Understanding the Rationale Behind Vaccines
Story Highlights The prevailing assumption within the medical, government, pharmacology and science communities is that vaccines are safe and effective. Those who question that foundation are said to be relying on quack science. To have a open conversation about the potential dangers of vaccination, we must understand the science behind vaccines. There is no doubt […]
The Human Microbiome: Viruses R Us
For nearly 150 years, microbes, often referred to as “germs,” have struck fear into the hearts of medical doctors and scientists. After the discovery of bacteria, the “germ theory” developed by Robert Koch and Louis Pasteur in the mid-19th century quickly dominated the practice of…
The Emerging Risks of Live Virus and Virus Vectored Vaccines
Public health officials say that unvaccinated children pose a big danger to those around them and even threaten the health of fully vaccinated children and adults because vaccines can fail to prevent infection in vaccinated persons. Today, the most common argument used to justify “no exceptions” mandatory vaccination laws is that unvaccinated people pose a serious health threat to others who “cannot be vaccinated,” such as the immune-compromised.
Statins May Weaken the Effect of the Flu Vaccine
If you’re taking statin cholesterol-lowering drugs, you should know that this may weaken your body’s response to the flu vaccine. In those over 65 who received a flu shot, researchers found antibody concentrations were between 38% and 67% lower than those in people not taking statins. Among younger individuals a weakened response was also seen. Those who received a flu shot and were taking statins were 11% more likely to develop a respiratory illness that required medical attention compared to those not taking the drugs. It’s thought that statins’ anti-inflammatory properties may be responsible for lowering the immune system’s response to the vaccine.
More People Opting Out of Flu Vaccine in the United Kingdom
Last year, the flu vaccine in the United Kingdom was even more of a failure than in the U.S. In the U.K., during the 2014-15 flu season the flu vaccine was only 3% effective. The Conversation described this as “one bad year,” but even during a good year the effectiveness is usually around 50%, which means whether or not it will protect you amounts to the flip of a coin. So it’s no wonder that this year the U.K. is seeing low uptake of the vaccine—influenza vaccination rates are down 6% compared to last year. Vaccination rates are even low among groups considered to be most vulnerable to the flu, such as the elderly, children under 5 and…
European Agency Declares HPV Vaccines Safe, But Denmark, Japan Skeptical
A handful of countries, like Denmark and Japan, remain skeptical about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines, even though the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee’s (PRAC) safety review in 2015 did not change the agency’s position that the benefits of HPV vaccinations outweigh the risks. In July 2015, the PRAC in Europe launched a probe to investigate the safety of the three HPV vaccines available both in the United States and to countries in the European Union—Merck and Co.’s Gardasil and Gardasil 9 and GlaxoSmithKline’s Cervarix. Continuing reports of several HPV-related adverse events prompted the investigation.