We don't need facts, we're more smarter than you

The Public Health Council of New Jersey decided that they know better than anyone else and despite public outcry against it "recommended" mandated flu vaccines for preschool children who attend day care or preschool.

A cynical person would say that perhaps New Jersey being home to every major pharmaceutical company (the few that aren't headquartered here still have a significant presence) factored into their decision.

And while this intrudes into the state mandating vaccines for non-public health reasons, clearly entering the realm of a nanny government (the Council praised this initiative as it will reduce the number of children hospitalized - but declined to give any statistics) it may in fact be increasing the threat to the public health. I am of course refering to the casual relationship between the increase in mandated vaccines and autism.

For decades groups have tried to make their case that the chemical thimerosal, used as a presevative in vaccines, was a cause for the marked increases in autism and behavior disorders. And during that time the CDC, NIH, and pharmaceutical companies all dismissed that contention, saying that the low amounts of merury in thimerosal would not cause those diseases. As more and more people began to support the anti-thimerosal campaign the rhetoric changed and the CDC started saying that the limited amount of mercury alone would not contribute to autism.

In the mid- to late- 90's, quietly, and with little fanfare, the CDC had manufacturers of childhood vaccines limit the amount of thimerosal to "trace amounts", meaning 1 microgram. They also began to describe mercury, a powerful nuerotoxin, as an organic compound... as if being organic made it safer... arsenic and bella donna are also organic.

The issue specifically with flu vaccines, besides that influenza is typically not a public health issue, is that it is exempt from the trace amount rules for childhood vaccines and that while very small quantities of the vaccine are available with low or no levels of thimerosal they are reserved for states like California where they ban mercury containing vaccines for use on children.

While the CDC and other scientists have searched for links between specific vaccines, such as MMR or Hib and autism, there have been no published studies looking at the possible effects of multiple vaccines and the cummulative effects of exposure to mercury and the other metals, such as aluminum that is used as a preservative in vacccines. They have not studied a link between exposure to the toxic thimerosal and the high fevers that often accompany a vaccination.

With the new flu vaccine being given annually, between 6 months and 6 years children in NJ will be subject to 11 vaccines, often they are given multiple shots at the same time making any reaction virtually impossible to trace and increasing the amount of exposure to thimerosal.

And what makes this totally unbelievable was it was done on the heels of Merck, HQ'd in NJ, recalling 1 million doses of the childhood Hib vaccine.

Live in New Jersey? Call Governor Jon Corzine (609-292-6000) and tell him to reject the Public Health Council's suggestion or mandate that all vaccines be mercury-free.