: Notes From a Hermit 10/18/3]

[Guest guest]

> Thanks to John Chenault for passing this on:

>

> Risks of FluMist Vaccine: Nothing to Sneeze At

>

> October 2, 2003

> By Dr. Sherri Tenpenny

> www.nmaseminars.com

>

>

> " MedImmune, the manufacturer of FluMist, recently announced that it

> signed an

> agreement that makes FluMist, the new intranasal influenza vaccine,

readily

> available to people as they shop at Wal-Mart, the worlds biggest

> retailer. " (1)

> As the physician in charge of a bustling Integrative medical clinic,

> questions about vaccines frequently arise. After reading about the

> MedImmune-Walmart announcement, I felt compelled to warn our patients and

> internet rs of the potentially serious complications that may

come

> from direct and passive exposure to this new vaccine. I also wanted to

give

> a " heads up " to everyone regarding the onslaught of advertising that is

> about to besiege us.

>

> Hundreds of TV and print advertisements have been designed to persuade

> everyone into taking the FluMist plunge. The campaign will be the " most

> intense, direct-to consumer marketing campaign ever waged for a vaccine, "

> costing an estimated $25 million over the next 2.5 months.(2) In addition,

> Wyeth, MedImmune's partner, plans a three-year, $100 million campaign to

> encourage use of the nasal flu vaccine among physicians.(3)

>

> The television arm of the blitz campaign will focus on the

" inconveniences "

> that your family, friends and co-workers will endure if you don't get the

> flu shot and subsequently contract the flu. Print advertisements and

> magazine articles will use scare tactics --similar to those that were used

> while promoting the smallpox vaccine -- which warn of the high possibility

> of a " bioterror attack using the flu virus. " (4)

>

> Apparently, the goal seems to center around scaring -- or inducing enough

> guilt in everyone -- that they begin to demand the vaccine as soon as it

is

> available. And at nearly $70 a dose, this will be a financial bonanza for

> MedImmune and Wyeth, who are expecting the vaccine to become the

> blockbuster new drug that will push MedImmune's revenues to more than

> $1billion/year. (5)

>

> However, there are many reasons for caution. FluMist contains live

> (attenuated) influenza viruses that replicate in the nasopharynx of the

> vaccine recipient. The most common side effects include " cough, runny

> nose/nasal congestion, irritability, headaches, chills, muscle aches and

> fever >100F. " (6) These symptoms are nearly identical to those the flu

> vaccine is designed to prevent.(7)

>

> A cause for significant concern is the vaccine's most prevalent side

> effects: " runny nose " and " nasal congestion. " It has been documented that

> the live viruses from the vaccine can be shed (and potentially spread into

> the community) from recipient children for up to 21 days (8), and even

> longer from adults.(9) Viral shedding also puts breastfeeding infants at

> risk if mother has been given FluMist.(10)

>

> In addition to shedding via nasal secretions, the virus can be dispersed

> through sneezing. What is the normal physiological response when an

> irritant enters the nasal passages? A sneeze...sometimes a big

> sneeze...sometimes several big sneezes. Therefore, the risk for

shedding --

> and spreading -- live viruses throughout a school, church, workplace, or

> store, especially one which is administering the vaccine.

>

> In the section of the FlumMist package insert labeled " PRECAUTIONS " , the

> manufacturer states the following warning:

> " FluMist recipients should avoid close contact with immunocompromised

> individuals for at least 21 days. "

> The warning is specifically directed toward those living in the same

> household with an immunocompromised person, but the on-going release of

> live viruses throughout the community may be a significant risk to

everyone

> who has a weak, or weakened, immune system.

>

> The number of immunocompromised people in this country is enormous:

> · It is estimated that at least 10%, or more than 28 million people

> in the United States have eczema.(11)

> · More than 8.5 million people have cancer.(12)

> · There are reported to be 850,000 individuals with diagnosed and

> undiagnosed HIV infection or AIDS (13) and

> · Based on 2001 data, there were 184,000 organ recipients (14)

>

> An even more extensive list of at-risk people includes the untold millions

> on drugs called corticosteroids. Prednisone®, Medrol®, and a variety of

> similar medications are given to both adults and children. These drugs are

> prescribed for dozens of conditions including asthma; allergies; eczema;

> emphysema; Crohn's disease; multiple sclerosis; herniated spinal discs;

> acute muscular pain syndromes; and all types of rheumatoid and autoimmune

> diseases. As much as 60% of the entire population could be considered to

be

> " chemically immunosuppressed. " It is important to realize that FluMist is

> CONTRAINDICATED for people who are immunocompromised. People who receive

> FluMist and are living with an immunocompromised person put their loved

> ones at risk.

>

> Will this make stores that administer the vaccines -- like Walmart and the

> other pharmaceutical chain stores that have announced they will carry

> FluMist (15)-- risky places to shop for large segments of the population?

> What measures will be taken in these stores to ensure that the virus will

> not become commingled with food? What hand washing policy is going to be

> enforced in the stores for all Walmart employees and customers who have

> received FluMist? These are reasonable questions that deserve answers.

>

> The target market for FluMist is " healthy children and adults, ages 5 to

49

> yrs. " Some believe that by vaccinating these people, a type of " herd

> immunity " will occur that will protect the very young and the elderly who

> are excluded from getting this vaccine. However, it is these very

" at-risk "

> populations who may suffer the most from the flu by being exposed to

people

> who are given FluMist.

