Chickenpox, Hepatitis B, and Pneumococcus Vaccines to Be Required for Infants

After the first hearing where 38 people testified, most opposing the rules, a second hearing on proposals by the Minnesota Department of Health to require three new vaccines again revealed vigorous protests by the public.

Here are some hightlights from some of the testimonies:

Dr. Jim Davis, DC, Brainerd, opposed; discussed statistics from Japan showing that the use of the chickenpox vaccine, giving artificial temporary immunity, leads to an increase of chickenpox in adults. Chickenpox in adults can be deadly. Although adults currently comprise 2% of cases of chickenpox, they account for 55% of deaths from the disease. He cited VAERS statistics of 10 deaths per year from the chickenpox vaccine itself.

Lloyd Palmer, of Albert Lea, Mn, grandparent of vaccine-injured child, opposed; his grandson, Chad Erickson, who reacted violently to each vaccine, became increasingly disabled after each vaccine reaction, going from an active walking toddler to someone who could not even sit up or crawl. Chad was later helped by a naturopathic doctor who used homeopathic remedies, and can now walk and talk. However, he is still left legally blind and with Crohn's disease. He asked that parents make vaccine decisions, not the state, and to give them truly informed consent, including the real risks of the vaccines which are not disclosed to parents.

Lona Maker, parent of autistic child, opposed; her four-year-old son became autistic after receiving the Prevnar vaccine. He has an abnormally high antibody response to the pneumococcus organisms, two times that of an adult, even after only one dose in the four-dose series.

Dr. Heather Thom, DC, Duluth, opposed; discussed how stimulation of the TH2 immune response, which is the temporary, artificial response generated by vaccines, actually suppresses the TH1, cell-mediated response, which is needed for protection against viruses, molds, etc. She cited studies by Dr. John Classen, MD, who has found that use of the hepatitis B vaccine doubles the risk of insulin-dependant diabetes in children. She urged the department to recommend vaccinating only people at high risk for hepatitis B. The average child of hepatits B negative mothers is not at risk, according to the CDC and FDA.

Greg Schmidt, St. Paul, opposed; cited current issues in the news, such as CryoLife products, which are being recalled due to infection, and the RotaShield vaccine which harmed children and was recalled. Both of these were exhaustively tested and claimed to be safe by their manufacturer, but later found to be harmful. He called for independant research on safety of vaccines, outside of the pharmaceutical companies which make vaccines.

Lisa Quist, St. Peter, mother of vaccine-injured child, opposed; related the events around her daughter Rachel's first vaccination with DPT. After the vaccination, she got so ill she was taken by ambulance to the hospital, and her parents were told she would probably die. She was airlifted to Children's Hospital in Minneapolis, and did survive and recover.

Dr. Melissa Janzen, DC, Duluth, opposed; cited concerns of ingredients added to vaccines, such as mercury, which casuses neurological damage. In some vaccines the mercury has been replaced with aluminum, which has been associated with Alzheimer's disease and seizures. Formaldehyde, contained in some vaccines, is cancer-causing, and is no longer permitted in housing materials as there is no known safe level. Why are we injecting these ingredients into the bloodstream of infants?

Kathy Regalado, American Liver Foundation, supportive, ALF is working to reduce liver diseases, and supports the use of hepatitis B vaccine, saying that studies have shown serious side effects to be very uncommon. She cited statements by the CDC that case reports of unusual illnesses following hepatitis B vaccination are usually related to other causes, not the vaccines.

Jerri Johnson, RN, Minnesota Natural Health Coalition, opposed; told of common threads she has seen in stories of Minnesota children who have been vaccine-damaged. Each vaccination brought increasingly violent reactions, with fever and seizures, and finally leading to permanent neurological damage, paralysis and blindness. She challenged Minnesota decision-makers as to whether they are certain these new vaccines won't cause similar devastation of more children and their families, citing the actual clinical studies by the pharmaceutical companies that make the hepatitis B vaccine. Some subjects of that study now must live with arthritis, Guillian-Barre syndrome, blindness, glomerulonephritis, and liver dysfunction as a result of the vaccine. She asked that hepatitis B vaccine be offered to people at high risk of the disease, not children who are not at risk, citing MDH statistics that only 1.5 per 100,000 Minnesotans develop acute hepatitis B.

Paul Schultz, St. Paul, father of vaccine-injured child, opposed; his son, Jason, six hours after his first DPT shot, suffered a seizure. After his second shot, he had a generalized tonic clonic seizure that lasted for forty minutes and left him temporarily paralyzed on his left side. Today, Jason is 19 years old, and is moderately to severely retarded, functional at the level of a five to six year old child. He has an uncontrollable seizure disorder. Paul stated, "Because of the DPT shot an innocent normal healthy baby was injured and will suffer the consequences of it for the rest of his life."

Chris Abel, RN, of Vaccine Awareness Minnesota, opposed; Pertussis deaths declined before the DPT vaccine was introduced. In 1952, the year before the vaccine was standardized, there were no deaths from pertussis reported in Minnesota. From 1952 to 1988, there have been 5 deaths from pertussis and 16 deaths filed from the DPT vaccine, of which 9 families received compensation from the government. Not anti-vaccine, but opposed to requiring these vaccines.

Jae Asancheyev, opposed; relayed reports by a doctor at the turn of the last century, describing smallpox transmission as being related primarily to lack of sanitation. Citizens, vaccinated or non-vaccinated, with good water supplies, rarely contracted smallpox. Citizens, vaccinated or non-vaccinated, living by drainage ditches with raw sewage, contracted smallpox.

Public Health Nurse from Rochester School District - Supports the vaccines but discussed difficulties with coordination of increased paper work when adding new vaccine requirements.

Dr. Karen Effrem, MD, pediatrician, opposed; cited the recent 2200% increase in autism, paralleling the recent increase in universal vaccinations. Although mercury has been removed from most, but not all, vaccines, aluminum still remains. Recent research by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, has found the measles vaccine virus in bowel tissue of autistic children. Invasive pneumococcal disease occurs in only 1 in 5000 children, usually immunocompromised children, and Prevnar, the vaccine has reports of serious adverse consequences. It is not effective for preventing ear infections, for which it has been heavily marketed. Studies on the chickenpox vaccine are continuing to cast doubt on its effectiveness, with recurrence of the disease in up to 30% of vaccinated children, and risks occurrence of shingles in children and young adults. There is a three time greater risk of death or serious injury from a hepatitis B negative child receiving the vaccine than of that child contracting the disease. Dr. Effram called for examination of ties to drug companies for anyone recommending a vaccine mandate at any level of government to eliminate conflicts of interest. She agreed with the October, 2000 Association of American Physicians and Surgeons resolution calling for a moratorium on vaccine mandates and for physicians to insist upon truly informed consent for the use of vaccines.

The third and final opportunity for the public to comment will be held September 17, 5:30 to 8 pm, at the Snelling Office Park, 1645 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul, Mn.