For many, heading back to school or off to college means lots of new books, laptops, headphones, and other gear.
But if GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer have their way, it will mean that all kids 10 to 25 will also get jabbed with one of their recently approved meningitis B vaccines.
Four years ago, we told you about how Big Pharma managed to fast-track one of these new shots so quickly that when the first batch arrived – administered to college students in New Jersey and California — it wasn’t even approved by the FDA yet.
An “outbreak” had been hyped so skillfully that the vaccine, called Bexsero, was allowed into the U.S. on an “emergency-use” basis.
Truth be told, it really wasn’t an outbreak at all — it was more like a fairy tale conjured up to sell Bexsero. In fact, where meningitis B is concerned, you actually have a better chance of being hit by lightning than coming down with it!
By now, Bexsero, along with another drug called Trumenba, has been given the FDA’s stamp of approval. And guess what? Much to the dismay of the drugmakers, doctors aren’t recommending them, saying that they really have no idea how long any protection these vaccines offer might last… or even if they’re safe to begin with.
Pharma and its close friends at the CDC, however, don’t take these kinds of problems lying down.
And now that school is starting, this is their chance to convince you by whatever means it takes to get your child or grandchild to roll up their sleeve.
Red flags
I’ve rarely seen the media give any published study the royal treatment as much as it has this one that’s attempting to sell you on these MenB shots.
Why, it’s gotten more coverage than Kim Kardashian’s latest red carpet look!
Now, if you’re going to do a study on a vaccine, safety and effectiveness are usually the main two factors to be put to the test.
But instead, this research team, which included three CDC staff members, set out to study the question of why more doctors aren’t going to town giving out these shots for their patients.
This vaccine-pushing group of researchers concluded that the real reason is because docs don’t know enough about meningitis B to begin with.
Seriously?
Well, I thought that sounded fishy, but it gets worse. In taking a closer look at some of stories behind these sensational headlines, I discovered a bit of fact-twisting. By telling us that 4,000 people in the U.S. get sick with bacterial meningitis every year, it makes submitting to these new shots seem that much more urgent.
But actually, that figure was contrived… by lumping all types of bacterial meningitis together!
The real story is that the only type of meningitis – the B strain – that Trumenba and Bexsero are intended to prevent is extremely rare. Well under 200 cases are reported in the U.S. every year (in 2016, the figure was only 130). And many experts say that it’s typically well below that, in the 50 to 60 range.
Despite how rare cases of meningitis B actually are in the U.S., these two vaccines are still expected to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars for the two drugmakers – a figure that could quickly go into the billions in the next few years.
Plus that, we don’t need a study to find out why docs aren’t recommending the shots — just ask them!
Many point to “red flags” regarding safety… or as Dr. Allison Kempe, who just so happens to be the lead author of this new study admitted, doctors have “limited experience with the longevity and safety of the vaccines.”
So, here’s the real lowdown on these vaccines, what you won’t be reading in the mainstream press:
- Both Trumenba and Bexsero were rushed through the FDA’s “breakthrough therapy” program with limited testing.
- As of last year, close to 3,000 reports about side effects from both these shots were filed with the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), whose tallies are notoriously underreported.
- Manufacturing a shot for meningitis B was considered extremely dicey from a safety standpoint, as what’s called the “sugar sequences” on the surface of these particular bacteria closely match what’s found in the human brain. So, if that tough nut wasn’t cracked perfectly, antibodies from the shot could attack the brain and nerves, causing lifelong damage.
Meningitis is, of course, a serious disease. But it doesn’t fly through the air, and you can’t catch it by just being in a classroom.
The best way for your school-bound child or grandchild to stay well is to keep their immune system strong by eating well, taking vitamins C and D, getting enough sleep, washing their hands more often, and not sharing any items that touch the lips or mouth (such as lip gloss, utensils, and beverages).
Should they come into contact with anyone suspected of having meningitis, however, a protective course of antibiotics should be enough to keep them safe.
“Doctors not talking about newer meningitis vaccine” Amy Norton, August 20, 2018, HealthDay, healthday.com
