Learn what the öther side is saying

[menudo]

I cam acrossed this list of links to sites that refute all anti vaccination information. It is a bit scary in some ways (like people who call it abusive not to vax) but eye opening. It is good to know what we may be up against on occasion. I hope these people are really extreme and not that normal!

http://www.ratbags.com/greenlight/vaccines1.htm

This group http://www.childrenshealthcare.org/ scares me most as the yare fighting any type of religious exemptions for anyhing medical!

CHILD is concerned that the draft Model Act allows religious and philo*sophical exemptions from health care of children. The guiding principle at Article V Section 5-101[b](7) recommends a blanket exclusion from all testing, screening, treatment, and vaccination of children whose parents object to it on the basis of “sincere religious, moral, or philosophical beliefs.” Article V Section 5-106[b](1) provides that no test, exam, or screening of children can be done without informed consent of parents. Section 5-106( c) of the MSPHA provides that testing and examination may be compelled only when an individual poses a risk to others. Article V Section 5-109[h] provides religious and philosophical exemptions from vaccinations for children

[applejuice]

The late great Dr. Robert S. Mendelsohn recommended that we read everything, including information and research from the other side of the argument to educate ourselves about the vaccination controversy and all matters of controversy.

He truly believed that everyone should and could make up their own mind after reading all of the information that is available.

This is what good debate is made of, and many of us have not been educated in honest good debating and research techniques.

Read.

Read everything with a dictionary at your hand and a notebook and perhaps the internet queued up to check on everything. Then think critically. Think it through. Many studies are skewed one way or another and you need to read between the lines. I know it is hard, but we are examples for our children and they will follow into the future based on our example.

[KellyK]

[If you go to the pictures on the first page, and click on the second picture in you will see where they are coming from. The stories are horrific.] I think that what they are trying to do as far as general healthcare goes is terrific, but it is terrifying because they do not even acknowledge any contrevorsy surrounding vaccine safety at all.

[KellyK]

My email to them

CHILD's Letter on the Model State Public Health Act
I am writing concerning these paragraphs from the link above: Vaccinations are likewise vital to the basic welfare of every child. While large-scale epidemics might be prevented even without a 100% vaccina¬tion rate, public health officials are legally and morally obligated to act out of concern for the well being of every individual child, and the reality is that any unvaccinated child remains vulnerable to serious, even life-threatening, diseases. As we discuss later, non-medical exemptions from immunizations also lower the level of protection in the general population.

Because health screening and vaccination are vital to the basic welfare of every child, we believe that the draft Model Act should not contain language empower¬ing some parents to withhold these benefits from their children. While exceptions for medical contraindications protect the health of children, religious exemptions clearly do not

I am a concerned parent who objects to vaccinations on the grounds that there has never been any thorough long term testing of most of the vaccines our children receive. I also object to several vaccinations based on the ingredients used to produce them. There is also the fact that by themselves vaccines have an inherent risk of side effects so much so, that the recipient generally must remain in the hospital for 30 mins. after receiving one. There is growing controversy about many aspects of vaccinations, including their link to the increase in autism. So much so that Great Britian has recently ruled that Thimerasol (I may have spelled this wrong) must be taken out of all its vaccinations.
Have you taken any of these things into consideration prior to creating your letter? If so, would you please take the time to explain to me your thinking process that led to it?

Thank you for your time,
Sincerely, Kelly

[Annme]

This is my objection to certain legislations/resolutions such as the Res. on Children's rights from the UN; They contain passages referring to "the right of all children to medical/health care and education" (sounds great, huh?)without clearly defining those terms OR making clear that children may/should also have the right NOT to have those things and that the parents should decide based on what they consider the best interest of their child until they are old enough to decide for themselves.

In the US, we have the right to our religion, and that includes the right to NO religion. But this principle is not made clear or assumed in the wording of certain resolutions/laws; it is assumed instead that vaccines/"standard" medical care and institutional schooling are in the best interests of the child and something EVERY child would "choose" if allowed to.

