDC admits that the viruses selected for the new vaccine are chosen on the basis of an "educated guess."

What's in a flu shot?
The influenza virus is grown in "specific pathogen-free" (SPF) eggs. Eggs are tested for a variety of agents-usually between 23 and 31-to confirm the absence of those specific pathogens. Laboratories limit the number of agents that are screened due to the shear abundance of potential viruses and/or bacteria to choose from. In addition, screening for every potential agent would be cost prohibitive.[ii] If none of the tested agents are detected, the vaccine is reported as "pathogen free."

However, it should be understood that there is a distinct difference between "pathogen free" and "specific pathogen-free." In its July 1996 report, the Institute of Medicine acknowledged that "although it is not possible to produce a completely uncontaminated animal, it is possible to produce an animal [or egg] certified to be free of specific pathogens."[iii] Viruses that are harmless to their animal host, however, may be potentially harmful to humans.

During the manufacturing process, antibiotics (neomycin, polymyxin B and gentamicin) are added to eliminate stray bacteria found in the mixture. The final solution can contain the following additives in any combination: Triton X-100 (a detergent); polysorbate 80 (a potential carcinogen); gelatin; formaldehyde; and residual egg proteins. In addition, many of the influenza vaccines still contain Thimerosal as a preservative. Thimerosal (mercury) is being investigated for its link to brain injury and autoimmune disease.

Does the flu shot protect?
There are no guarantees that the influenza viruses selected for the vaccine will be the identical strains circulating during a given flu season. In fact, it has recently been announced that this year's flu vaccine does not include the strain that is being reported by doctors in the community called the "A Fujian" strain. Outbreaks have been reported in Texas, Colorado and elsewhere[iv] that involve strains that do not match the current flu vaccine. CDC tests have confirmed that more than 80 per cent of the 55 strains of influenza virus isolated thus far are the A Fujian strain. Even so, the CDC still maintains that the current vaccine could provide cross-protection against the new variant, but the fact is, no one knows for sure.

Moreover, the majority of illnesses characterized by fever, fatigue, cough and aching muscles are not caused by the influenza virus. Non-influenza viruses (e.g., rhinoviruses respiratory syncytial virus [RSV], adenoviruses, and Para influenza viruses) can cause symptoms referred to influenza-like illnesses (ILI). Certain bacteria, such as Legionella spp., Chlamydia pneumonia, Mycoplasma pneumonia, and Streptococcus pneumonia, have been documented as the causes of ILI.[v]
Notably, these microbes are not part of the flu vaccine. Unless an organism's antigen is contained within the vaccine, there is no protection conferred by the vaccine. It is estimated that most adults will average 1-3 episodes of ILI, and most children will average 3-6 episodes. The CDC also admits that "many persons who have been vaccinated against influenza can still get the flu"[vi]
Targeting the elderly
The flu vaccine is generally recommended for persons aged 65 and older, and those with medical conditions who could experience serious complications from the flu. Medical journals report broad differences in effectiveness for the elderly, ranging from 0 to 85%.

The CDC states that 90% of deaths from influenza occur among the elderly. Considering that nearly 65% of all deaths (from any cause) occur in this age group, it is nearly impossible to prove that flu shots significantly increase life expectancy in this group. The truth is that most people-young and old-will weather a bout of the flu without hospitalization or complications.

Alzheimer's Disease A serious concern:
Hugh Fudenberg, MD, an immunogeneticist and biologist with nearly 850 papers published in peer review journals, has reported that if an individual had five consecutive flu shots between 1970 and 1980 (the years studied), his/her chances of getting Alzheimer's Disease is ten times higher than if they had zero, one, or two shots.[vii]

Dr. Boyd Haley, Professor and Chair of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Kentucky, Lexington has done extensive research in the area of mercury toxicity and the brain. Haley's research has established a likely connection between mercury toxicity and Alzheimer's disease. [viii] In a paper published in collaboration with researchers at University of Calgary, Haley stated that "seven of the characteristic markers that we look for to distinguish Alzheimer's disease can be produced in normal brain tissues, or cultures of neurons, by the addition of extremely low levels of mercury."[ix]

Does this prove that the mercury contained in the influenza shot can be directly linked to Alzheimer's? No, absolutely not. But further research in this area is critically needed because the absence of proof is not the "proof of absence."[x]

Flu vaccine now for children
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) adopted a resolution effective March 1, 2003 that expanded the use of the influenza vaccine to include children aged 6-23 months. The recommendations also included vaccinating those aged 2 to 18 years who live in households containing children younger than 2 years of age.[xi]

The flu vaccine most commonly given to children is Fluzone>, a trivalent vaccine grown in chicken eggs. Harvested with formaldehyde and containing the recommended ratio of 15 ug of each of the three prototype viral strains, each dose of Fluzone> also contains 25 ug of mercury.[xii] The new CDC recommendations include giving the influenza vaccine to children beginning at six months of age and then annually, for the rest of their lives. Children less than age 9 receiving their first flu shot, two doses of vaccine are recommended, with a minimum interval of one month between the two doses. However, the CDC does not provide a direct reference to substantiate this recommendation.[xiii]
On June 17, 2003, the FDA approved an intranasal influenza vaccine for use in healthy persons aged 5-49 years. Flumist> is a live-virus vaccine that can cause a litany of problems. (for further information on FluMist)

Alternatives?
If you choose not to receive the flu shot, have a discussion with your doctor regarding other options. However, some simple and possibly quite effective things you can do for yourself to prevent the flu include: 1) avoid white sugar;[xiv] 2) exercise regularly; 3) get adequate sleep; 4) eat a healthy diet, omitting trans-fats; 5) drink plenty of purified water daily and 6) wash your hands. A common way people contract viral illnesses is by rubbing their nose or their eyes after their hands have been contaminated with a virus. The CDC states, "the most important thing you can do to keep from getting sick is to wash your hands."[xv]

Making the decision
You may decide to consult a physician who is schooled in alternative medicine to assess a variety of options for you and your family. What is most important, in the end, is to become as informed as possible regarding your options for keeping healthy and avoiding the flu.

So what are you to do Now? Continue finding ways to maintain strong immunity naturally.
Be sure and visit us here to learn more

To your health and success
Robert