(Parts of this post were taken from a post I originally wrote in 2017. It was then updated in late 2019)

There is no getting around the fact that this is one of the most controversial topics in our country right now. I would like to make an appeal at the onset that if you are serious about understanding this topic, that you take the time to review all the information presented here, with the goal of bringing a better understanding to the breadth of the vaccine issue.

As more and more states are abolishing parental waiver for vaccines, the debate is getting more heated as more parents are desiring to do a modified vaccine schedule. At the same time, drug manufacturers are continually developing more vaccines, and the government is mandating them. It is important to be informed on this issue as it is seems to be destined to become a very contentious conversation – and lots of civility will be required.

The goal is not anti-vaccination. The goal is a safe, pro-informed consent vaccine policy, which upholds constitutional freedoms.

This past March (2019), I sent a letter out to some family and friends outlining concerns I had about what I had been seeing in regards to legislative proceedings concerning vaccines. It is a bit lengthy for a blog post but because it covers the essentials of the controversy, I thought it would be beneficial to include it here:

Hi All,

 I can think of very few things that would give me cause for concern to send out an email to family and friends. However, recent events regarding freedom in our health choices have prompted me to write such a note.

 The written word can sometimes be difficult in that one cannot always “hear” intent or motivation. Please know my primary intent here is just to provide information for consideration.

 I am sorry this is so long. It was actually much longer, however I tried to condense it down to just the most germane points on this issue. Please also note that you may need to copy and paste the links I have posted in order to have them load properly.

 As some of you may have heard me say before, I have been following the vaccine conversation for over 20 years. What I am seeing of late, shows a deepening divide and a deeper distrust growing on both sides of this issue. Again, I will reiterate that I am not anti-vaccine, nor do I personally know a single parent that would like to take down the entire vaccine program.

What is currently at issue is individual freedom of choice for health decisions and freedom of speech.

Due to several outbreaks of measles in parts of the country, the subject of eliminating all vaccine exemptions and choice has become more prominent. Increasingly more states are introducing laws to take away a patient’s or parent’s choice in regards to their personal conviction on this issue. You may also be aware of the fact that there are some social media platforms that are not allowing any dissenting views on the safety of vaccines.

 “To want to ward off disease is an honorable thing, but that does not mean that everything done in its name is safe or is beyond criticism, and if we get to that point, we have a problem.” (Quoted from the NYT comment section, in response to “How to inoculate yourself from Anti-vaxxers.)

I just wanted to share some current vaccine stats, current revenue trends from pharmaceutical industries, and an upcoming Senate government hearing. A final mention will be to take a look at the infamous “father” of the anti-vaccine movement, and a note from a parent.

 First I would like to list facts from the CDC. (Most of you probably know that the CDC is the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is a federal agency that conducts and supports health promotion, prevention and preparedness activities in the United States, with the goal of improving overall public health.)

 If you compare the 1983 vaccine schedule to the 2017 schedule you will note these differences:

 1983: 22 doses of 7 vaccines by age 6

compared to:

2017: 50 doses of 14 vaccines by age 6

 and

 1983: 24 doses of 7 vaccines by age 18

2017: 69 doses of 16 vaccines by age 18

 Also from the CDC website:

 In 1980 the rate of Autism Spectrum Disorder was 1 in 2,000

In 2000 the rate of Autism Spectrum Disorder was 1 in 150

In 2014 the rate of Autism Spectrum Disorder was 1 in 59

in 2016 the rate of Autism Spectrum Disorder was 1 in 54

About 1 in 6 children in the United States had a developmental disability in 2006-2008.

 https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html

 We all know that correlation does not mean causation, but those statistics certainly would give credence to a medical review.

 Research done in 2012 stated that estimates autism costs society a staggering $126 billion per year (U.S.) – a number that has more than tripled since 2006.

 In regards to the pharmaceutical interest in vaccines, this is from a blog post I wrote several years ago:

 “By 2016, the Global Vaccines Market is Expected to Generate More Than Twice the Annual Revenue of 2009(The global vaccine market is expected to surpass estimated USD 100 billion by 2025). 

 The surge in revenues and growth rates came at a time when the pharmaceutical industry was under huge pressure from patent expiries and weakened pipelines…. The success of premium priced vaccines such as Prevnar, Gardasil, and Cervarix has prompted big pharmaceutical players such as Pfizer and AstraZeneca to invest in the vaccines industry which promises safe revenues due to a lack of threat from generics.

 The Vaccines Industry is Looking to Increase its Revenues Through the Introduction of Novel Vaccines and Indication Expansions for Established Products.”  (business wire.com)

 And recently:

In 2018, North America is expected to dominate the market. The large share of this geographical segment is attributed to factors such as increasing investments by government organizations and companies to promote immunization as well as develop new vaccines.

