Vaccine safety

1: How safe are vaccines?

2: Can vaccine overload effect our immunity?

3: Relationship between vaccines and certain medical conditions?

    (A) MMR vaccine causes Autism?

    (B) Influenza vaccine causes flu?

    (C) Childhood Immunization causes Asthma?

Vaccine content

1: Preservatives in vaccines - Thiomersal, phenoxyethanol and phenol.

2: Adjuvants in vaccines: Aluminium, 

3: Additives in vaccines 

4: Manufacturing residuals 

5: Water

Need for Immunization

1: Natural immunity vs immunity from vaccination

2: Why is it still necessary to keep vaccinating our children against diseases such as polio,diphtheria and measles which have already been abolished from most parts of Australia?

3: Why do children still acquire diseases despite being vaccinated?

Opposing views around vaccinations

1: Can someone who had already contracted a disease still be vaccinated?

    (A) Whooping cough

    (B) Epilepsy and Neurological disease 

    (C) HIV infection

    (D) person with allergies

    (E) Chronically ill

    (F) Immunocompromised

    (G) Incurrent illness

2: Vaccination in pregnant women

General questions:

1: What are vaccines and how vaccination work?

2: Correct site for vaccination in a newborn, toddler, adult?

3: Booster doses

4: Vaccination in elderly people

5: Why getting vaccination is compulsory? What happens if children are not vaccinated?

1: Are vaccines safe?

Vaccines are tested for safety and effectiveness in clinical trials before it’s made available to public. All vaccines in Australia, are marketed and manufactured according to Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) guidelines.

(2) Does MMR vaccine causes Autism?

No.

Wakefield et al. (1999) suggested that MMR vaccine causes inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in 12 children, which results in reduced absorption of important vitamins through gastrointestinal track. This can result in developmental syndrome Autism (Wakefield, 1999). The study was retracted by the British Medical Journal Lancet in 2010.

An independent body in the United states, established that there is no link between the MMR and Autism (Smeeth et al., 2004). For further information, refer to MMR vaccine decision aid designed for parents.

(3) Are preservatives in vaccines harmful?

Vaccine uses several preservatives such as Thiomersal, phenoxyethanol, phenol, adjuvants, and additives to prevent fungal and bacterial growth in the vaccine.

Thiomersal

Thiomersal is a compound that is partially formed of mercury called ethyl mercury. It has been added in vaccines for about 6 decades to prevent the growth of fungus and bacteria in vaccine. It can be poisonous if it reaches a certain level in the body, which is dependent on factors such as amount of mercury consumed and body weight. People with low body weight are more susceptible to mercury toxicity such as premature babies with low birth weight. 

To totally eliminate the effect of mercury consumption, Thiomersal was totally removed from vaccines for children and adolescents. 

For more production information for individual vaccine refer to, http://www.immunise.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/Content/Handbook10-home~handbook10-tools~handbook10-appendices~handbook10-appendix3#table-a-3-1

(4) Why is it necessary to get immunization? 

Vaccine-induced immunity can decline with time, without booster doses. Diseases like MMR, polio, DPT have been eradicated from most parts of Australia but vaccinations against these disease are still necessary as these diseases have sometime recurred. 

Recent outbreaks of measles, whooping cough and rubella were seen in Australia.  To avoid these diseases it is necessary to vaccinate our kids to prevent further outbreaks and deaths. Also, diseases against which we vaccinate our children are still present in other countries. So non-immunized or low immunity individual can contract the disease and bring it into the country. If more people are vaccinated, there will be a less chance of spread of particular diseases.

In Australia, thiomersal (an organic compound comprising 49.6% ethyl mercury by weight) (Offit, 2007) has been eliminated from all childhood vaccines since 2000. Before the year 2000, a 6 month old infant vaccine schedule was (Table 1) (D. A. Geier, Sykes, & Geier, 2007; M. R. Geier & Geier, 2003), 

Vaccine | Number of doses | Ethyl mercury (µg) | Total amount in average body (body weight/week) 
Diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus (DPT)  | 3 |    175 µg |   1.9 µg/kg 
Hepatitis A | 3 |   |  
Haemophiliusinfluenza type B (HiB) | 3 |   |  

Table 1: Vaccine schedule for a 6 month old.

