A profile of the Australian Vaccination Network, 2012

8/13/2019 A profile of the Australian Vaccination Network, 2012

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i

Executivesummary

Thecommonperceptionisthatvaccineshavebeenlargelyresponsibleforthedeclineslastcenturyinthe

morbidityandmortalityfromawholerangeofcommondiseases. Boththegovernmentandthemedical

professionaggressivelypromotevaccinationofbabiesfrombirth. Anumberofgroupshavequestioned

theconventionalwisdominrecentyears. ThishasoccurrednotonlyinAustraliabutalsoinother

countriesthatpromotemassvaccinationprograms. TheAustralianVaccinationNetwork(AVN)was

formedin1994byagroupofconcernedparents,healthprofessionalsandothers. Thisreportcontains

theresultsofanonlinemembershipsurveycarriedoutin2012. Sixhundredandfortyquestionnaires

werereturnedfromamembershipofaround2,000.

Characteristicsofmembers

Themajorityofrespondentswerefemale(80%). Coupleorsingleparentfamilieswithchildrenaccounted

for82%ofallfamiliesrepresented. Theother18%includedpeople,manyofthemparentswithchildren

thathadlefthome,togetherwithsomesingleanddivorcedpeople. Theaverageageofrespondentswas

46years,witharangefrom23to90years. Aroundtwothirdsofallrespondentswereolderthan40

years. Twoormoreadultstookaninterestinthevaccinationissueinfouroutoffivehouseholds.

Overall,theeducationlevelofrespondentswashigh. Over80%hadcompletedsometrainingsince

completinghighschool,and56%weretrainedtobachelordegreelevelorabove. Eightyfivepercent

listedtheiroccupationtoindicatewheretheywerecurrentlyworkingorhadworkedinthepast. Fifty

onepercentwereinprofessionaloccupations,withprofessionalsinthehealthareamakingup29%ofthe

total. Theseweremostlychiropractors,osteopaths,complementaryhealthproviders,nursesand

midwives. Schoolteachersandothereducationalprofessionalsalsomadeupalargegroup(10%).

Another12%wereotherprofessionalsinavarietyofoccupations.

Involvementinthevaccinationissue

MostindicatedthattherewereanumberofreasonswhytheyjoinedtheAVN. Themainreasonswereto

supportthegroupandbeinvolved(83%ofallrespondents),andtogetinformation(83%). Thethreatof

compulsoryvaccination

was

afactor

for

72%.

And

17%

said

they

were

members

because

of

an

adverse

reactiontoavaccine,and17%becauseofalongtermeffect. Mostrespondentshadtakentheinitiative

toaccessawiderangeofsourcesofinformationonvaccination. Forexample,80%saidtheyhadused

fiveormoreofthe10sourcesofinformationlistedonthequestionnaire. Naturalhealthmagazines,AVN

information,theinternet,booksandtalkingtocomplementaryhealthproviderswereallusedbymore

than70%.

Attitudestovaccination

Respondentsoverwhelminglyhadnegativeattitudestochildhoodvaccination. Thiswashighlightedby

theirlevelsofagreementto18statementscontainedinaLikertattitudescale. Amajority,(85%),had

becomelesspositivetothepracticeofvaccinationatsomepointintheirpast. Foroverhalfofthese

people,this

had

been

more

than

10

years

ago.

For

many,

there

was

aparticular

event

that

set

them

on

thepathtoresearchingtheissue. Themajoreventslistedwere: concernfordoingthebestfortheir

family(oftenpromptedbyanimpendingbirth),andhavingwitnessedadversereactionstovaccinesor

theirlongtermeffects. Inothercases,simplyhavingaccesstomoreinformationwasthefactorthat

initiatedtheirresearch. Talkingtofamilyandfriendsandcontactwithcomplementaryhealthproviders

werethemajoroneononesourcesofinformation.

TheAVNwasnotprominentininfluencingachangeofattitude. Infact,contactwiththeAVNwas

mentionedfirstinthedecisionmakingprocessesofonlyfourpeople. However,itwasasourceof

informationthatwasusedafterpeoplehadembarkedonthejourneyoffindingoutmoreaboutthe

vaccinationissue. Anditnodoubtservedasasupportgroupforthosepeople. Itshouldbenotedthata

largenumberofpeopleexpresseddissatisfactionwiththeprovaccinationattitudesofthegovernment,

themedical

profession

and

vaccine

manufacturers.

This

had

been

amajor

factor

in

making

them

suspiciousofvaccines.


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ii

Vaccinationpractices

Thenegativeattitudestochildhoodvaccinationwerereflectedinvaccinationpractices. Respondents

haveincreasinglyrejectedvaccinationinrecentyears. Vaccinationhistories(i.e.whetherfullyvaccinated,

partiallyvaccinated,ornotvaccinated)wereprovidedforatotalof2,470people. Ofthe348agedupto

fiveyears,onlytwopercentwerefullyvaccinatedandeightpercentpartlyvaccinated. Ofthe1,526aged

over20years,87%hadbeenfullyorpartlyvaccinated. Itislikelythattheolderfamilymemberswere

vaccinatedbecausetheirparentswerelessquestioningofvaccines.

Immediateadversereactionsandlongtermeffects

Thirtythreepercentsaidthatatleastonefamilymemberhadsufferedadversereactionstovaccination.