Since children are not adults yet, the same assumptions we as adults take for granted are not applied. (and, imo, would NOT be honored based on the letter of such laws)
And instead of the assumption that parents are naturally and properly empowered to make such choices on behalf of their child, the assumption is that the state/UN/some outside authority is/should be.

IOWs, this essentially amounts to making all children "wards of the state/medical and/or educational establishments" and cutting parents out of the loop as far as possible. (their role is delegated to providing food and shelter during the times the child is not in the actual physical custody of the state)

As a non-vaxing. homeschooling parent, I insist on my right to refuse certain non-lifesaving/emergency procedures and state/government controlled and/or institutionalized schooling on behalf of my child. Further, my children have the right to NOT be vaxed or go to school in their own right, imo.
(the whole freedom of and freedom from point)

My son, 13, for example, who is currently going to school (to try it out) of his own choice but already deciding he doesn't care for it. We asked him to stay through one grading period (6 wks) and then make his final decision.
But we will honor HIS choice, and by golly, if we are willing and able to assume responsibility for his education, and HE is the one deciding to boot, no-one should be empowered to force us or him to get educated at a specific place/in a particular way, imo. Esp. on the argument that it is "his right" TO such a form of education.
If he has a right TO it, fine. But he must also have the right NOT to it. And for younger kids, it is the parents who must decide on their behalf. Same as they do for religion, diet, etc.

Since I AM providing for their health and education, just in an alternative manner, and not simply neglecting to provide for them, these are critical points, imo.

Allowances MUST be made for those with honest objections.

The arguments of "the other side" always boil down to "vaccination won't work unless EVERYONE (or virtually everyone) does it." My rebuttal is, "Then vaccination DOESN'T WORK as it is intended to, since the "protected" are not really protected from exposure, but only considered "safe" when the organism itself/exposure has been eliminated altogether."

If that is the only way vacination can work, too bad. I refuse to accept risks I consider too great for a benefit I consider non-existant or too small, simply so those who chose to accept the risks of vaccination on behalf of their children can feel "safer". jmho.
They knew vaccines are not 100% when they agreed to them (or should have). JUst as I knew they can maim and kill when *I* refused them. And just as I knew there were risks from the illnesses themselves.
It is not a matter of risks vs no risks, but of WHICH risks we as parents choose to assume on behalf of our child (and which are considered acceptable/"standard practice" on the part of someoutside authority and WHO decides which risks we take; us or someone else)

Annme

[KellyK]

Their response

Dear Kelly,
Thank you very much for your interest in our letter on the MSPHA and our position on vaccinations.
We believe that the vaccines required for children are safe. The claims of a link between the MMR vaccine or the thimerosal in vaccines and autism have been extensively investigated and discounted by competent scientists.
Vaccine opponents cite the increase in autism cases since the MMR vaccine was required. I'm not medically trained myself, but here are some responses I've heard from the medical profession.
1. The increase in autism may be due to better diagnostic techniques.

2. Autism is often diagnosed at about the same age as a baby would be getting an MMR shot (15 months); the proximity in time may lead a parent to believe there's a causal connection.

3. MRIs of newborns' brains indicate that autism is a congenital disorder. The MRIs taken at birth show abnormalities in children later diagnosed as autistic.

4. The Scandinavian countries that banned thimerosal from vaccines many years ago have seen no decrease in autism.

5. We are exposed to much more mercury from eating fish than from vaccines, and the form of mercury in fish is also reportedly more dangerous.

Finally, I believe that thimerosal has been taken out of vaccines in the U.S.
Medical science is constantly at work to make vaccines safer. An acellular form of the pertussis vaccine has been developed, which does not have the risks of the older form.

The oral polio vaccine carried a very remote risk of contracting polio. Vaccine opponents said there was more risk from the vaccine than from the disease in its natural form. That was true, but only because millions of families went to the trouble to get the polio vaccine and accepted the remote risk of contracting the disease for the benefit of the larger community.
Finally, polio was declared eradicated in the Americas, and now only the killed virus form of the vaccine is given in the U.S., which is even safer than the oral polio vaccine.

