Vaccine Reactions. Are We Aware? We have all been told that it is a good idea to get vaccinated. One couple shares their

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1 T aylor 1 Brent Taylor English April 2012 Vaccine Reactions. Are We Aware? We have all been told that it is a good idea to get vaccinated. One couple shares their experience in Neil Z, Miller's book. My daughter was born a healthy baby girl and was progressing great. I made an appointment, she got her shots, and one week later my daughter was dead (57). The week before she had just been vaccinated for Haemophilus influenza, which was the cause of death. What would be your response from such an unforeseen reaction from a vaccine? Ask yourself, have you or your child ever had a negative vaccine reaction? Do you know what types of reactions an individual might get? Are you at higher risk because of age or circumstance? Has your doctor or health practitioner ever explained to you the risks involved with vaccines? Is it their obligation to tell you before being vaccinated? Who knew there might be so many questions about vaccines? A vaccine reaction is possible any time someone is vaccinated. The most common list of vaccine reactions for children is given by the CDC (Center of Disease Control), the primary governmental agency in charge of vaccines. Each vaccine has a different list of reactions and risk statistics associated with it. Your vaccine provider is obligated to offer a list to you before a vaccine is given. Many of which have possible dangerous reactions, while others listed are not as severe.

2 T aylor 2 The list of symptoms relate to the DTap vaccine are as follows and are not inclusive to all vaccines. CDC states the following reactions in their web flyer: Problems: Fussiness (up to 1 child in 3); tiredness or poor appetite (up to 1 child in 10); vomiting (up to 1 child in 50); swelling of the entire arm or leg for 1-7 days (up to 1 child in 30) usually after the 4th or 5th dose. Moderate Problems: Seizure (jerking or staring)(1 child in 14,000); non-stop crying for 3 hours or more (up to 1 child in 1,000); fever over 105 F (1 child in 16,000). Serious Problems: Long-term seizures, coma, lowered consciousness, and permanent brain damage have been reported very rarely after DTaP vaccine. They are so rare we can t be sure they are caused by the vaccine (3). Serious reactions are less common, but I don t want to be one of the few. We should understand there are risks, but who decides if the risks are too high. I thought it is common knowledge if a child under three has a 105 F fever it was dangerous. Any fever over 103 F results in possible damage to the brain. Listed in the quote above from the CDC a fever 105 F is listed moderate condition. (3) If you ask me I would say the odds look pretty good for getting at least one reaction, considering how many vaccines are given to children in their first few years of life.

3 T aylor 3 The CDC s recommendation for pregnant women concerning the Influenza vaccine is as stated on the website article Pregnant Women. It is safe, and very important, for a woman who is pregnant during flu season to receive the inactivated flu vaccine. A pregnant woman who gets the flu is at risk for serious complications and pregnant woman with flu also have a greater chance for serious problems for their unborn baby, including premature labor and delivery. Pregnant women can receive the flu shot at any time, during any trimester (2). The Safe Minds organization states in their Flu Vaccines, Pregnancy & Children flyer. "All seasonal influenza vaccines are classified by the FDA as Category C, as are all swine flu vaccines. Category C means: Either studies in animals have revealed adverse affects on the fetus and there are no controlled studies in women, or studies in women and animals are not available." (2) The CDC seems to be able to tell us what our chances are of having a vaccine reaction. It is a lot like the chances of winning the lottery. If we are so lucky as to win a vaccine reaction where do we report our misfortune? The CDC says that we should contact the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The CDC uses the information from this group and others to build the injury statistics. According to the NVIC (National Vaccine Information Center) web information page, the law requires doctors and other vaccine providers to report hospitalizations, injuries, deaths and serious health problems following vaccination to VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting

4 T aylor 4 System). It is estimated that less than 10 percent, perhaps less than one percent of all vaccinerelated health problems are ever reported to VAERS (Report Vaccines). This kind of information makes you think that the chances of a negative reaction to vaccines might be higher than reported by the CDC. How much higher? No one knows until better reporting by health care and vaccine providers improves. If the statistic of 10 percent reported is accurate our chances of having a reaction could be a lot higher. If we were talking about the lottery I might start playing. So up to this point you must be wondering are vaccines safe? That is the controversy around the world. In Canada a comedy group known as the Canadian Airfarse made fun of the controversy. While they were making a joke about the flu vaccine it hit close to home for me. They interviewed a few people at a vaccine center. Both individuals that were recorded for the TV spot said they didn't know vaccines contained mercury. They then demonstrated how to jokingly make a vaccine. They combined the ingredients of the influenza vaccine in a blender. one egg, mercury from a thermometer, formaldehyde, ether then blended it up. This demonstrates in a harsh way what we may be injecting into our veins. Do we really know what is in a vaccine? Would you laugh and say that s funny because it's ridiculous? May be it is more realistic than we might first think. The controversy is larger than just an ingredient list. I choose just to focus on a few of the most controversial, mercury and the association with SIDS (Sudden Infant Syndrome) and Autism. You may say my last vaccine didn't list mercury as an ingredient. True enough it didn't, but chances are good that it listed Thimerosal. Thimerosal is a form of mercury used in vaccines. The National Autism Association reports, Thimerosal is an inorganic mercury

