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Parents watch with proud satisfaction as their infant, just a few months
old, begins to reach out into the world—tiny hands grasping at toys and
gently twirling locks of their mother’s hair. Just when they have begun to
take a lively interest in the world, rolling-over, cooing, and smiling, the
first illnesses strike. The baby’s runny nose develops into a fever, fussiness, and night
waking. Her previously placid demeanor suddenly changes to obvious
discomfort—crying, clinging, and refusing to leave her mother’s arms. The
pediatrician sees red eardrums and prescribes antibiotics. That first
infection starts a seemingly endless battle against viral and bacterial
illnesses that persists despite repeated treatment with a barrage of
different antibiotics. Something is dreadfully wrong. Frequent visits to
the pediatrician do nothing to prevent the continuous pattern of
illness—antibiotic—illness. Why do these illnesses begin when babies are three or four months old?
What event triggers this frustrating scenario? What happens to babies at
two to four months that could initiate this relentless course of symptoms?
Perhaps maternal antibodies are beginning to wear out, making babies
susceptible to these environmental microbes. But why don’t these babies
develop their own antibodies in response to the initial viral or bacterial
infections? What prevents the immune system from mounting a vigorous
response? And why does this pattern of illness with recurrent ear
infections occur now, a pattern that seldom occurred prior to thirty years
ago? What is weakening the immune function of today’s infants? Could vaccines be weakening the immune system of our populations and
causing recurrent infections and allergies at unprecedented levels? The only
event that all infants routinely encounter at two months of age is
vaccination with at least five different vaccines
(Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis-Polio-Haemophilus). They are repeated at four
months. Could this simple fact explain the onset of the recurrent illnesses
that plague so many infants? If vaccines stimulate antibody production to
fight diseases, why would they weaken the immune system? Is there any
evidence that vaccines do cause illness and immune system dysfunction? One answer came in a careful study of illness patterns observed in
babies before and after vaccination, published in Clinical Pediatrics in
1988. If vaccines cause a weakened immune system, then we would expect to
see a higher incidence of illness following vaccination. In that study
conducted in Israel, the incidence of acute illnesses in the 30-day period
following DTP vaccine was compared to the incidence in the same children
for the 30-day period prior to vaccine. The three-day period immediately
following vaccine was excluded because children frequently develop fever as
a direct response to vaccine toxins. A total of 82 healthy infants received
DTP, and their symptoms were reported by parents and observed by a
pediatrician at weekly intervals. Those babies experienced a dramatic
increase in fever, diarrhea, and cough in the month following DTP vaccine
compared to their health before the shot. How do researchers investigate immune system reactions to vaccines?
First, they can observe the incidence of serious disease onset soon after
vaccination. They can also study immune functions following vaccines given
to children and adults. Two research models have been used to discover the
possible adverse effect of vaccines on the immune system. Laboratory
researchers observe whether vaccines have any negative effect on white
blood cells, the body’s primary immune defense system. Clinical researchers
study illness patterns preceding and following vaccination. All of these
investigative channels have reached the same conclusions—vaccines can
trigger immune system suppression. Vaccines are destroying our immune systems. Amazingly, the medical
profession ignores the incriminating evidence against vaccines, and
continues to inflict more unnecessary and harmful vaccines on our nation’s
infants. A recent study from the New England Journal of Medicine of May
1996 revealed that tetanus vaccine disables the immune system in HIV
patients. Tetanus vaccination produced a drop in T cells in 10 of 13
patients, a classic sign of immune deficiency. HIV viral replication
increased dramatically in response to tetanus vaccine. Finally, white blood
cells from 7 of 10 uninfected individuals became more susceptible to HIV
infection following tetanus vaccination. Despite these findings, the
authors made no comment about the immune depleting effect of the vaccine. Why is the public unaware of these findings? Why has the medical
profession kept these reports hidden from the public eye? With typical
condescension, Dr. Martin Smith, president of the American Academy of
Pediatrics, explained in the Academy’s News that the inclusion of this type
of information in vaccine brochures would confuse many parents and could
even needlessly alarm them. An uninformed patient is compliant. The cover-up of immune system failure following vaccination is
reminiscent of the tobacco industry’s continuous denial and misinformation
campaign about the dangers of cigarettes. In both instances huge profits
are at stake in multibillion-dollar industries. Vaccine manufacturers
cannot afford to have their product maligned in a public forum. The destructive effect of vaccines on the immune system can persist over
an extended period of time. One study published in the Journal of
Infectious Diseases documented a long-term depressive effect on interferon
production caused by the measles vaccine. Interferon is a chemical produced
by lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) that renders the host resistant
to infection. Interferon production is stimulated by infection with a virus
to protect the body from super infection by some other micro-organism. In
this study, vaccination of one-year-old infants with measles vaccine caused
a precipitous drop in the level of alpha-interferon produced by
lymphocytes. This decline persisted for one year following vaccination, at
which time the experiment was terminated. Thus, this study showed that
measles vaccine produced a significant long-term immune suppression. What is the effect of long-term immune suppression? Some investigators
are concerned that vaccines could be disabling our body’s ability to react
normally to disease, and creating the climate for autoimmune
self-destruction. The many reports of autoimmune phenomena that occur as
reactions to vaccination provide incontrovertible proof that tampering with
the immune system causes devastating disease. Federal legislation of 1986 commissioned the Institute of Medicine to
establish a Vaccine Safety Committee. The purpose of that committee was to
search the medical literature for reports of adverse events associated with
the vaccines routinely administered to children, and report their findings.
