Vaccinations Are More Dangerous Than You Think

My wife and I never get flu shots and we get suspicious when we see a media-induced frenzy about getting vaccinated because of a possible pandemic.

Because of recent revelations about contaminants in the vaccine, and recollections of the snafu during the early days of the national polio vaccine campaign, I don't trust anything forced into my body at the end of a needle. Because of AIDS, hepatitis and now Mad Cow Disease, that includes blood transfusions.

For us, the dangers linked to these medical procedures appear greater than not getting them. Since my children grew up, quit attending the public disease factory called school, and left the home, my wife and I rarely suffer from a cold or the flu. The odds against our coming in contact with the other terrible diseases in the world decrease as we get older and adopt a more sedentary life style.

There has been a proven link between the influenza shot and Guillain-Barre Syndrome which in turn leads to a variety of other lovely effects like paralysis or numbness of one or more limbs, meningitis, encephalitis, and even multiple sclerosis. Also there is no proof that flu shots even work. When the flu comes, everyone exposed to it usually gets sick.

There are varieties of influenza-like viruses that come on quickly, advance to pneumonia, and if not properly diagnosed and treated early, kill the patient, usually children, within hours. Also people with weak immune systems are, indeed, at risk when they must contend with the severity of a disease like some forms of influenza.

We find that simple precautions, like avoiding crowds, frequently washing our hands, eating a proper diet and taking a daily dose of the right vitamins and minerals keeps our immune systems in good repair and when things like the flu come along, we either escape them, or the symptoms are light.

To repeat, we have been suspicious about flu shots and other vaccinations for many years. Rumors that our government wants to immunize everybody in the country against small pox are disconcerting. How glad I am that I am too old to be drafted for military service and subjected to the long list of dangerous shots, including the controversial and unproven anthrax vaccine.

A major concern is that the CDC might choose to order a national vaccination campaign against biological terrorism.

A recent revelation about mercury found in the flu vaccine reinforces my argument.

A story in the Los Angeles Times warned that a CDC recommendation that all pre-school-age children receive flu shots as part of their list of inoculations may put them at risk. That is because there is an inexpensive variety of flu shot out there that contains the preservative thimerosal, which contains mercury.

An influenza shot is available that does not contain this preservative, but it is more costly and parents will probably choose to avoid it, if they are even told about it, the story warned.

The Times story said the CDC will not warn people about the hazards of thimerosal for a stupid reason: "Demand for thimerosal-free shots would rise, possibly squeezing supplies. Some experts said there was a greater risk in infants and toddlers failing to be vaccinated against the flu because of a shortage than in their being vaccinated with shots containing mercury."

Best to be immunized against a bug that the kids will probably catch anyway, and suffer brain damage, authorities seem to be saying.

How can we trust a government agency that thinks like this?