DTaP Vaccine

The DTaP vaccine is a combination vaccine for 3 different childhood illnesses: Diphtheria, Pertussis and Tetanus. Originally, these were all separate vaccines given to children, one time. After discovering that children do not respond to one shot back in the mid 1980’s, boosters were given. Parents were told to bring children in for multiple injections which did not go well with parents. In order to get compliance and to administer multiple shots in one given appointment, the shots were combined into what I refer to as “cocktails”. This was done so that a child would get a few injections of the “vaccine cocktail” instead of several separate shots. The first combined vaccine was the DPT, the diphtheria, tetanus and a whole-cell pertussis vaccine and it was causing severe neurological injury, seizures and even Sudden Death Syndrome (SIDS). After many years of using the DPT shot, public pressure was mounting due to the injuries reported to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System. Dr. Mark Geier, geneticist, had been reporting to the CDC for years that the pertussis toxin was the source of the neurological injuries and he was commissioned to weaken the pertussis toxin. It is now referred to as the acellular vaccine, the DT(a)P. Although it seems that the vaccine is not as reactive as the initial whole-cell vaccine, there are still many parents and physicians who believe the vaccine is causing seizures, health problems, severe constipation, high fevers, non-stop crying, pain, swelling at the injection site, spinal cord inflammation, brain inflammation, learning problems and other significant health concerns. Some parents have reported sudden infant death following the shot as well.

Who is the Vaccine Recommended For?

DTaP and children:

This vaccine is part of the childhood recommended vaccines. Two of the illnesses this vaccine is supposed to protect for, Diphtheria and Pertussis, were common childhood illnesses in the mid-1800’s to the early 1900’s. Tetanus was a common infection among all age groups who were working farms in rural America and exposed to animal feces through puncture wounds during the 1800’s and early 1900’s until the modernization of the United States. The DTaP vaccine was initially just intended for children starting at the age of 2 months to continue until a total of 5 shots are administered. If a child missed the vaccine early in life, they are recommended to get “catch-up” shots.

Tdap for adults:

As of 2011, the CDC is recommending that adults get the vaccine Tdap vaccine, a vaccine with less pertussis and diphtheria toxoid, because of pertussis outbreaks across the country. The claim is that parents can be carriers of pertussis and because so many of the adults who were vaccinated no longer have immunity, they must get their booster shots. They believe that pertussis is on the rise and the adults are part of the problem. The CDC states that DTaP should not be given after the age of 7 years. The manufacture of the Tdap is Adacel, Sanofi Pasteur, Toronto, Ontario, Canada and was licensed on June 10, 2005 for anyone 19-64 years of age.

An alternative vaccine is the TD shot (tetanus and diphtheria), minus the pertussis component. Television ads and hospitals are encouraging parents, nurses and doctors to get the DTaP vaccine because they are “carriers” of pertussis! The CDC also recommends a booster shot every 10 years for all adults.

Who Should Not Get the DTaP Vaccine

This question is of much debate. For some reason, the CDC refuses to see that a very big segment of the youth population in this country are immune compromised. If a child or a person has a compromised immune system, is fighting a chronic illness, in my opinion, that should be a contraindication for this vaccine.

The CDC makes the following recommendations:

“Children with minor illnesses, such as a cold, may be vaccinated. Children who are moderately or severely ill should wait until they recover before getting DTaP vaccine. Any child who had a life-threatening allergic reaction after a dose of DTaP should not get another dose. Any child who suffered a brain or nervous system disease within 7 days after a dose of DTaP should not get another dose. Talk with your doctor if your child: had a seizure or collapsed after a dose of DTaP, cried non-stop for 3 hours or more after a dose of DTaP, had face swelling, mouth or throat swelling, breathing difficulties, had a fever over 105 degrees Fahrenheit after a dose of DTaP .” (2)

However, many children are given the shot regardless if they are suffering with food allergies, diabetes, autism, learning problems, obesity, depression, ADHD and many other neurological problems that could/should be reasons to avoid the vaccination.

The studies have not been done to determine how the DTaP vaccine can contribute or exacerbate these health problems. The proper follow-up is not conducted on the very large segment of the population who get the vaccine. With the new recommendations for adults to get the DTaP vaccine, I suspect we will begin to see health issues reported in those who have chronic illnesses like fibromyalgia, crohns disease, chronic fatigue, asthma, diabetes and other illnesses.

How is the DTaP Administered

The vaccine is an intramuscular vaccine given in the arm or the upper thigh. The needle size for infants to 12 months is 5/8th long and the needle for children 12 months and older can be up to 1 ¼ inch long. Some DTaP vaccines are given in cocktails containing the inactivated Polio (IPV), the Hepatitis B (Hep B) vaccine or the Homophiles influenza (Hib) vaccine.(4) These vaccine cocktails have not been tested for safety long-term given to infants multiple times the first years of life.