The conquest of polio in the Americas is an inspiring story to which millions of people contributed. The war against polio in the developing world is even more inspiring as health professionals make heroic efforts to bring the vaccine to the remotest corners of the globe. I wish you would look at the book of photographs, THE END OF POLIO, by Sebastio Salgado.

For scientific information about vaccine safety, you can go on the internet to the Immunization Safety Review by the Institute of Medicine and the Vaccine Information Statements by the Immunization Action Coalition.

Do you have other concerns about vaccines besides thimerosal and a supposed autism link? I would be happy to try to answer them or to get someone else to do so.

Again, thanks for writing.
Rita Swan

----- Original Message -----
I will have to write her back but too tired right now.

[DesireeH]

Hey, speaking of "liars" (who they claim all of us non-vaxers to be) the picture they show, the 10th one down of the little girl with smallpox, a "vaccine preventable disease" that us non vaxers "would like to see more of" is actually from the CDC website of vaccine REACTIONS!!!!! The girl was ACCIDENTLY inocculated. They used that picture for their own purpose now didnt they? Sheesh, losers.

I do agree though to read everything and go from there. Both sides. You can see what crackpots some of those people really are by reading their own "information."

Just had to post that, will be back in a minute after I read the rest of the posts, I got ahead of myself when I saw that pic and recognized it right away.

[DesireeH]

Oh well what do you know........its not there anymore.......I swear it was........

here is the link I just pulled up, does anyone have any other links, maybe it was another link but I KNOW I have seen that pic on a vaccine reaction site!

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox/vaccineimages.asp

[KellyK]

It always helps to know what is behind someones support of something. I can see how they would throw themselves wholeheartedly into this anti-anti vaccine campaining. That said, I can easily read the info. on the site extremely suspicously because you can't possibly be objective when your son died of spinal meningitis. Even in her very nice and polite reply she failed to address the issue of vaccine related complications outside of thimerosal. I believe you about the pic, that is pretty ironic!

[Annme]

From the reply which was shared here:

“We believe that the vaccines required for children are safe. The claims of a link between the MMR vaccine or the thimerosal in vaccines and autism have been extensively investigated and discounted by competent scientists….

For scientific information about vaccine safety, you can go on the internet to the Immunization Safety Review by the Institute of Medicine”

Okay, let’s look at some of what the IOM has had to say recently on the subject of vaccine safety: (you might wish to share some or all of this with the person who emailed you, and ask if she has anything she can directly cite from the IOM which contradicts these findings/more recent conclusions.)

BTW, If anyone here has anything more recently issued from the IOM which revises or contradicts these findings, I would be very interested in seeing it. Thanks!

Please note:
The IOM reviews the available research in reaching its findings.
To avoid any conflict of interest, that panel specifically excludes "anyone who had participated in research on vaccine safety, received funding from vaccine manufacturers or their parent companies, or served on Vaccine Advisory Committees." This in stark contrast to some other “vaccine advocacy groups” like the CDC, to name but one, in which the web of conflicting interests is quite tangled.

The most frequently recurring “finding” of the IOM over the years has been that they consider themselves unable to reach a finding on the issue before it, due to “inadequate” (both in terms of quantity and quality) data. Virtually every report concludes with a call for more and better conducted research into the issue.
The autism issue, specifically, has NOT been “disproved” to date, and in fact, there is much evidence supporting an association.

http://books.nap.edu/books/030904895....html#page_top

“In the course of its review, the committee encountered many gaps and limitations in knowledge bearing directly or indirectly on the safety of vaccines. These include inadequate understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying adverse events following natural infection or immunization, insufficient or inconsistent information from case reports and case series, inadequate size or length of follow-up of many population-based epidemiologic studies, and limited capacity of existing surveillance systems of vaccine injury to provide persuasive evidence of causation.
The committee found few experimental studies published in relation to the number of epidemiologic studies published. Clearly, if research capacity and accomplishment in these areas are not improved, future reviews of vaccine safety will be similarly handicapped.”

