By Guest Writer: Christina Walls

Living in a VACCINATION NATION: Who will protect our children?
Our children are born to us innocent and pure. As a parent or caregiver you offer them comfort, security and nourishment. In your arms they are safe and you would do everything in your power to protect them and to keep them out of harm’s way. They do not yet know the dangers of this world and they trust us to keep them safe. Children are totally dependent on us and so we teach them about the things in this world that may cause them harm. We teach them right from wrong. We teach them how to nourish their bodies so that they stay healthy and so they grow big and strong. Our Children trust us, as their parent or caregiver, to assist them in all phases of their growth. We teach, nurture and care for them so they may mature spiritually, emotionally AND, most relevant to this article and affecting all other areas of growth, physically. We “childproof” our homes so that they cannot get into things that could hurt them such as the cleaning supplies or the medicine cabinet. We wrap our coffee tables with rubber or foam padding so that when they fall they will not injure themselves and we practically develop wings so we can fly thru the air to catch them before they fall. From the moment they arrive they own our heart, our soul….we love them to the very core of our being.

It is this overwhelming desire to protect your child that has a lot of parents very confused and upset about the current vaccination schedule. In Dec. '07 the NJ Public Health Council (Individuals who are appointed by the Government and are not elected officials) passed four new vaccination mandates including meningitis for 6th graders, another DPT booster, Prevnar (7 in 1) and a yearly flu shot for all over 6 months of age. These regulations are effective Sept '08. By 6 months of age your child will receive 45 shots, by 19 months 64 and by 4-6 years old they will have received 74 shots!!! In 1983 the USA Autism rate was 1 in 10,000 and as of 2008 it is now 1 in 150 children! Since 1983 the number of vaccines the CDC recommends has increased by 260% (from 10 to 36), which shows a direct correlation with the increase in the autism rate! One (1) in every six (6) children is diagnosed with learning disabilities.

On one hand you want to protect your child from the diseases that we are being taught to be so fearful of and yet on the other hand there is overwhelming evidence that vaccinations are not effective nor are they safe for our children. We purify the water that they drink and do our best to keep pesticides, artificial ingredients and preservatives out of the food that they eat and yet the vaccinations that are injected directly into their pure bloodstream is filled with not only live viruses in some cases, but known carcinogens, highly contaminated animal substances and allergens. According to the Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR) vaccinations contain mercury, aluminum phosphate (used in deodorants and very toxic), formaldehyde (used in embalming corpses and causes cancer), aborted human fetuses, monkey kidney, bovine serums, ground up encephalitic mouse brains, latex, eggs, soy, yeast protein, neomycin and the list goes on and on. After reading this list it is hard to imagine that the cleaning supplies under your kitchen cabinet could be much worse.

According to package inserts from vaccine manufacturers, the side effects of vaccines include SIDS, encephalitis, seizures, paralysis, arthritis, diabetes, asthma, multiple sclerosis, anaphylactic shock and more. Some researchers and medical doctors are linking the huge epidemic of autism and autoimmune diseases to childhood vaccines. Asthma, learning problems, mental and nervous system disorders, juvenile type 1 diabetes, otitis media, Crohn’s disease, seizure disorders and autism are all examples of autoimmune diseases. Vaccinations carry with them the hope to protect your child against a certain disease and yet the possible side effects and risks of serious permanent injury or death are very real.

