)and then had the opportunity to ask several very pointed questions directed toward the CDC representatives. This is my report of the meeting. Everyone should be aware that the CDC will review the answers collected on its website. All of questions and comments made at the forums are being taped and will be reviewed by the members of the Advisory Committee of Immunization Practices (ACIP) prior to their final recommendations on June 20, 2002. My perception of the meeting was that the CDC not only to solicit comments, but to see how "willing" we will be to accept the vaccine.
The CDC was very forthright in presenting truthful and accurate information about smallpox and about the anticipated problems associated with the vaccine. Surprisingly, it seemed the CDC was advising GREAT CAUTION regarding the use of the vaccine. Even in the event of an outbreak, the greatest emphasis would be placed on isolation, not just on containment (vaccination). This certainly was not what I was expecting to hear. And unless you were an informed listener, you would have missed the most amazing things that the CDC said about a smallpox infection.
The morning opened with Dr. Robert Belshe, M.D, Director of the Division of Infectious Diseases and Immunology from St. Louis University. He has been directly involved with clinical trials involving the Dryvax® vaccine. He presented an overview of the questions put the CDC put forth to the community and placed on their website. This was a very important clarification, as the formatting of these questions is very unclear.
The program was continued by Dr. Joel Kuritsky, the CDC’s director of the Preparedness and Early Smallpox Response Activity for the National Immunization Program. He stated that one of the reasons that the forums were being held was to clear up some misconceptions about smallpox. "For one thing," he said, " smallpox is not explosively contagious." On two separate occasions, Kuritsky said, "smallpox is NOT like measles; it is NOT a highly contagious disease." This has been one of the cornerstone arguments for mass vaccination propagated by both medical journals and the popular press! I could hardly believe what I was hearing.
Was anyone else in the room picking this up??
Kuritsky expounded on other smallpox misconceptions:
1. Smallpox is spread through "droplet contamination." The likelihood of spreading the infection from person-to-person over long distances is minimal because "coughing and sneezing are not part of the disease."
2. Transmission through bed clothing contamination is extremely rare.
3. The virus is NOT spread in food or water.
4. Contagiousness can be "interrupted’ by the use of "a properly fitted, filtered respirator mask with an NIOSH rating of N95 or better." The key here is personalized fitting: a fitted mask will provide a very high level of protection against biological agents.
An extremely important revelation that Kuritsky delineated was that smallpox will not spread rapidly through the population. The disease is "transmitted slowly and only after prolonged, direct, face-to-face contact." He further clarified these close contact to meane "more than 7 days" and face-to-face to mean "contact that is within 6-7 feet." Scientific studies were presented to accentuate this point. Therefore, it is the intensity and duration of contact that spreads smallpox. Dr. Kuritsky said casual contact will not spread smallpox. "The scenario in which a terrorist infects himself and walks through a city spreading the disease just wouldn’t happen, even in population-dense areas. We were able to control the spread of the infection even in highly dense settings such as India and Bangladesh," he explained.
Kuritsky’s information comes in part from a recent paper published by Meltzer. After analyzing data obtained from an outbreak that occurred in 1898, Meltzer’s group concluded that "smallpox was not readily spread among the general population by brief, casual encounters, such as walking down the street beside an ill person or briefly being in the same shop or business. Rather, smallpox was primarily spread among persons living in the same house as a smallpox patient.
Meltzer’s paper goes on to state that, "most outbreaks have an average transmission rate of less than 1 person infected per infectious person." This means that less than one person contracted smallpox from a primarily infected person! The often repeated story that "millions could die from the rapid spread of smallpox after an exposure" appears to be nothing more than theoretical hype. (I strongly encourage everyone to read this paper.)
It is critically important to understand that people are only contagious after the smallpox pustules have erupted on the skin. There is no "carrier state" for this disease, as seen with chickenpox, in which the person is contagious for several days before the vesicular rash occurs. The incubation period after an acute exposure to smallpox can range from 2-17 days. The prodromal stage of the infection begins after the onset of a fever. At that point, the person feels very ill and will most likely take to his bed. "The person is sick and will not be walking around," said Kuritsky. This is the value of isolation after an exposure. A person’s temperature could be monitored daily and if there is any sign of fever, the person should be quarantined AT THAT TIME, preferably in his own home. However it is critically important to understand that, even at this stage, the person is not contagious!! It is only after the appearance of the smallpox rash, generally 2 to 4 days after the onset of the fever, that the person becomes infectious. Keep in mind that there are other causes for fever: the person may just have the flu!!
