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Monday 30 March 2015

Meningitis B Vaccine: is it safe? Or an offer worth refusing?

This weekend (29th March 2015) the mainstream media announced proudly that all babies in Britain will soon have access to a vaccine against Meningitis B. We were told that the government, and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt, had reached agreement with GlaxoSmith Kline on the cost of the deal, which had earlier been refused on the grounds of expense.

So is this good new? It is according to the government, which announced that it had obtained 'good value for money', and would now be implementing a recommendation made in 2014 that every child over 2 months should be given the vaccine. The vaccine will now be added to the national childhood vaccination scheme, the first dose being given at 2 months, followed by 2 further doses. Jeremy Hunt is reported as saying that he "was very proud that we will be the first country in the world to have a nationwide Meningitis B vaccination programme".

It is good news for the NHS, with all 4 national branches in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland announcing that they will be providing the vaccine. The Northern Ireland health minister, Jim Wells, welcome the outcome of the negotiations "to secure an effective, safe and cost-effective vaccine".

It is good news for the drug company, who are presumably content with the price for the vaccine negotiated by the government.

The charity 'Meningitis Now' believe that it is good new too, saying "To know that babies will be protected against MenB is fantastic and another great step forwards in our fight against meningitis", and the Meningitis Research Foundation also commented that "We are delighted that vaccinating all babies against this devastating disease is now within sight, cementing the UK's position as a world leader in meningitis prevention".

The BBC article, in which all these quotations of satisfaction were taken, were also good enough to report a case of one child who had lost her leg because of the illness. It also outline the seriousness of the illness, 1,800 per year, causing amputation, deafness, epilepsy and learning difficulties, with 1 in 10 cases being fatal.

So has this been good, accurate and full reporting by the BBC, and the mainstream media generally? Has it provided parents with all the information they need in order to make an informed choice about whether they should allow their babies to be vaccinated. Has the government, the NHS, the health charities, et al, been entirely honest an open in how they have presented the issue?

In July 2013, the UK's Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) concluded that the current evidence is insufficient "to support a recommendation for the introduction" of the vaccine. said the vaccine was not cost-effective, and did not offer enough protection. 

This 'Healthier Life' article, published in November 2014, questioned the need for the vaccine, and provides evidence that the health scare underlying this new vaccine was based on hysteria.

This Natural News article questions the benefits of the vaccine, and points to the very real issues of any vaccine that contain ingredients like mercury, formaldehyde, aluminium, and other poisons.

The Meningitis C vaccine is also known to cause serious long-term health problems, outline in this case.

The experience of the Meningitis B vaccine in the Far East has led to a number of deaths in India, Pakistan, Sri Landa, and Bhutan, and its withdrawal in Vietnam.

In Africa, at least 50 children have been left paralysed by the vaccine.

So, as usual, we are being presented with a vaccine whose purpose is to respond to need that is doubtful, a vaccine whose effectiveness is doubted, and where there is already evidence that it is doing harm to those who receive it.

And as usual, we are are being told by the government, the NHS, the mainstream media, and others, that it is needed, if is effective, and it is safe.

Even if none of the issues raised by the articles above are true, are we not entitled to be told about them by our 'Free Press'?

We have been given too many bland assurances in recent years about the safety and efficacy of conventional medical drugs and vaccines, only to find out many years later, after much harm and mayhem, that they are dangerous and ineffective! The Meningitis B vaccine appears to be yet another example of this.

It is about time for patients to begin to learn from past experience. The conventional medical establishment cannot be trusted. It is too powerful for governments to oppose. And the mainstream media is too much under their control and influence to question.