Measles- Myth or Fact
We need to talk about some myths or facts about measles. Most people believe they know about measles and how it effects us, however there are a lot of myths circulated in the media. This is why I had to share the following article from a mentor of mine. Dr. Tedd Koren is the founder of KST, the technique that I use here in the clinic. He is also a prolific writer and researcher for his other company, Koren Publications. I thought people might find this article interesting. It has references to all the claims, so if you are not sure this is true, please take the time to look it up for yourself.
Here is the article, myth vs. fact about measles-
By Tedd Koren, DC
Introduction-
Measles is a mostly benign condition that leaves a healthier child in its wake. Deaths from measles had almost completely disappeared before the vaccine was used. Why is a vaccine even needed and is this vaccine safe?
Myth or Fact: Measles is a Dangerous Disease
Myth – measles is a dangerous disease
Fact – measles is mostly harmless
Measles is a short-lived viral infection that begins with a fever that lasts for a couple of days, followed by a cough, runny nose and conjunctivitis (pink eye). A rash starts on the face, hairline and upper neck, spreads down the back and trunk, and extends to the extremities. After about 5 days, the rash fades.
Measles is a mild and mostly harmless disease that leaves a stronger, healthier child in its wake; most adults born before 1965 got measles and have lifelong immunity as a result. Serious problems from measles are very, very rare.
However after the vaccine was produced this mild, beneficial rite of passage was called a deadly disease.
“This measles outbreak does not pose a great risk to a healthy child and quite frankly I don’t think it poses any risk to a healthy child.” Jay Gordon, MD, former UCLA Medical Center pediatrician
Myth or Fact: Measles Is Killing Children
Myth- Measles is killing children
Fact- The measles vaccine is killing children
Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases stated there were no measles deaths in the US since 2003.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr59/nvsr59_04.pdf
While the CDC’s National Vital Statistics Reports show 2 deaths associated with measles for 2009 and 2010.
“Pediatricians continue to defend vaccination to the death. The question parents should be asking is, ‘Whose death?’ -Robert Mendelsohn, MD
The National Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), recorded 108 children died from the measles vaccine during a ten year period. http://www.medalerts.org/vaersdb/index.php
But MDs rarely report vaccine injuries so that number is probably much higher.
Myth or Fact: The Measles Vaccine Is Safe
Myth – the vaccine is safe
Fact – the vaccine is dangerous
According to David Kessler, MD former head of the Food and Drug Administration, “Only about 1 percent of serious events [adverse drug reactions] are reported to the FDA.”
Kessler DA, Natanblut S, Kennedy D. et al. Introducing MEDWatch A New Approach to Reporting Medication and Device Adverse Effects and Product Problems. JAMA.1993;269(21):2765-2768.
Therefore we don’t know the real number of vaccine injuries and deaths. But they are greater than official statistics due to underreporting.
If we apply the above underreporting number to vaccine injuries then possibly as many as 10,800 children might have been harmed or killed by the measles vaccine during the period that at most four died from measles.
What Are Atypical Measles?
Atypical measles occurs only in the vaccinated and can be fatal.
http://www.cdph.ca.gov/HealthInfo/discond/Pages/Measles.aspx
Atypical measles was initially thought to occur only in those who received the killed measles vaccine, but several investigators have reported this illness in children who had been vaccinated only with the live measles vaccine.
Nichols EM. Atypical measles: a continuing problem. Am J Public Health. 1979;69(2):160-162.
What Is SSPE?
The measles vaccine can also cause subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), which is 100% fatal. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/subacute_panencephalitis/subacute_panencephalitis.htm
Myth or Fact: Measles Runs Rampant In Non-Vaccinated People
Myth – There is a lot of measles amongst the non-vaccinated
Fact – There are non-vaccinated communities reporting no measles.
For example, the Amish are a religious community the vast majority of which are not vaccinated. They reported not a single case of measles between 1970 and 1987.
Sutter RW, Markowitz LE, Bennetch JM, Morris W, Zell ER, Preblud SR.
Measles among the Amish: a comparative study of measles severity in primary and secondary cases in households.
J Infect Dis. 1991 Jan;163(1):12-6.
While the local highly‐vaccinated communities still reported epidemics every 2‐3 year. Based on this experience measles appears to circulate more amongst the vaccinated than the non-vaccinated.
Myth or Fact: Vaccines Are Safe
Myth – Vaccines are safe
Fact – Vaccines are dangerous
The jury is still out on the issues of safety and efficacy for a number of vaccines-vaccine experts have repeatedly reversed themselves about the safety or effectiveness of vaccines they have previously sworn were safe.
Properly tested and licensed vaccines were later found to cause injury and death and were stopped by vaccines authorities. Sawada eta. 1993; Lancet 342 (7 August): 371
In 2010, the Rotarix (rotavirus) vaccine was recalled because it was contaminated with DNA from pig virus after one million U.S. children, and about 30 million worldwide received it. A measles vaccine was also found to contain low levels of the retrovirus avian leukosis virus, and Rotateq, Merck’s rotavirus vaccine, was found to contain a virus similar to simian (monkey) retrovirus. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/04/24/most-recalled-type-of-drug-will-surprise-you.aspx
People have a right to choose because the science is never absolute.