References:

(1) ThinkTwice.com – http://www.thinktwice.com/dpt.htm

(2) Center for Disease Control – http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm

(3) Center for Disease Control – http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/vis/downloads/vis-dtap.pdf

(4) Administering Vaccines- Dose, Route, Site and Needle Size- http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p3085.pdf

In the early 1920’s, the science of vaccinology was in the early stages of development. Lack of understanding and technology in this new era of medicine did not stop this new science from evolving. The methods of research were very crude and unreliable. Scientists really did not understand how the immune system functioned but none-the-less, a new industry was being developed. The DTaP combined vaccine started with the Diphtheria vaccine in 1921, the Tetanus vaccine in 1924 and then the Pertussis vaccine in 1925. All shots were given separately, one time. Vaccines were not widely used on large populations until the late 1950’s to early 1960’s so a small number of the populations were given these three shots individually. Historically, in 1921, the first Diphtheria vaccine was made, and then in 1924 the first tetanus vaccine was produced and used in World War ll on the armed services. In 1925 the whole-cell pertussis vaccine was developed and then the three were combined in 1942. (1)

It is difficult to really know how well any of the vaccines were monitored or tracked in the United States in the early 1920’s through the 1990’s. There was no place to report adverse events until 1990, 70 years later when the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System was established in Washington. To date, only 10% of all adverse events get reported. (2)

Manufactures of the DTaP and TD Vaccines

There are several variations of the DTaP vaccine on the market. They contain various ingredients and I recommend that people look up the individual multi-vaccine before consideration to be fully informed about the vaccine ingredients. Some of the DTaP vaccines contain a form of ethyl mercury called Thimerosal, used as an adjuvant, which is intended to boost the immune reaction to the vaccines. This form of mercury is easily absorbed in the fatty tissue in the body (brain), does cross over the blood-brain barrier and can lead to severe neurological problems. (Refer to my Thimerosal Update Article)

1. Product Name: Diphtheria and tetanus toxoids adsorbed (DT) Manufacturer: Sanofi Pasteur Year licensed: 1984 2. Product Name: Tetanus and diphtheria toxoids adsorbed for adult use (Td) Manufacturers (Year licensed): Massachusetts Public Health Biologic Laboratories (1970), Sanofi Pasteur (1978)
3. Product Name: DecavacTM (Tetanus and Diphtheria Toxoids Adsorbed for Adult Use – preservative free) (Td) Manufacturer: Sanofi Pasteur Year licensed: 2004
4. Product Name: Tripedia® (DTaP) Manufacturer: Sanofi Pasteur Year licensed: 2001
5. Product Name: Infanrix® (DTaP) Manufacturer: GlaxoSmithKline Year licensed: 1997
6. Product Name: TriHIBit® (DTaP and Hib conjugate vaccine) Manufacturer: Sanofi Pasteur Year licensed: 2001 7. Product Name: DaptacelTM (DTaP) Manufacturer: Sanofi Pasteur Year Licensed: 2002
8. Product Name: PediarixTM (DTaP, hepatitis B, and inactivated polio vaccines for use for the first 3 doses of DtaP (but not the booster dose) in children 6 weeks through6 years of age) Manufacturer: GlaxoSmithKline Year licensed: 2002
9. Product Name: PentacelTM (DTaP, Hib conjugate, hepatitis B, and inactivated polio vaccines) Manufacturer: Sanofi Pasteur Year licensed: 2008
10. Product Name: BoostrixTM (Tetanus Toxoid, Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine, Adsorbed for use in persons 10 year of age and older) (Tdap) Manufacturer: GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals Year licensed: 2005
11. Product Name: AdacelTM (Tetanus and Diphtheria Toxoids Adsorbed for use in 11 years of age and older)
12. Manufacturer: Sanofi Pasteur Year licensed: 2005

How is the DTaP Vaccine Made

Diphtheria- The disease of diphtheria is caused by a toxic protein given off by the bacteria called Corynebacterium diphtheria. This toxin can cause breathing and problems swallowing and may also affect the heart, kidneys and nerves. The vaccine is made by taking the toxic protein given off by the bacteria and weakening it through a chemical process. After it is weakened, it is called a toxoid. People who get exposed to this toxoid develop life-long immunity to the disease. The toxoid cannot cause the same illness at the protein but does that make it safe to inject into the muscle?

Pertussis- The disease of pertussis is caused from a bacterium called Bordetella pertussis, and is often referred to as whooping cough. (See article describing this disease under articles- infectious illnesses). These bacteria can give off 5 different toxins so they take 2 of the 5 toxins, weaken them (toxoid) and use them to make the vaccine.

Tetanus- The disease of tetanus is from a spore called Clostridium tetani that thrives on feces of animals. It is anaerobic (thrives without oxygen) and is activated when it gets into the human body through a puncture wound. The spore gives off a potent biological toxin called tetanospasmin and causes tetanus. Once a person is exposed to this toxin and recover, they develop life-long immunity to tetanus. The toxin is chemically weakened (toxoid) and used in the vaccine.