 According to new research report “Vaccines Market by Disease (Pneumococcal, Influenza, DTP, HPV, Hepatitis, Meningococcal, Rotavirus, Polio, MMR, Varicella, Dengue), Technology (Live, Toxoid, Recombinant), Route (IM/SC, Oral), Patient (Pediatric, Adult), Type – Global Forecast to 2023″, the global market is expected to reach USD 50.42 billion by 2023 from USD 36.45 billion in 2018, at a CAGR of 6.7%. The growth of the market is attributed to the rising prevalence of diseases, increasing government and nongovernment funding for vaccine development, and increasing companies initiatives to enhance R&D

 I honestly don’t even know what to say in regards to this World heath Organization report on the incredibly lucrative market vaccines are going to be – and this was from 2010. IT TOUTS THAT VACCINES ARE BECOMING AN ENGINE FOR THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY.  Here is the link to the article:

 https://www.who.int/influenza_vaccines_plan/resources/session_10_kaddar.pdf

 An entire new market for the pharmaceutical industries has also opened up as now there is a push from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to start implementing the National Vaccine Plan for Adults.

Is it any wonder that these companies would not like any one questioning any adverse effects of vaccines? Is it a reasonable question to ask if this excessive vaccine production is too much of  a “good thing”?

In 2018 the pharmaceutical industry spent almost $400 million lobbying congress.  Robert Kennedy states “Everybody takes money from Phrma, so they are all corrupted, that is why it is almost impossible to get anything done on Capitol Hill. That may be why members of congress say that they have faced pressure, been bullied or threatened when they have tried to raise vaccine safety issue. (See video below)

 Pharmaceutical companies cannot be sued for any liability from their products.We do know that vaccines can cause harm in some people. That is why the government has paid out over 4 billion dollars though the National Vaccine Injury Compensation program.

 The government also has an entire website devoted to adverse reactions to vaccines (VAERS).

 There has never been a study on the safety of the current CDC vaccine schedule.

 There is also evidence that the efficacy of vaccines is not what scientists once thought. In this study just published in the National Institute for Health, research shows:

 “Because of linked-epitope suppression, all children who were primed by DTaP vaccines will be more susceptible to pertussis throughout their lifetimes, and there is no easy way to decrease this increased lifetime susceptibility.”

 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30793754?fbclid=IwAR0mDtvS1rrpJeaBSm1kAC4yeRJdFBmx8vlgN7T_2AYDVLglf9kvikPTZqo

 This would line up with the facts of a recent pertussis out break in a private school in California. All 30 cases were found in kids that had all been vaccinated for pertussis.

 Currently we have more severe reactions to vaccines than we do severe cases of the disease. I am not implying that without vaccines, that would be true. What I am suggesting is that maybe we need to reconsider our current approach. Keep in mind, as stated earlier, that there are more vaccines coming to market, that will certainly expand the CDC schedule. How much is too much? And how do we do the safety studies on all of them combined?

 Certainly government officials are concerned for the health and safety of its nations’ citizens. However, it is just as understandable that the thousands of families whose lives have been changed just hours or days after their child was vaccinated want the truth of their injuries to be heard, and bring awareness for the safety of others. We need to start building trust on both sides of this issue. I don’t know of a parent who is not concerned for the safety and health of their child and would like to be able to trust what they are told by their health care providers. But there are many that are nervous about the CDC facts I posted earlier and would like to see our government officials hear both sides of this issue before enforcing mandates that cannot be refused. 

Please watch this video from January of 2019 which reports on how the governement did have evidence that vaccines can cause Autism in some children:

Finally, it would be incredibly difficult to wade through the entire vaccine controversy without hearing the name Dr. Andrew Wakefield. Dr. Wakefield is considered by most in in the ‘mandatory vaccine camp”, and probably almost every news outlet, to be the “father” of the anti-vaccine movement. He is at the center of this controversy. Dr. Wakefield is accused of so many things in most pro-vaccine posts and articles that unless you hear his side of what happened, it would be nearly impossible to ascertain any level of truth. This information will also be helpful if you decide to contact your state or federal representatives on this subject. They most likely have only heard the “established narrative” that some “disgraced, quack doctor falsified data and got his medical license taken away for saying people should not vaccinate.” The reality is that nothing could be further from the truth.

I am posting 2 interviews. They both are profoundly important. Yes, I acknowledge that they are long; however, as I said, to truly understand the current vaccine conversation, you need to start here. It is an absolutely incredible story about how one man has been absolutely excoriated, which is why I listed both links. The first link really lays out the entire story and shows the heart of Dr. Wakefield in caring for the kids in this mess. He so clearly identifies the current predicament we find ourselves in. The second, and most recent, interview gives all the evidence of his innocence. I have watched each of these several times and am still utterly amazed at the amount of misinformation still being propagated about him and his work.