As a parent it is so important that you are educated prior to vaccinating your child. It is important that you know the signs and symptoms of an adverse reaction to a vaccination so that you can help your child in the event that this happens. There are some consistent signs of severe vaccine reaction documented in the VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System) database which include: High pitch uncontrollable screaming unlike normal crying; changes in sleeping patterns like sleeping for many long hours after vaccinations as well as night terrors and irritability; personality changes including lethargy, loss of speech, fits of anger; very high temperature followed by loss of appetite and illness; loss of eye contact and focus; developmental delays in speech and motor skills following vaccine boosters; children who stop breathing or begin to have seizure problems within 72 days from vaccinations. Not all vaccine reactions occur on the first or second dose. Some reactions occur on the third or fourth vaccination. If you notice any of the above abnormal reactions, you may want to avoid further vaccinations until you have done more research on the topic. Some of these signs are “red flags” that further vaccinations may be contraindicated for your child. According to the NVIC, “when making an informed vaccination decision, it is important to consider whether one or more of the following factors will affect the safety and effectiveness of a particular vaccine or combination of vaccines your child will receive: child's age ,state of health at the time of vaccination, number and types of vaccines to be given simultaneously, past history of acute vaccine reactions or serious health problems following vaccination, family history of vaccine reactions, severe allergies or autoimmune or neurological disorders.” Other factors that put a child at a higher risk of reacting to vaccines as documented by Concerned Parents for Vaccine Safety include: “a personal or family history of convulsions, eczema, asthma, or allergy to cows’ milk; child is ill with anything, including a runny nose, ear infection, diarrhea, etc., or has recovered from an illness within one month prior to vaccination.”

If you suspect that your child has suffered from an adverse reaction to vaccinations you should call your Pediatrician immediately. If your Doctor does not take your concerns seriously it would be advised to take your child to the emergency room. Doctors by law are required to report any adverse reaction to a vaccine. If your doctor does not file a report, parents should file their own report by calling: 1-800-822-7967. In addition to giving vaccine manufacturers and doctors no liability for vaccine injury or death, the US National Vaccine Injury Compensation Act of 1986 provided for government a tracking system called VAERS (Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System). From January 1992 to November 2001: 5, 032 deaths from vaccines were reported to VAERS. It is estimated that less than 10% of doctors report to VAERS. The NVIC (National Vaccination Information Center) reported “In New York, only 1 out of 40 doctor’s offices (2.5 percent) confirmed that they report a death or injury following vaccination”, meaning that 97.5 percent of all vaccine-related deaths and injuries go unreported. This explains why government reports of actual vaccine related injuries and deaths are greatly underestimated.

In addition the PDR states that no long term testing for efficacy or safety for any vaccination has ever been done. Robert S. Mendelsohn, M.D, a practicing pediatrician for 25 years, was one of the first well known doctors willing to speak out against what he termed the “bread and butter of pediatric practice”. Dr. Mendelsohn writes in his book, How to Raise a Healthy Child…..in Spite of Your Doctor, that “The greatest threat of childhood diseases lies in the dangerous and ineffectual efforts to prevent them through mass immunizations. There is no convincing scientific evidence that mass inoculations can be credited with eliminating childhood diseases. Dr. Mendelsohn emphasizes that there has never been clinical, double blind trials that compare the short-term and long-term health comparison of vaccinated and unvaccinated populations. Dr. Mendelsohn warns, “There are significant risks associated with every immunization….while the myriad of short-term hazards of most immunizations are known (but rarely explained), no one knows the long-term consequences of injecting foreign proteins into the body of your child. Even more shocking is the fact that no one is making any structured effort to find out.” Dr. Mendelsohn and many other medical experts believe that vaccinations against relatively harmless diseases such as mumps and measles prevent a child’s immune system from developing to the stage that it can fight off more serious diseases as an adult. There are numerous medical studies showing that people who deal with mumps and measles naturally (without vaccination) as a child are less likely to suffer from cancer and other degenerative disorders as an adult, according to the book researched and written by Michael Dye: Vaccination- Deception & Tragedy- the truth about Vaccines and the Dangers they pose. “There is growing suspicion that immunization against relatively harmless childhood diseases may be responsible for the dramatic increase in autoimmune diseases since mass inoculations were introduced……Have we traded mumps and measles for cancer and leukemia?” Dr. Mendelsohn asks.

