First Genetically Engineered Flu Vaccine Now on the Market
January 29, 2013
Story at-a-glance
To speed up flu vaccine production, the US FDA has approved
a new insect-based, genetically engineered flu vaccine, as
well as vaccines grown in cultures of dog kidney cells
rather than eggs
This year’s flu vaccine contains a very good match to the
circulating strains, yet the reported efficacy of the
vaccine is still only slightly over 60 percent
In a wholly irresponsible move, some “health experts” are
now proclaiming the conventional egg-based flu vaccine safe
for those with severe egg allergies, and that the benefit of
the flu vaccine (which this year has an official efficacy
rating of about 60 percent) outweighs the potential risk of
lethal anaphylaxis
According to a recent review of published research, flu
vaccines are ineffective at best, and produce neurological
complications at worst, while having no effect at all on
hospitalizations or working days lost. For infants,
inactivated flu vaccine was found to have the same
effectiveness as a placebo
As recently reported, a hardier than normal type of
flu has spread around the US, and much earlier than normal,
causing some states to declare public health emergencies.
To speed up flu vaccine production, the US FDA has approved a
new insect-based, genetically engineered flu vaccine, as well as
vaccines grown in cultures of dog kidney cells rather than eggs.
And while mainstream media claims the flu vaccine is working
well this year, a recent review of published research shows flu
vaccines are ineffective at best, and produce neurological
complications at worst, while having no effect at all on
hospitalizations or working days lost.
Flu Outbreak Showing Signs of Waning
In response to the flu outbreak, New York State Governor
Andrew M. Cuomo issued an executive order allowing pharmacists
to give flu vaccine injections to minors. If you believe this is
a good thing, you’re still in the dark about the side effects of
flu vaccines — some of which can be fatal — which makes getting
it at a neighborhood pharmacy risky business.
Besides, all vaccinations should be carefully recorded in your
child’s medical file, which will not happen when you pop into a
pharmacy. They’re also unlikely to be properly trained to
ascertain and/or address any acute side effects that may occur.
On January 11, media outlets such as ABC News1
reported the outbreak was waning in some parts of the nation,
claiming the flu shots appeared to be doing a good job in
curbing the outbreak. However, in the same article, CDC Director
Dr. Thomas Frieden points out that the flu tends to ebb and flow
throughout the season.
Furthermore, this year’s flu vaccine contains a very good match
to the circulating strains, yet the reported efficacy of the
vaccine is still only slightly over 60 percent — a
point made by Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for
Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of
Minnesota2.
According to Osterholm:
"A match doesn't tell us how well a vaccine is going
to work. It's almost meaningless."
Perhaps the headlines are best explained as
counter-propaganda to the latest scientific review that, yet
again, found that the flu vaccine offers minimal, if
any, protection against the flu, and that it comes at some risk.
One of the most recent examples is the devastating side effects
of the 2009-2010 flu vaccine, which caused some 800+ cases of
narcolepsy in Sweden and other European countries3.
Flu Vaccine Doesn’t Work, According to Recent Research Review
If you’re thinking about vaccinating yourself or your infant
against the flu, I highly recommend reading the independent
study review from the Cochrane Collaboration first. As Tom
Jefferson, a researcher with the Cochrane Collaboration,
recently told Northwestern.edu4:
“The [Center for Disease Control] is making policy
based on weak evidence and it is refusing to answer
questions. There is no evidence that vaccines can prevent
deaths or prevent person-to-person spread of infection.”
According to these independent research reviewers5:
“At best, vaccines might be effective against only
influenza A and B, which represent about 10 percent of all
circulating viruses. Authors of this review assessed all
trials that compared vaccinated people with unvaccinated
people. The combined results of these trials showed that
under ideal conditions (vaccine completely matching
circulating viral configuration) 33 healthy adults need to
be vaccinated to avoid one set of influenza symptoms.
In average conditions (partially matching vaccine)
100 people need to be vaccinated to avoid one set of
influenza symptoms.
Vaccine use did not affect the number of
people hospitalized or working days lost but caused one case
of Guillian-Barré syndrome (a major neurological condition
leading to paralysis) for every one million vaccinations.
