Dear Friends,
The summer season has begun and I thought it fitting to share with you information from my files on polio. This “installment” will be on some of polio’s early history, namely beginning in the 1950’s. But, first, a little history from a 1985 nursing book: “First recognized in 1840, poliomyelitis became epidemic in Norway and Sweden in 1905… Incidence peaked during the 1940’s and early 1950’s, and led to the development of the Salk vaccine… The disease strikes most often during the summer and fall... Among children, it paralyzes boys most often; adults and girls are at greater risk of infection but not paralysis… Prognosis depends largely on the site affected.”
In a brochure entitled “Photoluminescence Therapy (Ultraviolet Light Therapy)” from the Alternative Healing Center in Syracuse, NY, the following information was interesting:
“Photoluminescence therapy was developed in the early 1920’s as a means of treating people afflicted with the polio virus. The process used a small quantity of an afflicted person’s blood which was exposed to ultraviolet light. In the 1950’s the Salk vaccine wiped out polio and as a result photoluminescence treatment was shelved… The process has once again been resurrected by the Foundation for Blood Irradiation, which had originally been founded in the 1940’s.
“This technique was applied extensively and with excellent results during the 1930’s, 40’s and 50’s for the treatment of a wide variety of conditions, such as Viral Infections: hepatitis, atypical pneumonia, polio, encephalitis, mumps, measles, mono, herpes; and Bacterial Infections: septicemia, pneumonia, peritonitis, typhoid fever, wound infections; and Severe damaging inflammatory processes such as bursitis, nephritis, iritis, uveitis, pancreatitis; and diseases due to inadequate peripheral circulation and other conditions."
(The Healing Center is no longer around. I understand that the NYS Health Dept. got after them, but you can google “blood irradiation” and see if you can find such practitioners. Unfortunately, I understand that traditional medicine frowns upon such.)
The February 10, 1956, issue of The Globe and Mail, Toronto, Canada, stated “Salk Vaccine Reported 85 Per Cent Effective.”
“… in the next few months, before the onset of the 1956 polio season, the children who last year received their first two shots will get their third booster shot which will protect them for an indefinite period of years… Among the more than 880,000 who received one or more injections, there was not one case reported within 30 days of vaccination, the period during which polio, if it was to have been caused by the vaccine, might have turned up. Within the study group only five cases of paralytic polio were reported in 600,000 vaccinated children and all five came down with the disease at least two months after being inoculated.”
Prevention magazine of October, 1959, had a section on milk and meat that discussed its involvement with polio: “Polio is a summertime disease, which comes at a time when children are taking too much sweet sodas, and ice-cream, which is fearfully upsetting to their calcium and phosphorus blood balance. And the milk is pasteurized, thus inactivating much of its calcium… So, these children who ate little meat and who probably ran around a lot and perspired, lost much of their body’s salt. Their vegetable diet then caused an additional loss of salt in their blood, thus depleting it to the danger point… Instead of going at it from the wrong end, by vaccines, they (the March of Dimes) should begin to look for the things that produce the climate in the body that is preferred by the virus — the diet, the question of meat as a preventive, and the opposite effects of sugar and milk as a cause.”
December, 1959, Prevention magazine had an article “Vitamin E for Post-Polio Disorders”:
“Chronic polio patients often experience pains or numbness in their extremities similar to those which result from poor circulation.” The article discussed a Dr. Jacques from Canada who was working with some such patients and he gave his patients 800 I.U. of Vitamin E per day for “Conventional therapy was attempted, but to no avail.” The Vitamin E treatment was also helpful with some female polio patients who had menstruation difficulties because of the polio infection.
“Why not try vitamin E for hot flushes, painful or irregular menstruation, etc., before using drugs that are known to have severe side effects?”
“Nutrition as a Treatment for Polio Victims” was the article in the November, 1960 issue of Prevention magazine. The article discussed a Dr. George Boines of Virginia who told how he improved on the recovery rates of Sister Kenny, the Australian nurse, who promulgated a different attitude toward polio-paralyzed limbs (massage, whirlpool baths, etc). “Dr. Boines believes the problem raised in the body by polio is a disturbed nutritional absorption by the muscles and a loss of protein… A special effort must be made to insure sufficient protein intake… Added to Dr.Boines’s special interest in a sufficient supply of protein for the polio patient is his concern for the proper condition of the patient’s capillaries. This he insures by prescribing a daily dosage of 600 mg. of Vit. C and 600 mg. of hesperidin, a bioflavonoid, for each patient.”
The article quoted a C.W. Jungblat in the “1939 Proceedings of the 3rd International Congress on Microbiology” in NY. “… a study of the natural history of poliomyelitis suggests a vitamin C deficiency as one of the chief predisposing agencies.”
“If there is such a thing as sectional areas of polio epidemic in our cities and states, can’t it be that these poorer areas suffer, not from a lack of Salk vaccine, but a lack of vitamin C-rich foods and C supplements?”
“We have recently come upon some information indicating that tonsils and appendixes are important weapons against infection. We wonder how many polio victims have had their tonsils [or] appendixes removed and how much such an item may have to do with national polio incidence.”
That same 1960 issue had “The Slow Death of The Salk Vaccine.” This is an article that has much of the same insight and arguments against vaccines as has been going on for the last 40 years. It is interesting to read with the hindsight of recent history. Do you see a pattern?
“In the October 16, 1959, Public Health Service report on polio we find that of 3,389 paralytic cases whose vaccination records are known, 595 of paralytic polio were recorded among persons who had received three or more shots of Salk vaccine, another 302 had had two shots.”
The article quoted a Dr. Harold Farber in the April 9, 1960, issue of JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association). His opinion was “… that of a probable 6,000 paralytic cases expected by the end of 1960, 1,000 are likely to have had the three shots.”
The New York Times of April 24, 1960 was quoted “Abut 2/3 of the polio cases are among unvaccinated persons,” implying 1/3 of the cases were among those who were vaccinated!
“The point of all this is that the expected, the promised immunity from paralytic polio which is implied or guaranteed for those who have had the Salk vaccine simply does not exist… persist in creating the impression that the child who has been vaccinated with the Salk vaccine is guaranteed safe from paralytic polio. The actual fact is that there is no absolute proof that the vaccine works in humans at all, and no scientific assurance whatsoever that your child with 3 or 4 or 5 shots of Salk vaccine is any safer after receiving them that he was before.”
“Unfortunately, the Salk vaccine is not willing to take the rap when the polio rate rises, in the same way it is willing to take the bows when it falls. When polio goes up, the authorities say it’s because not enough people have availed themselves of the shots. Yet in 1956, when the rates went down the polio experts assured us that the decrease occurred only because so many people had had their vaccine shots.”
K.A. Brownlee had an article in the Journal of the American Statistical Association (50:1005, 1955) that was quoted in Prevention’s article. “… 59% of the trial was worthless because of a lack of adequate controls. The remaining 41% may be all right but contains internal evidence of bias in favor of the vaccinated…”
The article goes on to discuss the “new” oral polio vaccine discovered by Dr. Albert Sabin who was quoted in the July, 1960, issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. Dr. Sabin said “… that the vaccine has proven itself and that polio can be eliminated from the United States by the summer of 1961 if the vaccine is approved by the Public Health Service.”
Finally, the article asks questions that we still ask today about any vaccine — and that still go unanswered.