http://www.909shot.com/PressReleases...2iomreport.htm

“For Immediate Release
February 20, 2002

IOM REPORT ON CHILD VACCINATIONS URGES MORE RESEARCH

The report, issued by the IOM’s Immunization Safety Review Committee, found that scientific evidence from epidemiological studies on whether allergy, including asthma, can be caused by multiple vaccinations was conflicting and concluded that the evidence “was inadequate to accept or reject a causal relationship.” The Committee concluded that epidemiological studies to date “favor rejection of a causal relationship between multiple immunizations and increased risk for infections and for type 1 diabetes.” However, the Committee also concluded that they did find some biological mechanism evidence that vaccines could increase the risk of immune dysfunction in some children that could lead to increased infections and allergy, including asthma. They stated that “the biological mechanisms evidence regarding increased risk for infections is strong.” …The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) has long advocated increased basic science research into the biological mechanisms for immunity and vaccine adverse events, with particular emphasis on identifying genetic and other biomarkers that may play a role in increasing susceptibility for vaccine-induced neuroimmune dysfunction. Acknowledging the absence of research into this area, the Committee said, “The Committee was unable to address the concern that repeated exposure of a susceptible child to multiple immunizations over the developmental period may also produce atypical or non-specific immune or nervous system injury that could lead to severe disability or death. (Fisher, 2001). There are no epidemiological studies that address this. Thus, the committee recognizes with some discomfort that this report addresses only part of the overall set of concerns of some of those most wary about the safety of childhood immunizations.” ….

>>>IOM Report Reveals Lack Of Adequate Scientific Studies - In Adverse Events Associated with Childhood Vaccines published in 1994 by the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences, observations about the limitations of hepatitis B vaccine studies included the statements that "it is important to note that individual trials usually involved a few hundred subjects for study...when larger vaccination programs were monitored, observations of adverse events were necessarily less detailed and less accurately reported" and "the studies were not designed to assess serious, rare adverse events; the total number of recipients is too small and the follow-up generally too short to detect rare or delayed serious adverse reactions."
The IOM report also noted that no controlled observational studies or controlled clinical trials have ever been held to evaluate repeated reports that hepatitis B vaccine can cause Guillain-Barre syndrome; arthritis; transverse myelitis, optic neuritis, multiple sclerosis and other central demyelinating diseases of the nervous system (degeneration of the myelin sheath of the brain that helps transmit nerve impulses); or sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
A major conclusion of the Institute of Medicine report was that almost no basic science research has been undertaken to define at the cellular and molecular level the biological mechanism of vaccine-induced injury and death. The report concluded that "The lack of adequate data regarding many of the adverse events under study was of major concern to the committee...the committee encountered many gaps and limitations in knowledge bearing directly or indirectly on the safety of vaccines. These include inadequate understanding of the biologic mechanisms underlying adverse events following natural infection or immunization, insufficient or inconsistent information from case reports and case series...and inadequate size or length of follow-up of many population-based epidemiologic studies…."

Re’ Autism:
http://www.iom.edu/includes/DBFile.asp?id=4132

“The evidence favors a rejection of a causal relationship at the population level…Moreover, the committee can find no proven biological mechanisms that would explain such a relationship (citing the plausibility of as association and the difficulties inherent in animal models and human case studies in demonstrating any such biological mechanism.)….Though the MMR-autism question might appear to be resolved, science is always a work in progress; a conclusion is only as good as the methods of the analysis. The epidemiological studies, traditional public health tools used to examine the risk factors for a disease on a population level, were at a disadvantage here because there is little variation in exposure to MMR, since children in most developed countries are vaccinated similarly (lack of a control group, often cited as a hindrance to meaningful research/conclusions) Furthermore, the difficulties in diagnosing and determining the exact onset of autism in children make it difficult to design appropriate studies and compare the results…The committee could not rule out another possibility- that MMR vaccine could contribute to ASD in a small number of children…(the available tools being inadequate to detect the association).”

