Over 3,000 children given expired polio drops

DERA ISMAIL KHAN:
Over 3,000 children – below the age of five years – have been immunised with expired polio vaccines in Shakai Valley, about 30km north of Wana Bazaar in South Waziristan Agency, an official of the political administration has revealed.
Senior official Aslam Jawed, who seized the expired polio vaccines in Shakai himself, told The Express Tribune: “During the June 14 and 15 polio campaign, 200 polio vials which contained expired polio drops were given to children in Sanga, Manthoi, Mandatta and Landi Noor areas of Shakai. Each vial was used to administer drops to 15 to 18 children. In total at least 3,000 children have been given the expired polio vaccine.”
Jawed further said that the expired vials were seized and submitted along with a report to the office of the assistant political agent of Wana Sub-division, adding that the expiry date written on the vials was May, 2012.
When contacted, the assistant political agent’s office confirmed to The Express Tribune that a report about the expired polio vials has been received. It was revealed that the office will launch an investigation to find out the reasons behind the ‘serious’ incident.
Effects on children
The expired drops seemed to have affected a number of children.
Regarding his son’s health, Muhammad Nawaz Khel, resident of Landi Noor, Shakai said that on June 14 a polio team came to his house and his two year and nine month old son, Shah Zeb, was given the expired polio drops.
That night Zeb’s temperature started rising rapidly and early in the morning he had to be shifted to the Noor Muhammad Medical Clinic in Wana Bazaar.
“Doctors at the clinic told us that he has developed a chest infection,” the father said.
Khel added: “In the morning we came to know that children in other houses of Landi Noor were also suffering from high fever. But we never thought that they were getting sick because of the polio vaccination.
“We are willing to immunise our children but we do not want to kill them by giving them expired vaccines. An investigation should be launched to find out how this could happen.”
Meanwhile, South Waziristan Agency Surgeon Shar Zali Khan was contacted several times for comments but to no avail. Sources said that government departments at first tried to keep this incident a secret. But days later it became public knowledge as stricken children were brought to clinics in Shakai and Wana Bazaar.
South Waziristan is one of the seven tribal agencies where the polio virus has not been eliminated. Earlier, polio virus (P-1) was confirmed in a four-year-old in Panj Gena, Tehsil Birmal, Wana sub-division.
Published in The Express Tribune, 25th, 2012.
Read more: polio

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Study: CT scans raise risk of brain cancer in children

Study: CT scans raise risk of brain cancer in children
by Jonathan Benson, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Children who undergo computed tomography (CT) scans during their early years are significantly more prone to develop brain cancer than children who are not exposed to this high radiation source. These are the findings of a new study published in the journal Lancet, and ones that could change the way individuals are assessed for internal injuries.

A powerful way to generate precise images of bones and soft tissue inside the body, CT scans, which involve blasting radiation at a person’s body to create multi-dimensional X-ray images, have become popular in clinical use. But the amount of radiation they emit is extremely high, and could have devastating consequences years down the road for many people.

For their study, Dr. Mark S. Pearce, Ph.D., and his colleagues compiled data on individuals without a previous cancer diagnosis that had undergone a CT scan within the U.K.’s National Health Service (NHS) between 1985 and 2002. Each patient was younger than 22 years of age at the time, and was definitively determined not to have had a CT scan for any type of cancer diagnosis.

It was discovered that a cumulative dose of roughly 50 milligray units (mGy) of radiation triples a child’s risk of developing leukemia, while a 60 mGy dose triples a child’s risk of developing brain cancer. Based on the cumulative absolute risk for these cancers, this translates into one additional case of leukemia and one additional case of brain tumor per 10,000 CT scans to the head.

Depending on where a particular scan is directed on the body, CT scans can deliver anywhere from 8.0 mGy of radiation to upwards of 30 mGy of radiation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray_%28unit%29). This means that just one or two CT scans during childhood is enough to significantly increase a child’s risk of developing cancer, a significant finding.

“It’s well known that radiation can cause cancer but there is an ongoing scientific debate about whether relatively low doses of radiation, like those received from CT scans, do increase cancer risks, and if so the magnitude of those risks,” Amy Berrington de Gonzalez of the U.S. National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) National Cancer Institute, who also worked on the study, is quoted as saying by MSNBC.com.

“Ours is the first study to provide direct evidence of a link [...] and we were also able to quantify that risk.”

You can view the article summary, or full article if you create a personal account, by visiting: http://www.thelancet.com

Sticking to non-radioactive ultrasound may be preferable to CT scans and excessive X-rays
Between CT scans and X-rays, both of which are used for all sorts of medical analyses and diagnoses these days, cumulative radiation exposure for all individuals is extremely high. Because of this, patients who are told they need such scans may wish to request non-radioactive ultrasound instead.

