New Report Forecasts More Than Doubling of Vaccine Sales by 2013

Market Watch brings you, the health care consumer investor, news that vaccines are booming and expected to boom bigger.

2008 was another stellar year for the world vaccine market. Sales grew 21.5% since 2007 to reach $19.2 billion. Few areas of pharmaceuticals have seen the fast-moving developments in the marketplace that the vaccine market has...

"New products and better-than-expected profits, as well as merger activity, have transformed the vaccine marketplace," says Bruce Carlson, publisher of Kalorama Information. "Continued sales of influenza and cervical cancer vaccines have provided a foundation for growth in the adult market. Meanwhile, the pediatric market was fueled by several major products including Wyeth's pneumococcal vaccines Prevnar and Merck's new rotavirus vaccine TotaTeq."

Take a minute to read the report to get a sense of how important your health money is to PHARMA.

Vaccines are a 19.2 Billion dollar a year business. I am sure that with that kind of cash at play that the medical establishment is not at all biased as to vaccine safety.

I don't wanna hear that vaccines are not a money making venture any more.

Gotta run now and go get me some "Tota Teq".

Jim Carrey on Vaccines: Movie Star Urges Moderation while Mainstream Medicine Preaches Excess

Has anyone noticed this odd phenomenon?

Isn't it supposed to be the other way around? Over indulgent movie star raving about some extreme position while doctors caution to take one things step at a time until we have good information about what the wisest course is?

But instead, Jim is saying this over at HuffPo:

We have never argued that people shouldn't be immunized for the most serious threats including measles and polio, but surely there's a limit as to how many viruses and toxins can be introduced into the body of a small child. Veterinarians found out years ago that in many cases they were over-immunizing our pets, a syndrome they call Vaccinosis. It overwhelmed the immune system of the animals, causing myriad physical and neurological disorders. Sound familiar? If you can over-immunize a dog, is it so far out to assume that you can over-immunize a child? These forward thinking vets also decided to remove thimerosal from animal vaccines in 1992, and yet this substance, which is 49% mercury, is still in human vaccines. Don't our children deserve as much consideration as our pets?

While the medical establishment's chosen vaccine spokesperson, Dr. Paul Offit is saying this:

“A baby’s body is bombarded with immunologic challenges—from bacteria in food to the dust they breathe. Compared to what they typically encounter and manage during the day, vaccines are literally a drop in the ocean”, and Dr. Offits studies theoretically show an infant could handle up to 100,000 vaccines at one time … safely.

He spoke as if the only thing in a vaccine is the viruses. He makes vaccines, he knows that there is plenty more in there to cause problems.

When he first made this claim in 2005, I was sure it was a misquote, so I wrote to him and asked him for clarification. His response:

"The figure of 100,000 is correct, and probably a little conservative".

He was still repeating that ridiculous assertion as recently as last year.

I did the math. That is about 13 gallons of vaccine solution, several times the mass of actual said baby. Picture your baby sitting in front of 13 gallons of milk. Or picture your baby sitting in front of two and a half of those big 5 gallon bottles they use in your office water cooler.

Now which one of these two men, if you didn't know their professions, would you take vaccine advice from?

If America has a court jester it is Jim Carrey. When the jester takes off his funny hat and starts offering reasoned, middle of the road arguments, and the court doctor is telling us to throw caution to the wind and pushing to give babies five, seven and even nine meds at once (much less making comically criminal statements like suggesting it is safe to give a baby 100,000 doses of a pharmaceutical), it certainly must signal some sort of cosmic shift or polar reversal.

Everyone check their bathtubs and make sure that they are still draining clockwise.

Autism Speaks Hearts Paul Offit

... and Katie Wright, whose son the foundation was created for, is the one spilling the beans.

Time for AS to either change the guard or close their doors.

Anyone up for picketing in front of #2 Park Avenue? Because this is just getting sickening.

A Message to Autism Speaks' Singer and Shih: ENOUGH ALREADY!

Offit: "Vaccines are Safer than Vitamins".

First off, kudos to Lisa Green for actually researching an article on vaccine controversy and not just recycling the same pablum.

It is difficult to understand why anyone listens to Paul Offit's opinions on vaccine safety. Yet another irresponsible statement from him:

"I see myself as a champion of children. That's why I went into pediatrics," Offit said.

He knows parents dislike seeing children get painful shots.

"What really upsets people is that their child is pinned down and injected with a biological agent that they don't really understand," Offit said. "But in many ways, they're safer than vitamins."

The article does not elaborate on how toxic substances like mercury and aluminum are less dangerous to humans than the vitamins that the body actually needs to function properly.

I can't imagine what kind of narcissistic delusion I would have to descend into in order to call myself a "Champion of Children". If you ever hear me calling myself a "Paragon of Pediatrics" or a "Liberator of Little Ones", please slap me.

UPDATE: Best email response I got to this headline:

"Then why don't we have a Vitamin Injury Compensation Program?"

UPDATE:

In 2008 the number of people who died from vitamin overdose was zero.

Paul Offit Acts As A Spokesman For The AAP

This is a pretty good local news report on alternate vaccine schedules featuring Dr. Bob Sears who advocates breaking up the MMR and giving no more than two shots at a time.

But the most interesting part of the piece was this statement:

"The I Team asks the American Academy of Pediatrics why they are opposed to different vaccine schedules. Infection disease specialist Dr. Paul Offit responds on its behalf, saying, "...by delaying those vaccines, all you're doing is increasing the period of time during which children are susceptible to vaccine preventable diseases with out any benefit."

Paul "100,000 vaccines at once are safe for babies" Offit is a vaccine millionaire. Having him speak on behalf of the AAP is analogous to having the president of Merck speak on behalf of the AAP. This is completely inappropriate.

Now I and others in our community have railed against the ethical breaches and the revolving door between Pharma, government, Pharma non-profits and professional medical associations, but this move demonstrates that there is no door any more.

Having a vaccine patent holder (again not disclosed in the story) represent the AAP shows complete boundarylessness. Offit can apparently represent CHOP, Merck, AAP, CDC/ACIP, and the best interest of children, and there are no conflicts of interest, because, as he claims, he is a good guy and only has the good of children in his heart.

He is an infectious disease specialist who writes a book on autism, even though he does not treat autism, that clears him, his associates and his profession of any culpability in the autism epidemic?

This is just crazy. Do we allow lawyers to represent both opposing litigants in a case? Do accused bank robbers get to be the judge or jury at their own trial?

If you went to the bank tomorrow to deposit your paycheck, and found that all your accounts were empty, and the bank responded to your astonished and urgent demands to know where all your money went with, "Good news sir! We have audited your accounts, and ourselves, and we have exonerated ourselves of any wrongdoing! We found that you never had any money in these accounts. So you can feel safe going ahead and depositing your next paycheck"... there is not a chance in the world that you would say, "Whew! Good thing that is straightened out. Here is my hard earned paycheck!".

Again... do they think that people are really this stupid? Do they really think this continued madness will work long term?

And again... I call out to you wise pediatricians out there who are members of the AAP. Rise up, take back your profession and bring ethics and integrity back to pediatrics.

Jon Poling Corrects Paul Offit Again, This Time in the NEJM

A few months ago, Paul Offit told some mistruths about the Poling case in the NYT, and they ran Jon Poling's correction a few days later.

Offit has not stopped lying mistruthing and now Poling is correcting him publicly for a second time, now in the New England Journal of Medicine.