The smallpox rash has a distinctive appearance and feel. The distribution is primarily on the face, palms and soles, with very little seen on the trunk. In addition, unlike chickenpox, all of the pustules have a consistent appearance throughout the body. When palpated, the rash feels "shoddy," or like buckshot under the surface of the skin.
However, there are other rashes that can potentially be "confused" with smallpox. Dr. Kuritsky gave a list of infectious diseases that present with rashes that can potentially misinterpreted as smallpox:
1. chickenpox
2. Disseminated herpes simplex
3. Disseminated herpes zoster (shingles)
4. Hand-foot-mouth disease
5. Secondary syphillus
6. Molluscum contagiousum (a viral infection)
7. Erythema multiforme
In addition to viruses, medication reactions can occasionally precipitate a rash that could be mistaken for smallpox. The CDC has established a "rash algorithm" to assist healthcare professionals to differentiate smallpox from other skin conditions. This can be viewed by going to http://www.cdc.gov/nip/smallpox/poster-protocol.pdf . In addition, the CDC has set up a 24 hour "Rash Hotline" at 770-488-7100. It is doubtful that a rash could be confused with smallpox, precipitating the mass havoc as seen on the recent "ER" episode. Prior to 1967, the World Health Organization stated that a global vaccination rate of greater than 80% was needed to eradicate smallpox. However, even when this rate was attained, outbreaks still occurred in Asia and India. Therefore, in 1973, a new strategy was introduced. Smallpox cases were actively searched for and isolated. Vaccination of only the person’s immediate close contacts created a barrier "ring" to decrease the spread of the infection. Within two years after the implementation of surveillance and containment approach, the number of smallpox outbreaks had dramatically declined. This is the basis for the current CDC recommendations of "surveillance and containment" in the event of an attack.
It is crucial to realize that even in the event of a confirmed case of smallpox, there is no need to panic. The CDC’s position paper on smallpox, "Vaccinia (Smallpox) Vaccine Recommendations" published June, 2001 states that vaccination of close personal contacts within 4 days of the onset of the rash will be protective. However, Dr. Kuritsky stated that "vaccination 12-13 days out will still be protective." Based on this information, it appears that the rush to vaccinate first responders and medical personnel is unfounded.
Dr. Harold Margolis, CDC senior advisor for smallpox preparedness was the next to speak. The majority of his presentation focused on the potential side effects and complications of the vaccinia vaccine. As a former pediatrician who was still in practice when the smallpox vaccine was still given routinely, he had seen many of these reactions first hand. Dozens of impressive pictures were shown demonstrating the types of reactions that could occur from the vaccine. In fact, many more dreadful pictures were shown of the vaccine reaction than pictures of those with smallpox!
It is the unfortunate state of health of our citizens that exponentially increases the risk of vaccination complications. More than 25% of our population is immunosuppressed by diseases or drugs. This includes people more than 28 million people with eczema and millions more with a past history of eczema; 184,000 organ recipients, 850,000 individuals with diagnosed and undiagnosed HIV infection or AIDS, and 8.5 million people with cancer. Dr. Margolis presented a slide that contained these facts. What he failed to discuss, however, was risks involving the untold millions who are taking immunosuppressive drugs such as corticosteroids. Prednisone® and Medrol®, given to both adults and children, are prescribed for dozens of conditions including but not limited to: asthma; emphysema; allergies; Crohn’s disease; multiple sclerosis; herniated spinal discs; acute muscular pain syndromes; and all types rheumatoid and autoimmune diseases. All of these patients would be at risk for serious complications—including death—not only from the vaccine, but from coming in contact with a vaccinated individual. Dr. Margolis provided the following information regarding the current and projected
supply of the vaccine stock:
Name of vaccine Manufacturer Made from Number of doses
Dryvax (1982) Wyeth Calf lymph 15-75 million
Accum 1000 (new) Acambis MRC-5 cells (human fetal tissue) 54 million
Accum 2000 (new) Acambis Vero cells
(monkey tissue) 155 million
"frozen vaccine" (1980s) Aventis (Unsure) 70-90 million
His remarked in passing that the vaccinia vaccine is going considered an IND, investigational new drug. This information is not to be taken lightly. The old vaccines, that will be re-released, were never subjected to controlled clinical trials and the new vaccines will not have to be proven effective in humans. The new FDA rulings on the development of drugs and vaccines related to bioterrorism will lower safety production standards to fast-track production. And as always, vaccine manufacturers well as physicians will be protected from liability for any vaccine-induced injuries or deaths that will no doubt occur. These facts must be taken into consideration before deciding to receive the vaccine.
