I listened to an interview with the author (Amy Wallace) on NPR last night, and she said she does not regret anything in the article. The one complaint she receives is from people with autism, who do not like the fact that people react as if they have a deadly disease or something. In reality, they are healthy human beings and do not blame vaccinations for their autism (there is NO correlation if you look at the data).

Amy also made a strong point that doctors do not want to waste their time arguing the case for vaccinations because they already busy enough. Doctors also fear personal attacks rather than constructive debate.

Amy expressed her opinion (which is also mine) that vaccines have dramatically reduced diseases in the 20th century (e.g. smallpox, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, influenza) and there is absolutely no science that suggests they are doing more harm than good. Abandoning them completely is ridiculous.

That said, I’m not in a rush for the flu shots since I’m not in any high-risk groups. I may not even get the seasonal flu shot. But, since I have been traveling more than usual, I probably will this year. If I had kids, I would definitely get them vaccinated since they have a greater risk of contracting a virus and have (potentially) weaker immune systems. And, if I somehow get the flu, I will stay home and avoid human contact.

Even if one doesn’t subscribe to the categorical imperative, one should recognize that the benefits of (*most) vaccinations outweigh the risks.

Thanks for reading.

I haven’t and do not plan to start taking these vac’s because… check this video out.

More people die from influenza than from terrorism.

And it seems crazy to me that the government buys vaccines/ pays Big Pharma. I think that the government should stay out of the business of vaccines. I don’t think it is right that my tax dollars are spent purchasing vaccines.

Well, either the government pays a third-party or they do it in-house. Either way, people will complain.

The fact is, we NEED vaccines or a lot of people WILL die because viruses will spread. Not many people die because of the vaccines themselves (1 in a million). I see your point for putting that stat on the fact sheet, but I also see the other side that would say that this would scare people away from vaccinations and kill more people.

I acknowledge that there are quacks out there promoting disinformation but I also acknowledge that there are doctors and researchers who have questioned vaccination and its scientific efficacy/ safety for years. Hard to dismiss the accounts that these people are marginalized and their reputations are targeted for even questioning what others accept as fact without requiring scientific proof.
One criticism I have of the CDC/ government is that they don’t provide a balanced view in my opinion. Those fact sheets they pass out at the doc’s offices don’t mention that people HAVE died (albeit rarely) from vaccination. I understand they don’t want to scare people but to withhold information fosters distrust. I tried to talk to my son’s pedi about why I was refusing vaccination and she rudely attempted to silence my questions. These types of people do nothing to help their cause.
Why don’t they hand out the package insert information when they give or attempt to sell you on the shots? If they did I believe that more people would refuse them.

I don’t feed my children food that I don’t read the label on for goodness sake why would I allow something to be injected into them without knowing ahead of time exactly what was in it? Not a vaccine but incidentally the insert for the Vitamin K shot listed death as a side effect. You can be we chose not to do that one.

And it seems crazy to me that the government buys vaccines/ pays Big Pharma. I think that the government should stay out of the business of vaccines. I don’t think it is right that my tax dollars are spent purchasing vaccines.

Anyone able to find anything more on this note: http://www.theflucase.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1428%3Acdc-states-h1n1-vaccine-may-maim-and-kill-30000-americans-fda-requires-minimal-efficacy&catid=41%3Ahighlighted-news&Itemid=105&lang=en

The only possibly danger for a vaccinated person is GBS, as we discussed before. The incidence of that is estimated at 1 in a million.

There’s a good article in November’s wired about vaccines:
http://www.wired.com/magazine/2009/10/ff_waronscience

In the magazine, they summarize the myths about vaccines (which is really just derived from the article). Here are the myths (there are also short explanations but I will leave those out for now):
MYTH: Vaccines cause autism.
MYTH: Giving too many vaccines overwhelms a child’s immune system.
MYTH: Vaccines cause diabetes.
MYTH: Vaccines are no longer necessary, because the diseases are no longer a threat.
MYTH: Scientists are divided about the safety of vaccines.
MYTH: Aluminum in vaccines is just as toxic as Mercury.

Some quotes on thimerosal from the article:

six studies have found no trace of an association between thimerosal (a preservative containing ethylmercury that was used in vaccines until 2001) and autism, and three other studies have found no indication that thimerosal causes even subtle neurological problems.