Awiderangeofreactionswerementioned. Themostfrequentlymentionedreactionwasfever,sweating

andahightemperature(59mentions). Further,inconsolablecryingandscreaming,oftenhighpitched,

wereeachmentioned20times. Otherreactionslistedmorethan10timeswere:skindiscolourationor

rash(21mentions),uglysore(21),swollenbodyparts(19),personvaccinated(usuallyababy)being

irritable,whingyorclingy(15),breathingproblems(11),convulsions,fitsorseizures(12)andear

infections(10). Itisofconcernthat22reportedapersonalityorbehaviourchangesoonaftervaccination.

And11peopleclaimedthatthepersonbeingvaccinatedhadcontractedthediseasetheywerevaccinated

againstshortly

after.

Thirtypercentsaidthatafamilymemberhadsufferedalongtermeffectfromvaccines. Again,awide

rangeoflongtermeffectswerementioned. Themostfrequentlymentionedlongtermeffectswere

allergies(includingfoodintolerance)whichwerementioned41times,andasthma(34). Therewerea

hostofbehaviouralissues:autism(23),learningproblems(14),ADDorADHD(10),speechdeficiency(8),

unspecifiedbehaviourproblems(7),togetherwithanumberofotherseriousbehaviouralproblems

mentionedlessoften. Sixtyrespondentssaidthatatleastonefamilymemberhadsufferedlongterm

behaviourproblemsasaresultofvaccines.

Otherlongtermproblemsmentionedahighnumberoftimeswere:chronicfatigue(21times),eczema

(21),gastrointestinalproblems(17)andimmunityissues(15). Therewerenoreportsofdeathsoffamily

membersafter

vaccination.

However,

four

respondents

made

anecdotal

reports

of

vaccine

related

deathssufferedbyrelativesoracquaintances.

Benefitsandrisksofvaccination

Almosthalf(44%)oftherespondentsvolunteeredcommentsabouttherisksandbenefitsofvaccination

andaboutotheraspectsofthevaccinationissue. Manysaidtheydidnotseeanybenefitsinvaccination

whiletherewasgeneralcriticismofgovernmentvaccinationpolicy,themedicalprofessionandthe

vaccineindustry. Thelackofaccuratereportingofvaccinereactionswasacauseforconcern. A

significantnumberindicatedtherewasagreatneedformoreinformationandresearchonthelongterm

effectsofvaccinationandthattherewasaneedforgreatercommunityeducationwithaccurate

information. Somerespondentsalsodescribedthesocialdifficultiesbeingfacedbyfamilieswhohad

decidedagainst

vaccination

of

their

children.

There

was

aconsensus

that

the

right

of

free

choice

in

vaccinationshouldbemaintained.

ThesurveyresultsindicatethatmostmembersoftheAVNareinfamilycircumstanceswherevaccination

isanissuefortheirfamilies. Manyhavechildrenofanagewherevaccinationisrecommendedbyhealth

authorities. Andmanyarenowoldenoughtobeconcernedabouttheeffectsofvaccinesontheir

grandchildren. Theyhavegonetoconsiderabletroubletouseawiderangeofvaccinationinformation

sources. Theyarerejectingvaccination. Further,ahighproportionisclaimingadversereactionsto

vaccinationintheirfamilyand,morealarmingly,seriouslongtermeffects. Theseresultsindicatethat

thereisanurgentneedforsoundlybasedlongtermresearchonthepartofhealthauthoritiestoassess

thevalidityoftheclaimsbeingmade. Inparticular,thereisaneedtotrackthelongtermphysicaland

psychologicalhealth

of

vaccinated

and

unvaccinated

children.


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iii

Tableofcontents

Executivesummary.....................................................................................................................i

Tableofcontents.......................................................................................................................iii

Introduction................................................................................................................................

1

Background.............................................................................................................................1

Problemstatementandobjectives.........................................................................................2

Significanceandlimitations....................................................................................................2

Methods.....................................................................................................................................2

Datacollection........................................................................................................................2

Dataanalysis...........................................................................................................................3

Responserate.........................................................................................................................3

Results........................................................................................................................................4

Backgroundfactors.................................................................................................................4

Sourcesof

vaccination

information

........................................................................................

7Attitudestochildhoodvaccination.........................................................................................7

Familyvaccinationlevels......................................................................................................11

Incidenceofperceivedimmediateadversereactionsandlongtermeffects......................12

Generalcomments................................................................................................................15

Majorresultsandimplications.................................................................................................17

AppendixA: Reasonsforattitudechangetovaccination.......................................................20

AppendixB: Casestudyaccountsofadversereactionsandlongtermeffects......................24

Behaviouralproblemse.g.autism,ADHD,Aspergers.........................................................24

Asthma,allergies,immunityissues,earinfections...............................................................27

Other

long

term

effects

........................................................................................................

29

Vaccinationswitholderpersons...........................................................................................32

AppendixC: Commentsaboutrisksandbenefitsofvaccinesandotheraspects..................34


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1

Introduction

Background

Thecommonperceptioninthecommunityisthatvaccineshavebeenlargelyresponsibleforthe

declineslastcenturyinthemorbidityandmortalityfromawholerangeofcommondiseases. Both

thegovernment

and

the

medical

profession

promote

this

point

of

view

and

actively

encourage

vaccinationofbabiesfrombirthtoensurethatthesedeclinesarenotreversed.

Anumberofgroupshavequestionedtheconventionalwisdominrecentyears. Thishasoccurred

notonlyinAustraliabutalsoinothercountriesthatpromotemassvaccinationprograms. Thisis

evidencedbytheplethoraofinternetsitesthatarewarningofthedangersofvaccination.