“We don’t know yet how much Salk vaccine is good for how long, yet we’re urged to take it. We don’t know about the safety of the injections of Salk polio vaccine for tiny babies; we just do it, taking a chance that it will be all right…”
The article quotes a statement made at the 2nd International Conference on Live Polio Vaccines that was reported in the Medical News (June 22,1960): “There is a dangerous virus sometimes present in the kidney cells of monkeys used to make the polio vaccines for humans. ‘Virus-infected culture fluids used to prepare killed poliomyelitis or adeno- virus vaccines are commonly contaminated with simian agents…’”
“Could it be that a postponement of the okay on the Sabin vaccine was dictated by powerful drug firms who would be left high and dry with millions of unsalable Salk doses if the Sabin vaccine were approved at once?
“It is our guess that the Sabin vaccine will be approved, and the Salk vaccine will be allowed to fade peacefully into the background… Its shortcomings will never be truly explored. The story of the money thrown away on it, the people fooled by it, the faith wasted on it, will never be told.”
The March 4, 1993 issue of The New York Times, had an obituary of “Albert Sabin, Polio Researcher, 86, Dies.”
The obit went on with columns of information on Dr. Sabin. A few highlights:
“Before coming into wide use in this country, the vaccine was tested in millions of people in 1958 and 1959 in the Soviet Union, where it proved widely successful. In the United States the vaccine was tested earlier on prisoners who volunteered for the experiments and before that on Dr. Sabin himself and members of his family.”
“The Salk vaccine received a temporary setback when public health officials reported that a few children, about one in a million inoculated, were developing polio because of the virus. Dr. Sabin, however, never admitted that his vaccine was responsible.”
“In the swine flu episode of 1976, when the Federal government feared an epidemic, he first supported but later denounced the Federal policy of vaccinating all adults against the flu virus… Dr. Sabin made Federal officials unhappy by saying he doubted there was as much danger from the swine flu as the public was being led to believe.”
Although he helped Brazil in 1974 with their polio outbreaks, he later said “…the Brazilian government had falsified data in the early 1970’s to give the World Health Organization, a United Nations agency, a falsely optimistic picture of polio eradication in that country. He estimated that in 1980 there was 10 times as much polio in Brazil as was being reported and that efficient vaccination efforts were being blocked by bureaucratic interference.”
Dr. Sabin “…proved that the virus first invaded the digestive tract and later attacked nerve tissue.”
Among his other accomplishments listed were these: Research on pneumococcus bacterial infections; research on the relationships between human cancer and viruses. While in the Army Medical Corps during World War II, he helped develop a vaccine against dengue fever, a disease that was striking the troops. He developed a vaccine against Japanese encephalitis virus. He isolated the virus that caused sandfly fever and showed that ordinary mosquito repellent would provide protection against the disease. He also studied the parasites that cause toxoplasmosis, as well as the viruses that cause encephalitis. He was the first to identify a virus called echo 9 as a cause of human intestinal illness.
Beginning in the 1980’s some people who had polio, the disease, began experiencing problems of fatigue, loss of stamina. Too many of those people were thought to be lazy. By the mid-80’s the March of Dimes was sending out information to doctors about “Post-Polio Syndrome.”
The Post-Standard (Syracuse, NY) had an article on April 12, 1993, by Dianne Piastro about a recent conference on Post-Polio. She quoted Patti Strong, a presenter at the conference, and here is some of what she said:
“Several symptoms of Post-Polio Syndrome are overwhelming fatigue, new muscle weakness, pain, intolerance of cold, and looking better than you feel… Over a 30-year span, we permanently depleted fragile muscles and nerves… the new motto: ‘conserve it to preserve it.’”
The article talked about support groups, and the current information I have found is www.post-polio.org. The Post-Polio Health International support group is located in St. Louis, MO, and they have periodic conferences.
The March 30, 1997, issue of the Syracuse Herald American had a column by Mario Rossi “Post-polio syndrome requires treatment, not more research.”
As an aging polio survivor, he stated “… what can and does happen is that the initial effects of polio impact on one’s whole well-being and thus affect him through the years... Physical degeneration initiated by polio is not sporadic, episodic or incidental. It is continuous, although at widely differing rates among victims. And it requires symptomatic treatment rather than a causal approach because post-polio is a syndrome, not a disease, and polio itself never strikes again.”
Commentary:
So much for the optimism that polio would be eradicated. And, since 1998 we know that the vaccine caused cases of polio and necessitated a change in the polio vaccine schedule.
As I review my files, I am reminded how some things never change, namely, the approach of the medical profession and government in seeing that vaccines are to be given to all, no matter what. And then, to deny the consequences.
History repeats itself and instead of each generation reinventing the wheel, we need to take new actions that change the history.
Bonnie P. Franz
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Sunday, May 2, 2010
World Groups and Vaccination
Dear Friends,
It’s been quite a while since I last sent you an installment from my files. Previously, I wrote primarily about U.S. government agencies involved with vaccinations. However, as you could see (I hope), they are intertwined with academic institutions, religious groups, foundations, community organizations, etc.
This installment continues in that vein, but, this time, the focus is on international groups involved with vaccination. However, there is still a U.S. Connection. Here are some world-wide groups for you to know about:
INTERNATIONAL:
World Health Organization (WHO) part of the United Nations (www.who.int)
WHO is the public health arm of the United Nations. They coordinate international public health (such as the recent H1N1scare). They also spur the development of vaccines.
Also part of the United Nations Is UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund; the name was changed to omit “emergency,” but the acronym remained). It is subject to the authority of the Social & Economic Council of the U.N. UNICEF focuses on HIV/AIDS and children, immunization, child survival and development. It also provides technical and financial support for vaccination efforts, such as to Bangladesh in March, 2010, targeting 20 million children under age 5 for vaccination.
Global Children’s Vaccine Initiative (CVI) was founded in 1991 when the UNDP (United Nations Develoment Programme), UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Fund), the Rockefeller Foundation, WHO, and the World Bank agreed to launch the CVI as a focused effort to accelerate vaccine development and use.
The International Vaccine Institute, an umbrella of the Global Children’s Vaccine Initiative was established in 1996 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme under the Vienna Convention of 1969 and in 2001 had 33 countries and WHO sign on to it. It is governed by an independent Board of Trustees (from around the world, esp. the US) and is located in Seoul, Korea. Korea serves as the Host Country and also a generous supporter of the IVI. It has strong links with the WHO and GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization).
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a new international organization, dedicated to preventing infectious diseases through science. It “… is developing computerized, large-linked population databases for evaluation of putative vaccine side-effects … will contribute to the global effort to develop and introduce new vaccines.” (www.ivi.int).
The above groups have conferences, workshops and meetings quite frequently during the course of a year and an aim is international cooperation regarding vaccines.
Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) was officially launched in January, 2000. It is a new alliance created to continue and build upon the work of the earlier Children’s Vaccine Initiative, which had been launched in 1990. “ In GAVI, the pharmaceutical industry’s participation as a full partner is an innovation. The Global Fund makes its funding decisions based on the recommendations of the GAVI Board… The Global Fund was created with an initial grant of $750 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation…The Global Fund serves as a new experiment in the field of international public health… The GAVI partners consider immunization to be a key element of public health… Among its objectives the Alliance has are: Expanding the use of all existing safe and cost-effective vaccines, accelerating the development and introduction of new vaccines; making immunization coverage an integral part of the design and assessment of international development efforts, including deep debt relief…
”… The Global Fund provides new and under-used vaccines with safe immunization equipment and provides funding to help governments strengthen their basic immunization service. WHO plays a big part in the Alliance, because it is the lead organization in global public health and develops global policies and strategies for immunization and vaccine development… If polio is eradicated by 2005, it has been calculated that US $1.5 billion per annum will be saved on immunization costs alone…Immunization reduces the social and financial costs of treating diseases, offering opportunities for poverty reduction and greater social and economic development. (from an April, 2002 fact sheet, No 169).
