Prevnar, a pneumococcal vaccination marketed by Wyeth, has been recommended for all U.S. babies since mid-2000, however the vaccine increases the number of other infections the babies get, according to researchers.
It’s possible that the vaccine’s disease-enabling ability may become as powerful as its disease-preventing capacity, which would render it useless and necessitate a new vaccine design.
From 1999 to 2001, the most severe category of "invasive" pneumococcal infections dropped 68 percent in babies under 2 years of age, 29 percent in adults aged 20 to 39 years and 17 percent in people over 65 years.
Researchers attribute the decreased rates among adults, who had never received the vaccine, to the fact that the vaccinated babies couldn’t infect relatives.
However, Prevnar is already becoming less effective against infections of the middle ear, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Between 1999 and 2001, another study found the percentage of pneumococcal middle ear infections caused by strains that Prevnar doesn't protect against more than doubled, from 16 percent to 37 percent.
According to researchers, Prevnar replaces infections from the seven strains of pneumococci against which the vaccine is effective with infections from the other 83 strains of pneumococci. Kids and adults routinely carry all 90 strains in their noses and throats, even when they are not sick.
The vaccination also causes a slight increase in middle ear infections due to two unrelated bacteria. The infections can spread easily because the vaccine has wiped out the seven former competitors.
When the Prevnar vaccination eliminates the seven selected strains, all the others proliferate inside babies' noses and throats, waiting for an opportunity to start an infection or to spread to someone else, researchers noted.
Researchers had hoped that targeting the seven most common strains would provide more protection against the other 83, however it may be necessary to target something that's in all pneumococci, according to researchers.
The Scientist May 13, 2003
It is no surprise that the Prevnar vaccine is becoming less effective for middle ear infections since it was never approved for them to begin with.
Additionally, the HMO trial from which Prevnar was approved had no placebo group. The control group received another experimental vaccine for mennigococcus. This was the ONLY trial that was done to establish the safety and efficacy to recommend this vaccine for every newborn in the United States.
The way to prevent middle ear infections and pneumonia is not through some potentially dangerous vaccine, but through optimizing your diet.
Removing pasteurized milk from the diet is a major step in the right direction along with removing the sugars and fruit juices that seem to be pervasive for most of our culture.
In my new book, The No-Grain Diet, I detail the steps you can take to implement an optimal diet program in your life. Additionally, you can view my nutrition plan for more information on healthy nutrition.
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