Though it is reportedly a less accurate scanning method, ultrasound, which of course is used during pregnancy to generate images of a developing baby, often works just fine in place of a CT scan. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is another viable alternative for avoiding radiation exposure.

“Alternative diagnostic procedures that do not involve ionizing radiation exposure, such as ultrasound and MRI might be appropriate in some clinical settings,” says Dr. Pearce.

Women who are told to get mammograms should also beware, as this screening method delivers powerful and cumulative doses of radiation that can cause cancer. A viable, non-radioactive alternative to mammograms is thermography, which you can learn more about here: http://www.naturalnews.com/025170_cancer_thermograms_breast.html

Sources for this article include:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com

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Its illegal to be a midwife????

Women’s birthing rights advocates stage protest in response to arrest of Indiana midwife

by Jonathan Benson, staff writer

(NaturalNews) Though she has reportedly assisted in the successful delivery of more than 1,700 babies, 400 of which were born in their families’ homes, 49-year-old Ireena Keeslar, a former obstetrics nurse-turned-midwife, was recently arrested on charges of practicing midwifery without a license. And at her hearing in LaGrange County, Indiana, on April 9, 2012, more than 100 supporters of all ages came out to protest her incarceration, and take a stand for women’s birthing rights.

Practicing midwifery in the state of Indiana without being a licensed nurse is currently illegal, which makes it extremely difficult not only for midwives like Keeslar to practice, but also for women who prefer a more personalized and natural form of childbirth to receive the proper care of their choice. Even certified practical midwifery and direct-entry midwifery are illegal in the Hoosier State, which greatly limits women’s birthing options there.

According to BlogHer.com, Keeslar was arrested in the early morning of Saturday, March 31, for no specific reason other than that authorities had found out about her practice and decided to pursue her. Keeslar’s many years of experience as an obstetrics nurse are technically not enough to satisfy the legal requirements of Indiana for midwifery, even though she had never reportedly had any issues with deliveries — to the contrary, her services were in high demand all across rural, northeastern Indiana, where home births are common and growing in popularity.

Indiana obstetricians fear, oppose midwifery because it cuts into their business
Some local obstetricians in Keeslar’s area claim that midwifery can be dangerous, and that it should be regulated or illegal except under certain circumstances. But others who are more “in the know” about how midwifery actually works deny these claims, and believe that the real issue concerns profit loss.

“It’s all about the money. People who have money in Parkview Hospital in LaGrange County want to do away with our midwives,” said Dr. Cal Streeter, D.O., a 37-year veteran in medicine that has long-backed midwifery, to BlogHer.com. “It’s as safe to have a baby at home as in the hospital. Most of the problems in obstetrics are doctors trying to hurry the process up or slow it down.”

For the entire day of her arrest, Keeslar was forced to remain in a dirty prison cell, wear a prisoner’s uniform that was too tight and that cut off her circulation, and be fed meals that were improper for her diabetic condition. She was even reportedly refused access to her insulin medication, until finally she was released on $10,000 bail.

On the day of Keeslar’s hearing, more than 100 men, women, and children showed up on the footsteps of the LaGrange County Courthouse to protest her arrest and take a stand for birthing rights. According to Richard Muntz, Keeslar’s attorney, the hearing was waived and a plea of “not guilty” was declared on Keeslar’s behalf.

A few weeks earlier, 47-year-old Jeannie Stanley of nearby Albion, Ind., was arrested on the same charges of practicing midwifery without a license. That investigation reportedly led to authorities discovering Keeslar’s practice as well.

“I think the arrest of midwives is a waste of taxpayer dollars,” said Mary Ann Griffin, president of the Indiana Midwives Association to the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. “Indiana should legislate and not litigate.”

If you wish to support Ireena Kesslar by helping to cover her legal fees, you can send checks to:
Ireena Keeslar Legal Fund
7570 East 750 North
Howe, Indiana 46746

Sources for this article include:

http://www.news-sentinel.com

http://www.blogher.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/03/us/03midwife.html

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Dirty kids are healthy kids

Dirty kids are healthy kids – the Hygiene Hypothesis

by J. D. Heyes

(NaturalNews) Here’s a concept that most parents will find a little hard to believe: new research shows that it’s possible kids can be too clean.

You read that right.

That’s because all of the soap dispensers, hand sanitizers and alcohol-tinged wipes could be robbing our kids from exposure to the germs that help strengthen their immune systems.

