# 3659
In an attempt to inform the public, while at the same time gauging public reaction to this fall’s anticipated vaccination program, the CDC has organized a small series of public meetings around the country.
One of these meetings was held in Bucks County, PA this week and the video and accompanying transcript (below) show that, at times, the discussion was heated.
First the local news coverage, then some discussion. A hat tip to Shiloh on Flutrackers for this link (highlighting mine).
(Watch video after brief advertisement)
Swine Flu Discussion Gets Heated In Bucks County
CDC officials are hosting H1N1 conferences across the country to try and ease the minds of skeptical consumers. A meeting in lower Bucks County today got some concerned citizens all fired up about the vaccine. WFMZ's Stephanie Esposito was there, and has the story.
"Frequent hand washing is encouraged during influenza season."
It started out as a video in a conference room in a Trevose, Lower Bucks County hotel.
"This widespread rapid spread is called a pandemic."
The entire meeting wasn't so orderly, in fact people started raising concerns about the H1N1 Vaccine, the intentions of the pharmacuetical companies and the United states government.
"I don't trust this government. I feel this government hides information from it's people."
It was clear, the audience came armed with information.
"The swine flu in 1976 More people died from the vaccine than from the flu itself. I feel this is being hyped.
"In the state of Texas they're not allowing children into school unless they get the shot. Know anything about that?"
The group had several concerns...first the origin of H1N1...which some said they believe to have been created intentionally. Second, vaccine safety...and the speed in which they're being released on to the market.
"We're playing russian roullete with the lives of the people we administer this chemical to."
Herb Newborg is the Vice President of Chiropractic America...he and others suggested the government will bypass FDA regulations in order to release the vaccination by October....saying H1N1 cases are expected to spike in the fall. Their main concern, a particular chemical that's used to stretch the vaccine supply.
"It's been connected to neurological deficits that have been labeled gulf war syndrome." .>>REPORTER:
Joe Funk is the Director of Health and Human services in Bucks County.
"The CDC has indicated and I believe in their sincerity that they're working with the FDA on indigens that are being placed in vaccinations."
CDC officials maintained there is no evidence H1N1 was created deliberately. The CDC also confirmed there are no plans to force H1N1immunizations.
"I have enough faith in our country and the CDC in terms of making certain that people are protected and their health is protected."
At the end of the day, they agreed to disagree... and continue with their own research. Stephanie Esposito 69 News.
Anyone surprised by this local crowd’s reaction obviously hasn’t spent much time on the Internet, researching vaccines. The anti-vaccine crowd is vocal, well organized, and far more entrenched in our society than I think most officials realize.
By taking snippets of truth, an abundance of speculation, and sometimes even adding false charges to the mix, purveyors of pandemic paranoia have created – what is to many Americans - a compelling argument against the government’s planned vaccination program.
We certainly love our conspiracy theories. And, for the past 40 years, any theory that paints our government as the`bad guys’ seems to resonate particularly well with the public.
A swine flu pandemic, and rolling out a vaccine to combat it, are tailor made fodder for the conspiracy crowd. Many of them believe that this is a `man-made’ virus, that the vaccine is `poison’, and some even believe that all of this is nothing more than some move by the New World Order to reduce the world’s population by half.
Of course, last year it was supposed to be a `weaponized’ bird flu virus (released during the Chinese Olympic Games) that was supposed to be the masterstroke of the Malthusians running the world.
That plot apparently failed.
Well, if at first you don’t succeed . . .
As soon as one theory falls, another one jumps up to take its place.
Of course, some of the concerns that these people have are legitimate.
The use of adjuvants in flu vaccines is controversial, and very little safety information is available for their use in children and pregnant women.
For that reason, while the HHS has purchased a stockpile of adjuvants, they say it is unlikely that they will be used.
And it is true, in 1976, the swine flu vaccine was linked to a number of GBS (Guillain-Barré syndrome) cases. I outlined the story in Public Health’s Biggest Pandemic Challenge and the impact it had in Deja Flu, All Over Again.
While tragic, the 1976 vaccine was linked to only 25 deaths with roughly 40 million people receiving the shot. That is 1 death in every 1.6 million recipients. Swine Flu has killed well over 500 people in the US, with probably only 1 to 2 million infected.
So the odds of dying from this virus are probably 500 TIMES GREATER than from the much maligned swine flu vaccine of 1976.
Vaccines are not without side effects, and there are risks to taking any drug. The safety record for flu vaccines is pretty good, but not perfect. There is always the small possibility of seeing a repeat of 1976.
If you want a guarantee, buy a Craftsman.
Personally, I have no greater concern over taking an unadjuvanted split virus swine flu vaccine than I would any other flu vaccine. But that is just me. Your risk assessment may be different.
As to the grand conspiracy theories being pushed on the net, that all of this is some great global depopulation scheme by ___________ (fill in the blank), I can only say that, for me, it doesn’t pass the giggle test.
The one sure way to commit political suicide in this country would be to knowingly roll out a flawed and dangerous vaccine to our children this fall.
The public would consider that an unforgivable sin, and the political and economic backlash would be enormous.
Of far greater concern to me is what happens when the inevitable miscarriages, heart attacks, and seizures coincidentally occur in people who have recently received the vaccine.
They won’t have to be caused by the vaccine, they only have to occur in proximity to receiving the shot.
When you give millions of shots, it is bound to happen.
And when it does, the press, along with the anti-vaccine and conspiracy crowds will have a field day. They will point to these incidents as `proof’ of the danger of the vaccine, even if no causal link to the shot has been established.
In 1976 I watched as the initial crowds that lined up to get the swine flu vaccine quickly dwindled in the face of negative publicity. And that was at a time before 24-hour cable news or the Internet.
The HHS promises a serious public education campaign this fall to promote the pandemic vaccination. While creating a safe and effective vaccine is their biggest challenge, convincing Americans that is safe, and prudent to take, won’t be far behind.
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