[PROVE] Meningitis Vaccine Information for College Students

This piece contains information that parents and college students need to
know about the meningococcal vaccine.  Please share it widely and do your
part to make sure as many college students and their parents see it as
possible. It was written and submitted by Andy Schlafly, General
Counsel,American Association of Physicians and Surgeons -
http://aapsonline.org.  Thank you. 
 
Sincerley,
Dawn Richardson
Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education - PROVE
http://vaccineinfo.net


Meningococcal Vaccine

Incoming college students nationwide are being told to take the
meningococcal vaccine or else they may not be admitted. But here is what
schools and government are not telling parents and students. Less than 1 in
100,000 contract the meningococcal meningitis disease annually in the
United States and 50% of those cases are in infants. Of those who do
contract the disease, most recover fully and fatalities are in less than
10% of the case.

The disease is not easily transmitted. The primary method of transmission
is by mixing saliva, as in kissing the mouth of an infected person. Even
then, most people have already been exposed, and are thereby immune, to the
disease. Only 5-15 college students nationwide die from this disease and
contributing factors, which is far less than other risks faced by college
students.

In September 2005, the FDA announced that five (5) recipients of this
vaccine reported serious symptoms of Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS) soon
after receiving the vaccine, a condition having similarities with Multiple
Sclerosis. They were ages 17 and 18, typical for the incoming college
freshmen being urged to have this vaccine.
(http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2005/NEW01238.html) 

Other reports of adverse reactions after the vaccine are highly disturbing.
41% the recipients report having a headache subsequent to receiving this
vaccine. 35% report fatigue after the vaccine; 24% report malaise; and 20%
report aches and pains in their joints after receiving the vaccine. One can
only wonder what the long-term harm is from the vaccine. The vaccine
manufacturer does not report in its package insert any study of long-term
harm beyond six months. View the package insert yourself at:
http://www.fda.gov/cber/label/mpdtave102105LB.pdf  It is easy to test a
vaccine in animals to see if it causes cancer or infertility, but the
vaccine maker failed to do that. Its package insert expressly states that
the "vaccine has not been evaluated in animals for its carcinogenic or
mutagenic potentials or for impairment of fertility."

When long-term harm from the vaccine is combined with the short-term harm
indicated above, it is quite possible that the vaccine is causing more harm
than it is preventing. For a disease that can be largely avoided by not
mixing saliva with an infected person, or receiving prompt treatment if one
is infected, the insistence on vaccination rather than education is
unfortunate.

And what benefits are truly provided by the vaccine? The meningococcal
vaccine does not even claim to protect against at least one-third of the
strains of the meningococcal disease, according to the above package
insert. Of the remaining strains, the vaccine provides no guarantee of
immunity either.

Vaccination information is often more objective from state agencies than
from the federal government, because vaccine manufacturers can influence
the federal government and distort federal policy more easily than dealing
with 50 different states. This information from the Illinois Department of
Health is useful, and supports several of the above facts:
http://www.idph.state.il.us/public/hb/hbmenin.htm 

Parents and students may not realize that all states have available
exemptions to decline this and other vaccines. Know your rights, and
exercise them.

Andy Schlafly
General Counsel
Association of American Physicians & Surgeons


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Dawn Richardson
PROVE(Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education)
prove@vaccineinfo.net (email)
http://vaccineinfo.net/ (web site)
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PROVE provides information on vaccines, and immunization policies and
practices that affect the children and adults of Texas.  Our mission is to
prevent vaccine injury and death and to promote and protect the right of
every person to make informed independent vaccination decisions for
themselves and their family.
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