In February, 1993 The International Business Communications Council supported seminars presented by the International Pediatric Association, The Children’s Health Fund; Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine; and the Japan Pediatric Association -- “Meeting the Needs of the World’s Children: An American-Japanese Child Health Exchange.”
World Vaccine Congress— (www.terrapin.com). There have been at least 8 annual events, 2010 being held in Lyon, France. The 2008 one was held in Washington, D.C. Their 16-page brochure stated: “World Vaccine Congress Washington 2008 is the largest, most established and most dynamic vaccine conference in North America … this congress will put you face-to-face with over 100 of the World’s most compelling and influential scientific and business leaders in vaccines. It is the only programme in North America to successfully bring their renowned perspectives on vaccine market dynamics to the senior executive community…” The list included: vaccine manufacturers, biotechnology companies, governmental organizations and contract services organizations, law firms, drug delivery companies, investment arms and venture capital, management and technology consultants.
The brochure for their 2008 conference began: “The golden age of vaccines!
The global vaccine market continues to ride high on the wave of renewed interest and investment from government and industry stakeholders… Historically, vaccines have been far less attractive than other pharmaceutical markets. They have been seen as a mature product group that has not taken to driving new technologies to further advances, as a result the market has not generated strong revenues and hence the therapeutic area has remained in a period of languished growth for decades… But over the past decade, several trends has converged to revive the market, not least important, the non-profit sector. Led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the organization has fostered public-private partnerships that enable vaccines to penetrate markets in poorer nations. The result: a new wave of investment in vaccines. Among investors and the broader public, vaccines are suddenly hot.”
“The financial prospects for the vaccine business have never looked better. This improved economic outlook has not been lost on pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms and the broader investment community. The new wave of vaccine products represent enormous profit potential for companies and investors. Industry once again sees vaccines as money makers.”
Child Survival—World Development was a newsletter of The Task Force for Child Survival and Development, of the Carter Presidential Center, but administratively affiliated with Emory University. It had been published since 1985 but ended in January-March, 1996 because “Each of the sponsoring agencies of The Task Force for Child Survival and Development now publishes an annual report, and most have other periodic newsletters or magazines that report on many of the same stories or issues that we have historically covered.” UNICEF provided funds for the newsletter and it went worldwide.
“Health issues for Europe” was a January 29, 1994 editorial of The Lancet.
“The Maastricht Treaty, in force since Nov. 1, 1993, could have far-reaching effects on European public health policies. In particular, Article 129 covers public health activities at Community level and their relationship to work in member states and other international organizations, and gives a legal basis for a planned framework for action in the area of public health. This document is intended to govern the direction of Community policies for years to come.” The article went on to cover various health problems in Europe, including “falling immunization rates and other effects of social and political upheaval in Eastern Europe.” Apparently many health initiatives were sponsored by the European Union or the WHO. Such an EU initiative that is intended to facilitate rapid transfer across Europe of computerized information, includes a project on health in which WHO participates… Whether their interests are clinical, academic, or policy making, European medicine needs a rational approach to international collaboration in health, investing in it where this will be more cost-effective than national actions (or inaction).”
European Medicines Agency is the top drug regulatory body for the European Union.
Junior Leagues International (www.ajli.org): Founded in 1901, Junior Leagues are organizations of women volunteers developing community leadership. There are 292 Junior Leagues in Canada, Mexico, the U.K. and U.S. with 160,000 members. In the 1990’s, 230 Leagues across the four countries participated in the “Don’t Wait to Vaccinate Campaign.”
Kiwanis (www.kiwanis.org) is “a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time.” They have been around since 1915. Since 1962 they are in more than 96 countries with 8,000 clubs. In 2000 many communities heard PSA announcements from Kiwanis regarding immunization. Although each Kiwanis club chooses its service objectives, many supported vaccination efforts because they relied on the Kiwanis International Priority One Advisory Council (composed of 43 national organizations). They consulted with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics and pro-vaccine researchers. The council consistently supported vaccinations and as long as there is strong consensus by the members of the Council on vaccination, Kiwanis will continue to do so. They currently have partnered with UNICEF for the global elimination of iodine deficiency disorders.
Rotary International (www.rotary.org): Founded in 1905, there are over 33,000 clubs in 200 countries with a membership of 1.2 million. Their motto is “service above self” and they have a “Four-way test:
1) Is it the TRUTH?
2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIP?
4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Since 1985 Rotary has cooperated with the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and UNICEF to immunize every child in the world against polio (PolioPlus program; End Polio Now). Rotarians actively work with traditional rulers, religious leaders and local celebrities to promote the importance of immunization, as well as helping implement “national immunization day” campaigns. They have received a challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that resulted in $555 million to support immunization campaigns in developing countries.
The April, 1997 issue of ALIVE magazine, out of Canada, had an article “Health Care—or Warfare? It’s a Thin Line” by Lynn McLean, BSc. She discussed the economic dependence of the medical doctors, province of Quebec and Canadian government on pharmaceutical transnational companies. She went on to discuss “Global Agendas”:
“Meanwhile, the federal government is considering signing dangerous agreements with the United Nations Security Council (UN). Some examples: The Declaration of Alma Ata (ensuring pharmaceutical health care is primary health care globally); the UN Codex proposal to set worldwide dietary supplement controls; a mandatory vaccination commitment; and the Child Rights Act, which allows governments to usurp parental rights in making health choices for children. All of these are designed to set a global health agenda.”
COMMENTARY:
First, let me state my admiration that so many initiatives from the U.S. have spread around the world. To me, it is a tribute to the spirit in our country that people would organize service groups to help others and that those groups spread internationally.
It also shows the influence of our business and social elites for good --or ill.
Another observation: the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the agencies of the United Nations are focused on spreading immunizations, no matter what.
I think too many people have worried about “one world government” in the wrong frame. If there is anything close to a One World government, it appears from what little I know from the above that the government is going to be from the framework of global public health, with the heavy involvement of the United Nations and the U.S. CDC. For people who thought they could move some place else to avoid vaccines, I hope the above makes you forget the idea, for it is, in my opinion, futile. What is needed is for people to take a stand where they live – and to support research into adverse vaccine effects, for the research done by any of the above groups will be flawed, intentionally or not, because there is too much invested in spreading the gospel of global vaccination.
Personally, I think the research needs to be geared to mimicking the Childhood Immunization Schedule and dosing in order to see the cumulative effect of all those chemicals in one body. Only then will we be able to see whether or not the infant’s body can withstand the chemical onslaught.
Bonnie P. Franz
It’s been quite a while since I last sent you an installment from my files. Previously, I wrote primarily about U.S. government agencies involved with vaccinations. However, as you could see (I hope), they are intertwined with academic institutions, religious groups, foundations, community organizations, etc.