One of the errors that Offit keeps repeating is that the Poling judgment was a court decision (Offit's disciple Amanda Peet repeated this untrue statement on GMA yesterday), which I have heard him state repeatedly since Poling corrected him last spring.  Offit's assertion is that these decisions don't belong in the courts, but that they should only be made by doctors, which is exactly how the Poling case was made.  So then why would Offit be complaining about something that actually worked the way that he said it should work?

At first I thought that he was just not listening, assumed that it was a court ruling and just shooting his mouth off with out thinking.  But then I realized that he is not claiming that the Poling decision was a court case and dismissing court decisions to insulate the vaccine program from the Poling decision, he was doing it to insulate Vaccine Inc. from all the forth coming decisions from the Omnibus hearings and any of the other 5,000 cases pending in vaccine court.

He knows that petitioners will be awarded judgments by the court and he is trying to use his interviews on the Poling case front load his talking points that delegitimatize the "unusual vaccine court".

This is all IMHO of course.

New England Journal of Medicine  Volume 359:655-656 August 7, 2008

Vaccines and Autism Revisited

"To the Editor: In his Perspective article on a possible connection between vaccines and autism, Offit (May 15 issue)¹ speculates about my daughter, Hannah, and repeats inaccuracies from a March New York Times opinion piece that was officially corrected by the Times and our April 5 letter. By omitting critical information from my March 6, 2008, statement, Offit misrepresents my position. I said, "Many in the autism community and their champions believe that the result in this case may well signify a landmark decision as it pertains to children developing autism following vaccinations. This still remains to be seen, but currently there are almost 5,000 other cases pending."

Offit's remarks about Hannah's case are not evidence-based. He has no access to my daughter's personal medical records, legal documents, or affidavits. In contrast, physicians from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) who studied this information recommended that the government concede Hannah's case. The clinical history Offit presents contains significant inaccuracies, and the resulting conclusions are consequently flawed.

Offit confuses issues by comparing Hannah's case with unrelated decisions in "vaccine court." The Office of the Secretary of DHHS, through the Department of Justice, conceded Hannah's case. There was no courtroom hearing and no decision from the "unusual vaccine court."

Offit is frequently cited regarding the "biologically plausible" theory that simultaneous administration of multiple vaccines is safe. His opinion is unsupported by clinical trials, much less investigations in potentially susceptible subpopulations.

Despite the high frequency of mitochondrial dysfunction in autistic children,² studies have not established primary or secondary roles. To explore this question, we need an immunization database for children with metabolic disorders to establish safety guidelines³ and improve vaccine safety for minority subgroups of children.

I agree with the statement of Bernadine Healy, former director of the National Institutes of Health, who said, "I don't think you should ever turn your back on any scientific hypothesis because you're afraid of what it might show. . . . If you know that susceptible group, you can save those children.

If you turn your back on the notion there is a susceptible group . . . what can I say?"⁴ Also commendable is the new 5-year research plan of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, which will entail the study of minority subpopulations, including patients with mitochondrial disorders.⁵

A strong, safe vaccination program is a cornerstone of public health. Misrepresenting Hannah Poling v. HHS to the medical profession does not improve confidence in the immunization program or advance science toward an understanding of how and why regressive encephalopathy with autistic features follows vaccination in susceptible children.


Jon S. Poling, M.D., Ph.D.
Athens Neurological Associates
Athens, GA 30606
jpoling@athensneuro.com


Dr. Poling is the father of Hannah Poling and reports receiving consulting or lecture fees from Pfizer, Eisai, Ortho-McNeil, Biogen, Teva, Immunex, and Allergan. No other potential conflict of interest relevant to this letter was reported."

So now Offit has been twice publicly corrected in two of the highest profile publications in the world, and from here on out if we hear Offit repeat the "court case" misinformation, there can be no doubt that the man knows exactly what he is doing and he is just a flat out liar.

Yesterday at the "Vaccinate Your Baby" press conference Offit said that Bernadine Haley, former head of NIH who believes that the vaccine/autism link may be real and it should be the focus of study, must not have done her research, since she disagreed with him.  He continues to lie about the Poling case despite the recurrent corrections of Jon Poling a respected Neurologist with Johns Hopkins credentials.

I think Offit is so used to just saying whatever he wants about anyone that disagreed with his vaccine stance for a long time, with few consequences, because when he started years ago it was only powerless parents that he was degrading.  He does not seem to have noticed that now that respected people in main stream medicine are waking up to the problem, his blanket smearing of people who take the theory seriously, and lying about the facts is now a slap in the face of people much more respected than he is.

But I guess he has that book coming out in a month so there is no turning back for him.  He is all in and will be going out with a bang.

UPDATE:  Don't miss Anne Dachel's post on the matter over at Age of Autism. 

Failure to Disclose Conflicts of Interest in "Vaccinate Your Baby" Kick Off

The American Academy of Pediatrics, Every Child By Two and Dr. Paul Offit, whom I have now decided to refer to as the Axis of Conflict of Interest, forgot to mention something during the press conference this morning, when they were encouraging everyone to "Vaccinate Your Baby".

They forgot to mention their conflicts of interest.

This after having the CBS Evening News expose their serial nondisclosure of their financial ties to vaccine makers only ten days ago!

From Jane Johnson director of DAN!, whose account of the event was on AOA this morning when I asked if the Axis disclosed their financial ties to vaccine makers:

"Not a peep.  Amanda referred, vaguely and defensively, to 'following the money trail,' but if you hadn't seen Sharyl Attkisson's CBS news piece you wouldn't have known what she was talking about.  She made an analogy to Boeing investigating airplane safety that was mystifying--I'm still trying to remember what she said and make sense of it.  There was no mention by anyone else that they make a penny off of anything relating to vaccines."

This the day after Paul Off it made a statement to Inside Autism claiming that he discloses his vaccine profits.

"Do we ever hide information? Of course not. I have declared my potential conflicts of interest regarding my relationships with Merck on the development of the Rotavirus vaccine ever since I was on the (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices) starting in 1998. Every time I’ve written an article, whether it was for the New York Times or the New England Journal of Medicine, I’ve declared that, because I’m not ashamed of it. Quite frankly, I’m proud of it. I’m the co-inventor of a vaccine that’s currently in five developing countries and clearly has already made a difference in this country."

Apparently he was not proud enough of his patent this morning to mention it to the press covering the event.

Don't miss the part where Offit flip flops on CBS's story on him.

First Attkisson lied:

“Did (reporter Sharyl Attkisson) lie about whether or not we provided materials? Of course,” said Paul Offit"

But when pressed for specific errors, he only can object to the "tone" of the story.

"Asked whether any specific facts in the story were wrong, he said it was primarily the tone he objected to. But he did say that the hospital owns the patent, not him (though he received a share of royalties from it). Also, when Attkisson noted that he had been quoted as saying children could safely take up to 10,000 vaccines at once, “what I actually have said is at least 10,000. It’s probably closer to 100,000."

So I guess Attkisson did get one thing wrong... Offit's claims of vaccine safety are WAY crazier than she gave him credit for.

Posting the video again:

AAP, ECBT, Offit and Peet Hold A Press Conference to Tell You To Vaccinate

You have to admit, they have balls.

A week after having CBS hold the spot light on their conflict of interest and all the cash they get from vaccine manufacturers, AAP, Every Child By Two and Paul Offit will hold a press conference together, along with Amanda "Parasites" Peet, to tell everyone "The Facts About Vaccination®" and to kick off their "Vaccinate your Baby" campaign.

I guess they have decided that the best defense is a good offense, rather than simply responding to CBS and addressing their credibility problems.

I am reminded of Ken Lay's assertions that Enron was just dandy when the press started asking questions after Jeff Skilling took his money and ran.  August 24th 2001, two months before the stock hit the fan:

Business Week: "There has been some concern among investors that perhaps there is more to his resignation than meets the eye, perhaps accounting or other issues that have yet to come to light. Is there anything more?"