Vaccinationisbeingincreasinglyquestionedontwolevels. Firstly,itisclaimedthatthedeclinesin

diseasemorbidityandmortalityhaveoccurredprimarilyinresponsetohigherstandardsofliving.

Secondly,itisalsoclaimedthatmanyofthevaccinesusedareactuallyharmfulwiththepotentialto

causebraininjuryanddeleteriouseffectsonthebodysautoimmuneresponse.

TheAustralianVaccinationNetwork(AVN)wasformedin1994byagroupofconcernedparents,

healthprofessionalsandothers. Ithadamembershipofapproximately1,000in1998whenit

commissionedamailoutmembershipsurveytodeterminethecharacteristicsofitsmembers. The

responseratewasinexcessof40%. Briefly,themajorfindings1were:

1. Themajorityofrespondentswerefemale(89%)andmostfamiliesrepresentedinthesurveywereeithercoupleorsingleparentfamilieswithchildren(94%).

2. Ingeneral,respondentshadhighlevelsofeducation,with70%havingapostschoolqualification.

3. Mostrespondentshadaccessedawiderangeofinformationsourcesonvaccination.4.

Respondents

overwhelmingly

had

negative

attitudes

to

the

practice

of

childhood

vaccination.

Thisnegativeattitudewasreflectedinthevaccinationpracticesused. Theyhadincreasingly

rejectedvaccinationforfamilymembersintheprecedingyears.

5. Theyreportedthatfamilymembershadexperiencedawiderangeofimmediateadversereactionsfollowingvaccination. Themostfrequentlymentionedwere:feversandahigh

temperature,inflammationandswelling,screaming(oftenhighpitched),crying,feeling

listlessoroffcolour,feedingproblems,sorelimbs,sleepdisruptionanddiarrhoea.

6. Similarly,awiderangeoflongtermeffectsofvaccinationwerereported. Mostdistressingwasthatthreesaidtheyhadbabiesthatdiedasaresultofavaccinationshot. Other

frequentlymentionedlongtermissueswere:asthmaandotherbronchialproblems,

allergies,immunityproblems,earinfections,eczema,chronicfatiguesyndrome,arthritis,

attention

deficit

disorder

and

learning

problems.

7. Therewasahighlevelofdistrustofthegovernment,themedicalprofessionandvaccinemanufacturers.

Theresultsindicatedanurgentneedforsoundlybasedresearchtoassessthevalidityoftheclaims

beingmade. Unfortunately,therehavebeennoinitiativesbyanyofthethreemajorproponentsof

vaccination(government,medicalprofession,vaccinemanufacturers)intheyearssincetoaddress

thisneed.

Despitethecontinuedpushbyitsproponentsforwidespreadvaccinationcoverage,membershipof

theAVNhascontinuedtogrowsince1998. Attheendof2012,therewerecloseto2,000members.

1WilsonTD(1999),AProfileoftheVaccinationAwarenessMovementinAustralia(38pages).


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2

Inordertoupdateitsdatabaseonthecharacteristicsofitsmembers,theAVNexecutivedecidedto

commissionafollowupsurvey.

Problemstatementandobjectives

Thismost

recent

survey

was

carried

out

as

an

on

line

survey.

The

objectives

were

almost

identical

to

thoseofthe1998survey. Specificquestionsofconcernwere:

Whatarethebiographicalcharacteristicsofmembers? Domembersmostlyhaveyoungfamilieswithchildrenofanagewhenvaccinationisanissue? Whataretheeducational

levelsofmembersandwhatoccupationsdotheyhave?

WhatfactorsinfluencedmemberstojointheAVN? Whatdotheyexpecttogetoutofmembership? Whatsourcesofinformationhavetheyaccessedonvaccination?

Howstrongaretheantivaccinationattitudesthatthesepeopleundoubtedlyhold? Whatwerethefactorsthatinfluencedthemtoformtheirviews?

Whatvaccinationprocedureshavemembersusedintheirfamilies? Towhatextentdomembers

believe

that

vaccines

have

affected

family

members?

Significanceandlimitations

Thisgroupofpeoplecanbeexpectedtoholdmorenegativeattitudestovaccinationthanthegeneral

population. However,theintentofthestudywasnottoextrapolateresultstothegeneral

populationbutsimplytodocumentthecharacteristicsofthisparticulargroup. Onepurposein

collectingthedatawastodemonstratetomedicalpolicymakersandhealthauthoritiestheconcerns

thatlargenumbersofpeopleholdaboutvaccination.

Methods

Datacollection

ThequestionnairewasdesignedanddeliveredusingthewebbasedSurveyMonkey.2package. A

noticerequestingmemberstocompletethesurveywasemailedattheendofOctober2012.

Akeyobjectiveofthesurveywastoassessmembersattitudetochildhoodvaccination. ALikert

attitudescalewasdevelopedandvalidatedtouseinthe1998AVNsurvey. Thesamesetof

statementswasusedagain. Thescalecontains18statements10statementsfavourableto

childhoodvaccinationandeightthatareunfavourable.

Respondentswereaskedtoindicatetheiragreementwitheachstatementonafivepointscale. All

statementsfavourabletochildhoodvaccinationwerescored:stronglyagree=4,agree=3,

neutral/undecided=2,disagree=1andstronglydisagree=0. Theunfavourablestatementswere

scoredinreverseorder. Thescoreswereaddedforeachrespondent.Thisresultedinanattitude

scorewithapossiblerangeofzeroto72. Highscoresindicateapositiveattitude.

