The varicella zoster (chickenpox) virus causes a generally mild and short-lived disease when it occurs in young children under age 12, as it almost always did prior to the live attenuated varicella vaccine being licensed in 1995 and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for use by all children.1 Natural chickenpox infection results in long-lasting immunity, while the varicella vaccine’s protection is temporary, leaving vaccinated individuals vulnerable to infection at an older age when chickenpox is much more serious.
After recovery from varicella infection, the virus remains dormant in the system. Before the chickenpox vaccine was widely used, individuals who recovered from chickenpox as children had their immunity asymptomatically boosted by coming in contact with young children infected with chickenpox.2 Without periodic asymptomatic boosting throughout life, however, the dormant varicella zoster virus may reactivate later as herpes zoster (HZ, or shingles), a painful and sometimes persistent blistering rash.
The controversy over varicella vaccine safety and mandates has raged since its introduction in the U.S. nearly 25 years ago. When it was licensed in 1995, the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) questioned the strength of the scientific evidence for safety and effectiveness used by CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to make a universal use recommendation and argued the vaccine should not be mandated because, in part, universal use of the vaccine could drive chickenpox into older children and adults and raise the risks for shingles later in life.3
CDC Admits the Chickenpox Vaccine Is Reactive, Reactions Underreported
In a 2000 article, the CDC acknowledged that in the first three years of the varicella vaccine’s use between March 1995 and July 1998, the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) had received 67.5 adverse event reports per 100,000 doses (1 in 1,481 doses), including reports of cases of herpes zoster (shingles). CDC admitted those adverse event reports were a substantial underestimation of all adverse events that had occurred: “Although the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 (Pub L No 99-660) obliges physicians to submit certain reports, VAERS data are typical of passive drug safety surveillance programs, with case counts that represent unknown but probably highly variable fractions of actual event numbers.”4
In a press release, NVIC challenged the CDC’s assertion that varicella vaccine posed minimal risks to children after the VAERS analysis revealed that at least 4 percent of reported adverse events following chickenpox vaccinations were serious, including shock, convulsions, encephalitis, thrombocytopenia and death. NVIC pointed out that VAERS data included reports of varicella vaccine strain infection and transmission and cases of herpes zoster (shingles) and stated, “The VAERS data has lead to the addition of 17 adverse events to the manufacturer’s product label since the vaccine was licensed for use in 1995, including secondary bacterial infections (cellulitis), secondary transmission (infection of close contacts), transverse myelitis, Guillain Barre syndrome and herpes zoster (shingles).”5
Varicella Research Analyst Blows Whistle on CDC Manipulation of Data
Gary S. Goldman, PhD6 served for eight years (from January, 1995 until his resignation in October of 2002) as Research Analyst for the Varicella Active Surveillance Project (VASP) in a cooperative project with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, Atlanta, GA). Goldman was hired by Vestex Human Resource Systems to conduct studies on the impact of the Universal Varicella Vaccine Program in California’s Antelope Valley region. Under the auspices of the Los Angeles Department of Health’s Acute Communicable Disease Control unit, the CDC-funded Antelope Valley Varicella Active Surveillance Project (AV-VASP) was charged with monitoring the effects of the varicella (chickenpox) program in a relatively isolated and stable population, primarily from the cities of Lancaster and Palmdale in California’s upper desert area.
When Dr. Goldman was prevented from publishing findings about the negative effects of universal use of varicella zoster vaccination by children, he resigned in 2002. In his resignation letter, he stated,”When research data concerning a vaccine used in human populations is being suppressed and/or misrepresented, this is very disturbing and goes against all scientific norms and compromises professional ethics.”
In 2005, Dr. Goldman published a paper giving evidence for the fact that shingles is suppressed naturally in human populations by repeated exposure to natural chickenpox, which provides protective asymptomatic boosting. He predicted that widespread chickenpox vaccination would lead to a loss of natural immunity and a spike in the incidence of shingles among adults.7 He noted that the pharmacological industry’s expectation was to offset the decrease in circulating chickenpox by vaccinating against shingles, Dr. Goldman said,
Using a shingles vaccine to control shingles epidemics in adults would likely fail because adult vaccination programs have rarely proved successful…There appears to be no way to avoid a mass epidemic of shingles lasting as long as several generations among adults.
