In January, 2003 the Bush agenda to mass inoculate medical personnel followed by the general public was something that required further scrutiny and for me was a public health matter, of which the public needed to be better informed. Resulting in me writing the following essay. I've since updated some of the numbers 3/2011.

The result was that the Bush agenda was never implemented, as I thought would happen.

As a health/public health advocate, it is my obligation to share my thoughts while addressing some serious public health concerns, as well as provide 'food for thought' among We the People.

According to The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), up to 30% of individuals inoculated with the smallpox vaccine will suffer mild to moderate side effects requiring possibly a few days lost from work.

The CDC advises people with cardiac problems and those with a compromised immune system to NOT take the vaccine. CDC Smallpox Questions and Answers: The Disease and the Vaccine

Considering how Mr. Bush planned to initially inoculate 500,000 healthcare personnel as the front lines against a bio hazard attack, think of the staggering numbers. At the the time we had 125,000 vacant nurse positions, and I was considering how a third of those numbers missing even one day from work and the implications. Of course not all those numbers would be inoculated at the same time, but the point remained.

Not to mention the individuals at risk for exposure to the freshly inoculated nurse, who is now required to stay away from people with a compromised immune system, those with eczema, and pregnant women.

Let's address the common sense issues related to the logistics and economics to be considered in the event of a mass inoculation endeavor.

An individual can be exposed to the smallpox virus -- receive the vaccine for up to four days post exposure and gain immunity from the disease.

There is no guarantee the inoculation will protect you, yet there remains a 30% likelihood you could suffer side effects.

Therefore, it seems more logical to take a more common sense and safer approach to avoid prophylactic (preventative) use of a live virus in an individual risking numerous side effects, even death.

It seems more practical and safer to inoculate people after they have actually been exposed to the virus, and to have the antidote readily available in the event of severe reactions.

Which leads me to something I often ponder, why aren't the drug companies working to manufacture more of the vaccine antidote, vaccinia immune globulin (VIG) therapy?

The last I read there were only 600 doses available.

It seems common sense, if a mass inoculation endeavor came to fruition, it would be prudent to have the antidote readily available.

The monies spent to manufacture the VIG antidote surely do not outweigh the costs of the side effects under conditions of mass inoculation.

On the other hand when you consider that Section 304 (PL 107-296) of the Homeland Security Act (HSA) (2) -- states no claim for liability for injury or death attributable to a smallpox countermeasure could be brought against entities or individuals who are covered by Section 304's protections -- it is a matter of common sense the drug companies would not bother to invest monies in an antidote.

Politician/physician, Bill Frist, recommended the wording in the HSA to protect the special interests, essentially sacrificing the health of WE the People while he received campaign contributions from drug companies!

Do you wonder the role of our government, our representatives who have been given the honor of serving US, yet by example continue to serve the corporations over WE the People?

This is a blatant conflict of interest!

Every month there is a public opinion poll which asks the trust level of the public related to various professions.

The nurse has always been listed as number one on the list when it comes to public trust, except, for the two months after 9-11, firefighters were number one.

On these same lists of public trust, politicians and lawyers hold the place of 27th and 30th, respectively.

Nurses are refusing to receive the vaccine and refusing to administer the vaccine until they have more information and are confident that appropriate safety measures are in place.

Lawyers and politicians are advising you to be inoculated.

Do you see who stands to benefit? Do you see who is at risk of being harmed?

That being said, I cannot find any quality control data where the vaccine, while stored, was tested for quality, efficacy, contamination or in any way was monitored for signs of tampering.

I am having difficulty finding data where quality control testing was/is ongoing and I wonder about the current status of quality and safety in our vaccine supply.

Are there records identifying the individuals who had access to our vaccine stores?

Since the drug companies were not liable did they bother to spend money to make sure the vaccine supply was protected and safe?

Monitoring would cost money and history has amply demonstrated how companies will cut corners with consumer safety in order to meet the bottom-line.

We the People have the right to know.

What if our vaccine supply has been contaminated and the irony would be, we Americans willingly offered our arms and the arms of our children to be innocently injected with the very bio weapon our government and medical professionals were trying to protect us against?

The devastating health affects not withstanding think of the 43 million Americans currently uninsured. Think of the economics.

You may ask why didn't all these problems exist when we had mass inoculations in the past? And, what about the vaccine today compared to 40-50 years ago?

The plausible answers:

The old live vaccinia virus vaccine for smallpox was never tested for safety or efficacy in controlled trials prior to administration and it may have caused numerous reactions, injuries and deaths.

Unless, the old vaccine for smallpox or a newly formulated vaccine is fully tested for safety and efficacy before being released for public use, legally and ethically the vaccine would have to be considered experimental and its mandated use a state-enforced national scientific experiment.

Public Health is different today. Scientific evaluation of the mass use of any new vaccine must be viewed in context with the other vaccines Americans are getting today and in consideration of the general health of different segments of our population.

The most significant difference between the health of the US population today compared to 1971, when routine vaccination for smallpox was halted in America, is that the numbers of Americans suffering with autoimmune and neurological disorders has increased significantly.

In the past three decades, the numbers of children and young adults with asthma, learning disabilities and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has doubled (I read a stat where ADD/ADHD increased by 324% but I cannot find); diabetes has tripled; and autism has increased 200 to 600 percent in nearly every state.

Live vaccinia virus vaccine for smallpox, for example, would be given to children already receiving doses of eleven other live virus and killed bacterial vaccines, including diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus (DTaP), polio, measles, mumps, rubella (MMR), haemophilus influenzae B, hepatitis B, chicken pox, and pneumococcal vaccines.

In 1971, most American children were only receiving DPT, polio, measles and rubella vaccines.

In addition, today there are many more adults suffering with HIV, lupus, herpes and other diseases affecting the immune system. We have a vast population of transplant patients who are highly immunosuppressed in order to avoid organ rejection.

Think of the economics of paying for an organ transplant and losing the organ due to exposure to a recently inoculated individual -- possibly -- death if the organ is a heart. I shudder at the thought.

Without appropriate safety studies evaluating the risks of an old or a new vaccine in the real world of today, there is no reliable way to predict the potential negative impact on the health of children and adults, especially on the tens of millions of Americans already suffering with chronic autoimmune and neurological disorders.

And, all this without even going into the controversy over the relationship of autism and vaccines, or the recent studies finding high amounts of mercury in the urine of children recently inoculated, a serendipitous finding being a possible link related not to the vaccine, but to Thimerosal, the preservative in the vaccine.

The simple fact is there was not adequate data collection and follow up during the mass inoculations of 30-50 years ago.

We currently have no way of knowing exactly how many adverse events were related to the vaccine since the data was not tracked appropriately.

There is data to support the vaccine killed more people than the disease in Europe and USA Smallpox vaccine more fearful than the disease

Please, get informed before making such an important personal/public health and quality of life decision.

When it comes to the plans of mass inoculation, consider all of the above and then You decide!

CDC Smallpox | Smallpox Vaccine and Heart Problems: Information for People Who Have Recently Received the Smallpox Vaccine

http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/smallpox/vaccination/pdf/012403-declaration.pd

CDC Smallpox | People Who Should NOT Get the Smallpox Vaccine

CDC Smallpox | Questions and Answers: Smallpox Vaccination Program Implementation

Essay-Vaccines

The Vaccine Reaction

CDC Smallpox | Questions and Answers: Smallpox Vaccination Program Implementation 

CDC Smallpox Basics

There was a media blitz how Mr. Bush received the smallpox vaccine, did anyone see his scab?