The hepatitis B vaccine has been linked to immunological and neurological disorders. This webpage includes congressional testimony linking this vaccine to damage and death, plus a few personal stories confirming these possibilities. Be sure to watch the Special 10-minute Video Presentation on the hepatitis B vaccine, and read the most recent reader emails as well, which include numerous vaccine questions, comments, concerns, and unsolicited personal stories. Also, be sure to watch this important video on overdosed babies.
Q. My daughter Lyla Rose Belkin died at the age of five weeks, shortly after receiving a Hepatitis B vaccine booster shot.The following comments are intended to be a heads up to parents and potential parents about the risks of the Hepatitis B vaccine (HBV), and a firsthand report questioning the scientific legitimacy of the vaccine industry, which provides $800 million of annual revenue to Merck -- the company which makes the Hepatitis B vaccine distributed in the US.
Lyla Rose Belkin was a lively, alert five-week-old baby when I last held her in my arms. Little did I imagine as she gazed intently into my eyes with all the innocence and wonder of a newborn child that she would die that night. She was never ill before receiving the Hepatitis B shot that afternoon. At her final feeding that night, she was agitated and feisty -- and then fell asleep and didn't wake up. The autopsy ruled out choking. A swollen brain was the only abnormal finding. Most doctors I spoke to at the time said it must have been Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), a catch-all diagnosis for unexplainable childhood mortality. The first instinctive reaction in such a situation is for parents to blame themselves. For many weeks, my wife and I agonized over what we might have missed or could have done differently. Meanwhile, the logical part of my brain kept returning to the obvious medical event that preceded Lyla's death -- and that internal voice kept asking the question could the Hepatitis B vaccine that Lyla received that afternoon have killed her? Most doctors I asked scoffed at that notion and said the vaccine was perfectly safe. But I began to search around on the Internet and Medline and discovered disturbing evidence of adverse reactions to this vaccine.
In the US, the Hepatitis B disease mainly infects intravenous drug users, homosexuals, prostitutes and promiscuous heterosexuals. The disease is transmitted by blood, through sex or dirty needles. How could a newborn baby possibly get Hepatitis B if the mother was screened and tested negative, as my wife was? It is almost impossible. Unless a newborn child is having unprotected sex or sharing needles with an infected junkie, it is extremely unlikely to get the Hepatitis B disease. So then why are most U.S. babies inoculated at birth by their hospital or pediatrician with the Hepatitis B vaccine? That is a question every parent should ask before getting this vaccination. I've discovered the answer is an unrestrained health bureaucracy decided it couldn't get junkies, gays, prostitutes and promiscuous heterosexuals to take the Hepatitis B vaccine so they mandated that all babies must be vaccinated at birth. Drug companies such as Merck (reaching for new markets) were instrumental in pushing government scientists to adopt an at-birth Hepatitis B vaccination policy, although the vaccine was never tested in newborns and no vaccines had ever been mandated at birth before. It is widely recognized that newborns have underdeveloped immune systems, which can be overwhelmed or shocked.
My search for answers about a link between the Hepatitis B vaccine and my daughter's death led me to a Hepatitis B vaccine workshop on October 26th at the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), Institute of Medicine entitled Vaccine Safety Forum -- Neonatal Deaths. The NAS was concerned enough about reports of Hepatitis B vaccine-related infant deaths and adverse reactions to hold a special workshop on the subject. Doctors and scientists flew in from all over the U.S. and Europe to attend. I sat in the back and soaked it all up. It was a real eye-opener. There were basically four constituencies represented: 1) Serious scientists observing or presenting research studies. 2) Center for Disease Control (CDC) pseudo-statisticians and FDA officials. 3) Merck and other corporate drug officials, and 4) Parents of vaccine-related dead or severely injured children.
The presentations included a study of Animal Models of Newborn Response to Antigen Presentation, which showed that newborn immune systems were undeveloped and strikingly different than those of adults. The message I received was that immune response in a newborn to shocks such as being injected with a vaccine was potentially unknown, since newborn T-Cells have a radically different behavior then those of adults. Another presentation was Strategies for Evaluating the Biologic Mechanisms of Hepatitis B Vaccine Reactions, in which vaccine researcher Dr. Bonnie Dunbar of Baylor College related numerous Hepatitis B-vaccine related cases of nervous system damage in adults, such as Multiple Sclerosis, seizures and blindness. On the more positive side, the FDA presented a seemingly reassuring study from its Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS), which showed only 19 neonatal deaths reported since 1991 related to Hepatitis B vaccination.
I found the VAERS study data to be completely deceptive. Since I was sitting in that room and my daughter had died during their sample period and wasn't counted -- I wondered why. In fact, the New York City Coroner called VAERS to report my daughter's Hepatitis B Vaccine-related infant death and no one ever returned their call! What kind of reporting system doesn't return the calls of the NY City Medical Examiner -- and how many other reports were ignored? This is supposed to be the emergency 911 number for disasters such as bad lots of vaccine that could poison thousands of other babies. With the personal knowledge that the VAERS data was completely flawed, I sat in that room and listened in amazement as CDC officials and Dr. Sharrar of Merck (their head of vaccine safety) made disparaging comments about any possible risk from Hepatitis B vaccination, despite the evidence just presented by impartial scientists.
