Egg Allergy, Flu Shot, and Thimerosal

An article in Health magazine titled, "Before you get a flu shot," adds some interesting fodder for the discussion that I addressed in Egg Allergy and Flu Shot. This article debates the effectiveness of the vaccine, explaining the process with which it is produced. Basically, scientists at the CDC decide on their best guess as to the top three strains that are going to be prevalent in any given year and put those in the vaccine. The resulting formula should be 70-90% effective only against the 3 strains they have selected.

The article presents both sides of the argument. The flu kills 40,000 people every year from flu complications. It quotes Dr. Nancy Cox, M.D., director of the influenza division at the CDC who swears by the shot and never fails to get one herself every year. On the flip side, Dr. Hyla Cass, M.D., author of a book on nutritional supplements, never gets one and recommends frequent hand-washing, hydration, vitamin and herbal supplements as a more holistic and effective way to prevent the flu without "adding to the toxic load on your body."

What is this toxic load she is referring to? The flu vaccine (as Dr. Bock also points out in his book) is one of the vaccinations that still contains the controversial preservative, thimerosal. Despite the federal government's phasing out thimerosal from most other vaccines, this vaccine is still recommended for pregnant women and infants! From the CDC website:

There is no convincing evidence of harm caused by the low doses of thimerosal in vaccines, except for minor reactions like redness and swelling at the injection site. However, in July 1999 the Public Health Service (PHS) agencies, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), and vaccine manufacturers agreed that thimerosal should be reduced or eliminated in vaccines as a precautionary measure.

Dr. Tom Jefferson, M.D., who leads an international group of researchers is quoted in the Health article saying he is not comfortable with the safety data, citing that there have only been SIX limited safety studies… "a surprisingly small number considering the widespread use of the vaccine and its mixed bag of ingredients.”

Yikes! If that isn't scary enough, Dr. Boyd Haley talks specifically about the harmful effects of thimerosal on children and pregnant women in this video:



If you are considering the flu shot for your child, sanofi pasteur is projecting 10-12 million thimerosal-free vaccines for the 2007-2008 flu season. And like the mother in the video clip recommends, ask to read the label on the vaccine itself to verify that it is thimerosal-free.