Ken Lay: "There are absolutely no problems that had anything to do with Jeff's departure. There are no accounting issues, no trading issues, no reserve issues, no previously unknown problem issues. The company is probably in the strongest and best shape that it has ever been in."

JB Handley has unearthed more info on Every Child By Two, turns out half their income is from Pharma.

Jenny McCarthy has sent a shout out to all available hands that can get into NYC tomorrow to picket and get our mesage out.

I will go ahead and repost the CBS piece from last week to remind us that what is on tap for tomorrow is merely a commercial brought to you by the good folks who sell vaccines:









And a blast from the past so that you may remember the bravado and seduction that was Enron, when in their last days they promised that they could protect you from the weather:






The lesson?  If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

If someone promises you that your child can be free of all diseases, down to the common flu, with no side effects... buyer beware.

UPDATE:

The press release mentions that the mother of a child with autism will be there.  Apparently it will be Ann Hotez whose husband Peter Hotez is a vaccine researcher and President of the Sabin Vaccine Institute.   So it looks like Amanda Peet will be the only one there not getting a check from Vaccine Inc.

CBS News on AAP, Every Child by Two and Paul Offit's Conflicts of Interest in Vaccine Promotion

Finally.

AAP, Every Child by Two and Paul Offit have begun to get the public scrutiny from a mainstream medial outlet on the huge sums of money they get from pharmaceutical companies and how those conflicts of interest (both disclosed and undisclosed) should call into question their claims of 'independence' and their claims of vaccine safety.  These three sources are almost always portrayed in the media as reliable sources for vaccine safety information that are only working in the interests of children that parents should turn to for advice. Their Pharma ties are almost never mentioned.


Sharyl Attkisson was generous to these three vaccine promoters in her piece.  She didn't even mention Offit's scolding by congress for his serious ethics breaches and conflicts of interest during his time on the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.  Nor did she mention the absurd safety statements that the incoming head of the AAP, David Tayloe, has been making, as he did on Good Morning America.  Really there is enough here for hours of in depth news magazine coverage or even a book or two.

I hope that this story will lead to some more in depth coverage of the shenanigans that are going on in the relationships between Pharma, health authorities, professional organizations and the medical industry and get the media to examine with new eyes the evidence for the vaccine/autism connection.  I hope that parents will consider these huge cash payouts before taking the word of these people as gospel.

And I ESPECIALLY hope that wise pediatricians who do want to make balanced, informed vaccine recommendations for their patients will stop listening to these very questionable sources and begin to do their own research into vaccine safety, rather than taking the AAP's word.  We are never going to bring balance to the vaccine program or transparency to the vaccine/autism relationship until those who are making bank off shots stop calling the shots and influencing the process.

Someone email this to Amanda Peet before she does those ads for Every Child by Two.  She has already sullied her self by considering calling Paul Offit as "doing her research", and she needs to know who she is getting into bed with.

My Dear Husband's comments:  "That is the first interview Paul Offit has ever turned down."

Amanda Peet, Paul Offit, Parasites and Biostitutes

JB has shared the contact information for Ms. Peet's representation.  I took a moment to write to them:

-------- Original Message --------

Subject:	Amanda Peet and Paul Offit
Date:	Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:48:57 -0400
From:	Ginger Taylor
To:	Stephen.huvane@pmkhbh.com, ekranzler@management360.com

Dear Mr. Huvane and Mr Kranzler,

You may have already gotten word on this, but your client may need a little more back ground on who this doctor that Ms. Peet is taking her cues from, Paul Offit, actually is. 

Paul Offit is a doctor at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, and is very often seen in vaccine autism stories making claims that vaccines are safe and have no relationship to autism.  But what those stories do not tell the audience is that Paul Offit is a vaccine patent holder and consultant for Merck Pharmaceuticals.  He is a co-creator of the Merck RotaTeq vaccine that is on the CDC's current vaccine schedule.  It is a vaccine that prevents Rota Virus, a benign virus under which subjects experience a miserable day or so of diarrhea and vomiting, and from which you usually gain immunity after having it twice.  The CDC recommends treating it at home with Pedialyte to prevent dehydration.  In third world countries, Rota virus can be a more serious threat to children's health, because death can occur from severe dehydration due to lack of infrastructure, clean water and basic sanitation.  But in the US, it is not a serious health threat to any one with indoor plumbing or within driving distance to a 7-11.

In addition, Paul Offit's RotaTeq can cause a very serious, life threatening condition called intussusception in which the intestine actually folds up, telescoping in on itself.  The FDA has confirmed that RotaTeq killed one child in such a manner this year.  A previous Rota virus vaccine, Rota Shield, was taken off the market for causing the same problem.  And this far, RotaTeq has more reported incidences of intussusception than it predecessor that was removed from the market.  RotaTeq also causes Kawasaki Disease.

Many people, myself included, believe that the vaccine schedule is too aggressive and should be pared down.  If the CDC decides to remove any vaccines from the schedule, surely the first to go will be Paul Offit's vaccine.  Further, if parents do as we are urging, and start evaluating vaccines one at a time to see which are important for a child to have, and which are not really needed, the first one that parents will likely stop buying for their kids will be RotaTeq, and that will effect the sales of his vaccine.

Further, Paul Offit was personally reprimanded by the U.S. Congress, at length, for his ethics problems.  He actually sat on the ACIP, the CDC committee that decides what vaccines go on the US schedule, and voted for RotaShield to be added to the schedule, knowing full well that it would pave the way for his own vaccine, Rotateq to be added and be immediately put into wide spread use as soon as it came to market.  Which is exactly what happened.  Offit should have abstained from any comments or votes on any thing to do with Rota virus because of his conflicts of interest.

Paul Offit is the poster child for medical conflicts of interest.

When you take vaccine advice from him, it is as if you called Merck to ask if their products cause autism.

Finally, Paul Offit makes completely irresponsible and ridiculous statements about vaccine safety.  In Baby talk magazine he was quoted as believing that studies, "theoretically show an infant could handle up to 100,000 vaccines at one time … safely."  I personally wrote to Offit, assuming that of course this was some sort of misprint.  It wasn't.  He replied, "The figure of 100,000 is correct, and probably a little conservative."

We in the autism community cannot understand why this man continues to be taken seriously.  Do people who are interviewing him or taking his advice understand know who this guy is?  Did Ms. Peet know who he really was when she took his council as gospel?  Does she know that his nick name in the autism community is Dr. Proffit, and that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. labeled him a "Biostitute" because his opinions on medicine are for sale?

The only thing that we can think of is that because, he is always merely introduced as a doctor at CHOP, that no one knows the whole story about him.

So now you know.  You should probably encourage your client not to tout her association with this doctor, as the exposure of his back story is getting out there.  "Distancing" might be wise for her at this time.

Ginger Taylor M.S., Parasite
AdventuresInAutism.com

Amanda Peet Thinks Parents Who Don't Vaccinate Are "Parasites"

Vaccine patent holder Paul Offit, whose Rotateq vaccine has already generated more adverse reactions than the last Rota virus vaccines that was pulled from the market, whose Rotateq vaccine has already killed a child, who believes that it is safe to inject a baby with 100,000 vaccines at once, and who was reprimanded by congress for his ethics problems, has personally schooled Ms. Peet in vaccine safety.