I studied statistics and econometrics at UC Berkeley and have developed innovative methods of applying probability to financial and economic data in my consulting business with some of the largest financial institutions in the world. That training and experience qualifies me to criticize the statistical legitimacy of the VAERS study, on which Sharrar of Merck and the CDC pseudo-scientists based their pro-vaccination stance. Their comments were scathingly dismissive of any possible risk from the vaccine. But that VAERS study is not a legitimate sample of a data set from which any conclusions about the larger population can be made. VAERS doesn't return coroner's calls, leading to the suspicion that deaths and adverse effects from vaccination are woefully under-reported. To conclude that the Hepatitis B vaccine is safe because VAERS only reports 19 deaths is scientific fraud. In fact, I obtained the raw data from the VAERS system and found 54 reported SIDS cases after Hepatitis B vaccination in just the 18 months from January 1996 to May 1997. That's almost 15 times as many deaths per year as their own flawed study reported. There are 17,000 reports of adverse reactions to Hepatitis B vaccine in the 1996-97 raw data. Clearly, something is fishy about VAERS. VAERS was set up by the FDA and CDC and is supposed to be monitored by vaccine manufacturers. If there are 17,000 reports and VAERS doesn't even return the NY Medical Examiner's call, how many other deaths and injuries go unreported? I came away from that NAS workshop with the distinct impression that Merck and the CDC didn't know and didn't really want to know how many babies are being killed or injured by Hepatitis B vaccination. This is a bureaucratic vaccination program that is on auto-pilot flying into a mountain. The CDC bureaucrats have a vested interest in the status quo. If there were 17,000 reports of a dangerous disease in a 18 month period, the CDC would be all over the case. But when there are 17,000 reports of adverse reactions to a vaccine the CDC advocates for "public health," the CDC dismisses it as a coincidence. Merck charges $50 a shot for the three-shot series. Where do you think the allegiance of their vaccine safety official Dr. Sharrar lies? He was by far the most arrogant character at the workshop. Merck has sales of upwards of $800 million a year from vaccines.
Vaccination can be a lifesaver if an epidemic is raging, but in this case the risk of vaccination outweighs the risk of infants getting the disease. Surely, the hepatitis B vaccine doesn't injure every child that gets it, but in some unknown number of cases, it appears to be a death sentence and/or a nervous system toxin to innocent children who are at no risk of getting the disease the vaccine is supposed to protect against. My observations of Merck and CDC scientists at the Vaccine Safety Forum left me with the distinct impression that they had absolutely no idea which babies might be killed or injured by this vaccine. Furthermore, they used obviously flawed scientific data to arrogantly steamroller any opposition to their power. Parents should beaware that the Hepatitis B vaccine is not administered for the well-being of their child. Rather, it is delivered by the long arm of some incompetent and mindless bureaucracy in the name of stamping out a disease most babies can't possibly get. The Drug Company/CDC/FDA alliance has really pulled the wool over the medical profession's eyes with the Hepatitis B vaccine. The American Pediatric Society bought the alliance's sales pitch and now recommends that all infants get this vaccine at birth. So now the first thing most babies get in life is a shock to their immune system from a vaccine against a non-existent risk of contracting Hepatitis B. Clearly, the interests of newborn babies were not represented on the original panel that created this vaccination policy in 1991. This vaccine has no benefit whatsoever for newborns, in fact it wears off and they will need booster shots later in life when they actually could get exposed to the disease.
This is simply a case of ravenous corporate greed and mindless bureaucracy teaming up to overwhelm common sense. Merck in particular has gone way over the edge with this vaccination program. Ignoring and suppressing reports of adverse reactions to their profitable Hepatitis B vaccine verges on criminal conduct. A major media organization will soon present an investigative report on the issues discussed here. Nothing will ever bring my lovely daughter Lyla back, but other needless deaths and injuries can be prevented if this senseless Hepatitis B newborn vaccination program is halted. Please contact Belkin Limited in New York City if you are aware of other infant deaths that may be related to the Hepatitis B vaccine.
A. Dear Mr. Belkin, I am truly sorry to hear your sad story about Lyla's reaction to the Hepatitis B vaccine. Everyday I receive letters similar to yours. This is why we must continue to speak out against this form of medical tyranny. Parents are entitled to a full disclosure of all available information, and must remain free to accept or reject the shots.
Your letter is especially eloquent. Hopefully, your tragedy will prove to be a blessing to many other parents as you become more involved. Clearly, you can make a difference by choosing to devote your time and efforts toward one or more aspects of this very large "vaccine beast." Best wishes to you.
Q. TESTIMONY OF MICHAEL BELKIN BEFORE THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES -- CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (February 17, 1999) -- Atlanta Georgia
My name is Michael Belkin. I am a father, businessman, former quantitative strategist at Salomon Brothers, and Director of the Hepatitis B Vaccine Project of the National Vaccine Information Center(NVIC).
