PA: URGENT ALERT Allegheny County Health Department trying to MANDATE HPV VACCINE for all 7th grade boys and girls. Take Action! at Vaccination Debate Forum

Dear Pennsylvania NVIC Supporters and Advocacy Team Members,

In what appears to be an unprecedented move, the Allegheny County Health Department (Pittsburgh) is considering a MANDATE that would REQUIRE all 7th grade boys and girls to receive the HPV VACCINE before being admitted to school. Given that the HPV (Human papillomavirus) is sexually transmitted, not contagious in a school setting, and already available to anyone who wants it, this proposed mandate is totally unnecessary for the health of school children.

This proposal only affects Allegheny County – for now. However, if this action is successful, the floodgates will be opened for counties across the Commonwealth and possibly other states to mandate this controversial vaccine. Below are separate urgent action items to fight this for both those residing in the county and for those who live everywhere else in the state.

At a recent public meeting organized by the Health Department, numerous medical professionals spoke in favor of the HPV vaccine mandate. It has since been discovered that several of the speakers have conflicts of interest related to vaccine manufacturers that they failed to disclose.

The Allegheny County Health Department has asked for comments by July 7, and based on the public response, a report will be made to the Allegheny Board of Health on July 13. The Board will make a recommendation on whether or not to proceed with the mandating the HPV vaccine through the regulatory process for the 2017-2018 school year.

Time is short: We just learned that the Department of Health wants all letters by July 7. NOW, it is time for YOUR voice to be heard. Please take a few minutes to get involved and spread the word about this proposed mandate.

ACTIONS TO TAKE: DEADLINE JULY 7, 2016 For RESIDENTS of Allegheny County:

Please include your full name and address in all correspondence.

