Top 5 Vaccine Stories for January

Many parents are tired of scientists avoiding the dangers of vaccines.

Chemicals Undermine Vaccines?

http://the-scientist.com/2012/01/27/chemicals-undermine-vaccines/

1.  A study recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that children with high levels of perfluorinated compounds or PFCs in their blood, are very likely to experience vaccine failure. Children are exposed to these chemicals on a daily basis through items like non-stick cookware, personal care products, and even grease-resistant popcorn bags.

According to Environmental epidemiologist Philippe Grandjean, the compounds are immunosuppressive. This could mean exposure to high levels of the chemicals, would make children vulnerable to more forms of illness.

Chemical toxicity in children appears to be a growing concern among parents and researchers alike. Studies like this emphasize a need to re-evaluate the way chemicals are regulated, and highlights the need to address health effects associated with long-term exposure.

 

Two Verona Students Diagnosed With Whooping Cough

http://www.northjersey.com/news/138151693_Two_Verona_students_diagnosed_with_whooping_cough.html


2.  New Jersey, US. Two students attending H.B. Whitehorne Middle School, were diagnosed with whooping cough just two weeks apart from each other according to the school’s Superintendent, Steven Forte. Both students were vaccinated.

While it hasn’t been disclosed whether the students had received the complete series of shots, Forte emphasized that the incident had nothing to do with allowing children into the school that weren’t vaccinated.

Published reports have revealed that almost a dozen students in a nearby county have been diagnosed with pertussis recently, many of whom were entirely up to date on their shots. One such report noted that vaccines are not 100% effective in preventing illness.

Persons of all ages can be affected by whooping cough, but most healthy adults and children make a full recovery.

Child Died of Hypersensitivity Reaction

http://expressbuzz.com/states/kerala/child-died-of-hypersensitivity-reaction/357116.html

3.  Thiruvananthapuram, India. Health department officials were quick to deny suspicions that a pentavalent vaccine had caused the death of a 56-day-old infant at Vithura Government Community Health Centre.

The parents of baby Ancy were immediately suspicious of the vaccine after noticing a change of colour on the daughter’s body and blood coming from her nose upon receiving the vaccine. The infant was promptly transported to the hospital but did not live.

The post-mortem report listed the cause of death as a hypersensitivity reaction, though it was unspecific on the source of the hypersensitivity. It should be noted that scientists and doctors often reserve the term hypersensitivity for an unusual allergic response to a vaccine.

Health Secretary Rajeev Sadanandan says highly advanced studies are needed to conclusively determine whether the vaccine played a role in the death of this infant. The Health Department also plans to contact the WHO for further advice on how to proceed with the issue.

 

Flip Side of India’s Polio Success Story

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1120116/jsp/frontpage/story_15011108.jsp

4.  India recently celebrated its first year without any cases of wild polio infection. This feat seems to have come with a cost however. It seems that the live oral polio vaccines being administered by organizers of mass vaccination campaigns, are actually infecting children with vaccine strain polio.

Data have revealed that seven children in India have been infected with vaccine-derived poliovirus (VDPV). Vaccine-derived poliovirus is spread via feces and can be transmitted to other vulnerable persons resulting in disease.

It has also been estimated that 100 to 180 children in India develop vaccine-associated polio paralysis (VAPP) every year. Unlike VDPV, VAPP affects the vaccinated children themselves and is equally as devastating as it is with wild strains.

There are now concerns that as wild poliovirus strains are eradicated, vaccine strains will continue to emerge and potentially spread to previously polio-free countries.

A contingency plan to prevent the spread of vaccine-strain polio has yet to be devised.

 

Teen Settles In Vaccination Lawsuit

http://www.wpbf.com/news/30218444/detail.html

5.  Miami, Fla. A teen has been awarded $12.6 million in a lawsuit filed against the University of Miami medical school.

13 year old Shaniah Rolle had her spleen removed as an infant and subsequently received a vaccine that was intended to protect her against infection. The vaccine Rolle was administered had expired 5 months earlier. Rolle later developed a severe infection that resulted in the loss of her arms and legs.

University of Miami attorneys are expected to appeal.

 

Photo Credit: Robert Couse-Baker

About the author

Bunny St. Marie

Bunny St. Marie is a passionate health advocate and loving mother to three children. She enjoys freelance writing and has dedicated the past 5 years to researching risks surrounding vaccines. The discoveries of her ongoing investigation into vaccines motivates her to share her findings with other concerned parents.