Vaccines, BSE and vCJD

Andrew at work

In 1997 after founding VAN UK, I read in a copy of the British medical journal that the Italian health ministry had banned the hib vaccine due to it being cultured on bovine heart and brain infusion.

‘The Italian ministry of health has suspended the use and marketing of a vaccine against Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) because of fears that it could transmit bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) to humans.
The police were called in to seize batches of HibTITER from the Italian outlets of the US manufacturer Wyeth-Lederle on 17 January. The vaccine was used in the Italian national vaccination programme, but the use of bovine heart-brain infusion agar to promote bacterial growth early in the manufacturing process has worried the Commissione Unica per il Farmaco, which is part of the ministry of health’ - BMJ 1997;314:393 (8 February).

Concerned, I wrote to the department of health, asking why British vaccines containing bovine serum had not been recalled. They wrote back to me on the 1st September 1997, saying

“Safeguards have been put in place to minimise the potential for contamination (of vaccines) with BSE.”

They failed to inform the public of the 'minimal risk' of CJD posed by vaccines. I asked them why they hadn't told parents this information. They didn't reply to my letter.

Consequently, 171 people have died of vCJD from infected meat, contaminated vaccines and blood donation. 18 blood donors have since died of vCJD and their blood was used to make 83,500 doses of polio vaccine for Ireland. It was also used to provide human albumin which is another blood product present in many vaccines.

The government knew the risks involved but chose not to inform the public for fear it would damage the vaccination programme. They wrote in the BSE Inquiry report:

‘The Working Group discussed the hazard-to-benefit ratio for the vaccines and decided that the benefits accruing from continuance of the vaccine programme outweighed the very remote risk to the population from the use of bovine material in these products.’

(http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/report/volume7/chaptec5.htm).

I assumed that the use of bovine serum would have been phased out in light of the BSE crisis, but I discovered that it is still being used widely.
According to the Canadian Immunization Guide, 7th edition, last updated 2008, IPV vaccines, MMR 2, varicella, Rotateq oral rotavirus vaccine and Pediacel 5 in 1 vaccine all have bovine serum in them. The MMR 2 and Pediacel are used in this country (UK):

http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/publicat/cig-gci/pdf/avtables_revised0803-eng.pdf

This article in the medical journal Immunology, also says:

'Gelatins used in vaccines produced in Japan are derived from bovine or porcine sources; all live virus vaccines contain bovine gelatin'

You read that right, ALL LIVE VIRUS VACCINES CONTAIN BOVINE GELATIN.

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2326734

Young people are still dying of vCJD today and professor John Collinge estimates that one in every thousand people could be carrying vCJD. How many of these will go on to develop the disease is unclear.

24 Year old Andy Black Died of vCJD, Suspected From BCG Vaccine Which Was Cultured on TB Infected Cows

Andy as a baby in his bouncy chair

Six months after Andrew had his BCG, he moaned constantly of the pain in his arm and he wasn't a lad to complain. His grandmother died and within 3 months and Andrew lost all his hair and I mean every hair, even his eyelashes and eyebrows. fortunately at the time a lot of young lads were having their heads shaved so he got away with it at school...I put it down to the severe shock of losing his grandmother but now think it could have something to do with the jab. His hair grew back within months as thick as ever, but I often wonder if those two events had anything to do with him developing vcjd ten years later the time span is correct as other people who have died of vcjd through contaminated blood have died within a 5-10 years incubation period.

The Edinburgh surveillance unit set up by the DOH to investigate vCJD was very keen to find out if my Andrew had the MMR. Of course my Andrew didn't but he had many of the other vaccines and I still have strong feelings that the bcg may be implicated in his developing vCJD. I bitterly regret him having this jab as he needn't have had it and I had to persuade him over many days and weeks. It's something that haunts me during the dark nights I can't sleep, so it’s essential that mums and parents have informed choices know exactly what’s in the vaccines their infants and children will receive and then be able to make decisions from that infor mation. In the 1980s and 1990s mums like me didn't have that choice or opportunity and if I had known what was in those jabs no way would my son have had injections and he may well still be alive today - Christine Lord, Andy's mother.

Andy dying of vCJD

Andy on the day of his death

Andy sadly passed away on 16th December 2007 with his mother holding him. This page is dedicated to his memory.

For more details vCJD and the vaccine scandal and Andy's life and death, see the November/December issue of The Mother magazine.

Andy as a one year old

For more information on vCJD, vaccines, blood donation and contaminated baby food, see www.justice4andy.com