Posted on November 24, 2019 by admin

Physicians for Informed Consent Educates Parents About the Risk of Seizures and Epilepsy from the MMR Vaccine

Educational resources for parents and healthcare providers unveiled in recognition of National Epilepsy Awareness Month in November

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. (PRWEB) NOVEMBER 12, 2019

Infant Having EEG — Every two hours another child suffers a seizure from the MMR Vaccine.

Physicians for Informed Consent (PIC), an educational nonprofit organization focused on science and statistics, recognizes National Epilepsy Awareness Month (NEAM), November 2019, by providing information to parents about the prevalence of seizures and subsequent epilepsy resulting from the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.

Seizures from the MMR vaccine occur in about 1 in 640 children within two weeks of receiving the first dose of the MMR vaccine. This amounts to approximately 5,700 cases of MMR-vaccine seizures annually in the U.S., and a significant portion of MMR-vaccine seizures cause permanent harm, as 5% of febrile seizures result in epilepsy. Consequently, about 300 MMR-vaccine seizures (5% of 5,700) lead to epilepsy annually.

More information on these findings, including details on the supporting studies as well as educational resources, can be found at physiciansforinformedconsent.org/mmr-seizures.

“There is a five-fold higher risk of seizures from the MMR vaccine than from measles infection, and thus far, the MMR vaccine has not been proven to be safer than measles,” said Dr. Shira Miller, PIC president and founder. “It is imperative that parents and healthcare providers know the data, as a significant portion of febrile seizure cases result in epilepsy, a debilitating and life-threatening chronic condition. Families must objectively weigh the risks of measles vs. the risks of the MMR vaccine, to make informed, evidence-based vaccination decisions.”

National Epilepsy Awareness Month, organized by the Epilepsy Foundation, is intended to build awareness, educate about seizure first aid, and encourage others to take action.

About Physicians for Informed Consent
Physicians for Informed Consent is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization focused on science and statistics. PIC delivers data on infectious diseases and vaccines, and unites doctors, scientists, healthcare professionals, attorneys, and families who support voluntary vaccination. In addition, the PIC Coalition for Informed Consent consists of nearly 200 U.S. and international organizations. To learn more or to become a member, please visit physiciansforinformedconsent.org.

Source: https://www.prweb.com/releases/physicians_for_informed_consent_educates_parents_about_the_risk_of_seizures_and_epilepsy_from_the_mmr_vaccine/prweb16713213.htm

Posted on October 27, 2019 by admin

Physicians for Informed Consent Letter to the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Developing the 2020 National Vaccine Plan

Tammy R. Beckham, Director
Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy (OIDP), Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, Office of the Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)

October 24, 2019

RE: Request for Information (RFI) From Non-Federal Stakeholders: Developing the 2020 National Vaccine Plan

Dear Dr. Beckham,

We believe the top priority for the 2020 National Vaccine Plan should be to clearly quantify the risk of infectious diseases versus the risk of their respective vaccines, in order to enhance informed decision-making by consumers and health care providers. The reason this priority is important to us is because we have found critical calculation errors in government memorandums about infectious disease risk in the United States, including the Supplementary Information provided in the “Request for Information (RFI) From Non-Federal Stakeholders: Developing the 2020 National Vaccine Plan.”¹

For example, a calculation error which occurred in the House Committee on Energy & Commerce Memorandum² for the hearing on “Confronting a Growing Public Health Threat: Measles Outbreaks in the U.S” is that “One or two deaths occur among every 1,000 children who acquire measles.” The second paragraph in the Memorandum contains evidence of the error. It explains that prior to the introduction of the measles vaccine in 1963, “there were an estimated 3 to 4 million people infected with measles in the United States, and as many as 500 related deaths each year,” which is correct. However, this computes to a number of deaths which, at most, is one in 6,000 (3,000,000 divided by 500). More precisely, between 1959 and 1962, about 400 measles deaths occurred annually among about 4,000,000 measles cases, which results in a one in 10,000 (0.01%) chance of a child dying from measles, not one in 500 or one in 1,000. By comparison, over 23,000 infant deaths occur every year in the U.S. and thus the chance of a child dying in his or her first year of life is currently one in 170 (0.6%)¹² – this is 60 times the risk of a child dying from measles in 1962, a time period when almost every child had measles by age 15.⁴

The reason this calculation error unfortunately commonly occurs is because the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) publishes case-fatality rates based on the number of reported cases only. And, since it is estimated that nearly 90% of measles cases are benign and therefore not reported to the CDC, the widely publicized measles case-fatality rate is a 10-fold miscalculation.⁴ Such an error has grave public health consequences.

