Tomorrow, Friday November 5th 2010, Colorado State University is holding a vaccine clinic with the intent of vaccinating a student body, possibly over 10,000 students. The clinic is coming in the wake of CSU student Christine Adame’s death from Group C meningococcal septicaemia (blood poisoning). Even more disturbing is, according her mother in a Denver Post article (http://www.denverpost.com/news…), said Christine received her meningococcal vaccine in 2006.
Ms. Adame is the fifth person to pass away from this particular bacterial illness. As you can imagine after such a tragic event, students, and especially family members, fear the worst. Is a mass vaccine campaign the answer – or is there more to the story?
3 Facts Downplayed
Fact 1: One of the most glaring contradictions is Ms. Adame passed away from Group C meningococcal septicaemia.* The “C” strain is one of four strains a recipient of the vaccine is supposed to be protected against.[1] Meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine (MPSV4) is said to protect against meningococcal disease for 3 to 5 years. In my opinion, if Ms. Adame received the vaccine in 2006, then the VACCINE FAILED and did not protect her, the supposed reason for the vaccination. She is not the only person whom the vaccine failed.
Fact 2: The bacteria is carried in about 10% of the population.[2] The relative risk of meningococcal disease in the United States is at a rate of roughly 1 per 100,000 (or a relative risk of 99.99999% chance you will not contract it).[3] It is noted that some of the most susceptible people to this specific infection are those with a pre-existing (perhaps subclinical) viral infection or a chronic underlying illness.[4] Tony Frank, a pathologist and CSU’s President had this to say in an e-mail addressing students and parents,
“I’m also a pathologist, and from that perspective, I want to be honest: The odds of you actually getting meningococcal disease are very low. And even if everyone on campus and in the City of Fort Collins gets a vaccination, we can’t guarantee that somebody else won’t get sick.”
The question health officials have not answered thus far is: Did those who tragically passed away from the rare disease have a pre-existing condition? Getting a vaccine and assuming it is protective, as was the case with Ms. Adame, apparently can have deadly consequences! What about the nine other strains of meningococcal that are NOT covered by the vaccine?
Fact 3: Vaccine adverse reactions are radically downplayed. For example, in one study 62% of the participants (18-55 years) experienced at least one systemic adverse reaction and 4% experienced a severe adverse reaction.[5]
Adverse events include seizures, neurological disorders, loss of physical sensations, Guillain Barre Syndrome and many others.[6] The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) details almost 1,000 reported events (http://medalerts.org).
Vaccinating 10,000 students?
According to the Colorado State University Fact Book,there are approximately 23,228 students age 29 years or younger in attendance.[7] Most health experts agree that to achieve herd immunity, a vaccinated population of 80%** or greater is needed to prevent the spread of disease.
There are many variables that can be tinkered with pertaining to enrollment attendance. For example: Assuming a very low vaccination campaign coverage rate at 43%, at least 10,000 students are easily in the crosshairs for vaccinations, well below a herd immunity threshold. Will the campaign reach that many students?
In Conclusion
In the case of Christine Adame, it was assumed that because she took her vaccination she was protected from the disease, or at least that is what she was told. Mass vaccinating the student body at Colorado State University probably is going to further complicate an already very serious situation insofar as other complications with vaccine adverse reactions, which even could be deadly, as sometimes happens in the case of Guillain Barre Syndrome.
I highly recommend Neil Miller’s vaccine book, Vaccine Safety Manual for Concerned Families and Health Practitioners, for more information concerning the meningococcal disease and vaccine. It could make for a better understanding of how to approach the health scare at Colorado State University.
Notes:
* Another very recent case of viral meningitis at CSU was unrelated to Ms. Adame’s case. In this case the CSU student was also vaccinated against the disease.
** 80% is on the low end of the herd immunity threshold. It is often argued in scientific circles that 90% or higher is needed to achieve “herd immunity.”
References:
[1] Vaccine Insert for Meningococcal (Groups A, C, Y and W-135) Polysaccharide Diphtheria Toxoid Conjugate Vaccine – Menactra.URL: https://www.vaccineshoppe.com/image.cfm?doc_id=11177&image_type=product_pdf
[2] MMWR. Prevention and Control of Meningococcal Disease. May 27, 2005 / 54(RR07);1-21.URL: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5407a1.htm
[3] Ibid. [4] Ibid. [5] Ibid. [6] MMWR. Notice to Readers: Revised Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices to Vaccinate All Persons Aged 11–18 Years with Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine. August 10, 2007 / 56(31);794-795URL: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5631a3.htm
[7] Colorado State University Fact Book, 2009-10, pp. 63.URL: http://www.ir.colostate.edu/pdf/fbk/0910/fctbk0910.pdf
Other Related Sites:
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/programs/vfc/cdc-vac-price-list.htm
http://www.coloradoan.com/article/20101031/NEWS01/10310354/Scientists-differ-on-severity-of-outbreak
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16494270
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16452981
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/28/health/policy/28vaccine.html