The majority of this column is taken from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr’s World Mercury Project website. The column tries to de-mystify the annual freak-out frenzy surrounding the aggressive annual campaign from Big Pharma, Big Media, Big Medicine and various medical industry lobbying organizations (such as the AMA (American Medical Association), the AAFP (American Academy of Family Practice), the AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) and ACOG (the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) to urge everybody to mindlessly “just get your damn shots” without being given a chance to think about it and perhaps ask about the potential downsides of getting the inoculation (look up “informed consent”). There is a lot more to that simplistic annual advertising campaign than meets the eye. The following article (and the first chart) should be a good introduction to the topic (especially if you are pregnant and are being urged to simultaneously get an aluminum-laced DTaP shot). 

The first chart illustrates the slight-of-hand involved when the CDC and most public health departments claimed credit for the improved mortality rates of various common childhood infectious diseases like measles, whooping cough, chicken pox, etc. 
In fact, as has been explained on these pages before, almost all of the credit for such improvements should rightly be attributed to improved sanitation, improved nutrition, improved refrigeration, better public health campaigns relating to quarantine etc. Any improvements in the lethality of such infections had nothing to do with vaccination campaigns. They were Johnny-come-lately realities. Measles vaccination programs only came on the scene years after the mortality had already dropped to zero. There may have been some weak correlation, but that, as we in the medical profession like to say when we try to discount the successes of alternative medical treatment, does not mean causation.

(For more on this topic, including seeing some important graphs that prove that the incidence and mortality of many childhood illnesses were already approaching zero years before any mass vaccination program had even started, read my Duty to Warn column, entitled An Honest Look at the Historical Evidence That Debunks the Popular Myth That Says That Vaccines Eliminated Childhood Infectious Diseases. It has been archived at http://duluthreader.com/articles/2017/06/14/10297_an_honest_look_at_the_historical_evidence_that.

The remainder of this column is devoted to a recent fine article from Robert F. Kennedy, Jr’s World Mercury Project Team (google it!). In it, the project revisits the annual propaganda push that comes from Big Pharma and their cozy partners in the Big Vaccine-infiltrated CDC that has been pushing mercury-laced inoculations on everybody in sight for decades, with no recognition of the fact that intramuscularly-injected mercury is a known neurotoxin, especially to fetuses, infants and their mothers and 100 times more poisonous than lead. 

The first graph depicts the annual mortality from seasonal influenza in America. It is a good place to start the discussion. Note that the annual mortality rate approaches zero (1.4 deaths per 100,000).  Pretty good odds if you are thinking of forgoing the costly and potentially toxic vaccine – which frequently fails to protect against the flu anyway. The second graph show that measles mortality had already approached zero by the time a mass vaccination campaign was begun in the 1960s.

Be aware that an infant whose immature blood-brain barrier can easily allow mercury into the brain (and also the neurotoxin (and autoimmunity-inducing) aluminum from many of the other vaccines (such as a DTaP shot) could actually have a greater chance of being permanently brain-damaged from the highly toxic mercury in the shot, than from dying from influenza, which is commonly not prevented at all by a flu shot (whose contents represent just a bunch of guesswork before there is a committee decision about which of the 3 or 4 influenza viruses (among the hundreds of potential choices each season) are to be included in the vaccine next fall.

(Note that the very cunning CDC, in its annual statistical reports, intentionally does not separate out the deaths from pneumonia (of all causes) from the deaths from seasonal influenza. It appears that they are so heavily invested in selling vaccines for Big Pharma’s mass vaccination programs, that they try to scare the population by repeatedly claiming that over 36,000 people die annually from those two diseases. The fact is that in many years only a few dozen people die from influenza but tens of thousands (mostly the malnourished, chronically ill and elderly) consistently die every year from any of a large number of causes of pneumonia – despite there being a vaccine for one of the types (pneumococcal pneumonia).

Here are some quotes that pertain to the article below.

“A large study in approximately 50,000 pregnant women over five flu seasons found no difference in the risk for developing influenza or similar illnesses between those who received the influenza vaccine during pregnancy and those who did not.”

“You want to do everything right for your child, and would never knowingly allow someone to inject a neurotoxin into your infant. Before getting a flu shot, you need to know this: MERCURY is a NEUROTOXIN”. (Ed note: But so is the aluminum that is in many other vaccines, in particular the DTaP vaccine that the CDC, the AMA, the AAFP, the AAP and ACOG are currently endorsing - along with various multinational pharmaceutical corporations and Big Pharma’s various academic physicians - that are the ones who have long been setting the vaccination guidelines for pregnant women, their fetuses, their babies, their older children and us adults).

“Scientific studies have documented that the ethylmercury used in vaccines crosses into the infant brain and could impact critical stages of brain development.”

