Resurgence of rare disease leads to warning: Vaccinate

[question everything]

Resurgence of rare disease leads to warning: Vaccinate

By RICHARD MERYHEW, Star Tribune

January 24, 2009

An unexpected resurgence of a rare but dangerous childhood illness has prompted Minnesota health officials to issue a public warning for parents to make sure their children are fully vaccinated. Five cases of the infectious children's bacterial disease known as HiB, or Haemophilus influenza type B, were reported in Minnesota in 2008, the most since a vaccine was introduced in the early 1990s, state health officials said Friday.

One of the five children who got sick died, becoming the first HiB fatality in Minnesota since 1991. That child, and two others, had not been vaccinated, health officials said.

(snip)

HiB, which is different from the more common viral influenza, is an invasive bacteria that can infect joints, bones and the bloodstream, leading to meningitis, pneumonia and death. But it's a disease that had been nearly wiped out across the United States after a vaccine that is given to babies in the first months of life was introduced in the early 1990s.

No more than one or two cases had been reported annually in young children in Minnesota since then, said Kris Ehresmann, immunizations program manager for the Minnesota Department of Health. Ehresmann said the number of cases reported in Minnesota last year may also have jumped in part because of a shortage in the supply of the vaccine dating back to November 2007.

(snip)


http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/38257099.html

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

1. 12/13/2007 "Merck Recalls Certain Lots of Haemophilus influenza type b"

Merck Recalls Certain Lots of Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib ...Dec 13, 2007 ... Merck Recalls Certain Lots of Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) ... tests of the vaccine lots themselves have not found any contamination. ...
www.fda.gov/consumer/updates/hib121307.html -

Vaccines: Recs/Recalls/Hib ShortageVoluntary Recall of Certain Lots of Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) Vaccine ... The potential for contamination of any individual vaccine is low, and, ...
www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/recalls/hib-recall-faqs

Information for Parents on the Recall of Merck Haemophilus ...Certain lots of the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine are being ... none of the recalled vaccine has been found to be contaminated with bacteria, ...
www.health.state.ny.us/prevention/immunization/hib_recall_for_parents.htm


Voluntary Recall of Certain Lots of Haemophilus influenza type b ...File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - View as HTML
Dec 13, 2007 ... Voluntary Recall of Certain Lots of Haemophilus influenza type b (Hib) .... contamination of any individual dose of Hib vaccine is very low. ...
www.dshs.state.tx.us/immunize/docs/HibRecall.pdf



Why is it always Minnesota that these vaccines stories seem to spring up?

[SidDithers]

7. Recall issued for vitamin C supplements...

OTTAWA -Two brands of vitamin C supplements sold across Canada have been recalled by Health Canada because they were made using vitamin A, which could pose health risks to pregnant women. A statement issued yesterday said New Roots Herbal Vitamin C8 and Vitazan Professional Vitamin C Advanced Ascorbate were both recalled because they may contain excessive amounts of vitamin A. The products recalled are labelled as LOT 2689 (exp. 08/2012) and LOT 9719 (exp. 01/2012). Consuming an excess of vitamin A can cause headaches, fatigue, appetite loss, nausea and diarrhea. In some cases, excessive vitamin A intake can lead to orange skin and blurred vision. Women who overdose on the vitamin in the early stages of pregnancy can cause severe birth defects in their children.

Emphasis added.

Oops, there's that pesky international issue again. Amazing how other countries, completely independant from the FDA, test for the safety of drug and supplement products.

Sid

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

2. 2 of the 5 sick children WERE vaccinated

if you read the article.

[trotsky]

4. Actually, no, it doesn't say that.

My, what's the beef here - your usual anti-medicine hysteria has really ratcheted up a few notches lately.

What the article says is that the child who died, and two others, WEREN'T vaccinated. That much is known. However, what is not clearly stated is whether the other two children received the FULL compliment of HiB vaccinations (2-3 plus a booster at age 1), or just some, or none at all. Please don't make stuff up.

No vaccine is ever going to be 100% effective, which is why immunizing the largest number of people possible is so important - as the Minnesota health officials agree. But I suppose you already know that the entire state government of Minnesota has already been taken over by BIG PHARMA. :eyes:

[question everything]

8. And this is the point of vaccination

to protect the whole population.

Yes, it almost sounds like "collateral damages" but the point of vaccination is to protect the whole population, including health care providers. And if there are individual cases where vaccines have harmed individuals - this is the price we have to pay to keep the population at large healthy, to prevent a modern day plague.

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

3. Merck Recalls 1 Million Hib Vaccine Doses

Merck Recalls 1 Million Hib Vaccine Doses
http://www.aafp.org/online/en/home/publications/news/news-now/clinical-care-research/20071213hibvaccinefolo.html

So you can trust Merck to keep their manufacturing facilities clean. Right?

[SidDithers]

6. You forgot the next line....

CDC: No Health Threat, Just Headaches for Physicins

And this bit:

Subsequent testing of the affected lots found no contamination of the vaccine doses themselves.

Now, do you get your panties in as much of a twist when Big Vitamin, or Big Supplement issues a product recall? You're not holding the multi-billion dollar nutraceutical industry to a lower safety standard than the pharmaceutical industry, are you?

Sid

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

9. yes there was nothing wrong with the million doses - riiiiiight

good pr there for th pharma, lets not panic the public, tell them we are just being cautious


Yep I trust Big Pharma right.

[cosmik debris]

5. I like this quote from a NY Time article.

"Many doctors now argue that reporters should treat the antivaccine lobby with the same indifference they do Holocaust deniers, AIDS deniers and those claiming to have proof that NASA faked the Moon landings."