Teresa Binstock
Researcher in Developmental & Behavioral Neuroanatomy
September 27, 2009
Circa 2009, a loud chorus admonishes
pregnant women to get influenza vaccinations and H1N1 vaccinations.
Remarkably, these recommendations occur despite findings in a study
whose researchers included personnel from the Vaccine Safety Datalink
Workgroup.
As reported in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Perinatology,
rates of illness among women vaccinated during pregnancy and among
their infants were virtually the same as illness rates among women who
had not been vaccinated during pregnancy and among their infants (1).
Given data such as those presented by Black et al (1), we ask: Why are
pregnant women encouraged to be vaccinated against influenza? Has
vaccinology become a virtual religion wherein data contrary to vaccine
orthodoxy can be ignored?
As we look to answers for these questions, additional concerns include
adverse effects of vaccination-induced cytokine storms (citations in 2)
and findings of adverse effects of vaccinal thimerosal and squalene
(eg, citations in 3-5).
We are living in a time when vaccinologists need desanctify their own
a priori "truths" and need temper them with discomforting data
presented in peer-reviewed journals.
References:
1. Effectiveness of
influenza vaccine during pregnancy in preventing hospitalizations and
outpatient visits for respiratory illness in pregnant women and their
infants
Am J Perinatol. 2004 Aug;21(6):333-9.
Black SB, Shinefield HR, France EK, Fireman BH, Platt ST, Shay D;
Vaccine Safety Datalink Workgroup.
Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center, Oakland, CA 94612,
USA.
{available online for $36 usd}
http://www.thieme-connect.com/DOI/DOI?10.1055/s-2004-831888
The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention recommends influenza vaccination for
women who will be in the second or third trimester of pregnancy during
the influenza season. We analyzed hospital admissions with principal
diagnoses of influenza or pneumonia and influenza-like illness (ILI)
outpatient visits to study the effectiveness of influenza vaccine
during pregnancy in protecting women and infants from influenza-related
morbidity. Estimates of influenza vaccine effectiveness across five flu
seasons (Fall 1997 to Spring 2002) were calculated using Cox
proportional hazards models for women and infant study populations in
Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Outpatient utilization outcomes
included physician visits with a diagnosis of upper respiratory
infection, pharyngitis, otitis media, asthma, bronchial asthma, viral
infection, pneumonia, fever, cough, or wheezing associated with
respiratory illness. Inpatient outcomes included hospitalizations with
principal diagnoses of influenza or pneumonia. Women who received
influenza vaccine during pregnancy had the same risk for ILI visits
compared with unvaccinated women, adjusting for women's age and week of
delivery. When asthma visits were excluded from the outcome measure, we
also found no difference in the risk of outpatient visits for
vaccinated and unvaccinated women. Hospital admissions for influenza or
pneumonia for women in the study population were quite rare and no
women died of respiratory illness during pregnancy. Infants born to
women who received influenza vaccination had the same risks for
influenza or pneumonia admissions compared with infants born to
unvaccinated women, adjusting for infant's gender, gestational age,
week of birth, and birth facility. Maternal influenza vaccination was
also not a significant determinant of risk of ILI (excluding otitis
media) outpatient visits for infants, nor did it significantly affect
the risk of otitis media visits. Influenza vaccination during pregnancy
did not significantly affect the risk of cesarean section, adjusting
for the woman's age. It also did not affect the risk of preterm
delivery. Although the immunogenicity of influenza vaccination in
pregnancy in mother and infant has been well documented, in this study,
we were unable to demonstrate the effectiveness of influenza
vaccination with data for hospital admissions and physician visits. One
possible interpretation of these findings is that typical influenza
surveillance measures based on utilization data are not reliable in
distinguishing influenza from other respiratory illness.
Hospitalizations for respiratory illness were uncommon in both
vaccinees and nonvaccinees.
2. Vaccination-induced cytokines: schizophrenia &
developmental disabilities
Sep 07, 2009
http://www.ravenintellections.com/gre/vax-cytokines-schizophrenia-risk.htm
3. Why do vaccine officials ignore adverse effects of thimerosal,
aluminum, and squalene?
Sep 20, 2009
http://www.ravenintellections.com/gre/vaccinologists-in-wonderland.htm
4. Letter to LATimes reporter: flu shots & H1N1 vaccinations
implicate thimerosal, autism, special education
Sep 25, 2009
http://www.ravenintellections.com/gre/thimerosal-in-most-flu-h1n1-vaccines.htm
5. Autism, mercury, other toxic metals, & glutathione
Aug 12, 2009
http://www.ravenintellections.com/gre/autism-toxic-metals-glutathione.htm
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