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Australian Vaccination Network Media Release
Sunday, July 26th, 2009 - For
Immediate Release:
Swine Flu
Fact Sheet: The only way to conquer
fear is with information
Governments around
the world are scrambling to find a solution to the potential problems that may
be caused by the current H1N1 'swine flu' pandemic. From its origins in Mexico
in April of this year, the panic caused by this virus - a hybrid of viral DNA
from pigs, birds and humans - has grown to the point where logic and science
have been forgotten in a mad race to do 'something' about this situation.
There is an adage that states, those who forget the lessons of history are
doomed to repeat them. In an effort to keep us from making the same mistakes we
have in the past - mistakes which have been extremely costly in terms of
financial burden and lives lost or health damaged - the Australian Vaccination
Network has tried to gather together information to help you to ask the
questions you need to find answers to and the knowledge necessary to make
intelligent decisions about the swine flu vaccine. It is also an excellent idea
to download the flyer from Pandemic Flu online. This web site
is a great resource of constantly updated information on this
topic.
History:
Between 1918 and 1920, immediately after
World War I, it is estimated that as many as 50 million people around the world
may have died from Swine Flu. Most of those whose deaths were attributed to
influenza - 95% and more - did not die from the flu but were victims of
bacterial pneumonia - an easily treatable illness for which antibiotics are very
effective.(1) Had this outbreak occurred today rather than almost 100 years
ago, the mortality and morbidity statistics would have been very
different.
In addition, the strain of flu which was in circulation at
that time was completely different to the strain we are seeing now.
In
1976, a soldier at Fort Dix NJ (USA), Private Lewis, left his sick bed to go on
a forced march - and collapsed and died from what was diagnosed at the time as
swine flu. Initially, it was thought that up to 500 other soldiers at Fort Dix
had also contracted the disease. That figure was revised down to 4 confirmed
cases with no other deaths. In fact, there were no other cases reported anywhere
else in the world.(2)
Only one person died of swine flu in 1976, but more
than 4,000 were seriously injured by the vaccine with 25 confirmed deaths. That
vaccine, like the current shot, was rushed through without proper testing. The
result was more than $3.5 billion in compensation claims in the US - and this is
for a vaccination campaign which was cut short only 10 weeks after it started
which was meant to protect against an outbreak which never occurred. The only
outcome to this vaccination campaign was a large number of permanently injured
citizens and an enduring distrust of influenza
vaccinations.(3,4)
The story today
Prior to April of this year, nobody had heard of the H1N1 swine flu.
Having gone through several scares over the past decade with other influenza
viruses which were claimed to have the potential to kill or seriously injure
millions around the world (SARS and Avian Influenza), the world's populations
could have been excused for greeting this new outbreak with more then a touch of
scepticism.
In fact, if there is a pandemic of this virus, it is very
possible - some think even likely - that it is a man-made pandemic. Australian
researcher, Adrian Gibbs, one of the researchers who created the influenza drug,
Tamiflu, has stated that his investigations have indicated that this is a
laboratory-created virus which has escaped into the population.(5) This
hypothesis is of interest since the initial outbreak in Mexico City started in
close proximity to Baxter Labs' vaccine facility.(6)
Baxter is now
infamous for shipping batches of human influenza vaccines which had been
contaminated with live Avian influenza (bird flu) virus to 18 European
countries.(7) It was only due to the excellent due diligence of a lab in the
Czech republic that this contamination was discovered prior to the vaccine being
administered to millions of people. Had that occurred, we might now be looking
at a pandemic of bird flu rather than swine flu.
How many
cases - how many deaths?
Despite a very low mortality rate
(to date, there have been less than 500 confirmed H1N1 deaths worldwide compared
with between 500,000 to 1,000,000 deaths each year (8) which human influenza is
credited with causing) and evidence suggesting that H1N1 causes very mild
illness, the World Health Organisation raised the pandemic risk level to its
highest possible point - level 6 - and governments around the world are pledging
tens of billions of dollars to rush through an untested vaccine.