Re’ thimerosal:

http://www.iom.edu/report.asp?id=4717

“Current scientific evidence neither proves nor disproves a link between the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders in children, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies…
The committee's comprehensive assessment of the scientific literature on thimerosal included analyses of published and unpublished studies proposing an association with disorders such as autism, and it found them to be inconclusive. “

http://www.iom.edu/includes/DBFile.asp?id=4134

“The committee finds that the hypothesized association between thimerosal containing vaccines and neurodevelopment disorders rests on indirect and incomplete information…however, data on mercury toxicity more generally suggests that the hypothesis is biologically plausible.”

Re’ SIDS:

http://www.iom.edu/report.asp?id=5391


“The evidence regarding biological mechanisms is essentially theoretical, reflecting in large measure the lack of knowledge concerning the pathogenesis of SIDS. Anaphylaxis related to vaccination has been discussed in detail in previous IOM reports and is reexamined in the report; the committee observed that anaphylaxis is known to be a rare but causally related adverse event following the administration of some vaccines. Fatal anaphylaxis in infants is extraordinarily rare. The committee found no basis for a review of current immunization policies, but saw a clear need for continued research on adverse event following vaccination and on the biological basis for sudden unexpected infant deaths.”

Re’ Demyelinating disorders:

http://www.iom.edu/report.asp?id=4435


“Evidence of possible biological mechanisms that could produce this effect was weak. Additionally, the committee found that the epidemiological evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between the hepatitis B vaccine in adults and multiple sclerosis.
However, the evidence was inadequate to accept or reject a causal relationship between the hepatitis B vaccine and all other demyelinating conditions.
Because of the lack of epidemiological data on conditions other than MS in adults, the committee recommends further attention in the form of research and communication”

http://books.nap.edu/nap-cgi/morehit...file=17-90.htm

“When an infectious agent has been associated with a particular adverse health outcome, the possibility exists that a vaccine against that agent could have a similar effect. The primary effect of HBV infection is hepatic, but occasional extrahepatic manifestations occur, such as rash, arthritis, and arthralgias. Central or peripheral neurological manifestations are not a prominent feature of HBV infection, but anecdotal reports in review articles mention an association between acute infection and MS.”

Re’ Guillain-Barre, specifically:
http://www.iom.edu/report.asp?id=4435

“ It is well established, for example…that some influenza vaccines have been associated with a risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome…”

“Guillain-Barre Syndrome GBS is the most common acquired peripheral demyelinating disease in humans (Waubant and Stuve, 2002~. Its incidence is estimated at 1 to 2 cases per 100,000 population per year both in children and adults (IOM, 1994~.

Despite the limitations of case reports, the causality argument for at least one vaccine-related adverse event (the relationship between vaccines containing tetanus toxoid and Guillain-Barre syndrome) was strengthened most by a single, well-documented case report on recurrence of the adverse event following re-administration of the vaccine, a situation referred to as a "rechallenge" “
http://books.nap.edu/nap-cgi/morehit...file=48-98.htm

“A causal relationship between a vaccine and an autoimmune disorder was found for MMR and thrombocytopenia, OPV and Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), and tetanuscontaining vaccines and GBS. In addition, some types of influenza vaccine are associated with GBS and rubella with arthritis. Vaccinia is associated with acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.

Re’ allergic disorders incl. Asthma:

http://www.iom.edu/report.asp?id=4432

"(The Committee)found that epidemiological evidence regarding risk for allergic disease, particularly asthma, was inadequate to accept or reject a causal relationship. “

Re’ arthritis, specifically:

http://aafp.org/afp/970201ap/special1.html


“MMR:
Evidence favored acceptance of a casual relationship: Chronic arthritis
Evidence established a casual relationship: Acute arthritis”

Re’ SV40/cancer/polio vaccine:

http://www.iom.edu/report.asp?id=4317


“Although SV40 has biological properties consistent with a cancer-causing virus, it has not been conclusively established whether it might have caused cancer in humans. Studies of groups of people who received polio vaccine during 1955-1963 provide evidence of no increased cancer risk.
However, because these epidemiologic studies are sufficiently flawed, the committee concluded in this report that the evidence was inadequate to conclude whether or not the contaminated polio vaccine caused cancer. In light of the biological evidence supporting the theory that SV40-contamination of polio vaccines could contribute to human cancers, the committee recommends continued public health attention in the form of policy analysis, communication, and targeted biological research.”