The NVIC has studied Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act covering the last nine years on hepatitis B vaccine adverse events -- and in 1996 there were more than three times as many reported serious adverse reactions as reported cases of the disease in the 0 to 14 age group. Of the total 2,424 adverse event reports made between 1990 and October 1998 in children under age 14 who only received hepatitis B vaccine, there were 1,209 serious events and 73 deaths. Thus, one half of the reports for children under age 14 who received only hepatitis B vaccine were for serious events that required an emergency room visit, hospitalization, or caused life-threatening health problems or permanent disabilities.
As a UC Berkeley graduate and advisor to some of the largest financial institutions in the world, I am qualified to analyze and make conclusions about statistics. Based on that experience, I am astonished that the scientists on this Committee would disregard or cover up data showing the number and severity of adverse reactions to this vaccine. Science is observing and learning from what is observed. The assertions of the CDC that the many reported adverse reactions to this vaccine do not exist or are a coincidence violates the basic principle of science, which is rooted in the observation and analysis of data.
A benefit/risk analysis of the hepatitis B vaccine for the average infant in America, not born to infected parents, must conclude that the VAERS data on adverse reactions shows the real-world risk of a newborn infant dying or being injured by the hepatitis B vaccine is a greater threat than the remote chance of contracting the primarily blood-transmitted disease.
My 5-week old daughter, Lyla Rose, died within 16 hours of her hepatitisB vaccination, which she received because of the universal vaccination policy this Committee instituted in 1991. At her death, Lyla had four of the eight highest-reported symptoms in the VAERS hepatitis B vaccine adverse reaction data. The NY Medical Examiner observed brain swelling at the autopsy but refused to record that or mention the hepatitis B vaccine Lyla received in the autopsy report.
I hold each one of you who participated in the promulgation or perpetuation of that mandated newborn vaccination policy personally responsible for my daughter's death and the deaths and injuries of all the other beautiful, healthy infants who are victims of the hepatitis B vaccine. Your negligence is the proximate cause of my daughter's death and you have failed to exercise reasonable care.
At the NVIC, we are overwhelmed following up constant new reports of deaths, seizures and autoimmune reactions following hepatitis B vaccination. Because the CDC refuses to acknowledge this large number of serious adverse reactions, hospitals and doctors who have been misled about the risks continue to administer the vaccine and then deny any vaccine connection when children die, get ill or have seizures within hours or days. CDC officials tell parents they have never heard of hepatitis B vaccine reactions.
That is a lie. For this government to continue to insist that hepatitis B vaccine adverse reaction reports do not exist is negligent, unethical -- and is a crime against the children of America.
It is a sad day for the U.S. when the nation's children need protection from the official medical authorities who are charged with protecting them from disease.
Thank you.
A. Thanks for sending the testimony. I will post it to our site with other Hepatitis B information.
Keep pushing! You are clearly a force for positive change. Our site receives emails daily from parents telling horrendous stories -- from Hepatitis B shots and from the others as well. Many parents see the damage after the 1st or 2nd set of shots, yet continue with the series because their doctor denies a correlation. It's absolutely maddening.
Q. MICHAEL BELKIN TESTIMONY TO CONGRESS (Tuesday May 18, 1999)
My daughter Lyla Rose Belkin died on September 16, 1998 at the age of five weeks, about 15 hours after receiving her second Hepatitis B vaccine booster shot. Lyla was a lively, alert five-week-old baby when I last held her in my arms. Little did I imagine as she gazed intently into my eyes with all the innocence and wonder of a newborn child that she would die that night. She was never ill before receiving the Hepatitis B shot that afternoon. At her final feeding that night, she was extremely agitated, noisy and feisty -- and then she fell asleep suddenly and stopped breathing. The autopsy ruled out choking. The NY Medical Examiner ruled her death Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).
But the NY Medical Examiner (Dr. Persechino) neglected to mention Lyla's swollen brain or the hepatitis B vaccine in the autopsy report. The coroner spoke to my wife and I and our pediatrician (Dr. Zullo) the day of the autopsy and clearly stated that her brain was swollen. The pediatrician Dr. Zullo's notes of that conversation are "brain swollen ... not sure cause yet ... could not see how recombinant vaccine could cause problem."
SIDS is a diagnosis of exclusion ..it wasn't this, it wasn't that, everything has been ruled out and we don't know what it was. A swollen brain is not SIDS. Through conversations with other experienced pathologists, I subsequently discovered that brain inflammation is a classic adverse reaction to vaccination (with any vaccine) in the medical literature.
I set out to do an investigation of the Hepatitis B vaccine and attended a workshop at the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine on "Neo-Natal Death and the Hepatitis B Vaccine," the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) February meeting, and a debate in New Hampshire between the Chairman of the ACIP, Dr. Modlin, and Dr. Waisbren about the safety of the Hepatitis B vaccine. I also obtained the entire Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database on Hepatitis B vaccine adverse reactions and have investigated it thoroughly.
These are my conclusions, supported by the following pages of text and analysis that are too lengthy to present in entirety in the time allotted for this appearance. Please read the results of my investigation, as it will help you understand the magnitude of the hepatitis B vaccine issue.
* Newborn babies are not at risk of contracting the hepatitis B disease unless their mother is infected.
* Hepatitis B is primarily a disease of junkies, gays, and promiscuous heterosexuals.
* The vaccine is given to babies because health authorities couldn't get those risk groups to take the vaccine.