The Combined Vaccine DTaP

The DTaP vaccine has been the source of much controversy since the very beginning. The whole-cell pertussis toxoid is known to be very reactive and has injured thousands of children over the years. The United States started to use the weekend acellular pertussis vaccine in 1997, years after it was being used in Japan showing it as a safer vaccine. The change was due to public pressure and the reporting system called Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) where injuries were stacking up and families were compensated. Unlike the Japanese, the American physicians, the CDC and the FDA seem more directed by financial gain than by the safety of the people. The injuries red like a book of horror including SIDS, seizure disorders and severe neurological injuries.

Science Ignored Facts While Children Died and Were Injured

Premier scientific researchers like Viera Scheibner, who studied the DPT vaccine and the relationship to SIDS, published her findings were discredited and stripped of credentials. Her Book, “Vaccinations, The Hidden Truth, discloses how vaccines are the #1 assault on the immune system leading to SIDS. The outcries from responsible researchers like Dr. William Torch , SIDS Researcher, were ignored. He stated the following after looking at the SIDS research and other statistical records from other countries using the DPT shot, “DPT may be a generally unrecognized major cause of sudden infant and early childhood death, and that the risks of immunization may outweigh its potential benefits. A need for reevaluation and possible modification of current vaccine procedures is indicated by this study”. (4)

Finally, the old vaccine was replaced with the new safer vaccine in 1997 called the DTaP which is the diphtheria, tetanus and the attenuated (weakened) pertussis toxoid vaccine. This vaccine is still used to date and is made by a variety of companies. It is also combined with other vaccines such as polio, homophiles influenza and Hepatitis B vaccines and a variety of adjuvants, preservatives and additives.

Efficacy and Lack of Long-term Studies

The whooping cough vaccine is done provocatively, (before exposure to illness) and is supposed to protect children or help them by having a easier time fighting the illness should they contract it. There are no studies that can prove the vaccine actually make it easier for the children who do get the illness, how would you prove such a thing? I have 5 children, 3 boys and 2 girls all now grown up but as I was raising my children, one was very sensitive to all the illnesses, teething was hard for him and he ran more fevers as well. The other 4 children all expressed their illnesses in a milder form. When my sensitive child turned 7 years old, like magic, he began to respond more like the other children when ill. I suspected that his immune system needed the extra time to mature. How would you ever know if a child would be more reactive to an illness with or without vaccines?

Since the mass vaccine program began and 70-85% of the American children are fully vaccinated, (5) we still continue to see outbreaks in whooping cough (pertussis) and other illnesses children are vaccinated for (chickenpox and measles). Meyer Eisenstien and Neil Miller reported in their book, Make an Informed Vaccine Decision, they document that in 1993, Ohio had a large pertussis outbreak and 90% of the children were fully vaccinated. In 1996, Vermont reported a pertussis outbreak and 74% of all the children stricken with the illness had gotten 3-5-doses of the pertussis vaccine. In 2003, there was a large outbreak again in Cyprus and they reported that 79% of everyone who contracted the disease had 3-5 doses of the vaccine. In 2009, New Jersey had an outbreak and 100% of the children had been vaccinated. (6)

It is negligent of our CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics to ignore these outbreaks and acknowledge that the vaccines are not protecting as thought. The theory of herd immunity is based on the presupposition that vaccines protect and save suffering. If we continue to have major outbreaks, it is clear to anyone who looks carefully: vaccines do not protect.

Safety Concerns

The lack of long-term safety studies is an ongoing problem with all vaccines across the board. The surveillance of children following multiple vaccines is inadequate and even adverse events reported by parents fall on deaf ears. The vaccine machine that produces billions every year for the manufactures would fail miserable if not protected by the federal government who shield them from all liability. One would surmise that since we have been utilizing vaccines for over 90 years long-term studies would be ongoing. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Albert Einstein said, “No amount of experimentation can ever prove me right; a single experiment can prove me wrong.

The Study The CDC Refuses to Do

I apply this to the science of vaccinations. The study that would put this whole discussion to rest forever is if we carefully examine the fully vaccinated population and compare them to the un-vaccinated population. There are specific tests that help us to understand how children’s bodies are affected by vaccines. These tests are urine, stool, and blood and hair analysis for specific markers that are common in children who suffer with autism. Few medical doctors ever run these specifically designed tests on children suffering with autism and related illnesses. I consider all the autism and related illnesses “vaccine injury”.

I believe (my hypothesis) we would find the following:

The vaccinated children will have some or all of these health issues: elevated levels of heavy metals such as aluminum and mercury, severe gut problems with yeast over growth, clostridia bacteria, leaky gut, poor absorption of minerals and vitamins leading to malnourishment, frequent ear infections, frequent use of antibiotics and/or other psychotropic medications, mitochondrial damage leading to obesity, more physician visits, more incidence of asthma, ADHD, hyperactivity, depression and diabetes.

