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Omar was 3, and I was overseas, when my daughter-in-law sent me an email telling me
that Omar had been diagnosed with autism. In that instant, our lives changed. We were
our way back to the States. I gave up my career of 25 years as a hospital administrator
and decided to devote my life to my grandchild and to the world of autism. I co-founded
the New York Metro chapter of the National Autism Association and I now devote my
time between running the chapter as its President, and being there for my son and my
Omar had been doing fine. He was typical – growing beautifully, playing, laughing,
hugging, being naughty – like any child. And then, something happened when he turned
3. Something snapped – like the turning off of a switch. He stopped making eye contact,
couldn’t reach him, we couldn’t touch him, we couldn’t even make him look at us. What
countless mothers who had an identical experience as Omar’s, I have listened to their
chapter, I come before you, to bring to you the voices of the families who have a child
like Omar in their family, the voices of teachers, who are educating children like Omar,
and the voices of the therapists, who are trying to heal children, like Omar.
The New York Metro chapter is not opposed to vaccines. We are advocates of safe
vaccines - vaccines that are toxin-free, vaccines that are administered with appropriate
intervals; we are opposed to the one-size-fits-all vaccine for children; and we advocate
the right of choice – the right for parents to opt out on the basis of philosophical and
religious grounds.
It is an established fact that mercury is a powerful toxin. Yet, it has been used in
vaccines and our children have been injected with this toxin, over and over again.
Whereas it has now been removed from most vaccines, it is still being used in the flu
vaccine. And yes, it is indeed being used in the H1N1 vaccine. Here are the facts:
in single dose prefilled syringe. It has 0.18 milligram of MSG per dose.
CSL vaccine – multi dose vial: 24.5 micrograms of mercury per dose; negligible in single
Novartis vaccine – multi dose vial: 25 micrograms of mercury per dose.And even the
single dose Prefilled syringe has mercury – upto 1 microgram per dose. The H1N1
vaccine from Novartis being sold in Europe also contains Formaldehyde as preservative
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5839a3.htm#tab
The presence of mercury in the multi-dose vials renders these vaccines unsafe for human
consumption. So, why don’t families opt for the single dose vial? Because, first, they are
not aware that they have this choice. Second, single dose vaccines are not available in
large supplies, because they cost more. Do they know to ask for single-dose? And if
they do, what happens when they are told by their doctor that he or she only has multi-
dose – and the child better get it or risk getting the flu. Parents are going to do what the
York. Let those families who opt for the H1N1 vaccine, be given single-dose, mercury-
free vaccines – safe vaccines, and then too, exclude vaccines of those manufacturers that
The second safety concern is the composition of the nasal spray vaccine, or flu mist. The
nasal spray contains an attenuated live virus, a virus that has been weakened – unlike the
injectable vaccine which contains a dead virus. There is anecdotal evidence that the nasal
spray, with the live virus, has had devastating effects in some children. Its
contraindications, as per the vaccine’s package insert include eggs, gelatine, and arginine
(amino acid) among others. In other words, if you have hypersensitivity to these, you are
likely to have a bad reaction. Children under 5 years of age, and wheezing can also have
a bad reaction. Some children have developed Guillain-Barre syndrome within 6 weeks
after using the spray. But picture this: A child is given the spray; it appears as if he did
not sniff it well; he is given another spray and asked to sniff again, and now you have
given him double the dose. Picture this: A child is given the spray. He rubs his leaky
nose with his hands; his hands are infected with the live virus; next he is touching his
The third safety concern is reliability and validity of safety testing. Normally, it takes
years to conduct safety testing of drugs. The clinical trials on adults for the H1N1
vaccine started in August 2009; for children on 19 August; for pregnant women, they
out? We are making these vaccines mandatory for pregnant women, when their safety
testing started only last month. Is it unreasonable to question the adequacy of safety
Which leads me to the fourth safety concern, which is, vaccinating pregnant women? As
per package insert of all three injectable vaccines (Sanofi, Novartis or CSL) have NOT
been tested for their impact on the fetus. They all warn of the risk to the Un-born. We
normally, restrict dispensing drugs to pregnant women, due to risks to the fetus. Should
when the tiny brain of the fetus is developing inside her? The drug companies have stated
that they have not tested the effects of the H1N1 vaccines on the fetus. And yet, we are
urging pregnant women to get vaccinated. If we don’t know what the effect this vaccine
And if a pregnant woman, or anyone for that matter, a parent, or a healthcare worker, has
concerns about vaccine safety, should they be forced to get the vaccine? As a healthcare
executive and hospital administrator, I lived and breathed ‘informed consent’. Under the
guidelines of informed consent, the healthcare provider must explain to the patient, the
risks, the benefits, and the alternatives, and then let the patient or guardian decide. That
is what constitutes informed consent – informing and educating the patient about not just
the benefits, but the risks, and the alternatives. Are we doing that? Do we plan to do
report adverse occurrences, and this should be linked to the registry. This will enable you
to track and monitor – at least the self-reported events. I urge you to do that.
My daughter-in-law just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl – Sofia. I am relieved that she
did not have to be inoculated during pregnancy, I am grateful that she opted out of the
Hep B vaccine at birth; I am going to watch that baby like a hawk – but I cannot do it
alone – I and the families I represent, need you by our side. Make our vaccines safe –
please.
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