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A Forest Full of Trees | Andrea Deerheart Cornitcher had a wonderful idea.
The 55 year-old registered nurse was planning to move from Maryland to a Navajo reservation in New Mexico where she looked forward to incorporating her knowledge of conventional medicine with traditional Native American healing techniques.
Sadly, she won't have a chance to pursue that dream. Andrea suffered a fatal heart attack on March 23, just five days after receiving a smallpox vaccine as part of the U.S. government's plan to inoculate emergency and healthcare workers.
Three others have had heart attacks following their smallpox vaccinations - two of those were fatal. These cases, coupled with several complaints of chest pain and heart inflammation soon after inoculations, have prompted the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to direct health departments to not allow vaccinations for those who have heart disease or risk factors for the disease.
The truly sad part of all this is that these deaths never should have happened, because the vaccinations are unnecessary.
We knew this vaccine would be fatal to some. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist stated last August in the New York Times that two to four people out of every million inoculated might die.
So far, 326,000 people have received vaccinations. Three have died.
To be fair, this heart failure side effect was not foreseen. In fact, the CDC has not yet officially recognized the side effect, insisting that studies will need to be conducted to draw a direct association. Nevertheless, in response to this new development, 10 states have now suspended their smallpox inoculation programs, with others almost certain to follow.
Will this leave America vulnerable to a bioterrorist attack with smallpox?
No. Not in the least.
Of all the nasty weapons available in the bioterrorist arsenal, smallpox is only one - and it's not even a very good one.
First of all, it would be extremely difficult to expose a large number of people to smallpox with acts of terrorism. Because, contrary to what you may have heard, smallpox is not highly contagious. This is not an opinion -- it's a fact, stated by Joel Kuritsky, M.D., the director of the CDC's National Immunization Program and Early Smallpox Response and Planning division.
During the 3 to 17 day incubation period of the disease, a smallpox victim will run a high fever and become extremely ill with flu-like symptoms. In this state, the patient will almost certainly become bed-ridden. But even then (sick in bed and not in contact with the general population) the patient is not contagious until he's developed the smallpox rash.
Okay, so you have a very sick person, they've developed the rash, and at this point they're probably in a hospital. In anticipation of this event, doesn't it make sense then to take the precaution of inoculating all hospital personnel?
Still, the answer is "No," for three reasons.
Reason One: Once a smallpox patient becomes contagious, it's actually difficult to spread the disease, which is transmitted by droplet contamination. In fact, according to a report in the American Journal of Epidemiology, constant exposure in close proximity to the patient for a period of several days is required for transmission. In other words, when strict precautions are taken, caregivers can avoid transmission. (These precautions will be necessary anyway because those who are vaccinated are not guaranteed complete immunity from smallpox.)
Reason Two: According to plans already in place, once a single case of smallpox is diagnosed, a regional vaccination program will be launched immediately. Meanwhile, other suspected cases can be easily identified and quarantined.
Reason Three: We don't know if any terrorist groups even possess smallpox. And if they do (to get back to the original point), why would they use such an undependable weapon when far more lethal and easier-to-deploy bioweapons are available?
I'm all for taking action to protect ourselves from realistic threats. But it's ludicrous to go to the extreme of sacrificing lives to protect ourselves from a threat that at this point is not even a real threat - it's only a suspicion of a possible threat.
This coming summer, Andrea Deerheart Cornitcher will not be in New Mexico researching new ways to treat disease. This is a tragic loss that should never have happened. The worst of it is that the prevention program that led to her loss is simply unnecessary.
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute
Sources:
"It Was a Sore Spot in Our Heritage" Johnathon Briggs and Erika Niedowski, Baltimore Sun, 4/3/03, sunspot.net
"Researchers Seek What Links Smallpox Vaccine, Heart Ills" Erika Niedowski, Baltimore Sun, 3/29/03, sunspot.net
"Deciding Who is Protected Against Smallpox" Bill Frist, The New York Times, 8/9/02, nytimes.com
"Smallpox Outbreak" Sherri Tenpenny, D.O., 7/10/02, mercola.com
"Deaths Put Smallpox Shots on Hold Again" Kathleen Longcore, The Grand Rapids Press, 4/1/03, mlive.com
"Partisan Bickering Erupts Over Smallpox Vaccine" Ceci Connolly, The Washington Post - The Star Ledger, 4/3/03, nj.com |
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