[TheForge] Fw: Risks of FluMist Vaccine-OT
Steve Smith
[email protected]
Wed Dec 17 07:22:01 2003
Here's an unbiased source to see what they say:
http://www.snopes.com/medical/drugs/flumist.asp
Steve Smith
Phlip wrote:
> Anybody care to comment? Dunno about the rest of you, but I really don't
> want to be exposed to more flu than necessary, and I'm certainly not
> immunosurpressed.
>
> Saint Phlip,
> CoDoLDS
>
> "When in doubt, heat it up and hit it with a hammer."
> Blacksmith's credo.
>
> If it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it is probably not a
> cat.
>
> Never a horse that cain't be rode,
> And never a rider who cain't be throwed....
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Stephanie Ross" <[email protected]>
> To: <[email protected]>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2003 1:02 AM
> Subject: Risks of FluMist Vaccine
>
>
> Risks of FluMist Vaccine
>
> An Investigation By Dr. Sherri Tenpenny
>
> www.nmaseminars.com
>
>
>
> "MedImmune, the manufacturer of FluMist, recently announced that it signed
> an agreement that makes FluMist, the new intranasal influenza vaccine,
> readily available to people as they shop at Wal-Mart, the worlds biggest
> retailer." [1]
>
> As the physician in charge of a bustling Integrative medical clinic,
> questions about vaccines frequently arise. After reading about the
> MedImmune-Walmart joint venture, I felt compelled to warn our patients and
> our internet subscribers of the potentially serious complications that may
> come from direct and passive exposure to this new vaccine. I also wanted to
> give a "heads up" to everyone regarding the onslaught of advertising that is
> about to besiege them.
>
> Hundreds of TV and print advertisements have been designed to persuade
> everyone into taking the FluMist plunge. The campaign will be the "most
> intense, direct-to-consumer marketing campaign ever waged for a vaccine,"
> costing an estimated $25 million over the next 2.5 months [2]. In addition,
> Wyeth, MedImmune�s partner, plans a three-year, $100 million campaign to
> encourage use of the nasal flu vaccine among physicians.[3]
>
> The television arm of the blitz campaign will focus on the "inconveniences"
> that your family, friends and co-workers will endure if you don�t get the
> flu shot and subsequently contract the flu. Print advertisements and
> magazine articles apparently will use scare tactics�similar to those that
> were used while promoting the smallpox vaccine�which warned of the high
> possibility of a "bioterror attack using the flu virus."[4]
>
> Apparently, the goal seems to center around frightening�or inducing enough
> guilt�that everyone would begin to demand the vaccine as soon as it is
> available. And at nearly $70 a dose, this will be a financial bonanza for
> MedImmune and Wyeth, who are expecting the vaccine to become the blockbuster
> new drug that will push MedImmune�s revenues to more than $1billion/year.
> [5]
>
>
> However, there are many reasons for caution. FluMist contains live
> (attenuated) influenza viruses that replicate in the nasopharynx of the
> vaccine recipient. The most common side effects include "cough, runny
> nose/nasal congestion, irritability, headaches, chills, muscle aches and
> fever > 100� F."[6] These symptoms are nearly identical to those the flu
> vaccine is designed to prevent. [7]
>
> A cause for significant concern is the vaccine�s most prevalent side
> effects: "runny nose" and "nasal congestion." It has been documented that
> the live viruses from the vaccine can be shed (and potentially spread into
> the community) from recipient children for up to 21 days,[8] and even longer
> from adults.[9] Viral shedding also puts breastfeeding infants at risk if
> the mother has been given FluMist.[10]
>
> In addition to shedding via nasal secretions, the virus can be dispersed
> through sneezing. What is the normal physiological response when an irritant
> enters the nasal passages? A sneeze�sometimes a big sneeze�sometimes several
> big sneezes. Therefore, the risk for shedding�and spreading�live viruses
> throughout a school, church, workplace, or store � especially one which is
> administering the vaccine.