According to new research done on mice, increasing exposure to germs helps develop the immune system, thereby preventing allergies and other immune-related diseases like colitis and asthma later in life.

Researchers at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH) in Boston led the study and published their results in the March issue of Science magazine. Using the “hygiene hypothesis,” the team says research shows a lack of exposure to microbes at an early childhood age increases susceptibility to some diseases because the lack of exposure suppresses the body’s immune system. The study does more than just support the notion, it also may explain the whys and hows of the process.

Researchers warned, however, that their research was conducted on mice, not humans. Still, the results seemed to indicate that you have to trigger the immune system with the introduction of germs in order for it to develop fully.

How it works

The research team, led by co-authors Dr. Richard Blumberg, chief for the BWH Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endoscopy, and Dr. Dennis Kasper, director of BWH Channing Laboratory, studied “germ-free” mice bred in a sterile environment without exposure to microbes, as well as specific-pathogen-free mice that were raised in a normal laboratory environment.

The mice were bred to develop forms of asthma and inflammatory bowel disease, in which their immune systems were then compared.

The team found that the germ-free mice had more invariant natural killer T cells in their lungs and bowel, and developed more severe disease symptoms.

“[... W]e show that, in germ-free (GF) mice, invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells accumulate in the colonic lamina propria and lung, resulting in increased morbidity in models of IBD and allergic asthma compared to specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice,” Blumberg and Kasper wrote.

The researchers also found that when they exposed germ-free mice to mice with germs in their first few weeks of life, they didn’t develop high levels of invariant natural killer T cells. Also, they didn’t develop the more severe symptoms seen in those mice kept germ-free. And, they discovered, germ-free mice with early-life exposure to microbes developed long-term disease protection.

“These studies show the critical importance of proper immune conditioning by microbes during the earliest periods of life,” Blumberg told reporters. “Also now knowing a potential mechanism will allow scientists to potentially identify the microbial factors important in determining protection from allergic and autoimmune diseases later in life.”

Hygiene hypothesis

The origin of the hygiene hypothesis dates back to 1989, when a researcher named D.P. Strachen first proposed it in the British Medical Journal. His theory asserts that “the reduction of early childhood infectious disease, due to widespread vaccination of children or increased use of antibiotics, has led to an increased prevalence of allergic diseases,” writes Lori Baker Schena for the University of Southern California Health Magazine.

Meanwhile, Strachen found that there were lower incidents of asthma and allergy in large families.

“It seems that parents these days are a lot more worried about minor infections in their kids,” Ronald M. Ferdman, M.D., assistant professor of clinical pediatrics at the Keck School of Medicine and attending physician in the division of clinical immunology and allergy at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, told the magazine.

“Nobody would say that you should purposely expose your child to infections. On the other hand, there is no need to keep children in a bubble,” he added. “In America, there is no risk of exposing children to malaria or some horrendous disease. But parents do get upset if their child comes down with a cold.”

And it’s that paranoia that, in all actuality, could be making our children more susceptible to immune-system deficiencies.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/243384.php

http://www.usc.edu/hsc/info/pr/hmm/00-01winter/germs.html

http://topnews.us

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Healthy children die because of this filth!

Healthy 7 Year Old Girl Dies in Mother’s Arms After Flu Shot

By Christina England 

 

A family in Vermont is mourning the loss of their child.

It has been reported a fit and healthy 7-year-old girl died unexpectedly before Christmas after a flu vaccine. Kaylynne died in her mother’s arms four days after she was given a flu vaccine by her doctor at her annual check up.

Officials are now investigating Kaylynne’s death and an autopsy report is due in a couple of week’s time. Kaylynne’s mother is positive  the vaccine killed her daughter and told reporters, “We’re just waiting for an answer,” “but we believe in our hearts that it was the flu shot.”

State officials however, are not convinced that the flu vaccine was the cause of the girl’s death.

A report on Seven Days, Vermont’s Independent News, (1) stated Vermont Health Commissioner, Dr. Harry Chen made it clear that in his opinion it was extremely unlikely that Kaylynne’s death was related to the vaccine and he is worried that scaremongering will deter parents from vaccinating their children.

Chen said deaths after a vaccine are very rare and that a death after the flu shot has never before been reported in Vermont.

News reporter Ken Picard wrote:

Chen and other state health officials are more worried about the effects of news reports prematurely linking the Barton girl’s death to the flu shot: specifically, that more parents will opt out of immunizing their children, or themselves, against seasonal influenza.