 Again, if you are truly interested in being fully informed on the vaccine controversy, please do not skip watching these, it is so foundationally important. 

 Note that there are short pauses between questions asked. Dr. Wakefield absolutely nails the problem we are facing right now in this country, starting at about the 30-minute mark of the interview. But please watch the whole interview.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3v5r1TLFUk&fbclid=IwAR3hZhTHXRi0aCP8XDaVTskMW5sAMeKudPiJjdUEAM4HEaDRuQIpSb7XBQU

 Interview 2 covers the evidence of the case.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLjqIL7sdus&fbclid=IwAR0bsKpF4FX0j6ZNfoS6j-tbSYpmz10zGXeSj9lD9K4Nr6JJf9Q4HzFTOvU

What is very interesting to note is that Katie Wright is the daughter of Bob Wright, the founder of Autism Speaks, the largest autism advocacy organization. It maintains the status quo that vaccines do not impact autism and would not be an advocate of Dr. Wakefield. Yet, it is precisely Dr. Wakefield that helped Katie bring healing to her autistic son.

 To close us this out, here is just a sample post of a recurring theme, which has probably been reiterated thousands of times – by many educated, well-informed individuals who are just trying to raise awareness. I could link to literally thousands of other stories with different vaccines, but will limit it to just one:

My son was born in July 1995. He was bright, alert, engaging and clearly neurotypical in every way. He met and exceeded all of his developmental milestones until 7 1/2 years of age when he sustained a vaccine injury from the flu shot in late 2002. Within a very, very short period of time after the vaccine, he developed severe neurological, neurodevelopmental and neurobehavioral changes. I was forced to research this issue, as did my late husband, a physician, in order to save our son. We were not anti-vaccine (which should be obvious, otherwise, our child would not have suffered a vaccine injury). We were not conspiracy theorists. We were intelligent, educated, articulate parents trying to find out what happened to our formerly healthy son. We understood medicine, statistics and how to read and comprehend scientific research. My late husband was a triple board certified physician and Chairman of Emergency and Trauma at a major Level 1 Trauma Center. He served as Associate Professor of Surgery at a well-respected medical school/teaching hospital, as well as Medical Director of a Physician Assistant program at a major university. He did peer-review for numerous medical journals, served on the boards of numerous National, State and local medical societies. He was a published author of numerous medical articles, peer-reviewed scientific studies and even a medical textbook. My background was in politics, nursing in physician offices and forensic accounting. In others words, we were NOT clueless, gullible, conspiracy theory, “anti-science” parents as the CDC and mainstream media try to paint anyone who has the audacity to question vaccines.

All one has to do is follow the money to ascertain why the pharmaceutical companies and government vaccine program defenders (like the CDC, FDA, NIH, WHO, etc. are attacking anyone who questions vaccines. They have 30+ billion reasons per year (money generated each year from vaccines) to deny any evidence of harm from vaccines. Denying that vaccines cause severe harm does not change the FACT that vaccines CAN and DO cause severe harm and/or death TO SOME. My child IS evidence of harm. This is why I encourage all parents to educate themselves about the true RISKS before they vaccinate their child. I wish I had done so instead of relying on the misinformation of my well-intentioned, but woefully misinformed pediatrician.”

In closing, the current government decisions will affect you, your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews. Please consider reviewing all sides of this issue, talking with your elected officials and staying informed. The goal is not anti-vaccination. The goal is a safe, pro-informed consent vaccine policy, which upholds constitutional freedoms.

 Thanks for listening and may we all work together for that which serves the best interests of the entirety of our communities.

 Ann

For those of you in the WOWO radio listening audience, you may remember that WOWO did a whole series on the vaccine issue in August of 2018. Please note that those whom Pat Miller talks to are not anti-vaccine, they are pro-education and pro-safe vaccine. They provide a great deal of factual information that is so necessary for all of us to hear.

Here he talks with Dr. Paul Thomas, who has seen over 13,000 patients, and discusses how he began to see increasing amounts of autism in his practice, and how that lead to researching the problems assocated with the current vaccines schedule.

It is interesting to note that even veterinarians have advocated reducing the amount of vaccines and administering them in single doses. From an article form NBCnew.com:

“There’s also an advantage to giving single rather than combination vaccines. “Giving more vaccinations increases the likelihood of side effects,” Welborn says. “Separating vaccinations allows the veterinarian to determine which vaccine caused a side effect if one occurs.”

Perhaps we should consider the same for our children. You cannot currently get the MMR (Measles, Mumps, Rubella) or Pertusis by itself. Babies can also receive  up to 6 or more vaccines in one visit.

Click here and here for more information on vaccine safety. Click here for info on the Covid -19 Vaccine.

Get informed and make the best decision for you and your family.