Swine Flu Conspiracy: H1N1 Swine Flu Vaccine & Neurological Disorders

Personally, I’m not a big believer in conspiracy theories, but I do enjoy reporting on various conspiracy theories. However, I do believe the old adage: “Where there is smoke, there is  fire.” I tend to raise my eyebrows and perk up my ears when I see or hear interesting stories about conspiracies. This week, I’m hearing all about the H1N1 swine flu and the swine flu vaccine shot. I posted about the WHO declaring a pandemic back in June, and I’ve been keeping up with the headlines throughout the summer. I would like to think that I am (more or less) up-to-speed on the whole H1N1 swine flu issue. But there is still one stone left unturned: the swine flu conspiracy, specifically the swine flu vaccine conspiracy. Take a look at this video:

To recap the video:

  • Back in 1976, there was a swine flu scare. Several doctors knew that there were neurological disorders and complications associated with the H1N1 vaccine, but that information was not made available to the public.
  • A healthy, active woman named Judy took the swine flu shot in Nov. 1976, and within a week she was a quadrapalegic. Her paralysis lasted 6 months, and she was confined to a wheelchair for over a year. She had developed Guillain-Barré syndrome. According the Wikipedia Page for Guillain-Barré syndrome:

    There were reports of GBS affecting some people who had received swine flu immunizations in the 1976 U.S. outbreak of swine flu. Overall, there were about 500 cases of GBS—25 of which resulted in death from severe pulmonary complications— which, according to Dr. P. Haber, were probably caused by an immunopathological reaction to the 1976 swine flu vaccine. Other influenza vaccines have not been linked to GBS, though caution is advised for certain individuals, particularly those with a history of GBS.

  • After the 1976 swine flu scare and vaccination program, over 300 claims came in from families of victims who died from GBS related to the swine flu vaccine.
  • Concerns include possibly using chemical additives, or adjuvants, to boost the effectiveness of the vaccine. Adjuvants have never been used in flu vaccines in the United States, but they have safely been used in other vaccines, such as Tetanus.
  • There are also concerns that some forms of the H1N1 vaccines will contain Thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative. While Thimerosal has never been associated in any scientific way with any adverse affects to young people or to the fetus, a US Congressional Committee report stated that “Thimerosal…is directly related to the Autism epidemic.” The committee blamed it on “…misplaced protectionism of the pharmaceutical industry.”
  • There is a fear of the Mercury contained in vaccines. A study of vaccinated primates showed increased neurological disorders and nonsocial behaviors similar to autism. There is data that suggests more vaccinations = more autism. And there is circumstantial evidence: In an Amish community that shuns vaccinations, there are only 4 cases of autism in a community of 22,000 people.
  • A bill recently passed in the Massachusetts Senate says that if there is a swine flu pandemic and you don’t get the swine flu vaccine, you could be ordered into quarantine. If you refuse the quarantine, you could face a fine of $1,000 per day that you resist. Many citizens are concerned that the bill’s provision will abuse their Constitutional Rights.

So there. Now you know. But that is not the end of the story. Do some research on your own. Make your own choices regarding the vaccine. But before you decide, check out this 1976 PSA:

U.S. Purchases 195 Million Doses of H1N1 Vaccine

Did you know that this week 100,000 people in the UK contracted the H1N1 flu virus (the Swine Flu)? Well, it’s true. These are confirmed cases of the swine flu. Last week, there were 55,000 cases. The craziest thing is that the flu season doesn’t typically begin in England until December or January. What’s going to happen when flu season actually hits? Here are some of the bullet points for the current UK flu scare:

  • New cases of swine flu double in seven days
  • 840 people ‘seriously ill’ in hospital, 63 in intensive care
  • Majority of cases are people aged 16-64

Thankfully, the United States has purchased 195 million doses of the H1N1 vaccine. That’s good, right? Well, maybe not. There are over 300 million people in the United States. Hopefully this flu virus doesn’t attack everyone. But if it does, our government also purchased 120 million doses of adjvant:

The U.S. government has bought 195 million doses of H1N1 swine flu vaccine for a possible autumn vaccination campaign, a U.S. federal official said Thursday.

