OFF TOPIC: [NVIC] Deja Vu: Spinning Measles

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NVIC Vaccine E-Newsletter

May 5, 2008

Deja Vu: Spinning Measles

by Barbara Loe Fisher

Last week, CDC officials began spinning

the significance of 64 cases of measles reported during the past four months in contrast to the 37 to 508 cases of measles

reported annually between 1996 and 2006 in the U.S.. One-quarter (14) of the 64 children and adults who got measles in the past four months were hospitalized but there were no deaths.

A CDC press release and Fact Sheet

revealed that nearly half of the 64 measles cases occurred in those too young to be vaccinated or whose vaccination status was not known. Only one fifth (14) of the cases were American children whose parents claimed a religious or personal belief exemption. This fact didn't stop CDC officials from trying to blame the measles "outbreaks" on the exemption-takers by stating "These cases and outbreaks resulted primarily from failure to vaccinate, many because of religious or personal belief exemption."

In addition, the CDC made the following undocumented statement: "Before the measles vaccination program, about 3- 4 million persons in the U.S. were infected each year, of whom 400 to 500 died, 48,000 were hospitalized, and another 1,000 developed chronic disability from measles encephalitis." A quick look at the MMWR historical tables shows that the highest number of measles cases reported since 1945 in the U.S. was 763,094 cases reported in 1958.

What is the real story behind the hyping of 64 cases of measles and attempting to demonize parents who have taken religious or personal belief exemptions to vaccination? Are government health officials trying to deflect attention from the reality that even with a 95-100 percent measles vaccine uptake

for children entering kindergarten in two-

thirds of the states and a 92 to 95 percent vaccine uptake in all but four states, two doses of measles vaccine does not prevent measles from circulating in the population? Are they softening up the public for a future announcement insisting that a third dose of MMR vaccine must be mandated to "eradicate" measles?

After the first measles vaccine was licensed in 1963 and began to be used on a mass basis in the U.S., health officials estimated the herd immunity threshold was as low as 55 percent vaccine coverage in a population receiving one dose of measles vaccine.

(free registration to Medscape required, or click here to view the Abstract in Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. 25(12):1093-

1101, December 2006) When that belief failed to "eradicate"measles, in 1971 the herd immunity estimate was raised to more than 90 percent coverage and the 1977 Childhood Immunization Initiative was launched with an aggressive enforcement of mandatory vaccination laws. However, by 1989 it was obvious that even with a 95 percent plus vaccination rate for children entering kindergarten in most states, measles was still circulating with about 55,000 cases reported between 1989 and 1991.

Without conducting a thorough investigation to find out why there were measles increases between 1989 and 1991 in a highly vaccinated population or why the measles being seen was unusually virulent, CDC officials announced that all children must get a second dose of measles vaccine. But measles infections persisted and, in 1995, the National Vaccine Information Center reported on informed consent violations and child deaths in a large worldwide high titer measles vaccine experiment

in which a very potent experimental measles vaccine was given to children under six months old to try to over-

ride maternal antibodies. By 1998, eight distinct genetic groups of wild type measles were identified worldwide in vaccinated and unvaccinated populations.

By 2006, vaccine developers had raised the estimated herd immunity coverage rate for measles eradication to between 93 to 95 percent

but obviously even that extremely high coverage rate in most states is not enough to do the job. So what comes next? Will the CDC call for the National Guard to go door-to-door armed with syringes containing measles vaccine to make sure there is not one unvaccinated person in the country?

Measles vaccine, which is part of the combination live virus MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine can cause brain inflammation and permanent brain damage. There have been nearly 45,000 reports of health problems associated with MMR vaccination made to the federal Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) . However, there is gross underreporting to VAERS and it is estimated that, for example, fewer than 4 percent

of all cases of thrombocytopenia (potentially fatal blood disorder) following MMR vaccination are ever reported to VAERS.

In 1997, Wakefield, M.D. and his colleagues published findings indicating that the MMR vaccine may contribute to the development of inflammatory bowel disease and autism in a subset of children, a scientific debate that continues today.