* Adverse reactions out-number cases of the disease in government statistics.
* Nothing is being done to investigate those adverse reactions.
* Those adverse reactions include numerous deaths, convulsions and arthritic conditions that occur within days after
* Hepatitis B vaccination.
The CDC is misrepresenting hypothetical, estimated disease statistics as real cases of the disease.
* The ACIP is recommending new vaccines for premature infants without having scientific studies proving they are safe.
* The U.S. vaccine recommendation process is hopelessly compromised by conflicts of interest with vaccine manufacturers, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC.
Conclusion: If (as with the recently-recommended rotavirus vaccine) Hepatitis B vaccine was recommended in 1991 without scientific proof that it was safe in a broad sample of racially and genetically diverse babies less than 48 hours old before they established that recommendation, then the CDC has been experimenting on babies like guinea pigs and this Committee should suspend that universal immunization policy.
The Hepatitis B vaccine was effectively mandated in 1991 for universal immunization of newborn babies by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) -- an adjunct of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Paradoxically, the CDC's own Fact Sheet on the Hepatitis B disease does not include newborn babies as a risk group for that disease. That Fact Sheet lists the risk groups as injection drug users, homosexual men, sexually active heterosexuals, infants/children of immigrants from disease-endemic areas, low socio-economic level, sexual/household contacts of infected persons, infants born to infected mothers, health care workers and hemodialysis patients NOT NEWBORN BABIES.
Question: Why then, did the ACIP establish a policy mandating that newborn babies not at risk of the disease be automatically administered the 3-shot Hepatitis B vaccine as their first involuntary indoctrination into the pediatric care of America?
Answer: Here is that rationale from the original ACIP 1991 statement establishing the official vaccination policy
"Hepatitis B Virus: A Comprehensive Strategy for Eliminating Transmission in the United States Through Universal Childhood Vaccination ..."
"In the United States, most infections occur among adults and adolescents ... The recommended strategy for preventing these infections has been the selective vaccination of persons with identified risk factors ... However, this strategy has not lowered the incidence of Hepatitis B, primarily because vaccinating persons engaged in high-risk behaviors, life-styles, or occupations before they become infected generally has not been feasible ... Efforts to vaccinate persons in the major risk groups have had limited success. For example, programs directed at injecting drug users failed to motivate them to receive three doses of vaccine ... In the United States it has become evident that HBV transmission cannot be prevented through vaccinating only the groups at high risk of infection ... In the long term, universal infant vaccination would eliminate the need for vaccinating adolescents and high-risk adults ... Hepatitis B vaccination is recommended for all infants, regardless of the HBsAg status of the mother ... The first dose can be administered during the newborn period, preferably before the infant is discharged from the hospital, but no later than when the infant is 2 months of age ..." (emphasis added).
So in the CDC and ACIP's own words, almost every newborn U.S. baby is now greeted on its entry into the world by a vaccine injection against a sexually transmitted disease for which the baby is not at risk -- because they couldn't get the junkies, prostitutes, homosexuals and promiscuous heterosexuals to take the vaccine. That is the essence of the Hepatitis B universal vaccination program.
Question: What are the risks and benefits for administering this vaccine to infants?
Answer: Hepatitis B is a rare, mainly blood-transmitted disease. In 1996, only 54 cases of the disease were reported to the CDC in the 0-1 age group. There were 3.9 million births that year, so the observed incidence of hepatitis B in the 0-1 age group was just 0.001%. In the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), there were 1,080 total reports of adverse reactions from Hepatitis B vaccine in 1996 in the 0-1 age group, with 47 deaths reported. Total VAERS Hepatitis B reports for the 0-1 age group outnumber reported cases of the disease 20 to 1.
Question: Why don't they just screen the mother to see if she is infected with Hepatitis B (since that's about the only way a baby is likely to get the disease), instead of vaccinating all infants?
Answer: Selling vaccines is extremely profitable and the process of mandating vaccines is fraught with conflicts of interest between vaccine manufacturers, the ACIP and the American Academy of Pediatrics. The business model of having the government mandate everyone must buy your product is a monopolist's delight.
Question: What studies are being done on the data from the FDA's Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)?
Answer: Absolutely nothing. The 25,000 reports are going into a drawer and being forgotten.
![[U.S. Vaccination Policy Flowchart]](policy.jpg)
How many reports are enough to show a drug or vaccine is dangerous -- 2,500? 25,000? 250,000? Chen of the CDC and Ellenberg of the FDA monitor this data, write reports and deliver speeches about how VAERS Hepatitis B adverse reaction reports show nothing out of the ordinary and show "the relative safety of HB vaccine when given to neonates and infants." VAERS shows nothing of the kind. TAKE A LOOK AT THE VAERS DATA YOURSELF. The health authorities continue to negligently downplay the steady stream of serious adverse reactions to this vaccine and more infants and adults continue to die and suffer central nervous system and liver damage after HB vaccination.
Question: Why do the CDC, ACIP and Merck say that there are 140,000-320,000 new infections/yr (70,000-160,000 symptomatic infections/yr) when their own CDC data shows only 10,000 reported cases year?