Fifteen of the 36 trials were funded by vaccine
companies and four had no funding declaration. Our results
may be an optimistic estimate because company-sponsored
influenza vaccines trials tend to produce results favorable
to their products and some of the evidence comes from trials
carried out in ideal viral circulation and matching
conditions and because the harms evidence base is limited.”
As you may recall, Piers Morgan recently got the flu vaccine
on the air on the Dr. Oz show, "and within 10 days I've been
struck down," he now reports. "Don't ever take a flu shot
again," Yoakam tells him, in this January 23 interview. Good
advice, I'd say. While health agencies deny the possibility of
getting the flu from the flu vaccine, many still do experience
flu-like symptoms and/or get ill to some degree or another after
getting the vaccine.
Regulators Approve New Genetically Engineered Insect-Based Flu
Vaccine
This is a Flash-based video
and may not be viewable on mobile devices.
Despite evidence to the contrary, the conventional view is
that getting inoculated is the best way to protect yourself
against the flu, and to make more flu vaccines available faster,
the FDA recently approved a number of novel flu vaccines.
The first, Flublok, is produced by programming insect cells
to produce hemagglutinin, a flu virus protein essential for
entry of the virus into your body’s cells. Flublok is “the first
the first trivalent influenza vaccine made using an insect virus
(baculovirus) expression system and recombinant DNA technology6,”
and is approved for use in adults only, ages 18-49. This kind of
genetically engineered vaccine technology, while you may never
have heard of it before, has already been used in the production
of vaccines against other infectious diseases. According to CNN7:
“This method allows for more rapid production, making
more of the vaccine available more quickly in the event of a
pandemic... Flublok will be available in limited supply this
winter and widely available during the next flu season, said
Protein Sciences, which is based in Meriden, Connecticut.
Flublok contains the elements necessary to help fend
off three different flu strains, including H1N1 and H3N2,
the regulator said. And it proved 44.6% effective against
all influenza strains in circulation, not just those that
matched the strains included in the vaccine, according to
the FDA.”
Other Novel Flu Vaccines Being Unleashed
Last November, the FDA also approved a new flu vaccine by
Novartis called Flucelvax, which is grown in cultures of dog
kidney cells rather than chicken eggs8
. This too allows for speedier vaccine production,
should another pandemic erupt. But does speedier production
equate to safer products? If
history offers any clues, the answer is no. But, as demand
for vaccines of all kinds increases, the relationship between
the US government and Big Pharma keeps getting cozier. As
reported by Reuters9:
“In 2006, HHS [US Department of Health and Human
Services] provided more than $1 billion in contracts to six
manufacturers to develop cell-based flu vaccine technology
in the United States... In 2009, spurred by difficulties in
growing vaccine for the H1N1 swine flu pandemic, HHS
provided Novartis with nearly $500 million to build the
first U.S. facility capable of producing cell-based vaccine
for seasonal and pandemic flu in the United States.”
The newly approved Flublok vaccine also received financial
backing from the US government. The HHS bailed out the small
manufacturer, Protein Sciences, with a $147million investment,
allowing it to create the first gene-based flu vaccine to win
FDA approval. It certainly won’t be the last however. Two other
genetically engineered flu vaccines are under development.
According to Reuters, one of them, created by Novavax, will use
“bits of genetic material grown in caterpillar cells called
"virus-like particles" that mimic a flu virus.”
I for one am not looking forward to finding out what the side
effects might be from this new generation of genetically
engineered flu vaccines... Even worse, the HHS also has its eye
on a “universal” flu vaccine that would cover any and all flu
strains, and only require one dose every five to 10 years.
As reported by Reuters:
“Work by Fauci and Dr. Gary Nabel, former head of
NIH's Vaccine Research Center who just joined Sanofi as
chief science officer, showed that a portion of the flu
virus that is usually hidden from the immune system may be
the key.
Fauci describes the hemagluttinin part of the flu
virus as bulb-shaped with a stem on one end, sort of like a
dandelion that has gone to seed or a lollipop on a stick.
