By: Sandy Lunoe, Contributing Author, SaneVax Inc.
01 Sept 2010
NARCOLEPSY:
Pandemrix has recently been suspected of increasing the risk of the auto-immune disorder narcolepsy.
SQUALENE:
Pandemrix has the lowest concentration of virus antigen of all the H1N1 vaccines which are available on the market. Because of this the adjuvant squalene (AS03) has been included in order to boost the immune response.
(NB – immune response is not the same as immunity!) Virus antigen is considerably more expensive than squalene.
Squalene is highly controversial and has been suspected of increasing the risk of auto-immune disorders, including the Gulf War Syndrome, multiple sclerosis and several others. Squalene adjuvants are routinely used to induce arthritis in rats in a laboratory setting.
It is known to cause more pain and inflammation at the injection site than squalene-free injections.
Because squalene is an oily substance the emulsifying agent polysorbate 80 (Tween 80) is included in order to blend it with the aqueous phase containing the virus antigen.
POLYSORBATE 80:
Polysorbate 80 has been suspected of increasing the risk of anaphylactic shock. Research shows that it causes reproductive disturbances in rats and infertility in mice. It is suspected of having carcinogenic and mutagenic properties.
Because it makes the blood-brain barrier more porous (“opens it up”), it is used in special injections to facilitate the passage of certain substances through the barrier into the brain tissue.
This property is obviously undesirable in vaccines. Polysorbate 80 in Pandemrix may facilitate the passage of mercury in thimerosal and other substances through the barrier into the brain. Small children are especially vulnerable as they have underdeveloped blood-brain barriers. It is therefore no doubt unwise to include polysorbate 80 in injections for children and pregnant women.
Because of polysorbate 80’s effect on the fate of mercury and other substances, the actual composition of vaccines should be considered in addition to the amount of mercury and other ingredients.
The vaccine may not be given to people who are strongly allergic to eggs. This does not appear to have been considered when Pandemrix was chosen for mass vaccination.
MULTIDOSE VIALS:
All injections may normally be manufactured in the form of single dose prefilled syringes or as multidose vials. Single dose products are more expensive to manufacture.
Single dose injections do not require preservatives, but these are necessary in multidose products in order to reduce microbial contamination when several doses are withdrawn.
MERCURY:
The preservative in Pandemrix is thimerosal which contains almost 50% mercury. The presence of mercury is extremely controversial. It is a known neurotoxic that can weaken the immune system and cause neurological damage. Thimerosal has been shown to cause autism-like symptoms in laboratory animals. There are strong indications that mercury is the cause of autism in human beings.
CONTAMINATION:
The vials of Pandemrix contain ten doses each of 0.5ml. Before withdrawal of each dose the vial should be thoroughly shaken. Microbial contamination may occur in connection with the administrator’s technique and from the surroundings, especially when there are many people present. This risk is less in the case of single dose injections. A higher degree of competence may therefore be required for administrating multidose injections.
EVEN DOSES OF VIRUS ANTIGEN:
The virus antigen is in the form of tiny, invisible particles dispersed in the vaccine. Irrespective of the administrator’s technique regarding shaking, the correct amount of virus antigen in each 0.5ml dose cannot be guaranteed. (In the case of prefilled injections it is possible to regularly analyse and control the amount during online processes).
In the case of the multidose vials of Pandemrix, even if the doses of 0.5ml are accurately measured, one cannot possibly know if one receives the correct amount or strength of virus antigen – or if it is the same as that which the next person in the vaccine queue receives!
TO SUMMARISE:
If the authorities had chosen a more expensive single dose product it would not have been necessary to include mercury, there would be less risk of microbial contamination and a greater possibility that each dose has the correct strength of the virus antigen and other ingredients.
If the authorities had chosen a vaccine which had sufficient strength with respect to virus antigen, the inclusion of squalene and polysorbate 80 would have been unnecessary.
Leave a Reply