From Cookie Magazine:

"...Peet's analytical urges are comical when she's talking about kids' gear, but not when she's discussing a subject she feels is among today's most pressing public-health issues: infant vaccinations. "As soon as I was pregnant, the neuroses kicked in," says Peet, 36, who is married to screenwriter David Benioff. She began calling her older sister's husband, a Philadelphia pediatrician, "every five minutes" with all kinds of questions, especially about shots. "I asked him, 'Why are all of these necessary? Why are some people staggering them?'?" Eventually her brother-in-law arranged a series of phone calls between Peet and his own mentor, Paul Offit, M.D., who is chief of infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, a co-inventor of the rotavirus vaccine, and a board member of Every Child by Two, a pro-vaccine organization cofounded in 1991 by former first lady Rosalynn Carter.

"Once we had spoken, I was shocked at the amount of misinformation floating around, particularly in Hollywood," says Peet, who quickly boned up on the hot-button controversies surrounding the topic, including the unproven link between certain vaccines and autism; the safety of preservatives like mercury-based thimerosal; and the fear that the relatively high number of shots kids receive today can overwhelm young immune systems. Her conclusion? Well, not only is Frankie up-to-date on her vaccines (with no staggering), but her mom will soon appear in public-service announcements for Every Child by Two. "I buy 99 percent organic food for Frankie, and I don't like to give her medicine or put sunscreen on her," says Peet. "But now that I've done my research, vaccines do not concern me." What does concern her is the growing number of unvaccinated children who are benefiting from the "shield" created by the inoculated—we are protected from viruses only if everyone, or most everyone, is immunized: "Frankly, I feel that parents who don't vaccinate their children are parasites."

I am assume that when she makes her PSA, they will ask her to leave out the part where she calls non vaxing parents, "parasites".

Polings Prove, Once Again, That Paul Offit Does Not Have A Clue

I am at the DAN! conference and this morning one speaker said, "Thank God for the Hannah Poling case". She was met with a big round of applause from the audience.

Vaccines, Autism and Our Daughter, Hannah
Jon Poling and Terry Poling
The New York Times
April 5, 2008

Re: “Inoculated Against Facts,” by Paul A. Offit (Op-Ed, March 31):

Our daughter, Hannah, developed normally until receiving nine vaccines at once. She immediately developed a fever and encephalopathy, deteriorating into what was diagnosed, based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or D.S.M. IV, as autism.

The federal government, not an “unusual court,” made the concession. The decision wasn’t “careless,” as your subheading called it. It was based on a thorough review of Hannah’s records by Health and Human Services doctors.

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program does rely on a “preponderance of evidence” standard, which Hannah’s case met. It doesn’t necessarily compensate families “quickly, generously and fairly.” We filed our claim six years ago, pain and suffering are capped at $250,000, and Hannah has yet to receive compensation.

Dr. Offit’s assertion that “even five vaccines at once would not place an unusually high burden on a child’s immune system” is theory and risky practice for a toddler’s developing brain. No one knows if Hannah’s mitochondrial dysfunction existed before receiving vaccines. Dr. Offit’s claim that Hannah had “already weakened cells” is unfounded.

We support a safe vaccination program against critical infectious diseases. We need straight facts, serious science and speedy answers on these important issues.

Jon Poling
Terry Poling
Athens, Ga., April 3, 2008

Like Its Predecessor RotaShield, Offit's Rotateq May Be Linked To Intussusception

Potential conflicts of interest: Ginger Taylor is the mother of a child with vaccine induced autism who has gotten to the point where she cringes at hearing the name Paul Offit because of his ridiculously irresponsible overstatements of vaccine safety on media outlet after media outlet while always failing to disclose his conflict of interest that he is a vaccine patent holder on Merck's RotaTeq vaccine. (Did you know that babies can theoretically handle 100,000 vaccines in one sitting? It's true! Paul Offit says so!)

If there is such thing as a science grudge match, this qualifies, as I can't imagine that the authors of this study feel any differently about Offit than I do.

However, let's let the article speak for itself. It finds that like the last rota virus vaccine to be removed from the market, Offit's vaccine may be causing Intussusception, a nasty, life threatening disorder where the intestine actually turns inside out and starts folding in on itself like a a telescope collapses.

Rota Teq is on the CDC's vaccine schedule.

If this bears out, let's hope it is yanked even more quickly than RotaShield was.

RotaTeq vaccine adverse events and policy considerations

David A. Geier, Paul G. King, Lisa K. Sykes, Mark R. Geier

The Institute of Chronic Illnesses, Inc., CoMeD, Inc., The Genetic Centers of America,

Potential conflicts of interest: David A. Geier has been a consultant in vaccine/biologic cases before the no-fault National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP) and in civil litigation. Mark R. Geier has been a consultant and expert witness in vaccine/biologic cases before the no-fault NVICP and in civil litigation. Paul G. King and Lisa K. Sykes have no conflicts of interest.

Background: Rotavirus is the leading cause of severe gastroenteritis in children <5 years-old worldwide. On February 3, 2006, the US Food and Drug Administration licensed RotaTeq™ (Merck and Co.), a bioengineered combination of five human-bovine hybridized reassortment rotaviruses. In August of 2006, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended RotaTeq for routine vaccination of US infants administered orally at the ages 2, 4, and 6 months. Material/Methods: An evaluation of data reported to VAERS following the fi rst fi ve quarters of post-marketing surveillance of RotaTeq was undertaken. Trends in adverse events reported following RotaTeq and cost effectiveness calculations of RotaTeq in the context of the disease burden of rotavirus in the US were examined. Results: From February 3, 2006 through July 31, 2007, a total of 160 (of the 165 reported) intussusception and 11 (of the 16 reported) Kawasaki disease adverse event reports were identifi ed when RotaTeq was administered or co-administered with other vaccines. Time-trend analyses showed that there were signifi cant increases in the total number of intussusception and Kawasaki disease adverse events entered into VAERS in comparison to previous years. Conclusions: These observations, coupled with limited rotavirus disease burden, cost-effectiveness, and potential contact viral transmission concerns, raise serious questions regarding the use of RotaTeq in the US. Healthcare providers should diligently report adverse events following RotaTeq vaccination to VAERS, and those who have experienced a vaccine-associated adverse event should be made aware that they may be eligible for compensation from the no-fault National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (NVICP). key words: gastroenteritis • gastrointestinal hemorrhage • rotavirus infection • vaccine adverse event reporting system

Congress Votes on Banning Mercury From Vaccines

[Update: Make sure you check the bottom to see why ECBT's stance is BS. Also my letter to Mrs. Carter calling her attention to the mercury issue]

Every Child by Two is urging their membership to call congress and oppose this amendment that would make vaccines safer. Here is everything you need to know about Every Child By Two:

Officers:

Kirsten Thistle
Treasurer
Senior Vice-President, APCO Worldwide
(APCO is the PR Agency for: Johnson & Johnson, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers' Associations, Novartis Pharmaceuticals – Glivec, Immunex Corporation - Novantrone, The Vaccine Fund, STERIS Corporation and the list goes on)

Board Members:

Craig Engesser
Senior Director, Professional Affairs
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals

Paul Offit, MD
Chief, Section of Immunologic and Infectious Diseases
The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Ex-Officio Members:

Anne Schuchat, MD
Director, CDC/National Center for Respiratory and Infectious Diseases

I called their offices and they said that they receive unrestricted grants from pharmaceutical companies.

It is difficult for me to believe that the former first lady Rosalynn Carter, who founded Every Child By Two, understands the dire conflict of interest here. She is a mental health advocate, and advocates for caretakers like us.

I think I will write her a letter too.

Call your Congressman and support the ban on mercury in vaccines.

From A-CHAMP:

Congressional Vote on Mercury Ban Expected

Contact Your Member of Congress ASAP!!!