Inaddition,thefollowingdatawerecollected:

2http://www.surveymonkey.com/


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3

1. Backgroundfactors(typeoffamilyunit,roleoftherespondentinthefamily,numberofadultsinthefamilytakinganinterestinthevaccinationissue,reasonsforjoiningAVN,socio

economicfactorse.g.educationlevel,employment,postcode);

2. Sourcesofinformationusedonvaccination;3. Attitudestovaccination,includinganyreasonsforachangeinattitudeinrecentyears;4. Vaccinationstatusoffamilymembers(ageandsexofallfamilymembers,vaccinationsreceived,immediateadversereactionsandlongtermeffectssuffered);and5. Generalcommentsaboutthevaccinationissue.

Respondentswereaskedtoindicatetheirhighestlevelofeducationusingthebroadclassificationsin

theAustralianStandardClassificationofEducation(ASCED)3. Respondentswerealsoaskedtolist

theirmajoroccupationiftheywereworkingorhadworkedinthepast. Theirresponseswere

groupedusingtheAustralianandNewZealandStandardClassificationofOccupations(ANZSCO)4.

Dataanalysis

Thecut

off

date

for

survey

returns

was

6

th

December

2012.

Data

were

downloaded

from

the

SurveyMonkeysiteintoanExcelspreadsheet. DatawereanalysedusingtheStatisticalPackagefor

theSocialSciences(SPSS).

Datacontainedinthereporttablesaremostlyshownaspercentages. Therewassomemissingdata

forsomequestionsbutthemissingdataweremostlylessthan10%ofthepossibleresponses. The

figuresshowninthetablesarethepercentagesofvalidresponses. Somepercentagesmaynotadd

to100%duetorounding.

Responserate

The

number

of

questionnaires

received

was

640,

representing

a

return

rate

of

32%.

Some

respondentspreferredtoremainanonymousanddidnotprovidetheirpostaladdress. However,530

membersdidprovidedetailsoftheirAustralianpostcodesandtherepresentationfromstatesforthis

groupwas:NewSouthWales(includingACT)33%,Queensland29%,Victoria17%,WesternAustralia

12%,SouthAustralia6%,Tasmania2%andNorthernTerritory1%. Therewerealsosix

questionnairesreturnedfromoverseastwofromNewZealand,twofromChinaandoneeachfrom

USAandtheUK.

3AustralianBureauofStatistics(2001),AustralianStandardClassificationofEducation(ASCED).ABS

CatalogueNo.1272.04AustralianBureauofStatistics(2006),AustralianandNewZealandStandardClassificationof

Occupations(ANZSCO).ABSCatalogueNo.1220.0


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4

Results

Backgroundfactors

The instructions on the questionnaire requested that The survey should be completed by the

memberof

your

household

that

takes

the

most

interest

in

the

vaccination

issue.

Table

1shows

the

types of family units represented, the role of the person completing the questionnaire, and the

numbersofadultsinthehouseholdwhofollowthevaccinationissue.

Table1: Familybackgrounddata

Familyunit: Percentage

Couplefamilywithchildren 71

Couplefamilywithoutchildren 9

Oneparentfamily 11

Other 9

100%

Rolein

family

unit:

Husband(marriedordefacto) 17

Wife(marriedordefacto) 66

Singlefather 1

Singlemother 10

Other 6

100%

Numberofadultsinfamilytakinganinterestinvaccinationissue:

One 22

Two 63

Threeormore 15

100%

Themajorityofrespondents(82%)hadchildren. Seventyonepercentwerefromcouplefamilies

withchildrenwhile11%wereoneparentfamilies. Surprisingly,ninepercentclassifiedthemselvesas

couplefamilieswithoutchildren.However,ahighproportionofthiscategorywasactuallycouples

withgrownupchildrenwhohadlefthome. Similarly,therewereninepercentintheother

category. Thereweremanygrandparentsinthiscategory,alongwithotherssuchassingleor

divorcedpeople. Onepersondescribedherfamilyastwowomenandadog.

Aroundthreequarters(76%)wereeitherwivesorsinglemothers,while18%werehusbandsor

singlefathers. Theothersixpercentweremostlymadeupofgrandparentsandsingleordivorced

peoplewithnochildrenathome.

Inthemajorityofhouseholds(85%),therewereeitheroneortwoadultswhotookaninterestinthe

vaccinationissue.

ThereasonsforjoiningtheAVNaregroupedinTable2. Mostrespondentsindicatedmorethanone

reason.


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6

Table4:Educationlevelsandage

Educationlevel:

Upto40

years

41to60

years

Over60

years

Postgraduate/Grad. DiplomaorGrad

Certificate/Bachelor

degree

64

53

44

Advanceddiploma/diploma/Certificate 28 29 26

Primaryorsecondaryschool/Other 8 17 30

Total 100% 100% 100%

Thesurveyaskedpeopletoindicatetheirmainoccupationiftheywerecurrentlyworking,orhad

workedinthepast. Eightyfivepercent(546people)answeredthisquestion. Theirreplieswere

groupedintomajorareasusingtheAustralianandNewZealandStandardClassificationof

Occupations. ThedistributionofrepliesforallsurveyrespondentsisshowninTable5.