5 T aylor 5 compound that is metabolized to Ethyl mercury and Thiosalicylate and has been present since the 1930's as a preservative in some vaccines and pharmaceutical products to prevent bacterial and fungal contamination (1). Then shouldn't it be ok to use? The CDC seems to think so. The National Autism Association disagrees. They believe it is a dangerous neurotoxin and the CDC and FDA are not protecting the American people from mercury poisoning (Sec.8). In this same article they point out the rise of autism in America correlates to the increased use of mercury containing vaccines. They show a comparison chart of the symptoms of mercury poisoning and autism, they are almost identical. It would be hard to discount the possibility of there being some correlation (Table A). There are many research and watch dog organizations that agree that the major cause of autism is from heavy metal toxicity. Mercury being the prime suspect, but any metal such as aluminum would be suspect. The most prominent of these organizations are Safe Minds, NVIC and the National Autism Association. A third party group of scientist did a study on the neurological systems of monkey and rat infants when exposed to Thimerosal. The idea for the study came about because of the suspected cause of neurodevelopmental disorders in pediatric vaccines. Their findings are as follows. Levels of Thimerosal found in the monkey and rat brains after being given the same proportions contained in human pediatric vaccines were high enough to cause neurological damage and dysfunction. Furthermore the Thimerosal was found to dwell in the tissues for months possibly years. Their conclusion was that, These data argue for removal of Thimerosal from all infant vaccines (Mieszko).

6 T aylor 6 SIDS is a puzzling thing; infants dying for no apparent reason. If I were a parent who had a child die of SIDS I would be driven to know what caused it. One idea is that the amount of vaccines given to children affects the SIDS death rate. According to Vaccination Liberation organization, The Japanese minimum vaccination age was two years old starting in Their infant mortality rate decreased to be the lowest in the world (Japan VS. USA). The CDC said, "One myth that won't seem to go away is that DTaP vaccine causes Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). (5) They go on to say it is nothing but a myth. While they may be right about the DTaP shot, there is not much more information on their web page about other vaccines possibly contributing to SIDS. Maybe the topic never came up. If we choose to vaccinate are there ways to reduce the risks? Some would say there are. The NVIC has a pamphlet called Ask 8 before you vaccinate. This pamphlet provides eight questions to ask before vaccinating. It explains that knowing certain information before being vaccinated can help you and your health care provider. If your child is sick before they are given a vaccine you cannot tell if a symptom is related to a vaccine reaction. Knowing ahead of time what the vaccines risk are helps you evaluate if you are having a reaction. Know how to report a vaccine reaction. If you do, you will need your manufacturer and lot number of the vaccine. These are the most important question to ask out of the eight. Manufacturers of homeopathic medicine say you can take homeopathic remedies to offset the possible reaction from vaccines. Liddell Laborites claim, A homeopathic remedy for detox vaccines is the safe, effective way to take care of your vaccination concerns (Detox- Vaccines).

7 T aylor 7 After the vaccine you can use a process called chelation which is a process to help eliminate heavy metals from the body. Amy S. Holmes talks about chelation being used to help with autism and/or heavy metal toxicity. There are many types of chelation ranging from a simple herbal product taken daily to a more detailed process provided by a health practitioner or physician. Many studies say that nursing your young child is one of the best ways to prevent a vaccine reactions and any illness. Jon Ahrendsen MD. says one of the benefits to breast feeding is an enhanced response to the vaccine given to the child, he also mentions that SIDS rates are lower. The antibodies are higher in children being breast fed benefitting in all around better health(1). Neil Z Miller informs us that, All states provide exemptions allowing parents to oppose mandated vaccines (103). He explains that schools and government agencies will try to tell you that they are required when they are not. Your local health department can supply you with the proper exemption forms for religious or ethical. If you can get a physician to sign off on an allergy associated with vaccinations it is considered a medical exemption. All I could hope for is that as health conscience people we ask questions, think independently and do not allow others to dictate what we should do for our own health. While doctors and physician may be well versed in medicine and health, it is our health not theirs and it is our decision to vaccinate not theirs.

8 T aylor 8 Work Cited Ahrendsen, Jon, MD. FAAFP." Advantages of Breastfeeding", 24 February 2012 Department of Health and Human Services. Center of Disease Control. Pregnant Women. CDC, n.d. Web.12 April 2012 Department of Health and Human Services. Center of Disease Control. Some Common Misconceptions About Vaccines and How To Respond To Them. CDC, 18 February 2011, Web. 26 April 2012 Department of Health and Human Services. Center of Disease Control. Your Baby s First Vaccines what you need to know. CDC, 18 Nov Web. 25 March Holmes, Amy S, MD. "Autims Treatments : Mercury Chelation for the Treatment of Austictic Children". healing-arts Web. 23 February 2012 Liddel Laboratories. Detox -Vaccines page. n.d. web. 3 March 2012 Mieszko, Olczak, md,pm,tb,md. " Neonatal Administration of Thimerosal Causes Persistent Changes in Mu Opioid Receptors in the Rat Brain". Springerlink, 12 August Web. 23 Febuary Miller, Ziller Z. VACCINES Are They Really Safe & Effective. Santa Fe: New Atlantean Press, Print. National Autism Association. "What causes autism." National Autism Association, n.d. Web. 23 Fenuary 2012 Royal Canadian Airfarce. "Eye on the Flu shot." Age of Autism, 19 November Web.23 Febuary 2012

9 T aylor 9 Safeminds."Flu Vaccines,Pregnancy & Children".Safeminds,2010.Web. 29 March 2012 The National Vaccine Information Center. "Ask 8 Questions." Vienna: The National Vaccine Information Center, 2011.Web. 29 March 2012 The National Vaccine Information Center.Report Vaccine Reactions.NVIC, n.d. web. 22 March 2012 Vaccination Liberation- Idaho Chapter. Japan vs. USA Vacination Program. vaclib. 8 Feburary Web.23 Feburary 2012.