H1N1 Vaccine

[JSB]

Let me preface this by stating that I'm not in the anti-vaccine camp; I think vaccination has saved millions from terrible diseases like smallpox and polio, but I'm not here to push that view or start a debate.

I would like to point people to this document on the new H1N1 vaccine, as it shows evidence of real questions about the safety and necessity of this particular vaccine as it is currently prepared.

It is a short English summary of a presentation in Spanish by Dr. Teresa Forcades, an M.D. certified in Internal Medicine, with a Ph.D. in Public Health (who also happens to be a Bendictine nun).

English Gist Of Teresa Forcades Presentation On H1 N1

[The Big D]

I am not anti-vaccine either for diseases that commonly cause death or long term disability, but the H1N1 vaccine strikes me as a bad idea for a number of reasons:

1) The H1N1 death total is tiny compared to seasonal flu. It seems to be very contagious but not very deadly ie. more like a cold. That makes the "reward" side of the vaccine risk/reward equation look a lot worse.

2) The vaccine is new, and rushed, and there have been disturbing reports. That has to increase the "risk" side.

3) There certainly seems to be a media trend towards unfounded flu panics of late. I'm not interested in playing along.

[gigij]

We've had two deaths this week in our area (Southern Ontario). A 15 year old girl and a 13 year old boy, both previously healthy. I think the concern is that healthy young people seem to be the ones dying from this particular strain - which is unusual for the flu.

As for the vaccine being rushed. It's my understanding that the flu vaccine is updated every year based on the anticipated strain that is going to be dominant. Wouldn't that make every flu vaccine rushed?

[scorpio1980]

Australia already had it's flu season, and reported very little deaths from H1N1. The regular flu kills an estimated 500,000 people around the world every year, the swine flu has killed only 5,000 thus far with only 2 months left to go, which makes me wonder will it even kill1/10th the people the regular flu does. This no pandemic, but it sure is a good way to harm yourself with unneeded, untested vaccines. Not to mention the CDC website reports an annual death rate from seasonal flu at 36,000 in the united states, were only at roughly 1,000 with the swine flu.

[The Big D]

Originally Posted by gigij

We've had two deaths this week in our area (Southern Ontario). A 15 year old girl and a 13 year old boy, both previously healthy. I think the concern is that healthy young people seem to be the ones dying from this particular strain - which is unusual for the flu.

As for the vaccine being rushed. It's my understanding that the flu vaccine is updated every year based on the anticipated strain that is going to be dominant. Wouldn't that make every flu vaccine rushed?

No, usually the pick the strain(s) farther in advance, and it's not so rushed. Plus the demand is typically far lower than this year. It's also typically has the wrong strains, and as a result is nearly useless.

[gigij]

Well like I said - two kids dying this week have people around here lining up for hours for it. Sure the regular flu kills people every year - but that's usually people who are already sick, in nursing homes etc. - not really newsworthy. We also have an outbreak in a hospital here - so seems we might be getting hit a bit harder...

[The Big D]

Originally Posted by gigij

Well like I said - two kids dying this week have people around here lining up for hours for it. Sure the regular flu kills people every year - but that's usually people who are already sick, in nursing homes etc. - not really newsworthy. We also have an outbreak in a hospital here - so seems we might be getting hit a bit harder...

You also don't hear about it when another flu strain kills a kid, and it does happen. A lot. Wonder why that is? Maybe this one has a catchy name that elicits media attention.

This has been one of the LEAST deadly flu strains to hit in years. That's a statistical fact.

[SomeRandomGuy]

Originally Posted by gigij

As for the vaccine being rushed. It's my understanding that the flu vaccine is updated every year based on the anticipated strain that is going to be dominant. Wouldn't that make every flu vaccine rushed?

That's not a reason to get the H1N1 Vaccination, it is reason to not get any flu vaccination. I do software testing for a living, so am very critical of anything that is released to the public without being properly testing, especially something that has potential to do physical harm. I understand how dangerous it can be to make the assumption that since last year's vaccine seemed safe, changing it slightly for this year should be safe. Anytime you make any change, risk is introduced, and the product should be fully tested before being released. I would be uncomfortable taking a vaccine that was not only tested, but studied for long term effects. Since the flu vaccine changes each year that isn't really even feasible. That is one of the reasons I will never get a flu vaccine.

[ginkgo]

Mercola.com (he is an MD) has a few pages about this. One about how there is no need for it. Also there is evidence of nerve damage and other things.