This installment continues in that vein, but, this time, the focus is on international groups involved with vaccination. However, there is still a U.S. Connection. Here are some world-wide groups for you to know about:
INTERNATIONAL:
World Health Organization (WHO) part of the United Nations (www.who.int)
WHO is the public health arm of the United Nations. They coordinate international public health (such as the recent H1N1scare). They also spur the development of vaccines.
Also part of the United Nations Is UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund; the name was changed to omit “emergency,” but the acronym remained). It is subject to the authority of the Social & Economic Council of the U.N. UNICEF focuses on HIV/AIDS and children, immunization, child survival and development. It also provides technical and financial support for vaccination efforts, such as to Bangladesh in March, 2010, targeting 20 million children under age 5 for vaccination.
Global Children’s Vaccine Initiative (CVI) was founded in 1991 when the UNDP (United Nations Develoment Programme), UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Fund), the Rockefeller Foundation, WHO, and the World Bank agreed to launch the CVI as a focused effort to accelerate vaccine development and use.
The International Vaccine Institute, an umbrella of the Global Children’s Vaccine Initiative was established in 1996 at the initiative of the United Nations Development Programme under the Vienna Convention of 1969 and in 2001 had 33 countries and WHO sign on to it. It is governed by an independent Board of Trustees (from around the world, esp. the US) and is located in Seoul, Korea. Korea serves as the Host Country and also a generous supporter of the IVI. It has strong links with the WHO and GAVI (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization).
The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) is a new international organization, dedicated to preventing infectious diseases through science. It “… is developing computerized, large-linked population databases for evaluation of putative vaccine side-effects … will contribute to the global effort to develop and introduce new vaccines.” (www.ivi.int).
The above groups have conferences, workshops and meetings quite frequently during the course of a year and an aim is international cooperation regarding vaccines.
Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) was officially launched in January, 2000. It is a new alliance created to continue and build upon the work of the earlier Children’s Vaccine Initiative, which had been launched in 1990. “ In GAVI, the pharmaceutical industry’s participation as a full partner is an innovation. The Global Fund makes its funding decisions based on the recommendations of the GAVI Board… The Global Fund was created with an initial grant of $750 million from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation…The Global Fund serves as a new experiment in the field of international public health… The GAVI partners consider immunization to be a key element of public health… Among its objectives the Alliance has are: Expanding the use of all existing safe and cost-effective vaccines, accelerating the development and introduction of new vaccines; making immunization coverage an integral part of the design and assessment of international development efforts, including deep debt relief…
”… The Global Fund provides new and under-used vaccines with safe immunization equipment and provides funding to help governments strengthen their basic immunization service. WHO plays a big part in the Alliance, because it is the lead organization in global public health and develops global policies and strategies for immunization and vaccine development… If polio is eradicated by 2005, it has been calculated that US $1.5 billion per annum will be saved on immunization costs alone…Immunization reduces the social and financial costs of treating diseases, offering opportunities for poverty reduction and greater social and economic development. (from an April, 2002 fact sheet, No 169).
In February, 1993 The International Business Communications Council supported seminars presented by the International Pediatric Association, The Children’s Health Fund; Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine; and the Japan Pediatric Association -- “Meeting the Needs of the World’s Children: An American-Japanese Child Health Exchange.”
World Vaccine Congress— (www.terrapin.com). There have been at least 8 annual events, 2010 being held in Lyon, France. The 2008 one was held in Washington, D.C. Their 16-page brochure stated: “World Vaccine Congress Washington 2008 is the largest, most established and most dynamic vaccine conference in North America … this congress will put you face-to-face with over 100 of the World’s most compelling and influential scientific and business leaders in vaccines. It is the only programme in North America to successfully bring their renowned perspectives on vaccine market dynamics to the senior executive community…” The list included: vaccine manufacturers, biotechnology companies, governmental organizations and contract services organizations, law firms, drug delivery companies, investment arms and venture capital, management and technology consultants.
The brochure for their 2008 conference began: “The golden age of vaccines!
The global vaccine market continues to ride high on the wave of renewed interest and investment from government and industry stakeholders… Historically, vaccines have been far less attractive than other pharmaceutical markets. They have been seen as a mature product group that has not taken to driving new technologies to further advances, as a result the market has not generated strong revenues and hence the therapeutic area has remained in a period of languished growth for decades… But over the past decade, several trends has converged to revive the market, not least important, the non-profit sector. Led by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the organization has fostered public-private partnerships that enable vaccines to penetrate markets in poorer nations. The result: a new wave of investment in vaccines. Among investors and the broader public, vaccines are suddenly hot.”
“The financial prospects for the vaccine business have never looked better. This improved economic outlook has not been lost on pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology firms and the broader investment community. The new wave of vaccine products represent enormous profit potential for companies and investors. Industry once again sees vaccines as money makers.”
Child Survival—World Development was a newsletter of The Task Force for Child Survival and Development, of the Carter Presidential Center, but administratively affiliated with Emory University. It had been published since 1985 but ended in January-March, 1996 because “Each of the sponsoring agencies of The Task Force for Child Survival and Development now publishes an annual report, and most have other periodic newsletters or magazines that report on many of the same stories or issues that we have historically covered.” UNICEF provided funds for the newsletter and it went worldwide.
“Health issues for Europe” was a January 29, 1994 editorial of The Lancet.
“The Maastricht Treaty, in force since Nov. 1, 1993, could have far-reaching effects on European public health policies. In particular, Article 129 covers public health activities at Community level and their relationship to work in member states and other international organizations, and gives a legal basis for a planned framework for action in the area of public health. This document is intended to govern the direction of Community policies for years to come.” The article went on to cover various health problems in Europe, including “falling immunization rates and other effects of social and political upheaval in Eastern Europe.” Apparently many health initiatives were sponsored by the European Union or the WHO. Such an EU initiative that is intended to facilitate rapid transfer across Europe of computerized information, includes a project on health in which WHO participates… Whether their interests are clinical, academic, or policy making, European medicine needs a rational approach to international collaboration in health, investing in it where this will be more cost-effective than national actions (or inaction).”
European Medicines Agency is the top drug regulatory body for the European Union.
Junior Leagues International (www.ajli.org): Founded in 1901, Junior Leagues are organizations of women volunteers developing community leadership. There are 292 Junior Leagues in Canada, Mexico, the U.K. and U.S. with 160,000 members. In the 1990’s, 230 Leagues across the four countries participated in the “Don’t Wait to Vaccinate Campaign.”
Kiwanis (www.kiwanis.org) is “a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world, one child and one community at a time.” They have been around since 1915. Since 1962 they are in more than 96 countries with 8,000 clubs. In 2000 many communities heard PSA announcements from Kiwanis regarding immunization. Although each Kiwanis club chooses its service objectives, many supported vaccination efforts because they relied on the Kiwanis International Priority One Advisory Council (composed of 43 national organizations). They consulted with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), American Academy of Pediatrics and pro-vaccine researchers. The council consistently supported vaccinations and as long as there is strong consensus by the members of the Council on vaccination, Kiwanis will continue to do so. They currently have partnered with UNICEF for the global elimination of iodine deficiency disorders.
Rotary International (www.rotary.org): Founded in 1905, there are over 33,000 clubs in 200 countries with a membership of 1.2 million. Their motto is “service above self” and they have a “Four-way test:
1) Is it the TRUTH?
2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3) Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIP?