Table5:Distributionofbroadoccupationgroups

Occupation: Percent

Managers 6

Professionalshealth

Healththerapy1 20

Midwiferyandnursing2

7

Otherhealth 2

Professionals education3 10

Professionalsother 12

Techniciansandtrades 4

Communityandpersonalserviceworkers 10

Clerical

and

administrative

workers 10

Salesworkers 3

Machineryoperatorsanddrivers 1

Labourers 1

Notanswered4

15

Total 100%1Includes59chiropractorsandosteopaths,and62complementaryhealthproviders.

2Includes32registerednursesand10midwives.

3Includes50schoolteachers.

4Notansweredeitherbecausetheyhadnotworkedinthepastorbecausetheydidnotrespondtothe

question.

Professionals in the health area made up the biggest occupation group. These were mostly

chiropractors,osteopaths,complementaryhealthproviders,nursesandmidwives. Schoolteachers

and othereducationalprofessionalsalsoaccounted fora significantnumber (10%). The 12% who

madeuptherestoftheprofessionalgroupcamefromavarietyofprofessions:artsandmedia(11

people),business,humanresourcesandmarketing(30),design,engineering,science,transport(7),

informationandcommunications(6)andlegal,socialandwelfareprofessionals(13).

Communityandpersonalserviceworkersmadeupasignificantnumber(10%). Thisgroupincluded

health and welfare support workers and carers and aides. Similarly, clerical and administrative

workersmadeup10%ofallsurveyrespondents.


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Sourcesofvaccinationinformation

Respondentswereaskedtoindicatefromalistof10possiblesourcesofinformationonvaccination

whichonestheyhadused. Thepercentagesindicatingthenumbersusingeachsourceareshownin

Table6.

Table6:Sourcesofinformationonvaccinationused

Informationsource:

Medicalliterature 54%

Naturalhealthmagazines 75%

AVNinformation 96%

Theinternet 85%

Books 82%

TVprograms 31%

Talkingtomedicalprofessionals, e.g.GPs 37%

Talkingtocomplementaryhealthproviders,e.g.naturopaths,

homeopathsand

chiropractors

77%

Talkingtofriends,familyandotherparents 57%

Vaccinationmeetings 30%

Other 5%

Allsourcesofinformationlistedwereindicatedasbeingusedbyalargenumberofrespondents.

Predictably,theAVNwasthemostused(96%ofrespondents). Theinternetandbookswerealso

eachlistedbyover80%. Naturalhealthmagazinesandcomplementaryhealthproviderswerealso

widelyused.

Othersourcesofinformationlistedwere: complementaryhealthstudies(14people),common

senseor

personal

beliefs

(4

people),

have

seen

vaccine

damaged

children

or

personal

experience

(3

people),governmentinformationorwebsites(2people),DVDsorCDs(2people)andvaccine

manufacturerinformationorproductinserts(2people).

Thefollowinginformationsourceswerealsolistedonceeach: healthshopwork,workedin

pharmacyfor10years,homebirthgroups,radioprograms,schoolprojects,andoverseasgroups

similartoAVN.

Amajorityofrespondentshadaccessedawiderangeofinformationsources. Forexample,80%had

accessedfiveormoreoftheinformationsourceslistedonthequestionnaire.

Attitudes

to

childhood

vaccination

Table7showstheresponsestothe10attitudestatementsthatsupportedvaccination,whileTable8

showstheresponsestotheeightattitudestatementsthatopposedvaccination.


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8

Table 7: Percentage distributions of replies to statements that are favourable to childhood

vaccination

SA A U D SD

Doctorshavetheknowledgetowarnparentsofanylikelyadverse

reactions

to

vaccination

7 18 11 34 30

Vaccinatedchildrenhavelessseveresymptomsiftheydocatchthedisease 3 7 17 35 38

Doctorscanbetrustedonissueslikevaccination 0 0 4 31 64

Thebenefitsofvaccinationfaroutweightherisks 1 1 6 29 63

Vaccinationwillhelpuseliminateinfectiousdiseasesfromthehumanrace 0 1 7 27 65

Vaccinationisasoundlyresearchedmedicalprocedure 1 1 3 23 73

Weneedthemajorityofchildrentobevaccinatedfortheincidenceof

diseasestodecrease

0 1 6 28 65

Unvaccinatedchildrenposearisktoothers 1 1 2 18 78

Parentswhodonotvaccinateareirresponsible 0 0 0 10 90

Schoolsshouldexcludenonvaccinatedchildren 1 0 1 8 90

Legend:SA=stronglyagree,A=agree,U=undecided,D=disagree,SD=stronglydisagree

Table 8: Percentage distributions of replies to statements that are unfavourable to childhood

vaccination

SA A U D SD

Parentswhodecidenottovaccinatehavegenerallydonetheirhomework 57 39 2 1 0

Onaverage,nonvaccinatedchildrentendtobehealthierthanthosethathave

beenvaccinated

53 37 9 1 0

Vaccinationcouldberesponsiblefortheincreaseinchronicdiseasessuchas

asthmaanddiabetes

50 39 9 1 2

Therearebetterwaystoprotectchildrenagainstdiseasethan childhood

vaccination

65 31 3 0 0

Thereare

more

adverse

reactions

to

vaccination

than

get

reported 81

17

2

0

0

Childrencanstillcatchdiseasestheywerevaccinatedagainst 78 21 0 0 0

Parentsandnotthegovernmentshoulddecidewhetherchildrenare

vaccinated

89 9 1 0 1

Parentsneedbetterinformationabouttherisksofvaccination 89 10 0 0 0

Theresponseshighlightthenegativeattitudesoftherespondentstochildhoodvaccination. There

was general disagreement with the statements that were positive to vaccination and general

agreementwiththenegativestatements.