In 2006, Goldman published a paper “The Case Against Universal Varicella Vaccination.” He asked, “Is the varicella (chickenpox) vaccine needed? Is it cost effective as a routine immunization for all susceptible children? Or is it more beneficial for the disease to remain endemic so that adults may receive periodic exogenous exposures (boosts) that help suppress the reactivation of herpes zoster (shingles).”8
In March 2018, he published an article in Annals of Clinical Pathology, “The US Universal Varicella Vaccination Program: CDC Censorship of Adverse Public Health Consequences.”9 In that article he provided evidence to support his allegation that CDC officials manipulated varicella data to affirm the CDC’s support for chickenpox vaccine mandates that that will require a lifetime of expensive vaccine boosters.
He explained the history of the VASP study and data were gathered from 300 participating centers, which included daycare centers, preschools, public and private schools and medical facilities. By 1999, anecdotal reports from school nurses suggested that the number of herpes zoster (shingles) cases was increasing among children. As there were no baseline figures for comparison, Goldman suggested to principal investigators that shingles statistics should be added to the surveillance criteria.
In what Goldman described as a deliberate “attempt to quash the unwanted outcomes in the years following 2000,” he said it became apparent that the methods for interpretation of data were flawed, skewing CDC and VASP conclusions in favor of the varicella mass vaccination program.
Poor Science and Conflicts of Interest
According to Goldman, among the many ways that CDC officials were able to distort varicella data included the following:
- Averaging rates of chickenpox over years instead of stratifying by year. This had the effect of increasing the apparent impact of the vaccine before it really could have affected incidence in the community and masking the declining efficacy of the vaccine over time.
- Combining the incidence of childhood shingles without differentiating between those who had had natural chickenpox and those who had been vaccinated. This would effectively obscure both the increasing rate of shingles and the importance of asymptomatic immunity boost gained by re-exposure to wild-type chickenpox virus that prevents shingles.
- Directing Goldman to stop his pursuit of shingles trends and, further, prohibiting him from publishing his findings. In a written directive from the County of Los Angeles legal department, which is included in the 2018 article, Goldman was told to “cease and desist in your efforts to publish or disseminate any information gathered as part of your participation on the VASP.”
- Choosing poorly designed studies to support conclusions.
- Actively seeking to discredit Goldman and his research.
- Misleading the public by maintaining that the chickenpox vaccine would be inexpensive, would confer life-long immunity, and there was no immunological link with shingles.
- Tolerating significant financial and personnel conflicts of interest. For example, Goldman points out that Julie Gerberding, who is head of Merck’s Vaccine Division overseeing the marketing of chickenpox and shingles vaccines, was head of the CDC from 2002 to 2009.
Goldman asserted that while CDC continually promotes vaccines as the “safest of all medicines,” and insists that “vaccination relies on science- or evidenced-based medicine,” and fosters “an increasing demand for vaccine mandates,” the CDC is ensuring that the vaccinated public “now requires and will continue to require a lifetime- series of costly booster vaccines.”
He concluded that, “a combination of financial conflicts of interests, lack of proper controls, and poor methodology in varicella studies commissioned by the CDC often yielded improper or confounded results and conclusions— producing research based on pseudoscience that should more appropriately be relegated to a faith-based belief system rather than the realm of science.”
References:
2 Goldman GS. Universal Varicella Vaccines: Efficacy, Trends and Effects on Herpes Zoster. Int J Toxicology July 1, 2005.
3 National Vaccine Information Center. Varicella Zoster (Chickenpox) Disease and Vaccine and March 1995 Debate on NBC “Today Show.” NVIC.org.
4 Wise RR, Salive ME et al. Postlicensure Safety Surveillance for Varicella Vaccine. JAMA 2000; 284(10): 1271-1279.
5 National Vaccine Information Center. NVIC Challenges VAERS Data of Chickenpox Vaccine Adverse Events. NVIC.org (press release) Sept. 13, 2000.
