Vaccines and TB tests

A number of recent reviews emphasize that vaccines are safe, but there have been several examples of vaccines that have been contaminated by pathogens. The slow-growing nature of chronic pathogens means there may be more cases of contamination than we realize.

Marshall Protocol (MP) patients should work with their doctors to examine the costs and benefits of taking any kind of injectable preparation which contains substances synthesized from organisms.

Flu vaccines may be important to prevent acute infections, the acquisition of which can substantially set back progress on the MP or be life-threatening. Influenza vaccination is associated with a 50% reduction in the incidence of sudden cardiac death, acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), and ischemic stroke. Both heart attack and stroke have their peak incidence in winter months, which correspond to the time of year when cases of influenza also peak.¹⁾

Patients should follow their doctors' advice regarding the immunizations they feel are essential.

The question of whether vaccines routinely contribute to chronic disease such as autism has been a contentious one.

The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) is a mechanism by which side effects associated with vaccine use may be reported, analyzed, and made available to the public. The data in VAERS is the basis for many of the U.S.-based studies about vaccine safety.

• Guillain-Barre outbreak in 1976 – It is widely accepted that the influenza vaccine was responsible for the outbreak of Guillain-Barre syndrome in the United States in the seventies.²⁾ In fact, in 1976, the national swine influenza vaccination program in the United States was temporarily suspended.³⁾

An unexplained increase in the risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) occurred among recipients of the swine influenza vaccine in 1976-1977. Guillain-Barre syndrome remains the most frequent neurological condition reported after influenza vaccination to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) since its inception in 1990.

Penina Haber, et al. ⁴⁾

• Bell's palsy – A 2004 paper found that incidence of Bell's palsy was higher following administration of flu vaccine between 1991 and 2001.⁵⁾ Other papers appear to have confirmed this.⁶⁾ This vaccine appears not to be in use.
• Simian virus 40 (SV40) in polio vaccine – Some have argued that large numbers of the U.S. population were infected with a contaminated batch of simian virus 40, a virus linked to mesotheliomia, an otherwise rare form of cancer.^{7) 8) 9)}
• Clinical trial for AIDS vaccine – A 2007 international trial for an AIDS vaccine had to be abruptly discontinued when scientists realized that the vaccine somehow raised the risk of infection. The researchers administering the trial stressed that the vaccine could not itself cause the infection. Although it was not mentioned in the news story about the incident, one plausible hypothesis is that the vaccines were infected with bacteria.

With perhaps an occasional exception,¹⁰⁾ the vast majority of studies and reviews have found no apparent link between vaccinations and autism, the disease that has been most recently tied to the onset of chronic disease.^{11) 12)}

A suggested association between certain childhood vaccines and autism has been one of the most contentious vaccine safety controversies in recent years. Despite compelling scientific evidence against a causal association, many parents and parent advocacy groups continue to suspect that vaccines, particularly measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs), can cause autism.

Frank DeStefano ¹³⁾

Andrew Wakefield authored a widely publicized study linking the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine with autism.¹⁴⁾¹⁵⁾

That the vaccine additives thimerosal and mercury cause autism appears to have been thoroughly discredited.¹⁶⁾

What is less certain is how effective current purification and/or filtration processes for injectable medicines are at removing viruses, L-form bacteriaDifficult-to-culture bacteria that lack a cell wall and are not detectable by traditional culturing processes. Sometimes referred to as cell wall deficient bacteria., and mycoplasma. One cause for concern is that L-form bacteria have been largely ignored by medicine. Researchers who do not think L-formsDifficult-to-culture bacteria that lack a cell wall and are not detectable by traditional culturing processes. Sometimes referred to as cell wall deficient bacteria. are present in disease would not think sub-microscopic bacteria are present in vaccines.

Technology for purifying vaccines is beyond the scope of the Knowledge Base. It should be noted, however, that pathogenic bacterial forms so small they cannot be detected by an optical microscope – 0.015 microns – have been identified and photographed by researchers such as Dr. Emil Wirostko.¹⁷⁾

One researcher tested vaccines used in the first gulf war and concluded they had mycoplasma contamination.¹⁸⁾

While Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System may identify illnesses with a rapid (acute) onset, those diseases that appear years later would be understandably difficult to associate with infection.

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Despite inherent risks, receiving the flu vaccine or pneumovax may be important to prevent acute infections in certain MP patients. For them, the risk of acquiring more slow-growing L-form bacteria, mycoplasma, etc. may be preferable to the risk of developing an acute infection.

The decision whether or not to receive the flu vaccine or pneumovax is a matter of weighing the risks versus the benefits. The flu vaccine is most useful to people with compromised immune systems.