>
> In the section of the FlumMist package insert labeled "PRECAUTIONS," the
> manufacturer states the following warning:
>
> "FluMist� recipients should avoid close contact with immunocompromised
> individuals for at least 21 days."
>
> The warning is specifically directed toward those living in the same
> household with an immunocompromised person, but the on-going release of live
> viruses throughout the community may be a significant risk to everyone who
> has a weak, or weakened, immune system.
>
> The number of immunocompromised people in the United States is enormous:
>
> a.. It is estimated that at least 10%, or more than 28 million people have
> eczema. [11]
> b.. More than 8.5 million people have cancer. [12]
> c.. There are reported to be 850,000 individuals with diagnosed and
> undiagnosed HIV infection or AIDS [13] and
> d.. Based on 2001 data, there were 184,000 organ recipients [14]
> An even more extensive list of at-risk people includes the untold millions
> on drugs called corticosteroids. Prednisone�, Medrol�, and a variety of
> similar medications are given to both adults and children. These drugs are
> prescribed for dozens of conditions including asthma; allergies; eczema;
> emphysema; Crohn�s disease; multiple sclerosis; herniated spinal discs;
> acute muscular pain syndromes; and all types of rheumatoid and autoimmune
> diseases. As much as 60% of the entire population could be considered to be
> "chemically immunosuppressed." It is important to realize that FluMist is
> CONTRAINDICATED for people who are immunocompromised. People who receive
> FluMist and are living with an immunocompromised person put their loved ones
> at risk.
>
> Will this make stores that administer the vaccines�like Walmart and the
> other pharmaceutical chain stores that have announced they will carry
> FluMist [15]�risky places to shop for large segments of the population? What
> measures will be taken in these stores to ensure that the virus will not
> become commingled with food? What hand washing policy is going to be
> enforced in the stores for all Walmart employees and customers who have
> received FluMist? These are reasonable questions that deserve answers.
>
> The target market for FluMist is "healthy children and adults, ages 5 to 49
> yrs." Some believe that by vaccinating these people, a type of "herd
> immunity" will occur that will protect the very young and the elderly who
> are excluded from getting this vaccine. However, it is these very "at-risk"
> populations who may suffer the most from the flu by being exposed to people
> who are given FluMist.
>
> According to information presented at the May, 2003 National Influenza
> Summit,[16] approximately 85% of Americans between the ages of 20 and 50 go
> unvaccinated, and nearly 66% between the ages of 50 and 64 do not receive
> the flu vaccine. Have there been "raging epidemics" across the country due
> to lack of flu vaccinations? It appears that the massive campaign to
> vaccinate everyone this year appears may be motivated, in part, by
> economics.
>
> The viruses suspected to be the most likely cause for the flu this season
> were negligibly different from the strains used in last year�s flu vaccine.
> Therefore, the influenza vaccine produced for the 2003-2004 season is
> identical in composition to the one used last year. This marks only the
> second time that the same strains have been used during two consecutive flu
> seasons.[17] Consider that antibodies from other viral vaccines�such as MMR,
> polio and chickenpox vaccines�last at least 3 years, and in some instances,
> up to 15 years. If the viruses used in the vaccine are the same as last
> year, why is this year�s vaccine even necessary?
>
> An ever greater concern about FluMist is the contents within the vaccine.
> Each 0.5ml of the formula contains 10 6.5-7.5 particles of live, attenuated
> influenza virus. That means that between 10 million and 100 million viral
> particles will be forcefully injected into the nostrils when administered.
