Dangers of the Swine Flu Vaccine: A Conspiracy Theory?

The problem is that this fear mongering may possibly cause more harm than the virus alone could ever do.

Anti-vaccination groups have been blazing blogs with dire warnings against the vaccine and twitter is chuck-full with dubious claims of conspiracy theories. Claims range from the vaccine causing neurological disorders to reduced fertility to cancer. The problem is that this fear mongering may possibly cause more harm than the virus alone could ever do.

Reasoning

To start off, it is important to point out that the fear of a flu vaccine may not be totally baseless. In 1976, there was a similar outbreak of swine flu in Fort Dix in New Jersey that killed one US soldier. As everyone panicked in fear of a new flu pandemic, president Gerald Ford ordered mass vaccination. The threat turned out to be exaggerated and the virus never spread from Fort Dix. However, 22 million Americans were vaccinated.

This was followed by a spike in reported cases of a neurological disorder called Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) which led to the death of two dozen people. The flu vaccine was blamed for this and an investigation was put together whose final verdict was that there is no conclusive data whether the spread was related to the vaccine or not.

The remaining shots were destroyed and a lot of people were left distrustful of vaccines after this incident. This has caused several problems, including a sharp increase in measles in the US and UK because parents refuse to vaccinate their children out of fear of the vaccine.

Today, anti-vaccination groups are claiming that the H1N1 vaccines in the works will cause a similar increase in GBS cases, claiming vaccines are still causing the disorder all over the world.

Context

And it is also important to keep in mind that the flu itself may cause GBS. The 1976 case was indeed unfortunate, but health officials have much more experience now than they did back then. Clinical trials are underway right now to rule out an increase in GBS and national health systems will be on the lookout for any spikes.

"GBS takes six weeks before it can be detected. That is why the clinical trials are taking a long time. We are trying to rule out any increased susceptibility to GBS," said Orkhan.

Fast-Tracking

Others who are worried about the vaccine are claiming that the research is being fast-tracked to bring it to the market in time for the winter season, the fear being that it might not be properly prepared for its purpose. But to counter that, we must understand the nature of the flu virus.

It has often been dubbed as the most powerful organism in the world. No matter how hard we try, it seems impossible to completely wipe out the flu virus due to its uncanny ability to mutate and evolve every year. Because of that, a new vaccine must be created every year for the seasonal flu virus.

With flu, we usually don't have the luxury of years of testing and evaluating, or else when the vaccine is released it will be highly ineffective. The virus would have mutated far beyond the form the flu was created for. That is why a new flu vaccine must be created every year for the seasonal flu shot that many people take. Healthcare experts have garnered a lot of experience in how to predict the changes each year and create a vaccine in time for the winter season.

The H1N1 virus is getting the same treatment. Some companies are still in clinical tests phase, while others have completed their clinical tests successfully. "When all tests are done and production starts and the vaccines are sent out, the receiving countries review all the tests done and then do their own tests as well," explained Orkhan. "We are taking our time to ensure that the vaccines are safe." But it is also important to note there may not be much time since the winter season is almost upon us, and this is when the flu is most active.

Orkhan quickly dismissed fears the vaccine can cause cancer. "The vaccine is produced in fertilized eggs. This method has proven to be non-carcinogenic. Modern techniques may cause cancer, but these are not tested extensively yet so we don't use them."

Squalene

A common conspiracy theory is that the vaccine contains an adjuvant called squalene, which may cause shorter life span, decreased sexuality, and decreased intellect. However, squalene is a normally occurring element in the body. It is a very important product for the health of the body. While some argue that the problem is that when it is administered through a syringe it causes the body to form antibodies against it, this is not proven. Vaccines containing squalene have been used for 10 years with no adverse effects reported.

"Adjuvants increase the speed of formation of antibodies and the efficacy of vaccines in general," said Orkhan. "It is normal for them to be used to enhance vaccines. Furthermore, most of the vaccines being tested right now are adjuvant-free."

Safety

Right now, H1N1 is a mild to medium virus that is far less dangerous than the seasonal flu. Many people argue that the scare was exaggerated. However, the 1918 flu epidemic started that way. The virus then mutated and became much more virulent. The end result was the death of over 50 million people around the world, some within hours of contracting the virus.

The 2009 strain may, hopefully, not evolve in that manner. But if it does, then having a vaccine ready can save many, many lives. Spreading fear against the vaccine will definitely not help, and may prove to be the strongest weapon the virus has against us.

Sources:

Mercola – “Squalene – The Swine Flu Vaccine’s Dirty Little Secret Exposed" August 04, 2009

Pandemic Flu Online – “Fast Tracked Swine Flu Vaccine under Fire” July 28, 2009

Science-Based Medicine

Mohammed Yahia is an editor in the Health & Science section at IslamOnline.net. He has a degree in pharmacology from Cairo University, Egypt. You can contact him by sending an e-mail to ScienceTech@islam-online.net