Most vaccines target proteins on the bulb portion of the
virus, which mutates from year to year, but Fauci says the
stem contains proteins that don't change much from virus to
virus. The problem is that when the flu virus is presented
to the body, these stem proteins are structurally hidden
from the immune system. A genetically engineered vaccine
could overcome that by only presenting these stem proteins
to the immune system.”
According to Robin Robinson, director of the U.S. Biomedical
Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), a part of
the HHS, it’s “a good hypothesis” that will hopefully work. The
HHS is “keeping fingers crossed.” What could possibly go wrong
by making your body attack genetically engineered virus
structures that are normally hidden from immune system
detection, right?
Irresponsible Flu Vaccine Recommendations Reach a New Low
In related news, while a new breed of genetically engineered
flu vaccines are hitting the market, some experts are now
actually proclaiming the conventional egg-based flu vaccine
safe for those with severe egg allergies. According to a
recent article in the New York Times10:
“Amid an unusually widespread outbreak of the flu, a
medical association of allergy specialists said Friday that
even children with severe egg allergies should get flu
shots. Because the vaccine is grown in chicken eggs,
manufacturers recommend that the roughly 2 percent of all
children who have egg allergies not get them. But flu
hospitalizes 21,000 young children a year, said Dr. James L.
Sublett, chair of the public relations committee of the
American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Because only trace amounts of egg protein remain in
the vaccine, “we now know administration is safe,” he said.
“'The benefits of the flu vaccination far outweigh the
risks.” Even children who have gone into anaphylactic shock
from eating eggs should get flu shots, but from an allergist
trained to handle emergencies, the association recommended.”
I really cannot believe how far they will go to endanger your
health — especially when you consider that, for an industry that
claims to be science-based, flu vaccine recommendations go
AGAINST the hard evidence. Worse yet, while studies show flu
vaccination is ineffective, when it comes to safety,
which is the other and more important factor (especially for
infants), the evidence is basically non-existent! According to
an independent study review from the Cochrane Collaboration11
published August 15, 2012, the efficacy of inactivated vaccine
is similar to placebo in children under the age of two.
Furthermore:
“Influenza vaccines were associated with serious
harms such as narcolepsy and febrile convulsions [in
children]. It was surprising to find only one study of
inactivated vaccine in children under two years, given
current recommendations to vaccinate healthy children from
six months of age.”
Vaccine Damaged Child Awarded $1 Million
A lot of people still believe vaccines are safe, not
realizing that children are being permanently harmed each and
every day by mandated childhood vaccinations. Sadly, once that
happens, the family is left ‘holding the bag,’ with no recourse.
In December last year, a family won a nearly $1 million
settlement12
from the
National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, but this is a
rarity. Severe flaws in the system results in the majority of
vaccine injured children not receiving any compensation at all
for the harm inflicted on them. According to the court’s
decision13:
“Petitioners alleged that as a result of “all the
vaccinations administered to [Ryan] from March 25, 2003,
through February 22, 2005, and more specifically,
measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccinations administered to him
on December 19, 2003 and May 10, 2004,” Ryan suffered “a
severe and debilitating injury to his brain, described as
Autism Spectrum Disorder (‘ASD’)...
Petitioners specifically asserted that Ryan “suffered
a Vaccine Table Injury, namely, an encephalopathy” as a
result of his receipt of the MMR vaccination on December 19,
2003. Id. In the alternative, petitioners asserted that “as
a cumulative result of his receipt of each and every
vaccination between March 25, 2003 and February 22, 2005,
Ryan has suffered . . . neuroimmunologically mediated
dysfunctions in the form of asthma and ASD.”
In this case, while the MMR vaccine was indicated as a
possible culprit, the primary cause was believed to be the sheer
number of vaccinations. The cumulative effect of
multiple vaccinations simply cannot be underestimated, and now
they’re asking you to vaccinate your children against the
seasonal flu, each and every year, starting from the age of six
months! And they’re recommending this without ANY proof
whatsoever that this is indeed safe. Safety is “assumed.” Not
tested and verified. Please do remember this.
One way to evaluate your child’s potential for vaccine damage
is to get his or her gut flora checked prior to getting any
vaccine. For more information about this novel but promising way
to
prevent vaccine damage, please see my interview with
Dr. Natasha Campbell-McBride.
