Whole Living Guide > by Dylana Accolla
Off Target: Problems with Vaccination
Illustration by Sarit Ben-Joseph

This month we continue our look into vaccines with brief summaries
of various childhood diseases and vaccines—space limitations prevent from including them all—their efficacy rates, and some reported adverse reactions. The information listed here is but the tip of the iceberg. If you are about to have a child or are in the vaccination process, I urge you to research vaccines yourself.

DTaP
Diptheria, tetanus, and pertussis (whooping cough) were a fearful trio of diseases in the early 20th century. Combined, they killed more than 100,000 people a year, prompting scientists’ fervor to develop a vaccine for all three that became available in 1946. The contents of this vaccine alone could make you think twice before having your child inoculated with it. Aluminum sulfate, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, and chemical preservatives such as 2-phenyoxyethanol and polysorbate-80 are included in the final product.

Do not give your child a DTaP shot if he or she has had encephalitis within seven days of a previous DTaP vaccine, has a seizure disorder, has a mild or severe illness, is getting cancer treatment with immunosuppressive therapies, and is younger than six weeks or older than seven years. Also, if you decide to go ahead with the vaccine, try to get it in separate components, or do not get it with any other vaccines that day.

Diptheria
An acute infectious bacterial disease, diptheria is characterized by a sore throat and the development of a white membrane that may cover the throat and obstruct breathing. It can be fatal if not treated early in its course. It is an extremely rare disease today, and the number of cases has declined steadily over the last century. There were four cases in 1992 with one death as opposed to 150,000 diseased and 13,000 deaths in the 1920s. Vaccine efficacy is questionable. For example, when the diptheria vaccine was made mandatory in Germany during World War II, there was a 17 percent increase in the number of cases and a 600 percent rise in deaths from diptheria. When the vaccine was stopped there was a dramatic decline of the disease. Allergic reactions (which can be severe) can occur as a result of hypersensitivity to the aluminum component of the vaccine. Metal toxicities may be associated with increased rates of neurological damage.

Pertussis
From the mid-19th to mid-20th century pertussis incidence and death declined steadily. After the introduction of the vaccine, the mortality rate declined further. The whole-cell pertussis vaccine has the greatest reputation for inducing severe reactions, including convulsions, shock, high fever, brain swelling, cardiac and respiratory distress, and brain damage. A 1994 study found that children with asthma were five times more likely than not to have received the pertussis vaccine. It is associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (sids). In Japan, a dramatic reduction in sids since 1979 has followed the postponement of the DPaT until after 24 months. Great Britain and Sweden stopped mandatory pertussis vaccination in the early 1970s. In the US and elsewhere, resurgences of whooping cough occur despite high incidence of vaccination. The efficacy rate of the pertussis vaccine is questionable, since rates began steadily climbing in the 1980s in children who are vaccinated. Waning efficacy rates and vaccine-resistant bacteria are also problems.

It was the severity of the pertussis vaccine that prompted Barbara Loe Fisher and other concerned parents to form the National Vaccine Information Center, to fight for the development of the acellular pertussis vaccine, and campaign for the passage of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act in 1986. This act created a no-fault compensation program for those who feel that they or their child have been injured by vaccines. Vaccine injuries should also be reported to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (vaers) program, which was created by the fda and cdc to receive and analyze reports of reactions to vaccines.

Tetanus
This is one of the few vaccines that almost everyone but the die-hard anti-vaccine activists support. Tetanus infection is caused by bacteria that enter the body through a puncture wound, laceration, and other dirty or rusty objects that pierce the skin. Once in the body, the bacteria produce a poison that blocks nerve signals that allow muscles to relax.

Tetanus infection is rare in this country. Approximately 50 to 100 cases occur yearly, and about 30 percent of these are fatal. Nearly all cases are in those 50 years old or older and who have never been vaccinated, or who have not had a tetanus booster shot within 10 years of their injury. It is considered one of the most benign vaccines, although there have been numerous reports of anaphylaxis. Temporary lowered immunity, arthritis, and Guillain-Barre Syndrome (sudden onset of extreme muscle weakness/paralysis, and sensory nerve deficits) are also accepted though uncommon results of tetanus vaccination. The vaccine seems to work—most cases of tetanus appear in those who have never received the vaccine or in those whose immunity has waned.

Hepatitis B
Perhaps the most controversial of new vaccines is the recombinant dna vaccine for hepatitis B (hbv) vaccine. It is often the first vaccine that children receive, often on the first day of life. It is a disease that very few infants are exposed to, and tens of thousands of adverse effects, some of them very serious, have been reported by parents. Prior to 2000, hbv was one of the mercury-containing vaccines.

The wisdom of administering such a vaccine so soon after birth has been seriously questioned. Alarm over the hbv vaccine has spread to the highest levels of vaccine policy-making—a recent New York Times Magazine feature focused on former chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics Neal Halsey’s decision to limit thimerosal-containing vaccinations in 2000. Under Halsey’s direction, the dose of mercury infants received in their first few months of life tripled to levels much higher than Environmental Protection Agency guidelines permit.