Take Action!
This past Wednesday, July 11, the House Committee on Appropriations adopted by voice vote an amendment that prevents federal dollars from being used to provide flu vaccines, that contain mercury as a preservative, to children under three years of age. This amendment, offered by Rep. Dave Weldon (R-FL) was based on legislation that he has introduced with Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) to completely ban mercury from all vaccines. This bill will come to the floor of the House of Representatives on July 17.

Action You Must Take Today!
You need to e-mail of fax write your member of Congress today.
You may use our automated system to send an email by Clicking Here.

If you want to call or fax your Congressman and don’t know who your Member of Congress is you can find out by Clicking Here or going to http://capwiz.com/a-champ/directory/congdir.tt Your Congressman's contact information can be found there.

E-mail your Member of the House of Representatives AND CALL their office (Congressional Switchboard 202-224-3121 can also get you to your Congressman by phone).

Here is suggested text for a letter if you wish to send a fax or a manual email. The text is also in our pre-written email if you wish to use our automated system:
I am writing you to urge that you vote against any amendment that removes from the FY 2008 House Labor/HHS Appropriation bill the provision that bans mercury (thimerosal) from childhood flu vaccines. I am very concerned that an amendment may be offered on the House floor when this bill is considered that would strip this important provision from the House bill. As my representative, I urge you to vote against any amendment that would leave babies exposed to mercury-laced flu vaccines.

There is no other way to put this - It is just a stupid practice to be injecting babies at 6, 7, 12 and 24 months with the neurotoxin mercury particularly at such a critical stage of neurodevelopment. The House Appropriations Committee agreed overwhelmingly that injecting children with mercury is a bad idea when they adopted an amendment on July 11 offered by Rep. Dave Weldon - a physician.

The developed world other than the United States has essentially banned mercury from all of their childhood vaccines, including the flu vaccine. But, the USA continues to use mercury as a preservative in millions of doses of the flu vaccine given to children. Seven years ago, in 1999, the following concensus was reached by the US's leading public health agencies: “[The] Public Health Service, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and vaccine manufacturers agree that thimerosal-containing vaccines should be removed as soon as possible. Similar conclusions were reached this year in a meeting attended by European regulatory agencies, the European vaccine manufacturers, and the US FDA which examined the use of thimerosal-containing vaccines produced or sold in European countries.”

That was in 1999. In October 2004 the House Appropriations Committee held a hearing on the need to remove mercury as a preservative from childhood flu vaccines. Now, three years later virtually no action has been taken by the CDC, AAP or vaccine makers to eliminate mercury preservative from childhood flu vaccines. The time to end this madness is long overdue.

I appreciate in advance your vote against any amendment that would weaken the Weldon provision that protects babies from exposure of babies to this dangerous neurotoxin. I will be reviewing the record vote on this issue should an amendment be offered to strip this provision.

Thank you for protecting our babies.

Message Brought To You By A-CHAMP
Advocates for Children's Health Affected by Mercury Poisoning
See Our Action Alerts. Click the TAKE ACTION! button

Update: So ECBT says they oppose removing the mercury because, "Sanofi (the only company licensed to supply [flu] vaccine to this age group) has reported that they do not have enough capacity to meet this demand".

Except that Sanofi just announced the opening of their new FLU VACCINE FACILITY! (And yes of course Paul Offit is quoted in the article. Silly of you to even ask.)

New Pa. vaccine plant poised for pandemics
By Karl Stark
Philadelphia Inquirer

SWIFTWATER, Pa. - Here in the former honeymoon capital known as the Pocono Mountains sits a near-windowless building that everyone will know about when the next pandemic flu hits.

Just down the road from a Caesars resort with its heart-shaped pools lies the country's only comprehensive flu-vaccine plant. Drugmaker Sanofi-Aventis announced yesterday that it had finished construction of a $150 million building here that would double its production of vaccine for seasonal or pandemic flu, since both are made nearly the same way.

The highly computerized plant now awaiting final government approval won't be pumping out vaccine until late next year. But the drugmaker invited Health and Human Services Secretary Mike Leavitt and the media for a rare peek yesterday at a critical facility before its life-saving balm begins flowing.

Leavitt called the plant critical to the health of the country and the world. "We do know that pandemics happen, and that we will see a pandemic, and that we need to be prepared," he said.

The plant looks like a high-tech hospital on perpetual security alert. No merely curious visitors can enter when it's working. Its 200 production workers - all vaccinated for the flu - will be gowned, gloved and masked.

A few workers went through the motions yesterday, entering rooms through special air locks that help keep the virus in and the contaminants out, and pantomiming production steps as a special filtration system purified the air.

Yet, amid the warren of stainless-steel tubes and vats, the plant will still make vaccine the old-fashioned way: with chicken eggs.

They have incubated flu vaccine reliably since 1935. And the plant will need 600,000 eggs a day at full capacity. Sanofi buys what it needs and more from dedicated egg suppliers, to assure an ample supply.

Sanofi senior vice president Wayne Pisano, who oversees vaccine sales, described the process as tried-and-true, and said the emerging cell-culture-based method has not been perfected for making the millions of doses needed.

Leavitt said the federal government was trying to change that by spending $1 billion over the next five years to improve cell-based technology and to increase U.S. vaccine production. The United States has amassed pre-pandemic vaccine for six million people, along with 50 million doses of antiviral medicines. "Obviously, that's not enough," Leavitt said.

While media attention on flu has receded, Leavitt noted that the flu virus was continuing to change and threaten people. An especially dangerous form, called H5N1, has infected 318 people worldwide and killed nearly 200 since 2003. The world has averaged three flu pandemics a century, the last striking in 1968 and 1969. Sooner or
later, another one will occur, Leavitt said.

The federal government is continuing to prepare. Last month, Sanofi announced a $77.4 million contract from the government to retrofit a second flu factory at the Swiftwater site. The firm, which will also spend $25 million of its own funds, would be able to make 150 million doses a year by 2010, tripling its current production, when all ongoing upgrades are done.

Sanofi, the world's biggest vaccine-maker, isn't the only company in the game. GlaxoSmithKline P.L.C., which has a U.S. headquarters in Philadelphia, is rehabbing a 90-acre former vaccine plant in Marietta, Lancaster County, to make flu and other vaccines. The firm has received a $274 million federal contract to develop the cell-
culture method and to ramp up manufacturing there. Swiss drugmaker Novartis AG is also building a vaccine plant in Holly Springs, N.C. But both projects are years away from production.

Kimberly Elliott, deputy director of Trust for America's Health, a public-health-advocacy group, said the U.S. effort still lags in key aras, such as how to detect the disease quickly and how to handle the large numbers of sick patients in a pandemic. "Most hospitals are already overcrowded," she said. "Hardly any state is doing well on this, including Pennsylvania and New Jersey."

Experts hope that vaccines will provide a lot of protection. And yesterday at the plant, workers were showing how they would be made.

In one room, a mechanical needle will inject virus into the eggs, which will be left to incubate for two or three days.

Workers shine special lights onto the eggs to make sure they are intact. The process is known as "candling" because it was originally done by candlelight.

A mechanical knife then cuts off the top of eggs, and a machine flips 36 at a time, pouring their fluid into a vat. The virus is killed, and then the fluid is run through a centrifuge and purified several times.

"We're still stuck with eggs," noted Paul A. Offit, the chief of the division of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and author of Vaccinated: One Man's Quest to Defeat the World's Deadliest Diseases.

"I would like to think," he added, that "the fear of the pandemic will enable us to upgrade our flu technology."