How to Protect Yourself During the Flu Season
Avoiding a serious case of influenza is not about vaccination
but more about maintaining a healthy, well functioning immune
system. By following these simple guidelines, you can help keep
your immune system in optimal working order so that you're far
less likely to acquire the infection to begin with or, if you do
get sick with the flu, you are better prepared to move through
it without complications and soon return to good health.
Optimize Your Gut Flora. This may be
the single most important strategy you can implement as the
bacteria in your gut have enormous control of your immune
response. The best way to improve your beneficial bacteria
ratio is avoid apply avoid sugars as they will feed the
pathogenic bacteria. Additionally,, processed foods and most
grains should be limited and replacing with healthy fats
like coconut oil, avocados, olives, olive oil, butter, eggs
and nuts. Once you change your diet than regular use of
fermented foods can radically optimize the function of your
immune response.
Optimize your vitamin D levels. As I've
previously reported, optimizing your vitamin D levels is one
of the absolute best strategies for
avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin D
deficiency may actually be the true
culprit behind the seasonality of the flu – not the flu
virus itself. This is probably the single most important and
least expensive action you can take. Regularly
monitor your vitamin D levels to confirm your levels are
within the therapeutic range of 50-70 ng/ml.
Ideally, you'll want to get all your vitamin D from sun
exposure or a safe tanning bed, but as a last resort you can
take an oral vitamin D3 supplement. According to the latest
review by Carole Baggerly (Grassrootshealth.org), adults
need about 8,000 IU's a day. Be sure to take vitamin
K2 if you are taking high dose oral vitamin D as it has a
powerful synergy and will help prevent any D toxicity.
Avoid Sugar and Processed Foods. Sugar
impairs the quality of your immune response almost
immediately, and as you likely know, a healthy immune system
is one of the most important keys to fighting off viruses
and other illness. It also can decimate your beneficial
bacteria and feed the pathogenic yeast and viruses. Be aware
that sugar (typically in the form of high fructose corn
syrup) is present in foods you may not suspect, like ketchup
and fruit juice. If you are healthy than sugar can be
consumed but the LAST thing you should be eating when you
are sick is sugar. Avoid it like poison while you are sick.
Get Plenty of Rest. Just like it
becomes harder for you to get your daily tasks done if
you're tired, if your body is overly fatigued it will be
harder for it to fight the flu. Be sure to check out my
article
Guide to a Good Night's Sleep for some great tips to
help you get quality rest.
Have Effective Tools to Address Stress.
We all face some stress every day, but if stress becomes
overwhelming then your body will be less able to fight off
the flu and other illness. If you feel that stress is taking
a toll on your health, consider using an energy psychology
tool such as
the Emotional Freedom Technique, which is remarkably
effective in relieving stress associated with all kinds of
events, from work to family to trauma.
Get Regular Exercise. When you
exercise, you increase your circulation and your blood
flow throughout your body. The components of your immune
system are also better circulated, which means your immune
system has a better chance of finding an illness before it
spreads. Be sure to stay hydrated – drink plenty of fluids,
especially water. However, it would be wise to radically
reduce the intensity of your workouts while you are sick.
No Peak 8s until you are better.
Take a High Quality Source of Animal-Based
Omega-3 Fats. Increase your intake of healthy and
essential fats like the omega-3 found in krill oil, which is
crucial for maintaining health. It is also vitally important
to avoid damaged omega-6 oils that are trans fats and in
processed foods as it will seriously damage your immune
response.
Wash Your Hands.
Washing your hands will decrease your likelihood of
spreading a virus to your nose, mouth or other people. Be
sure you don't use antibacterial soap for this –
antibacterial soaps are completely unnecessary, and they
cause far more harm than good. Instead, identify a simple
chemical-free soap that you can switch your family to.
Tried and True Hygiene Measures. In
addition to washing your hands regularly, cover your mouth
and nose when you cough or sneeze. If possible, avoid close
contact with those, who are sick and, if you are sick, avoid
close contact with those who are well.
Use Natural Antibiotics. Examples
include oil of oregano and garlic. These work like
broad-spectrum antibiotics against bacteria, viruses, and
protozoa in your body. And unlike pharmaceutical
antibiotics, they do not appear to lead to resistance.