Answer: They are passing off estimated, hypothetical numbers as actual cases. This is statistical fraud. In the financial world such mis-representation would lead to criminal charges. If a company inflated its earnings or revenues by 300% (as the CDC does hepatitis B disease statistics) and foisted those figures off as official data (and not some back-of-the-envelope guess-timate) -- that company would be investigated by the SEC and sued by shareholders. Why doesn't that happen in the medical world? There's no regulator to keep the CDC honest. They do not say those figures are hypothetical estimates, they misrepresent the data. Go try to audit those 320,000 supposed new infections/yr. You will not find them. The whole exercise is designed to increase public hysteria about the risk of a low-risk disease so the CDC can extend it's pervasive influence and Merck can increase it's $900 million/year vaccine revenues.
Question: What process does the Center for Disease Control employ to make a vaccine recommendation?
I attended the February Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting in Atlanta and was absolutely appalled. Every vote by the Committee on new vaccine mandates was unanimous (except for one dissenting vote on Rotavirus vaccine for premature infants). There was hardly any discussion of adverse reactions, the ACIP simply rubber-stamped every proposal on the agenda. I call it Vaccination Without Representation. In one instance, the ACIP passed a recommendation for Rotavirus vaccine for premature infants even though no scientific studies had been done showing it was medically safe. Dr. Modlin, (Chairman of the ACIP), said in a pro-Hepatitis B vaccine debate in New Hampshire "How do we determine whether something is scientifically valid or not? ... 1) Is the theory biologically plausible? 2) Has it been tested by appropriate methods? 3) Is the study well concluded? 4) Are the results statistically sound?" But at the February ACIP meeting, when it came time for the ACIP to rubber-stamp approval of Rotavirus vaccine for premature infants, here are Modlin's quotes from the official transcript: "... available data are insufficient to fully establish the safety and efficacy of rotavirus vaccine in premature infants ... there is a section under Adverse Events that details what little information there actually are with respect to premature infants ... To my knowledge we don't have data from a clinical trial specifically ... Some bit of information from Seattle, as I recall, that had suggested there was a slight increase in relative risk for hospitalization for premature infants ... Obviously a situation where we have to make a judgment in the absence of data, and with a vaccine that has not yet been tested in the group ..." (ACIP transcript, pages 102-112) Modlin then held a vote and the recommendation for premature infants passed nine to one -- Modlin voted yes, Dr. Glode against. This is a clear example of how the medical bureaucracy (led by the CDC and ACIP), is recommending vaccines without scientific evidence that those vaccines are safe in a broad sample of racially and genetically diverse infants.
What Should Be Done? This Committee should investigate the 1991 ACIP recommendation establishing universal hepatitis B vaccination of newborn babies in the hospital -- and if (as with the Rotavirus vaccine example above) no studies were done to prove this was safe in a broad sample of racially and genetically diverse babies less than 48 hours old before they established that recommendation, then the CDC has been experimenting on babies like guinea pigs and this Committee should suspend that universal immunization policy.
VAERS ANALYSIS (Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System)
I studied statistics at the University Of California at Berkeley and went on to develop sophisticated proprietary risk/reward statistical models at Salomon Brothers from 1986-91 -- and in my subsequent, ongoing business provide statistical economic and financial forecasts to mutual funds, investment banks, pension funds and hedge funds.
I studied VAERS Hepatitis B vaccine data obtained by the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) under the Freedom of Information Act. The data has some flaws (incomplete fields, some multiple reports) but any qualified, impartial quantitative analyst or statistician not affiliated with Merck, Smithkline, the CDC, the FDA or the AAP who examines these reports will find a clear and undeniable pattern of central nervous system (CNS) and liver disease striking thousands of people within 0-4 days after vaccination with Hepatitis B vaccine. These reports have been ignored, explained away, or considered "acceptable" by the FDA, CDC and drug companies. This Committee should launch an investigation of the VAERS Hepatitis B data by a team of independent scientists not beholden to vaccine manufacturers or the FDA/CDC bureaucracy. The following is intended to be a starting point for such an investigation. This does not profess to be a complete, exhaustive analysis -- simply an overview, highlighting aspects of the data that may not previously have been brought to your attention.
The total 24,775 VAERS Hepatitis B reports from July 1990 to October 31, 1998 show 439 deaths and 9673 serious reactions involving emergency room visits, hospitalization, disablement or death. Therefore, more than one third of total reports were serious events. 17,497 of those total reports were for Hepatitis B vaccine only, the remainder were vaccine cocktails where hepatitis B was administered along with DPT, HIB, IPV, OPV, etc.
The Hepatitis-B-vaccine-only reports show a shocking cluster of reactions in females starting in their teenage years (the male/female reporting ratio is balanced before age 16). For ages 16-55, 77% of VAERS reports are women -- more than three times as many women as men are reporting adverse reactions to Hepatitis B vaccine. The median onset of adverse event after vaccination is one day, 70% of reactions happen within four days of vaccination. Independent scientists should investigate why females are more disposed to have adverse reactions to Hepatitis B vaccine and/or report them to VAERS. One possible explanation is that nurses have to take this vaccine for their jobs and are thus more exposed than most adults to Hepatitis B vaccine adverse reactions. Rather than dismiss that factor as an "over-reporting bias" as Dr. Chen of the CDC did at the February ACIP meeting, perhaps investigators might consider that nurses are alert health care workers and ought to be listened to with regard to the dangers of adverse events with any vaccine (rather than ignored). Personal case studies reported to the author have showed many teenage girls getting severe, debilitating adverse reactions to Hepatitis B vaccine, having nothing to do with nursing. Do women have a greater vulnerability to auto-immune reactions to Hepatitis B vaccine? Is the government discriminating against women by administering this vaccine without regard for genetic risk of CNS and liver disease? Those are questions that independent scientists should investigate.