One college tested students that had it and said that it is milder than the seasonal flu. My past posts show that I don't tell you to find the links but always give them to you, but the mercola site will not let me see stuff unless I register. It is free but a pain making it a website that sucks.

Does anyone know how to get around this (registering). Here are the links though: Warning: Swine Flu Shot Linked to Killer Nerve Disease

Another Shocking Warning About Swine Flu Vaccine

Squalene: The Swine Flu Vaccine’s Dirty Little Secret Exposed

Due to the recession, they need money. This H1N1 swindle flu is the biggest con ever by them.

Also if you get it naturally, it will strengthen your immune system so you will be better prepared for something serious. Here is my threat to you. Use it and you will get what you deserve. I know that Steve Pavlina will not use it or give it to his kids since he is smart. He does not take any vaccines.

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by SomeRandomGuy

That's not a reason to get the H1N1 Vaccination, it is reason to not get any flu vaccination. I do software testing for a living, so am very critical of anything that is released to the public without being properly testing, especially something that has potential to do physical harm. I understand how dangerous it can be to make the assumption that since last year's vaccine seemed safe, changing it slightly for this year should be safe. Anytime you make any change, risk is introduced, and the product should be fully tested before being released. I would be uncomfortable taking a vaccine that was not only tested, but studied for long term effects. Since the flu vaccine changes each year that isn't really even feasible. That is one of the reasons I will never get a flu vaccine.

Since you test software for a living, you have to be very intelligent. This was a very intelligent answer and a great analogy. Was Window's Vista a big mistake? XP was current for at least 5 years.

With a drug, if it kills thousands of people like Vioxx did, you (or your estate) can sue them. But you can't sue if a vaccine makes you impotent or insane or dead.

[JSB]

Yes, this is another issue. In the US, Congress has exempted all drug manufacturers from legal liability for any side effects of the H1N1 vaccine.

If you are one of the few who do experience a negative reaction, you have no legal recourse, no matter how severe your health problems.

[Maximum Jack]

I'm not anti vaccine or anti medicine, I am pro personal responsibility for your own health. The pharmaceutical industry has no interest in your health per say, they only produce drugs they can sell for a profit. They are a comercial enterprise and answer to their shareholders first, I personally avoid such companies products as being healthy and being treated are subtly yet fudamentally different.

[stanmrak]

Vaccine "Studies" are a Joke!

The November issue of the Atlantic magazine contains an excellent article examining the studies that are being used by the CDC to reinforce the effectiveness of flu vaccines.

What they found:

Double-blind studies have never been done on long-term effects or safety of vaccines — or even if they actually work! Tom Jefferson, from the Cochrane Collaboration, one of the world's best-informed researchers on the flu vaccine, is interviewed for the story. He leads a team of researchers who have examined hundreds of vaccine studies. According to Jefferson, "The vast majority of the studies were deeply flawed. Rubbish is not a scientific term, but I think it's the term that applies (to these studies)."

The current status of vaccine studies? The gist of the argument at this point is:

- First, government officials declare that vaccines are effective.
- When faced with contrary evidence, proponents acknowledge that the science is not as clear as they would like.
- Then, in response to calls for placebo-controlled trials, which would provide clear evidence one way or the other, the proponents say such studies would deprive patients of vaccines and drugs that have already been deemed effective!!!
The end result is that no studies about the real effectiveness and long-term safety of vaccinations are being done at all. And the pharmaceutical industry just keeps raking in the profits.

Read the entire article here - it's a stunner!
Does the Vaccine Matter? - The Atlantic (November 2009)


Oh, and those statistics that the CDC is spitting out in order to scare us into lining up for our flu shots? According to a CBS 3-month investigation, the CDC is either guessing or making them up!
CBS Reveals that Swine Flu Cases Seriously Overestimated


Want More Evidence?
According to Mike Adams:

In 2004, vaccine production was low and there was a shortage in vaccines (a 40 percent reduction in vaccinations). And yet mortality rates did not rise during the flu season. [Clearly, if vaccines actually worked, then a year when the vaccine wasn't even administered to 40% of the people who normally get it should have resulted in a huge and statistically significant increase in mortality. It should have spiked the death rates and filled the morgues... but it didn't. You know why? Because flu vaccines don't work in the first place.]