Parents contact the National Vaccine Information Center every week to file MMR vaccine reaction reports in the NVIC Vaccine Reaction Registry

and describe how their children are suffering high fevers, seizures, brain inflammation and regression into autism after MMR vaccination. To view some of these reaction reports, go to the International Memorial for Vaccine Victims .

The CDC's one-size-fits-all, no-exceptions MMR vaccine policies allow almost no contraindications to MMR vaccine use. According to the CDC, a child can be sick at the time of vaccination or recovering from an illness; have a fever; be taking antibiotics; have a history of allergies; or have experienced a seizure or regression after a previous MMR shot and still be eligible for more MMR vaccine.

With oppressive "no missed opportunities" vaccination policies in place, it is no wonder more parents are filing religious and personal belief exemptions to vaccination. Some have no other choice, especially if their children have experienced previous serious health problems following vaccination and they cannot find a doctor to write a medical exemption. Others want to choose less toxic alternatives to vaccination to maintain health and wellness.

Non-medical vaccine exemptions for religious and personal beliefs are all that stand between the people and tyranny when doctors inside and outside of government take an extreme, utilitarian approach to infectious disease control and write off vaccine casualties as acceptable losses. Today, 1 in every 6 highly vaccinated American child is learning disabled, 1 in 9 is asthmatic and 1 in 100 to 150 develops autism while measles and other childhood diseases persist no matter how many doses are given or how high the vaccine coverage rate.

It is time for parents and legislators to take a hard look at whether trying to eradicate many diseases with forced use of multiple vaccines is a fundamentally flawed policy that has failed to achieve better individual or public health. It is time for vaccines, which are pharmaceutical products made and sold by corporations for profit, to be subject to the law of supply and demand rather than be financially subsidized and forced by government on the people.

No forced vaccination. Not in America.

Green Our Vaccines Rally

Wednesday June 4, 2008

9:00 a.m. - 12:30 a.m.

Washington, D.C.

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Press Release - Centers for Disease Control on Measles in U.S.

For Immediate Release

May 1, 2008 Contact: CDC Division of Media

Click here for the URL:

Fact Sheet: Measles, United States, January 1 - April 25, 2008

From January 1 through April 25, 2008, CDC received a total of 64 reports of confirmed measles cases in the U.S. This is the highest number reported for the same time period since 2001.

Cases have been reported from nine states and outbreaks are ongoing in four: Wisconsin, Arizona, Michigan, and New York.

Of the 64 cases, 59 occurred among U.S. residents and 54 were associated with importation of measles from other countries. Most (63) case-

patients were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status; 1 had received two doses of vaccine. Of the 59 U.S. patients,

13 were 12 months old

Too young to be vaccinated routinely

7 were 1215 months old

Not yet vaccinated

21 were 16 months to 19 years old

14 (67%) claimed vaccination exemptions due to religious or personal beliefs

7 (all 5 years of age) were unvaccinated due to delay or missed opportunities

18 were > 20 years old 14 had unknown or undocumented vaccination status

2 (who acquired measles in Europe) claimed personal belief or religious exemptions

1 had evidence of immunity through birth before 1957

1 had documentation of receiving two doses of MMR vaccine

Unvaccinated children tend to be clustered geographically and/or socially, augmenting the risk for outbreaks. Transmission has occurred in community and healthcare settings, including homes, childcare centers, schools, hospitals, emergency rooms, and physicians offices.

The 64 patients ranged in age from 5 months to 71 years:

14 were 12 months old (13 plus one visitor to the U.S.)

18 were 14 years old

11 were 519 years old

18 were 2049 years old

3 were = 50 years old

14 patients were hospitalized; no deaths have been reported.

Spread of measles has been controlled or limited due to

high vaccination coverage in the U.S.

excellent two-dose vaccine performance

rapid and effective public health responses

These cases and outbreaks serve as a reminder that measles can and still does occur in the U.S. Ongoing measles virus transmission was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, but the risk of cases and outbreaks from imported disease remains.

These cases and outbreaks resulted primarily from failure to vaccinate, many because of personal or religious belief exemption. This fact highlights

the ongoing risk of measles in unvaccinated persons

the risk that unvaccinated persons transmitting measles to others, including infants too young to be vaccinated

the importance of maintaining high levels of vaccination

Measles is an ongoing risk to those who choose not to be vaccinated and a risk to infants and children who have not yet received vaccine.

