Smallpox, Propaganda and Fear

[Guest guest]

Hi all. This is filled with alot of politcal stuff but if you scroll down to

the larger print paragraph you will see info on small pox/exzema.. Thought that

was interesting.

Donna

http://www.americaheldhostile.com/ed021703-1.shtml

Smallpox, Propaganda and Fear

by Sara S. DeHart, MSN, Ph.D. February 17, 2003

In recent months considerable debate has centered on the ostensible need for and

safety of vaccinating US civilian and military personnel as protection against a

smallpox epidemic. As in any debate, there are numerous voices expressing

diverse perspectives: academics, lobbyists, governmental spokespersons, and

communicable disease experts. Also, as in any broad debate, it is sometimes

difficult to separate facts from illusion. In the current vaccination debate,

politics and special interests are dictating medical and public health policy.

This results in poor public health policy and bad medicine.

Because leaders in the Bush Administration took an oath to " preserve, protect

and defend the Constitution of the United States, " one might conclude that the

government would never risk the physical or mental health of its military

personnel or the civilian public-at-large for political reasons. After all, one

of the stated purposes of government is to maintain public health and safety.

Given that caveat, is it reasonable for Mr. Bush to select a disease and order

the dispensing of a vaccine that carries a high risk for serious complications

to both the recipient and those with whom they have contact without evidence

that the disease is present? The Institute of Medicine has gone on record to

urge caution about the high risk of the smallpox vaccine and the vaccination

program. Because of the significant number of side effects military and other

" volunteers " have experienced in the current round of vaccinations this warning

should be taken seriously,

Nonetheless, there is a growing body of evidence that the Bush Administration's

ongoing campaign to convince the American public that there is a need for mass

inoculation against biological warfare continues unabated. According to

Administration officials, a smallpox threat emanates from Iraq and/or the Al

Qaeda organization. One might view this campaign as part of the Administration's

goal to manipulate public perception and establish a " just cause " foundation for

a preemptive war against Iraq. Implied in the call for mass inoculation against

smallpox is the assumption that Saddam Hussein has the intention and ability to

wage biological warfare against America, the delivery system to get deadly

biological agents to American shores and that smallpox is his weapon of choice.

As a political tool, smallpox has everything a propagandist needs to engage in

hyperbole and instill fear in an uninformed public. Smallpox is, in fact, a

deadly disease that according to the World Health Organization (WHO) was

eradicated in 1977. In 1980 WHO recommended that all countries cease

vaccinations because of the high risk from the vaccine itself and the low risk

of the disease re-emerging spontaneously. The World Health Organization further

recommended that all laboratories, except for two designated in the United

States and Russia, destroy their stocks of variolla virus. Rumors persist,

however, that other sources of the variolla virus exist in unsanctioned

laboratories.

This fear has been expanded by the overwhelming volume of smallpox-threat " news "

emanating from the corporate media. The timing of this " news " coincides with the

Bush administration's campaign to convince the American public that preemptive

war against Iraq is a " just cause " . The timeline between Mr. Bush's announcement

of his preemptive war doctrine in June 2002 and his directive in September for

mass inoculations against an external bioterrorism smallpox attack has all the

sound and fury of an egregiously orchestrated propaganda blitzkrieg.

Beginning in August 2002, the number of articles published by mainline

newspapers increased exponentially. Major news sources in virtually every region

of the country published numerous articles on smallpox, its causes, and deadly

effects. Importantly, many are now aware of the 30% death-rate that results for

those who develop the infection. An ill-informed public, the majority of whom

cannot identify their congressional representative, has been inculcated about

the danger of biological warfare, in general, and smallpox as a biological

weapon, in particular.

If Bush and the neo-conservatives can convince the American people that the

threat of biological terrorism is real and that the source of the threat is

Iraq, the people will demand to be inoculated and enthusiastically call for Bush

to dispatch US armed forces to Iraq. They will ignore the fact that a preemptive

war is likely to increase the probability of a guerilla-like, terrorist attack

on the U.S.

But before lining up for inoculations, Americans need to be aware of certain

facts about the vaccine. First, the serious complications from the smallpox

vaccination are not insignificant. The most frequent, serious complication from

the smallpox vaccination is encephalitis that is fatal in 25% of the cases and

causes neurological damage in 23% of those who develop this brain inflammation.

