Common Objections to the H1N1 Vaccine

Some People Afraid of the Flu Shot Vaccine for Swine Flu

Sep 26, 2009 Lisa Russell

Influenza vaccination programs are designed to prevent death from the seasonal flu. Preventing H1N1 deaths sounds like a great reason for a swine flu shot.

According to the Center for Disease Control's FluView Report for September 13-19, 2009, more and more people are going to the doctor to complain about "influenza-like" symptoms, but fewer hospitalizations are occurring in every age group. The proportion of flu related deaths is also lower than normal for this time of year.

Swine Flu Deaths Before Flu Shot Availability

The World Health Organization keeps a geographic map to show the spread of flu activity. The United States shows as "no information available." Without the US statistics reflected on the map, it's impossible to determine how US flu activity compares to the rest of the world. The information is available on the CDC website, but without the WHO parameters, a casual investigator can't even determine where the US falls, geographically, using the World Health Organization's map.

Deaths from Swine Flu

The only WHO tool that has data from the US is the "deaths from H1N1" map, stating that there have been over 100 deaths. However, without knowing what percentage of the population had died from swine flu, or what percentage of the infected patients died the simple number of deaths is irrelevant.

Marketing a Vaccine Shortage

Opposition to the flu shot wants to be sure Americans know that drug companies spend more on advertising than they do on research. According to a Marc-André Gagnon, PhD, "The industry spent approximately $61,000 in promotion per physician during 2004" [ScienceDaily Jan. 7, 2008] This figure does not take into consideration the amount of money spent advertising to the public. Long-standing financial ties to CDC approval panelists are also not included in this figure.

Doctor Mercola speaks out about CDC's conflict of interest in an April 28, 2009 article entitled Critical Alert: the Swine Flu Pandemic, Fact or Fiction [Mercola.com]

"Swine flu is extremely convenient for governments that would very soon have to dispose of billions of dollars of Tamiflu stock, which they bought to counter avian flu, or H5N1. The US government ordered 20 million doses, costing $2 billion, in October, 2005, and around that time the UK government ordered 14.6 million doses. Tamiflu’s manufacturer, Roche, has confirmed that the shelf life of its anti-viral is three years. As soon as Homeland Security declared a health emergency, 25 percent -- about 12 million doses -- of Tamiflu and Relenza treatment courses were released from the nation's stockpile."

He then states that Tamiflu is not safe and points to the fact that Japan banned the use of Tamiflu for children in 2007, because of deaths and neuropsychological damage in kids and teens.

H1N1 Research for Swine Flu Vaccine

Opponents to the H1N1 Flu shot are leery because the vaccine was approved using an evidence-based decision, rather than a research-based decision. Jeffry John Aufderheide of VacTruth.com reported on 9-16-09 that the CSL, MedImmune, Novartis and Sanofi vaccines were approved in some instances before clinical safety trials were even conducted. The package inserts reference research on similar influenza vaccinations and other flu shots, but since the trials weren't done for the H1N1 vaccine, there's no telling who may experience adverse side affects or even if it's safe at all.

Mercury in H1N1 Vaccine for Swine Flu Shots

Fueling the opposition to the Swine Flu vaccine is the presence of thimerosal. The Federal Government asked vaccine manufacturers in 1999 to eliminate or reduce the use of mercury-containing Thimerosal. Ginger Taylor of Adventure in Autism compared the package inserts from Merck, Sanofi, CSL, Novartis and Medimmune thimerosal-free nasal spray. She found that the amount of mercury in each shot was enough for a 550 pound person, even though it's being marketed for small children.

Understanding the opposition to the H1N1 vaccine can help parents decide whether or not to immunize. The best advice is to understand all of the risks and research associated with any medication.

The copyright of the article Common Objections to the H1N1 Vaccine in General Medicine is owned by Lisa Russell. Permission to republish Common Objections to the H1N1 Vaccine in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

H1N1 Influenza Vaccine

Shot for Swine Flu Deaths