Inadequate testing and unknown long-term effects prompt critics to ask whether the fda and the medical profession have been using children as guinea pigs since the vaccination’s inception. “Many parents would assume that vaccines undergo stringent testing before they are approved,” write Dr. Stephanie Cave and Deborah Mitchell, “but when the fda allowed the first recombinant dna hepatitis B vaccine to go on the market in 1986, less than a thousand children were observed for four to five days after receiving their vaccination.”

Adverse effects include fever, serious allergic reaction (to baker’s yeast) that may include hives, wheezing, paleness, weakness, fast heart beat, dizziness, and difficulty breathing. Other side effects not listed by the cdc include fatigue, chills, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain or cramps, flu, rash, arthritis-like pain, swollen lymph nodes, insomnia, earache, and low blood pressure. Recently de-myelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, have been associated with the vaccine. Research is beginning to show a strong correlation between thimerosal and increasing autism rates. Some doctors still use hbv vaccines containing mercury. You have to ask for the mercury-free vaccine.

Flu vaccine
Literally a shot in the dark. Each year, new flu viruses are thought to circulate through the community. To produce a vaccine for these viruses, health officials must correctly predict, nearly a year in advance, which viruses will arrive. cdc officials estimate that the flu vaccine is 70 to 80 percent effective in temporarily preventing the flu in people younger than 65, but that drops significantly to 30 to 40 percent in those above 65. (Other studies have shown even lower rates from 1 to 36 percent, averaging 21 percent.)

Flu vaccines are prepared from the fluid of chick embryos inoculated with specific types of influenza virus. Formaldehyde and thimerosal are added to preserve the vaccine. Testing for flu vaccines is minimal.
Although the flu can be devastating, older people who have the resources may want to look into alternative means of strengthening their immune systems rather than inject formaldehyde and thimerosal into their bodies on a regular basis. As for babies, who in their right minds would inject a neurotoxic, mercury-containing vaccine, deployed with no risk assessment, into their bodies to prevent the flu?

Other Important Considerations
Refusing Mandated Vaccines
In 1905, the United States Supreme Court upheld the state’s authority of “police power” regarding mandatory vaccination when it ruled against a Cambridge, Massachusetts man who held that mandatory small pox vaccinations for adults violated his civil liberties. The Court ruled that compulsory vaccination statutes, applied with discretion, are among the “manifold restraints to which every person is necessarily subject for the common good.” Courts have upheld that preventing admission to and denying access to education are consistent with state vaccination requirements.

In the United States, all states allow some form of exemption from mandatory vaccination. If for some reason (allergies, etc.) your child is unable to receive a vaccine, he or she is eligible for a medical exemption. These are very difficult to obtain, however, and the cdc, acip (Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices), and aap (American Academy of Pediatricians) standards for medical exemptions are extremely narrow.

Religious exemptions are offered by almost all states (with the exception of Mississippi and West Virginia). Some states require proof of affiliation with a religious organization whose beliefs oppose vaccination. Medical ethicist Catherine Diodati points out that there have been several recent federal court rulings that have allowed parents to claim religious exemption without formal church membership. Other states offer a broad definition of religious beliefs to include personal religious beliefs. Locally, school systems vary, some requiring proof of religious affiliation, some requiring a letter or form stating religious beliefs to exempt children from vaccination. If you have a problem with your school, contact the nvic (National Vaccine Information Center). If you do not want a vaccine for any reason, you can sign a waiver stating you do not want the vaccine. You may not be told that you can refuse a vaccine, but you can.

If your child remains unvaccinated
Assuming you have done your research based on accurate reporting, and you choose not to fully vaccinate or not to vaccinate your children at all, you are assuming greater responsibility for their health. There are social and emotional consequences of pressure from physicians, hospital staff, and schools. And there is the extra effort it will take to enroll kids in schools, camps, day care centers, and any publicly funded programs for children. Travelling with unvaccinated children can present unique challenges. And medical emergencies with unvaccinated children can often result in aggressive behavior by the hospital staff. Be prepared by finding the assistance of a supportive pediatrician with hospital privileges.

If you chose to vaccinate selectively, there are strategies you can take to reduce short-term and long-term adverse effects. Refer to the books listed below for information about how to go about this.

Resources
National Vaccine Information Center (nvic)
A national resource for vaccination questions, issues, and problems. They will send summaries of state laws upon request. They will also help you contact a lawyer who specializes in vaccination problems should you become embroiled in a legal battle concerning vaccines. (800) 909-SHOT. www.909shot.com.

Vaccine Adverse Effect Reporting System (vaers)
To report an adverse reaction, you should tell your doctor about the reaction and complete the vaers available at pharmacies and submit it, or report the event by calling (800) 822-7967. You may also report adverse reactions to the nvic, which maintains a registry of adverse vaccine reactions. (703) 983-DPT3.

Recommended Reading
• The Consumer’s Guide to Childhood Vaccinations, by Barbara Loe Fisher.

• Immunizations: History, Ethics, Law, and Health, by Catherine Diodati for an excellent discussion of how vaccination laws infringe upon personal rights.

• Vaccinations: A Thoughtful Parent’s Guide, by Aviva Jill Romm.
• What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Children’s Vaccinations, by Stephanie Cave, MD, with Deborah Mitchell.

• Natural Alternatives to Vaccination, by Zoltana Rona, MD.