Vaccinia necrosum is a progressive destruction of the skin and other tissues

that spreads throughout the body. Eczema vaccinatum is a significant risk if one

has ever had eczema or other chronic skin disorders. More rarely, the

vaccination results in fatal vaccinia. The risk to persons who are

immune-suppressed or have ever had eczema, and who come in contact with a newly

vaccinated person, such as a nurse, is life threatening.

Second, consider the curious amendment to the Homeland Security Act enacted by

Congress in December 2002. Included in this prototypically fascist legislation

was a rider denying legal recourse to anyone who might have a negative side

effect from the vaccine. Even though Congress has recently rescinded that

provision, supporters of the legislation promise that this issue will be

addressed in future amendments to protect the vaccine manufacturers.

Justification for this special-interest protection came from Senate Majority

Leader Frist who asserted that protection against possible lawsuits was

necessary because the pharmaceutical corporations, Ely Lilly and Wyeth, would

not otherwise manufacture vaccines. Senator Frist, one might recall, is a

medical doctor by education and, therefore, presented to the public as an

objective authority on all matters pertaining to public and private health.

In reality it seems that Senator-Doctor Frist is, in fact, not concerned about

the physical health and welfare of the American public as much as he is about

the financial health and welfare of the pharmaceutical industry. Consider the

millions of dollars that the pharmaceutical industry will make if 200 million

Americans line up to be inoculated with a vaccine that is largely untested and

has only recently gone into mass production. Wyeth stockpiles comprise the older

vaccine inventories and are made from a scarified calf flank that invariably

produces microbial contamination. Presumably, these are the vaccines to be used

in the current round of vaccinating public health, medical and emergency

workers.

It is not surprising that health care professionals designated as part of the

" first response " teams are showing great reluctance to accept " voluntary "

smallpox vaccinations. The Bush administration sent the first batches of

smallpox vaccine to the states on January 21, 2003 to immunize some 500,000

medical volunteers. These teams are to be inoculated so in the event of a

biological terrorist attack, they would be protected when they encounter

patients infected by smallpox. In itself, this is not a bad plan except for the

uneasy feeling among many health care professionals that this action is

politically based to further the cause of preemptive war against Iraq.

The prestigious Institute of Medicine issued a cautionary report published in

the January 18, 2003 San Francisco Chronicle: " Given this profile of high

vaccination risk and possibility of very low to zero benefit, the

administration's policy to offer vaccination to public health, medical and

emergency workers must be implemented in a most prudent and cautious manner. "

Not to be distracted by the Institute's report, Dr. Gerberding, Director

of Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a press briefing

stating, in part, that homeland security and national defense concerns dictate

that the voluntary vaccination program proceed quickly. She said, " We are, in

fact, living in a dangerous world, where a smallpox attack is possible. We need

to do what we need to do to get this show on the road " . She further said, " We

are not going to delay this program because of concerns about compensation. "

Even though Dr. Gerberding chooses to ignore the issue of compensation for

potentially damaging side effects, the American Nurses Association sent a letter

to Mr. Bush expressing grave concerns about who will provide coverage for

vaccinated nurses and their families if there are secondary infections or other

serious complications. The senate version of the Homeland Security Act

specifically mandates that anyone suffering a complication from smallpox

vaccination cannot sue the pharmaceutical company, the hospital, or the

provider. If anyone is going to sue, they must sue the government directly which

is very difficult to do and economically prohibitive for most American citizens.

Dr Gerberding, like Mr. Bush, seems unconcerned about the potentially serious

side effects of the smallpox vaccine. Nor has either addressed the larger

question of what will be done if a different microorganism emerges as a

biological weapon. The smallpox vaccine is not going to protect the US public

against any other microorganism, and there are several deadly ones to choose

from.

Not since Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the vaccination of his troops in 1805 and

French civilians in 1806 has such a comprehensive vaccination program been

instituted. A noteworthy difference between Napoleon's program and Bush's

executive order is that in Napoleon's time, there was a real threat of a

smallpox epidemic. By contrast, Mr. Bush's proclamation is founded on fear that

his administration has invented, exploited and perpetuated.