There was a "wrap up" of the morning, and then the floor was opened to questions from the audience. I asked the following questions:
Q: If a person was vaccinated with the smallpox vaccine, can they be tested to see
if they still have an antibody level?
A: There is no commercially available test available to the general public.
Comment: Some studies suggest that antibody levels from previous vaccination may last as long as 50 years. Since this is a test that can be performed at research laboratories, the CDC should make this type of testing available before it is given to the general public.
Q: (asked by another person): Is it essential for a scar to form to know that they person has developed immunity?
A. (Belshe) There is a high relationship between the development of an antibody response and the development of the scar. "The scar is a simple indication that the vaccine is working."
Q: The CDC has published a 260 page document called "Interim Smallpox Response Plan & Guidelines." Is this plan intended to be a "prototype" in the event that other types of biological weapons are released on the general public?
A: (Kurtisky): Parts of it could be used for that purpose.
Q: In the event of a confirmed outbreak, would the people that would be considered "close contacts" and be in the "immediate ring" be required to be vaccinated, even if they had a medical contraindication?
A: We would have to do the best that we could to not vaccinate them, but they are also the ones at greatest risk for the most serious complications from smallpox.
Comment: There was no direct answer to this, even when several others in the audience asked this question in various formats, including "what is the CDC’s definition of voluntary?"
Q: We read in every medical and general publication that the case fatality rate of smallpox is 30%. What was the actual cause of death from smallpox?
A: (by Dr. Margolis): Most people died from electrolyte imbalances and possibly renal (kidney) disease. In addition, the skin sometimes exfoliated (sloughed off) and it acted like a burn. In addition, most cases that died were in Bangladesh and Central Africa.
Q: So, what you are saying by your answer is that those conditions are treatable and that most cases that died took place in countries where they did not have advanced medical care…and since the last case of known smallpox in the U.S. was in Texas in 1949, we have the medical capability to treat complications of smallpox today…
A: Some "imported cases" people died in Europe too.
Comment: Both doctors demonstrated an interesting "body language" response when I asked this question. They both shifted abruptly back into their chairs, looked at each other. I read Margolis lips, as he asked Kuritsky, "do you want to answer this?" Kuritsky shook his head "no." I have never seen either of these complications listed in association with smallpox, let alone the cause of death of smallpox! In addition, this means that people die from potentially treatable COMPLICATIONS of this infection, not from the infection itself! This is a critical differentiation. The reason that most people say that they would accept the smallpox vaccine is because of its reported 30% death rate.
In addition, this death rate is a statistic based on old data. It is doubtful that the death rate would be any where near that high today. However, the severe complication and death rate from the vaccine would be exponential due to the enormous number of immunosuppressed people in our country. It is estimated more than 28 million people in the United States, have eczema and millions more have a past history of eczema. There are 184,000 organ recipients, 850,000 individuals with diagnosed and undiagnosed HIV infection or AIDS, and 8.5 million people with cancer. Dr. Margolis presented a slide that discussed these statistics. However, he never mentioned the risk of the the untold millions who are taking immunosuppressive drugs such as corticosteroids.
Prednisone® and Medrol®, given to both adults and children, are prescribed for dozens of conditions including but not limited to: asthma; emphysema; allergies; Crohn’s disease; multiple sclerosis; herniated spinal discs; acute muscular pain syndromes; and all types rheumatoid and autoimmune diseases. All of these patients would be at risk for serious complications and death not only from the vaccine, but from contact with a vaccinated individual.
In light of all this information, it was disheartening and alarming to hear the prepared
answers read by the organizations in attendance. Each person that commented was required to state their name and the organization that they represented when they read their prepared 5 minute statement. The overwhelming response by the organizations, with the exception of my comments, can be summarized as follows:
1. Do not start vaccinating the general public at this time
2. Begin vaccination of first responders now, on a limited basis
3. In the case of an outbreak, all bets are off but vaccination should be used with responders and quite possibly with large sectors of the general public
Was anyone listening? What is the "real agenda" here?
The quote that comes to mind is, ""When governments fear the people, there is liberty. When the people fear the government, there is tyranny." Thomas Jefferson
WHAT YOU CAN DO
I want to personally thank all of you who called and who emailed me with letters of support and concern after reading my press releases or hearing me on the radio with Joyce Riley or with Bill Boshears. Your kind words and thoughts were very much appreciated and I will continue to do my very best to keep you updated and informed as the reality of mandatory vaccination draws near.
