Point #17
The following are NOT opinions, but actual verifiable facts. Research any of it if you have doubts or just want to expand your knowledge.
17) live virus vaccines shed the virus for up to 6 weeks after vaccination, thus have the potential to infect and spread disease to others even if the person vaccinated displays no symptoms. In fact, it's recommended that recently vaccinated individuals of live vaccines avoid public places, newborns, and anyone with a compromised immune system, yet we allow them in schools, but discriminate against the healthy, unvaccinated kids who aren't even carrying these diseases.
discussion
Point # 17 is actually 5 nested claims
- All live virus vaccines shed
- Recent live-virus vaccinees can spread disease to susceptible others
- Somebody (an authority?) has recommended that recent live-virus vaccinees be quarantined
- Recent live-virus vaccines are allowed in schools
- Unvaccinated kids are discriminated against
These five claims are common tropes presented by those who fear and refuse vaccines. They are almost laughably easy to disprove. Why do they persist? I don't know.
- There is scant evidence that live-virus shed (see below for details)
- There is virtually no evidence that vaccinees shed communicable amounts of the vaccine virus (see below for details)
- There is virtually no evidence for recent vaccinees spreading the disease the vaccine prevents (see below for details)
- No evidence for the claim that any authority has "recommended that recently vaccinated individuals of live vaccines avoid public places, newborns, and anyone with a compromised immune system"
- No evidence that "Unvaccinated kids are discriminated against". However, if you are interested, law professor Dorit Reiss has published a 5-part series on "The Rights of the Unvaccinated Child".
Relative to "authorities recommend people with compromised immune systems, here is St. Jude's current inpatient visiting guidelines:
Here is what Johns Hopkins had to say in 2015, re recently immunized individuals and the immune-compromised:
VERDICT: THE AUTHOR'S OPINION.
Evidence re shedding
Diseases that the United States protects against by vaccination of children under 7 years old by vaccination, and the potential for those vaccines to cause disease in other vulnerable people:
List of diseases:
- 2014
- Hepatitis B
- Rotavirus
- Diphtheria
- Tetanus
- Pertussis
- Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib)
- Pneumococcal disease
- Poliovirus
- Influenza
- Measles
- Mumps
- Rubella
- Varicella
Hepatitis B — Secondary transmission [from a recently vaccinated person to an unvaccinated person of the vaccine virus is not possible: "HBV infection cannot result from use of the recombinant vaccine, since no potentially infectious viral DNA or complete viral particles are produced in the recombinant system." http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/hepb.html
Rotavirus — Yes, vaccine-strain virus has been found in stool of vaccinated infants. "Although rotavirus is shed in the feces of vaccinated infants transmission of vaccine virus has not been documented. Infants living in households with persons who have or are suspected of having an immunodeficiency disorder or impaired immune status can be vaccinated. ACIP believes that the indirect protection of the immunocompromised household member provided by vaccinating the infant in the household, and thereby preventing wild-type rotavirus disease, outweighs the small risk for transmitting vaccine virus to the immunocompromised household member." http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/rota.html
Diphtheria —Secondary transmission from the vaccine is impossible, as it does not contain the bacillus Corynebacterium diphtheriae, but an inactivated toxin (toxoid) produced by the bacillus. http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4203.pdf
Tetanus — Secondary transmission from the vaccine is impossible, as it does not contain the bacillus Clostridium tetani, but an inactivated toxin (toxoid) produced by the bacillus. Note: Persons who survive tetanus are not immune, because so little of the potent toxin is required to cause the disease. http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4220.pdf
Pertussis — Secondary transmission of the disease is impossible, because it is an acellular vaccine, containing only fragments of the pertussis organism, and is therefore incapable of replicating. http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4212.pdf
Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) -- Secondary transmission of the disease is impossible, because the vaccine is made up of the exterior coating of the vaccine (polysaccharide) attached (onjugated) to a protein, to improve immune response. https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/hib.html
