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Safety Issues Surrounding an H1N1 Swine
Flu Vaccine
New
York Nurses Say, "No"
The New
York State Nurses Association has come out
against a state regulation that requires
every health-care worker to be immunized
against influenza.
The regulation has been adopted by the New
York State Hospital Planning and Review
Council. It's intended as a defense against
a possible fall outbreak of swine flu.
The Nurses Association called the council's
action a "scorched earth" approach."While we
encourage nurses to be immunized for the
flu, we do not agree that nurses should be
required to get immunizations as a condition
of employment,"said Eileen Avery, associate
director of the association's education,
practice and research program.
Avery contended that the flu vaccine is not
100 percent effective. "There is no
guarantee that in any given year, the public
will benefit from mandatory immunization of
health-care providers," she said.
...safety issues surrounding an H1N1
vaccine
The Lancet, Volume 374, Issue 9687, Page
358, 1 Aug. 2009
Editorial
...safety of an H1N1 vaccine is a
concern. Many national regulatory
agencies have set-up fast-track approval
processes for the H1N1 vaccine, which
means that a vaccine might be licensed
without the usual safety and efficacy
data requirements. Vaccine safety will
therefore have to be monitored through
post-marketing surveillance. But some
fear a repeat of the 1976 H1N1 outbreak
in the USA, where mass vaccination was
associated with complications, which
stopped the campaign and led to the
withdrawal of the vaccine.
Countries need to carefully assess the
risks and benefits of rapid approval of
an H1N1 vaccine, especially since the
disease has so far been mild with most
patients making a full recovery.
They must also ensure that they have
strong post-marketing surveillance in
place before rolling out a vaccine.
Dr.
Eisenstein's Comments:
The New York nurses get it. The
Lancet, a very prestigious medical
journal, gets it! Why do WHO, NIH,
CDC, AAP etc, not get it? How can
you even suggest adminstering a
vaccine
without safety testing?
Flu
vaccines have never worked in any age
group.
There is limited or no data on the
safety or effectiveness of the swine flu
vaccine, especially with the new
untested adjuvants.
Adjuvants-formulated
compounds which when combined with
vaccine antigens intensify the body's
immune response.
Give the right to make medical
decisions back to the Patients
and their Doctors! The notion
of mandating an unsubstantiated
injection with no clear evidence
of efficacy is outrageous.
Vaccine choice is what it is all
about. An informed and aware
public both physically and
intellectually is what is best
for us.
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