Story Summary: PHILADELPHIA – For the folks who promote vaccination, these are trying times. Its enough to set Paul Offit to ranting, which he did this week at a meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. And although its astonishingly more dangerous to contract a disease than it is to get vaccinated for it, that message seems to have gotten lost somewhere along the way. Offit has compassion for families who have a child who has suffered, whatever the cause may be, known or unknown. Recently, the HPV vaccine — which prevents cervical cancer – got linked to heart attacks and strokes (no proof). Paul Offit just throws up his hands: Is it your right to catch and transmit a potentially fatal infection? Mary Ann Jackson, a physician who heads the infectious disease section at Childrens Mercy Hospitals and Clinics in Kansas City, Mo. , investigates vaccination rates among specific groups. She says that the new generation of people dodging vaccines includes many white, college-educated women, often young mothers who get their information from the Internet. The odd part, Jackson says, is that these same women are also health-conscious, seat-belt-buckling folks. They want it to be their own decision, she says. Herd immunity is eroding to the point that were now seeing outbreaks of preventable diseases, says Offit. In 2004, for example, the United States experienced its worst outbreak of whooping cough (pertussis) in years. Doctors are worried about their waiting rooms being dangerous places. Meanwhile, infectious disease experts have little use for natural exposure adherents, which include parents who have been known to host chickenpox parties or who otherwise intentionally expose their children to a disease rather than get the kids vaccinated. And getting chickenpox as a child puts a person at risk of getting shingles when older, whereas there is no evidence that a chickenpox vaccination does. But sometimes not even a barrage of facts helps their cause. Health-care workers, another bunch who should know better, also dont necessarily get vaccinated. Jackson was shocked to find flu vaccination rates of only 50 percent among hospital workers she studied. The vaccine disconnect brings to mind a bumper sticker seen a few years ago, when some school boards and even the state of Kansas were openly advocating the teaching of an alternative explanation to counter Darwins theory of evolution. Lets restrict comments to this particular sentence, And getting chickenpox as a child puts a person at risk of getting shingles when older, whereas there is no evidence that a chickenpox vaccination does. A 27-month-old girl developed an impressive herpes zoster infection 16 months after varicella vaccination that was localized in three adjacent cervical dermatomes. Naseri A, Good WV, Cunningham ET Jr. Herpes zoster virus sclerokeratitis and anterior uveitis in a child following varicella vaccination. A case of pediatric herpes zoster ophthalmicus in a child that had been vaccinated against varicella and otherwise had no known exposure to varicella-zoster virus and the initial presentation of HZO was a painful and diffuse subconjunctival hemorrhage that appeared before any of its classic signs were observed. Natural varicella-zoster virus reactivation shortly after varicella immunization in a child. Twelve days following varicella vaccination in his right arm, a 6-year-old male developed wild-type herpes zoster rash on his back and left arm. Development of resistance to acyclovir during chronic infection with the Oka vaccine strain of varicella-zoster virus, in an immunosuppressed child. A 1-year-old boy was vaccinated with the Oka strain of varicella just prior to the discovery of a tumor that required intensive antitumor therapy. DNA from a biopsy specimen of a chronic herpes-zoster lesion indicated that the Oka vaccine strain of the virus caused this severe complication. Analysis of this viral DNA demonstrated a mutation in the viral thymidine kinase gene. The presence of this mutation would explain the clinical resistance to acyclovir. This is the first report of Oka-strain varicella virus causing severe disease after reactivation and of resistance to acyclovir during an infection caused by this virus. The authors report a case of recurrent vaccine-strain herpes zoster in an immunocompetent 2-year-old child. Herpes Zoster and Meningitis Resulting From Reactivation of Varicella Vaccine Virus in an Immunocompetent Child. We present one of the first cases of aseptic meningitis after herpes zoster caused by reactivation of vaccine-type varicella-zoster virus in an immunocompetent child. Here are some first-hand experiences sent referred to me directly:On November 5, 2007, parents of a daughter with shingles wrote Dr. Goldman: A friend of mine e-mailed me a link to an article you had written regarding the chickenpox vaccine. Our oldest daughter who is only 16 recently suffered from her second bout with shingles. Our daughter NEVER had chickenpox, but was given the varicella vaccine in 1995. Now we have to remedy the shingles and we are altogether convinced that there will be many, many other young people adversely affected by what is a dangerous vaccine