Information available on total measles pre-vaccine cases (both reported and unreported to the CDC) in comparison with today’s leading causes of death in children under age 10,⁴ and the risks of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine,⁵ are enclosed. Please carefully review these documents, as well as Dr. Alexander Langmuir’s 1962 article “The Importance of Measles as a Public Health Problem” where he explained, “…in the United States measles is a disease whose importance is not to be measured by total days disability or number of deaths.”⁶ This latter contradicts the estimated $20,000 cost per measles case quoted in the “Request for Information (RFI) From Non-Federal Stakeholders: Developing the 2020 National Vaccine Plan.”¹ Dr. Langmuir became director of the epidemiology branch of the Communicable Disease Center in 1949 and held the position for over 20 years, during a time when about 4,000,000 cases of measles occurred each year.

Another error in the Memorandum is in the prevention and response section where it is suggested that no treatments are available for measles. In rare situations, such as vitamin A deficiency or a compromised immune system, measles can be severe and even deadly, if left untreated. In those situations, high-dose vitamin A, immune globulin, and ribavirin are indicated and available.^4,7-9 Therefore, the vaccination of others is not necessary in order to protect immunocompromised persons from severe measles, or other infections,¹⁰ and coercing such action would be highly unethical and unscientific.

Finally, the Memorandum states that “CDC has determined that receiving the MMR vaccine is safer than getting any of the viruses,” however this has not been scientifically demonstrated and rational doubt will continue to be raised about the MMR vaccine until a safety study with the statistical power to detect permanent injury from the vaccine in 1 in 10,000 vaccinated subjects is produced.⁵ Additionally, in 2017, we reported in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) that every year an estimated 5,700 U.S. children (approximately 1 in 640) suffer febrile seizures from the first dose of the MMR vaccine – which is five times more than the number of febrile seizures expected from measles.¹¹ This amounts to 57,000 febrile seizures over the past 10 years due to the MMR vaccine alone. As 5% of children with a history of febrile seizures progress to epilepsy, a debilitating and life-threatening chronic condition, the estimated number of children whose epilepsy is due to the MMR vaccine in the past 10 years is 2,850.

Infant mortality rate (IMR) is a recognized major indicator of the health of a population, not the number of measles cases nor the number of vaccination exemptions.¹² For example, West Virginia and Mississippi, which only allow state public health officers to approve medical exemptions to vaccination have about double the IMR of California. And Massachusetts and Washington have a lower IMR than California, even while allowing non-medical exemptions.¹³ This means that laws limiting vaccination exemptions are unlikely to improve public health – and may worsen it.

We urge you to thoroughly discuss the errors and facts we have highlighted with your epidemiologists and statisticians, so that the 2020 National Vaccine Plan does not contain misinformation or threaten public health.

We are here to assist you.

Sincerely,

Shira Miller, M.D.
President
Physicians for Informed Consent

References

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Posted on August 23, 2019 by ITadmin

Physicians for Informed Consent: CDC Data Shows Immunity from the MMR Vaccine Wanes Over Time

Nearly 50% of Vaccinated U.S. Schoolchildren Can Become Infected With and Spread Measles

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. (PRWEB) AUGUST 23, 2019

Physicians for Informed Consent (PIC), an educational nonprofit organization focused on science and statistics, has announced the release of an important educational document on waning immunity and the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. Designed to help doctors and the public evaluate the effectiveness of the MMR vaccine, the document answers a common question parents ask when carefully considering the MMR vaccine for their children: “For how long will the MMR vaccine protect my child?”