The unvaccinated would have fewer of these issues and I suspect most would be considered healthy.

This research study would take a few honest, ethical physicians across the country with no ties to the drug companies, a few laboratory tests specifically designed to check these children out appropriately and a detailed survey. The laboratory tests are already available that will show the status of the gut, nutritional health, heavy metal burden and other needed information. The CDC has states that they cannot do this research because it would be unethical to ask for children to go Un vaccinated! I personally have a few thousand children from across the country that are completely vaccine free and their parents have volunteered their children for this type of study. I believe I could get many hundreds more if needed.

Only when we have a study done like this will we ever know the full truth about how vaccines are working or not!

Outbreaks in Highly Vaccinated Populations

The whooping cough vaccine is done provocatively, (before exposure to illness) and is supposed to protect children or help them by having an easier time fighting the illness should they contract it. There are no studies that can prove the vaccine actually make it easier for the children who do get the illness, how would you prove such a thing? I have 5 children, 3 boys and 2 girls all now grown up but as I was raising my children, one was very sensitive to all the illnesses, teething was hard for him and he ran more fevers as well. The other 4 children all expressed their illnesses in a milder form. When my sensitive child turned 7 years old, like magic, he began to respond more like the other children when ill. I suspected that his immune system needed the extra time to mature. How would you ever know if a child would be more reactive to an illness with or without vaccines?

References
(1) History of DTP – http://www.ct.gov/dph/cwp/view.asp?a=3136&q=388276
(2) Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System- http://www.vaccinesafety.edu/VAERS.htm
(3) National Network for Immunization Information – www.immunizationinfo.org/vaccines/diphtheria
(4) Make an informed Vaccine Decision, Mayer Eisenstein, MD, JD, MPH and Neil Z. Miller (pg. 69)
(5) StateHealthFacts.org – Statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=54&cat=2&sub=15&yr=138&typ=2&sort=a (6) Make an Informed Vaccine Decision- Mayer Eisenstein MD, JD, MPH with Neil Miller (pg. 73-74)

The combination vaccine DTaP is a 3 in 1 vaccine for Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis. For years there is ongoing debate about how effective this vaccine is in protecting children from these three illnesses. Can we give credit to the vaccine for the reduction of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis?

The fact is that death from diphtheria and tetanus had declined dramatically before mass vaccination was in place in this country. The pertussis illness continues to circulate in pockets across America. Ironically, it is in the highly vaccinated populations where we see pertussis outbreaks.

Immune Protection

The vaccine theory is based on the assumption that the immune system will respond to the bacteria or virus in an appropriate way so that if a person is exposed, they will not get the disease or will have a much less reaction to the illness. In theory, that all sound very good but reality is, when the vaccine theory was first introduced, we knew very little about the immune system. Prior to 1993, immunologists were taught that when injected with a vaccine, the only thing that would respond is the immune system. They did not understand the immune system or how vaccines would affect it or the body. They looked at titers as the gauge or measure of immune system response, if titers were high, the expected results were obtained. It was in 1993 that a whole new area of medicine was introduced, NeuroImmunology. In 1995 all of the university text books were rewritten to reflect the new understanding of the immune system: The immune system is not a separate part of the body; it is intricately connected to the nervous system and the rest of the body! That should have change the way we look at the vaccine theory called Vaccinology. At that moment in time, the vaccine manufactures began to see that the immune system is much more complicated than previous known. They know that a vaccine cannot produce the same results in the immune system as the actual illness. Vaccines do not result in immunity; they cause immune reactions and or suppression.

Simply stated, there are 2 arms of the immune system (TH1 and TH2) and vaccines do not result in the most desirable reaction. They do not cause the Th1 arm of the immune system to respond and develop which is how nature designed the immune system to react to infectious illnesses. Vaccines drive dominance to the Th2 arm of the immune system which is not the desired reaction. This is why we see children suffering with so many chronic illnesses in this country. (See Benefits of Natural Immunity Article)

DTaP Vaccine Protection

If a child is fully vaccinated with the DTaP, they would get a series of 5 vaccines. According to the manufactures insert, that child should be protected for approximately 10 years. That unfortunately is providing you get the predicted response to the vaccine. I believe the word “protection” is used loosely here because many immunologists now believe that when a child has high titers to an illness, it may not represent immunity but could represent a hyper-immune reaction or suppression of the immune system to respond appropriately. There are many other sign that represent immunity, not just titers.

This would explain why we have pertussis outbreaks in highly vaccinated children. Also, bacteria can adapt and mutate over time which is the case with the pertussis vaccine bacteria. The outbreaks in California in 2009-2011 were a different strain called para-pertussis. The current DTaP vaccine will not protect against this different bacteria. This is a very big problem for the science of vaccinology, they just cannot predict what bacteria or virus will change, mutate or adapt from the current one in the vaccines.