4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Since 1985 Rotary has cooperated with the World Health Organization, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and UNICEF to immunize every child in the world against polio (PolioPlus program; End Polio Now). Rotarians actively work with traditional rulers, religious leaders and local celebrities to promote the importance of immunization, as well as helping implement “national immunization day” campaigns. They have received a challenge grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that resulted in $555 million to support immunization campaigns in developing countries.
The April, 1997 issue of ALIVE magazine, out of Canada, had an article “Health Care—or Warfare? It’s a Thin Line” by Lynn McLean, BSc. She discussed the economic dependence of the medical doctors, province of Quebec and Canadian government on pharmaceutical transnational companies. She went on to discuss “Global Agendas”:
“Meanwhile, the federal government is considering signing dangerous agreements with the United Nations Security Council (UN). Some examples: The Declaration of Alma Ata (ensuring pharmaceutical health care is primary health care globally); the UN Codex proposal to set worldwide dietary supplement controls; a mandatory vaccination commitment; and the Child Rights Act, which allows governments to usurp parental rights in making health choices for children. All of these are designed to set a global health agenda.”
COMMENTARY:
First, let me state my admiration that so many initiatives from the U.S. have spread around the world. To me, it is a tribute to the spirit in our country that people would organize service groups to help others and that those groups spread internationally.
It also shows the influence of our business and social elites for good --or ill.
Another observation: the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the agencies of the United Nations are focused on spreading immunizations, no matter what.
I think too many people have worried about “one world government” in the wrong frame. If there is anything close to a One World government, it appears from what little I know from the above that the government is going to be from the framework of global public health, with the heavy involvement of the United Nations and the U.S. CDC. For people who thought they could move some place else to avoid vaccines, I hope the above makes you forget the idea, for it is, in my opinion, futile. What is needed is for people to take a stand where they live – and to support research into adverse vaccine effects, for the research done by any of the above groups will be flawed, intentionally or not, because there is too much invested in spreading the gospel of global vaccination.
Personally, I think the research needs to be geared to mimicking the Childhood Immunization Schedule and dosing in order to see the cumulative effect of all those chemicals in one body. Only then will we be able to see whether or not the infant’s body can withstand the chemical onslaught.
Bonnie P. Franz
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
U.S. Agencies Involved with Vaccination
Dear Friends,
A Healthy and Happy New Year to one and all!
As we have another opportunity to live into one more year, it is my hope that among the many daily responsibilities we have, that each of us will resolve to take at least one action a month regarding voluntary vaccination. You will soon see and understand why.
I have decided to start the New Year of my installments with one on U.S. Agencies involved with vaccination. Although we usually hear predominately of a few (such as the CDC), there are many—in fact, the whole government, for in the 1990’s, President Bill Clinton signed an order that all agencies of the government promote vaccination. That “interagency cooperation” filtered down to the states, and an Interagency Memo was sent to New York State agencies by the governor. I am certain other state governors did the same.
In addition to Government agencies promoting vaccines, they link up or fund “parent groups”—now called “astroturfs” and not really “grass roots” groups as they have been traditionally defined. (The National Vaccine Information Center is truly the only nationwide grassroots parent group on vaccination).
When you consider, then, all these people actively working FOR vaccines, you can see what our side is up against! Besides having passionate people pushing vaccines, Congress gives out $400 Billion each year in Federal aid to State, local and tribal governments (according to articles on the 2010 Census) and a large amount of that goes for vaccinations and vaccine research, public health departments, etc.
Below are some of the groups that are on the Federal or governmental level and intertwined with them:
The Department of Health & Human Services is the umbrella for the governmental agencies that deal with immunizations. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is the prime one we hear about. But then there is: The National Immunization Program, which puts out “Immunization Action News” and is part of the CDC, but can be quoted separately when we read news articles. (In the 1990’s, Walter Orenstein was director of the National Immunization Program and pushed President Clinton’s Comprehensive Childhood Immunization Initiative (CCII). They also put out kits every year for “National Infant Immunization Week” in April. The kits include community guides for activities, working with the media and collaborating with business and “charting your success.” The kit provides immunization facts in a number of languages, posters, and print ads.
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (part of the Public Health Service) provides “guidance” to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the CDC Director. ACIP is composed of 15 members selected by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Many of their members then go on to work for drug companies or they are working on developing various new vaccines, etc. –the “revolving door.” They develop written recommendations for routine administration of vaccines to children and adults in the civilian population. They are the ONLY entity in the Federal government that makes such recommendations. Their next meeting is February 24-25 at the CDC, 1600 Clifton Rd., N.E. in Atlanta. They meet 3 times a year (February, June, October), and the meetings are open to the public.
The National Vaccine Program was established in 1986 by the Public Health Service Act to achieve optimal prevention of infectious disease through immunization and optimal prevention of adverse reactions to vaccines. That group coordinates among Federal agencies and has global partners, such as WHO (World Health Organization—United Nations); non-governmental groups such as the Gates Foundation; consumer groups and academic institutions. This was part of the government reaction to the nationwide efforts of the National Vaccine Information Center (then known as Dissatisfied Parents Together) to get the government to do various things regarding vaccine reaction to the DPT shot.
Institute of Medicine issued a report in 1993 “The Children’s Vaccine Initiative: Achieving the Vision” that recommended the federal government establish a National Vaccine Authority which “…would facilitate the development and distribution of vaccines in the United States and around the world." This was supported by Sen. Edward Kennedy, author of the Comprehensive Childhood Immunization Act of 1993.
Women in Government/Legislative Business Roundtable was founded in 1988 “as a bi-partisan, non-profit educational association for elected women in state government." In 1989 the Legislative Business Roundtable was added to Women in Government to bring women legislators together with noted speakers and representatives of the business community to address issues of mutual concern and to promote collective problem-solving through public/private partnership. They hold seminars around the country for women lawmakers. In 1993 with the Clinton Vaccine promotion, they held a number of such seminars for which I have their brochures. The participants in the Atlanta seminar agreed that immunizing children by 24 months of age was essential, and local, state and national groups had to work together to educate and ensure that children are vaccinated by age 2 and to establish a tracking system.
“Immunizations give individual protection, but more, they protect the community,” Walter Orenstein, M.D. Said. (At that time he was the Director of the Division of Immunization at the CDC.) He advocated we look to what was being done in England—“First, in England a nurse can immunize in the home as long as the parents have given consent…” The idea of the registry was to register each child at birth, then to send reminders to the parent and clinic when the child needs vaccinations. “Physicians also receive incentive awards for providing immunizations. Before the cash bonuses were installed, only about 50% of the physicians met their percentage goals; with the incentives more than 3/4ths met their targets, Dr. Orenstein explained.”
At that same seminar, Kay Johnson of the March of Dimes stated, “People need to understand that birth and immunization records are vital records. We need you as state legislators to let them know we’re not infringing on their privacy; we’re not going to check on them to see if they beat their child—there are other systems in place for that; we are not going to turn them in to any authorities; what we’re doing is protecting their children… We will protect confidentiality.”
Merck and Aetna Insurance Company also gave presentations at all the seminars. One Tennessee legislator said “It’s time we as state legislators got tough. It’s time we started demanding accountability on the part of the provider and the parents. Parenting is a responsibility. Providing a medical home is a responsibility and tracking that child has to be a priority. The states can take care of these problems.”
At the New York City seminar held on March 12, 1993, they also agreed on a tracking system and “providing education in all languages necessary.”
