Bluegreen, Haemophilus influenzae vaccines prevents 18,000 cases of meningitis a year. Notice the difference from the common cold virus: influenzae virus, they are not the same. H.inf is a bacteria.
Epiglotitis, a killer, is not known by new pediatricians, thanks to Haemophilus vaccines.
Pneumonia, bacteremia, orbital cellulitis, periorbital cellulitis, septic artrhitis, and osteomyelitis from haemophilus are gone.
The sum is the prevention of 100,000 to 200,000 cases of invasive Haemophilus disease in the US alone. 99% of this cases used to affect the most vulnerable population: children under 2 years of age.
Classen is using an old trick to show grandiose data, causality is not the same as association, especially when 99.99% of the population is exposed to the vaccine. Why does he attack the vaccines? there is much more stronger data against cow's milk and its probable causation of diabetes. The alternative is human breast milk from the infants mothers.
Classen is clearly asking for compensation for old the diabetes cases. There is a big US fund for vaccine related effects and is very good compensating infants with real vaccine damage and the fund is overflowing with money because of the great success of lack of litigation (used to be average of 7 years for compensation to start in the old litigious system going to the courts vs now about 1.5 years) plus the real very low levels of reactions (a panel of experts decide the merits of the cases, not a lay jury, and the rejected cases still can go to court if the feel so ). Many are after this huge amount of money, pay by all of us who vaccinate their children, and increasing the costs of vaccines from 25% to 70% above the real market price.
Recently, after many years attacking Pertussis/Whooping cough vaccines without success (and the new purer pertusses vaccines with even less side effects now in the market)the antivaccine groups are attacking the hepatitis B vaccine and now the haemophilus. They will fail again.
Meningococcal vaccines are going to get out and they will be a success too. Vaccine research tools are better than ever. The old meningococcal vaccines problem is that they work less. I will not expect then to "cause" damage. Remember there are thousands of deaths in Subsaharan Africa that the vaccines will prevent. It is a noble effort.
Bpi is the future. Meningococcemia is the model for the fight against all the other bugs. (all disclaimers apply to the last sentence). |