My Letter to Mrs. Carter:

Dear Ms. Carter,

I am a Johns Hopkins educated marriage and family therapist and the mother of a 5 year old boy diagnosed with autism and mercury poisoning. At only two weeks of age he was given a Hepatitis B vaccine that contained what is described at "trace" amounts of mercury, after which he developed colic and unexplained fevers that lasted for three months, and bowel problems that persisted for five years. At age two, when he was diagnosed with autism, we tested him and found that he had mercury poisoning. In researching his vaccinations to see if that could be the source, we found that the hep B vaccine that he had just after he was born, the one that is currently on the vaccine schedule, although considered to contain "low dose" or "trace" of mercury, actually exceeded the EPA's safety limits for a person of his weight.

Further research on the EPA's safety limits showed me that they were not based on any research on the safety of injected mercury, and that in fact the only safety study on the mercury containing preservative thimersoal was done in the 1920's on 22 patients who were dieing of meningitis. The study found that there were no long term side effects, because all the participants died with in days of injection. Thimerosal was then put into vaccines, and grandfathered in to the FDA at its inception, with out any further safety testing. That study remains the only safety testing on thimerosal.

For the last three years I have been reading the research on vaccine safety. I was heartbroken to find that the hep B vaccine that my son initially reacted to (eventually loosing speech and eye contact the 4th time he was given the shot at 18 months of age) was given inadequate safety testing as well. Children who got the shot were only followed for three days, a woefully inadequate amount of time to see if the vaccine resulted in immune or neurological changes.

I have also read and analyzed for myself several of the large epidemiological studies that the medical establishment puts forth as proof that thimerosal in vaccines are safe and has no relationship to autism or other developmental disorders. I find that these studies do not measure what they purport to measure and that because of their very narrow inclusion criteria, they cannot be used to determine whether or not thimerosal containing vaccines are safe for my two sons.

Because of our family's experience, I began writing (I maintain a blog at http://adventuresinautism.com) and advocating for adequate research and vaccine safety. This week the bipartisan Mercury Free Vaccines Act of 2007 will be voted on, and your organization, Every Child By Two, is opposing it. I am writing to you to ask you to change your stance and support the complete removal of mercury from vaccines.

Mercury is one of the most potent neurotoxins on the planet and there can be no justification for injecting it into full grown adults much less newborns babies. It is hundreds of times more lethal to humans than lead, yet the medical establishment, who stands firm and united in their assertion that no amount of lead is safe, maintains the nonsensical assertion that there is "no evidence of harm" in injecting a "trace amount" of mercury directly into the blood stream of a developing child, and therefore should be allowed to stay in vaccines.

As I have read the emerging research on the relationship between mercury and neurodevelopmental disorders like autism, and seen the dramatic improvements in my own son as we chelate the metal out of his body, I am convinced that there is a link between mercury in vaccines and autism. But if you are not, would it still not be prudent to remove mercury from vaccines as quickly and completely as we can?

The Every Child By Two's stance is that the effort should be struck down because, "Sanofi (the only company licensed to supply [flu] vaccine to this age group) has reported that they do not have enough capacity to meet this demand". This seems a woefully inadequate justification. Mercury should continue to be injected into small children and pregnant women so that fewer people get the flu for one season?

I read on the web site that you began your vaccination efforts after a measles outbreak killed 150 people. According to the CDC, autism now effects 1 in 150 people. The evidence that vaccines and autism are related are growing every day, as are the number of children who are making a full recovery and loosing their autism diagnosis when they are treated with emerging interventions, like chelation and diet, that are based on the vaccine/autism theory.

Because of mainstream medicine's reluctance to see the possibility that autism is an iatrogenic disorder, confidence in the vaccine program as a whole is at risk. I am one of a growing number of parents who has ceased vaccinating their children all together because I can no longer trust the medical establishment to be honest with me about the risks and benefits to my children's health. I believe complete and verifiable removal of all mercury from all vaccines will be the only thing to prevent further erosion in the program.

If I might be so bold, in my eyes, there is an irony in your work. You advocate strongly for those diagnosed with mental disabilities, like my son, and for caregivers, like me; but your stance on mercury in vaccines has unintentionally served to put us in those positions. Your love and your heart for those of us suffering and struggling with illness is so clear. Please use the better part of caution and support the immediate and complete removal of mercury from vaccines.

If I can be of any further assistance to you in examining this issue further, I would be happy to make my self available in any way I can.

Sincerely,
Ginger Taylor
Chandler's Mother

Offit's RotaTeq Safety Labeling Updated to Include Cases of Kawasaki Disease

Paul Offit, who believes that it is safe to inject babies with more than "100,000" vaccines at once (I emailed him to make sure he was not being misquoted, and he replied, "The figure of 100,000 is correct, and probably a little conservative."), has his vaccine labeling changed to note that it may cause Kawasaki Disease.

RotaTeq Safety Labeling Updated to Include Cases of Kawasaki Disease
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/558530?src=mp
Yael Waknine
Medscape Medical News 2007. © 2007 Medscape


June 19, 2007 — Changes have been made to the adverse reactions and postmarketing sections of the safety labeling for a live, oral, pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (RotaTeq, Merck and Company, Inc); it now includes cases of Kawasaki disease, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) told healthcare professionals on Friday.

The poorly understood disease is uncommon in children, is characterized by high fever and blood vessel inflammation, and affects the lymph nodes, skin, mouth, and heart.

During a phase 3 clinical trial, 5 cases of Kawasaki disease were reported among 36,150 infants who received the vaccine, compared with only 1 case among 35,536 who were given placebo, according to an alert sent from MedWatch, the FDA's safety information and adverse event reporting program.

Three other cases have been reported through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) since the vaccine was approved on February 3, 2006. There is no known cause-and-effect relationship between the use of this or any other vaccine and Kawasaki disease, the FDA said, noting that the cases reported to date are not more frequent than what would be expected to occur by coincidence.

Rotavirus vaccine is indicated for the prevention of rotavirus gastroenteritis in infants and children, which is caused by the serotypes G1, G2, G3, and G4, when administered orally as a 3-dose series to infants between the ages of 6 and 32 weeks.

Healthcare professionals are encouraged to report cases of Kawasaki disease and other adverse events potentially associated with the vaccine to VAERS by going online at www.vaers.hhs.gov or calling 1-800-822-7967 for a report form.

Additional information about the use of the vaccine can be obtained by contacting the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at 1-800-835-4709 or by e-mail at octma@cber.fda.gov.

David Kirby: What if The Parents Win?

I had honestly not thought that far ahead. I am so used to having all our points ignored, I think I just assumed that no matter how good the Cedillo's case was, that of course the court would not want to set the prescient.

If Parents Win in Vaccine Court, What Do We Tell the World?
David Kirby
HuffPo

Will parents win their case against the government in Vaccine Court by convincing three federal judges that there's enough evidence to support a link between the MMR vaccine, thimerosal and autism spectrum disorders?

I, for one, am not placing any bets. But several thimerosal defenders are now dispatching dire warnings about the looming decline of the nation's public health -- and the pharmaceutical industry's corporate health -- should any of the 4,800 families win their vaccine/autism case in federal court.

"Massive litigation could force companies to leave the vaccine business, threatening the future of one of medicine's greatest achievements," Dr. Paul Offit, chief of infectious diseases at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, wrote in the Boston Globe on June 3rd.

If the claims are successful, Dr. Offit wrote, they "could exhaust the pool of money currently set aside to compensate children who have been hurt by vaccines," and would open the floodgates for private litigation directly against the drug companies, threatening their financial viability and compelling them to abandon the vaccine business.