As shown in table 1, levels were below the World health organization (WHO) limit for ethyl mercury. No evidence of mercury toxicity was seen in infants or adults as stated by Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety and WHO. Many studies have shown, that there is no indication of Autism and neurological abnormalities (Kern et al., 2013; Smeeth et al., 2004) resulting from the use of vaccines containing thiomersal as opposed to first study in this area (Wakefield, 1999).

 

Geier, D. A., Sykes, L. K., & Geier, M. R. (2007). A review of Thimerosal (Merthiolate) and its ethylmercury breakdown product: specific historical considerations regarding safety and effectiveness. J Toxicol Environ Health B Crit Rev, 10(8), 575-596. doi:10.1080/10937400701389875

Geier, M. R., & Geier, D. A. (2003). Neurodevelopmental disorders after thimerosal-containing vaccines: a brief communication. Exp Biol Med (Maywood), 228(6), 660-664. 

Kern, J. K., Haley, B. E., Geier, D. A., Sykes, L. K., King, P. G., & Geier, M. R. (2013). Thimerosal exposure and the role of sulfation chemistry and thiol availability in autism. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 10(8), 3771-3800. doi:10.3390/ijerph10083771

Offit, P. A. (2007). Thimerosal and vaccines--a cautionary tale. N Engl J Med, 357(13), 1278-1279. doi:10.1056/NEJMp078187

Smeeth, L., Cook, C., Fombonne, E., Heavey, L., Rodrigues, L. C., Smith, P. G., & Hall, A. J. (2004). MMR vaccination and pervasive developmental disorders: a case-control study. Lancet, 364(9438), 963-969. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(04)17020-7

Wakefield, A. J. (1999). MMR vaccination and autism. Lancet, 354(9182), 949-950. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)75696-8

1: Are vaccines safe?

Vaccines are tested for safety and effectiveness in clinical trials before it’s made available to public. All vaccines in Australia, are marketed and manufactured according to Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) guidelines.

(2) Does MMR vaccine causes Autism?

No.

Wakefield et al. (1999) suggested that MMR vaccine causes inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in 12 children, which results in reduced absorption of important vitamins through gastrointestinal track. This can result in developmental syndrome Autism (Wakefield, 1999). The study was retracted by the British Medical Journal Lancet in 2010.

An independent body in the United States, established that there is no link between the MMR and Autism (Taylor, Swerdfeger, & Eslick, 2014). For further information, refer to MMR vaccine decision aid designed for parents.

(3) Are preservatives in vaccines harmful?

Vaccine uses several preservatives such as Thiomersal, phenoxyethanol, phenol, adjuvants, and additives to prevent fungal and bacterial growth in the vaccine (Hooker et al., 2014).

Thiomersal

Thiomersal is a compound that is partially formed of mercury called ethyl mercury. It has been added in vaccines for about 6 decades to prevent the growth of fungus and bacteria in vaccine. It can be poisonous if it reaches a certain level in the body, which is dependent on factors such as amount of mercury consumed and body weight. People with low body weight are more susceptible to mercury toxicity such as premature babies with low birth weight. 

To totally eliminate the effect of mercury consumption, Thiomersal was totally removed from vaccines for children and adolescents. 

For more production information for individual vaccine refer to, http://www.immunise.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/Content/Handbook10-home~handbook10-tools~handbook10-appendices~handbook10-appendix3#table-a-3-1

(4) Why is it necessary to get immunization? 

Vaccine-induced immunity can decline with time, without booster doses. Diseases like MMR, polio, DPT have been eradicated from most parts of Australia but vaccinations against these disease are still necessary as these diseases have sometime recurred. 

Recent outbreaks of measles, whooping cough and rubella were seen in Australia.  To avoid these diseases it is necessary to vaccinate our kids to prevent further outbreaks and deaths. Also, diseases against which we vaccinate our children are still present in other countries. So non-immunized or low immunity individual can contract the disease and bring it into the country. If more people are vaccinated, there will be a less chance of spread of particular diseases (Larson et al., 2015). 

