The flu season is approaching and fast it seems. As the Northern Hemisphere prepares for colder weather, everyone seems to be buzzing with what this year’s flu season will be like with threats of a full-blown swine flu pandemic. To add to this, an even bigger danger seems to be threatening our health and safety – the vaccine for the swine flu itself.
As drug companies rush to prepare batches of the vaccine for the coming season, more and more people are actively speaking out against it, citing the blatant dangers of the vaccine as being way more serious than the swine flu itself. Let us, therefore, take a look at where this situation stands today. In this article, I will update you on the latest swine flu and swine flu vaccine developments. I will also share with you an outstanding video of a very brave doctor who boldly tells Fox news, he would never take or recommend that vaccine to anyone.
Swine Flu & Vaccine Update
The first cases of the swine flu were reported in March of 2009 in Mexico.
When the swine flu became known to most people worldwide last April, I gave you some background on this virus and how you can help protect yourself against it in “10 Ways To Protect Yourself Against The Swine Flu.”
By June of 2009, the WHO had announced that they were moving up the status of the swine flu to a level 6 and declaring a world pandemic. Having been aware of the numbers of people being affected by this virus up to that point and its severity, I wrote to you a few interesting points to consider about this decision and the virus itself in “Something is Fishy About the Swine Flu Pandemic.”
We are now in October of 2009, and most developed countries are now on the brink of releasing a vaccine for the swine flu. According to the WHO, as of the end of September, regulatory authorities have licensed pandemic vaccines in Australia, China, and the United States, soon to be followed by Japan and several countries in Europe. In fact, in several states of the US, vaccination for the swine flu has already begun. Does that mean that the vaccine is made and ready to go? Well, not quite.
Although at this time the vaccines may be ready for the most part and started being used. In other places they still have to undergo a period of testing, which for the most part has been and is being rushed, to go through an approval process. The WHO also informed people that “pandemic vaccines have their greatest impact as a preventive strategy when administered before or near the peak incidence of cases in an outbreak.” Hence one can understand the rush to get them out.
On the one hand, the WHO states that the swine flu vaccine should be as safe as any seasonal flu vaccine. On the other hand, they state that “even very large clinical trials will not be able to identify possible rare events that can occur when pandemic vaccines are administered to many millions of people.”
Ultimately, as wonderful as the intentions of the WHO are, in the end, it is the drug companies that will be doing the testing not them. This leaves many people worried and doubtful about the actual safety and efficacy of these fast-tracked vaccines. In fact in the US, the FDA clears batches of the vaccine before they’re released, and given their track record with what they approve, I would not invest too much trust in that.
Current Swine Flu Statistics
As of the end of September 2009, there have been worldwide more than 340,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of pandemic influenza H1N1 and over 4,100 deaths reported to the WHO. Although that may sound negative, one always needs to consider numbers like this in terms of relativity. For example cancer kills over 20, 000 people per day and according to the CDC regular seasonal flu kills between 250,000 and 500,000 people per year.
In North America, influenza transmission is geographically widespread and continues to increase. This again may sound “bad” but in reality, it is nothing to panic about for several reasons. At this time in the Northern Hemisphere, colds and cases of flu are naturally on the rise as the weather gets colder. Also, this is a time when massive amounts of students and teachers have gone back to schools and there are large densities of people in small spaces, making for easy transmission of virtually anything to those who are weaker or susceptible. Last but not least, one should not be alarmed that the swine flu or any flu or other infectious diseases like that, usually increases tremendously and reaches the highest peaks around November to February. This is the time when most people overindulge in poor eating, sleeping and alcohol, thereby leaving their bodies even more vulnerable.
Just to give you some comparison too, in the temperate regions of the southern hemisphere, the flu and its transmission has largely returned to seasonal normals like in Chile, Argentina, and New Zealand or has declined substantially, like in Australia and South Africa. Hence, I urge you that as you continue to keep hearing reports on the news, try to keep things in context and not let the media or others blow the swine flu out of proportion for you. We have enough fear-mongering going on in our world, we definitely do not need more.
What About the Vaccine’s Safety?
Some states in the US have been reporting an enforced schedule of vaccination. Naturally, this has a lot of people up in arms, as to them, it is in one way or another a violation of personal rights and freedom. I understand that some people may look at it this way - if everyone got immunized it would help curb if not stop the transmission. I know some people also try to blame those who do not get vaccinated for spreading it to more vulnerable people. But we have to come back to something very, very important and fundamental. Our immune system is able to protect us from everything in terms of infectious diseases. Yes, I said from everything – that is of course if it is functioning optimally.
Now given North America’s eating, drinking, sleeping and exercise patterns, I know you may be thinking “but how many people actually have an immune system in tip-top shape?” Well, I have to agree, probably not many. However, in the same token, I have to look at the people who are taking very extreme and serious care of themselves and ask “why should they have something potentially dangerous injected into them when they are taking care of themselves properly, to protect the people who aren’t?” To be fair, we have to approach this issue from all angles, I think you will agree.
No one can say for certain at this time how safe or effective the vaccine may be. Generally speaking, however, most vaccines are becoming more and more heavily frowned upon today, not only by the natural health community but by many people who have been hurt in some way due to them. What we do know for sure, is that the vaccine is likely to come in two forms, a nasal spray, and an injection. The nasal spray which has begun being administered in the US, already comes with greater risks than the injection as it contains live virus’. This form is not recommended by the CDC for women who are pregnant, people over 50 or those with other serious diseases as their immune system may not be able to handle this form. The live virus may multiply too quickly if one has a compromised immune system, which can leave the person sick with the actual disease they were trying to prevent.
To finish off, I want to leave you with some practical tips and a video from an infectious disease specialist who warns against the swine flu vaccine.
First, please remember that that swine flu is a flu – something that the majority of people DO NOT die from. Deaths typically only occur in those who have other serious health complications.
Secondly, remember that there are many ways to strengthen the immune system and make it capable of defending you from ANY invading micro-organisms. For more on how to do this see the earlier article I wrote “10 Ways to Protect Yourself Against the Swine Flu.”
Thirdly, the swine flu is losing its virulence, which means it is getting weaker. Most people who do come down with it will experience nothing different from typical seasonal flu symptoms if that.
Fourthly, do not feel threatened, bullied or forced to do anything that does not make you feel comfortable. Do not allow the media’s scare tactics to brainwash you into getting this vaccine. Realize that the drug companies and the governments have a lot invested in this, you don’t. Therefore make the choice that is right for YOU and YOUR family, not for them. Read, research and ask lots of questions from various sources, and after that make your own informed decision. Don’t be swayed by one or two loud, fear instilling sources who don’t care about your health as much as they care about their own ratings.
To your best health!