In 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a study on waning immunity after two doses of the MMR vaccine.[1] The results, published in Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, show that even after being previously vaccinated twice for measles, about 35% of vaccinated 7-year-olds and 60% of vaccinated 15-year-olds are susceptible to subclinical infection with measles virus. And by age 24–26, a projected 33% of vaccinated adults are susceptible to clinical infection. Consequently, nearly 50% of schoolchildren and more than 60% of adults fully vaccinated with the MMR vaccine can still be infected with measles virus and spread it to others, even with mild or no symptoms of their own.[1-4]

The CDC conducted another study in 2016, published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, which concludes that a third dose (booster shot) of the MMR vaccine is short-lived, lasting only one year. The authors state: “MMR3 [a third dose of MMR] is unlikely to solve the problem of waning immunity in the United States… We did not find compelling data to support a routine third dose of MMR vaccine.”[5]

Nearly 50% of Vaccinated U.S. Schoolchildren Can Become Infected With and Spread Measles

In 1963, before the measles vaccine was introduced in the U.S., almost everyone had measles by age 15, which provided lifelong immunity. And measles was a generally benign infection, with 99.99% of people experiencing a full recovery.[6] “Waning MMR vaccine immunity is an important factor for physicians and parents to consider when evaluating the risks of measles infection vs. the risks and limitations of the MMR vaccine,” said Dr. Shira Miller, PIC founder and president. “Subsequently, legislation which mandates MMR vaccination or restricts exemptions to MMR vaccination will not eliminate measles outbreaks.”

“Subsequently, legislation which mandates MMR vaccination or restricts exemptions to MMR vaccination will not eliminate measles outbreaks.”

To read the document, “Waning Immunity and the MMR Vaccine: Nearly 50 Percent of Vaccinated Schoolchildren Can Become Infected with Measles,” please visit physiciansforinformedconsent.org/mmr-waning-immunity.

About Physicians for Informed Consent
Physicians for Informed Consent is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization focused on science and statistics. PIC delivers data on infectious diseases and vaccines, and unites doctors, scientists, healthcare professionals, attorneys, and families who support voluntary vaccination. In addition, the PIC Coalition for Informed Consent consists of nearly 200 U.S. and international organizations. To learn more or to become a member, please visit physiciansforinformedconsent.org.

1.    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17339511
2.    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2230231
3.    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2815970
4.    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29921344
5.    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26597262
6.    https://physiciansforinformedconsent.org/measles/dis/

Source: http://www.prweb.com/releases/physicians_for_informed_consent_cdc_data_shows_immunity_from_the_mmr_vaccine_wanes_over_time/prweb16519216.htm

Posted on August 8, 2019 by ITadmin

Physicians for Informed Consent and Peter Gøtzsche Debate Risk of Dying from the MMR Vaccine vs. Measles in BMJ

Physicians and scientists refute the claim that rational doubt of the MMR vaccine is “absurd.”

NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. (PRWEB) AUGUST 07, 2019

Physicians for Informed Consent (PIC), an educational nonprofit organization focused on science and statistics, recently responded in the BMJ to Professor Peter Gøtzsche’s statement on May 24, 2019, “Rational doubt cannot be raised about the measles vaccine.” Gøtzsche’s response was to PIC’s assertion that “it has not been proven that the MMR vaccine results in less death or permanent disability than what is expected from measles.”

To read the full comments, please visit bmj.com/content/359/bmj.j5104/rapid-responses.

Gøtzsche went on to write that “the reason that so few people die or get seriously injured from measles is that most of the population is vaccinated.” However, it is a documented fact that before the vaccine was introduced in the United States, measles was only fatal in 1 in 10,000 cases. Consequently, to prove the vaccine causes less permanent injury than measles, vaccine safety studies must have the statistical power to detect permanent injury in as little as 1 in 10,000 vaccinated children. Dr. Shira Miller, PIC’s founder and president, states, “Rational doubt will continue to be raised about the measles-containing vaccine MMR until a safety study with the statistical power to detect permanent injury from the vaccine in 1 in 10,000 vaccinated subjects is produced.”

Rational doubt will continue to be raised about the measles-containing vaccine MMR until a safety study with the statistical power to detect permanent injury from the vaccine in 1 in 10,000 vaccinated subjects is produced.

Doctors, scientists, and statisticians at Physicians for Informed Consent produce PIC’s educational materials, including the Measles Disease Information Statement (DIS) and the Measles Vaccine Risk Statement (VRS), from data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Center for Health Statistics. The Measles DIS and VRS are resources that are currently utilized in doctors’ offices nationwide to help parents make educated and evidence-based vaccination decisions. To access these resources or learn more about measles and the MMR vaccine, please visit physiciansforinformedconsent.org/measles.