Atotalattitudescorewascalculatedforeachrespondent(seeMethodssectionforanexplanation).

This

score

had

a

possible

range

of

zero

to

72,

with

high

scores

indicating

a

positive

attitude

to

childhoodvaccination. ThedistributionofscoresisshowninTable9.

Thisdistributionofscoreshighlightstheoverwhelmingnegativeattitudestochildhoodvaccination.

Only one percent of respondents could be considered to be neutral to the practice, with the rest

beingeitheragainstorstronglyagainst.


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9

Table9:Distributionoftotalattitudescores

Attitudescorerange: Percentage

Stronglyinfavourofvaccination

5872 01

44

57

02943 1

1528 15

0 14 84

Stronglyagainstvaccination

100%1

Onerespondentwasinthiscategory.

Thequestionnaireaskedpeoplewhethertheycouldrememberatimewhentheyhadbecome less

positive to the practice of vaccination i.e. less positive than they had previously been. In other

words, had there been a turning point for them? Table 10 shows the number of respondents to

whichthisapplied,togetherwiththenumberofyearssincethisoccurred.

Table10:Numberswhohadbecomelesspositivetovaccinationthanpreviously

Canyourememberatimewhenyourattitudetovaccinationbecameless

positive?

Yes 85

No 15

100%

Ifyes,howmanyyearsagodidyourattitudetovaccinationchange?

15years 17

610years 30

1115years 19

16

20

years

14

Over20years 20

100%

Amajority(85%)saidtheycouldrememberatimewhentheirattitudetowardsvaccinationbecame

lesspositive. Foroverhalfoftheserespondents,thishadbeenmorethan10yearsagoi.e.itwasnot

arecentevent. ItislikelythatahighnumberinthiscategorywouldhavebeenolderAVNmembers

andhavebeenmembersformanyyears.

Respondents were also asked to explain the reasons their attitude changed. Most described the

decisionmakingprocesstheywentthrough. Formost,therewasnoonesinglefactorthatinfluenced

them.

Thefactors

that

influenced

them

to

change

were

identified

by

sifting

through

the

descriptions

theygave. ThesefactorsaregroupedintoanumberofareasasshowninTable11.

Formany,therewasaparticulareventthatsetthemonthepathtoresearchingtheissue. Themajor

eventslistedwere: concernfordoingthebestfortheirfamily(oftenpromptedbyanimpending

birth),andhavingwitnessedadversereactionstovaccinationortheirlongtermeffects.

Table11alsoshowsthatalargenumberofsourcesofinformationthatwereusedtocollect

information. Insomecases,thiswasthefactorthatinitiatedtheirresearche.g.talkingtofamilies

andfriends. Forothers,asnotedabove,therewasaparticulareventthatpromptedthemtocarry

outresearchontheissue. ThebiggestcategoryisageneraloneandisgroupedasDid

research/becameinformed/started

to

think.

This

would

have,

of

course,

included

researching

manyofthemorespecificsourceslistedsuchasreadingbooks,magazinesandarticles. Talkingto


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12

Table13:Vaccinationstatusoffamilymembersbyagegroup

Vaccinationstatus: Upto5

years

(348people)

6to10years

(267people)

11to20

years

(329people)

Over20

years

(1,526

people)

Total

(2,470

people)

Fullyvaccinated 2 5 11 44 29

Partiallyvaccinated 8 19 36 43 34

Notvaccinated 89 75 53 10 34

Dontknow 1 0 0 4 2

Total 100% 100% 100% 100% 100%

ThemoststrikingfeatureofthedatainTable13isthattherehasbeenagreatdeclineinvaccination

fortheyoungeragegroups. Forexample,only10%ofchildrenfiveyearsoryoungerhadbeengiven

anyvaccinationshotsatall,andmostofthesewereonlypartiallyvaccinated. Forpeopleagedmore

than20years,theproportionthathadreceivedsomevaccinationswas87%.

Incidenceof

perceived

immediate

adverse

reactions

and

long

term

effects

Thequestionnaireaskedwhetheranyfamilymemberhadsufferedimmediateadversereactionstoa

vaccine. Respondentsweregiventhreeoptionstocheckyes,noanddontremember.Therewasa

similarquestionaskingwhetherpeoplebelievedanyfamilymemberhadsufferedlongtermeffects

fromvaccines. Theoptionstocheckwereyes,noanddontknowornotsure. Table14showsthe

percentagesofthetotalresponsesthatfellinvariousresponsecategories.

Table14:Incidenceofimmediateadversereactionsandlongtermeffects

Sufferedadversereactions?

Sufferedlongtermeffects?Yes No Dont

remember

or

notsure

Yes 17% 6% 7%

No 4% 14% 7%

Don'tknowornotsure 12% 10% 23%

Intotal,33%ofrespondentssaidthatatleastonefamilymemberhadsufferedanadversereaction.

And17%saidthat,aswellashavingafamilymemberwithanadversereaction,theybelievedthatat

leastonefamilymemberhadsufferedlongtermeffects.

