Reprinted from:
http://www.mercola.com/2002/jun/8/smallpox_vaccine.htm
Update on CDC Plans to Force Smallpox Vaccine on the US
My name is Dr. Sherri Tenpenny. I am a physician from Cleveland, Ohio and I am board certified in two medical specialties, including Emergency Medicine.
I am speaking today on behalf of the National Vaccine Information Center, a non-profit, educational organization founded in 1982 which represents more than 40,000 Americans, including parents and grandparents of vaccine injured children.
I have spent more than 2,000 hours researching the vaccination issue and I both personally and professionally support the position set forth by the NVIC. The NVIC opposes giving the vaccine to the general public.
This is not "just another vaccine."
There are defined risks and known contraindications that can lead to fatal consequences if they are not strictly adhered to. The general public will not have the background to understand these ramifications. In addition, as with all vaccines, this vaccination will not guarantee immunity.[1]
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) lists many other known biological warfare agents; twenty six of these microbes are listed on the CDC website. In addition, there are chemical warfare agents and an infinite number of weapons that could be created through genetic engineering and used in a terrorism attack.
Vaccinating the general public with the vaccinia vaccine will cover only a small fraction of the potential risk that could come from terrorism. However, the risk of medical complications from this vaccine is not potential but real, and that risk exceeds any perceived benefit that may come from the inoculation.
If first responders are offered the vaccine before an actual attack, it must be done in a limited, highly controlled manner with strict isolation of the individual and his body fluids by quarantine, until the scabs from the vaccine lesions have fallen off. The individual will need to be isolated from at-risk family members, as well as from the community at large.
It is estimated that at least 10%, or more than 28 million people in the United States, have eczema.[2] There are 184,000 organ recipients,[3] 850,000 individuals with diagnosed and undiagnosed HIV infection or AIDS,[4] and 8.5 million people with cancer.[5]
An even more extensive list of people at risk is the untold millions who are taking immunosuppressive drugs such as corticosteroids. Prednisone® and Medrol®, given to both adults and children, are prescribed for dozens of conditions including but not limited to: asthma; emphysema; allergies; Crohn's disease; multiple sclerosis; herniated spinal discs; acute muscular pain syndromes; and all types rheumatoid and autoimmune diseases.
All of these patients would be at risk for serious complications from contact with a vaccinated individual.
Historically, this live virus vaccine has caused more injury and death among those who were vaccinated than any other vaccine that has ever used. The general population has no natural immunity to this virus and even with controlled vaccination of first responders, the virus has the potential to spread throughout the community and then across the globe.
If that were to happen, the eventual end result would be the required mass vaccination of everyone in the world. Tens of thousands of casualties from the vaccine itself will result, and our already over-burdened healthcare system will be crushed trying to care these victims.
I have personally treated many patients, both children and adults, who have suffered from catastrophic brain and immune system damage after vaccination. The potential suffering that could be caused by this highly reactive vaccine cannot be measured in either human or economic terms.
Please be sure to read the Special Report on smallpox vaccination from the National Vaccine Information Center.
http://www.909shot.com/Newsletters/spsmallpox.htm
In the event of an attack, the PROPER MEDICAL USE of ring vaccination would be supported by the NVIC but only with voluntary compliance and FULLY INFORMED CONSENT. A strict definition of "close contacts" is necessary to ensure that surveillance measures are focused only on those at greatest risk.[6] Complete informed consent is particularly important because:
- the old vaccine was never subjected to controlled clinical trials;
- the new vaccine will not have to be proven effective in humans;
- standards for safety will be lowered to fast-track production; and
- vaccine manufacturers, as well as healthcare providers -- physicians -- will be protected from liability for any vaccine-induced injuries or deaths, which are likely to occur.
The National Vaccine Information Center urges ACIP to stand behind its current policy of employing ring vaccination in the event of a bioterrorism attack. There is no reason why, in the absence of a confirmed smallpox outbreak, and with only a theoretical risk that smallpox will be the agent used in an attack, that Americas should be subjected to the very real and very significant risks associated with the vaccinia virus vaccine.
References:
[1] Cohen, Jon. Science Magazine, Oct. 19, 2001, Vol. 294., p. 501
[2] Diepgen TL. Is the prevalence of atopic dermatitis increasing? In: Williams HC, ed. Atopic Dermatitis: The Epidemiology, Causes and Prevention of Atopic Eczema. New York: Cambridge Univ Pr; 2000:96-112.
[3] United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). All Recipients: Age at Time of Transplant. www.unos.org
[4] Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. Epidemiological Fact Sheets on HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections: United States. http://www.unaids.org/fact_sheets/index.html
[5] National Cancer Institute. CanQues. http://srab.cancer.gov/Prevalence/canques.html
[6] Henderson, Donald A, et.al. CONCENSUS STATEMENT: Smallpox as a biological Weapon, Medical and Public Health Management. JAMA, June 9, 1999, p.2133.
Reprinted from:
http://www.mercola.com/2002/jun/8/smallpox_vaccine.htm