• In the history of flu vaccines, there were two years in which the formulated flu vaccine was a total mismatch to the widely-circulating influenza that made people sick. These years were 1968 and 1997. In both of these years, the vaccine was a completely mismatch for the circulating virus. In effect, nobody was vaccinated! [Knowing this, if the vaccine itself was effective at reducing death rates, then we should have once again seen a huge spike in the death rates during these two years, right? Seriously, if the vaccine reduces death rates by 50% as is claimed by vaccine manufacturers, then these two years in which the vaccine completely missed the mark should have seen huge spikes in the winter death rates, right? But what really happened was... nothing. Not a blip. Not a spike. Nothing. The death rates didn't rise at all.]

• If vaccines really worked to save lives, then the more people you vaccinate, the lower death rates you should see, right? But that's not the case. Back in 1989, only 15 percent of over-65 people got vaccinated against the flu. But today, thanks to the big vaccine push, over 65 percent are vaccinated. And yet, amazingly, death rates among the elderly have not gone down during the flu season. In fact, they've gone up!

Flu vaccines revealed as the greatest quackery ever pushed in the history of medicine by Mike Adams the Health Ranger

And to ginkgo: Why would you not want to subscribe to Dr. Mercola's newsletter? IMO, It's probably the most trustworthy source of alternative health information on the internet — and it's totally free. He's one of the few physicians willing to take on Big Pharma and the Food Industry — I'd like to encourage more people to support him, even if it's just reading his newsletter. He's as much a champion for the people as Kevin Trudeau, whom I know you're fond of quoting.

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by stanmrak

Vaccine "Studies" are a Joke!

And to ginkgo: Why would you not want to subscribe to Dr. Mercola's newsletter? IMO, It's probably the most trustworthy source of alternative health information on the internet — and it's totally free. He's one of the few physicians willing to take on Big Pharma and the Food Industry — I'd like to encourage more people to support him, even if it's just reading his newsletter. He's as much a champion for the people as Kevin Trudeau, whom I know you're fond of quoting.

You have a lot of great information. I was a subscriber to mercola a long time ago, but I must have canceled it. I am not sure why but probably too many emails. Because they are free almost every company sends you too many. I got a great deal on business cards from Vista, but I canceled their emails since I was getting one every day. Health Science Institute sends you like 2 or 3 a day and a lot is repeat information.

Also if they sent you one like twice a week or less, then it would be the very best info they find. But when they send them everyday, then they have to send whatever they have even if it is not that good.

I quote Trudeau since he has a lot of good info. But sometimes I get scolded for it since he is a convicted criminal of fraud. He does have serious issues with money. More recently he was advertising his weight loss cure book and said on the TV ads that you do not need to change your diet. He lied and was fined for it. It involves not eating anything unhealthy.

His book on natural cures has 40 pages talking about the no hunger bread. But the recipe is not in this book that people paid $30 for (incl. $10 shipping and handling). If you want the recipe you have to pay $10 monthly to go to his website.

Also Mercola hates vegetarianism. They are constantly coming out with new studies of how this plant food (like acai, olive leaf or tumeric) does this healthy thing due to certain phytochemicals. But they never come out with a certain study that shows that eating a certain meat like elk or seal meat does something for you. That is why they now have superfruits like gac fruit with 40 times the lycopene of tomatoes or sea buckthorn berries with the rare omega-7 fatty acids in it.

Lakewood sells a line of many juices that are all organic. Now they have 3 new superfruit juices with superfruits like dragon fruit and others. I need to look up dragon fruit since I am drinking it. These new juices are called Black Dragon, Blue Dragon and Red Dragon.

How many different meats do Americans eat? Five! Today I have consumed over 60 different plant foods like coix fruit, lotus root, dong quai, waterlily bulb, fox nut seed, tangerine peel, manaca root, iporuru leaf and many more. You can now buy the new yumberry juice in the U.S. When was the last time they brought a new meat to the U.S. like walrus meat? They can cook it and powder it.

None of the above are from the Dragon juices I mentioned. You can do a search for all the above to see the health benefits of each. Maybe I should be the first one to list the health benefits of different meats like eating rat meat helps your immune system-- they are dirty little rodents.

[stanmrak]

Dr. Mercola sends out a newsletter 3 times a week, each one with about 5 articles, not always about health topics, but usually pretty interesting. I don't think he hates vegetarianism - his philosophy is that everyone has their own metabolic type and they should find out what that is and follow that. He describes himself as a protein-type and likes to eat raw meat - it seems to work for him. I think he's right about the metabolic typing - not everyone should be vegetarian. I had a friend who just didn't feel well unless he ate meat every day.