[KellyK]

Wow, that is good stuff. Well I sent it, lets see what she says about it. Thanks Anneme.

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

thimerosol is still in some vaxes.

[Annme]

Kelly, no problem Would you let me know if she responds with any links to/citations of more recent IOM stuff? Just update us in general, of course!
But I would be esp. interested in any other findings/statements from the IOM. I compiled those off their web site this past year, (by tediously going through reports which had anything to do with vacines, lol!) but they may have something since then they've posted/issued.

Also, it is very true that thimerosal is still in some vaccines; it remains in "trace" levels in most if not all of those that had it before (as it was/is removed from the finished product, not left out of it) and, more importantly, imo, it is in the FLU vaccine in rel. high levels (25 micrograms, I believe it was, which is fairly high, ESP. for a vaccine one is advised to get ANNUALLY from babyhood to old age!)

I pers. have a theory that adding the only remaining vaccine with moderate to high levels of thim. to the recomended schedule for infants serves (either intentionally or NOT to obscure/prevent any declines in thimerosal linked disorders which might occur as a result of removing thimerosal from the OTHER childhood vaccines. Think about it. The timing could not be more perfect IF that were the goal.

I also am certain the flu vaccine will eventually be added to the rec. schedule for older/school aged children, probably sooner than later, meaning an annual flu shot for all children from the age of 6 mths to 18 or above (at least for all who 1. follow the recomendations 2. attend daycare or school 3. don't have an exemption.)
Think of the levels of thimerosal that amounts to over time! Esp. for those who may not excrete it as rapidly as others or are otherwise esp. vulnerable.

Yes, there is a "thimerosal free" flu vaccine, but it is produced in very limited quantities and the government buys up much of what is produced for use in government funded clinics for the poor. (at least they did last year; that seems odd to me. Why would the government, which denies any connection between thimerosal and any disorders, buy up mostly thim. free flu vaccine doses? UNLESS, they 1. seek to keep those doses off the market so the only choice most parents will have is a flu vax WITH thimerosal and so the stats on thim. related disorders will not be greatly affected
and/or 2. they are conducting a study using poor children in gov. funded health care clinics (as they have before) to determine if the rates of certain disorders decline when a child receives only trace/no thimerosal from their vaccines.


I want to respond to a few points the "email lady" made:

"MRIs of newborns' brains indicate that autism is a congenital disorder. The MRIs taken at birth show abnormalities in children later diagnosed as autistic."

Very few debate that autism is a genetically linked disorder, and that those with a propensity towards autism are biologically different in crucial ways from birth (incl. the apparent inability to excrete mercury as rapidly as other children, which may very well be the key to WHY merc in vaccines is so much more harmful to them than to most children!)
Further, they seem to develop persistent, subclinical infections in tissues at a higher rate than others when exposed to the Measles virus, wild OR vaccine strain.

It is important to note that the MMR does not and has never contained thimerosal, nor has any other live virus vaccine, because the thim. KILLS the live virus.
So the whole MMR/Autism connection does not involve thimerosal directly.

I personally believe that thimerosal in other vaccines can also trigger and/or aggravate autistic tendencies, and so can exposure at vulnerable periods/ages to the live measles virus in the MMR. JMHO.

"4. The Scandinavian countries that banned thimerosal from vaccines many years ago have seen no decrease in autism."