…

Meanwhile, in the eight years since thimerosal was removed from vaccines (a public relations mistake, in Offit’s view, because it seemed to indicate to the public that thimerosal was toxic), the incidences of autism continue to rise.

…

The thimerosal debacle exacerbated this tendency, particularly when the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Public Health Service issued a poorly worded statement in 1999 that said “current levels of thimerosal will not hurt children, but reducing those levels will make safe vaccines even safer.” In other words, there’s no scientific evidence whatsoever, but you never know.

…

The government is still considering funding more research trials to look for a connection between vaccines and autism. To Kaufman, there’s some justification for this, given that it may be the only way to address everyone’s doubts. But the thimerosal panic suggests that, if bungled, such trials could make a bad situation worse. To scientists like Offit, further studies are also a waste of precious scientific resources, not to mention taxpayers’ money. They take funding away from more pressing matters, including the search for autism’s real cause.

The article also points out that not all vaccines are good:

Despite his reputation, Offit has occasionally met a vaccine he doesn’t like. In 2002, when he was still a member of the CDC’s advisory committee, the Bush administration was lobbying for a program to give the smallpox vaccine to tens of thousands of Americans. Fear of bioterrorism was rampant, and everyone voted in favor — everyone except Offit. The reason: He feared people would die. And he didn’t keep quiet about his reservations, making appearances on 60 Minutes II and The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

The problem with the vaccine, he said, is that “one in every million people who gets it dies.” Moreover, he said, because smallpox is visible when its victims are contagious (it is marked by open sores), outbreaks — if there ever were any — could be quickly contained, and there would be plenty of time to begin vaccinations then. A preventive vaccine, he said, “was a greater risk than the risk of smallpox.”

Could you link a couple studies that you found to meet his criteria?

Sure. These are some recent ones from this year (I’m sure there are RCT–randomized control trials every year).

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19796721?ordinalpos=1&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19776407?ordinalpos=4&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19395948?ordinalpos=16&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

Also, the CDC has some citations, but they are of course government-funded:
http://www.cdc.gov/FLU/PROFESSIONALS/VACCINATION/effectivenessqa.htm

Do you have an idea of how much more mercury is in fish? Also they are two very different points of entry. The body might be able to more easily filter out mercury when it is ingested verses injected.

Good question. I had to look this up too. Tuna and swordfish have the highest Hg (Mercury) content. The FDA limit is 1ppm (parts per million) of Hg for fish.

A serving of albacore tuna has 238 mcg (micrograms) of Hg. http://www.purehealthmd.com/nutrition/healthy-eating/eating-well/fish-and-mercury.html

At most, a flu shot has 25 mcg of Hg.
http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/components-Influenza.htm

According to Wikipedia, ethylmercury (e.g. Thiomersal found in the flu shot) leaves the body much quicker than methylmercury (found in fish):
“Ethylmercury is a breakdown product of the antibacteriological agent ethylmercurithiosalicylate, which has been used as a topical antiseptic and a vaccine preservative (further discussed under Thiomersal below). Its characteristics have not been studied as extensively as those of methylmercury. It is cleared from the blood much more rapidly, with a half-life of 7 to 10 days, and it is metabolized much more quickly than methylmercury. It probably does not have methylmercury’s ability to cross the blood-brain barrier via a transporter, but instead relies on simple diffusion to enter the brain.[1]”

From what I have heard Vit D toxicity would take a long time to get since it is a fat soluble vitamin. I think they mentioned 1000 to 2000 IU being good for long term and short term up to 5000 IU is safe. But I don’t know the sources credibility.

Yeah, I’m not sure about that either. Perhaps you should look into this more and do a quick post on here. I’ve always been very skeptical of the need for supplements, because of all the marketing strategies and new shops that have popped up in recent years. I try to eat fish at least once a week (usually halibut from Whole Foods).

According to Wikipedia the older you get the less effective the vaccine is so the people that “need it” the most it won’t benefit as much.

That is true. But, seniors are not the only high-risk group. People with other illnesses that could prevent or complicate fighting off the flu need the shot, and of course pregnant women should always get vaccinated.