Computer searches revealed 1,800 relevant articles. However, the
committee’s rigid criteria for establishing a causal relationship between
vaccine and adverse event made it nearly impossible for a disease condition
to make their short list. Without a case-controlled study proving a
relationship, the hundreds of case reports of immune system destruction
following vaccines were relegated to coincidence. Case-controlled studies are
expensive. They must include tens or hundreds of thousands of children. Even the Vaccine Safety Committee acknowledged the onset of several
autoimmune diseases as a result of vaccination (Guillain-Barre syndrome, a
disease that causes muscle weakness and paralysis, following tetanus and
polio vaccines; thrombocytopenia, destruction of blood platelets
responsible for blood clotting, following MMR; and chronic arthritis
following rubella). These types of symptoms have occurred following every
vaccine routinely given to children—the suppressed immune system begins to
attack the body’s own cells, usually the nerves and joints. Thousands of
autoimmune incidents following vaccines have been reported in the medical
literature and adverse event reporting systems. These autoimmune responses
to vaccines have resulted in permanent, chronic disease
conditions—deforming arthritis and muscle wasting and paralysis. A large ecological study in New Zealand revealed that an epidemic of
diabetes followed a massive campaign to vaccinate children against
hepatitis B. This report, published in the New Zealand Medical Journal in
1996 revealed that a 60 percent increase in childhood diabetes occurred in
the years following the 1989-1991 vaccination program of children aged 6 to
16. The widespread use of the new Haemophilus meningitis vaccine has
similarly resulted in diabetes epidemics. Diabetes is an autoimmune disease
that has been frequently observed to occur as a consequence of mumps
vaccine. Three European studies reported 22 cases of diabetes that began
within 30 days of mumps vaccination. The dramatic rise in vaccine-induced
diabetes has led researchers to raise a warning flag. Immunologist Bart
Classen has said, “We believe the effects of vaccines on diabetes are of
tremendous clinical importance and that trials need to be started
immediately to address the effect of vaccines on diabetes and other
autoimmune diseases.” Vaccines have become a sacred cow of our culture, unassailable to
criticism. Now that we know their devastating effects on the immune system,
perhaps we need to take a more cautious approach to the vaccine campaigns. New vaccines for children are being developed in an unprecedented effort
to wipe out childhood diseases. In some cases this effort has strictly monetary
goals. For example, the most frequently stated purpose of the chickenpox
vaccine is not to protect children from this benign childhood illness, but
to keep parents at their jobs rather than missing a few days of work to
care for their sick child at home. According to Dr. Philip Brunell, a
leading chickenpox vaccine researcher, it is clear that we can reduce the
cost of chickenpox by routinely immunizing normal children, primarily by
reducing the loss of parental income. Vaccination of the entire population
would save an estimated $380 million dollars in lost income and wages.
Economic interests have spurred the adoption of a chickenpox vaccine, not
our concern for the well-being of children. This callous disregard for the potential damage inflicted by vaccines
characterizes the goals of vaccine manufacturers. The pharmaceutical giant
Merck invested over $5 million in chickenpox vaccine development, according
to The Wall Street Journal. Dr. Samuel Katz, Duke University’s pediatrics
chairman and head of a vaccine panel at the National Academy of Sciences,
expressed the manufacturer’s concerns: Merck isn’t going to make back its
investment in that vaccine by just distributing it to kids with cancer.
They’re going to be interested in pushing for use in the normal population. Profit has always been the goal of vaccine manufacturers. When lawsuits
leveled at drug companies began wiping out profits gleaned from the
pertussis vaccine, the manufacturers simply stopped production of the
vaccine. The United States government stepped in to pay these
vaccine-damage claims. Only then did the drug companies agree to resume
vaccine production. The formula was simple—no profits, no vaccines. Now that drug companies are protected from legal action, the race to
invent and distribute new vaccines has again switched into high gear.
Vaccines for hepatitis, haemophilus, and chickenpox have all been pushed
into the recommended schedule for children. This zealous rush to bring new
vaccines to market, heedless of the damage inflicted in the name of
prevention, could have far-reaching consequences. We may be setting the
stage for the unwitting destruction of our population’s health, a result
that may continue to remain a hidden cause of widespread immune system
failure and autoimmune disease. Dr. Neustaedter has practiced homeopathic
medicine and traditional Chinese medicine for over twenty years. His book,
The Vaccine Guide: Making an Informed Choice (North Atlantic Books, 1996),
has become a popular resource for parents. He is a licensed acupuncturist
and received his Doctorate in Oriental Medicine in Hong Kong. He lives and
works in the San Francisco Bay Area. Recommended Books About Vaccinations Use the information provided in this
database as an educational resource for determining your options and making
your own informed choices. It is not intended as medical advice or to
diagnose, prescribe, or treat any specific illness. If there is any chance
your child is seriously ill, take him or her to a qualified health
professional for evaluation.
Do Vaccines Disable The Immune System?
by Randall Neustaedter, O.M.D., L.Ac.
Vaccine Information Resources & Links