Zeil Rosenberg, M.D., Director of Family Health for the NYS Health Department, promoted establishing community-based outreach programs… We mustn’t forget that working with the clergy is very important. Churches are willing to help out. We know the majority of people, whatever their race or creed, turn to churches, and churches generally find ways to override the language barrier.” New York City reported on some initiatives to make the public aware of vaccination: “Teen workers, under supervision, went door to door; community and family awareness was generated via clergy, providers, schools, block parties, fiestas, etc… other aggressive outreach including the use of bullhorns became important…”
The Women in Government Roundtable is primarily responsible for women lawmakers around the country introducing and promoting legislation to mandate the HPV vaccine.
All Kids Count is a “…national organization supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for the development of immunization monitoring and follow-up systems. The Task Force for Child Survival and Development in Atlanta (and associated with the Carter Center) administers All Kids Count in its role as the National Program Office. The director was William Foege, MD, formerly of the CDC. Its national advisory committee included Rosalynn Carter for The Carter Center; Betty Bumpers, for Every Child By Two; Dr. Walter Orenstein, MD, for the CDC’s National Immunization Program; Kay Johnson , formerly with the March of Dimes and by 1997 with George Washington University Center for Health Policy Research, and others. Their website is www.allkidscount.org.
Some quotes from their newsletters:
“…computerizing the current immunization record keeping system is a must if we are to fully immunize all children.”
Their Winter, 2000, issue said “The biggest savings of the registry resulted for its adult population, which is also included in the registry to provide information about influenza and pneumococcal immunizations.” Also included in that issue “…Older and more educated parents tended to be more skeptical of the benefits of registries. Women were more likely than men to believe that registries are beneficial for their children. African-Americans were more likely than Caucasian respondents to enroll their child in a registry if their doctor recommended it.”
Partnership for Prevention is a national non-profit promoting health and disease prevention. It is an alliance of private and voluntary sector organizations “whose purpose is to promote the cause of prevention. We seek to complement the efforts of the U.S. Public Health Service, states and local governments, and others striving to meet the ambitious goals of Healthy People 2000 (there is one for 2010, and 2020), the nation’s objectives for the decade of the 1990’s.” Members of its board included Mrs. Betty Bumpers (From Every Child By Two), Dr. William Foege, Kay Johnson, Donald Vickery, M.D. and others.
In the early 1990’s they put out two publications: “Childhood Immunizations: Steps to a Healthy Future: An Agenda for Legislative Action” which included the following: background on childhood immunization, barriers to preventive care, access to immunization, development of improved vaccines, compliance with vaccine recommendations (pushing the tracking system) and policy recommendations. “With a spirit of teamwork, and a sincere commitment, we can reach the solutions together.”
“Adult Immunization: An Issue Analysis and Proposal for Action on Adult Immunization as a National Preventive Strategy. “There is no well-organized, widely accepted advocacy effort at the national level to promote adult immunization coverage as there is for children… a notable achievement was the creation of the National Coalition for Adult Immunization in 1988 which has promulgated a set of
“Standards for Adult Immunization Practice… There is widespread agreement that a concerted effort needs to be made to bring the facts regarding the lack of adult coverage to the attention of physicians- in-training, practicing physicians, and other health care providers and facilities… There is a lack of immunization programs for adults in public and private settings, including work sites, hospitals, schools, and colleges…Having standing orders for vaccinating adults in institutional settings, clinics and offices can enhance vaccination rates… Comprehensive systems for obtaining data on adult immunization are severely lacking… Periodic surveys of adult immunization status conducted through employers could greatly increase the awareness of these underimmunized populations and help motivate those needing these protective services to seek them through public and private sources.” The vaccines promoted for adults at the time were influenza, pneumococcal, hepatitis B, tetanus and diphtheria, and MMR.—all called “adult vaccine-preventable diseases.”
Every Child By Two: The Carter/Bumper Campaign for Early Immunization, formed by Rosalynn Carter and Betty Bumpers (wife of former Senator from Arkansas). Produced an undated packet (but done in the early 1990’s), printing provided by Gerber, that included the following:
“Every Child Needs a Medical Home”-community-based building blocks for developing local programs, reaching more children through Medicaid.” Under the section ”What You Can Do,” were the following suggestions: Ask your State Health Officer to provide you with a copy of the State Immunization Plan. Ask for a report on the implementation status of your state’s Immunization Action Plan (IAP). In order to apply for funding available from the CDC for delivery of immunization services, each state developed and submitted an IAP; meet with key people—the state health officer, the immunization program manager, the Medicaid Director and representatives from state agencies such as WIC, AFDC, and Maternal and Child Health—“interagency cooperation;” Help start a statewide coalition to develop public/private partnerships that can provide volunteer support for immunization programs.
Under the section “Plan for Success in Your State” were the following suggestions: “Network with the people in your state most likely to have the clout to support the effort to reach Every Child By Two; involve others—public/private partnerships and State legislators; spouses of mayors and members of Congress.
Children’s Defense Fund is the children’s group founded by Marian Wright Edelman that also had Hillary Clinton on its Board of Directors for years. They have groups in NYC (c/o The Robin Hood Foundation), Minnesota, Texas, South Carolina, and 3 groups in Ohio. The CDF is involved with everything that has to do with children, especially Head Start and immunizations. In the CDF Reports of January, 1994, Mrs. Edelman said “Child advocates can play a vital role by organizing local coalitions to plan and oversee community immunization campaigns. Besides protecting children from preventable diseases, immunization campaigns strengthen communities by forging new relationships among citizens’ groups, the business community, local government, and the public health system. These relationships can lead to other community efforts for children in the future.” The CDF is also responsible for coordinating the “National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths in October … now a vital part of the children’s movement.” This effort involved people of all faiths to support CDF and its goals.
Catholic Health Association is one such religious group supportive of the goals of the Children’s Defense Fund, especially promoting Catholic hospitals and parishes to provide immunization projects. The January, 1993, issue of their newsletter, Immunization Update, listed a number of activities planned by Catholic hospitals. Among them were joining forces with the Junior League, WIC, Every Child By Two, and listing the usual immunization groups that put out guidebooks, brochures, public service announcements (PSA’s), videos, fact sheets, etc. In their August, 1993 edition, they reported on D.A. Henderson, who “has been named to head President Clinton’s immunization campaign.” This “Immunization Czar” as he was called, stated that “…he sees immunization as an important step in broader healthcare reform. ‘If we can develop a system for immunizing children, we will have the beginning of a more rational system for primary healthcare.’”
COMMENTARY:
As you can see, there are many groups that have an interest in promoting vaccinations and the laws to do so. They network with other groups that want to improve our lives and thus, are willing to help the Government achieve its goals. No wonder none of them want to hear our side of the issue!!
Initially, vaccines were promoted to parents and the public as helping to protect our children. Adverse reactions to vaccines were denied by the Government and the medical profession. But there was reached a time (1986) when they could no longer deny adverse reactions. However, they had to save the vaccination program. And that they did and continue to do.
As more parents have become aware of the hazards of vaccination, either because of personal experience or because of researching the issue, the stakes of the vaccination program have become too high. So, over the past few years, an approach of these pro-vaccine groups has been to portray those who are against forced vaccination as “being selfish.” We and our children are threats to them. We are also portrayed as being “ignorant.” We are “they.” These kinds of attacks will continue more frequently and forcefully in the years to come, especially as all vaccinations and more will be included in Health Care legislation and “reform.” For those of us who belong to an organized religion that will support all these vaccine efforts, it will be especially painful.