And yet, in Finland, where MMR was widely used and credited with the elimination of native rubella/Measles/Mumps, autism AND Crohn's Disease (associated with MMR in other nations/studies) rates have increased several fold concurently.

http://www.redflagsweekly.com/confer...004_may16.html

“Finland is a small and ethnically homogeneous country with a population between 5 and 6 million since 1991. In 2001, foreigners were fewer than 100,000. A national vaccination campaign in Finland effectively eliminated measles, mumps and rubella from the country. A striking increase in several chronic debilitating syndromes has been reported nationwide following the campaign. A causal association has been denied so far, but not convincingly so for many. …In a study published in 2000 in the Journal of European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry (8) M. Kielinen et. Al. described a significant rise in autism in the northern provinces of Oulu and Lapland, which represent 1/8 of the total population of Finland. The Kielinen study included all children born in the two provinces, between 1979 and 1994. Every single one of those children was eligible and in all likelihood received the MMR vaccine. The authors personally reviewed all records of children with autism to determine that they fulfilled the criteria of ICD-10 and DSM-IV. The cumulative incidence of autism was 12.2/10,000, a significant increase when compared to the previously reported incidence of 4.75/10,000 by Vinni and Timonen. The increase in the younger children, all born in the second half of the MMR campaign, was even more striking. In the 5 to 7 age group, the cumulative incidence was 20.7/10,000 or more than 1 in 500. There is no reason to believe that the incidence of autistic disorders is significantly different in other provinces. …In “ Incidence and Prevalence of Crohn’s Disease in Finland From 1988 to 1991, [Gastroenterology, Vol. 112,No. 4], Hannu Nuutinan, Antii Reunanen and Kari Seppata stated: “ We have reported previously that the prevalence of ulcerative colitis has been increasing in Finland (AGA 94). The incidence and prevalence of Crohn's disease was investigated during the period of 1986 to 1991 among the 5 million population of Finland. Because all the inflammatory bowel disease patients have been recorded by the Social Insurance Institution from 1986, we were able or to get reliable information about the epidemiology of Crohn's disease in Finland. During this period both the incidence and prevalence of Crohn's disease increased gradually both in men and in women. This is in good accordance with some other reports from Scandinavia, although the prevalence and incidence figures are slightly higher than in the earlier reports. The male to female ratio remained the same during the whole study period. According to these results, the number of patients with Crohn's disease has been increasing at least during the last years in Finland. The reason for this gradual and constant increase however, remains unknown and means further investigations.In an attached graph entitled “Prevalence of Crohn’s disease”, the authors clearly demonstrate that the prevalence of that specific form of IBD in Finland tripled between 1986 and 1991, from 10/100,000 in 1986 to 30/100,000 in 1991.
Cases of IBD continued to increase after 1991. According to the Statistical Branch of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, the number of patients entitled for special refunds because of Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis doubled between 1992 and 2001, from 9 737 to 20 807, while the population of Finland increased by just 3%…There were also striking increases in several other disease entities and health problems in Finland in recent years. Many are known to have immune or autoimmune causes and / or have been suspected by serious researchers, of having some association with the recent increased number of vaccinations”


"5. We are exposed to much more mercury from eating fish than from vaccines, and the form of mercury in fish is also reportedly more dangerous."

How much mercury one is exposed to is highly variable, depending on occupation, location of residence, diet, etc.
We are warned NOT to consume above a certain rather low level of certain mercury containing fish while pg or nursing, and most of us probably do not consume a great deal anyway.

But that is beside the point; unless we are feeding our infant/toddler swordfish every other night, they get FAR more directly ingested/injected mercury from the vaccines they get in such variety and quantity.(if they get the flu vax, they are STILL getting roughly the same levels of merc. from their vaccine every yr)

AND, the degree of toxicity of the form of merc. which thimerosal represents is NOT resolved, as it has NOT been extensively studied enough to know. I have looked up numerous studies on the issue, and all of them said essentially, " It has always been assumed to be a safer form, but we just don't know."

"Finally, I believe that thimerosal has been taken out of vaccines in the U.S."

Well, yeah, "taken out", as in "trace levels remaining" AND still in the flu vaccine at failry high levels which the AAP has now recomended for all healthy children under 2 annually.

Annme

[Devaskyla]

Interesting info. Did you ever here back again from her, Kelly?

Also, what I want to know is, are these people who want to force us to vaccinate going to pay for the medical bills when our children are vax damaged? Rhetorical question, I know they aren't, but they very definitely should be willing to pay, after all, if vaccines are safe, then there shouldn't be anything for them to pay.