Natural Immunity to Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussis

Because these illnesses are the result of exposure to a toxin given off by the bacteria, the toxin is the major problem. If exposed and the immune system is unable to effectively react, you will get sick from the toxin. Neither the vaccine nor the illness offers life-time protection because exposure to the bacteria can result in the infection based on the immune response.

Diphtheria is very rare at this time and tetanus, which is also rare, requires a puncture wound with exposure to the spore that is found on animal feces. Many physicians say the way to avoid tetanus is through proper wound management. Pertussis is the one illness that is still in circulation at this time. The latest outbreaks in Pertussis have been in highly vaccinated populations and are the result of a new strain, B Pertussis that will not respond to the current vaccine.

As with all infectious illnesses, we may never know when we are exposed to the bacteria so the best preventive action is to continually build the immune system with nutrition, chiropractic (nervous system tune-up), healthy life-style, clean water, large variety of whole foods and vitamin and mineral supplement if necessary. Good sanitation and attention to personal hygiene is also very important. When considering the vaccine one must take into the consideration the associated risks of that vaccine and make an informed decision. (See Side Effects of DTaP)

A vaccine has several basic components including the virus, the bacterium or a weakened version of either one, including the DTaP. All vaccines must have adjuvants or they are ineffective. An adjuvant is used to turbo-charge the reaction to the vaccine in the human immune body. It is the adjuvant that is controversial and most likely causing vaccine injuries. By nature, adjuvants are unpredictable. According to Gupta et al. (1993), some of the side effects can be ascribed to an unintentional stimulation of different mechanisms of the immune system whereas others may reflect general adverse pharmacological reactions which are more or less expected.

Untested Vaccine Additives

There are currently approximately 22 different forms of the diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus vaccines approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the United States. They are in combinations of 2 to 4 different vaccines. Some DTaP vaccines include the hepatitis B vaccine (Hep B), Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine (HPV) and the polio vaccine. Most DTaP vaccines contain the following ingredients.

Pertussis toxin, Diphtheria toxoid, Tetanus toxoid • Thimerosal (ethyl mercury)
Formaldehyde – A known toxin used to embalm dead people. It is a gas at room temperature; is colorless and has an, irritating odor. It is an important precursor to many other chemical compounds, especially for polymers. In 2005, annual world production of formaldehyde was estimated to be 23 million tonnes (50 billion pounds). It is used in disinfectants and in biologics.
Glutaraldehyde –An organic compound (CH2(CH2CHO) and colorless oily liquid used to disinfect medical and dental equipment. It is also used as a chemical preservative.
2 – Phenoxyethanol is used as a substitute for Thimerosal. It is a topical antiseptic, a solvent for cellulose acetate, dyes, inks and resins, in organic synthesis of plasticizers, in germicides.
Filamentous hemagglutinin (FHA)
Aluminum phosphate also Aluminum Monophosphate- Irritation to the eyes, nose skin and respiratory track, used in firefighting, odorless • Latex- Made from sap of the rubber tree
Polysorbate 80- used in foods and vaccines, Many studies have been done showing possible links to infertility, bladder cancer, negative interactions with Crohn’s disease, and in some cases anaphylactic shock.
Pertactin – an outer membrane protein, highly immunogenic virulence factor of Bordetella pertussis. • Aluminum, Ammonium sulfate, Aluminum hydroxide- Used as an adjuvant in vaccines and also used in production of in vegetable glues, in porcelain cements, in tanning, dyeing, deodorants and in fireproofing textiles • Bovine (cow) serum- portion of plasma remaining after blood is coagulated or separated.
Fetuin – Blood proteins that are made in the liver and are secreted in the blood stream. They are a binding protein that mediates the transport and availability of cargo substances in the blood stream.
Aluminum phosphate- Called AlP, it is used as an insecticide, rodenticide (kills moles and other rodents) and fumigant (to fumigate) for stored grains.

Many people, who defend the use of vaccines, will tell us that all of these ingredients are completely safe. They often refer to foods we eat with the ingredients like aluminum…saying that breast milk contains natural aluminum, the mercury in fish is greater than the mercury in vaccines…and therefore, the baby is fine with the vaccine. To say that eating a chemical or toxins is the same as injecting the toxin is a very bad defense. The human gut is designed to attach to organic aluminum and other organic compounds and carry it out of the system.

Defending the Aluminum in Vaccines

Here is what the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia says about the aluminum found in vaccines: “Though all of the aluminum present in vaccines enters the bloodstream, less than 1 percent of aluminum present in food is absorbed through the intestines into the blood. Either way, most of the aluminum in the bloodstream is immediately bound by a protein called transferrin, which carries aluminum to the kidneys where it is eliminated from the body. About 50 percent of aluminum in vaccines or in food is eliminated in less than 24 hours; 85 percent is eliminated in two weeks and 96 percent is eliminated in three years. The ability of the body to rapidly eliminate aluminum accounts for its excellent record of safety.” “Indeed, the quantity of aluminum in vaccines is so small that even after an injection of vaccines, the amount of aluminum in a baby’s blood does not detectably change.” (2)

Where is the Science?