with awful side affects that stay with you for a lifetime. On September 22, 2008, a nurse telephoned Dr. Goldman to report the following:My son, who had natural chickenpox at 3 years of age, and who is now 16 years old, has been recovering for the past 61/2 months from herpes zoster (with a rash in the T1 dermatome). Interestingly, the nurse indicated that the physician treating her son had encountered another teen with the same diagnosis a week prior to her sons case. As varicella vaccination became more widespread, incidence of shingles among adults has nearly doubled. This is due to an immunologically-mediated link between varicella and herpes zoster. This boosted the adults cell-mediated immunity to help suppress or postpone the reactivation of herpes zoster. This high percentage of individuals having long term immunity has been compromised by mass vaccination of children which provides at best 70 to 90% immunity that is temporary and of unknown duration–shifting chickenpox to a more vulnerable adult population where chickenpox carries 20 times more risk of death and 15 times more risk of hospitalization compared to children. Routine vaccination against chickenpox has produced continual cycles of treatment and disease. This article such a propoganda and its ordered by vaccines companies. MOreover, vaccines dont work and irronically you dont have to prove it. For Offit to say that Three people believed their kids where harmed by the DPT vaccine demonstrates unequivocally why the medical community is no longer trusted to speak knowledgeably, honestly, scientifically, about vaccines, vaccination, or health. It is people like Offit who are destroying science and too many parents painfully, had to learn that lesson the hard way. I respect good credible science and Offit is no scientist. Dear Susie Q,What peer-reviewed studies support your following statements?1) that there was less autism, type 1 diabetes, etc. back then than now2) that vaccines are related to the asserted rises in these illnessesI really wonder if there is data to support what you are alleging. But, maybe someone has done the studies and the studies have passed peer-review. So, if you know of that literature, would you please post references? Then, feel free to read some of the package inserts that come with the vaccinations. I lived a decade in a new-age ashram when I was young, so I was extremely familiar with, and not unsympathetic to the idea that vaccines might cause such things. We have more autism now, so it must be due to vaccines. Much of the increase in autism is due to changes in diagnostic criteria. ) That Baby Einstein video may be quite bad if your kid is susceptible. Adults can move as much as 10 points up on the Aspergers scale from the beginning to the end of graduate school in sciences. The curve for use of sunblock also matches the rise in diabetes, and is inverse to the lowering of skin cancer. We know that vitamin D is necessary for proper insulin function. But death from chickenpox is not a 1 in a million occurrence, its a 3 in 10,000 occurrence for adults. The result of that is changes in recommendations to use more than one vaccination. ) Antigen vaccines are notorious for conferring lower levels of immunity than desired. pdfRelative to risks in general, most people have no idea that in the USA, for instance, 15,000 or more people die of aspirin poisoning each year. We hear about plane crashes because they are so rare. This can make a person think that air travel isnt safe, when actually it is safer than walking across the street. Very rarely, someone will have a negative effect, but immunologically, it is unlikely that this person with a rare problem would not have had a worse problem with the disease. I am one of the knowledgeable people who isnt getting the vaccine. The disease is already rampant, but my chances of getting a shot within the next few weeks are zero – they didnt order enough early enough. So – by the time I could get the vaccine, I will likely have been exposed, or even caught H1N1. And my reading of the literature tells me that if I get the shot – it will actually increase my chances of catching the normal flus. So – as soon as Ive had H1N1 Ill get the regular shot. I dont need people telling me Im a fool if I dont take their advice unquestioned. Lets also keep in mind how incredibly stupid it is to inject yourself with a known neurotoxin (mercury) on the off chance that it may (but very unlikely) prevent you from getting the flu. The flu, which in extremely rare circumstances may cause you a problem. Fact is, your chance of recovering from H1N1 is 99% if you get it. Now, thats about usual, a little low, but the difference with H1N1 is that mortality is highest for children and young adults. You get more mercury in a single tuna fish sandwich than in a vaccine shot Susie-Q. People with asthma, people who are immune compromised, people over 50, etcetera. Consequently, one should expect that those people will always be more likely to get the flu than normal people. John, If you are interested in injecting a known neurotoxin into your body, thats your choice….Read the Full Story

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