A second area of concern is the VAERS reports involving Hepatitis B vaccine administered with other vaccines (vaccine cocktails). Health officials are fond of dismissing those reports as being attributable to Hepatitis B vaccine, because of the multiple other antigens present (almost as if they wanted to cloak Hepatitis B vaccine reactions from scrutiny). Let's avoid that controversy and focus on the extremely disturbing VAERS data of Hepatitis B vaccine with other vaccines. These reports amount to only one third of total reports (7,275), but account for two thirds of total deaths (291). The median onset of those deaths was 2 days after vaccination -- displaying a clear temporal association. The median age of death was 0.5 years in this group. 50% of all Hepatitis-B-vaccine-cocktail reports were serious (died, emergency room, hospitalized, disabled). I grouped convulsive reactions together from the Hep-B-vaccine-cocktail data and found a deeply disturbing pattern. These were anything labeled convulsions, seizures or tremors in the VAERS Hep-B-cocktail data. Of the 1189 such reports, fully 80% (950) were serious (died, ER, hospitalized, disabled) median age 0.5 years, median onset after vaccination 0 days (less than one day). Someone should do follow-up and find out what happened to those poor infants who suffered severe convulsions after a Hepatitis B-multi-vaccine cocktail. In the personal reports I've taken of similar adverse reactions, the children were left brain-damaged and developmentally disabled. Looking beyond the debate over whether VAERS reports of vaccine cocktails can be attributed to Hepatitis B, the data strongly suggests combining multiple vaccines may be convenient and profitable for pediatricians -- but fatal or debilitating for infants. Where are the scientific studies showing Hepatitis B vaccine is safe to administer with DPT, HIB, IPV, OPV, etc.? Did anyone doing cost/benefit analysis for those studies include data showing the higher mortality and serious reactions present in the VAERS data? Why not? Is there an identifiable genetic marker in those who suffered convulsive reactions to screen out those vulnerable in the future? These are all matters for independent scientists to audit.
Another area that leaps out of the VAERS database is something I dubbed arthritic reactions. These are joint pains, tingling, numbness, aching, fatigue, etc. I found 2,400 of those reports in just a quick survey of the first reporting column of VAERS (Hepatitis B vaccine only). Almost one half of those are serious, involving an ER visit, hospitalization, death or disablement. These are the type of adverse reactions reported by many adults who are forced to take the Hepatitis B vaccine for their jobs. In the reports of such adverse reactions I've taken, the symptoms do not go away, most patients complain it gets worse over time. Scientists not corrupted by drug company or CDC/FDA institutional bias should examine the thousands of VAERS Hepatitis B arthritic reaction reports and develop a diagnosis of their Hepatitis B vaccine-related illness.
Anyone who doubts if Hepatitis B vaccine adverse reactions exist should sit down and read the symptoms and text comments of a random selection of VAERS reports. When one does so, they will find a similar but wide-ranging list of CNS and liver reactions that occur within days of vaccination. The Merck package insert claims "Injection site reactions and systemic complaints were reported following 17% and 15% on the injections, respectively." The standard rule of thumb is only about 10% of reactions are reported to VAERS. So the actual number and full horror of the Hepatitis B vaccine reaction story is potentially much larger than even VAERS suggests.
A. Wow. Thank you.
Q. Can you give me some information on effects of Hepatitis B vaccine on children? My grandson had the first shot when he was only hours old and the second one about a month later. He has had several seizures since and his skin breaks out in a red itchy rash. He has been seizure-free for the last two years but still gets a bad rash. He'll be four this month. Thank you.
A. We have received numerous notices from parents reporting serious reactions following the Hepatitis b vaccine, and after other shots as well. How do you know the hepatitis vaccine, and not the others, is causing the reactions? The DPT vaccine often causes seizures. Is your son or daughter continuing this damaging vaccine regimen? For extensive information on this vaccine -- and the other vaccines as well -- we recommend the Vaccine Safety Manual.
Q. My son, who is in the 7th grade is due to have his Hepatitis shots. I am seriously considering having him exempted from this because he has a brother and a sister with juvenile diabetes (type 1). Do you have any information on autoimmune diseases and vaccines? I read an article in an ALIVE magazine that told of a study that revealed an outbreak of type 1 diabetes following Hepatitis vaccination. Please help, I have to decide soon.
A. We receive many stories detailing problems with the Hepatitis B vaccine. We recommend that you research this topic further before consenting. Many people exempt their children from the shots; you have that legal right. Thinktwice/New Atlantean Press offers Vaccine Books and State Laws. You may benefit from some of these resources.
