From the June 2002 Idaho Observer:

CDC publicly proves lunacy of mass vaccinating public against smallpox

No worries, though, the public will still stand in line with its sleeves rolled up

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) seem to be in a pickle. It will be the lead agency administering some 300 million doses of smallpox vaccine but its own investigations have shown that such a vaccination program will likely cause an epidemic much worse than what the disease could cause all by itself. But that is not the CDC's pickle.

The CDC is holding public meetings in locations across the nation that provide information that should cause rational people to question the benefits of mass vaccination against smallpox. The CDC shows slides of people who contacted smallpox after receiving the vaccine-which is worse than getting it naturally; the CDC provides evidence that smallpox is not virulently contagious and has a hard time reaching epidemic status on its own; the CDC points out that 100 years of published medicine shows that smallpox is not even fatal and that those who die actually die from diseases like pneumonia that are treatable. But that is not the CDC's pickle.

The CDC admits that the list of people for whom administration of the smallpox vaccine could be permanently injurious or fatal is rather long [and could easily be equal to 30 percent of the population]. But that is not the CDC's pickle, either.

The CDC's pickle is that no matter how illogical it would be to mass vaccinate the entire nation against smallpox, based upon the evidence it reveals as the agency that will be responsible for administering the project, people can hardly wait to get theirs.

The CDC is on the verge of implementing what its own studies indicate may be the most genocidal public health program in world history and the public is already standing in line with its sleeves rolled up.

By Dr. Sherri Tenpenny

The CDC held the third of a series of meetings called the "Public Forum on Smallpox" on June 8, 2002 in St. Louis, Missouri. It appears that the CDC not only wanted to solicit comments from the public, but also wanted to see how "willingly" it will accept the vaccine when the planned mass vaccination program gets underway.

The CDC presented truthful and accurate information about smallpox and about the anticipated problems associated with the vaccine. This certainly was not what I was expecting to hear. And unless you were an informed listener, you would have missed the most amazing things that the CDC said about smallpox infection.

Dr. Kuritsky

Dr. Joel Kuritsky, the CDC's director of the Preparedness and Early Smallpox Response Activity for the National Immunization Program, stated that one of the reasons that the forums were being held was to clear up some misconceptions about smallpox. "For one thing," he said, " smallpox is not explosively contagious."

On two separate occasions, Kuritsky said, "smallpox is NOT like measles; it is NOT a highly contagious disease."

This has been one of the cornerstone arguments for mass vaccination propagated by both medical journals and the popular press.

Smallpox will not spread rapidly through the population. According to Dr. Kuritsky the disease is, "transmitted slowly and only after prolonged, direct, face-to-face contact."

He further clarified close contact to mean "more than seven days" and face-to-face to mean "contact that is within 6-7 feet."

Scientific studies were presented to accentuate this point. Dr. Kuritsky said casual contact will not spread smallpox. "The scenario in which a terrorist infects himself and walks through a city spreading the disease just wouldn't happen, even in population-dense areas. In the 1970s, we were able to control the spread of the infection even in highly dense settings such as India and Bangladesh," he explained.

There is no evidence to suggest that there is any truth to the oft reported statement, "millions could die from the rapid spread of smallpox after an exposure."

It is critically important to understand that people are only contagious after the smallpox pustules have erupted on the skin. There is no "carrier state" for this disease, as seen with chickenpox, in which the person is contagious for several days before the vesicular rash occurs.

It is crucial to realize that even in the event of a confirmed case of smallpox, there is no need to panic. The CDC's position paper on smallpox, "Vaccinia (Smallpox) Vaccine Recommendations" published June, 2001, states that vaccination of close personal contacts within four days of the onset of the rash will be protective. However, Dr. Kuritsky stated that "vaccination 12-13 days out will still be protective." Based on this information, it appears that any rush to vaccinate first responders and medical personnel is not based on current understanding of the disease and appears to be inappropriate.

Dr. Margolis

Dr. Harold Margolis, CDC senior advisor for smallpox preparedness discussed the potential side effects and complications of the vaccinia vaccine.

Dozens of impressive pictures were shown demonstrating the types of reactions that could occur. Many more dreadful pictures were shown of smallpox vaccine reactions than of smallpox itself.

It is an unfortunate fact that a large percentage of the population is in much poorer health today than when smallpox vaccine was "routinely" given prior to 1971.

This exponentially increases the risk of vaccination complications. Now more than 25% of our population is immuno-suppressed by diseases or drugs. This includes more than 28 million people with eczema and millions more with a past history of eczema, 184,000 organ recipients, 850,000 individuals with diagnosed and undiagnosed HIV infection or AIDS, and 8.5 million people with cancer.

Dr. Margolis presented a slide that contained these facts. What he failed to discuss, however, were risks involving the untold millions who are taking immunosuppressive drugs such as the corticosteroids Prednisone(r) and Medrol(r).

These medications are given to both adults and children, and are prescribed for dozens of conditions including but not limited to: asthma; emphysema; allergies; Crohn's disease; multiple sclerosis; herniated spinal discs; acute muscular pain syndromes; and all types of rheumatoid and autoimmune diseases. All of these patients would be at risk for serious complications-including death-not only from the vaccine, but also from coming in contact with a vaccinated individual.