Pneumococcal disease -- Streptococcus pneumoniae (also called pneumococcus) is a bacterium. There are adult and pediatric versions of vaccines that prevent pneumoccocal disease; secondary transmission from all formulations are impossible as the vaccines do not contain the organism but subunits of the organism. http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4213.pdf
Polio -- Caused by one of three serotypes of poliovirus. In the United States, only inactivated (killed) poliovirus vaccine, covering all 3 serotypes, is available for routine pediatric vaccination. Secondary transmission is impossible as the vaccines do not contain live organisms. Secondary transmission from the oral polio vaccine (again, not used in the US), is possible. http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4215.pdf and http://www.polioeradication.org/Polioandprevention/Thevaccines.aspx
Influenza — The disease is caused by the influenza virus, which has 3 subtypes (A, B, and C). In the US, two types of vaccine are available, an inactivated (killed) polyvalent vaccine administered by injection, and a live attenuated vaccine administered by nasal spray. Secondary transmission from the injectable formulation is impossible, as the virus is dead. There has been one recorded case of secondary transmission of the live attenuated vaccine. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/flu.html
Measles —The US vaccine uses the live, further attenuated Edmonston-Enders strain. Secondary transmission of the vaccine virus has never been documented. http://www.immunize.org/catg.d/p4209.pdf
Mumps — The US vaccine uses the live, attenuated Jeryl Lynn strain. Secondary transmission of the vaccine virus has never been documented. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/mumps.html
Rubella — The US vaccine uses the live, attenuated RA 27/3 rubella strain. Secondary transmission by children of the vaccine virus has never been documented; it is possible that a lactating vaccinee could, very rarely, transmit the virus via breastmilk to a newborn infant. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/rubella.html
Varicella - For the pediatric vaccine formulation, the US uses the live attenuated Oka strain. "Available data suggest that transmission of varicella vaccine virus is a rare event. Instances of suspected secondary transmission of vaccine virus have been reported, but in few instances has the secondary clinical illness been shown to be caused by vaccine virus. Several cases of suspected secondary transmission have been determined to have been caused by wild varicella virus. In studies of household contacts, several instances of asymptomatic seroconversion have been observed. It appears that transmission occurs mainly, and perhaps only, when the vaccinee develops a rash. If a vaccinated child develops a rash, it is recommended that close contact with persons who do not have evidence of varicella immunity and who are at high risk of complications of varicella, such as immunocompromised persons, be avoided until the rash has resolved." http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/rubella.html
Hepatitis A — There are two formulations, both using inactivated (killed) organisms. Secondary transmission of the vaccine virus is impossible as the vaccines do not contain live organisms. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/pubs/pinkbook/hepa.html
Additional reading:
Understanding Vaccines: What They Are, How They Work http://www.niaid.nih.gov/topics/vaccines/documents/undvacc.pdf
Evidence re shedding--the case of the measles vaccine:
According to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, between 2006 and 2013, there were about 74,000,000 doses of MMR and 11,000,000 doses of MMRV administered. The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines are live, attenuated vaccines.
Let's take the case of the measles, because it is the most transmissible of the three diseases. So there were about 85,000,000 opportunities for the measles vaccine to shed from a recently immunized pers and cause measles in a person vulnerable to the disease.
Let's say shedding-caused measles happens 0.01 percent of the time. One case out of 10,000. That will still mean that the US would have recored 8,500 cases of measles between 2006 and 2013.
Measles is still a reportable disease. What the record shows is that there were
- 2006 = 55 cases of measles
- 2007 = 43 cases
- 2008 = 140
- 2009 = 71
- 2010 = 63
- 2011 = 220
- 2012 = 55
- 2013 = 187
For a total of 834 cases of measles from 2006 to 2013
But wait, there's more.
First, if the shedding theory was true, the cases would be spread evenly across the nation. They were not. They clustered in outbreaks.
Second, most measles cases are now tested as to genotype. Measles vaccine is genotype A. It has not been found in disease outbreaks.
Also see:
http://www.harpocratesspeaks.com/2015/02/genotypes-serotypes-mmr-cognitive-dissonance.html
http://justthevax.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-measles-vaccines-mmr-and-mmrv.html
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
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