Q. Hello. I am writing because I am quite concerned about my 18 year old sister who has been getting grand mal seizures for three years now, ever since she was vaccinated against Hepatitis b. She got her first seizure the day of the vaccination and is now taking Tegretol. However, she has recently been complaining of even more annoying symptoms, one of them being that she is constantly seeing flashing lights and dark spots, which make it very difficult for her to read and concentrate on other things. The doctor she just saw said that the seizures could be atrophying her occipital lobe, and that seizure activity could even be spreading to the temporal lobe, which could start to affect her intelligence. He also said that since the MRI he just saw was not too clear, he could not tell whether the small size of the occipital lobe was caused by atrophy or fluid in the brain, and postulated that she could even have viral encephalitis. What do you think about this? Is it possible to get viral encephalitis from a Hepatitis B vaccine, and if so what is one supposed to do to treat it, or prevent the seizures from getting worse? Please respond as soon as possible. Thank you very much.
A. I am sorry to hear about your story. "Viral encephalitis" is a term that we often hear. It seems to be the preferred diagnosis for several ailments that begin immediately following the administration of a damaging vaccine.
We are not health practitioners and therefore are unfamiliar with the best treatments for your sister's condition. However, our website provides the names of some organizations that may be able to alleviate or reverse vaccine damage. Your sister should be sure to call 1-800-822-7967 to file a report with the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) on this incident. I'm sorry that we cannot be more helpful. Best wishes in your efforts to find a beneficial treatment.
Q. I'm writing this letter to ask if you could tell me what might have happened to my 11 year old daughter when she received her second Hepatitis b shot. After the nurse injected the shot into her arm she got up and almost tripped into the next examination room across the hall and fell flat to the ground. I went to pick her up not knowing what had happened, and when I lifted her up she was lifeless, and then her body started to shake. It was very frightening. The nurse and doctor came over to her and she started to cry. She had passed out, and when she hit the floor her chin was bleeding and she had to get six stitches. The doctor seems to think that she just passed out, but I am concerned about why she shook the way she did! She seems okay now, but I am scared to death to get her third shot. Can you please tell me your opinion or let me know if you ever heard of a reaction to the Hepatitis B shot? Thank you. I'll be waiting for your reply.
A. Have we ever heard of a reaction to the Hepatitis b shot? We receive email responses just like yours regularly. Many of the vaccines are causing damage to our children, yet the medical establishment continues to live in a deep state of denial. I hope you are now prepared to investigate this problem further and take the necessary steps to protect your daughter from this madness. Also, report this incident to VAERS since your doctor probably did not, even though he is required to report it by law. Call: 1-800-822-7967.
Q. I talked to a Dr. Bonnie Dunbar who is a professor of Molecular Biology at Baylor College of Medicine. Her brother, who is also a PhD, had an adverse reaction to the Hepatitis b vaccine and is now bedridden. I am a registered nurse who had a reaction to the same vaccine. My life has also been totally altered by this, but fortunately I am not bedridden. Mine was an autoimmune reaction. I was 44 years old when it happened. Do you know if anything is being done about this problem? I know several other nurses across the country and a doctor in Hawaii that have Lupus or Multiple Sclerosis after taking the same type recombinant vaccine.
A. I am sorry to hear of the problems you mention. However, the stories are common; we hear of people being damaged by the Hepatitis B vaccine (and others as well) on a regular basis, yet authorities continue to deny the extent of the problem. Be sure to contact VAERS to file a report of the incident.
Q. Can you possibly guide me in the right direction. I was a registered nurse until I had an autoimmune reaction to Hepatitis B vaccine. I am now disabled and would like to become more familiar with other cases like mine. My worker's compensation case is still pending, and I would like to review similar cases but don't know where to look for them. I believe we are ready to either settle the case or go to hearing shortly. Thank you for any help you can give me.
A. Try contacting Michael Belkin with the National Vaccine Information Center. Their contact information is listed on our website under support organizations. Good luck.
Q. I am an American working in Pakistan with the United Nations. The 17 year old daughter of one of my staff has experienced a severe reaction to Hepatitis b vaccine. Can you advise on institutions, groups, or individuals with special knowledge or experience relevant to such a case. Thank you.
A. Your experience is one that we hear of quite often. You might try contacting Dr. Viera Scheibner in Australia. She is knowledgeable about this problem. Fax: 61-24-787-8988.
Q. Dear sirs, it seems strange writing to unknown people on the other side of the world in search of an answer to my problem. Maybe you will be able to help me. I am 50 years of age. In 1989 I was given vaccination against Hepatitis B by my employers (Engerix B). The day after vaccination I was very ill -- pains in all parts of my body. This illness never fully went away. I have been attending doctors ever since, with constant infection, severe headaches, fatigue, insomnia, loss of libido. There is no doubt that these symptoms began with the vaccination. My GP at the time said I was suffering the initial reaction to the first dose of Hepatitis vaccine. I have been hospitalised on 3 different occasions for tests. Doctors do not appear to want to look at the possibility that the vaccine was related to my illness. I can find no one that will look at my problem from this angle. For nine years I have been ill, and for the last year I have been unfit for work, or for that matter any activity . My quality of life is destroyed and there does not seem to be any way of getting better. I am certain if I found a doctor to look at my illness from the vaccine side there would at least be a chance of recovery. Can you help? Point me towards a doctor, specialist, consultant in this part of the world who could examine my problem for me?
