OFF THE RECORD: The Media CDC alliance

[Guest guest]

" Discussions during the three exercise modules

were off the record so

that federal officials could freely discuss their responses to potential

communications problems. "

From: Framson <mframson@...>

Why you can't trust the media on vaccines, or anything of

controversy, safety of anything regulated by the government. We

have media in bed with government/pharma corporate state. The media

is now touting this arrangement as having kept the lid on any reporting

or discussion of H1N1 adverse events.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/02/health/02flu.html?hp

Of course vaccine safety is now called a " communication

problem " . Injecting pregnant women, children, with mercury, is

a communication problem which caused the CDC/HHS/pharma to conduct

" off the record " media meetings....no FOIA, no

transcripts. Miscarriages after vaccination......just another

coincidence.....like everything else with vaccinations.

About 40 members of the national press took part in the

Washington, DC, event, which included some online flu blogs and news

services..............Discussions during the three exercise modules

were off the record so

that federal officials could freely discuss their responses to potential

communications problems.

INFLUENZA >>

PANDEMIC INFLUENZA >>

NEWS >>

Feds engage media on pandemic vaccine communication

Schnirring

Staff Writer

Sep 3, 2009 (CIDRAP News) – In advance of the expected pandemic H1N1

vaccination campaign this fall, the US Department of Health and Human

Services (HHS) yesterday invited the media to join federal officials in a

tabletop exercise to prepare for some possible communications challenges.

About 40 members of the national press took part in the Washington, DC,

event, which included some online flu blogs and news services, as well as

state and local public health officials. Representatives from several

federal agencies participated.

Discussions during the three exercise modules were off the record so that

federal officials could freely discuss their responses to potential

communications problems.

Forrest Sawyer, a former news anchor with ABC and NBC, moderated the

discussion. He said the exercise was designed to " pressure

test " the response to communications issues that may arise as the

vaccine campaign launches and moves forward.

Yesterday's event was HHS's seventh such pandemic communications tabletop

exercise with the media. Past events featured fictional scenarios that

revolved around H5N1 influenza. The last one, which was the first to

include online media, was held in March 2008.

Before yesterday's exercise began, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said

now that many schools are back in session, parents are starting to ask

when the novel H1N1 vaccine will be available.

" Leveling with the public about the need to get the shot is very

important, " she said, adding that one communications challenge will

be explaining baseline rates of health events such as neurological

conditions and miscarriage so that the public will have accurate

information to assess vaccine safety concerns.

Sebelius said the tabletop exercises have been very useful in the past

and, for example, prompted efforts by the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC) to further train its quarantine staff.

Many of the scenario discussions circled back to safety perceptions after

the rollout of the immunization campaign. Other themes touched on the

complexity of some of the pandemic flu health messages and how difficult

it can be to portray risks.

After the exercise, several federal officials said the exercise was

helpful. Goodman, the Food and Drug Administration's acting chief

scientist and deputy commissioner for scientific and medical programs,

said, " This reinforces that we can never communicate too much, "

The challenge is to clearly communicate complex issues, he said.

Bill Hall, news director for HHS, said, " The public wants a simple

message, but nothing about flu is simple. "

[How about honesty and truth?] MF

He said it was helpful for federal officials to see that safety topics

kept cropping up during the exercise and that the risk perception

discussions were productive. " If we can educate the public more on

the nature of the risks, that may help us with behavior change. "

Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and

Infectious Diseases, said the tabletop exercise was helpful because it

gave voice to the fears and risks that are staples of " real world

public health. " The media have to communicate the science part of

the flu in that environment. " When you fillet out and look at all of

the uncertainties, you have a common appreciation for the difficulties we

are facing, " he said.

Bruce Gellin, MD, director of the National Vaccine Program at HHS, said

the exercise was meaningful, not just for issues specific to the pandemic

H1N1 vaccine, but for immunization issues in general.

As a frequent voice of the CDC at press conferences, congressional

hearings, and public webcasts, Anne Schuchat, MD, director of the CDC's

National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said she

appreciated having the chance to spend a day mainly listening. " The

more we understand your needs, the better we can respond to them, "

she told the media.

See also:

Mar 19, 2008, CIDRAP News story

"

HHS includes online services in pandemic communication drill "

Center for Infectious Disease Research & Policy

Academic Health Center --

University of

Minnesota

Regents of the University of Minnesota

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA, Hahnemannian

Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Washington State, USA

Vaccines -

http://vaccinationdangers.wordpress.com/

Vaccine Dangers, Childhood Disease Classes & Homeopathy

Online/email courses - next classes start January 6 & 7

http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccineclass.htm or

http://www.wellwithin1.com/homeo.htm