>

> According to information presented at the May, 2003 National Influenza

> Summit (16), approximately 85% of Americans between the ages of 20 and 50

> go unvaccinated, and nearly 66% between the ages of 50 and 64 do not

> receive the flu vaccine. Have there been " raging epidemics " across the

> country due to lack of flu vaccinations? Hardly. The massive campaign to

> vaccinate everyone this year appears to be motivated purely by economics.

>

> The viruses suspected to be the most likely cause for the flu this season

> was negligibly different from the strains used in last year's flu vaccine.

> Therefore, the influenza vaccine produced for the 2003-2004 season is

> identical in composition to that used last year. This marks the only the

> second time that the same strains have been used during two consecutive

flu

> seasons.(17) Consider that the antibodies from other viral vaccines --

such

> as MMR, polio and chickenpox vaccines -- last at least 3 years, and in

some

> instances, up to 15 years. If the viruses used in the vaccine are the same

> as last year, why is this year's vaccine even necessary?

>

> An ever greater concern about FluMist is the contents within the

> vaccine. Each 0.5ml of the formula contains 10 6.5-7.5 particles of

live,

> attenuated influenza virus. That means that between 10 million and 100

> million viral particles will be forcefully injected into the nostrils when

> administered. The viral strain was developed by serial passage through

> " specific pathogen-free primary chick kidney cells " and then grown in

> " specific pathogen-free eggs. " That means that the culture media was free

> of pathogens that were specifically tested for, but not a culture that was

> necessarily " pathogen-free. " The risk that the vaccine contains

contaminant

> avian retroviruses still remains. In addition, a stabilizing buffer

> containing potassium phosphate, sucrose (table sugar) and nearly 0.5 mg of

> monosodium glutamate (MSG) is added to each dose.(18)

>

> One of the most troubling concerns over the forceful injection of this

> " chemical soup " is the potential for the viruses to enter directly into

the

> brain. At the top of the nasal passages is a paper-thin bone called the

> cribriform plate. The olfactory nerves pass through this bone and line the

> nasal passages, carrying messenger molecules to the brain that are

> identified as " smells " we are familiar with. The olfactory tract has long

> been recognized as a direct pathway to the brain. Intranasal injection of

> certain viruses has resulted in a serious brain infection called

> encephalitis, presumably by direct infection of the olfactory neurons that

> carried the viruses to the brain.

>

> The pharmaceutical companies rarely consider the " down side " when they are

> pushing new drugs or new vaccines. FluMist has the potential for causing

> the worst, most severe flu epidemic seen in years. Parents tell their

young

> children not to put things up their nostrils since it could cause harm. It

> would be wise to consider the same advice for adults. With all the known

> risks involved, one should be extremely cautious about what one allows to

> be sprayed in one's nose.

>

> *****************

> References:

> 1) DowJones Business News. Sept. 12, 2003. FluMist Available In Pharmacies

> This Fall. http://biz./djus/030910/0017000011_2.html

> 2) Washington Post. Nasal spray for flu to get big media launch. Sept. 10,

> 2003, pg. E01

> 3) Washington Post. Spray vaccine for flu wins FDA clearance. June 18,

> 2003. pg. A01.

> 4) Mohammed, Madjid. Influenza as a bioweapon. J.R.Soc.Med.

2003;96:345-346.

> 5) Adler, Neil. MedImmune awaits the $1 billion mark and a new flu drug.

> The Business Gazette. Feb. 7, 2003.

> http://www.gazette.net/200306/business/news/143250-1.html

> 6) FluMist package insert.

> 7) Vesikari T., et al. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlledtrial

> of the safety, transmissibility and phenotypic stability of a live,

> attenuated, cold-adapted influenza virus vaccine (CAIV-T) in children

> attending day care. Presented at the 41st Annual Interscience Conference

> on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, (Chicago, IL). 2001

> 8) ibid. (Chicago, IL). 2001

> 9) Zangwell, Kenneth. Cold-adapted, live attenuated intranasal influenza

> virus vaccine. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal 2003;

22(3):273-274.

> 10) Drug information.

> http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/uspdi/202297.html

> 11) 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.

> 12) National Cancer Institute. CanQues. Available at http://srab.

> cancer.gov/Prevalence/canques.html. Accessed January 3, 2002.

> 13) Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS. Epidemiological Fact

Sheets

> on HIV and Sexually Transmitted Infections: United States. Available at

> www.unaids.org/ fact_sheets/index.html. Accessed January 14, 2002

> 14) United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS). All Recipients: Age at Time

of

> Transplant. Available at www.unos.org/. Accessed January 14, 2002.

> 15) Allan and Harold Rubin, MS, ABD, CRC. September 26, 2003. Vaccinations

> and the Elderly. http://www.therubins.com/aging/vacine.htm

> 16) May 20-21, 2003, the National Influenza Summit. Chicago, IL.

> http://www.partnersforimmunization.org/meetingupdates52021.html

> 17) ibid.

> 18) FluMist package insert.

> 19) Knipe, David. M. Ed. Fields Virology. Philadelpthis: Lippincott, 4th

> ed. 2001. pg. 1057

> Sincerely,

>

> General Vaccine Information List

>

>