About Physicians for Informed Consent
Physicians for Informed Consent is a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit organization focused on science and statistics. PIC delivers data on infectious diseases and vaccines, and unites doctors, scientists, healthcare professionals, attorneys, and families that support voluntary vaccination. In addition, the PIC Coalition for Informed Consent consists of more than 150 U.S. and international organizations. For more information, please visit physiciansforinformedconsent.org.

Source: https://www.prweb.com/releases/physicians_for_informed_consent_and_peter_gotzsche_debate_risk_of_dying_from_the_mmr_vaccine_vs_measles_in_bmj/prweb16489867.htm

Posted on June 3, 2019 by ITadmin

Physicians for Informed Consent Testimony Urges Medical Board of California to Oppose SB 276

Medical Board of California
2005 Evergreen Street, Suite 1200
Sacramento, CA 95815
(916) 263-2389 phone
(916) 263-2387 fax

May 28, 2019

RE: Physicians for Informed Consent Testimony on SB 276¹

Dear Board Members and Executive Staff,

My name is Dr. Shira Miller and I am the founder and president of Physicians for Informed Consent², a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which since the passing of SB 277³, has been educating hundreds of doctor members from across the nation on how to better identify vaccine contraindications, precautions, and adverse events, in order for them to be able to provide informed consent and prevent as many vaccine injuries as possible. In addition, we perform statistical analyses of infections and their respective vaccines, which can be used for public-health decision-making.

The purpose of my testimony is to explain how SB 276 contradicts the Medical Board of California’s mission to “protect healthcare consumers” and “promote access to quality medical care,⁴” and urge you not to support it.

The standard of care for recommending a medical exemption was established by SB 277 in 2015, and to date, although 153 cases related to medical exemptions have been investigated…none were found to be fraudulent. As there has not been a single case of a patient or a patient’s parent complaining about a doctor in these situations, it may be that actually the fraudulent accusation has been misplaced. And, if SB 276 passes, it would circumvent the 4th amendment⁵ protection against the unreasonable search and seizure of patient medical records without any probable cause.

Since the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986⁶ which indemnifies both vaccine manufacturers and physicians from liability for vaccine injuries, and the creation of the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program⁷ which has awarded about $4 billion⁸ in compensation to only 1/3 of petitioners, it has mostly been those families with a history of vaccine injuries and their physicians who have had a heightened awareness of their risk of suffering more vaccine injuries. This latter explains why less than 1% of schoolchildren have medical exemptions in California, and why there are a relatively small number of physicians who are able to meet their needs. Although the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention has helpful guidelines⁹, these are not all-inclusive, it can take decades for medical research on vaccine injuries to become a CDC guideline, and medical exemptions are not one-size-fits-all. If SB 276 passes, patients will no longer be able to effectively access the care of physicians who specialize in recognizing and preventing vaccine injuries, and who are best able to protect them from vaccine injuries.

For example, the risk of seizure after the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine occurs in up to 1 in 250¹⁰ in siblings of children with a history of febrile seizures (and 5% of those would develop epilepsy¹¹). Although SB 277 permits a physician to exempt such a sibling from the MMR vaccine, CDC guidelines would not.

In terms of measles, before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963 there was a 1 in 10,000 (0.01%) chance of dying from measles (that’s about the same as one’s lifetime chance of being struck by lightning), not 1 in 1,000, which is the often-publicized misrepresentation of historical data. In addition, three treatments are available for the rare severe complication: Vitamin A, immune globulin¹², and the antiviral medication, ribavirin^{13, 14, 15}.

By comparison, the chance of a child dying in his or her first year of life (the infant mortality rate) is currently 1 in 170¹⁶ in the U.S. overall (0.6%)—which is 60 times the risk of a child dying from measles in 1962¹⁷, a time period when almost every child had measles by age 15¹⁸ and 99.99% fully recovered.

Infant mortality rate (IMR) is a major indicator of the health of a population, not the number of measles cases nor the medical exemption rate. West Virginia and Mississippi, which only allow state public health officers to approve medical exemptions to vaccination (like SB 276 would do) have about double the infant mortality rate of California. And Massachusetts and Washington have a lower infant mortality than California, even while allowing non-medical exemptions. This means that SB 276-like laws are unlikely to improve public health and may worsen it.

Physicians for Informed Consent urges you not to support SB 276.

Respectfully,

Shira Miller, M.D.
Founder and President (Volunteer)
Physicians for Informed Consent

References