The measles cases and outbreaks in 2008 result primarily from failure to vaccinate, many because of personal or religious exemption

Unvaccinated persons are at risk for acquiring measles themselves and also of transmitting to others, including children too young to be vaccinated.

Increases in the proportion of the population declining vaccination for themselves or their children might lead to large-scale outbreaks in the U.S.

Israel and a number of countries in Europe (e.g., Switzerland, Austria, Ireland, United Kingdom) are currently experiencing sizeable measles outbreaks affecting their general populations or among populations refusing vaccination.

Maintaining high vaccine coverage with MMR vaccine in the U.S. population is critical for preventing measles cases and outbreaks in this country.

Persons who cannot be vaccinated (infants 12 months and those with medical contraindications) are best protected through high vaccination levels in their communities.

Measles can be a severe, life-threatening illness; however, the vaccine against measles is highly effective in preventing infections, and high immunization levels in the community are effective at preventing or drastically decreasing the size of outbreaks.

Measles can be severe14 (21.9%) of the current patients were hospitalized.

Before the measles vaccination program, about 34 million persons in the U.S. were infected each year, of whom 400500 died, 48,000 were hospitalized, and another 1,000 developed chronic disability from measles encephalitis.

Due to the success of the vaccination program, measles is no longer endemic in the U.S.

MMR vaccine is highly effective in preventing measles: all but one of the current patients was unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccine history.

One dose of MMR vaccine is routinely recommended for all children at 1215 months of age, with a second dose recommended at age 46 years.

Unless there is other evidence of measles immunity, two doses of MMR vaccine are recommended for all school students, students in posthigh school educational facilities, healthcare personnel, and international travelers who are = 12 months of age (NOTE: infants 611 months should receive one dose prior to travel abroad).

Other adults without evidence of measles immunity should routinely receive one dose of MMR vaccine.

Healthcare providers and public health officials should be aware that measles can be acquired through international travel to many countries, including developed countries, and even in the U.S., due to measles importations.

Public health officials and clinicians should remain vigilant regarding the possibility of measles, especially in persons who travel abroad, including to Europe.

During 2008, measles importations have occurred from Switzerland, Israel, Belgium, India, Italy, and likely China, but they can occur from almost any country.

The possibility of measles should be considered in persons with a history of travel, exposure to travelers or possible exposure to measles in their community (e.g., in healthcare, daycare, or household settings).

Healthcare providers and public health officials need to promptly respond to cases and implement control measures when measles is suspected.

Due to the severity of measles infected persons are very likely to seek medical care.

To prevent transmission of measles in healthcare settings, airborne infection control precautions should be followed stringently or, if negative air-pressure rooms are not available, the patient should be placed in a room with the door closed and asked to wear a mask.

All healthcare personnel should have documented evidence of measles immunity on file at their work location.

Cases should be investigated, and infected persons should be isolated promptly.

Case contacts without evidence of measles immunity should be vaccinated, offered immune globulin, or quarantined at home.

Contacts with measles-compatible symptoms should be managed in a manner that will prevent further spread.

###

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Content Source: Office of Enterprise Communication

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Measles in U.S. at Highest Level Since 2001

The New York Times

May 2, 2008

by Grady

Click here for the URL:

Measles outbreaks in at least seven states are expected to produce more cases in 2008 than in any other recent year, federal health officials said Thursday, warning that measles is highly contagious and can cause severe illness and even death.

Most of the cases have occurred in people who were never vaccinated.

There were 64 cases from January through April 25, more than in all of 2006 and the highest number during that four-month period since 2001. None have yet proved fatal, but officials said they expected the total to keep rising.

"We haven't seen the end of this," said Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Fourteen patients, or 22 percent, have been hospitalized, mostly for pneumonia.

The largest outbreak, 22 cases, is under way in New York City, mainly in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn, where it was most likely introduced by travelers from other countries, including Israel and Belgium.

