1 Part 8 FLU VACCINE: THE COVERUP THE FRAUD By Gary Null, PhD and Nancy Ashley, VMD, MS December

r 5, 2011

The CDC is just beginning its annual Influenza Vaccination Week which runs from December 4th through the 10th.1 There will be a media onslaught as they try to persuade us that the end is near if we dont get the flu vaccine. All of the regulatory bodies and the opinion leaders, the CDC, the FDA, the Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, the AMA, the American Academy of Pediatrics and all the health care providers would have us believe that flu is a serious illness that can only be prevented by annual vaccination of everyone from 6 months of age on up. They try to instill us with fear: flu is unpredictable, it can be severe, it can kill -- and there might not be enough vaccine for everyone! What if there is a pandemic? Should we be worried? Should we get the vaccine to protect our friends and loved ones? Maybe not. Lets take a look at some of the facts the CDC would rather you didnt know.

Is It Really Dangerous Not to Get the Flu Vaccine?

The CDCs website used to state that 36,000 Americans die of flu each year, but this number was never accurate. First, the CDC inflated the numbers by lumping together deaths from flu and pneumonia as though they were all from flu when actually, the annual deaths from pneumonia unrelated to flu have always been far greater than those from flu. More significantly, this number was never based in actual deaths. It comes instead from a statistical model which only estimates mortality but doesnt actually count

2 the numbers of deaths.2 This year, however, the CDCs website reflects the criticism they have received about this overstatement. In an impressive downward revision, the CDC now states that over a period of 30 years, between 1976 and 2006, estimates of flu-associated deaths in the United States range from a low of about 3,000 to a high of about 49,000 people.3 Quite a difference! For 2007, the CDCs own statistics show that the number of deaths actually caused by influenza was just 411, and the death rate was therefore only 0.1 out of 100,000 people.4

The Vaccine Does Not Prevent the Flu or Flu-Like Illness

Influenza and influenza-like illness are caused by over 200 viruses which produce the same symptoms: fever, headache, aches and pains, cough, and a runny nose. In the majority of cases, these symptoms only cause mild illness which resolves on its own after a few days. Most illness identified as the flu is in fact flu-like illness caused by a virus other than influenza, yet we are led to believe falsely that influenza is the cause since it is all referred to as flu. Out of all these possible viruses causing identical symptoms, the flu vaccine contains only 4 strains of influenza -- 2 each of type A and type B yet it is estimated that types A and B only represent 10% of all circulating viruses causing these symptoms.5 Although they cannot know in advance which strains will be present in a given season, the World Health Organization (WHO) nevertheless decides at least a year in advance which strains of virus will be in the vaccine -- the virus types thus are never based on current information. The flu virus mutates frequently, so the odds of any of the 4 vaccine strains being among those causing illness are small. Even if the experts have chosen correctly,

3 many people who receive the vaccine will not be protected and will get sick anyway. While the marketing would lead one to believe that a wide immunity is conferred from the flu vaccine, the truth is in fact the opposite: vaccine-induced antibodies against one strain offer no protection against another, and wont even protect against the original strain if it happens to mutate. And we know there is no long-lasting immunity because they recommend the shot every single year. All of the flu vaccine package inserts have the following disclaimer: there have been no controlled clinical studies demonstrating a decrease in influenza disease after vaccination.6 So by the manufacturers own admission, the flu vaccine is unlikely to work.

Studies have not shown the flu vaccine to be effective

Despite headlines and news stories claiming that the results of a recent meta-analysis published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases proved the flu vaccine effective, the report itself does not come to this conclusion. First, it found no adequate studies to assess efficacy in people 65 years of age and older, or between the ages of 2 and 17, and mind you, their requirement was only 3 adequate studies per age group! Second, their interpretation was only that Influenza vaccines can provide moderate protection against virologically confirmed influenza, but such protection is greatly reduced or absent in some seasons. 7 Not very reassuring! The Cochrane Collaboration has done a series of meta-analyses on the effectiveness of the influenza vaccine with similar results. In 2010 their conclusion regarding the efficacy of the flu vaccine for adults was that vaccine use did not affect the number of people hospitalized or working days lost, but caused one

4 case of Guillain-Barre syndrome (a major neurological condition leading to paralysis) for every one million vaccinations.8 Further, they stated that their results might be overly optimistic due to the fact that 15 out of 36 trials were funded by the vaccine manufacturers, which tend to produce results favorable to their product.9 Regarding vaccinating children, Cochrane found that in children under the age of two, the efficacy of inactivated vaccine was similar to placebo, and very little information was found on the safety of inactivated vaccines, the most commonly used vaccine, in young children.10