The
tests being used to diagnose H1N1 are giving far too many false positive results
(9) and what's worse, doctors are not submitting samples to laboratories for
testing. Anyone with flu-like symptoms is now assumed to have H1N1 swine flu - a
decision which has increased the number of cases
exponentially.(10,11)
Swine flu vaccination - a shot in the
dark
Influenza vaccines are among the most
ineffective shots in the vaccine armoury. In healthy adults, the estimates of
effectiveness range from a low of 0% to a high of 96% - depending on the study.
In the elderly and immune-suppressed, the figures seem to hover at between 21
and 25% effective. In addition, some influenza vaccines still contain mercury in
the form of thiomersal while the new swine flu vaccines are being made with
novel, oil-based adjuvants which have been linked in the past with severe
long-term neurological and other adverse health effects.
These vaccines
are not being properly tested and in fact, the vaccine manufacturers have been
indemnified against litigation so even if you or your child has a bad reaction,
the company that made and profited from the shots will not be held responsibly -
morally, ethically or financially.(12)
Despite the lack of information
about these vaccine's safety or effectiveness, it is planned that every man,
woman and child will be vaccinated - both here in Australia and overseas. In
fact, the first targets for these needles will be pregnant women and
children.
This vaccine - like all vaccines - has never been evaluated for
its effect on developing foetuses. In addition, if we follow the lead of the
United States, when this vaccine is administered to children, it will mean 4
additional shots in one year for kids - 2 of the human influenza vaccine - 2 of
the swine flu. Our children will now be facing in excess of 60 vaccines before
they reach school age if 4 annual flu shots are added to the childhood
vaccination schedule.
Will it be
compulsory?
On July 14th, the Rudd Government
ordered 21 million doses of the totally untested swine flu vaccine - enough for
everyone currently living in Australia.(13) It is the contention of the
Australian Vaccination Network (AVN) that the only reason they would buy this
many vaccines is because it is their intention for all of them to be used. That
would mean making the vaccination compulsory.
While we support everyone's
right to choose vaccination should they wish to - we firmly believe that no
medical procedure - least of all one which has such a long track record of
ineffectiveness and risk - should ever be mandated. People must be able to
choose not to get the vaccine if that is their wish. Should the government
require it, we do not object to mandatory home quarantine in the event of a true
epidemic breaking out.
It will be up to each of us to ensure that our
rights and the rights of our children and loved ones are protected and that no
vaccination is ever made compulsory. For further information about actions you
can take to protect your rights and to stay informed about the current swine flu
situation, please visit the AVN's web page on pandemic influenza - http://avn.org.au/library/index.php/table/pandemic-influenza/ or
subscribe to our blog - http://nocompulsoryvaccination.blogspot.com/
References:
1-Children's
hospital study links deaths to post-flu issues - http://tinyurl.com/lrc8kz
2-Swine Flu Vaccine Warning - CBS News, 60 Minutes - Part 1; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5lcJt4jX1Vo - Part 2; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4c9Is1T3z4&feature=related
3-The Flawed 1976 National "Swine Flu" Influenza Immunisation Program by the
Suburban Emergency Management Project - http://tinyurl.com/nwlz4q
4-Swine Flu debacle of 1976 is recalled - the Los Angeles Times - http://tinyurl.com/nxq2d5
5-
Swine Flu May Be Lab Error: Aussie Researcher; The Age newspaper; http://tinyurl.com/r5n5xk
6-Baxter Pharmaceutical Plant in Mexico- Ground Zero for Flu Outbreak - http://tinyurl.com/mjcxpx
7-Baxter Sent Bird Flu Virus to European Labs by Error - Bloomberg News http://tinyurl.com/cady7h
8-Science, Vol 293, 7 September 2001 p 1729
9-Unreliable Swine Flu Test
Leaves Doubt - The Melbourne Age - http://tinyurl.com/n8mckd
10-Swine flu fears rise as death toll grows in Britain - The Australian
Newspaper - http://tinyurl.com/lxwh6p
11-Swine Flu: Alert; not yet alarmed - Armidale Express - http://tinyurl.com/m7nnk6
12-Legal immunity set for swine flu vaccine makers - http://tinyurl.com/mjp4x3
13-Officials Order 21 Million Vaccine Doses - Prime News - http://tinyurl.com/m7gsuu
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