I believe in supporting anyone in the health field who is willing to take on REAL medical quackery and the pharmaceutical and food industries - that includes Kevin Trudeau. He may have some faults (certainly not as many as the corporations he attacks), but he's willing to stick his neck out to expose our corrupt healthcare system. We need more of these people. Dr. Russell Blaylock and Mike Adams the Health Ranger are two others I trust. But if you're going to stand up to these corporate giants, you have to have some leverage against them or they'll squish you like a bug. The FTC just put the squeeze on Dr. Weil for recommending astralagus for preventing swine flu! Ralph Nader once tried to expose the MSG conspiracy and they shut him up permanently on that topic! And be careful if you're going to challenge water fluoridation, flu vaccines or cell phone radiation!

[Scipio]

I am all for vaccines of killer diseases, but not for a flu that has been shown as equal to or milder than the last two seasonal flus according to CDC data. If anyone wants a heads up, look into correlations between vitamin D levels and the flu. Having adequate vitamin D levels may prove extremely important in warding off the flu.

YouTube - Dr. Mercola Interviews Dr. Baylock On Swine Flu Vaccines part 1 of 4 Great interview with an ex-neurosurgeon who now specializes in the epidemiology of the flu and vaccines.

[Scipio]

Originally Posted by gigij

We've had two deaths this week in our area (Southern Ontario). A 15 year old girl and a 13 year old boy, both previously healthy. I think the concern is that healthy young people seem to be the ones dying from this particular strain - which is unusual for the flu.

According to most CDC data, the swine flu ends up being milder or equal to the last two seasonal flus in almost all cases. See the video I posted.

[Scipio]

Originally Posted by gigij

Well like I said - two kids dying this week have people around here lining up for hours for it.

The problem is that those people are making a decision based on something they don't know how to interpret. It's better to go with epidemiology than singular cases like that. People die of absolutely everything but that information isn't exactly actionable because it doesn't say whether I or you will die from it.

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by stanmrak

I don't think he hates vegetarianism - his philosophy is that everyone has their own metabolic type and they should find out what that is and follow that. He describes himself as a protein-type and likes to eat raw meat - it seems to work for him. I think he's right about the metabolic typing - not everyone should be vegetarian.

Maybe you believe the above but not Mercola.

You are totally and completely mistaken. Dr Oz says that tapeworms come from eating raw meat. Here are excerpts from his (Mercola) articles in quote. He says "I am convinced that we require regular amounts of animal protein." Vegetables cause cancer? "Additionally, Dr. Stephen Byrnes reminds us that according to data published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1994, vol. 59 (supplement), 1136S- 1142S, Adventists [SD Adventists are vegetarians] have higher cancer rates than the general population."

"Though the study (also conducted by Loma Linda) showed that SDAs had lower rates of some cancer, e.g., breast, it also clearly showed that SDAs had higher rates for several others, particularly those of the reproductive tract. The possible explanation for this is their vegetarian diet which exposes them to higher levels of estrogenic pesticide residues on the assorted grains, legumes, vegetables, and fruits." [Buy organic]

This is the title of a whole article:
Vegetarian Diet Increases Alzheimer's Risk
Posted by: Dr. Mercola

"Vegetarians are frequently deficient in vitamin B-12." So are meat eaters.

Another title:
Vegetarians/Vegans Have Higher Homocysteine/Lower B12
Posted by: Dr. Mercola

Another title of a whole article:
Vegetarian Diet Can Cause Repeat Miscarriages
Posted by: Dr. Mercola

Strict Vegetarians Can Develop Blindness and Brain Damage
Posted by: Dr. Mercola

Vegetarian Diet Makes People Gay
Posted by: Dr. Mercola

Another title:
Vegans Deficient in Nutrients
Posted by: Dr. Mercola

I can go on and on about him saying terrible things about the vegetarian diet. Please note that one, and only one, of the titles is a joke and not real. It should be obvious.

Note that he does not have a single negative article about eating meat.

Web design techniques and principles from Web Pages That Suck - learn good web design by looking at bad web design - Home Page says that Mercola site sucks since you have to register to look at it.