To assume that the aluminum given to infants and young children is safe and easily eliminated is not supported by any recent science. On the contrary, there is only one study ever done on the affects of aluminum and infants. It was done on premature infants who get their nutrition from IV or tubes called the ASPEN STUDY- 1994, American Society for Parenteral (intravenous) Nutrition and Enteral (tube in nose) Nutrition. Little did I know that nutrition, given to premature infants contained aluminum, but it does!

They studied 200 infants, 100 got the normal aluminum (how ethical!) and the other 100 had reduced aluminum. The results are as followed: The results showed that the babies who got the normal levels of aluminum IV injected…aluminum can build up to toxic levels in the bloodstream, bones and brain. Preemies have decreased kidney function and thus higher risk of toxicity. Conclusion showed impaired neurological and mental development at 18 months. They recommended that doctors purchase IV products with the lowest level of aluminum.

Dr. Robert Sears who authored a book on vaccines and discovered there were no sufficient studies on aluminum and vaccines states the following, “This is disgraceful and dangerous. My instinct was to assume that the issue had been properly researched, and that the studies had been done on healthy infants to determine their ability to rapidly excrete aluminum…no studies have been done!” (5)

No studies showing that infants and children tolerate the aluminum in vaccines! Yet they will lead parents to believe that vaccines are absolutely safe. We can assume that premature babies will be more delicate than full-term infants and 1 year old babies. Can we assume that 1 year old will not have kidney stress? Can we assume that an adult won’t have kidney problems? What about the body (brain) absorbing the aluminum as it races through the blood stream? Frequently injecting aluminum in any amounts has never been done and there are no long-term studies proving it is safe! They state that, “About 50 percent of aluminum in vaccines or in food is eliminated in less than 24 hours.” Prove this to me…where are the studies showing that the body eliminates the aluminum ingested and injected at the same rate?

Recent Citations Against Aluminum

Aluminum Study Published in Pediatrics 2009 Dec. 124(6):1709 – “Aluminum is known neurotoxin and can impair short-term bone health and bone size resulting in potential risk factor for later osteoporosis and hip fractures.” Medical Research Counsel Childhood Nutrition Research Centre, University London Institute of Child Health, UK

Journal of Autoimmunity July 15, 2010 Describe a new syndrome: ASIA Autoimmune Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants in Vaccines , by Yehuda Shoenfed, Nancy Agmon-Livin
(Note: Adjuvants are found in all vaccines or they do not work. Adjuvants irritate the immune system and cause an ongoing reaction so that the body will produce antibodies.)

American Academy of Pediatrics Admits- “Aluminum is now being implicated as interfering with a variety of cellular and metabolic processes in the nervous system and in other tissues.”

They also imply that the aluminum in vaccines is a “small amount” comparable in foods. A closer look, according to Neil Z. Miller, author and independent vaccine researcher, the amount of aluminum in vaccines was increased when they reduced the Thimerosal. Here are the aluminum facts in vaccines: Hep B = 250 mcg. per shot and 2 shots recommended, DTaP = 625 mcg. per shot and 4 shots recommended, Hib = 225 mcg. per shot and 3 shots recommended, PCV = 125 mcg per shot and 4 shots recommended and the Hep A = 250 mcg. per shot and 2 shots recommended. Total amount of aluminum in a fully vaccinated child by age of 18 months = 4,925 micrograms. (5)

I believe that with the DTaP and all vaccines, we need to get all the information in order to make informed medical decisions for our children and ourselves. I also feel that there needs to be accountability and transparency when it comes to any mandated drugs and vaccines are currently the only mandated drugs. At this time, we still do have some rights available to “choose” if we want to vaccinate or not. To find out if your state allows exemptions, please see my website under vaccine laws.

References:

CDC Vaccine Excipient & Media Summary -Excipients Included in U.S. Vaccines, by Vaccine
Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
ASPEN STUDY- 1994 – American Society for Parenteral Nutrition and Enteral Nutrition
The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child
Neil Z. Miller – Aluminum in Vaccines, The Neurological Gamble, 2009

The DTaP vaccine has gone through many changes over the years. The P, whole-cell pertussis toxoid was known to cause many problems. The first use of the whole-cell pertussis was made in 1912 by two French bacteriologists. The illness was claiming the lives of hundreds of infants and children and they were desperate to find a vaccine. It was very crude and although there is no evidence it protected children, it may have reduced the severity of the illness. Then, in 1925 Dr. Thorvald Madsen modified the vaccine and was the first to “test” the whole-cell pertussis on a wide scale in the North Sea, Faroe Islands. Little is known about the success of that study but it did appear to reduce the severity of the illness. The first combined DPT vaccine made back to the US in 1942.

