Re: It's also our duty to take advantage of the opportunity to get vaccine data--Dr. Helms, ACIP

[Guest guest]

List:

Gee, I don't notice where Dr. Helms said it was the DUTY of the government

to reimburse those made ill or worse by taking the anthrax vaccine. What

rubbish, since when is it anyone's duty to be injected with anything

experimental that carries risk?? These possibly infected workers should

be making decisions solely for the benefit of their own health, and without

advice from those with research agendas....lest they wind up suffering the

fate of lab monkeys.

I remember a PBS special once on Ebola. Some scientist was lamenting the fact

that Ebola victims had been given a kind of 'quickie' vaccine made from the

blood of those who had survived the illness, (perhaps just some of their blood

containing antibodies) Those who survived after getting that blood really

screwed up the 'real' survival rate figures. He would have preferred to see

what the death rate was without treatment, guess that method was too

unscientific for him. The odd thing is that the victims and their doctors

were worried more about SURVIVAL than scientific data.... Go figure. It

appears some people are so selfish that they refuse to be part of the placebo

group that dies.

If they want guinea pigs perhaps someone should consider a sizeable financial

incentive, along with a truly accurate information on the risks involved. Looks

like for once, greed will work to the advantage of potential Anthrax vaccine

victims

Gretchen

List owner

" It's also our duty to take advantage of the opportunity "

to get vaccine data--Dr. Helms, ACIP

> Government's shot in the darkThe anthrax vaccine: Government's shot in

> the dark

> http://www.gopbi.com/partners/pbpost/epaper/editions/sunday/news_c3e2a

> a0064b390471030.html

> By Sanjay Bhatt, Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

>

> Sunday, December 30, 2001

> The federal government has embarked on an experiment on humans to

> discover whether a vaccine can protect civilians against future

> anthrax attacks.

>

> For scientists to reach conclusions about the vaccine's effectiveness

> after an attack, however, anthrax must bring down more people.

>

> A significant number of the 3,000 people who turned down the vaccine

> must fall ill or die from the disease to prove inoculation is

> effective. Or if the 58 civilians who have received the vaccine so far

> contract the disease anyway, officials will know it doesn't work.

>

> ..... " When occasions like this occur, as devastating as they are, not only

> is it the duty of the Public Health Service to protect the public . .

> . it's also our duty to take advantage of the opportunity to figure

> out how to handle such an emergency better in the future, " said Dr.

> Helms, speaking for an advisory committee that shapes federal

> recommendations on all vaccines.

> The emergency's scope: ..... "