Myth or Fact: Vaccine Companies Look Out For The Greater Good
Myth – Vaccine companies have our best interest at heart
Fact – Pharmaceutical companies have used illegal means to promote their products.
In 8 years (2004-2012), there were twenty pharmaceutical company settlements in the $345 million to $3 billion range. Criminal fines in the $100’s of millions are common, and have been as high as $1 billion (Pfizer 2009, GlaxoSmithKline 2012). This is routine business practice.
List of largest pharmaceutical settlements (2004 – 2012), Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_pharmaceutical_settlements
Merck, manufacturer of the mumps vaccine, is going to trial in two separate lawsuits for allegedly falsifying the efficacy rate of its mumps vaccine. One suit was filed by former employee-whistleblowers, the other by pharmaceutical competitors. Lawsuits claiming Merck lied about mumps vaccine efficacy headed to trial, Fierce Vaccines, September 9, 2014, http://www.fiercevaccines.com/story/lawsuits-claiming-merck-lied-about-mumps-vaccine-efficacy-headed-trial/2014-09-09
Myth or Fact: You Can’t Get The Measles If You Are Vaccinated
Myth – You can’t get sick if you are vaccinated
Fact – Diseases occur in fully vaccinated populations.
Here is a small sampling of reports show that the vaccine is ineffective.
Vaccine Failure – Over 1000 Got Mumps in NY in Last Six Months http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/03/06/vaccine-failure-over-1000-get-mumps-in-ny-in-last-six-months.aspx
Over 98% were vaccinated in measles epidemic
Hersh BS, Markowitz LE et al. A measles outbreak at a college with a prematriculation immunization requirement. Am J Public Health. 1991;81(3):360-364.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1994745
NY measles outbreak: 90% were vaccinated. http://experimentalvaccines.org/2014/03/31/new-york-measles-outbreak-90-vaccinated/
Pertussis outbreak: 91% fully vaccinated.
http://experimentalvaccines.org/2013/10/09/91-fully-vaccinated-involved-in-pertussis-outbreak/
Myth or Fact: Vaccines Got Rid of Measles
Myth – Vaccines eradicated measles
Fact – Childhood diseases largely disappeared before vaccines were used
Deaths from measles, scarlet fever, typhoid, whooping cough, and diphtheria were down up to 99% BEFORE vaccination. The vaccines may have kept the diseases from disappearing due to “viral shedding.” http://www.bibliotecapleyades.net/salud/salud_vacunas145.htm
After the shot came out the drop in deaths stopped, jumped and then resumed their downward slope.
Myth or Fact: Vaccines In General Got Rid of Childhood Diseases
Myth – Vaccines eradicated childhood diseases
Fact – Lifestyle eradicated childhood diseases
Clean water, sanitation, indoor toilets, hot and cold running water, less crowding and improved living conditions resulted in better resistance to disease. By the way, there was no vaccine for scarlet fever yet deaths dropped just the same.
Myth or Fact: We Have No Idea What The Underlying Cause of Autism Is
Myth – We don’t know the cause of autism
Fact – Vaccines are repeatedly linked to autism
Some medical experts say the measles (and other) vaccines do not cause autism yet mothers across America and around the world report a different experience.
Today’s medical denial of the vaccine-autism link looks like a scene in the Marx Brothers’ movie Duck Soup where Chico is caught red-handed dallying with a pretty young woman. He denies it adding, “Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?”
Autism affects as many as 1 in 50 children but a few decades ago (when vaccines were few) autism rates were 1 in 10,000. When will they stop the shots? When it’s one in two?
Myth or Fact: Drugs Are The Only Answer, Especially Vaccines
Myth – Drugs are good for us
Fact – All drugs are dangerous (say no to drugs)
Vaccines are unsafe and ineffective. It’s time we simply said no to drugs – especially these drugs. They are creating a generation of sick children and bankrupting their parents.
Repeatedly experts have told us they know the truth, to change their minds later. No studies trying to placate an increasingly concerned public can stop vaccine-damaged kids from coming. For many patients the vaccine decision comes down to a child having a week lost from school or the possibility of a lifetime lost.
Myth or Fact: There Are No Side Effects To Vaccines
Myth – Vaccines are generally safe
Fact – Autism is just the tip of the iceberg
We have a generation of chronically ill children. Today one in six children has neurodevelopmental disorders, one in eleven has asthma, one in twelve has food allergies, and one in 400 has diabetes. Let’s not forget ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, “processing disorders,” vision and hearing disorders, digestive disorders, immune system disorders and more. It’s getting worse.
For how long will parents be denied the truth? They know their child. They even have videos of their child before and after the shot – it’s not the same child. Whatever shots are doing they are not preventing children from getting sicker. They are not preventing autism and the growing number of health problems faced by children.