The following are some key questions to help MP patients decide whether or not to receive the flu vaccine:

• Is your respiratory function severely compromised?
• Are you in such a debilitated condition that if you got the flu or pneumonia you might not survive?
• Is your risk of exposure to germs excessive?
• Do you want to take the chance of making your Th1 inflammation worse by possibly acquiring a new batch of pleomorphic bacteria that are so small they slipped through the vaccine filters?
• Do you suffer from excessive reactivity, e.g. celiac inability to ingest wheat?

One young man (not on the Marshall Protocol) reported anaphylaxis after a recent influenza shot.

MP patients should talk with their health care practitioners about the risk/benefit ratio regarding the flu v or pneumovax. The benefits of the flu vaccine and pneumovax do not outweigh the risk for most MP patients with chronic inflammatory disease, but patients who are in a high-risk category should consider receiving these vaccines.

I don't think I understand the significance of vaccines at this point. The ones using live microbes, like BCG, are clearly going to contribute to the pathogenic load, but it is not possible to generalize about the effect of the others on the immune system.

If I had to make an educated hypothesis, it would be along the lines that if you give vaccines to people who are already sick, it is going to place a heavy load upon their immune system and potentially make them sicker. However, the real problem is the increasing percentage of the population who have heavily-compromised immune systems so early in life.

Trevor Marshall, PhD

Antiviral agents are used to treat the flu.

Adult MP patients who decide to receive the tetanus vaccine should request the tetanus/diptheria (Td) injection. They should avoid the tetanus/diptheria/pertussis (Tdap) injection, because it would be more challenging to the immune system, and adults do not usually need the pertussis protection.

Any adverse reaction an individual may have had to tetanus immunization in the past was likely due to the pertussis or diptheria component. Although rarely given, an injection of just tetanus toxoid (TT) every five years can be administered as an alternative. This would prevent needing Td or Tdap after an injury.

MP patients who decide to receive the tetanus vaccine should try to time the post-injection period to occur when immunopathologyA temporary increase in disease symptoms experienced by Marshall Protocol patients that results from the release of cytokines and endotoxins as disease-causing bacteria are killed. symptoms are well-controlled.

Also, MP patients who receive the tetanus vaccine on either an elective basis or as a prophylaxis after an injury do not need to stop MP medications before receiving the vaccine.

The human papilloma virus (HPV) vaccine was developed in hopes of preventing infection with certain species of human papillomavirus associated with the development of cervical cancer, genital warts, and some less common cancers.

The research studying the efficacy of these vaccines is not nearly as conclusive as some would argue, nor have its effects been studied longitudinally (long-term). Vaccines like HPV may cause changes to the human microbiotaThe bacterial community in the human body. Many species in the microbiota contribute to the development of chronic disease., but in ways not fully understood or anticipated.

Autoimmunity Research FoundationNon-profit foundation dedicated to exploring a pathogenesis and therapy for chronic disease. therefore has no specific guidance on the HPV vaccine. Each patient is encouraged to review the potential risks and potential value of this vaccine with her doctor.

The tuberculin tests are administered to screen for tuberculosis.

As with all injected substances, there is a small risk of introducing L-form bacteria because the filter used for the antigen isn't small enough to exclude these tiny bacteria. Since these bacteria grow slowly and you are on the MP, this isn't a huge concern.

If you would like to avoid this test, check with your employer to see what their exclusion policy is. If you feel strongly about refusing the test, your main argument (because you have sarcoidosis) would be cutaneous anergy [a phenomenon that compromises the ability of individuals with certain illnesses to react normally to tuberculin skin tests] and the fact that your test is likely to be negative in any case. But then you may be asked to submit to a chest x-ray in lieu of the skin test and be subjected to more x-rays.

I'm not aware of any circumstances where the test requirement would be waived and have no expectation they would consider L-form bacteria a reason to refuse it versus the potential of screening for active TB.

I wrestled with the decision and decided I couldn't say no to this test and continue working in health care. My choice was to take the easy route and have the tine test. I was fascinated to see that rather than the slightly pink, expected normal reaction at the injection site that I saw many years ago, there was absolutely no evidence of reaction (cutaneous anergy).

Meg Mangin

In a 1979 segment on the news show 60 Minutes, Mike Wallace talked to President Ford, Judy Roberts (injured by the 1976 swine flu vaccine, paralyzed similar to Gardasil injury) Dr. David Sencer and others about the Swine Flu vaccine of 1976.

• The Virus and the vaccine – 2000 article appearing in Atlantic Monthly about the virus SV40 which has been associated with a number of rare human cancers