> The viral strain was developed by serial passage through "specific
> pathogen-free primary chick kidney cells" and then grown in "specific
> pathogen-free eggs." That means that the culture media was free of pathogens
> that were specifically tested for, but not a culture that was necessarily
> "pathogen-free." The risk that the vaccine may contain contaminant avian
> retroviruses still remains. In addition, a stabilizing buffer containing
> potassium phosphate, sucrose (table sugar) and nearly 0.5 mg of monosodium
> glutamate (MSG) is added to each dose. [18]
>
> One of the most troubling concerns over the injection of this "chemical
> soup" is the potential for the viruses to enter directly into the brain. At
> the top of the nasal passages is a paper-thin bone called the cribriform
> plate. The olfactory nerves pass through this bone and line the nasal
> passages, carrying messenger molecules to the brain that are identified as
> "smells" familiar to us. The olfactory tract has long been recognized as a
> direct pathway to the brain. Intranasal injection of certain viruses has
> resulted in a serious brain infection called encephalitis, presumably by
> direct infection of the olfactory neurons that carried the viruses to the
> brain.[19] Time will tell whether the live viruses in FluMist will become
> linked to cases of encephalitis.
>
> The pharmaceutical companies do not necessarily always do a reasonable job
> of considering the "down side" when they are pushing new drugs or new
> vaccines. FluMist has the potential for causing the worst, most severe flu
> epidemic seen in years. Parents tell their young children not to put things
> up their noses because they might cause them harm. It would be wise to
> consider that advice for adults. With all the risks involved, one should be
> extremely cautious about what one allows to be sprayed in one�s nose.
>
>
>
> REFERENCES
>
> 1.. DowJones Business News. Sept. 12, 2003. FluMist Available In
> Pharmacies This Fall. http://biz.yahoo.com/djus/030910/0017000011_2.html
> 2.. Washington Post. Nasal spray for flu to get big media launch. Sept.
> 10, 2003, pg. E01
> 3.. Washington Post. Spray vaccine for flu wins FDA clearance. June 18,
> 2003. pg. A01.
> 4.. Mohammed, Madjid. Influenza as a bioweapon. J.R.Soc.Med.
> 2003;96:345-346.
> 5.. Adler, Neil. MedImmune awaits the $1 billion mark and a new flu drug.
> The Business Gazette. Feb. 7, 2003.
> http://www.gazette.net/200306/business/news/143250-1.html
> 6.. FluMist package insert.
> 7.. Vesikari T., et al. A randomized, double-blind,
> placebo-controlledtrial of the safety, transmissibility and phenotypic
> stability of a live, attenuated, cold-adapted influenza virus vaccine
> (CAIV-T) in children attending day care. Presented at the 41st Annual
> Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, (Chicago,
> IL). 2001
> 8.. ibid. (Chicago, IL). 2001
> 9.. Zangwell, Kenneth. Cold-adapted, live attenuated intranasal influenza
> virus vaccine. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 2003; 22(3):273-274.
> 10.. Drug information.
> http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/uspdi/202297.html
> 11.. Diepgen TL. Is the prevalence of atopic dermatitis increasing? In:
> Williams HC, ed. Atopic Dermatitis: The Epidemiology, Causes and Prevention
> of Atopic Eczema. New York: Cambridge Univ Pr; 2000:96-112.
> 12.. National Cancer Institute. CanQues. Available at http://srab.
> cancer.gov/Prevalence/canques.html. Accessed January 3, 2002.
> 13.. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. Epidemiological Fact
> Sheets on HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections: United States. Available
> at www.unaids.org/ fact_sheets/index.html. Accessed January 14, 2002
> 14.. United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). All Recipients: Age at Time
> of Transplant. Available at www.unos.org /. Accessed January 14, 2002.
> 15.. Allan and Harold Rubin, MS, ABD, CRC. September 26, 2003.
> Vaccinations and the Elderly. http://www.therubins.com/aging/vacine.htm
> 16.. May 20-21, 2003, the National Influenza Summit. Chicago, IL.
> http://www.partnersforimmunization.org/meetingupdates52021.html
> 17.. ibid.
> 18.. FluMist package insert.
> 19.. Knipe, David. M. Ed. Fields Virology. Philadelpthis: Lippincott, 4th
> ed. 2001. pg. 1057
> "America is at that awkward stage. It's too late to work within
> the system, but too early to shoot the bastards. On the road to
> tyranny, we've gone so far that polite political action is about
> as useless as a miniskirt in a convent."
> -- Claire Wolfe, _101 Things To Do 'Til The Revolution_
>
>
>
>
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