Avoid Hospitals. I'd recommend you stay
away from hospitals unless you're having an emergency and
need expert medical care, as hospitals are prime breeding
grounds for infections of all kinds. The best place to get
plenty of rest and recover from illness that is not
life-threatening is usually in the comfort of your own home.
Protect Your Right to Informed Consent and Vaccine Exemptions
With all the uncertainty surrounding the safety and efficacy
of vaccines, it's critical to protect your right to informed
consent to vaccination and fight to protect and expand vaccine
exemptions in state public health laws. The best way to do this
is to get personally involved with your state legislators and
the leaders in your community.
THINK GLOBALLY, ACT LOCALLY.
Mass vaccination policies are made at the federal level but
vaccine laws are made at the state level. It is at the state
level where your action to protect your vaccine choice rights
can have the greatest impact. It is critical for EVERYONE to get
involved now in standing up for the legal right to make vaccine
choices in America because those choices are being threatened by
lobbyists representing drug companies, medical trade
associations and public health officials, who are trying to
persuade legislators to strip all vaccine exemptions from public
health laws.
Signing up for NVIC's free Advocacy Portal at
www.NVICAdvocacy.org gives you immediate, easy access to
your own state legislators on your Smart Phone or computer so
you can make your voice heard. You will be kept up-to-date on
the latest state bills threatening your vaccine choices and get
practical, useful information to help you become an effective
vaccine choice advocate in your own community. Also, when
national vaccine issues come up, you will have the up-to-date
information and call to action items you need at your
fingertips..
Share Your Story with the Media and People You Know
If you or a family member has suffered a serious vaccine
reaction, injury or death, please talk about it. If we don't
share information and experiences with each other, everybody
feels alone and afraid to speak up. Write a letter to the editor
if you have a different perspective on a vaccine story that
appears in your local newspaper. Make a call in to a radio talk
show that is only presenting one side of the vaccine story.
I must be frank with you; you have to be brave because you
might be strongly criticized for daring to talk about the "other
side" of the vaccine story. Be prepared for it and have the
courage to not back down. Only by sharing our perspective and
what we know to be true about vaccination will the public
conversation about vaccination open up so people are not afraid
to talk about it.
We cannot allow the drug companies and medical trade
associations funded by drug companies or public health officials
promoting forced use of a growing list of vaccines to dominate
the conversation about vaccination. The vaccine injured cannot
be swept under the carpet and treated like nothing more than
"statistically acceptable collateral damage" of national
one-size-fits-all mandatory vaccination policies that put way
too many people at risk for injury and death. We shouldn't be
treating people like guinea pigs instead of human beings.
Internet Resources Where You Can Learn More
I encourage you to visit the following web pages on the
National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) website at
www.NVIC.org:
NVIC Memorial for Vaccine Victims: View
descriptions and photos of children and adults, who have
suffered vaccine reactions, injuries and deaths. If you or
your child experiences an adverse vaccine event, please
consider posting and sharing your story here.
Vaccine Freedom Wall: View or post descriptions
of harassment and sanctions by doctors, employers, school
and health officials for making independent vaccine choices.
Connect with Your Doctor or Find a New One that Will Listen and
Care
If your pediatrician or doctor refuses to provide medical
care to you or your child unless you agree to get vaccines you
don't want, I strongly encourage you to have the courage to
find another doctor. Harassment, intimidation, and refusal
of medical care is becoming the modus operandi of the medical
establishment in an effort to stop the change in attitude of
many parents about vaccinations after they become truly educated
about health and vaccination.
However, there is hope.
At least 15 percent of young doctors recently polled admit
that they're starting to adopt a more individualized approach to
vaccinations in direct response to the vaccine safety concerns
of parents. It is good news that there is a growing number of
smart young doctors, who prefer to work as partners with parents
in making personalized vaccine decisions for children, including
delaying vaccinations or giving children fewer vaccines on the
same day or continuing to provide medical care for those
families, who decline use of one or more vaccines.
So take the time to locate a doctor, who treats you with
compassion and respect and is willing to work with you to do
what is right for your child.