So what are your rights as a parent? Each state has some exemptions available to them. Medical Exemptions and Religious Exemptions are available in NJ. Everyone is entitled to claim a religious exemption even if you have vaccinated previously. It is discriminatory for the School Administrators or Health Officials to ask you to provide a letter from your religious organization. All religions are entitled to claim a religious exemption to vaccination. There are 19 other states that also offer a Philosophical Exemption. Currently concerned individuals across NJ are joining forces to help pass a bill that will offer NJ residents a Conscientious Exemption to vaccination- giving parents and guardians the rights that they so deserve. The right to choose what is best for their children by making an informed decision. For more information on the Conscientious Exemption Bill (Senate Bill S-1071 sponsored by Sen. Anthony Bucco (R-25) and Assembly Bill A-260 sponsored by Asw. Charlotte Vandervalk (R-39)), please visit www.njvaccinationchoice.org. A petition is available for signing as well as information on how to get in touch with your local legislators to voice your support of this bill. We need to join together to be heard and together we can make a difference. Until real and rigorous medical studies support especially the mandatory influenza and Prevnar vaccines for infants as public health policy, it is medically, ethically and scientifically irresponsible to mandate such immunization. Parents/Guardians should have the right to choose which vaccines are safe and appropriate for their own children. Also, a few of the many websites available to you for more information on vaccine safety are: www.callingtheshots.info or www.909shot.com or www.marytocco.com.

Mary Tocco has been an Independent Vaccine Investigator for 26 years. In Vaccine Facts to Consider: Empowering parents to make informed vaccine decisions she writes, “On October 25, 2000, the committee on Government Reform Chairman, Congressman Dan Burton began extensive hearings into the manufacturing, licensing and mandating of vaccines after his two grandchildren suffered severe reactions to their vaccines. His grandson regressed into severe autism within weeks of getting his “booster shots”. He discovered and uncovered the catastrophic problem with thimerosal, severe conflicts of interest in the FDA, EPA, and the CDC and demanded studies into the epidemic on autism. Congressman Burton also discovered that 75-80% of all people who sit on the FDA, CDC and regulatory boards have financial ties to the drug manufacturers in the form of stocks and patents and are paid to promote the vaccines. Many members are appointed and come from the pharmaceutical industry and have a vested interest in promotion and mandating vaccines. This should not be allowed in government as there is no “check and balance” system in place. The Institute of Medicine is funded by the CDC and gets a percent of every vaccine given in this country. The more vaccines….the more profit they all make. Something smells rotten in Washington !”

I have held in my arms a child who suffered from post-vaccinal encephalitis. I feel obligated to increase awareness about vaccine safety or should I say the lack of safety associated with vaccines. It is not a coincidence or by chance that this controversy exists. It exists because children have been damaged and children have died from vaccines. Ultimately, it will not be the Medical Doctors, the Politicians, the CDC or the FDA officials that live with your decision- it will be you that lives with the consequences of what you decide for your children for the rest of your life. Education prior to vaccination is strongly urged so that you can make the best possible INFORMED decision. Not one that you are forced or pressured into making. Not one that is made out of fear or because you were intimidated. One that is based on facts and that you feel most comfortable with. Your pediatrician may seem to really care for your baby and the politicians may pinch their cheeks but the fact of the matter is no one is going to LOVE your baby and have their best interest at heart like YOU.

For more information please feel free to contact Christina Walls via email (subject: vaccines) at faun1020@hotmail.com
References: Vaccinations: Deception and Tragedy: The Truth About Vaccines and the Dangers They Pose written by Michael Dye; How to Raise a Healthy Child….In Spite of your Medical Doctor written by Robert S. Mendelsohn, M.D; Vaccine Facts to Consider prepared by Mary Tocco- (Independent Vaccine Investigator for 26 Years); National Vaccine Information Center; Physicians Desk Reference (PDR); Vaccine Manufacturer Inserts; www.marytocco.com; www.909shot.com; www.callingtheshots.info; www.njvaccinationchoice.org.