“Safety and effectiveness have not been established in pregnant women or nursing mothers and should only be given to a pregnant woman if clearly needed.” (According to flu vaccine package inserts.)

“Be sure to read package inserts for any vaccine prior to getting vaccinated.”

Flu Vaccines in Pregnancy and Childhood: What You Need to Know

(But What Your Doctor, Clinic, TV Reporters and Pharmacist May Not Know [and which Big Pharma refuses to disclose] – Ed note)

By The World Mercury Project Team (with occasional commentary in italics by the Duty to Warn editor)

https://worldmercuryproject.org/news/flu-vaccines-pregnancy-childhood-what-you-need-to-know/

What You Need to Know About Flu Shots

The World Mercury Project Team

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns pregnant women and young children not to eat fish containing high levels of methylmercury. Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that pregnant women and infants get influenza vaccines, many of which contain (intramuscularly-injected) ethylmercury from the preservative thimerosal. Receiving them may result in mercury exposures exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended maximum levels. (Ed note: Both intramuscularly-injected mercury and intramuscularly-injected aluminum are many times more lethal to cells [especially brain cells] than inhaled, orally-administered or topically-administered metals since most such toxins are passed out of the body through the bowels or kidneys before they are absorbed into the blood stream or brain.)

The World Mercury Project is deeply concerned that the risks of getting mercury-containing seasonal influenza vaccines may outweigh the benefits for pregnant women, infants and children. Mercury is known to be highly toxic to brain tissue and can impact critical stages of brain development.
A 2017 CDC study linked “spontaneous” abortions (some of which were actually “iatrogenic” disorders [ie, doctor- or medical-treatment caused]) to flu vaccines, particularly in the first trimester. Pregnant women vaccinated in the 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 flu seasons had two times greater odds of having a miscarriage within 28 days of receiving the vaccine. In women who had received the H1N1 vaccine in the previous flu season, the odds of having a miscarriage within 28 days were 7.7 times greater than in women who did not receive a flu shot during their pregnancy.

A study published in 2016 that looked at the safety of flu vaccines found a moderately elevated risk for major birth defects in infants born to women who had received a flu vaccine during the first trimester of pregnancy. A study published in 2017 found an elevated risk of autism spectrum disorders in children whose mothers had a first trimester flu shot.

Flu vaccine administration is documented to cause an inflammatory response in pregnant women. Recent research found inflammation during pregnancy associated with the development of autism spectrum disorders. 
A large study in approximately 50,000 pregnant women over five flu seasons found no difference in the risk for developing influenza or similar illnesses between those who received the influenza vaccine during pregnancy and those who did not.
An independent 2014 review found no randomized controlled trials assessing vaccination in pregnant women. It states, “The only evidence available comes from observational studies with modest methodological quality. On this basis, vaccination shows very limited effects.”
Scientific studies have documented that ethylmercury used in vaccines crosses into the infant brain and could impact critical stages of brain development.

Know the Facts

• In 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that one in every six women has mercury blood levels that could pose a risk to an unborn child.

• Mercury rapidly crossed the placenta and accumulates in the fetus at higher levels than in the mother. Two studies in 2012 showed that a mother’s mercury exposure is linked to attention problems in her children.  

• Scientific studies have documented that ethylmercury used in vaccines crosses into the infant brain and could impact critical stages of brain development.

• It is inconsistent to recommend vaccines containing ethylmercury when also counseling pregnant women to avoid seafood high in methylmercury due to the known harmful effects that mercury can have on the developing fetus.

• Thimerosal-containing flu vaccines contain 250 times the mercury level that the EPS uses to classify hazardous waste. Unused thimerosal-containing flu vaccine should be returned to the manufacturer for appropriate disposal.

A list of all the influenza products that are in the market for the 2017-2018 flu season, along with their ingredients, are published in the World Mercury Project website. The multi-dose vials contain mercury. The single dose vials do not. For that information, go to: https://worldmercuryproject.org/news/flu-vaccines-pregnancy-childhood-what-you-need-to-know/

If You Are Pregnant or Have Small Children . . .

• If you decide to vaccinate, insist on mercury–free influenza vaccines for yourself and your children and do not get a flu vaccine the same day as other vaccines.

• Do not let yourself be pressured into receiving a vaccine that you don’t want; should you choose to vaccinate, insist that your doctor or pharmacist find you a mercury-free vaccine.
• If mercury-free vaccines are unavailable, look at the evidence and decide if the influenza virus is a significant concern for your family.
• Also, consider the evidence regarding the effectiveness of the flu vaccine is actually preventing influenza. For information visit www.summaries.cochrane.org.  

