Guest guest Posted October 11, 2004 Report Share Posted October 11, 2004 - " AutismLink ListServ " <listserv <cherokee Sunday, October 10, 2004 4:18 PM Flu Vaccine Shortage -- Thimerosal to Blame? Author of New Book on Thimerosal Says: Flu Vaccine Shortage -- Thimerosal to Blame? Friday October 8, 9:37 am ET NEW YORK, Oct. 8 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- " Everyone is asking how the Chiron shut-down will affect vaccination rates this year, but few are asking how this could have happened, " says David Kirby, author of the forthcoming book Evidence of Harm - Mercury in Vaccines and the Autism Epidemic: A Medical Controversy, from St. Martin's Press. Kirby is also a contributor to the health and science pages of The New York Times and other publications. This week, Chiron's Fluvirin vaccine was pulled after contamination with the potentially dangerous serratia bacteria was found. " Chiron used the mercury-based preservative thimerosal as a sterilizing agent in making Fluvirin, to prevent exactly this type of contamination, " says Kirby, whose book explores the possibility that thimerosal could have contributed to the rising numbers of cases of autism, ADD and other childhood disorders. " Thimerosal is also used as a preservative in multi-dose vials. By definition, no thimerosal-containing solution should have live bacteria present in its final formula. " Thimerosal, Kirby adds, " has never been proven to be 100% safe, and now we see again that it is not 100% effective either. " A law to ban thimerosal childhood vaccines was just signed by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Vaccine making is nasty business, and microorganisms thrive in the warm egg-based brew used to produce the flu shot. The microbe-rich solution is treated with thimerosal, as a sterilizing agent, to kill all the bugs. Most mercury is removed before packaging, though 25 micrograms-per-dose remain in each 10-dose vial, to avoid contamination from repeated puncture of the seal by syringes. This vaccine was contaminated with serratia at the company's factory in Liverpool, England. " But with so much thimerosal in the mix, how was the bacteria was able to survive? " Kirby asks. Thimerosal, it seems, is not a perfect preservative. In 1982, an FDA panel reported that thimerosal only prevents the growth of new bacteria rather than killing all the organisms altogether. It said mercury-based preservatives should be removed from topical products, and proposed that thimerosal was " not generally recognized as safe and effective. " In fact, thimerosal was singled out as being " no better than water in protecting mice from fatal streptococcal infection. " And it was 35.3 times more toxic for embryonic chick heart tissue than for Staphylococcus aureus. Other studies found that up to 26 percent of the population was hypersensitive to thimerosal. Fluvirin's package insert warns that it should not be given to " anyone with a history of hypersensitivity to any component of the vaccine, including thimerosal. " " This raises some troubling questions, " Kirby says. " If thimerosal doesn't work, why are we using it? And why did it take the British Government to intervene on behalf of the safety of Americans? Now we face an imminent flu season with only half the vaccine needed. Millions will go unvaccinated and people could die because thimerosal failed to perform its job. Government and industry must work to develop a safe AND effective way of making flu vaccine. " <hr><br> <font size= " 2 " face= " Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif " ><i>Join our listserv! Don't get your news second hand! Get LINKED!<br> <a href= " http://lists.autismlink.com/lists " >Click here to join!</a><br></i><font size= " 1 " >If imitation is the highest form of flattery, we're flattered daily!<br></b> <font size= " 1 " > To from this list visit http://lists.autismlink.com/lists/?p= & uid=48d043100b8f90fe9bcde558c81\ 301a3 To update your preferences visit http://lists.autismlink.com/lists/?p=preferences & uid=48d043100b8f90fe9bcde558c81\ 301a3 <font size= " 1 " ><i>AutismLink gives credit where credit is due, however, not everyone holds themselves to these standards. Therefore -- all Website and e-mail design, text, graphics, the selection and arrangement thereof, is Copyright© 2004. AutismLink.com. AALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Permission must be granted in writing to electronically copy and/or print in hard copy portions of this Website. Any other use of materials on this Web site -- including reproduction for purposes without consent, modification, distribution, or republication--without the prior written permission of AutismLink.com is strictly prohibited. -- Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com -- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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