The Side Effects of the Flu Vaccine are more Serious than the Flu

The flu vaccine has been associated with many adverse effects, including flu-like illness following the vaccine that can last for days, leading many people to believe that getting the vaccine caused them to get the flu! More serious, however, are the other reported adverse effects: pain, allergic reactions, anaphylactic shock, Guillain-Barre syndrome, seizures, myelitis, Bells palsy, optical neuritis, brachial neuritis, syncope, thrombocytopenia, lymphadenopathy, vasculitis, dyspnea, pharyngitis, rhinitis, chest pain, and chronic fatigue.11 It has been suggested that because influenza virus is grown in chicken embryos there is an increased incidence of salmonella, which produces a powerful endotoxin. This salmonella endotoxin may increase the permeability of the blood-brain barrier, thus allowing deleterious proteins to enter the nervous system, setting the stage for a variety of neurological impairments from the vaccine.12

5 The CDC Recommends Vaccinating the Following High Risk Groups Despite Contraindications and Lack of Efficacy.

Children aged < 5 years, but especially children aged <2 years.

As we have seen from the above meta-analyses, there are not enough well-designed studies to suggest that the inactivated influenza vaccine, which is the only flu vaccine approved for children under two, is effective.13 Results of a recent study published in the Journal of Virology suggest that, to the contrary, annual flu vaccination of children may interfere with their natural ability to mount an effective immune response against any virus by hampering the development of virus specific killer T cells.14 Also, not only is there inadequate evidence that the flu vaccine is safe for children, but there is the substantial risk to the developing brains of children that the most commonly administered flu vaccines all contain mercury.

Persons with chronic health conditions, such as heart disease, asthma, and diabetes.

The package inserts all caution that people with a compromised immune system or those on other medications may not be protected adequately from the vaccine.15 There is also the possibility that the chronically ill are more likely to be sickened by the vaccine.

Pregnant women.

All package inserts give the following warning: It is not known whether the vaccine can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction

6 capacity. It should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed.16 Likewise, according to the manufacturer, it is not known whether influenza vaccine can be excreted in breast milk. If the manufacturers are this reluctant to vaccinate pregnant women and nursing mothers, how can the CDC strongly recommend it? When you add the 25 micrograms of mercury in most flu vaccines, which is especially harmful to a developing fetus, this recommendation becomes downright criminal.

Adults 65 years of age and older.

The studies of people in this age group suggest that the flu vaccine is not effective at all in preventing illness or death.17

Does it make any sense to target people in these higher risk groups when their health could be severely compromised as a result and there is little evidence that the vaccine will work?

The Flu Vaccine Contains Harmful Ingredients

Influenza vaccines are full of harmful chemicals, including mercury (a neurotoxin), animal cells, egg protein, nonylphenol ethoxylate (an endocrine disruptor), formaldehyde (a neurotoxin), DNA fragments, neomycin and polymixin (antibiotics), and betapropiolactone ( a human carcinogen)18 -- all of which, singly or in combination, can weaken the immune system in addition to causing disease. Even though mercury has finally been removed from other vaccines given to children as a result of battles

7 spanning decades -- four of the five flu vaccines approved for children, if given from a multidose vial, all contain mercury!

The Most Common Flu Vaccines Have an Added Risk of Contamination

Most flu vaccines are given from multi-dose vials because they are cheaper for the manufacturer to produce and cheaper for the health care providers to administer, even though there are single-dose vaccine alternatives. The problem with combining many vaccines in the same large bottle is that in addition to the fact that these vaccines all contain mercury as an inexpensive preservative, the action of inserting needles into a rubber stopper repeatedly as each dose is drawn up leads to bacterial contamination of the vaccine, especially if the administrator is not using proper precautions. Also, if the vial is not consistently agitated before each use, the amount of vaccine can vary considerably with each dose because the ingredients do not remain in suspension.

There Are Other, Better Ways to Protect Yourself Against the Flu Than the Vaccine

The 200 viruses that constitute influenza and influenza-like illnesses dont just magically appear during fall and winter they are always with us. Yet we become ill more often in the colder months when the hours of daylight diminish. Many recent studies have suggested that the reason for the so-called influenza season may actually have to do with the reduced amount of sunlight in the winter months, with the result that we become

8 deprived of Vitamin D. 19 We would be doing more to head off the flu by keeping our Vitamin D levels adequate than by getting the vaccine.