"There may be more cases," said Dr. Jane R. Zucker, assistant commissioner for the Bureau of Immunization in the city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Dr. Zucker said the New York outbreak was still being investigated.

As in New York, the other outbreaks are occurring because travelers bring the measles virus in from other countries - worldwide there are 20 million cases a year - and spread it to unvaccinated people. The unvaccinated include babies under a year old, who are too young to receive the vaccine, and children and young adults from families who refuse vaccination for personal or religious reasons.

The disease can then keep spreading. Dr. Schuchat said doctors were finding clusters with as many as five generations of transmission. She said many of today's parents, doctors and nurses were unfamiliar with measles and not on the lookout for it.

In 17 cases, patients were infected in clinics and doctors' offices, including a year-old baby who contracted the disease in a pediatrician's office during a routine visit - for a measles shot.

Health officials are warning doctors and nurses to take special precautions to avoid spreading the disease in clinics. Children with fevers and rashes should not sit in waiting rooms, and other children should not be brought into an examining room that a child suspected of having measles has just left, because the virus can linger and remain infectious for about two hours.

In the current outbreak, 13 patients were under a year old and therefore too young to have been vaccinated, and 7 others were 12 to 15 months old, with parents who had not yet taken them for their first vaccination, which is due at 1 year. Sixteen others, who were older, came from families that refused vaccination. Fourteen more had what officials described as "unknown or undocumented vaccination status." Only one person had proof of having received the standard two doses of measles vaccine.

In one family in Washington State, eight siblings came down with measles, and three of them had signs of pneumonia, a serious complication. These cases were reported after April 25 and so are in addition to the 64 described by the disease centers on Thursday.

The eight siblings are believed to have contracted measles at a religious conference attended by about 2,000 people from 5 countries and 19 states. None of the eight had been vaccinated. Forty-eight states allow exemptions from vaccine requirements for religious reasons, and 21 for personal beliefs, the C.D.C. said.

Growing numbers of parents in the United States and other countries have begun refusing to vaccinate their children because of unproven fears that vaccines cause autism or other illnesses. Health officials blame the trend for the resurgence of measles in many regions. Israel, Switzerland, Austria, Ireland and Britain have had large outbreaks recently, linked to pockets of people who shun vaccination.

Given the outbreaks overseas, travelers need to be immunized, Dr. Schuchat emphasized, acknowledging that many people do not think of Europe or Israel as places where they have to worry about catching infectious diseases. Babies who are going to be taken on trips can be given a measles shot at 6 months instead of 1 year, officials said.

People who have not been immunized and have been exposed to measles can often be protected with a vaccination or treatment with immune globulin, but the treatment must be given soon after the exposure. Health departments are supposed to track all the contacts of infected people and advise them about what to do, officials said.

Counting the Washington occurrence, 10 states have measles cases, though only seven have three or more, the disease centers' definition of an outbreak. Besides New York City, the highest numbers are in Pima County in southern Arizona, with 15, and San Diego, with 11. The San Diego and Arizona cases have been traced to travelers from Switzerland. Cases in other states have come from Italy, India and probably China.

The remaining states with cases are Hawaii, Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Virginia.

"I think it's important for states who aren't on that list to have their alerts up," Dr. Schuchat said. "We know there are unimmunized people out there, and measles is extremely infectious. Not being on the list shouldn't be reassuring."

Before 1963, when the vaccine became available in this country, there were three million to four million cases of measles annually. The disease killed 400 to 500 children a year and put 48,000 in the hospital.

The vaccine wiped out transmission here by 2000, but the disease can easily be imported because there are so many cases overseas. Worldwide, measles still kills 242,000 children a year.

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Link between vaccine, autism is disputed

Los Angeles Times

May 2, 2008 by Rong-Gong Lin II Cick here for the URL:

In the nation's last major measles outbreak, which struck in 1989-91, the virus was spread largely by unvaccinated, low-income children who lacked healthcare access.

Now, scientists are worried about outbreaks being fueled by clusters of people who are not vaccinated as a matter of choice, rather than access.

Many scientists pin the start of the controversy on a since-discredited 1998 report published in the British medical journal Lancet that linked the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine with autism.

