UK: Autism fears over mercury in flu jabs

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THANK YOU FRASER NELSON!

sheri

http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/index.cfm?id=1912003

Autism fears over mercury in flu jabs

FRASER NELSON

FOUR of the seven flu jabs being issued by the government this winter

contain a mercury-based preservative which is being withdrawn in the US

amid fears of its links to autism.

The Department of Health has confirmed that most of the flu vaccines being

issued through the National Health Service contain thimerosal, a

preservative which is 50 per cent composed of ethyl mercury.

Thimerosal is already being withdrawn in the US, where a government health

authority has warned that it has a " biologically plausible " link to autism

and should not be given to pregnant women.

The UK government has this year chosen seven vaccines to combat three

expected strains of the flu virus, and is aiming to vaccinate 70 per cent

of people aged over 65 in a UK-wide programme.

The Scotsman can today name the four which, according to the Department of

Health, contain thimerosal - and, therefore, mercury. They are Fluvirin,

Fluarix, Influvac and Agrippal. The mercury-free vaccines are Inflexal V,

Begrivac and this year's flu vaccine from Aventis Pasteur.

Officials have said they do not recognise any health risk posed by the

mercury in thimerosal. As a result, patients - whether pregnant or not -

are not being advised which vaccines contain mercury.

" There is no evidence of long-term adverse effects due to the exposure

levels of thimerosal in vaccines, " a Department of Health spokeswoman said.

" The risk-benefit balance of thimerosal-containing vaccines remains

overwhelmingly positive. "

She added that the Institute of Medicine in the US had looked at the issue

and had " concluded that evidence does not support a causal association

between thimerosal contained in vaccines and neuro-developmental disorders " .

The IoM's exact conclusion, however, argued that such a link was

" biologically plausible " - and said there is not enough evidence to accept

or reject a link between thimerosal and neurological disorders.

In a statement which fuelled fears about thimerosal safety, it urged that

" full consideration should be given to removing thimerosal from any

biological product to which infants, children and pregnant women are

exposed " .

Pregnant women are advised to avoid thimerosal because the mercury affects

the foetus to a greater extent than the mother. For the same reason,

pregnant women are advised against having silver dental fillings fitted as

the amalgam is 50 per cent composed of mercury.

However, the Department of Health does not include pregnant women among the

categories of people at risk from the flu vaccine.

It instead lists those with heart problems and people allergic to hen's

eggs, because the vaccines are incubated in a similar substance.

The Department of Health said its decision to buy mercury-free vaccines is

" a purely precautionary measure " , which is part of " a move in both the US

and Europe to minimise the exposure of infants to mercury " .

McKay, a ish co-ordinator of the National Autistic Society,

said he was astonished that dangers about mercury in vaccines have not been

spelled out by the government. " We need access to the same information

given to parents in other countries. "

" If we have a choice in vaccine, we would like to know about it. This

information should be given to families in this country so they can make

decisions for themselves. "

Mercury's links to autism and neuro-developmental disorders have been well

documented.

Children born in the Faroe Islands in 1987 were found to have developmental

disorders after their mothers ate mercury-contaminated whale meat.

Two years ago, the Journal of Neurochemistry ran a study showing brain

cells exposed to even minute levels of mercury developed the exact set of

neuro-deformations associated with Alzheimer's disease.

Last year, Canadian research reinforced the suggested link between exposure

to mercury and Alzheimer's.

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, R.N., MA

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

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