Here is one link citing 97 research papers connecting autism and vaccines. At the least one must conclude there is controversy so why not err on the side of caution?
Myth or Fact: Only Kids Get Measles
Myth – Measles is a childhood diseases
Fact – Not any more
Children generally usually got childhood diseases around ages 4,5,6,7 after the immunity from the mother wears off. But today newborns, infants, babies, teenagers and adults get “childhood” diseases because vaccination has altered the natural age of occurrence and is responsible for babies and adults getting these diseases at ages when they are more dangerous and even fatal. http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/dangers-of-childhood-diseases-for-adults
When little girls normally got measles and other childhood diseases they developed full immunity and years later they were able to pass on that immunity to their unborn child. Their baby is born protected against measles and lots of other diseases from the protection the mother passes on during pregnancy through the placenta (hence the term “transplacental” immunity). Breastfeeding also permits the baby to obtain additional immune factors from the mother.
Myth or Fact: Vaccines Are Made of Only Non-toxic Ingredients
Myth – Vaccine ingredients are safe
Fact – Vaccine ingredients are toxic
These poisons present in one or more vaccines may include formaldehyde, mercury, aluminum (linked to Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s), phenol (carbolic acid), borax (ant killer), ethylene glycol (antifreeze), dye, acetone (nail polish remover), latex, MSG, glycerol, polysorbate 80/20, sorbitol, monkey, cow, chick, pig, sheep and dog tissues and cells, fragments of human fetus cells, antibiotics, genetically modified yeast, animal, bacterial and viral DNA (may affect recipient’s DNA).
Myth or Fact: There Is Good Research Behind The Vaccines We Get
Myth – The vaccine scheduled has been tested
Fact – The vaccine schedule has not been tested
In 2015 the Centers for Disease Control recommends 101 vaccines in multiple doses by the time a child is child age yet the safety of the entire vaccine schedule has not been studied:
While the government renews, licenses, and compels individual vaccines, it does not test – or require vaccine makes to test – the safety and efficacy of vaccines given simultaneously or the cumulative effects of multiple vaccines.
Allen Tate, The Greater Good. Chapter Ten.Vaccine Epidemic Edited by Habakus and Holland p.83 Skyhorse Publishing: New york 2011.
Myth or Fact: There Is No Reason To Catch The Measles With Vaccines
Myth – Childhood diseases have no benefits for children
Fact – Childhood diseases have many benefits for children
Lost in the argument about measles is the fact that Infectious diseases of childhood are shown to be beneficial for the overall health of the child and society.
Contracting and overcoming childhood diseases are part of a developmental process that actually helps develop a healthy, robust, adult immune system able to meet the challenges that inevitable encounters with viruses and bacteria will present later on.
Coulter HL. Vaccination, Social Violence and Criminality: The Medical Assault on the American Brain. Washington, DC: Center for Empirical Medicine. 1990.
That may include protection from cancer:
The study consistently revealed a lower cancer risk for patients with a history of febrile infectious childhood diseases.
Albonico HU, Braker HU, Husler J. Febrile infectious childhood diseases in the history of cancer patients and matched controls. Medical Hypotheses. 1998;51(4):315-320.
The vaccine-mandate zealots move forwards with more and more vaccines to be given to our children (and adults) without addressing these very important questions – questions that might have life or death significance.
Myth or Fact: We Are Required To Get Vaccines
Myth – You must vaccine your child
Fact – You don’t’ have to vaccinate
There are exemptions to vaccination in every US State and in Canada.
Childhood diseases run in cycles no matter how much or how little vaccination is done:
Every 2-3 years, there is an upsurge of measles irrespective of vaccination compliance.
Robertson SE, Markowitz LE, Dini EF, and Orenstein WA. 1992. A million dollar measles outbreak: epidemiology, risk factors, and selective revaccination strategy. Publ Health Reports; 197 (1): 24-31.
How many children must die, be crippled physically and mentally and live lost lives before we recognize what we have done? In our worship of technology when will we recognize our hubris and realize that we are not God? We do not know enough to justify mandating 101 vaccinations from birth, for every single child. http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/hcp/imz/child-adolescent.html
Since measles (and other childhood diseases) return cyclically irrespective of vaccination rates, returning to traditional healing wisdom will return us to a time when autism, allergies, asthma, diabetes and other illnesses seen so often in children today will once again be rare or non-existent.
I have an article talking about whether vaccinated children are healthier that un-vaccinated children- to read it click the image below.
Conclusion-
Researchers, medical doctors and health educators need to remember our place in nature, acknowledge our limitations and learn some humility. In our struggle to “conquer” disease we have unleashed an epidemic of chronically ill children who would have been far better had we not interfered with natural diseases and instead worked with the natural cycles of life; recognizing that the wisdom that permeates nature is wiser than us all.
As you can see, there are definitely myths that we hear are facts about measles everytime there is an outbreak. Make sure you do your research to be able to tell myth vs fact.
