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Many Health Workers Won't Take Swine Flu Vaccine

September 17, 2009
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The following referenced information contains opinion and perspective on a health topic related to vaccine science, policy, law or ethics that is being discussed in public forums, including in medical, law and other professional journals; newspapers, magazines and other print; broadcast and online media outlets; state legislatures and the U.S. Congress.

Readers are encouraged to go to the websites of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) for the perspective of federal agencies responsible for vaccine research, development, regulation and policymaking, including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for information on vaccine policymaking; to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for information on regulating vaccines for safety and effectiveness; and to National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) for information on research and the development of new vaccines.

The World Health Organization has stated that “vaccine hesitancy” is one of the top 10 global public health threats.

Surveys and focus groups show that health care workers, as well as members of the general public, may avoid getting swine flu shots when supplies become available this fall.

In May of this year researchers distributed 810 questionnaires to public hospital workers. Less than half of the nearly 400 workers who returned the questionnaires intended to accept pre-pandemic H1N1 vaccination.

In a separate article, very few of 85 focus group participants in British Columbia said they would be willing to be vaccinated in the event of a pandemic, and very few people said they or their children would definitely get vaccinated.

The most common reason for refusal was potential side effects, followed by questions about the vaccine's efficacy.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

The United States is set to receive as many as 600 million doses of swine flu vaccine, enough for 300 million Americans.

Health care workers are one of four “top priority” groups that stand to receive the swine flu vaccine first (the other three are pregnant women, children with chronic health conditions, and adults with chronic health conditions), under the premise that they will be more likely to be exposed to the virus and need to stay healthy to provide care.

Well, the fact that less than half of nearly 400 hospital workers questioned planned to accept the swine flu shot is very telling, though not surprising considering the majority of health care workers also refuse the seasonal flu shot.

The most common reason given for refusal, and rightfully so, was potential side effects, followed by questions about the vaccine’s efficacy.

Even among a focus group of 85 people, very few said they would get vaccinated in the event of a pandemic. Again, many noted the risks involved in using newly developed vaccines that are rushed to market as a primary concern. Many also believed, correctly I might add, that they could protect themselves through their own behavior, including:

Frequent handwashing

Staying away from crowded places and sick people

Eating well to maintain their immune system

These sentiments are right on, as it is the health of your immune system, which is primarily controlled by your lifestyle habits, that will keep you healthy during a flu outbreak. A vaccine is not the answer, and in fact can cause many other health problems.

Fortunately, this site, and many others seeking to shed light on this deceptive manipulation about the swine flu, are making a huge impact and people are refusing to believe the government propaganda.

Vaccine safety advocates everywhere are beginning to make a serious dent. According to a recent Fox News poll, the majority of people in the U.S. now believe the swine flu vaccine may be deadlier than the actual virus.

Why the Swine Flu Vaccine is a Disaster Waiting to Happen

Count yourself lucky that you still have a choice about whether or not to receive a swine flu vaccine … as I would no sooner choose to get this shot than I would run through a field full of landmines.

For starters, the swine flu vaccine contains dangerous additives such as mercury and squalene, which has been linked to the development of autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.

Squalene Update as of October 2009:

According to Barbara Loe Fisher, founder of the NVIC, none of the H1N1 vaccines being distributed in the United States contain squalene or other oil in water adjuvants.

We successfully made enough fuss about the potential danger of fast tracking licensure of squalene adjuvants into US H1N1 vaccines under an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) that can be invoked during a declared public health emergency that the FDA has NOT licensed these adjuvants for the U.S.

There is squalene in H1N1 vaccines licensed in Europe but not yet in the U.S. That is not to say the vaccine manufacturers will not try to get the adjuvants inserted into vaccines in the future, but for now we have won on this point.

Further, senior neurologists sent a confidential letter to the UK government warning that the swine flu vaccine has been linked to a deadly nerve disease known as Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS). GBS attacks the lining of your nerves, causing paralysis and inability to breathe, and can be fatal.

German lung specialist Wolfgang Wodarg has also come out about even more potential health risks associated with the swine flu vaccine. According to Dr. Wodarg, the swine flu vaccine contains animal cancer cells, and there’s no data indicating whether or not this may cause an allergic reaction when injected.

It also raises questions about the risk of contracting cancer.

Likewise, Johannes Löwer, president of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, believes the side effects of the vaccine can be far worse than the actual swine flu virus, which typically causes only mild symptoms, requiring just a few days in bed.

Swine Flu is Typically NOT Serious

Media reports sensationalizing the “death toll” that could come from the swine flu are just that: sensationalized.

As you may already know, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) consistently claim the seasonal flu kills about 36,000 Americans each year. After investigating that figure, it has been found to be a gross exaggeration based on flawed data compilation, but still, the swine flu has claimed FAR fewer lives than the seasonal flu in any given year, and no draconian measures have ever been taken to curtail the seasonal flu.

Dr. Wodarg told the German press that the widespread fear of the pandemic was an “orchestration,” stating:

“It is great business for the pharmaceutical industry. Swine flu is not very different from normal flu. On the contrary, if you look at the number of cases it is nothing compared to a normal flu outbreak.”

Before you accept a vaccination, or allow your child to receive one, it’s always wise to examine the benefits versus the risks. In the case of swine flu, most often the symptoms are mild and resolve on their own. But no one yet knows what side effects could come from taking the swine flu vaccine.

Fortunately, for now the vaccine is still voluntary but there has been talk that it may become mandatory. For a great review of why mandatory vaccinations are unconstitutional and illegal, I recommend the book “Horrors of Vaccination Exposed and Illustrated; Petition to the President to Abolish Compulsory Vaccination in the Army and Navy,” by Charles M. Higgins.

Written in 1920, the book is now in the public domain and can be read and downloaded for free by clicking this link. It discusses the dangers of vaccinations, the cover-ups of vaccine deaths, and explains your constitutional rights and the medical trends that are stripping those rights away, and is every bit as relevant today as it was when it was first written.

If you prefer a hardcopy version, you can also purchase the book, as it has recently been republished.

An Ounce of Prevention is Worth a Pound of Cure

When it comes to preventing the flu … any flu, including swine flu, natural prevention is your best option. Taking care of your health to reduce or eliminate your risk of contracting the flu is always going to be your safest bet. This past article details my top recommendations for avoiding the flu naturally, and I strongly urge you to start incorporating these changes into your life today.

I also strongly suggest you make sure your vitamin D levels are optimized prior to flu season, as vitamin D is a powerful flu fighter.

There is so much compelling evidence that I believe optimizing your vitamin D levels is one of the absolute best strategies for avoiding infections of ALL kinds, and vitamin D deficiency is likely the TRUE culprit behind the seasonality of the flu -- not the flu virus itself.

Ultimately, your best bet is to maintain healthy levels of vitamin D around 60 ng/ml year-round. Please note that this is far higher than most doctors will refer to as “normal.” Rather it is the optimal level you’ll want to maintain for disease prevention.

I highly recommend you watch my one-hour free vitamin D lecture along with my video on vitamin D’s role in flu prevention for more in-depth information about vitamin D’s role in flu prevention.