1. Write the Allegheny County Health Department at: publichealthcomment@alleghenycounty.us with the clear message, “Allegheny County should NOT mandate the HPV vaccine!” Additional talking points below. 2. Send the same message to the Allegheny County Board of Health at boardofhealth@alleghenycounty.us 3. Call and e-mail Your County Council Members, as they will have the final decision on this action. Ask them to oppose this proposed HPV vaccine mandate. County public health officials are unelected and unaccountable to voters, however, the Allegheny County Council Members must answer to their constituents. (Contact information listed below.) 4. Email the Allegheny County Chief Executive, Rich.Fitzgerald@alleghenycounty.usand the two Council at Large Members, John.DeFazio@alleghenycounty.us and Samuel.DeMarco@alleghenycounty.us, asking them to oppose this proposed mandate. 5. Contact your school district superintendent, informing them that if this proposed mandate goes through, Allegheny County Schools Districts will have different vaccine requirements than the rest of the state. Kindly ask your superintendent to oppose this proposed mandate. (School District Information listed below.) 6. Contact your state legislators (representatives and senators), who represent Allegheny County, informing them that the Health Department is considering mandating vaccines for a sexually transmitted virus for 7th grade students. There is NO public health crisis and such a move causes citizens to distrust public health officials. Ask them to speak out and take action against this proposed mandate. Locate them here. If you are registered with the NVIC Advocacy Portal, login at http://NVICAdvocacy.org, Click on the Pennsylvania State Team tab, and your personal state legislators and links to their contact information will automatically be displayed on the right. 7. Please forward this message to your friends in Allegheny County, asking them to take a stand against this proposed mandate. 8. Anyone wanting to speak at the July 13th meeting at 12:30 p.m., when the Health Department presents the tallying of the public comments to the Board of Health, needs to e-mail boardofhealth@alleghenycounty.us at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. Each person gets 3 minutes to speak. For PENNSYLVAIANS OUTSIDE of Allegheny County: 1. Contact your state senator and representative. Inform them that you disagree with the Allegheny County Health Department’s proposal to mandate 7th graders receive the HPV vaccine. Politely, let them know that this proposed mandate for a sexually transmitted virus is an abuse of power from county public health officials. Ask them to take legislative action so a similar mandate NEVER happens in your county. Locate them here. If you are registered with the NVIC Advocacy Portal, login at http://NVICAdvocacy.org, Click on the Pennsylvania State Team tab, and your personal state legislators and links to their contact information will automatically be displayed on the right. 2. Forward this email to those who live in the Pittsburgh area so they can contact the Allegheny County Health Department, Allegheny County Board of Health, Allegheny County Council, school districts and state legislators with their opposition to this proposed mandate. Your emails can be as simple as: Dear Allegheny County Health Department (or Board of Health or Council Member or School District Superintendent or Representative or Senator) I do NOT support mandating the HPV vaccine for 7th grade students that the Allegheny County Health Department is considering. A mandate for a sexually transmitted virus is completely unnecessary and it should not happen in Allegheny County or any other county in Pennsylvania. This vaccine is already available to parents who wish to have it administered to their children. Thank you for your time and attention. Sincerely, Your name and address If possible, write a more detailed letter to the officials using the 10 Talking Points below. The MOST IMPORTANT ACTION TO TAKE is to write a letter, of any length, to oppose this proposed mandate. If appropriate, include any personal stories of vaccine injury. 10 Talking Points to Oppose HPV Vaccine Mandates 1. Parents have a right to make healthcare decisions for their children- not the state, much less the county. The HPV vaccine is already available to any family who wants it. It does NOT need to be mandated. 2. There is NO medical emergency in Allegheny County to merit mandating the HPV vaccine! HPV is sexually transmitted. It is NOT communicable and NOT likely to be spread in a school setting. 3. Vaccines Carry a Risk of Harm. Vaccines are pharmaceutical products that carry a risk of injury or death, a fact that was acknowledged by the U.S. Congress in 1986 when it passed the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act. Since 1988, the federal vaccine injury compensation program created under that law has awarded more than $3.3 billion to children and adults injured by vaccines or to families whose loved ones died from vaccine reactions. In 2011, the US Supreme Court ruled that ALL vaccines are “unavoidably unsafe.” 4. With over 100 strains, HPV is the most common STD in the US. HPV infection is experienced by the majority of sexually active women and men without symptoms and is naturally cleared from the body within two years by more than 90 %of those who become infected. According to the CDC, “HPV is very common in women under age 30,” and “…most HPV that is found in these women will never cause them health problems.” 5. As of June 24, 2016, there were 44,633 vaccine reaction reports made to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) associated with HPV vaccines. 5,749 were classified as serious reactions, and included unexplained collapse, muscle pain and weakness, disabling fatigue, paralysis, brain inflammation, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, blood clots, multiple sclerosis, optic neuritis, spontaneous abortions, strokes, cardiac issues, seizures/convulsions, and many other health problems, as well as 261 deaths. (VAERS reporting is voluntary and it receives reports for only a small fraction of actual adverse events.) 6. According to the State Health Department’s EDDIE database, for the last 5 years that data are available (from 2009-2013), the average death rate due to cervical AND uterine cancer accounted for 0.2% of ALL deaths in Allegheny County and less than 1% of all cancer deaths. If we assume every case was caused by HPV, which is improbable, we can deduce that there never was and never will be a cervical cancer epidemic! 7. HPV vaccines are exorbitantly expensive; the three shot series of HPV vaccines and office visit could be more than $500, making it Merck’s top selling vaccine, bringing in $1.7 billion in sales 8. Several countries removed HPV from their recommended schedule, and France, India, Japan, and Spain have each filed criminal charges against HPV vaccine manufacturers for fraud, safety, and providing misleading information. 9. Stating that those wishing not to take the HPV vaccine can use the exemption is NO guarantee that Pennsylvania children will be able to opt out of HPV vaccines in the future. In 2015, California eliminated all non-medical vaccine exemptions. Two bills, SB696, and HB883, were introduced in the PA legislature this session to remove vaccine exemptions. 10. In the study “Death After Quadrivalent HPV Vaccination: Causal or Coincidental?” Neuroscientist Dr. Chris Shaw and Biochemist Dr. Lucija Tomljenovic concluded that HPV vaccines “pose an inherent risk for triggering potentially fatal” adverse reactions by causing acute autoimmunity. Click HERE to determine your County Council Member and District Please ask the County Executive AND your County Council Member to oppose this proposed mandate. If you visit them or talk to them on the phone, please invite them to see the upcoming showing of the movie VAXXED in Pittsburgh beginning July 8th. Ticket information can be found here. *Allegheny County residents, call your own Council Member first, then the Council Members At Large (AL*)