 

Hooker, B., Kern, J., Geier, D., Haley, B., Sykes, L., King, P., & Geier, M. (2014). Methodological issues and evidence of malfeasance in research purporting to show thimerosal in vaccines is safe. Biomed Res Int, 2014, 247218. doi:10.1155/2014/247218

Larson, H. J., Jarrett, C., Schulz, W. S., Chaudhuri, M., Zhou, Y., Dube, E., . . . Hesitancy, S. W. G. o. V. (2015). Measuring vaccine hesitancy: The development of a survey tool. Vaccine, 33(34), 4165-4175. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.04.037

Taylor, L. E., Swerdfeger, A. L., & Eslick, G. D. (2014). Vaccines are not associated with autism: an evidence-based meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies. Vaccine, 32(29), 3623-3629. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.04.085

Wakefield, A. J. (1999). MMR vaccination and autism. Lancet, 354(9182), 949-950. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)75696-8

In Australia, thiomersal (an organic compound comprising 49.6% ethyl mercury by weight) (Offit, 2007) has been eliminated from all childhood vaccines since 2000. Before the year 2000, a 6 month old infant vaccine schedule was (Table 1)(Dorea, 2013), 

Vaccine | Number of doses | Ethyl mercury (µg) | Total amount in average body (body weight/week) 
Diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus (DPT)  | 3 |    175 µg |   1.9 µg/kg 
Hepatitis A | 3 |   |  
Haemophiliusinfluenza type B (HiB) | 3 |   |  

Table 1: Vaccine schedule for a 6 month old.

As shown in table 1, levels were below the World health organization (WHO) limit for ethyl mercury. No evidence of mercury toxicity was seen in infants or adults as stated by Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety and WHO. Many studies have shown, that there is no indication of Autism and neurological abnormalities (Hooker et al., 2014; Kern et al., 2013) resulting from the use of vaccines containing thiomersal as opposed to first study in this area (Wakefield, 1999).

 

Dorea, J. G. (2013). Low-dose mercury exposure in early life: relevance of thimerosal to fetuses, newborns and infants. Curr Med Chem, 20(32), 4060-4069. 

Hooker, B., Kern, J., Geier, D., Haley, B., Sykes, L., King, P., & Geier, M. (2014). Methodological issues and evidence of malfeasance in research purporting to show thimerosal in vaccines is safe. Biomed Res Int, 2014, 247218. doi:10.1155/2014/247218

Kern, J. K., Haley, B. E., Geier, D. A., Sykes, L. K., King, P. G., & Geier, M. R. (2013). Thimerosal exposure and the role of sulfation chemistry and thiol availability in autism. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 10(8), 3771-3800. doi:10.3390/ijerph10083771

Offit, P. A. (2007). Thimerosal and vaccines--a cautionary tale. N Engl J Med, 357(13), 1278-1279. doi:10.1056/NEJMp078187

Wakefield, A. J. (1999). MMR vaccination and autism. Lancet, 354(9182), 949-950. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)75696-8

1: Are vaccines safe?

Vaccines are tested for safety and effectiveness in clinical trials before it’s made available to public. All vaccines in Australia, are marketed and manufactured according to Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) guidelines.

(2) Does MMR vaccine causes Autism?

No.

Wakefield et al. (1999) suggested that MMR vaccine causes inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in 12 children, which results in reduced absorption of important vitamins through gastrointestinal track. This can result in developmental syndrome Autism (Wakefield, 1999). The study was retracted by the British Medical Journal Lancet in 2010.

An independent body in the United States, established that there is no link between the MMR and Autism (Taylor, Swerdfeger, & Eslick, 2014). For further information, refer to MMR vaccine decision aid designed for parents.

(3) Are preservatives in vaccines harmful?

Vaccine uses several preservatives such as Thiomersal, phenoxyethanol, phenol, adjuvants, and additives to prevent fungal and bacterial growth in the vaccine (Hooker et al., 2014).

Thiomersal

Thiomersal is a compound that is partially formed of mercury called ethyl mercury. It has been added in vaccines for about 6 decades to prevent the growth of fungus and bacteria in vaccine. It can be poisonous if it reaches a certain level in the body, which is dependent on factors such as amount of mercury consumed and body weight. People with low body weight are more susceptible to mercury toxicity such as premature babies with low birth weight. 