(It should be noted, at this point, that Vaccine Court claims are awarded in just one third of the cases, and payouts average about $800,000 -- which might cover the proper care, treatment, and special education of an autistic child for maybe a decade. Victory in this particular court does not get you a condo in Maui, just a little temporary financial relief from endless costs).

Critics of the autism claims also contend that a victory in court by any of the families would drive panicked parents away from immunizing their children at all, resulting in new epidemics of infectious disease and lots of sick and dying youngsters

Maybe that's why Dr. Offit -- who incidentally stands to make some money from the recently approved rotavirus vaccine he co-developed with Merck -- referred to the court as a "circus" in his Boston Globe Op-Ed.

While this gives us insight into one pediatrician's contempt for the American legal system, it is somewhat puzzling, given that the first "test case" has proceeded with nothing but respect, decorum and a sobering sense of the Herculean task at hand.

It's entirely possible that all 4,800 cases will go down in flames. But what if some of the parents and their attorneys can beat the tough odds, and make a good enough case to convince the judges?

Irrespective of one's views on the merits of these cases, I think everyone needs to stop and think about dealing with the ramifications -- on a worldwide scale -- of any family victory in Vaccine Court.

Yes, some drug companies would likely face some big lawsuits in civil court. But in the age of Vioxx and Avandia, that almost seems to be a routine cost of doing business.

And let's face it; neither the American government, nor its people, would stand for the wholesale collapse of the pharmaceutical industry -- which does, after all, keep millions of people alive each year. No, I am reasonably sure that Big Pharma, somehow, would muddle through and survive (possibly with a major assist from you, the taxpayer, so think about that one as you stand in the pharmacy prescription line).

But what about vaccination rates? Wouldn't they tumble?

Not if we start to educate parents now about the thorny issues that could arise with a decision in favor of the plaintiffs.

First of all, it's important to remember that thimerosal has been in the news since 2005, when Don Imus began to not shut up about it. Later that year, I appeared on "Meet the Press" to discuss the controversy, and the subject has been raised in innumerable media outlets ever since.

And what happened? Immunization rates rose to new record levels.

We need to show a little more faith and confidence in young parents. If causation from thimerosal is found, new parents might actually breathe a sigh of relief, knowing that childhood shots now contain only residual amounts of mercury (with the glaring exception of 90% of the flu shot, so they might want to put in their order soon for mercury-free influenza vaccine for the 2007-2008 season).

If the MMR triple-live-virus vaccine, which never contained thimerosal, is implicated, then we as a society might want to consider having those shots administered separately. Even though that would mean two more jabs for the baby, it might also calm a lot of jittery parental nerves, and keep immunization rates robust.

Meanwhile, none of the other vaccines that children receive today are on trial here, and parents will almost universally understand that.

I am sure that critics will deride this scenario as being far too rosy, and I hope they are wrong. Nobody wants to see measles, or mumps, or polio sweep the country. But I don't think that will happen.

But I do wonder about the ramifications overseas.

The US has largely removed thimerosal from the routine shots we give our own kids (out of an "abundance of precaution," we are told), but children in the developing world are afforded no such consideration.

Today, millions of children in Latin America, Asia and Africa are receiving American-export vaccines that still contain the full battery of ethylmercury -- in amounts that put children dozens of times over the US EPA maximum daily limit on vaccination days.

Immunization rates are rising in many developing countries, but so are the reported rates of autism. In Mexico, for instance, vaccine rates are now about 92%, UN figures show, while reported cases of autism are also moving upward (proof of nothing, but interesting and disturbing nonetheless).

Several well-placed sources have told me that the CDC and FDA will never agree to an outright ban on thimerosal in vaccines, due to pressure from the World Health Organization, and because the message this would send to developing nations would be untenable: "Yes, thimerosal might cause harm, but we are going to give it to you anyway, for your own good. Trust us. We're Americans. We know what we're doing."

Talk about driving people away from vaccines in droves. The result could be catastrophic, with rising rates of infectious diseases and child mortality to follow.

In other words, we can probably convince American parents to keep on vaccinating, because the mercury here has largely been removed. But what do we tell parents in South Korea, or Brazil, or Nigeria?

Thimerosal is not a necessary ingredient in vaccines. We can still ship multi-dose vials -- which require a preservative but are cheaper to buy and administer -- to poor countries, a noble goal indeed. But the preservative does not need to be based on a deadly neurotoxin.

The MMR shot itself is preserved not with thimerosal (which would kill the live viruses) but with a type of phenol. Why can't we find a non-mercury based preservative for all vaccines? I have never been able to get a satisfactory answer to that question.

But even if we could switch to alternative preservatives tomorrow, and boost global confidence in vaccines, we might still inherit another, more sinister problem to deal with.

On the very last page of my book, Evidence of Harm, I close with these words:

"If thimerosal is one day proven to be a contributing factor to autism, and if U.S.-made vaccines containing the preservative are now being supplied to infants the world over, the scope of this potential tragedy becomes almost unthinkable. The United States, at the dawn of the 21st century, is not exactly the most beloved nation on earth. What if the profitable export of our much vaunted medical technology has led to the poisoning of tens of millions of children? What then?"

We need to prepare for at least the possibility of a parental victory in vaccine court. We need to prepare our own parental population, and we need to think about what we are going to tell the rest of the world.

Vietnam just suspended a certain US-made MMR vaccine after some patients died from it. This could be the tip of the iceberg in terms of social, economic, and physical retribution against the United States.

What do we tell the Chinese and their hundreds of millions of vaccine consumers? What will we say to people in booming India, or next door in Mexico? Will our immigration policy bar parents of autistic kids from coming to America, even if American shots might have made their kids sick?

And then there is the Middle East.

Osama, for one, has a very extended family. We are exporting thimerosal containing vaccines to many Muslim nations. Some vaccines contain not only mercury, but products derived from pigs.

I don't need to tell you where I am going with this train of thought. You already know.

I do not think these court cases should be decided on the larger ramifications. That is just not the way our legal system works. Still, a victory for the families -- justified or not -- will produce endless headaches for the pharmaceutical industry, the US public health establishment, and the WHO.

If just one family wins their case in that Washington courtroom, then we, as a nation, have a lot of explaining to do.

Media White Wash of Vaccine Hearings

So the media coverage that I have looked at has been a mile wide but only an inch deep. Most outlets are just reporting the "no link" party line, with the notable exception of Sharyl Atkinson at CBS.

Fox's John Gibson interviewed Dr. Raj for his show. Dr. Raj did not know how to pronounce thimerosal but she was sure that it was safe. Not the kind of "expert" advice that I am gonna bet my child's brain on.

And can I ask, what sort of deal with the devil has Paul Offit has made that people still consider him a credible source for objective advice on vaccine safety? The man holds a vaccine patent with Merck! But no one seems to care! ABC's website quotes Paul Offit, again telling us that vaccines are made of bubble gum and raindrops, with out disclosing the conflict of interest.

But the prize for most egregious conflict of interest goes to NBC for their coverage of the vaccine trials with their expert Dr. Nancy Snyderman. Nancy, who is just looking out for our best interests, assures us that there is no connection what so ever and thimerosal is out of all vaccines except for one (she thinks) which only has a trace amount. (Check the CDC's web site to see if she is right). Also Nancy is a Vice President at Johnson and Johnson who are currently being sued for their Rhogam shot for pregnant women that contained thimerosal. NBC forgot to mention that.

[UPDATE: NBC's web site reporting that she is 'formerly' of Johnson & Johnson. Will get confirmation of this].

[Internet chatter had indicated that she had been suspended by NBC for making a Tylenol commercial, but she was reportedly on the air today the 13th.]