County Executive Rich Fitzgerald 412-350-6500 Rich.Fitzgerald@alleghenycounty.usExecutive@alleghenycounty.ushttp://www.alleghenycounty.us/county-executive/contact/county-executive.aspx COUNCIL MEMBERS John DeFazio (President) AL* 412-350-6516 john.defazio@alleghenycounty.us http://apps.alleghenycounty.us/website/councilatlg.asp?no=1 Samuel DeMarco III AL*412-350-6520 Samuel.DeMarco@alleghenycounty.us http://apps.alleghenycounty.us/website/councilatlg.asp?no=2 Thomas Baker 1 412-350-6525 thomas.baker@alleghenycounty.us http://apps.alleghenycounty.us/website/councilrep.asp?dist=1 Cindy Kirk 2 412-350-6530 cindy.kirk@alleghenycounty.us http://apps.alleghenycounty.us/website/councilrep.asp?dist=2 Edward Kress 3 412-350-6535 edward.kress@alleghenycounty.us http://apps.alleghenycounty.us/website/councilrep.asp?dist=3

Robert Macey 9 412-350-6565 Robert.Macey@alleghenycounty.us http://www.alleghenycounty.us/county-council/contact/district-9.aspx

DeWitt Walton 10 412-350-6570 DeWitt.walton@alleghenycounty.us http://apps.alleghenycounty.us/website/councilrep.asp?dist=10

Please ask School District Superintendents or Principals to oppose this proposed mandate as Allegheny County would have different vaccine regulations than any other county in Pennsylvania. If your children attend private schools, please contact the school administrators.

(Allegheny County School District information was taken from: http://www.aiu3.net/home.aspx and school district websites. Every attempt has been made to be accurate, but due to employee turnover, some of the information may have changed.)

Pittsburgh Public Schools Contact your local school principal District # 412-529-4357 http://www.pps.k12.pa.us/Page/1