The overwhelming "theme" of most of the letters was "what can I do to help?" This is great news, as I am very concerned that the time is short and we need the consciousness of America to wake up fast! As our rights and freedoms are expunged by those that are claiming to "protect us," we must become aggressively proactive. Everyone one of you—and everyone one of your friends and family members MUST become involved and become aware of the critical juncture at which we now stand. The Patriot Act and The Model State Emergency Health Powers Act have been laying the groundwork for mass vaccination. (to view the full .pdf of these documents, go to www.libertyandfreedom.com) Thinking "this could never happen here!" will not protect you. The only chance that we have to protect our waning rights is to GET INVOLVED. Here are my recommendations:
A. Go to the CDC website and answer the questions. Time is of the essence, as they are only accepting comments until JUNE 12, 2002. To answer the questions, a clarification is necessary. The questions are wordy and can be confusing. In simple terms, this is what the CDC is asking:
Question #1: The CDC’s current policy for smallpox vaccination is to only vaccinate laboratory workers. Should this be changed? Should the vaccine be available to the general public?
Answers:
1. No change in policy; Not recommended for the general public
2. CDC does not recommended the vaccine but it would be available on request to the general public
3. CDC is neutral on recommendation, but vaccine would be available on request
4. The vaccine would be available to the general public
Question #2: Should specific groups of first responders (ex: EMT/paramedics; police; fireman; ER doctors and nurses; etc.) be vaccinated now?
1. No. Vaccine should be only for laboratory personnel
2. Yes, but limited only to smallpox response teams created by the CDC or the States.
3. Yes. Widespread vaccination of all medical and non-medical first responders and their support staff.
Question #3: In the even of a confirmed outbreak, how should the vaccine be used?
1. Surveillance and containment: Use ring vaccination only on limited basis of
direct personal contacts
2. Surveillance and containment PLUS selected medical and 1st responders
3. Surveillance and containment PLUS the general public in the affected communities
4. Surveillance and containment PLUS mass vaccination of the general public.
Now that you can understand the questions that they are asking, you can give a response that most represents your understanding of the situation and how you feel best meets your needs and those of your family.
This is how I responded:
Question #1….Answer #1
Question #2….Answer #1
Question #3….Answer #1 PLUS the following comments:
a. The CDC data shows that this is NOT a highly contagious virus
b. The CDC data shows that the virus has a slow transmission rate
c. Even those at highest risk will only contract smallpox if they have had intense contact for more than 7 days
d. The general public must be advised to NOT go to the hospital as the transmission rate to others is highest within confines of that building.
e. It is the job of the CDC and the Public Health Officials to ensure that the general public fully understands this information and DOES NOT PANIC. Smallpox is not only slow to spread, it is slow to cause severe illness.
B. Focus on education as the real war has become an information war, it is being fought now...Inform your state and federal congressional leaders of your position. Let them know the level to which you will resist, if that is what you are planning to do. Inform and educate political leaders, City Counsel members, school board members, local charities and your police and fire departments. Have a family and neighborhood meeting. Know in advance what your response is going to be. Most importantly, share this information with everyone that you know.
C. Increase your stores of food and bottled water in case a quarantine situation arises. Purchase a filtered mask for each person in your family that is NIOSH approved with an N95+ rating. Most importantly, have the mask appropriately fitted for each person and keep it in an accessible place.
D. Grow and/or purchase organic produce for your family. Seek alternative types of healthcare to improve your immune system and maintain or restore your health. Create your own stock of vitamins, herbs, homeopathics. Avoid prescription medications as much as possible.
E. Keep your immune system healthy! Avoid white (refined) sugar, white flour and white rice. Now is the time to determine your "bowel tolerance" for Vitamin C. The best way to do this is with powdered Vitamin C. Start with 10,000mg and increase by 5,000 mg/day until you reach a level that causes diarrhea. That level is your bowel tolerance. If you have an acute infection, START AT THIS LEVEL and continue to increase to your next level of bowel tolerance. It is a well-known and established medical fact that Vitamin C is a potent anti-viral vitamin. Keep large stocks of this on hand in the event of any type of bioterrorism attack.
F. Become familiar with the use of Essential Oils, homeopathy, and other herbal remedies that have been shown to be effective against viral infections.
Nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there is a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be aware of change in the air…however slight…lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness." -Justice William O. Douglas