The Unstudied Hazards of Vaccines

[Guest guest]

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=15003

The Unstudied Hazards of VaccinesHarold Buttram, Washington Free Press

January 23, 2003

[Note: This is the second in a two-part series on vaccinations published in the

Washington Free Press. Dr. Buttram's first article is available here, and as

before, full versions of both articles with their citations are available upon

request.--Ed.]

 

 

A small but growing minority of physicians and scientists are becoming aware

that safety testing for the various vaccines has been woefully inadequate. As

one of many examples, a l994 special committee of the National Academy of

Sciences (Institute of Medicine) published a comprehensive review of the safety

of the hepatitis B vaccine. When the committee, which carries the responsibility

for determining the safety of vaccines by Congressional mandate, investigated

five possible and plausible adverse effects, they were unable to come to

conclusion for four of them because they found that relevant safety research had

not been done.

 

The clear implication of this report, which in our experience is fairly

representative of a haphazard pattern towards issues of safety throughout the

vaccine field, is that adverse reactions to the vaccines may be occurring on a

large scale without being recognized as to their true nature. In support of this

statement, this article reviews two pioneering studies, one from l955 and the

other from l984, both sounding alarms on potential side effects from vaccines.

 

One of the most intriguing studies from older medical literature dealing with

the pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine was that of A.L. Low (Chicago, l955) who

performed electroencephalograms (EEGs) on 83 children before and after pertussis

immunization. In two of these children he found that the EEGs turned abnormal

following the immunizations without other signs or symptoms of abnormal

reactions. In his report he commented: " This study shows that mild but possibly

significant cerebral reactions may occur in addition to the reported very severe

neurological changes. "

 

Another intriguing study, this one from Germany, was reported in a little-noted

letter-to-the editor in the New England Journal of Medicine, in l984. In the

study, a significant though temporary drop of T-helper lymphocytes was found in

11 healthy adults following routine tetanus booster vaccinations. Special

concern rests in the fact that in four of the subjects, the T-helper lymphocytes

fell to levels seen in active AIDS patients.

 

The implications of these two studies are enormous. In regards to the German

study, if this was the result of a single vaccine in healthy adults, it is

sobering to think of the possible consequences of multiple vaccines (18 vaccines

within the first six months of life at latest count) given to infants with their

immature and vulnerable immune systems. Unfortunately, other than clinical

observations, we can only speculate as to these consequences, as this test has

never been repeated.

 

As for the Low study with EEGs before-and-after pertussis immunization: at a

time when myriad children are suffering from various degrees and phases of brain

dysfunction, it is possible that vaccine reactions may be occurring on a large

scale, unrecognized as to their true nature, and contributing to this pool of

unfortunate children.

 

It is both sad and shameful that neither of these studies have had follow-ups in

American laboratories and medical centers, as should have been the case. Had

follow-ups been done, they would perhaps have led to safer forms and

combinations of childhood vaccines than available at present.

 

From a careful gleaning of medical literature over many years, we have been able

to find only three other reports in the literature of studies done

before-and-after immunizations, all from foreign medical centers:

 

 

 

 

In a study from Japan, immunizations (DPT, DT, or BCG) were given to 61

children with a history of febrile seizures or epilepsy, who had not had a

seizure for one year. Following immunizations there was a significant increase

in " epileptic spikes " in post-vaccine electroencephalograms as compared with

those done preceding vaccines.

 

 

 

In January, l993, a Czechoslovakian medical journal published the results of

a study of 89 children with adverse clinical reactions following administrations

of various combinations of vaccines. Detailed case histories were taken and

blood tests were done to examine various parameters of cellular and humoral

immunity. It was found that children with adverse reactions had marked increases

in abnormal blood parameters as compared with children who had had no clinical

reactions.

 

 

 

In l997 a study from the University of Alberta, Canada, reported on findings

from before-and-after MMR vaccine in which the effects on both the measles

specific antibodies and cell mediated immunity, as indicated by cytokine

generation, were tested. The significance of this report may not rest so much on

the specific findings, as on the fact that it opens up an entirely new avenue of

research, designed to reveal the specific mechanisms of actions of the vaccines,

and also possibly revealing their side effects.

 

 

 

 

 

With these three reports from reputable medical centers, published in

peer-review journals, the flood-gates of medical research have been opened. The

truth about vaccine mechanisms, effects, as well as adverse reactions cannot be

long in following. Although late, we would hope that our own medical and

research centers would join in this search.

 

Harold Buttram is an author and physician at the Woodlands Healing Research

Center in Quakertown, Penn.

 

 

 

Gettingwell- / Vitamins, Herbs, Aminos, etc.

 

To , e-mail to: Gettingwell-

Or, go to our group site: Gettingwell

 

 

 

 

Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now