Are Consumers Warned About the Flu Shot’s Side Effects?

Health Impact News Editor

If you were contemplating purchasing a dietary supplement or some new food product, and found out that during trials carried out in developing that product that there were 249 “serious adverse events” including 23 deaths out of 3,833 participants, would you still purchase that product?

Yet that is exactly what happens every time someone gets a “routine” flu shot.

Did you know that injuries and deaths due to the annual flu shot exceed all other vaccines combined, according to public data provided by the Department of Justice? (See: Victims Crippled and Killed by the Flu Shot Compensated by U.S. Government.)

Are pharmacies, clinics, nurses, and doctors who routinely administer the yearly flu vaccine warning the consumer of these risks? Are they even aware that these types of serious risks occur in up to 7% of those receiving the product? They are clearly stated right in the package insert.

Above is the first page of the most common flu vaccine package insert given to seniors. Twenty-three seniors died in the drug trials for this particular vaccine, but of course the package insert clearly reassures that those deaths had no relationship to the vaccine (with no supporting evidence).

Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), which can result in paralysis and has symptoms very similar to polio, is a known side effect of all flu vaccines and a warning is placed at the very top of the package insert, as you can see above. If you suffer from GBS and are taken to an emergency room, one of the first things they will ask you is if you received the flu shot. The package insert for the flu shot clearly states that “careful consideration” should be given to the “potential benefits and risks” of the vaccine in some situations. But does this ever happen?

Are people sufficiently warned about the dangers and risks associated with vaccines? Should there be stricter regulations or laws in place to warn people of the associated risks that are published right in the package insert?

If vaccines were marketed on television like other drugs, there are laws in place to disclose the side effects. But vaccines are not marketed on television. If they were, here is what the mandatory warning would sound like for one common vaccine:

Check with your doctor – if you’ve had a prior adverse reaction to the DTaP vaccine, an encephalopathy within 7 days of a previously administered pertussis-containing vaccine, or have a progressive neurologic disorder, the vaccine is contraindicated. The aluminum adjuvant in the vaccine, used to stimulate the immune system, may leave a hard lump at the injection site, which may be hot to the touch – this will typically dissipate in a few days, but has been known to effect muscle pain and chronic fatigue, and, though rare, may trigger development of autoimmune disease, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease); consult with your doctor at the first sign of any such reaction. The vaccine recipient may issue an involuntary, extended, bone-chilling cry for several hours sometime within the twenty-four hours following vaccination, often repeated over the following few days, which indicates brain inflammation, and may be followed by a lengthy period of regression – consult with your doctor. The DTaP may cause bulging fontanelle in infants – this typically subsides after a few days, but may indicate brain damage; be alert for unusual behaviors, and call your doctor should you detect any. Also, in infants, reports associate SIDS with the vaccine; do not place your infant face down until sixty days following the last of the three scheduled DTaP shots. And, you may experience any combination of the following reported reactions, some of which may require hospitalization: abdominal pain, anaphylactic shock, apnoea, autism, bacterial/viral infections, convulsions, disintegrative disorder, coma, abnormal EEG, blood disorders, diabetes, eye movement disorder, hearing loss, trouble walking, narcolepsy, paralysis, pneumonia, impairment of psychomotor skills, screaming, and speech disorders. This vaccine has not been evaluated for carcinogenic or mutagenic potential, or for impairment of fertility, and there are currently 815 reported associated deaths. (Source – thanks to Shawn Siegel of vaccinationcouncil.org.)

But do parents get this kind of information regarding vaccines prior to deciding whether or not it is right for their child? In many states, laws are being passed to give vaccines at school to children today without their parents’ approval.

Check the laws in your state and stay informed by doing your own research!

National Vaccine Information Center.

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