Flu not linked to autism — but flu shots are another story

If you’re pregnant, or even if you know someone who’s expecting, you’ve certainly heard how important getting that flu shot is to protect both mom and baby – even after the baby is born.

Why, pregnant women are practically chased down by their doctors to make sure they get one!

But at an FDA meeting last year, it came out that all these shots given to pregnant women – the flu vaccine included – have never been proven to be safe for moms or babies!

And now, there’s an important new study that finally shows just how unsafe these shots can be.

Shoot first, ask questions later

Unbelievably, when researchers at Kaiser Permanente did this new study, it was the very first time that anyone had looked at the possible connection between getting a flu shot while pregnant and autism.

And this lack of research is even harder to swallow when you hear what they found out: moms who receive a flu shot while pregnant have a higher risk of having a child diagnosed with autism.

According to the data for close to 200,000 children born over a 10-year period, that risk was “significantly increased” if that flu vaccine was given during the first trimester.

Call me crazy, but you would think this kind of research would have been done decades ago!

But that’s far from the end of this story.

Because apparently if you’re a researcher and you find some damaging information out about a vaccine, it’s akin to treason. So the ones from Kaiser used a long-debunked mathematical calculation on their data called the “Bonferroni correction” (no, I’m not making this up) to try and erase the evidence they found.

And it seems to have magically spun the study on its head.

The wire services ran stories saying the flu vaccine had been proven safe for expectant moms! A headline at NPR read “flu vaccine during pregnancy not linked to autism.” Other news outlets even twisted the story to be “why pregnant women should get the flu shot.”

And get this – while one article did tell how the researchers found an increased risk of autism, it was passed off as likely being “due to chance.”

Unbelievable!

Something else Kaiser researchers found out was that if an expectant mother comes down with the flu – the actual flu, without getting the flu shot – her baby is not at an increased risk of later becoming autistic. It was only the flu shot that was linked to the higher rates of autism.

And that was found to be true during every month of pregnancy, so at least there is some good news here.

But the link between the flu shot and autism is just the tip of the inoculation iceberg.

At the FDA meeting I mentioned that took place last year where experts convened to discuss vaccine risks during pregnancy, other shocking evidence was revealed. For example:

• Vaccines can trigger a dangerous response that can damage the immune systems of both mothers and babies.
• The shots can lead to miscarriages, poor fetal development (that can result in a stillbirth) and premature labor.
• Forty years ago, the FDA said that women who are pregnant should be barred from taking part in any vaccine research. That means that all the expectant moms being practically forced into getting these shots are now the unknowing guinea pigs.

In fact, several drugmakers who produce flu vaccines are collecting data on pregnancy outcomes! Just call a toll-free number and let them know if your baby has any problems or illnesses.

But perhaps the most important thing moms-to-be need to know about the flu shot is what the fine print says right on the package.

And that is: “should be used during pregnancy only if clearly needed.”

“Study debunks flu in pregnancy – autism link” Molly Walker, November 28, 2016, Medpage Today, medpagetoday.com