Allegheny Valley School DistrictPatrick M. Graczyk 724-274-5300 pgraczyk@avsd.k12.pa.us http://www.avsdweb.org/ Avonworth School District Thomas Ralston 412-369-8738 Ext 1504 tralston@avonworth.k12.pa.us http://www.avonworth.k12.pa.us Baldwin-Whitehall School District Randy A. Lutz 412-884-6300 RLutz@bwschools.net http://www.bwschools.net Bethel Park School District Joseph W. Pasquerilla, Ed.D 412-854-8402 pasquerilla.joseph@bphawks.org http://www.bpsd.org Brentwood Borough School District Dr. Amy Burch 412-881-2227 ext. 2400 burcha@bb-sd.com http://www.brentwoodpgh.k12.pa.us Carlynton School District Gary Peiffer, Ed.D. 412-429-2500, ext. 1101 gary.peiffer@carlynton.k12.pa.us http://www.carlynton.k12.pa.us Chartiers Valley School District Brian White, Ed.D. 412-429-2201bwhite@cvsd.net http://www.cvsd.net Clairton City School District Dr. Ginny Hunt 412-233-7090 ext. 2201 http://www.ccsdbears.org/Common/Email/Email.asp?DivisionID=17241&DepartmentID=19160&SubDepartmentID=0&StaffID=53912 http://www.ccsdbears.org Cornell School District Aaron Thomas 412-264-5010 Ext. 120 athomas@cornellsd.org http://www.cornell.k12.pa.us Deer Lakes School District Dr. Janell Logue-Belden (724) 265-5300 ext. 1210 jloguebelden@dlsd.k12.pa.us http://www.deerlakes.net Duquesne City School District Ms. Barbara McDonnell (Acting) 412 466 5300 Ext: 7023 email from school website http://www.dukecitysd.org East Allegheny School District Mr. Donald L. Mac Fann 412-824-8012 x4158 dmacfann@eawildcats.net http://www.eawildcats.net Elizabeth Forward School District Dr. Bart Rocco 412-896-2310 brocco@efsd.net http://www.efsd.net Fox Chapel Area School District Gene Freeman, Ed.D. 412-967-2414 gene_freeman@fcasd.edu http://www.fcasd.edu Gateway School District Dr, Nina Zetty412 373-5700 nzetty@gatewayk12.org http://www.gatewayk12.org Hampton Township School District Dr. John Hoover, 412-492-6303 hoover@ht-sd.org http://www.ht-sd.org Highlands School District Dr. Michael A. Bjalobok 724-226-2400, ext. 4513. mbjalobok@goldenrams.com http://www.goldenrams.com Keystone Oaks School District William P. Stropkaj, Ed.D 412-571-6008 http://www.kosd.org McKeesport Area School District Dr. Rula S. Skezas 412-664-3610 rskezas@mckasd.net http://www.mckasd.net Montour School District Dr. Michael Ghilani 412-490-6500 ghilanim@montourschools.com http://www.montourschools.com Moon Area School District Donna Milanovich, interim superintendent (412) 264-9440,ext 1106 dmilanovich@moonarea.net http://www.moonarea.net Mt. Lebanon School District Timothy Steinhauer, Ed.D (412) 344-2077 tsteinhauer@mtlsd.net http://www.mtlsd.org North Allegheny School District Robert J. Scherrer, Ed.d (412) 369-5896 scherrer@northallegheny.org http://www.northallegheny.org North Hills School District Dr. Patrick J. Mannarino 412-318- 1004 mannarinop@nhsd.nethttp://www.nhsd.net Northgate School District Carolyn Johns 412-732-3300 cjohns@northgate.k12.pa.us http://www.northgate.k12.pa.us Penn Hills School District Dr. Nancy J. Hines (412) 793-7000, ext 1282 nhines@@phsd.k12.pa.us http://www.phsd.k12.pa.us Pine-Richland School District Dr. Brian Miller (724) 625-7773 ext 6100 bmiller@pinerichland.org http://www.pinerichland.org Plum Borough School District Dr. Timothy Glasspool (412) 795-0100 ext 6362 glasspoolt@pbsd.k12.pa.us http://www.pbsd.k12.pa.us Quaker Valley School District Dr. Heidi Ondek 412-749-3600 ondekh@qvsd.org http://www.qvsd.org Riverview School District Dr. Margaret DiNinno 412.828.1800 Opt 9, x 4080 mdininno@rsd.k12.pa.us http://www.rsd.k12.pa.us Shaler Area School District Mr. Sean Aiken 412-492-1200opt 8 x 2801 aikens@sasd.k12.pa.us http://www.sasd.k12.pa.us South Allegheny School District (412) 675-3070 Ext. 1101 http://www.southallegheny.org South Fayette Township School District Dr. Billie Pearce Rondinelli 412-221-4542 ext 413 bprondinelli@southfayette.org http://www.southfayette.org South Park School District Wayne Gdovic 412-655-3111 http://www.sparksd.org Steel Valley School District Edward Wehrer 412-464-3600ext 1505 ewehrer@steelvalleysd.org http://steelvalleysd.org Sto-Rox School District Mr. Terry DeCarbo 412-771-3213ext 5235 tdecarbo@srsd.k12.pa.us http://www.srsd.k12.pa.us Upper St. Clair School District Dr. Patrick T. O’Toole 412.833.1600 x 2050 potoole@uscsd.k12.pa.us http://www.uscsd.k12.pa.us West Allegheny School District Dr. Jerri Lynn Lippert 724.695.5211 jlippert@westasd.org http://www.westasd.org/ West Jefferson Hills School District Dr. Michael Panza mpanza@wjhsd.net http://www.wjhsd.net West Mifflin Area School District Dr. Daniel Castagna (412) 466-9131ext. 3003 castagnad@wmasd.html http://www.wmasd.org Wilkinsburg School District Joseph Petrella ,deputy superintendent 412-391-9667 wsdwebsite@gmail.competrellaj@wilkinsburgschools.org http://www.wilkinsburgschools.org/ Woodland Hills School District Alan N. Johnson 412 731-1300 ext 0183 johnal@whsd.net http://www.whsd.net

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