Dr. Margolis provided the following information regarding the current and projected supply of the vaccine stock by trade name, the manufacturer, the medium within which it is grown and the quantity available:

Dryvax (1982), Wyeth, Calf lymph-15-75 million; Accum 1000 (new), Acambis, MRC-5 cells (human fetal tissue)-54 million; Accum 2000 (new), Acambis, Vero cells (monkey tissue)-155 million; "frozen vaccine" (1980s), Aventis (Unsure of source)-70-90 million.

He reaffirmed that vaccinia is NOT cowpox; it is a completely separate virus. In addition, he remarked in passing that the vaccinia vaccine is considered an "investigational new drug."

This designation should not be taken lightly. The old versions of the vaccine-the Aventis vaccine and Dryvax(r)-will be re-released. These vaccines were never subjected to controlled clinical trials. The new Acambis vaccines will not have to be subjected to rigorous safety standards in human trials. The new FDA rulings on the development of drugs and vaccines related to bioterrorism will lower safety production standards to fast-track production. And as always, vaccine manufacturers as well as physicians will be protected from liability for any vaccine-induced injuries or deaths that will undoubtedly occur. These facts must be taken into consideration before deciding to receive the vaccine.

In addition, the reported 30 percent death rate for smallpox is a statistic based on old data. It is doubtful that the death rate would be anywhere near that high today. However, the severe complications and death rate from the vaccine might well be at least that high due to the vast number of immuno-suppressed people in our country, as I mentioned earlier.

Was anyone listening?

In light of all this information, it was disheartening and alarming to hear the prepared answers read by the organizations in attendance. Each person that commented was required to state their name and the organization that they represented when they read their prepared five-minute statement. The overwhelming response by the organizations, with the exception of my comments, can be summarized as follows:

1. Do not start vaccinating the general public at this time.

2. Begin vaccination of first responders now, but on a limited basis only.

3. In the case of an outbreak, all bets are off but vaccination should be used with responders and quite possibly with large sectors of the general public.

Was anyone listening? It appears that the "public" is willing to ignore the facts that the CDC presented and go further than was really warranted.

What is the "real agenda" of the CDC? Why were these meetings held, given the fact that the CDC has never been interested in what the public has to say about their policies? Over the next few weeks and months, the rest of the story will undoubtedly unfold.

What you can do

Go to www.cdc.gov/nip/smallpox/ and fill out the questionnaire based upon your knowledge of smallpox. Tell everyone you know about it.

There was a "wrap up" of the morning session and the floor was opened to questions from the audience. Dr. Tenpenny asked the following questions:

Q: If a person was vaccinated with the smallpox vaccine, can they be tested to see if they still have protective antibody levels?

A: There is no commercially available test available to the general public.

Editorial Comment: Some studies suggest that antibody levels from previous vaccination may last as long as 50 years. Since this is a test that can be performed at research laboratories, the CDC should make this type of testing available before the vaccinia vaccine is used.

Q (asked by another person): Is it essential for a scar to form to know that a person has developed immunity?

A. (Belshe) There is a high relationship between the development of an antibody response and the development of the scar. "The scar is a simple indication that the vaccine is working."

Q: The CDC has published a 260 page document called "Interim Smallpox Response Plan & Guidelines." Is this plan intended to be a "prototype" in the event that other types of biological weapons are released on the general public?

A: (Kuritsky): Parts of it could be used for that purpose.

Q: In the event of a confirmed outbreak, would those people considered to be "close contacts" and in the "immediate ring" be required to be vaccinated, even if they had a medical contraindication?

A: We would have to do the best that we could to not vaccinate them, but they are also the ones at greatest risk for the most serious complications from smallpox.

Editorial Comment: There was no direct answer to this, even when several others in the audience asked this question in various formats, including "what is the CDC's definition of voluntary?" The question was diverted and vaguely addressed.

Q: We read in every medical and general publication that the case fatality rate of smallpox is 30%. What was the actual cause of death from smallpox?

A: (by Dr. Margolis): Most people died from electrolyte imbalances and possibly renal (kidney) disease. In addition, the skin sometimes exfoliated (sloughed off) and it acted like a burn. In addition, most cases that died were in Bangladesh and Central Africa.

Q: So, what you are saying by your answer is that those conditions are treatable and that most cases that died took place in countries where they did not have advanced medical care...and since the last case of known smallpox in the U.S. was in Texas in 1949, we have the medical capability to treat complications of smallpox today...

A: Some "imported cases" people died in Europe too.

Editorial Comment: Both doctors demonstrated an interesting "body language" response when I asked this question. They both shifted abruptly back into their chairs, and looked at each other. I read Margolis lips, as he asked Kuritsky, "do you want to answer this?" Kuritsky shook his head "no." I have never seen either of these complications listed in association with smallpox, let alone the cause of death of smallpox. In addition, this means that people die from potentially treatable COMPLICATIONS of this infection, not from the infection itself. This is a critical distinction. The reason that most people say that they would accept the smallpox vaccine is because of its reported 30% death rate.