A 7yr child dies just days before Christmas after receiving a ‘so called safe vaccine’ and all state officials are worried about are the effects her death will have on vaccination statistics! His behavior in my opinion was disgusting and highlights the inhumane way officials treat grieving parents to further their own ends.

So are deaths after flu vaccines as rare as Chen has stated and are the vaccines as safe as we are led to believe?

From the research that I have found neither the flu vaccine nor the Swine flu vaccine has been found to be particularly safe. In November last year an article highlighted two deaths occurring just hours after the Swine flu or H1N1 vaccine in China. (A point to remember here is that the H1N1 vaccine is included in this years flu shot.) (2)

The Ministry of Health in China reported that two people had died after receiving swine flu shots. They were clear to point out however, that death after immunization does not necessarily mean that the death was caused by the vaccine. (3)

NURSES BOYCOTT FLU VACCINE

UK Nurses are also saying that the flu shots are unsafe and have been reluctant to have the vaccines. A report on the website Nursing Times.net (4) states that unvaccinated nurses taking part in a survey said that they did not have the flu vaccine because of safety concerns. The report states:

When asked why they had not had the vaccine, the majority of unvaccinated respondents highlighted concerns about vaccine side effects.

The Nursing Times stated that researchers had found that concerns about side effects and efficacy were the two most frequent reasons for nurses refusing the flu vaccine.

If nurses are not having the vaccine through fears that they are unsafe, then surely this must indicate that these vaccines are unsafe? Could the reason for this be, that they are seeing a higher than average number of adverse reactions coming into the hospitals?

SENIOR FLU SHOTS ARE PROVING TO BE EXCEPTIONALLY DANGEROUS

If you still feel that the vaccines are safe then I suggest you take a look at an article written by Dr Mercola which was highlighted this week. Dr Mercola (5) stated that the new flu vaccine being give to seniors is proving exceptionally dangerous. He says that according to the CDC there are more frequent reports of side effects after the High Dose Fluzone vaccine.This is the vaccine which is being given to seniors. Mercola wrote:

“The safety profile of Fluzone High-Dose vaccine is similar to that of regular flu vaccines, although adverse events (which are also reported after regular flu vaccines) were reported more frequently after vaccination with Fluzone High-Dose.

The most common adverse events experienced during clinical studies were mild and temporary and included pain, redness and swelling at the injection site and headache, muscle aches, fever and malaise.”

Mercola continued:

A total of 6.1 percent of seniors injected with the regular Fluzone vaccine experienced a serious adverse event, compared to 7.4 percent of those receiving the newer high-dose version. According to the package insert the SAE’s reported during the post-approval use of the vaccine include:

• Thrombocytopenia (abnormally low platelet count, which can result in abnormal bleeding)
• Guillain-Barre syndrome
• Myelitis (spinal cord inflammation)
• Optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve)
• Lymphadenopathy (enlarged lymph nodes)
• Facial palsy (Bell’s palsy)
• Paresthesia (numbness/tingling of the skin)
• Itchy skin
• Anaphylaxis (life-threatening whole-body allergic reaction)
• Stevens-Johnson syndrome
• Vasculitis (inflammatory destruction of blood vessels)
• Difficulty breathing, shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Brachial neuritis (excruciating unilateral shoulder pain, followed by paralysis of shoulder)
• Pharyngitis and rhinitis (inflammation of the throat or pharynx, and the nose, respectively)
• Convulsions, fainting, dizziness

I feel that if doctors and nurses are avoiding these vaccinations they are doing so for a reason and if the vaccine manufacturers are writing lists this long on their information leaflet, then they are writing it to cover themselves should anyone have an adverse reaction. Let’s fact it how many pensioners would actually ask to read this leaflet before they have the vaccine?

I have decided that given the evidence stating that flu vaccines are proving unsafe. I will take my chances and not have either of the flu vaccines; one thing is for sure if I do get the flu I have a better chance of recovery than I would from the side effects mentioned in the list above.

 

References
1. Seven Days – Vermont’s Independent News http://www.7dvt.com/2012flu-shot-or-not-state-health-officials-warn-against-alarmist-reaction-young-girls-death
2. Flu Vaccine NHS website http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Flu-jab/Pages/Introduction.aspx
3. Two People Died After Getting Swine Flu shots – Hometesting blog http://hometestingblog.testcountry.com/?p=5005
4. Nursing Times – Vaccine side effects top of nurses’ concerns about flu jabhttp://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-specialisms/immunology/vaccine-side-effects-top-of-nurses-concerns-about-flu-jab/5039337.article
5. Mercola http://www.care2.com/greenliving/dangerous-new-flu-vaccine-for-seniors.html

 

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