To totally eliminate the effect of mercury consumption, Thiomersal was totally removed from vaccines for children and adolescents. 

For more production information for individual vaccine refer to, http://www.immunise.health.gov.au/internet/immunise/publishing.nsf/Content/Handbook10-home~handbook10-tools~handbook10-appendices~handbook10-appendix3#table-a-3-1

(4) Why is it necessary to get immunization? 

Vaccine-induced immunity can decline with time, without booster doses. Diseases like MMR, polio, DPT have been eradicated from most parts of Australia but vaccinations against these disease are still necessary as these diseases have sometime recurred. 

Recent outbreaks of measles, whooping cough and rubella were seen in Australia.  To avoid these diseases it is necessary to vaccinate our kids to prevent further outbreaks and deaths. Also, diseases against which we vaccinate our children are still present in other countries. So non-immunized or low immunity individual can contract the disease and bring it into the country. If more people are vaccinated, there will be a less chance of spread of particular diseases (Larson et al., 2015). 

 

Hooker, B., Kern, J., Geier, D., Haley, B., Sykes, L., King, P., & Geier, M. (2014). Methodological issues and evidence of malfeasance in research purporting to show thimerosal in vaccines is safe. Biomed Res Int, 2014, 247218. doi:10.1155/2014/247218

Larson, H. J., Jarrett, C., Schulz, W. S., Chaudhuri, M., Zhou, Y., Dube, E., . . . Hesitancy, S. W. G. o. V. (2015). Measuring vaccine hesitancy: The development of a survey tool. Vaccine, 33(34), 4165-4175. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2015.04.037

Taylor, L. E., Swerdfeger, A. L., & Eslick, G. D. (2014). Vaccines are not associated with autism: an evidence-based meta-analysis of case-control and cohort studies. Vaccine, 32(29), 3623-3629. doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2014.04.085

Wakefield, A. J. (1999). MMR vaccination and autism. Lancet, 354(9182), 949-950. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)75696-8

In Australia, thiomersal (an organic compound comprising 49.6% ethyl mercury by weight) (Offit, 2007) has been eliminated from all childhood vaccines since 2000. Before the year 2000, a 6 month old infant vaccine schedule was (Table 1)(Dorea, 2013), 

Vaccine | Number of doses | Ethyl mercury (µg) | Total amount in average body (body weight/week) 
Diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus (DPT)  | 3 |    175 µg |   1.9 µg/kg 
Hepatitis A | 3 |   |  
Haemophiliusinfluenza type B (HiB) | 3 |   |  

Table 1: Vaccine schedule for a 6 month old.

As shown in table 1, levels were below the World health organization (WHO) limit for ethyl mercury. No evidence of mercury toxicity was seen in infants or adults as stated by Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety and WHO. Many studies have shown, that there is no indication of Autism and neurological abnormalities (Hooker et al., 2014; Kern et al., 2013) resulting from the use of vaccines containing thiomersal as opposed to first study in this area (Wakefield, 1999).

 

Dorea, J. G. (2013). Low-dose mercury exposure in early life: relevance of thimerosal to fetuses, newborns and infants. Curr Med Chem, 20(32), 4060-4069. 

Hooker, B., Kern, J., Geier, D., Haley, B., Sykes, L., King, P., & Geier, M. (2014). Methodological issues and evidence of malfeasance in research purporting to show thimerosal in vaccines is safe. Biomed Res Int, 2014, 247218. doi:10.1155/2014/247218

Kern, J. K., Haley, B. E., Geier, D. A., Sykes, L. K., King, P. G., & Geier, M. R. (2013). Thimerosal exposure and the role of sulfation chemistry and thiol availability in autism. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 10(8), 3771-3800. doi:10.3390/ijerph10083771

Offit, P. A. (2007). Thimerosal and vaccines--a cautionary tale. N Engl J Med, 357(13), 1278-1279. doi:10.1056/NEJMp078187

Wakefield, A. J. (1999). MMR vaccination and autism. Lancet, 354(9182), 949-950. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(05)75696-8