An American scientist, Pearl Kendrick, combined the whole-cell pertussis with the diphtheria and tetanus toxoid to make the first combination “cocktail” vaccine. It was widely used until 1997 but side effects, caused by the pertussis component of the vaccine, were noted by many physicians and parents whose children were suffering severe neurological injuries. That vaccine caused severe neurological problems in a huge segment of the population, leaving them in wheel chairs, on ventilators, crippled with feeding tubes, caused demyelinating disease and left many dead. The vaccine continued in the US market in spite of a safer vaccine used by the Japanese. Scientist, Yuji Sato developed an acellular pertussis vaccine consisting of purified haemagglutinins (HAs: filamentous strep throat and leucocytosis-promoting-factor HA), which are secreted by B. pertussis into the culture medium. Japan started to use this attenuated (weekend) vaccine in 1981 but the United Stated continued to use the old one.

Studies Ignored by the CDC

In 1982 the FDA hosted a vaccine symposium where a Japanese scientist stated that the toxic substance produced by B. pertussis may be responsible for the neurological complications in the whooping cough illnesses and also responsible for the neurological problems caused by the vaccine. Again in 1989 at the International Workshop on Neurological Complications Of Whooping Cough And the Pertussis Vaccine, led by John Menkes, MD Neurologist and Pediatrics at UCLA and other scientists agreed that, “There is sufficient data to implicate both endotoxin and pertussis toxin in neurological complications in the disease and in adverse reactions to pertussis vaccine.” (1) This just illustrates how little we knew scientifically back then about the mechanism of the illnesses and how the vaccines could cause injury.

The US continued to use the old whole-cell vaccine until 1997. There are several companies who make variations of the DTaP vaccine. The updated vaccine referred to the DTaP seems to be less reactive and causes less injures that the first vaccine but is still causing problems. Historically, the whole-cell pertussis component in the DPT is considered one of the most dangerous toxins ever used on a vaccine.

Injuries Noted with the First DPT Vaccine

Before the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) was established in 1991, there was no place where vaccine side effects could be officially reported. Doctors who suspected that the vaccine was causing problems were reluctant to disclose these problems. They were concerned about law suits and liability issues. They also trusted the agencies that were mandating the vaccines and in charge of the safety studies. Fortunately, many physicians are no longer ignoring the overwhelming evidence that vaccines are harming people.

There have been books dedicated to documenting the awful effects of the early DPT vaccine. For 20+ years, a safer vaccine was available used by Japan and other countries but the United States ignored the evidence. In 1978, a study conducted by UCLA and funded by the FDA was the first to look at statistics of injury from the DPT vaccine. Reports from parents recalling how their baby cried uncontrollable for hours after the shot, collapsed into convulsions and died hours later were ignored by the mainstream medical society who continued to promote the use of the shot. In a book written by Barbara Loe Fisher, founder and president of the National Vaccine Information Center, Washington, DC and Dr. Harris Coulter called, A Shot in the Dark – Why the P in the DPT vaccination may be hazardous to your child’s health, they state the following, “The most striking finding in this preliminary analysis is the relatively high frequency of persistent crying (brain inflammation), convulsion-like episodes and collapse following DPT vaccination.” (1) They found a higher incidence of serious reactions than any other vaccine in the childhood program.

This study still under estimated the severe reactions due to political pressure but was still the catalyst that forced the US to reluctantly move to the vaccine using the weakened form of pertussis (attenuated), the DTaP vaccine. This was historically the beginning of public scrutiny on a large basis. Before this incidence, the public had complete trust in the vaccine programs, the FDA, the CDC and in their physicians who reassured them the vaccines were safe. Only a small segment of the population, like myself, were deeply concerned about the safety of injecting foreign bacteria, viruses and man-made chemicals into the body of infants and children. It would take almost 20 years before the old vaccine was shelved and the newer, safer vaccine would be used. Any child born before 1995 was given the old DPT vaccine.

DTaP Vaccine Causing Pertussis Outbreaks

Most of the childhood illnesses and death from the illnesses dropped off dramatically between 1920 and 1950. Currently, diphtheria and tetanus are very rare. Pertussis, unlike the previous illnesses, continues to circulate around the United States regardless of vaccine rates. The CDC likes to take credit for eradicating polio and small pox and want to also take credit for the reduction of cases of diphtheria and tetanus. If the vaccine was the real reason, why would we continue to have pertussis outbreaks? Vaccines do cause the body to respond differently to the illness. Many immunologists believe that vaccines cause suppression of the expression of the illness, forcing the body to respond completely different to the injected illness. How do we know this is good? Could the pertussis endotoxin in the vaccine cause pertussis in children and adults? Why are there large pertussis outbreaks in highly vaccinated populations? (In 4 major pertussis outbreaks, over 70% of all who got pertussis were fully vaccinated. (See article DTaP History).