More Vaccine Facts to Know

All vaccines, with or without mercury, pose health risks. However, the influenza vaccine is of great concern, as many brands contain high levels of mercury in their multi-dose vials. Be sure (both you, your doctor and your nurse) read the package inserts for any vaccine prior to getting vaccinated.
According to flu package inserts, “Safety and effectiveness has not been established in pregnant women or nursing mothers and should only be given to a pregnant woman if clearly needed.”
A study that compared children who received flu vaccine to those who did not found no significant difference in the rate of influenza between the active and placebo groups. It also found that the group of children who received the flu vaccine had a 4.4 times relative risk of non-influenza respiratory tract infections.

An Australian study found one in every 110 children under the age of 5 had convulsions following vaccination with the FLUVAX H1N1 vaccine in 2009. Additional research found a spike in cases of narcolepsy in children associated with the H1N1 vaccine. 
A review in the medical journal The Lancet found a lack of health benefits from influenza vaccine in children under age two along with significantly increased rates of vaccine-related adverse events.
 
Tips for Preventing the Flu

Simple techniques such as avoiding those with flu-like illnesses, eating a healthy diet and good hand washing can prevent many cases of flu. If you do contract influenza, optimizing vitamin D levels, fluid intake and rest can boost immune function.  

For complete list of references, articles on flu vaccines and more, please visit our website at www.worldmercuryproject.org/flufacts

Download and print our flu vaccine brochure. Share with your family, friends, doctors and community leaders and visit our flu vaccine web page. They are full of flu facts to help you make informed decisions about your family’s healthcare.
The longer, archived version of this column is at http://duluthreader.com/search?search_term=Duty+to+Warn&p=2, where a complete bibliography will be found that documents all the information in the article. 