The other main issue that rarely reaches the media is the simplest: proper hygiene. We can ward off influenza by simply washing our hands and being very careful not to put our hands near our eyes, nose, or mouth unless we are certain they have been cleaned of any contamination from others. Studies on regular hand washing show that this easy and inexpensive measure can save lives.20

If we were all forced to read and sign the package insert prior to getting a flu vaccine, how many of us would still feel it is a sensible thing to do? The flu vaccine is neither effective nor safe: in fact, it can cause considerable and long-lasting weakening of your immune system making it more likely, rather than less, that you will become sick or chronically ill. Billions of dollars are generated from this vaccine every year, but at what cost to you? Is it worth risking your precious health to maintain the high salaries of the pharmaceuticals industry and the medical establishment? So be prepared for this flu season and protect yourself the healthy way: wash your hands regularly, get adequate Vitamin D, eat properly, get plenty of rest, avoid caffeine, alcohol, sugar and processed foods, and, most importantly, when they try to convince you to come into the drug store to get your flu vaccine -- keep walking!

9 Footnotes

1. CDC, Announcement: National Influenza Vaccination Week December 4 10, 2011, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6047a5.htm, accessed December 2, 2011.

2. Are US Flu Death Figures More PR Than Science? British Medical Journal 2005; 331; 1412 (10 December). 3. CDC, Seasonal Influenza: Questions and Answers, July 6, 2011, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD, http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/disease.htm, accessed December 5, 2011. 4. FastStats, Influenza, CDC/National Center for Health Statistics, February 18, 2011, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/flu.htm, accessed December 5, 2011. 5. Osterholm MT, Efficacy and Effectiveness of Influenza Vaccines: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 26 October 2011, doi: 10, 1016/S1473-3099 (11) 70295-X. 6. Package inserts for: Fluvirin, Novartis, May 4, 2011, http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/uc m123694.pdf , accessed December 3, 2011; Fluzone, Sanofi Pasteur, May 25, 2011, http://www.fda.gov/downloads/biologicsbloodvaccines/.../ucm195479.pdf, accessed December 3, 2011; Fluarix, GlaxoSmithKline, April 2011, http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/U CM220624.pdf, accessed December 3, 2011; Afluria, CSL Ltd., (Merck & Co., Inc), 2020-2011 Formula, July 2010, http://www.fda.gov/downloads/biologicsbloodvaccines/vaccines/approvedproducts/ucm2 20730.pdf, accessed December 3, 2011; Flulaval. GlaxoSmithKline, 2010-2011 Formula, http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/uc m112904.pdf, accessed December 2, 2011. 7. Osterholm MT, Efficacy and Effectiveness of Influenza Vaccines: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis, The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 26 October 2011, doi: 10, 1016/S1473-3099 (11) 70295-X. 8. Jefferson T et al, Vaccines for Preventing Influenza in Healthy Adults, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2010, Issue 7. Art. No.: CD001269. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD001269.pub4, June 3, 2010, http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD001269/vaccines-to-prevent-influenza-in-healthyadults, accessed December 4, 2011 9. ibid.

10 10. Jefferson T et al, Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD004879. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004879, September 30, 2007, http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD004879/vaccines-for-preventing-influenza-in-healthychildren, accessed December 4, 2011. 11. VAERS, Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, http://www.vaers.hhs.gov/index, accessed October 7, 2011. 12. Geier M, Influenza vaccination and Guillain Barre syndrome, Journal of Clinical Immunology; 107 (2003) 116121 13. Jefferson T et al, Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2008, Issue 2. Art. No.: CD004879. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004879, September 30, 2007, http://summaries.cochrane.org/CD004879/vaccines-for-preventing-influenza-in-healthychildren, accessed December 4, 2011. 14. Bodewes R et al, Annual Vaccination against Influenza Virus Hampers Development of Virus-Specific CD8+ T Cell Immunity in Children, Journal of Virology, 2011; 85 (22): 11995 DOI: 10.1128/JVI.05213-11 15. op cit Package inserts for Fluvirin, Fluzone, Fluarix, Afluria, Flulaval. 16. ibid. 17. Simonsen L et al, Influenza Vaccination and Mortality Benefits: New Insights, New Opportunities, Vaccine, 27 (2009) 6300-6304. 18. op cit Package inserts for Fluvirin, Fluzone, Fluarix, Afluria, Flulaval. 19. Berry DJ et al, Vitamin D Status has a Linear Association with Seasonal Infections and Lung Function in British Adults, British Journal of Nutrition, 2011 Nov; 106(9); 1317-8. 20. 'A Whole Industry Is Waiting For A Pandemic, Der Spiegel, http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,637119-2,00.html, accessed December 4, 2011