Ontheotherhand,sixpercentsaidtheydidnotrecallanadversereactioninthefamilybutthey

believedafamilymemberhadsufferedlongtermeffects. Intotal,30%feltthatafamilymember

hadlongtermeffects.

Immediateadversereactions

Forthoserespondentsthatindicatedafamilymemberhadsufferedanadversereaction,therewasa

questionasking formoredetails:which familymember,theiragewhenthe reactionoccurred,the

symptoms,whetherthe familymemberwasseenbyaGP,whetherthereactionwasconfirmedas

beingcausedbythevaccineandwhetherthereactionwasreportedtothegovernment.

Thirtythreepercentrepliedthatafamilymemberhadsufferedanimmediatereactiontoavaccine.

Table15showsthenumberoftimesparticularadversereactionswerementioned. Theseare

groupedtogetherasmuchaspossiblesothatsimilarsymptomsarelistedtogether.


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14

Itisofconcernthat22reportedapersonalityorbehaviourchangesoonaftervaccination. And11

peopleclaimedthatafamilymemberhadcontractedthediseasetheywerevaccinatedagainst

shortlyafterthevaccination.

Onehundred

and

eighty

three

people

described

the

adverse

reactions

suffered.

Many,

of

course,

mentionedmorethanonesymptomaspartoftheonereactione.g.cryingandlistlessnessfromthe

onevaccination. Around85%(ofthe183)mentionedone,twoorthreesymptomsintheirfamily.

Fromtheinformationprovided,therewere133childrenvaccinatedasbabieswhohadsuffered

immediatereactions78malesand55females. Respondentswereaskedtoprovideawritten

descriptionoftheadversereactionssuffered. Manyaccountswereincompleteintermsofwhethera

doctorhadbeenconsulted,whetherthereactionswereconfirmedasbeingcausedbythevaccine

andwhetherthereactionhadbeenreportedtothegovernment. However,AppendixBcontainsa

numberofselectedcasestudieswheretheseaspectsarementioned.

Longterm

effects

Thirtypercentsaidafamilymemberhadsufferedalongtermeffectfromavaccine. Table16shows

thenumberoftimesparticularlongtermeffectswerementioned. Theyarealsogroupedtogetheras

muchaspossiblesothatsimilarlongtermeffectsarelistedtogether.

Themostfrequentlymentionedlongtermeffectswereallergies(includingfoodintolerance)which

werementioned41times,asthma(34)andautism(23).

Thereareahostofbehaviouralissuesgroupedwithautism. Theseinclude:learningproblems(14),

ADDorADHD(10),speechdeficiency(8),unspecifiedbehaviourproblems(7),togetherwitha

number

of

other

serious

behavioural

problems

mentioned

less

often.

Sixty

respondents

said

that

at

leastonefamilymemberhadsufferedlongtermbehaviourproblemsasaresultofvaccines.

Otherlongtermproblemsmentionedahighnumberoftimeswere:chronicfatigue(21times),

eczema(21),gastrointestinalproblems(17)andimmunityissues(15).

Therewerenoconfirmedreportsofdeathsoffamilymembersaftervaccination(Therewerethree

reportedbabydeathsinthe1998AVNmembershipsurvey). However,onerespondenthadason

thatdiedofHodgkinsLymphomawhenhewas24yearsold(born1982). AnalternativeGPsaidhe

wasthetypeofchildthatshouldneverhavebeenvaccinatedandthatitwouldhavebeena

contributingfactor. Therewerefouranecdotalreportsofdeathsinthedescriptiveanswersgivento

the

question

about

why

respondents

had

become

less

positive

to

vaccination.

These

were

deaths

sufferedbyrelativesoracquaintances. RefertoAppendixA.

Onehundredandeightypeopledescribedthelongtermeffectsthatfamilymembershadsuffered.

Aswithadversereactions,manymentionedmorethanonelongtermeffect. Someindividualfamily

memberswouldhavesufferedmorethanoneeffecte.g.asthmaandfoodintolerancesufferedby

theoneperson. Around90%(ofthe180)describedone,twoorthreelongtermeffectsintheir

family.

Fromtheinformationprovided,therewere114childrenvaccinatedasbabieswhohadsufferedlong

termeffects79malesand35females. Respondentswereaskedtoprovideawrittendescriptionof

thelongtermeffectssuffered. Again,manyaccountswereincompleteintermsofwhether


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15

mainstreamorcomplementaryhealthprovidershadbeenconsulted. AppendixBcontainsanumber

ofcasestudieswherethereaspectsarementioned.

Table16:Numberoftimeslongtermeffectswerementioned

Allergies(incl.

food

intolerance)

41 High

heavy

metal

levels 5

Hayfever 4 Diabetes 4

Anaphylaxis 2 Blooddisorder 2

Toxinsinblood 1

Autism 23 Pyroluria 1

Learningproblems 14

ADD/ADHD 10 Chronicfatigue 21

Speechdeficiency 8 Arthritis 5

Behaviourproblems 7 Fibromyalgia 4

Mentalillness(incl.bipolar) 4 Multiplesclerosis 1

Depression 4

Dyspraxia 3 Earinfections 9

Oppositional

defiant

disorder

(OD)

