To vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is the question

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is the question
October 29, 9:40 AMHuntsville Family ExaminerTheresa Felgner

Fear is settling like a dark cloud over many people as the H1N1 virus continues to plague the young and old and continues to confuse and stress parents as to whether they should or should not vaccinate their children.

Around this time last year the emphasis of getting the flu shot was the headline for many television news programs and newspapers. Now it is all about the swine flu and protecting ourselves against the possibility of serious illness or even death.

As if parents do not already have enough to worry about with respect to their children’s health in a world with out borders, the H1N1 vaccination comes with its share of controversy.

Health Canada recently approved our nation’s swine flu vaccine, but on the premise of clinical trials held in Belgium.

The Ottawa Citizen reported, “Health Canada officials released the information late Friday, in response to questions submitted by the Ottawa Citizen about what scientific evidence was used to establish the safety and effectiveness of the H1N1 vaccine.”

The decision to approve the vaccine in Canada was based on an “informed decision,” yet there does not seem to be any “hard scientific evidence” that substantiates the studies conducted in Europe.

Despite the debates and lack of Canadian clinical studies surrounding H1N1 and in light of the recent death of a healthy 13-year-old boy in Toronto, the public is reminded to put the death into perspective because “teens die during regular flu season as well,” said Dr. Gerald Evans, president of the Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada in a Canwest News Service article. “It gets over-amplified because there is so much in the press right now about pandemic flu.”

To make matters even more scary and difficult for people, according to an American medical doctor, Dr. Russell L. Blaylock, certified neurosurgeon, author and lecturer, no one should get the H1N1 vaccine because “it is one of the most dangerous vaccines ever devised.” This kind of statement is absolutely terrifying for parents and for many others who are trying to decide whether to get the swine flu shot or not.


In response to an inquiry about the swine flu vaccine, Dr. Blaylock said the vaccine contains an immune adjuvant called squalene. Squalene has been shown to cause severe autoimmune disorders like multiple sclerosis, reheumatoid arthritis and Lupus. Furthermore, Blaylock claims this particular vaccine adjuvant is connected to the Gulf War syndrome that killed thousands of soldiers and caused a 200% increase in Lou Gehreg’s disease.

Dr. Baylock noted the H1N1 could be fatal by causing the body’s immune system to overreact. As a result, this is why it is apparently more deadly for young people as opposed to the elderly. Older people have weakened immune systems.

Nonetheless, parents are left with a difficult decision. There appears to be a lot of questions surrounding the swine flu vaccine. Canadian citizens want to make the right and safest decision in order to protect their children and families. It makes it very difficult to make such a decision when Canada’s own health officials, medical experts and scientists have vague answers and more opinion than facts to share with the public.

Ask your family doctor if the vaccine their clinic offers has the adjuvant squalene in it. According to a clinic in Huntsville, not every swine flu vaccine in Canada includes this adjuvant. Do not be afraid to ask your doctor as many questions as you can about the vaccine, its effectiveness, its immediate side affects, and its long-term effects.

Unfortunately, due to lack of clinical studies in Canada at this time and because the H1N1 vaccine is new, there is no proof of the vaccine’s long-term effects on the body, something to think about along with everything else.