One story after another say "no evidence". Has any one in the media stopped to ask themselves, "Then what are these parents going to be presenting in court from 9am to 6pm for two weeks?" And if it is open and shut and there is no evidence to support the theory, then why will it take the Special Masters a year to render their decision?

"Hmmmm...", some smart journalist somewhere should be thinking. "I wonder if I should listen in on the hearings and see what the petitioners have to say".

Michael Dorausch has noticed reporting irregularities as well:

Vaccine Related Autism Cases Killed in Press
planetc1.com-news@11:24 am PST email to the editor
by Michael Dorausch, DC

When it comes to the press, the near 5000 parents suggesting vaccines were the cause of their child's autism and who are seeking compensation from a federal vaccine fund, have a better chance of getting Paris Hilton elected as president in 2008 than they do getting their stories told without bias in the news.

It was late Saturday night when I noticed the first 50 or so articles appearing on Google News, related to hearings that began on Monday, involving parents of autistic children that believe vaccinations are the cause of their child's disorder.

These were all pre-release articles and they were being distributed by major newswires, appearing in the most local of papers, both on Sunday and Monday. By Sunday afternoon there were about five hundred indexed in Google News, and the court cases had not even started.

The articles were written by different authors but nearly every one of them contained the same information, all content probably being derived from the same original source. You can do a Google News search to view articles that were published on Sunday, a day before the court hearings began.

The theme in nearly every article painted a picture of scientists versus activists. In every article I viewed there was a suggestion that scientists had strong evidence, citing government supported studies, that vaccinations have nothing to do with autism. In my opinion, the majority of articles also portrayed activists as hysterical parents that were not interested in science, but instead fear a government conspiracy cover-up.

In all articles I viewed, the scientific evidence cited comes from government supported studies and some even featured comments from "experts" that have ties to vaccine manufacturing. What I expect you won't see in the news are any independent studies that may suggest otherwise. However, what you may see in the news will be researchers and scientists that have taken a stance against the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal (thy-MEHR'-uh-sahl), having their credibility attacked.

Regardless whether who is wrong or right, both parties deserve an equal voice. In my opinion, methods used in creating and distributing current news, make this nearly impossible.

It would be nice to someday see an author actually do research on a topic such as this, and deliver a story that was equally weighted, providing unedited quotes from both governmental and nongovernmental scientists, parents, activists, researchers, and others knowledgeable on the topic. Getting it published and distributed in the major media is a whole other story.

UPDATE: After reading his article again, I have realized that no media outlets are reporting on the trial, just that there is a trial. Are the parents the only ones listening in on the trial?

Isn't this case is far more important than all of the celebrity trials of the last 20 years combined? Either parents are right and we are poisoning generations of children, or parents are wrong and we are threatening the vaccine program that can save lives.

Yet court TV's web site makes no mention of the hearings. They do however have a front page article on how fans were disappointed that Tony Soprano didn't get wacked.

UPDATE: About.com to the rescue! Lisa Jo Rudy is covering the trial and even interviewing a lawyer for the petitioners. Thanks for the balance Lisa.

Hey Kids... Get Vaxed! Its So Kewl!!

This seems to me to have an ethical problem or two:



Brought to you by Paul Offit, M.D.... vaccine patent holder and Big Pharma.

"PKIDs is funded by parents, individuals, corporations and foundations – this includes unrestricted grants from pharmaceutical companies.

As a parent group, our highest priority has always been to seek the best care for our own children and to prevent other children from being harmed by infectious diseases. The policies we set and the paths we take to accomplish our goals have been and will always be determined by the parents we serve and our Board, independent of other organizations, pharmaceutical companies, governments or multi-lateral agencies."

Offit's Vaccine Up For Approval by FDA

From John Gilmore at ACHAMP:

A vaccine for rotavirus (Rotateq) developed by Merck, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and Paul Offit, America's most quoted promoter and apologist for the vaccine industry, will be considered for licensure on December 14 and by the Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research of the FDA.

Offit and his partners Merck and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, first received a patent for a rotavirus vaccine in 1994. Offit later voted to add rotavirus vaccine (a variety from Wyeth not Merck) to the recommended schedule of vaccines when he was a member of the FDA's Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices. Despite his ownership of a rotavirus vaccine patent Offit saw no need to recuse himself from several votes on adding rotavirus to the schedule, which is one of the last steps to inclusion in the mandatory schedules, and a guaranteed market worth billions to a vaccine maker, and comes with complete immunity from lawsuits.

This vaccine was rushed into distribution has quickly shown to cause massive intestinal damage and death in a small but vulnerable subset of children. It was just as quickly removed form the market.

According to the FDA website three of the members of the Committee's members have applied for and received waivers dor potential conflicts of interest

Participation of the public is permitted in this meeting:

Date and Time:
The meeting will be held on December 14, 2005, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm; and on December 15, 2005, 9:00 am to 4:30 pm

Location:
Holiday Inn Select, 8120 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, MD, 20814, 301-652-2000 .

Contact Persons:
Christine Walsh, R.N. or Denise Royster, 301-827-0314, or FDA Advisory Committee Information Line, 1-800-741-8138 (301-443-0572 in the Washington, DC area), code 3014512391. Please call the Information Line for up-to-date information on this meeting.

Agenda:
On December 14, 2005, the Committee will hear presentations and make recommendations on the safety and efficacy of a Rotavirus Vaccine manufactured by Merck. On December 15, 2005, the Committee will hear presentations and make recommendations on the safety and efficacy of ZOSTAVAX (Zoster Vaccine Live [Oka/Merck] ) manufactured by Merck.

Oral Presentations:
Between approximately 1:15 and 1:45 pm, on December 14, 2005; and 1:30 and 2:00 pm on December 15, 2005, oral presentations from the public will be scheduled. Those desiring to make formal oral presentations should notify the contact person before December 7, 2005.

RotaTeq®
Paul Offit at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia developed a vaccine based on a bovine strain of rotavirus (WC-3). Merck is currently running Phase III trials of a modified version of his quadravalent reassortant vaccine.

Aiming to avoid the adverse affects that RotaShield® was associated with, the vaccine is based on a bovine strain of rotavirus. The bovine strain was chosen because it replicates less prolifically in the human gastrointestinal tract than the simian strain used for the tetravalent rhesus reassortant vaccine. [1] Each of the five reassortants consists of the genetic backbone of the bovine virus with an inserted gene coding for a different human rotavirus surface protein. The inserted genes were selected to represent a broad range of serotypes in order to elicit protection against a wide variety of strains.

Genes coding for four VP7 proteins and one VP4 protein are included in the reassortants. Human serotypes G1, G2, G3 and G4 are represented by the four VP7 proteins, and serotype P1a is represented by the VP4 protein. [2]

Initial trials of a similar live quadrivalent human-bovine reassortant vaccine demonstrated promising protection against rotavirus infection. [3] Differing from the Merck vaccine only by the exclusion of serotype G4, this vaccine's results likely mirror the protection that RotaTeq® will afford.

The quadrivalent vaccine, which was delivered to vaccinees in three oral doses at 2, 4, and 6 months of age (identical to the Merck vaccine delivery schedule), showed 74.6% efficacy against any rotavirus infection and 100% efficacy against severe rotavirus infection. No increase in diarrhea, vomiting, fever or irritability was reported as compared to the recipients of the placebo.

The immunogenicity of the quadrivalent vaccine was reflected in an increased ratio of rotavirus specific IgA to total IgA as measured in the vaccinee's stool. [3]

Licensure of RotaTeq® by the FDA is predicted for 2005 if Phase III trials are successful.