References 

  In 2004, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimated that one in every six women has mercury blood levels that could pose a risk to an unborn child.   NYT Report 2004:  http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/10/science/epa-raises-estimate-of-babies-affected-by-mercury-exposure.html Mahaffey et al., 2004. Supplemental Materials:  https://ehp.niehs.nih.gov/wp-content/uploads/117/1/ehp.11674.s001.pdf   Mercury rapidly crosses the placenta and accumulates in the fetus at higher levels than in the mother. Two studies in 2012 showed that a mother’s mercury exposure is linked to attention problems in her children.   Stern and Smith, 2003.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1241648/ Clarkson, 2002.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1241144/pdf/ehp110s-000011.pdf Sagiv et al., 2012.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3991460/ Boucher et al., 2012.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3491943/   Scientific studies have documented that ethylmercury used in vaccines crosses into the infant brain and could impact critical stages of brain development. Burbacher et al., 2005.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1280342/   It is inconsistent to recommend vaccines containing ethylmercury when also counseling pregnant women to avoid seafood high in methylmercury due to the known harmful effects mercury can have on the developing fetus. FDA/EPA 2017 Advice:  https://www.epa.gov/fish-tech/2017-epa-fda-advice-about-eating-fish-and-shellfish   Thimerosal-containing flu vaccines contain 250 times the mercury level the EPA uses to classify hazardous waste. Unused thimerosal-containing flu vaccine should be returned to the manufacturer for appropriate disposal. Wisconsin DNR 2014:  http://dnr.wi.gov/files/pdf/pubs/wa/wa841.pdf Colorado DPHE 2010: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/HM_mw-waste-outdated-vaccine.pdf Ohio EPA 2017: http://www.epa.ohio.gov/portals/32/pdf/PharmFAQNov2010rF.pdf   An Australian study found one in every 110 children under the age of 5 had convulsions following vaccination with the FLUVAX H1N1 vaccine in 2009. Armstrong et al., 2011.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3191393/ Australian Department of Health Report: https://www.tga.gov.au/alert/seasonal-flu-vaccine-investigation-febrile-reactions-young-children-following-2010-seasonal-trivalent-influenza-vaccination   Additional research found a spike in cases of narcolepsy in children associated with the H1N1 vaccine. Sarkanen et al., 2017.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28847694 Partinen et al., 2012.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3314680/ Montplaisir et al., 2014.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4180737/   The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warns pregnant women and young children not to eat fish containing high levels of methylmercury. Yet the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends pregnant women and infants get influenza vaccines, many of which contain ethylmercury from the preservative thimerosal. Receiving them may result in mercury exposures exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended maximum levels. FDA/EPA 2017 Advice: https://www.epa.gov/fish-tech/2017-epa-fda-advice-about-eating-fish-and-shellfish CDC Recommendations: https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/whoshouldvax.htm The research on fetal exposure to mercury from maternal flu shots has never been done. For a 6-month-old infant, the calculation is as follows:  The average 50th percentile weight for a 6-month-old is 7.6kg, the maximum recommended daily exposure to methylmercury per the EPA is 0.1 mcg/kg/day (or .76155 mcg for this weight) and an infant flu shot may contain 12.5 mcg of mercury.  This yields an exposure 16 times the EPA limit from a single flu shot.   World Mercury Project is deeply concerned that the risks of getting mercury-containing seasonal influenza vaccines may outweigh the benefits for pregnant women, infants and children.  Mercury is known to be highly toxic to brain tissue and can impact critical stages of brain development. Grandjean and Landrigan, 2014.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24556010   A 2017 CDC study links miscarriage to flu vaccines, particularly in the first trimester.  Pregnant women vaccinated in the 2010/2011 and 2011/2012 flu seasons had two times greater odds of having a miscarriage within 28 days of receiving the vaccine.  In women who had received the H1N1 vaccine in the previous flu season, the odds of having a miscarriage within 28 days were 7.7 times greater than in women who did not receive a flu shot during their pregnancy. Donahue et al., 2017.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28917295   A study published in 2016 that looked at the safety of flu vaccines found a moderately elevated risk for major birth defects in infants born to women who had received a flu vaccine during the first trimester of pregnancy.  A study published in 2017 found an elevated risk of autism spectrum disorders in children whose mothers had a first trimester flu shot. Chambers et al., 2016.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27449682 Zerbo et al., 2017.  https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapediatrics/article-abstract/2587559   Flu vaccine administration is documented to cause an inflammatory response in pregnant women. Recent research found inflammation during pregnancy is associated with the development of autism spectrum disorders. Christian et al., 2011.  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0264410X11014459 Christian et al., 2010.  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159109001676 Brown et al., 2014.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3633612/ Patterson, 2011.  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471491411000499   A large study in approximately 50,000 pregnant women over five flu seasons found no difference in the risk for developing influenza or similar illnesses between those who received the influenza vaccine during pregnancy and those who did not. Black et al., 2004.  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15311370 An independent 2014 review found no randomized controlled trials assessing vaccination in pregnant women.  It states, “The only evidence available comes from observational studies with modest methodological quality.  On this basis, vaccination shows very limited effects.” Cochrane Report 2014 (page 2. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD001269.pub5/pdf/   If you decide to vaccinate, insist on mercury-free influenza vaccines for yourself and your children and do not get a flu vaccine the same day as other vaccines. Miller, 2016: http://vaccinesafetycommission.org/pdfs/04-2016-JPANDS-Miller-Vaccines.pdf    All vaccines, with or without mercury, pose health risks.  However, the influenza vaccine is of great concern, as many brands contain high levels of mercury in their multi-dose vials.  Be sure to read package inserts for any vaccine prior to getting vaccinated. Supreme Court Decision in Bruesewitz v. Wyeth:  https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/10pdf/09-152.pdf   According to flu vaccine package inserts, “Safety and effectiveness has not been established in pregnant women or nursing mothers and should only be given to a pregnant woman if clearly needed.” FDA Link to Approved Vaccine Package Inserts: https://www.fda.gov/biologicsbloodvaccines/vaccines/approvedproducts/ucm093833.htm   A study that compared children who received flu vaccine to those who did not found the same rate of influenza in both groups following vaccination.  It also found that the group of children who received the flu vaccine had a 4.4 times higher rate of non-influenza respiratory tract infections. Cowling et al., 2012.  https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/54/12/1778/455098/Increased-Risk-of-Noninfluenza-Respiratory-Virus   A review in the medical journal The Lancet found a lack of health benefits from influenza vaccine in children under two along with significantly increased rates of vaccine-related adverse events. Jefferson et al., 2005.  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673605179847   Simple techniques such as avoiding those with flu-like illnesses, eating a healthy diet and good hand washing can prevent many cases of flu.  If you do contract influenza, optimizing vitamin D levels, fluid intake and rest can boost immune function. CDC Recommendations:  https://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/habits.htm Vitamin D and Influenza: http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/91/5/1255.full.pdf+html https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/epidemiology-and-infection/article/epidemic-influenza-and-vitamin-d/C4D90C6E7CB127E6DF7A52D3A9EE2974   Consider the evidence regarding the effectiveness of the flu vaccine in actually preventing influenza.  For information, visit www.summaries.cochrane.org  

  Dr Kohls is a retired physician from Duluth, MN, USA. In the decade prior to his retirement, he practiced what could best be described as “holistic (non-drug) and preventive mental health care”. Since his retirement, he has written a weekly column for the Duluth Reader, an alternative newsweekly magazine. His columns mostly deal with the dangers of American imperialism, friendly fascism, corporatism, militarism, racism, and the dangers of Big Pharma, psychiatric drugging, the over-vaccinating of children and other movements that threaten American democracy, civility, health and longevity and the future of the planet. Many of his columns are archived at http://duluthreader.com/search?search_term=Duty+to+Warn&p=2; http://www.globalresearch.ca/author/gary-g-kohls; or at https://www.transcend.org/tms/search/?q=gary+kohls+articles