[funchy]

I would like to point people to this document on the new H1N1 vaccine, as it shows evidence of real questions about the safety and necessity of this particular vaccine as it is currently prepared.

It is a short English summary of a presentation in Spanish by Dr. Teresa Forcades, an M.D. certified in Internal Medicine, with a Ph.D. in Public Health (who also happens to be a Bendictine nun).

I don't have time to read the whole thing, but I did notice a few misconceptions. I skimmed down to the comparison between it and the other vaccines.... under features between swine-flu vaccine versus others: For example, doctors are now saying one dose is enough to elicit a good enough response (two shots not required, despite author's claims). The adjuvants are the same as the seasonal flu, at least in the doses being distributed in my area. The immunity protection has to do with the government forcing the release of the vaccine before the traditional testing period. It seems logical if the government won't give you the test period you follow in your company policies, you shouldn't be liable for problems that could not have been found without that extra time. Guillian-Barre is a tiny risk for any vaccine, and you're still more far likely to die of influenza than die from a guillian-barre reaction to an influenza vaccine. This article sound like just another anti-flu-vaccine believer.

Swine flu is not "mild". It's spreading and at the moment most grade schools in the county are reporting students with it. My friends who family got terribly ill with it (and it was verified by testing it's the H1N1, not some other flu). My local hospital has a whole region of rooms set up as isolation wards for the incoming flu patients, and clearly these people are so sick they need hospitalization. I don't follow local news as much as I used to, but I know a 18 yr old healthy young man just died recently of it.

This variation of flu is of importance because it's (1) spreading far easier than typical strains and (2) making healthy and/or young people very sick. Usually the flu is something that old kills immunodeficient (eg AIDS patients) or nursing home residents. This flu is able to send healthy teens to the emergency room.

I am not saying this vaccine is appropriate for everyone. That's a discussion people should have with an open mind with their doctors.

Another title of a whole article Vegetarian Diet Can Cause _____ Posted by: Dr. Mercola

Dr Mercola is an idiot. He is the worse kind of idiot: an uneducated one who is able to get people to follow him. If he's this far mis-informed about diet, I can't take anything else he says seriously.

While I respect the right of people to have their own opinions, I feel it's irresponsible to say one is a MD and present opinions as science and fact. He's fully of baloney and he'll grasp at straws and cite whatever he can find to support the conclusions he already came to. This is a misuse of science.

[ginkgo]

Originally Posted by funchy

Swine flu is not "mild". It's spreading and at the moment most grade schools in the county are reporting students with it. My friends who family got terribly ill with it (and it was verified by testing it's the H1N1, not some other flu). My local hospital has a whole region of rooms set up as isolation wards for the incoming flu patients, and clearly these people are so sick they need hospitalization.

This article is saying that it is milder than the seasonal flu but more widespread. That means it is more contagious. It looks like someone has run away with their article.

"The H1N1 flu has milder symptoms and..."

Here is CNN article.

It says: "Yes, hearing between 30,000 and 90,000 could die from H1N1 is scary, but keep in mind -- around 40,000 people die from the regular or seasonal flu every year. The numbers may not be that much different, yet there is not panic about the regular flu. As things look now, H1N1 is causing only mild to moderate illness, not the widespread deaths people are worried about."

Here is Reuters article: "Seasonal flu has a death rate of less than 0.1 percent -- but still manages to kill 250,000 to 500,000 people globally every year." "He came up with a range of mortality from swine flu, from 0.007 percent to 0.045 percent. That is 7 to 45 out of every 1,000.

I made a big mistake and no one caught it. 0.007 is 7 out of 1,000. But 0.007 percent is 7 (and 45) out of 100,000 people.

Either way, having new information about how many people were infected and did not become severely ill or die makes the pandemic look very mild, he said."

Do you have a reputable source saying that it not milder than seasonal flu?

[Scipio]

Originally Posted by funchy

Swine flu is not "mild".

You are documented CDC data, what am I to believe? From what I've heard, the data says it has been less harmful, or at most equal to, the last two season flus.

[ALi2010]

My friend's little sister is really sick. She has the flu. She's been sick for 5 days She vomited or coughed up blood for over half an hour on Thursday so her sister took her to the doctor. She's only 13. I'll be hearing from the friend if her sister recovered or not tomorrow. I hope she's okay.

I think the flu can be both mild and serious. A person's reaction to the flu varies. Everyone's different.