The U.S. Health and Human Services Department has also contracted for 120 million doses of adjuvant, a compound to stretch the number of doses of vaccine needed, the department’s Dr. Robin Robinson told a meeting of Food and Drug Administration advisers.

Autumn vaccination campaign? I know there is currently a pretty strong flu vaccination campaign every Autumn. But many people ignore it. If the US government wants everyone to get vaccinated, they will need to scare the crap out of people. Maybe with TV ads, newspaper ads, search campaigns, websites, etc… But that is really a doomsday scenario. I hope it doesn’t get to that point. I guess the point is: If you can get a flu vaccine this year, get one.

WHO Says New H1N1 Flu Virus Is ‘Unstoppable’

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there have been 94,512 cases of H1N1 flu virus worldwide, and 429 of those cases have resulted in death. Many people thought the swine flu had just gone away after everyone pretty much laughed at the way our US health officials ‘overreacted’ to the threat of this new flu virus. But make no mistake, the swine flu has not gone away. In fact, last month the WHO declared a Phase 6 Influenza Pandemic. Furthermore, the US is one of the most affected nations. Out of the 94,512 reported worldwide over the past few months, more than 33,000 of them have been in the United States, resulting in 170 deaths from the H1N1 flu virus in the U.S. Here are the current stats for the United States:

  • 94,512 cases of H1N1 virus worldwide
  • 429 deaths from H1N1 virus worldwide
  • 33,902 cases in the United States (36% of all cases have been in the US)
  • 170 deaths in the United States (40% of all deaths have been in the US)

Those stats are very alarming, considering the fact that we are not currently in flu season here in the US. That’s why this story is so crazy. Just imagine what those numbers could be when flu season hits.

Here is a map of the worldwide distribution of the H1N1 flu virus as reported by the World Health Organization:

Global Map of H1N1 Flu Virus Cases (July 2009)
Global Map of H1N1 Flu Virus Cases (July 2009)

According to an article at Reuters, the WHO has declared the H1N1 virus to be ‘unstoppable’. Furthermore, the World Health Organization has given drug manufacturers a green light to produce vaccines against the current pandemic H1N1 strain of the influenza virus. Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO director of the Initiative for Vaccine Research said, “The committee recognized that the H1N1 pandemic … is unstoppable and therefore that all countries need access to vaccine.” The WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization, or SAGE, recommends that all nations provide a vaccine to their health workers – nurses, doctors and technicians. Then, each nation must create a priority list for vaccinations. Uh oh. I wonder where bloggers will be on the list.

Apparently, the elderly have an advantage over this flu virus:

The elderly seem to have some extra immunity to this new H1N1, which is a mixture of two swine viruses, one of which also contains genetic material from birds and humans. It is a very distant cousin of the H1N1 virus that caused the 1918 pandemic that killed 50 million to 100 million people.

Recently, the UK has seen a rise in H1N1 flu virus cases, and they are very alarming because a few healthy people have died from the virus. Most notably, a healthy 6-year-old girl contracted the virus. She got a sore throat, and then 2 days later she was dead. A healthy doctor also died from the virus in the UK:

The deaths of Chloe Buckley, six, and Dr. Michael Day  mean three people with no previous health problems have now died of the illness out of a total of 17 deaths across Britain.

Sorry about the doom and gloom Tuesday. Whatever you do, don’t laugh at the H1N1 swine flu. It’s a very distant cousin of the influenza virus of 1918, which killed an estimated 50-100 million people while infecting upwards of 500 million people. Please take this virus seriously. If you can get a vaccination, please do.

Update (7-16-2009):

  • World Health Organization: H1N1 pandemic spreading too fast to count (Reuters)

“The 2009 influenza pandemic has spread internationally with unprecedented speed. In past pandemics, influenza viruses have needed more than six months to spread as widely as the new H1N1 virus has spread in less than six weeks.”