6 Physicians for Informed Consent. Gary S. Goldman, PhD biography.
7 Goldman, GS. Chicken Pox Vaccine Associated With Shingles Epidemic. Medical Life Sciences Sept. 1, 2005.
8 Goldman GS. The Case Against Universal Varicella Vaccination. Int J Toxocol 2006; 25(5).
9 Goldman GS. The US Universal Varicella Vaccination Program: CDC Censorship of Adverse Public Health Consequences. Annals of Clinical Pathology Mar. 31, 2018.
19 Responses
Every one of my siblings had chickenpox but not I. Found out later that I was gifted with not being able to get chickenpox nor mumps and to date many, many years later still neither. sad too that so many of these unnecessary vaccinations are not warranted (our family doctor was against them and he was right because when you have one of any of many, your resistance is built. What a concept!) and many have to be “redone” because they are passing along some of these diseases after getting a vaccination. Money making and plain stupid!
Isn’t Fascist Capitalism wonderful?
The vaccine industry has become a CULT. I don’t trust anything that the corrupt CDC states. It is disgusting how they put profit over children’s health.
I now refuse ALL vaccines. In the long run, they damage your own innate immune system, they contain highly toxic chemicals that are neurotoxic, carcinogenic, and autoimmune triggers, plus aborted fetal tissue. They are full of toxic crap that goes straight to your organs, no filtering though your digestive system, liver and kidneys.
The incestuous relationships be NCDC and pharmaceutical and other medical-related companies is long term and seriously compromises the integrity of all parties, NCDC most notably.
The vast amounts of money involved in mandated vaccine programs makes skewing of study data too tempting for those with ties to both entities.
There needs to be more separation be public and private institutions.
The time and expense of vaccine development must be addressed, thereby lessening the motive to mislead or falsify data and lobby for mandated vaccine programs.
As a father of 3 and a health practitioner in enzyme therapy, I had the pleasure of resolving the chickenpox in 2 1/2 days with my eldest daughter and son. They were back in school on day 4. The younger son took 4 days to resolve and was in school on day 5 only because he had difficulty in swallowing capsules. My oldest son resolved the measles in only 1 day. There are a number of ways to resolve all childhood diseases but that information is withheld from the public because it takes away the bo$$om line of drug/vaccine manufacturers. As a father, I spent the last 36 years researching vaccines and have downloaded or copied over 1,800 clinical studies in PDF format. There is overwhelming evidence vaccines
1) do not protect against what their claimed to do
2) are responsible for serious/dangerous (life threatening in some cases) side effects – having created “new” and puzzling (to the regular medical community) diseases (Acute disseminated encephalomyelitis; Antiphospholipid syndrome (APS); Autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome; Demylenation of nerve cells; Guillain-Barré Syndrome; Macrophagic Myofaciitis; Narcolepsy; Reye’s Syndrome when aspirin is used to quell fevers; Shaken Baby Syndrome; Sudden Infant Death Syndrome to name a few)
3) Are shown to be causative factors in Multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease and a number of other delayed response diseases
4) The clinical evidence, when bias is not present shows a direct link to autism, ADD/ADHD
The mere FACT, CONgress passed laws prohibiting law suits against vaccine manufacturers should tell you the truth and also everyone of those who passed the bill should be held accountable for the rise in autism and other diseases related to vaccines but more importantly the severe suffering and deaths of countless children world-wide. Oh and don’t forget Bill & Melinda Gates whose foundation is responsible for ALL third-wolrd deaths/disease by vaccines.
Thanks, can I quote your response please?
Mark, “There are a number of ways to resolve all childhood diseases but that information is withheld from the public because it takes away the bo$$om line of drug/vaccine manufacturers.”
Can you share anything with those of us interested to know what protocol you followed for your children?
Julie’s scared and being on such a bitch power trip, she needs to be true to herself! She clearly sees the Goldman Research as” TRUTH” and is denying herself of that and the world! She’s a liar!!!
CDC Will squash her like a bug!
if she should say otherwise!
Its all about $$$$$$ And American Greed….
