18 assertions about vaccines: #15 Diseases Aren't Eliminated by Vaccines, They Are Just Renamed.

Point #15

The following are NOT opinions, but actual verifiable facts. Research any of it if you have doubts or just want to expand your knowledge.

15) diseases have been renamed after the introduction of a vaccine. What would have once been diagnosed as polio is now being diagnosed as many different diseases, all having the same symptoms once attributed to sufferers of polio. Only difference, it was only called polio prior to the introduction of the vaccine, and now is diagnosed as such diseases as viral or “aseptic” meningitis, Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), spinal meningitis, inhibitory palsy, intermittent fever, post-polio syndrome, and acute flaccid paralysis(AFP), just to name a few.

Again, nested claims.

1. Polio was not diagnosed after the introduction of the vaccine
2. Polio is not caused by an organism that can be observed. Polio diagnosis isn't made by finding the organism
3. People experiencing viral or “aseptic” meningitis really have polio (the symptoms are identical), it's just been renamed.
4. People experiencing Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) (the symptoms are identical), really have polio, it's just been renamed.
5. People experiencing spinal meningitis, really have polio,(the symptoms are identical), it's just been renamed.
6. People experiencing inhibitory palsy really have polio,(the symptoms are identical), it's just been renamed.
7. People experiencing intermittent fever really have polio,(the symptoms are identical), it's just been renamed.
8. People experiencing post-polio syndrome really have polio,(the symptoms are identical), it's just been renamed.
9. People experiencing acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) really have polio,(the symptoms are identical), it's just been renamed.

Discussing the above claims:
#1: ""Polio was not diagnosed after the introduction of the vaccine": Humans are the only known reservoir of poliovirus. The polio vaccine was introduced in 1955, but the last case of the wild-virus polio was diagnosed in the United States was in 1979, so the claim that "Polio was not diagnosed after the introduction of the vaccine" is patently false. THE AUTHOR'S OPINION.

#2  "Polio is not caused by an organism that can be observed. Polio diagnosis isn't made by finding the organism": Polio continues to be diagnosed elsewhere in the world. The diagnostic procedure is most commonly to culture samples -- most oftenly stool samples, as that is where the virus can be found in the highest quantity.THE AUTHOR'S OPINION.

#3: "People experiencing viral or “aseptic” meningitis really have polio (the symptoms are identical), it's just been renamed.": While it is true that nonparalytic aseptic meningitis affected 1%–5% of polio infections in children, there are other known causes of aseptic meningitis. The term describes a clinical syndrome characterized by meningeal inflammation not caused by an identifiable bacterial pathogen in the cerebrospinal fluid. While polio is an enterovirus (EV), it is not the only entrovirus that can cause aseptic meningitis. Overall, the EVs account for vast majority of all aseptic meningitis cases. Since polio has been eliminated from the US, other enteroviruses, plus other viruses, some bacterial causes, and miscellaneous other causes. See Aseptic Meningitis and Viral Myelitis for more information.   . THE AUTHOR'S OPINION. 

#4  "People experiencing Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS)(the symptoms are identical), really have polio, it's just been renamed." Guillain-Barré is called a syndrome rather than a disease because it is not clear that a specific disease-causing agent is involved.  Physicians make the  differential diagnosis between polio and Guillain-Barré  by isolating wild poliovirus  from bodily fluids,  and  finding high neutralising antibodies to polio.  THE AUTHOR'S OPINION. 

#5 "People experiencing spinal meningitis, really have polio,(the symptoms are identical), it's just been renamed." The author seems a bit confused about meningitis here. She seems to be mixing up "spinal meningitis" with "bacterial meningitis".  It is difficult to say. The objective facts about viral meningitis have been explored in point #3.  "Several strains of bacteria can cause acute bacterial meningitis, most commonly: Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) Vaccine preventable. Neisseria meningitidis (meningococcus). Vaccine preventable. Haemophilus influenzae (haemophilus). Vaccine preventable. Listeria monocytogenes (listeria). A food-born illness, not vaccine preventable. Clearly differentiated from polio. THE AUTHOR'S OPINION. 

#6 "People experiencing inhibitory palsy really have polio,(the symptoms are identical), it's just been renamed".The only source for a condition called "inhibitory palsy" I could find was from such anti-vaccine propaganda outlets as Whale.to, or textbooks from the early 20th century. Not a current diagnostic term, and not "polio renamed". THE AUTHOR'S OPINION. 

#7 "People experiencing intermittent fever really have polio, (the symptoms are identical), it's just been renamed". What real physicians know and do when faced with a case of intermittent or recurring fever.THE AUTHOR'S OPINION. 

#8 "People experiencing post-polio syndrome really have polio,(the symptoms are identical), it's just been renamed." This is a very confusing assertion. Post-polio syndrome" (PPS)  is a condition that affects polio survivors years after recovery from an initial acute attack of the poliomyelitis virus. It's not a new infection, it is a consequence of a previous infection.  "People who were significantly affected by polio are more likely to experience severe symptoms from post-polio syndrome. The cause of this syndrome is not known. Although exact numbers are not available, it has been estimated that there are 300,000 polio survivors in the United States and that from one-fourth to one-half of them may ultimately develop some degree of post-polio syndrome."  THE AUTHOR'S OPINION. 

#9 "People experiencing acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) really have polio,(the symptoms are identical), it's just been renamed." What real physicians know and do when faced with a case of acute flaccid paralysis: "Although poliovirus is no longer endemic in the United States, it’s important that healthcare professionals rule out poliovirus infection in cases of acute flaccid paralysis (AFP) that are clinically compatible with polio, particularly those with anterior myelitis, to ensure that any importation of poliovirus is quickly identified and investigated." Here's how actual physicians do differential diagnosis of AFP in areas where polio may still occur. 

(edited to add: here's a handy summary of the differential diagnosis for AFP, thanks to Eve Switzer MD)




Here is the World Health Organization's guidance on AFP. THE AUTHOR'S OPINION. 

 To summarize, the author seems to have copied the list of diseases and conditions above from unreliable sources such as Whale.to, and uncritically repeated them. 

 

VERDICT: THE AUTHOR'S OPINION. 

Here is the list of claims, with links to the discussion of each claim:

• Bonus: Claim that "I'm doing the research that your pediatrician NEVER had to do."
• #1 Combined doses of Vaccines have NEVER been tested for safety. 
• #2 Vaccine manufacturers have been granted legal immunity from being sued when their products inflict damage. 
• #3 DNA from aborted fetuses is in vaccines.  
• #4 the CDC has been caught destroying and hiding evidence  
• #5 outbreaks occur in populations that are up to 90-99% vaccinated -- herd immunity a myth 
• #6 More people die from the MMR vaccine itself than die of the measles. 
• #7 Peanut allergies were almost unheard of prior to the use of peanut oil in vaccines. 
• #8 Multiple independent studies have shown vaccinated children are more likely to have asthma. 
• #9 Information on vaccines is hidden from parents.
• #10 Vaccine package inserts prove the dangers of vaccines.
• #11 Doctors are bribed to vaccinate
• #12 Vaccine manufacturers and the CDC are only self-regulated
• #13 Doctors are ill-informed about vaccines 
• #14 Vaccines cause SIDS&
• #15 Diseases have been renamed after the introduction of a vaccine. 
• #16 The anti-vaccine movement isn't new  
• #17 All live virus vaccines shed and cause diseases  
• #18 Combining acetaminophen and vaccines is dangerous. 
• Bonus: MTHFR gene variants and vaccination