It is my hope that in 2010 those on our side of the issue will use the strategies of our opponents and do our own networking, actions and raising money on a larger level. That means we need YOUR voices and your influence. Although I think it is remarkable what a comparatively small group of us around the country has been able to do over the years, we are always reacting to what they come up with. We will never really succeed until our group of activists is even one tenth the size of theirs and being pro-active instead of reactive. We cannot allow the pro-vaccine advocates to define us in the negative and generally untrue way they do. Their stake in the issue is that the public will lose trust in them, and they can’t have it. So there is really little reliable research being done on vaccine reactions. That is also why they have to negatively attack us. However, that is little consolation as we try to rally and motivate our supporters and defend our position.
We ARE intelligent, want ALL children to be healthy, and we believe that when given ALL the information, WE can make intelligent decisions and choices. The major thing is that WE disagree with THEM on what and how to do the best for our children.
So, in 2010 what will YOU be motivated to do for our cause?
Bonnie P. Franz
A Healthy and Happy New Year to one and all!
As we have another opportunity to live into one more year, it is my hope that among the many daily responsibilities we have, that each of us will resolve to take at least one action a month regarding voluntary vaccination. You will soon see and understand why.
I have decided to start the New Year of my installments with one on U.S. Agencies involved with vaccination. Although we usually hear predominately of a few (such as the CDC), there are many—in fact, the whole government, for in the 1990’s, President Bill Clinton signed an order that all agencies of the government promote vaccination. That “interagency cooperation” filtered down to the states, and an Interagency Memo was sent to New York State agencies by the governor. I am certain other state governors did the same.
In addition to Government agencies promoting vaccines, they link up or fund “parent groups”—now called “astroturfs” and not really “grass roots” groups as they have been traditionally defined. (The National Vaccine Information Center is truly the only nationwide grassroots parent group on vaccination).
When you consider, then, all these people actively working FOR vaccines, you can see what our side is up against! Besides having passionate people pushing vaccines, Congress gives out $400 Billion each year in Federal aid to State, local and tribal governments (according to articles on the 2010 Census) and a large amount of that goes for vaccinations and vaccine research, public health departments, etc.
Below are some of the groups that are on the Federal or governmental level and intertwined with them:
The Department of Health & Human Services is the umbrella for the governmental agencies that deal with immunizations. CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) is the prime one we hear about. But then there is: The National Immunization Program, which puts out “Immunization Action News” and is part of the CDC, but can be quoted separately when we read news articles. (In the 1990’s, Walter Orenstein was director of the National Immunization Program and pushed President Clinton’s Comprehensive Childhood Immunization Initiative (CCII). They also put out kits every year for “National Infant Immunization Week” in April. The kits include community guides for activities, working with the media and collaborating with business and “charting your success.” The kit provides immunization facts in a number of languages, posters, and print ads.
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (part of the Public Health Service) provides “guidance” to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the CDC Director. ACIP is composed of 15 members selected by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Many of their members then go on to work for drug companies or they are working on developing various new vaccines, etc. –the “revolving door.” They develop written recommendations for routine administration of vaccines to children and adults in the civilian population. They are the ONLY entity in the Federal government that makes such recommendations. Their next meeting is February 24-25 at the CDC, 1600 Clifton Rd., N.E. in Atlanta. They meet 3 times a year (February, June, October), and the meetings are open to the public.
The National Vaccine Program was established in 1986 by the Public Health Service Act to achieve optimal prevention of infectious disease through immunization and optimal prevention of adverse reactions to vaccines. That group coordinates among Federal agencies and has global partners, such as WHO (World Health Organization—United Nations); non-governmental groups such as the Gates Foundation; consumer groups and academic institutions. This was part of the government reaction to the nationwide efforts of the National Vaccine Information Center (then known as Dissatisfied Parents Together) to get the government to do various things regarding vaccine reaction to the DPT shot.
Institute of Medicine issued a report in 1993 “The Children’s Vaccine Initiative: Achieving the Vision” that recommended the federal government establish a National Vaccine Authority which “…would facilitate the development and distribution of vaccines in the United States and around the world." This was supported by Sen. Edward Kennedy, author of the Comprehensive Childhood Immunization Act of 1993.
Women in Government/Legislative Business Roundtable was founded in 1988 “as a bi-partisan, non-profit educational association for elected women in state government." In 1989 the Legislative Business Roundtable was added to Women in Government to bring women legislators together with noted speakers and representatives of the business community to address issues of mutual concern and to promote collective problem-solving through public/private partnership. They hold seminars around the country for women lawmakers. In 1993 with the Clinton Vaccine promotion, they held a number of such seminars for which I have their brochures. The participants in the Atlanta seminar agreed that immunizing children by 24 months of age was essential, and local, state and national groups had to work together to educate and ensure that children are vaccinated by age 2 and to establish a tracking system.
“Immunizations give individual protection, but more, they protect the community,” Walter Orenstein, M.D. Said. (At that time he was the Director of the Division of Immunization at the CDC.) He advocated we look to what was being done in England—“First, in England a nurse can immunize in the home as long as the parents have given consent…” The idea of the registry was to register each child at birth, then to send reminders to the parent and clinic when the child needs vaccinations. “Physicians also receive incentive awards for providing immunizations. Before the cash bonuses were installed, only about 50% of the physicians met their percentage goals; with the incentives more than 3/4ths met their targets, Dr. Orenstein explained.”
At that same seminar, Kay Johnson of the March of Dimes stated, “People need to understand that birth and immunization records are vital records. We need you as state legislators to let them know we’re not infringing on their privacy; we’re not going to check on them to see if they beat their child—there are other systems in place for that; we are not going to turn them in to any authorities; what we’re doing is protecting their children… We will protect confidentiality.”
Merck and Aetna Insurance Company also gave presentations at all the seminars. One Tennessee legislator said “It’s time we as state legislators got tough. It’s time we started demanding accountability on the part of the provider and the parents. Parenting is a responsibility. Providing a medical home is a responsibility and tracking that child has to be a priority. The states can take care of these problems.”
At the New York City seminar held on March 12, 1993, they also agreed on a tracking system and “providing education in all languages necessary.”
Zeil Rosenberg, M.D., Director of Family Health for the NYS Health Department, promoted establishing community-based outreach programs… We mustn’t forget that working with the clergy is very important. Churches are willing to help out. We know the majority of people, whatever their race or creed, turn to churches, and churches generally find ways to override the language barrier.” New York City reported on some initiatives to make the public aware of vaccination: “Teen workers, under supervision, went door to door; community and family awareness was generated via clergy, providers, schools, block parties, fiestas, etc… other aggressive outreach including the use of bullhorns became important…”
The Women in Government Roundtable is primarily responsible for women lawmakers around the country introducing and promoting legislation to mandate the HPV vaccine.
All Kids Count is a “…national organization supported by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for the development of immunization monitoring and follow-up systems. The Task Force for Child Survival and Development in Atlanta (and associated with the Carter Center) administers All Kids Count in its role as the National Program Office. The director was William Foege, MD, formerly of the CDC. Its national advisory committee included Rosalynn Carter for The Carter Center; Betty Bumpers, for Every Child By Two; Dr. Walter Orenstein, MD, for the CDC’s National Immunization Program; Kay Johnson , formerly with the March of Dimes and by 1997 with George Washington University Center for Health Policy Research, and others. Their website is www.allkidscount.org.