Led by Dr. Wakefield, a senior scientific investigator based in London, the study looked at 12 children who had a history of normal development followed by autism-like symptoms, including loss of language skills, as well as diarrhea and abdominal pain, after the MMR vaccination.

In eight of the children, the study said, "The onset of behavioral problems had been linked, either by the parents or by the child's physician, with measles, mumps and rubella vaccination."

The study later said, "Further investigations are needed to examine this syndrome and its possible relation to the vaccine."

The study's release provoked an uproar in English newspapers.

"Measles vaccinations may be triggering the onset of autism," the Evening Standard wrote.

"Alert over child jabs," was a headline in the Guardian.

Ten of the 12 original co-authors of the original Lancet study signed a retraction of the report's conclusions in 2004.

"We wish to make it clear that in this paper, no causal link was established between MMR vaccine and autism as the data were insufficient," the retraction said.

Indeed, a separate study published in Lancet in 1999 looked at autism cases in Britain before and after the MMR shot was introduced in that country in 1988: There was "no sudden 'step-up' ..... after the introduction of MMR vaccination," the report said.

Wakefield, who has defended his original conclusion, has since been accused of accepting money from representatives of people who believe they were harmed by the MMR vaccine, and has been undergoing a disciplinary hearing by the General Medical Council, which licenses medical doctors in Britain.

In hearings covered widely in the British media in March and April, Wakefield has denied any wrongdoing.

Despite mainstream scientific evidence showing no connection between the vaccine and autism, a vocal group of parents with autistic children remain committed to the premise.Rick Rollens, the parent of an autistic child in Granite Bay, Calif., said his son, now 17, was 7 months old when he received a series of vaccinations, and his behavior changed dramatically.

"He was never the same after that," said Rollens, whose son was diagnosed with autism at the age of 17 months.

Rollens dismisses epidemiological studies that public officials cite in making their case for vaccinations.

"They're done by people who have a vested interest in protecting the status quo," Rollens said. "Vaccine and immunization policy is a sacred cow of the public health community and Big Pharma," he said, referring to large pharmaceutical companies.

ron.lin@...

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Acute Encephalopathy Followed by Permanent Brain Injury or Death Associated With Further Attenuated Measles Vaccines: A Review of Claims Submitted to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

PEDIATRICS Vol. 101 No. 3 March 1998, pp. 383-387

Click here for th URL:

E. Weibel*, Vito Caserta*, E. Benor , and Geoffrey *

Division of Vaccine Injury Compensation, National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, Health Resources and Services Administration, Public Health Service, Rockville, land; and the Office of the General Counsel, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, land.

Objective. To determine if there is evidence for a causal relationship between acute encephalopathy followed by permanent brain injury or death associated with the administration of further attenuated measles vaccines (Attenuvax or Lirugen, Hoechst n Roussel, Kansas City, MO), mumps vaccine (Mumpsvax, Merck and Co, Inc, West Point, PA), or rubella vaccines (Meruvax or Meruvax II, Merck and Co, Inc, West Point, PA), combined measles and rubella vaccine (M-R-Vax or M-R-Vax II, Merck and Co, Inc, West Point, PA), or combined measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (M-M-R or M-M-R II, Merck and Co, Inc, West Point, PA), the lead author reviewed claims submitted to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program.

Methods. The medical records of children who met the inclusion criteria of receiving the first dose of these vaccines between 1970 and 1993 and who developed such an encephalopathy with no determined cause within 15 days were identified and analyzed.

Results. A total of 48 children, ages 10 to 49 months, met the inclusion criteria after receiving measles vaccine, alone or in combination. Eight children died, and the remainder had mental regression and retardation, chronic seizures, motor and sensory deficits, and movement disorders. The onset of neurologic signs or symptoms occurred with a nonrandom, statistically significant distribution of cases on days 8 and 9. No cases were identified after the administration of monovalent mumps or rubella vaccine.

Conclusions. This clustering suggests that a causal relationship between measles vaccine and encephalopathy may exist as a rare complication of measles immunization.

National Vaccine Information Center

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NVIC is funded through the financial support of its members and does not receive any government subsidies. Barbara Loe Fisher, President and Co- founder.

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