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| VaccineInfoCenter is an Internet resource that offers you an opportunity to research the side effects of vaccines and your legal rights associated with vaccine injuries. |
| Vaccine Injury Information |
VaccinesWhat are vaccines? A vaccine is any product that, when administered, will render the subject immune to a disease. Typically, a vaccine contains some small amount of the disease-causing microorganism. When the vaccine is administered, the body produces antibodies to kill off the disease. The body can produce these antibodies when it needs to fend off further attacks of the disease. What types of health problems can occur due to vaccines? Vaccines can cause a number of health problems. One is that they are often administered through injection. Patients can have reactions such as redness, soreness, or infection near the point of injection. Another concern is that patients may be infected with the disease that the inoculation is meant to prevent. This is thought to have occurred with oral polio vaccinations, which have since been discontinued in the United States in favor of injections. In addition, many worry that vaccines have side effects that pose a greater threat than the diseases that they prevent. In an age when vaccinations are often mandated by the state, an outbreak of a disease is fairly remote. The infrequency of these outbreaks, combined with the frequency and severity of vaccine side effects, have some believing that immunization does more harm than good. The following are a few examples of effects that are thought to have been directly caused by vaccines: · In 1999, a vaccination for the deadly rotavirus was found to cause intestinal blockages that could be fatal and was withdrawn from the market. · Some children have developed seizures or difficulty breathing after being inoculated with the DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis) vaccine. · The MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine is believed to have induced high fever and/or loss of consciousness in some children. In addition, some researchers have found a link between MMR and autism in some infants. · The Hepatitis B vaccine is said by some to have tragic side effects. Reported reactions have included various autoimmune problems – including fevers, headaches, pain, swollen joints, rashes, respiratory difficulties, and gastrointestinal troubles – and neurological dysfunction. One person even claims that it cost her the use of her legs. The Hepatitis B vaccine has also been accused of causing multiple sclerosis and infant deaths. · The vaccine for the bacteria that causes meningitis is said to bring about diabetes in some infants. These claims have not fallen entirely upon deaf ears. The Congressional Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, passed in 1986, provides compensation to anyone harmed by the DTP vaccine, the MMR vaccine, or the polio vaccine. This is an initial option for victims of any sort that precludes other legal action; people who accept the offer – which can be as much as $250,000 – forfeit the right to sue any responsible party in the future. What is thimerosal? Thimerosal is an organic compound containing mercury. Until recently, thimerosal was frequently used as a preservative in vaccines. However, because some experts now speculate that thimerosal may contribute to autism in infants, the Food and Drug Administration requires that no vaccine produced in the United States contain more than a slight trace of the compound. What health problems can occur from thimerosal? Thimerosal is just as controversial as the vaccines themselves. It has proven extremely effective as an antiseptic, but public outcry about its suspected link to autism in children forced the hand of vaccine makers. Some parents and doctors associate thimerosal so strongly with autism that the term “five-month window” was given to the period between vaccination and the first signs of the condition. The CDC contends that thimerosal contains only ethylmercury, not methylmercury. Large doses of methylmercury have been shown to have detrimental effects on people, but little has been determined about the effects of ethylmercury. In the past, thimerosal was added and subsequently filtered out during the creation of vaccines; then, as a final step to prevent unwanted bacterial growth, a certain amount was typically added and left in. Vaccines are now being held to the standards of methylmercury intake, and any thimerosal must be almost entirely filtered out before the vaccine is distributed. |