Some quotes from their newsletters:
“…computerizing the current immunization record keeping system is a must if we are to fully immunize all children.”
Their Winter, 2000, issue said “The biggest savings of the registry resulted for its adult population, which is also included in the registry to provide information about influenza and pneumococcal immunizations.” Also included in that issue “…Older and more educated parents tended to be more skeptical of the benefits of registries. Women were more likely than men to believe that registries are beneficial for their children. African-Americans were more likely than Caucasian respondents to enroll their child in a registry if their doctor recommended it.”
Partnership for Prevention is a national non-profit promoting health and disease prevention. It is an alliance of private and voluntary sector organizations “whose purpose is to promote the cause of prevention. We seek to complement the efforts of the U.S. Public Health Service, states and local governments, and others striving to meet the ambitious goals of Healthy People 2000 (there is one for 2010, and 2020), the nation’s objectives for the decade of the 1990’s.” Members of its board included Mrs. Betty Bumpers (From Every Child By Two), Dr. William Foege, Kay Johnson, Donald Vickery, M.D. and others.
In the early 1990’s they put out two publications: “Childhood Immunizations: Steps to a Healthy Future: An Agenda for Legislative Action” which included the following: background on childhood immunization, barriers to preventive care, access to immunization, development of improved vaccines, compliance with vaccine recommendations (pushing the tracking system) and policy recommendations. “With a spirit of teamwork, and a sincere commitment, we can reach the solutions together.”
“Adult Immunization: An Issue Analysis and Proposal for Action on Adult Immunization as a National Preventive Strategy. “There is no well-organized, widely accepted advocacy effort at the national level to promote adult immunization coverage as there is for children… a notable achievement was the creation of the National Coalition for Adult Immunization in 1988 which has promulgated a set of
“Standards for Adult Immunization Practice… There is widespread agreement that a concerted effort needs to be made to bring the facts regarding the lack of adult coverage to the attention of physicians- in-training, practicing physicians, and other health care providers and facilities… There is a lack of immunization programs for adults in public and private settings, including work sites, hospitals, schools, and colleges…Having standing orders for vaccinating adults in institutional settings, clinics and offices can enhance vaccination rates… Comprehensive systems for obtaining data on adult immunization are severely lacking… Periodic surveys of adult immunization status conducted through employers could greatly increase the awareness of these underimmunized populations and help motivate those needing these protective services to seek them through public and private sources.” The vaccines promoted for adults at the time were influenza, pneumococcal, hepatitis B, tetanus and diphtheria, and MMR.—all called “adult vaccine-preventable diseases.”
Every Child By Two: The Carter/Bumper Campaign for Early Immunization, formed by Rosalynn Carter and Betty Bumpers (wife of former Senator from Arkansas). Produced an undated packet (but done in the early 1990’s), printing provided by Gerber, that included the following:
“Every Child Needs a Medical Home”-community-based building blocks for developing local programs, reaching more children through Medicaid.” Under the section ”What You Can Do,” were the following suggestions: Ask your State Health Officer to provide you with a copy of the State Immunization Plan. Ask for a report on the implementation status of your state’s Immunization Action Plan (IAP). In order to apply for funding available from the CDC for delivery of immunization services, each state developed and submitted an IAP; meet with key people—the state health officer, the immunization program manager, the Medicaid Director and representatives from state agencies such as WIC, AFDC, and Maternal and Child Health—“interagency cooperation;” Help start a statewide coalition to develop public/private partnerships that can provide volunteer support for immunization programs.
Under the section “Plan for Success in Your State” were the following suggestions: “Network with the people in your state most likely to have the clout to support the effort to reach Every Child By Two; involve others—public/private partnerships and State legislators; spouses of mayors and members of Congress.
Children’s Defense Fund is the children’s group founded by Marian Wright Edelman that also had Hillary Clinton on its Board of Directors for years. They have groups in NYC (c/o The Robin Hood Foundation), Minnesota, Texas, South Carolina, and 3 groups in Ohio. The CDF is involved with everything that has to do with children, especially Head Start and immunizations. In the CDF Reports of January, 1994, Mrs. Edelman said “Child advocates can play a vital role by organizing local coalitions to plan and oversee community immunization campaigns. Besides protecting children from preventable diseases, immunization campaigns strengthen communities by forging new relationships among citizens’ groups, the business community, local government, and the public health system. These relationships can lead to other community efforts for children in the future.” The CDF is also responsible for coordinating the “National Observance of Children’s Sabbaths in October … now a vital part of the children’s movement.” This effort involved people of all faiths to support CDF and its goals.
Catholic Health Association is one such religious group supportive of the goals of the Children’s Defense Fund, especially promoting Catholic hospitals and parishes to provide immunization projects. The January, 1993, issue of their newsletter, Immunization Update, listed a number of activities planned by Catholic hospitals. Among them were joining forces with the Junior League, WIC, Every Child By Two, and listing the usual immunization groups that put out guidebooks, brochures, public service announcements (PSA’s), videos, fact sheets, etc. In their August, 1993 edition, they reported on D.A. Henderson, who “has been named to head President Clinton’s immunization campaign.” This “Immunization Czar” as he was called, stated that “…he sees immunization as an important step in broader healthcare reform. ‘If we can develop a system for immunizing children, we will have the beginning of a more rational system for primary healthcare.’”
COMMENTARY:
As you can see, there are many groups that have an interest in promoting vaccinations and the laws to do so. They network with other groups that want to improve our lives and thus, are willing to help the Government achieve its goals. No wonder none of them want to hear our side of the issue!!
Initially, vaccines were promoted to parents and the public as helping to protect our children. Adverse reactions to vaccines were denied by the Government and the medical profession. But there was reached a time (1986) when they could no longer deny adverse reactions. However, they had to save the vaccination program. And that they did and continue to do.
As more parents have become aware of the hazards of vaccination, either because of personal experience or because of researching the issue, the stakes of the vaccination program have become too high. So, over the past few years, an approach of these pro-vaccine groups has been to portray those who are against forced vaccination as “being selfish.” We and our children are threats to them. We are also portrayed as being “ignorant.” We are “they.” These kinds of attacks will continue more frequently and forcefully in the years to come, especially as all vaccinations and more will be included in Health Care legislation and “reform.” For those of us who belong to an organized religion that will support all these vaccine efforts, it will be especially painful.
It is my hope that in 2010 those on our side of the issue will use the strategies of our opponents and do our own networking, actions and raising money on a larger level. That means we need YOUR voices and your influence. Although I think it is remarkable what a comparatively small group of us around the country has been able to do over the years, we are always reacting to what they come up with. We will never really succeed until our group of activists is even one tenth the size of theirs and being pro-active instead of reactive. We cannot allow the pro-vaccine advocates to define us in the negative and generally untrue way they do. Their stake in the issue is that the public will lose trust in them, and they can’t have it. So there is really little reliable research being done on vaccine reactions. That is also why they have to negatively attack us. However, that is little consolation as we try to rally and motivate our supporters and defend our position.
We ARE intelligent, want ALL children to be healthy, and we believe that when given ALL the information, WE can make intelligent decisions and choices. The major thing is that WE disagree with THEM on what and how to do the best for our children.
So, in 2010 what will YOU be motivated to do for our cause?
Bonnie P. Franz
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