Love for Life

Swine flu vaccines - the case against them
By Alia Almoayed,
www.gulf-daily-news.com

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

I HAVE recently read lots of newspaper statements from health authorities about the swine flu vaccine.

The statements claim it is totally safe, that the only side effects could be redness and irritation at the site of injection and that the controversy over its safety is not accurate.

Given that there's a big debate over the safety of these vaccines, I feel that it is only fair to present the other side of the argument.

Presenting one side not only gives an inaccurate picture, but also undermines today's consumer - who is much savvier and better informed due to the advancements in technology.

I am aware that the decisions of the authorities are made with very good intentions and that the safety of the people is always top priority.

With that in mind, I would like to pose a few questions, both as a mother and as a nutritional therapist.

Focusing on the vaccine's contents and side effects, if people are claiming the vaccine is totally safe, how can they justify the speculation surrounding its alleged contents?

Pandemrix, one of the two vaccines Bahrain is planning to use in the fight against swine flu, contains the controversial preservative Thimerosal - despite it being a mercury-based compound.

According to numerous studies, including a 2003 US Congressional report on Mercury in Medicine, it is claimed that Thimerosal can be linked to the development of autism and other brain development disorders.

If you claim that mercury is not toxic, why is it no longer legal in the US to use Thimerosal in vaccines?

Why is it illegal in Norway to use mercury amalgam fillings?

Why are we supposed to be very careful touching and inhaling mercury while it's OK to inject into our bloodstreams? Worse yet, inject into our children?

The list of contents of these vaccines is truly scary.

The Pandemrix vaccine contains various dangerous ingredients such as aluminium, ethylene glycol, formaldehyde and other toxic substances.

Even more dangerous is the vaccine's use of squalene, the immune adjuvant added to this most recent swine flu vaccine to "increase its effectiveness".

It is added to trigger a strong immune reaction, get the job done faster and reduce the amount of vaccine required per dose (making it easier for mass vaccination campaigns).

But has anyone stopped to think of the effects that these adjuvants have?

Squalene causes the immune system to react in a powerful, unnatural and potentially dangerous way to the presence of the virus we're being vaccinated against.

Various studies, including a 2000 study published in the American Journal of Pathology, raised questions about the role of adjuvants in chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.

If these vaccine ingredients were harmless, why would vaccine makers seek total legal protection from any legal cases for any side effects that the vaccines might cause in people?

The US government signed a document in June making US federal officials and all vaccine manufacturers immune from any legal liability if its citizens suffered adverse reactions to the H1N1 virus.

Will the same be done in Bahrain?

Where are the studies that have been done on these vaccines to prove their safety (how can they even provide study results in such a short time)?

What are the long-term side effects of these vaccines? How can you be sure that the only side effects are "redness and swelling of the site of injection", when you haven't waited that long to find out what the long-term side effects are?

Many sources state the side effects of these vaccines appear after one year of injection; what if that's true? What will people do in a year's time if they notice strange conditions in their kids or newborns?

What will happen if, over the next year, there is an increase in allergies, in Guillain-Barre syndrome (linked to the previous swine flu vaccine in 1976), brain inflammation, central nervous system disorders or autism and learning difficulties?

What if these conditions can be linked to the vaccine?

When you vaccinate against swine flu, will you check to see whether actual cases of swine flu have reduced? How will you check the effectiveness of your vaccination campaign if health centres and hospitals are not checking for swine flu and assuming all flu is the H1N1 virus?

Authorities are claiming that the swine flu vaccine is similar to the regular flu vaccine, but various studies - including two studies in 2008 published in the Archives of Paediatric and Adolescent Medicine and another in the Lancet - found respectively that regular flu vaccinations had no impact on flu-related hospitalisations or doctor visits and there was no reduction in the risk of pneumonia among the elderly.

How is the swine flu vaccine different? And what will happen if new strains of the virus form? Another vaccine? And what if somebody has already got swine flu? Will you ask them to take the vaccine as well?

Are we getting swine flu because of a deficiency in a standardised vaccine?

Let's put things into perspective, death from swine flu is not common.

In fact, swine flu deaths are far less common than deaths caused by the regular flu.

According to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) latest figures as of September 20, there have been 300,000 laboratory confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus and 3,917 deaths worldwide

Compare this to the WHO's latest calculations for regular influenza outbreaks, which estimate annually there are around three to five million cases of severe flu-related illness, and about 250,000 to 500,000 deaths globally.

Furthermore, most people who react badly to swine flu are those with pre-existing conditions or low immunity.

If we know that swine flu is worse for people with low immunity, does it make sense to inject those people with vaccines containing toxic substances? Wouldn't that lower their immunity further?

Moreover, does it make sense to target the most vulnerable people in society with these vaccines? In my opinion pregnant women, children, and the elderly should be kept as far as possible from toxins and vaccines.

They are already immune-compromised - they are more likely to develop vaccine complications due to their slower detoxification systems, immature immunity (in children) and nutrient deficiencies.

People with lowered immunities should be most vigilant. The swine flu vaccine could lower their immunity further.

It might protect them from swine flu, but will it have a severe impact on their overall health? In the process of preventing one illness, are we creating many others?

This is not prevention, it is over-medicating.

When people get sick, it is not because they are deficient in vaccine. People get sick because their immune systems are weak, so wouldn't it be better to invest in helping people take care of their own health?

Teaching people how to boost their immunity, how to eat better and how to lead a healthier lifestyle is a lot more beneficial.

Advising people to wash their hands and take the vaccine is not enough to help people out of disease pandemics.

I would much rather see our health authorities promote health by increasing awareness, sponsoring workshops, improving school canteens and advocating real prevention of disease using food, vitamins, herbs, exercise and various other natural remedies.

Make an informed decision.

I don't know if the swine flu vaccine will become mandatory. However, I would like to think that we live in a place where people have the freedom to choose what they want injected into theirs or their children's bodies.

I would advise everyone to do the research before making a decision. There is a lot of controversy for a reason and people must be informed.

It's true that there is a lot of false information on the Internet, but there's also a lot of good accurate information there too.

People no longer depend on their doctors to dictate what they should do.

The average person today is a lot more informed and that's the way it should be.

Use your common sense and take control of your own health.

lAuthor, lecturer and health expert Alia Almoayed writes health articles for various publications, holds lectures and seminars on health and nutrition and heads a number of weight loss projects. She is the author of I Want Healthy Kids, a book on how to raise healthy children, and The Dream Body Eating Plan, a weight loss guide. She also co-authors 101 Ways to Improve Your Health.

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