http://www.909shot.com/hepBfacts.htm

                   HEPATITIS B DISEASE AND VACCINE FACTS

   * People at high risk for getting hepatitis B disease (which is
     transmitted by coming into direct contact with an infected person's
     body fluids) are IV drug users, prostitutes, prisoners, sexually
     promiscuous persons and babies born to infected mothers. (1)

   * 90-95% of all hepatitis B cases recover completely after 3 to 4 weeks
     of nausea, fatigue, headache, arthritis, jaundice and tender liver.
     (2)

   * Up to 17 percent of all hepatitis B vaccinations are followed by
     reports of fatigue and weakness, headache, arthritis and fever of more
     than 100 F.. (3) The vaccine can cause death, according to a 1994
     Institute of Medicine report. (4)

   * According to Merck and Company: "The duration of the protective effect
     of [the vaccine] in healthy vacinees is unknown at present and the
     need for booster doses is not yet defined."

   * In 1996, there were 10,637 cases of hepatitis B reported in the U.S.
     and the CDC stated that "Hepatitis B continues to decline in most
     states, primarily because of a decrease in the number of cases among
     injecting drug users and, to a lesser extent, among both homosexual
     and heterosexuals of both sexes." (5)

   * In 1996, 279 cases of hepatitis B disease were reported to have
     occurred in the U.S. in children under 14 years old. (5)

   * An historic report in 1994 published by the Institute of Medicine,
     National Academy of Sciences, reviewed the medical literature for
     evidence that vaccines, including hepatitis B vaccine, can cause a
     variety of immune and neurological health problems. An independent
     committee of physician experts concluded that there were no case
     controlled observational studies or controlled clinical trials
     conducted on hepatitis B vaccine either before or after licensure to
     scientifically evaluate persistent reports that hepatitis B vaccine
     can cause sudden infant death syndrome; Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS)
     and other central demyelinating diseases including transverse
     myelitis, optic neuritis, and multiple sclerosis; and immune system
     dysfunction including chronic arthritis.

The IOM report concluded: "The lack of adequate data regarding many of the
adverse events under study was of major concern to the committee...the
committee encountered many gaps and limitations in knowledge bearing
directly or indirectly on the safety of vaccines. These include inadequate
understanding of the biologic mechanisms underlying adverse events
following natural infection or immunization, insufficient or inconsistent
information from case reports and case series, inadequate size or length of
follow-up of many population-based epidemiologic studies...." (5)

   * There are more than 200 vaccines being created by federal health
     agencies and drug companies, including Hepatitis C, D and E; Herpes
     simplex types 1 and 2; gonorrhea; rotavirus (diarrhea); Group A and B
     streptococcus; meningitis A, B and C; and HIV for AIDS. (6)



(1) CDC Prevention Guidelines: A Guide to Action (1997); (2) Harrison's
Principles of Internal Medicine (1994); (3) Merck & Co. Hepatitis B Vaccine
product insert (1993); (4) Adverse Events Associated with Childhood
Vaccines (1994; (5) Adverse Events Associated with Childhood Vaccines
(1994); (6) The Jordan Report (DHHS-1995).

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