A. I am sorry to hear of your plight. We receive many letters similar to yours. France recently suspended use of this vaccine due to its association with Multiple Sclerosis. Viera Scheibner in Australia is an expert. She may be able to help. The National Vaccine Information Center (visit their website) recently published an excellent booklet on the Hepatitis B vaccine. I recommend it. They may also know someone in your area to help. You may also wish to contact some of the individuals and organizations listed on our site. Many claim some degree of success reversing vaccine damage. Good luck.
Q. Help! when I took my five-week-old daughter in for her check-up, the doctor made me feel really guilty about not having her vaccinated for Hepatitis B. So, wanting to be a good parent, I agreed to have her get the vaccine. Now, I am terrified that it is going to hurt her! My grandmother had rhreumatoid arthritis and diabetes. My mother has diabetes also. I am afraid that this vaccine will trigger this in my daughter. I couldn't figure out why in the world a baby would need such a vaccine. Usually a person develops Hepatitis B from sharing needles or from unprotected sex. So a baby would not be in danger unless the parents were infected, which we are not. My main concern and question is that I don't want to give her the remaining two shots. I want to know, if she doesn't get the other two shots, if that could hurt her. What would getting only one shot do to her? Could that affect her immune system in some weird way? Please respond soon! Her second shot is coming up and I don't know what to do.
A. If you believe the vaccine is toxic or potentially dangerous, then I don't see how continuing to inject your daughter with it can be beneficial. You are not required by law to vaccinate your daughter, nor to listen to doctors' coercive speeches and intimidation tactics. Good luck with your decisions.
Q. My chiropractor showed me a TV spot which highlighted the correlation between Hepatitis B vaccine in children and multiple sclerosis. The research was out of Baylor University. The TV station got such a huge response that they aired the same spot nightly for two weeks. Do you have any additional information?
A. On January 22, 1999, "20/20" did an expose on the Hepatitis B vaccine. You may be able to acquire a transcript or video of the show.
Q. Our 6 year old son became ill after his 1st dose of Hepatitis B vaccine in August of 1997, and had a fever of 103 degrees for 5 days. After his second dose he had a fever that did not go away. Three months later he was diagnosed with Rheumatic fever. One month later his blood counts dropped and he was rediagnosed with A.L.L. leukemia. Has A.L.L. ever been linked with Hepatitis B vaccinations? If so, can you offer suggestions on what can be done? Thanks for your help.
A. The Hepatitis B vaccine is causing numerous serious reactions throughout the world. The TV show "20/20" did an expose' on this vaccine. France suspended use of this vaccine because of its association with multiple sclerosis. Yet, USA doctors and the U.S. government continue to deny the problem, and children continue to become damaged as a result. Be sure to report this reaction to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System: 1-800-822-7967. Best wishes.
Q. I am a mother of 3 boys, 6, 4, and almost 7 months, but the problem with my family is, we no longer have our 7 month old baby. We lost our dear son. And to make matters worse, he passed away 5 days after receiving just one shot -- the HEPATITIS B SHOT! He was born healthy, ate well, was processing well, went for his check up like both of my other children. (The doctor commented how well he was doing, and how healthy he was.) The doctor asked me if I would like to give him the one shot now and the others two weeks later. IF I WOULD HAVE ONLY KNOWN!!!!!! I thought what I was doing was the right thing for my child, and even better than having him get all at one time, not knowing at the time that I would lose him 5 days later. From the day he passed away, I believed it was the shot. I could not see anything else wrong with him. My mind will never be at peace. If I had only known what vaccines can do, and have done, I may have reconsidered, so I thank you for putting out so much information on this. I didn't know at the time what may have happened, but I will do what I have to do to save another life. THANK YOU! (Our son's life: July 7th 1998 to August 30th 1998.)
A. I am sorry to hear your story. The Hepatitis B vaccine is damaging and killing many babies, yet authorities continue to deny this. Best wishes on your grief and healing. Thanks for sharing your story and supporting our efforts to inform other parents.
Q. Dear thinktwice, I am writing to you about my experience with the Hepatitis B vaccine. I am from Russia, where they do not have Hepatitis B vaccines. When I came to America, I was "required" to have the vaccine in order to
attend school or summer camps. So I received it at the age of 14. I had developed optic neuritis and by my 15th birthday, I had become blind. Not only was this a complete shock, but it was very painful since my optic nerve had swollen so much. To make matters worse, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.
The medical community is quick to deny any relations of my MS to the vaccines. But both sides of my family are very healthy. There is not a single case of MS or any neurological illnesses in my family. We also never have had diabetes, cancer or heart diseases. My advice to all parents is PROTECT PROTECT PROTECT your children from vaccines, especially Hepatitis B. To those who are struggling with the outcomes of vaccines, all I can tell you is that there is hope and our merciful and just God hears you.
A. Thanks for sharing your story. We'll post it for others to read.
The Vaccine Safety Manual
contains the most comprehensive,
up-to-date information available
on the hepatitis B vaccine.
www.thinktwice.com