I am a physician and a believer in vaccines. However, I have never been a believer in the chicken pox vaccine. I was fortunate to be able to get both of my older boys infected by wild type virus before they were mandated to get the vaccination. My younger boy, unfortunately, was born during a time when wild type virus was not available to be infected with. Experience from Japan, where vaccination was started 7 years before the American experience, was available to the decision makers at the time that vaccination was mandated. Their experience showed exactly what the article discusses-that wild type immunity is of long term benefit, and that herd immunity is compromised by the vaccination process in this case. Varicella virus is unique in that it incorporates itself into the DNA of neural tissue of infected individuals and can therefore reactivate at any time for reasons that are not clearly understood. This results in shingles outbreak. Anecdotally, I have seen increased incidence of shingles in my practice. This appears to have been implicitly admitted to by the manufacturer, as they have changed the composition of the vaccination In an effort to boost efficacy.
We need more Dr. Goldmans! I am grateful for his courage, honesty and integrity in standing up for the truth.
Can teachers get Guilin barre syndrome from newly vaccinated children
What a courageous whistleblower! Thank you Dr. Goldman. We knew the chickenpox story was significant, but the coverup is truly disturbing.
Great article, guys – and even Dr. Goldman and his colleagues didn’t foresee the 10,000+% increase in shingles in infants! (obviously in those cases where the child had received the vaccine before the recommended twelve months) and toddlers after the introduction of the varicella vaccine – a disease which pre-vaccine had been reserved almost exclusively for adults in midlife or older. The vaccine skewed the natural occurrence of shingles by decades.
I KNEW IT!!
Im not a scientist, and had already figured this one out on my own.
Its common sense…….
Unreal what they get away with!!
Over 30 years ago my brother in law became a PA… In his studies and researching the AMA , he found that it has been kept a secret from anyone outside the medical world, that the so called chicken pox vaccine is linked to cervical cancer !
I think this is pretty profound! CDC had to have know this at the time this was printed….and today it’s a law to vaccinate our girls with this killing vaccine…
What a screwed up world we can’t stop this madness!
I wish my brother in law lived long enough to tell me more about things going with the drug world and keeping super quiet info from the public !
What we do not know will kill us and what we do know will kill us!!
Barbara….question; chicken pox vaccine linked to cervical cancer in what way? It must be the myriad of toxins in the vaccines because a DNA virus like HPV or Herpes Zoster cannot and do not cause the initial cell mutation of chromosomes (aneuploidy) to start cancer tumor. They cannot because DNA virus are cytotoxic to the cell. RNA virus, such as HIV, Hep viruses…. are not guilty of cancer either as they were studied and concluded invalid in the mid to late 70’s…. Nixons Cancer Virus Program. DNA (cytotoxic) nor RNA (assosciated, passenger) virus cannot and do not cause cancer. Yes that makes the Gardasil vaccine a pure hoax.
I had shingles last year as a 33 year old and wouldn’t wish it on anyone…it was awful. Luckily, me having the shingles resulted in both of my sons (1 and 3 at the time) getting chickenpox at the same time. It barely even bothered them even though they were covered in red bumps all over. However, I worry that they might get shingles as adults too, since most kids are being vaccinated nowadays.
Thank you Dr Goldman
Omitted from this article is Dr. Goldman directly connecting herpes zoster as a cause for Trigeminal Neuralgia, TN. TN is considered the most painful disease known to humanity, causing nerve damage to not only the trigeminal nerve, but the aricular nerve, and ophthalmic nerve and other nerves in the body. TN is called the suicide disease, and has been considered rare. Yet, with the broad use of the vaccine, 1 in 3 Americans, will have shingles. This increase in shingles will increase the # of people in our population with debilitating Trigeminal Neuralgia. The rarity of TN will become more commonplace with a deceived public lining up for a shingles virus, lining the pockets of the pharma company who knowingly continued the release of the varicella vaccine. Additionally, herpes zoster and TN are easily misdiagnosed as impetigo, scabies, and other rashes demobstrating the medical community has been deceived as well. Merck and the CDC must be held accountable.