I just want to say that people with immune deficiency, like AIDS or something, they die easily by illnesses that the majority of the world never get. A small cough that wouldn't harm another person in any way can easily kill them.

[liamona]

Originally Posted by ALi2010

My friend's little sister is really sick. She has the flu. She's been sick for 5 days She vomited or coughed up blood for over half an hour on Thursday so her sister took her to the doctor. She's only 13.

I think the flu can be both mild and serious. A person's reaction to the flu varies. Everyone's different.

Definitely. I'm sorry to keep harping on this, but I think the key is vitamin D status.

According to studies, almost 100% of people admitted to ICUs with no detectable levels of vitamin D in their blood die. The higher the vitamin D level in their blood, the less likely their chances of dying in the ICU.

I imagine many people have subpar levels, and then the stress of going to the hospital in conjunction with being administered drug "therapies" kills some of them.

I have yet to hear of anyone healthy dying from the flu at home, far far away from doctors and their "treatments." At least not in my circle of health-minded friends and acquaintances.

A few weeks ago I did get this weird upper-leg muscle pain, just like I used to when I got the flu (I haven't had the flu in years, btw).

I just took supplements and elderberry extract. It did take a while for the pains to go away, but I never got any other flu-like symptoms.

[stanmrak]

If you're still an advocate of flu vaccines, or even if you're not — you should watch this. To call this man passionate would be the understatement of the year.

In these videos Gary Null goes after the vaccine makers, the CDC and the FDA, alleging crimes against humanity by the medical and pharmaceutical industry, and scientific fraud, at the New York State Assembly Hearing 13th October 2009. Gary claims to have reviewed every vaccine study ever published, and reveals facts culled from his 7-year investigation of the pharmaceutical industry that will stun you. Do you know how much it costs to manufacture a bottle of Prozac that costs the patient $250?

YouTube - Gary Null Speaks Out Against Vaccine Industry [1/3] - NYS State Assembly

YouTube - Gary Null Speaks Out Against Vaccine Industry [2/3] - NYS State Assembly

YouTube - Gary Null Speaks Out Against Vaccine Industry [3/3] - NYS State Assembly


GO GARY!!!

[Gene]

Originally Posted by stanmrak

If you're still an advocate of flu vaccines, or even if you're not — you should watch this. To call this man passionate would be the understatement of the year.

Do you know how much it costs to manufacture a bottle of Prozac that costs the patient $250?
GO GARY!!!

That was interesting. He is passionate and it was amazing to hear what the popular drugs cost their manufacturers to produce. It is true however that even good products with no risks attached cost more to bring to market than just the cost of production.

His phrase death by medicine has some substantial truth in it.

[liamona]

I just read a post on the Med Nauseam blog about the NIH press release on the NIAID H1N1 vaccine trials on children.

After receiving one dose of this year's swine (H1N1) flu vaccine, children developed a theoretically protective level of antibodies to the July 2009/California H1N1 strain (the vaccine strain) at these rates:

76% of 10 - 17 year olds [pretty sucky]
36% of 3 - 9 year olds [dismal]
25% of babies aged 6M to 35M [atrociously bad]

These data were obtained 8 - 10 days after the vaccination. "It is anticipated that the immune response to the 2009 H1N1 influenza vaccine will ... continue to rise for several weeks following vaccination," states NIAID Director Dr. Fauci in the NIH press release. My bet: the "continued rise" will be negligible.

No wonder the CDC was considering giving children two doses of the vaccine. It doesn't work. Was the H1N1 vaccine deemed too dangerous to administer twice to children?

Looking at a different vaccine for perspective, toddlers receive two doses of MMR. The second MMR shot is not a euphemistically-named "booster," but a re-vaccination of all kids due to the fact that a few do not mount the theoretically protective level of antibodies the first time.

I want to know how well the antibodies correlate to actual H1N1 protection if a vaccinated person comes into contact with the vaccine strain. Those studies have not been done. In an upcoming article, I will explore this issue. This past weekend, I had fun reading package inserts for the three injectable H1N1 vaccines and the nasal spray version. You won't be shocked to find that only one product insert cites one study testing efficacy in real life. The results do not favor efficacy.

Oh, and if a child gets the nasal spray vaccine, it is a live attenuated virus. The package insert says the transmission rate is 2.4%. They are shedding and spreading for weeks. In other words, for every 100 people that child comes into contact with, 2 - 3 will be infected with H1N1 by the child's vaccine.