In 1996, Vermont reported a pertussis outbreak and 74% of all the children stricken with the illness had gotten 3-5-doses of the pertussis vaccine. In 2003, there was a large outbreak again in Cyprus and they reported that 79% of everyone who contracted the disease had 3-5 doses of the vaccine. In 2009, New Jersey had an outbreak and 100% of the children had been vaccinated. (6) I believe the biggest problems is that, “they do not want to know if the vaccine is causing the illness!” That information getting out to the public would cause the whole multi-billion dollar program to crumble.

The erosion of trust in this country is growing like an ameba in a warm spring pond! People are waking up to the corruption and greed that fuels the whole medical system from the CDC, FDA, Institute of Medicine right down to the local hospitals and the media.

Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS)

Vaccines have been in use for over 80 years. One would assume that a responsible institution like the FDA or the CDC would have in place a method of reporting where a physician or parent would report a serious injury from a vaccine. There was no such reporting system until 1990 when a “passive reporting system” was set up in Washington. By law, doctors are supposed to report any adverse events they see after vaccinating to this office in Washington. Congressional Records found that only 10% of all events are reported, the rest get ignored. Talk about the fox watching the chicken coop! As I have read dozens and dozens of books on the vaccine problem, one theme is consistent: the doctors will not admit to the parents that the babies are having an adverse event associated to the shots. Some parents report such severe reactions that ambulances are called to rush babies to the hospital where the baby dies or is never the same. Parents know their babies better than anyone and that is why even though the studies claim that the vaccines are safe and not causing problems, parents know better.

Thimerosal in Vaccines

In 2000 – 2003, Congressional hearings exposed that many vaccines contained a form of ethyl-mercury called Thimerosal. Thimerosal was used as a stabilizer, a preservative and an adjuvant (stimulate the response to the vaccine). DTaP is one of the vaccines that contained levels that exceeded the EPA safety levels (0-4 micrograms) (25 micrograms per shot) and still contains traces of Thimerosal. (See “What is a Trace”). Thimerosal is a very toxic form of mercury that is not easily eliminated from the body and can accumulate in the brain and other fatty tissues. Thimerosal is actually more difficult to eliminate than other forms of mercury. When comparing it to methylmercury found in foods, the National Institute of Health in 2005 stated, “Ethylmercury is more toxic than methylmercury because it crosses the blood-brain barrier quicker and converts to inorganic mercury”.(2) When compare eating mercury in fish with injecting it in a vaccine, it is like comparing eating an apples to injecting oranges. Through digestion, the body is equipped to eliminate the mercury providing it is within certain ranges. When we inject Thimerosal via vaccine into the muscle, we are introducing the mercury into the blood system where it can be circulated around the body and absorbed. That is why blood tests done days following vaccination do not show high mercury levels. This is one argument the CDC and other authorities use to claim that Thimerosal used in vaccines is safe.

Is There a Safe Form of Thimerosal?

The manufactures of Thimerosal, Eli Lilly, know it is toxic and have many warnings about its toxicity. All toxic elements must have a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS). The MSDS for Thimerosal reads, “Section 3: Hazards Identification – …may be toxic to kidneys, liver, spleen, bone marrow, central nervous system (CNS). Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage. “Section 3: Hazards Identification – … Exposure to mercury in utero (during pregnancy) and in children may cause mild to severe mental retardation and mild to severe motor coordination impairment.” Section 11: Toxicological Information – Special Remarks on Chronic Effects on Humans: May cause cancer based on animal data. No human data found.”

After the Congressional Hearings, the manufactures of vaccines agreed to reduce the Thimerosal in vaccines. To this date, many vaccines still contain Thimerosal as an adjuvant even though it has been shown to be very toxic. Some DTaP vaccines contain Thimerosal along with formaldehyde, latex, aluminum phosphate, Polysorbate 80 and many other chemicals that do not belong in the body. (See article- DTaP Vaccine Ingredients)

There are many newer studies that the public are not aware of. In 2007 the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health reported, “The dangers of Thimerosal has been known and published for decades. Nonetheless, Thimerosal remains in the drug supply, especially in various vaccines manufactured both for the United States and globally. The ubiquitous and largely unchecked place of Thimerosal in pharmaceutical products, therefore, represents a medical crisis in the modern day.” Clearly, the top physicians in this country know we are having major problems with Thimerosal but their hands are tied. If they expose the problem the will be destroyed.

DTaP Vaccine Schedule

The vaccine is part of the childhood vaccine program and children get the first of 5 shots at 2 months old. If an adolescent is 12 years or older, they may also recommend that child get a booster vaccine. For adolescents and adults there are a few other vaccines recommended that eliminate the pertussis component, TD or the weakened form of pertussis and diphtheria (Tdap).

References:

A Shot in the Dark- DPT – Dr. Harris Coulter and Barbara Low Fisher (pg.9)
A Shot in the Dark, (Pertussis) Barbara Low fisher and Dr. Harris Coulter (pg. 145)
National Institute of Health-NIH