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To jab or not to jab?

The influenza vaccine was originally developed in the 1940s to protect military personnel. In 1960, influenza vaccines were recommended for adults over 65 years of age.  Today they are strongly encouraged or mandated for nearly everyone, including infants over the age of six months, children, teens, pregnant women (all trimesters), healthy adults, the elderly and healthcare workers.  About 170 million doses were expected to be produced for the U.S. market alone during the 2015-16 influenza season, a substantial increase over the 32 million doses made available in 1990. 

Several scientific papers document problems with influenza vaccines. For example, studies show that annual vaccination against seasonal influenza reduces protective immunity against more virulent pandemic strains.  People who are naturally exposed to circulating influenza viruses – unvaccinated individuals – are likely to gain cross-protection against other strains of the disease.  Vaccinated people are denied this cross-protective benefit.  Animal studies confirm the health benefits of prior infection. 

Other scientific papers show that the CDC (Centre for Disease Control) policy of vaccinating pregnant women* is not supported by science, the influenza vaccine is not very effective, and children who receive an inactivated influenza vaccine are significantly more likely than non-vaccinated children to be hospitalised. Although influenza vaccines were originally recommended for the elderly, there is no evidence that influenza vaccines improve elderly death rates.  There is also no evidence that vaccinating healthcare workers protects their patients.

Influenza vaccine marketing campaigns are also problematic. Health authorities and the CDC use scare tactics, exaggerate the dangers of influenza and inflate the benefits of influenza vaccination to increase the number of people who receive influenza vaccines.  These unethical practices restrict the possibilities for rational discussion and reasonable public health policy.

* Pregnant women vaccinated against seasonal influenza and A-H1N1 (swine flu) had high rates of spontaneous abortions.

“ The CDC policy to vaccinate pregnant women with thimerosal-containing influenza vaccines is not supported by science. The CDC recommendation of influenza vaccination during pregnancy is not supported by citations in its own policy paper or in current medical literature.  Considering the potential risks of maternal and foetal mercury exposure, the administration of thimerosal during pregnancy is both unjustified and unwise.” Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons 2006

Supporting your immune system naturally will have far greater advantages in protecting you against infection.  Actually getting ‘sick’ is good for you as it increases your natural antibodies.  The benefit of having a healthy immune system is that, if you do get sick, it will be far less intense and be of shorter duration.  There are many ways in which to help strengthen your immune system – good nutrition, adequate rest, regular exercise, stress-coping mechanisms.  You can also visit our qualified Naturopath at True Medicine who can assess your individual needs and perhaps provide herbal or nutritional remedies to help support your immune system.  Call 07 5530 1863 for an appointment.

More information on vaccines is available in “Miller’s review of Critical Vaccine Studies” by Neil Z. Miller.