3 Hearing

loss 3Personalitychange 2 Rhinitis 3

Moodswings 2 Ear,nose&throatproblems 2

Memoryconcentrationproblems 2 Auditoryprocessingdisorder 2

Drugdependence 2

Socialinteractionissues 1 Eczema 21

Obsessivecompulsivedisorder(OC) 1 Skinrash 10

Dyslexia 1 Melanoma 1

Schizophrenia 1 Vitilago 1

Retainedprimitivereflexes 1

Gastrointestinalproblems 17

Asthma 34 Crohnsdisease 4

Colds 1

Respiratoryproblems 1 Immunityproblems 15

Pneumonia 1 Candida 1

Primarybilarycirrhosis 1

Motorproblems 6

Epilepsy 6 Headaches/migraines 5

Bedwetting 3 Meningitis 1

Delayeddevelopment 3

Growthproblems 2 Tonsillitis 4

Clumsiness 2 Polycysticovarysyndrome 2

Poormusclestrength/hypotonia 2 Heartproblems 1

Sleepproblems 2 Cervicalcancer 1

Eyeproblems 2 Proteininurine 1

Hairproblems

1 Glandular

fever 1

Chronicinflammatorypolyneuropathy 1 Constantlyill 2

Generalcomments

Almost half (44%) of the respondents volunteered comments about the risks and benefits of

vaccinationandaboutotheraspectsofthevaccination issue. Thesecommentscoveredarangeof

issuesandpointsofview. AppendixCcontainssomeexamplesofthecommentsmade. Theywere

groupedintothefollowing10areas:

1. Risks of vaccines 71 people commented. There was a universal view that the risks ofvaccination

far

outweighed

the

benefits.


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16

2. Reportingofchildhoodreactionsthreepeoplecommented. TheirviewwasthatonlyaverysmallfractionofreactionsactuallygetreportedtotheAdverseDrugReactionsAdvisory

Committee(ADRAC)5.

3. Need for more information for parents 40 commented. The consensus was that theinformation that isbeingmadeavailable to parentswasmisleadingand inaccurate. Some

saidthat

the

inserts

accompanying

vaccines

should

be

more

prominently

displayed.

4. Comparison of health of vaccinated and unvaccinated children 13 commented. Theconsensuswasthatunvaccinatedchildrentendtobehealthierthanvaccinatedchildren.

5. Upholdingtherightoffreechoice38peoplecommented. Allsupportedfreechoice.6. Criticism of the medicalprofession, the government, drug companies and themedia 72

peoplemadecomments. Variousaspectswerementionede.g.pushingtheuseofvaccinesin

thepursuitofprofits,presentingabiasedviewofthevalueofvaccinesbythemedia,denial

bydoctorsofobviousadversereactions.

7. Provaccinationviewssixpeopleexpressedwhatcouldbeconsideredsomelevelofsupportforvaccination.

8. Needformoreresearch14peoplementionedthis. Variouslinesofresearchweresuggested

e.g.

looking

at

the

health

levels

of

vaccinated

and

unvaccinated

children,

research

todetermineasafeagetoadministervaccines,theefficacyofcombininganumberof

vaccinestogether,whetheravaccinedosageshouldvarywiththesizeofthebaby.

9. Issuesfornonvaccinatingparents16peoplecommented. Theriskoffeelingalienatedfromotherparentswasaconcern,aswastheriskofbeingcensuredbythemedical

profession.

10.FeedbackontheworkoftheAVN46peoplecommented. Individualcommentsarenotshowninthisreport. However,therewasuniversalsupportandappreciationexpressed

towardstheAVN,particularlytotheoutgoingpresidentoftheorganisation.

5Replacedin2010bytheAdvisoryCommitteeontheSafetyofMedicines(ACSOM).


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20

AppendixA: Reasonsforattitudechangetovaccination

Mynephewwasvaccinedamagedandaftereveryshothegotslowerinspeechandeventuallyhadatickinhisheadwherebyhekeepsblinkinghiseyes.

Mysonreactedseverelyafterbeingvaccinatedatthree. Mynextdoorneighbourthentoldmeherbabyboydiedthenighthewasvaccinated.

Thatswhenmychildwentfrombeinghealthytoasick,floppystateandmyworldturnedupsidedown.

Deathofthesisteroffriendswhohadbeenseverelydamagedbyvaccination20yearsbefore. AtwoyearoldgirlwasbroughtintothechiropracticofficewhereIhadjuststartedworking. Shewas

constantlyfittingandhermothertoldmeshewascompletelynormaluntiltheminutethedoctor

stucktheneedleinherarmforhertwoyearoldvaccination. ThenIstartedtoreadallIcould.

Istudiedteachingin1989anddidapracticumataspecialschool. Themajorityofthechildrentherehadbeenseverelyneurologically damagedbyvaccines.

Isawaperfectlyhealthyandhappy,normalchildturnintoaveryunhappyandsickautisticchildafterreceivingtheMMRvaccination.Ithenstartedtodomyownresearch.

Whenmydoctorcalledmeselfishandirresponsiblefornotvaccinatingmythen12montholdsonwith

the

MMR

vaccine

as

I

was

unsure

if

the

vaccine

was

indeed

linked

to

autism.

Thank

you

Dr

AndrewWakefield.

Ihadachilddiagnosedwithautismattheageoftwo.Hewasacompletelynormalbabyuntilhewasgivenallofhisvaccinationsandthenhechanged.

Mydaughterdevelopedautism. Itookhertoanaturopathwhosuggesteditcouldbevaccination. IthenspentthenextsevenyearsresearchingeverythingIcouldonvaccination. Metafewdoctorson

myjourneywhoalsoagreedwithme. FoundtheAVN. Researchedsomemoreandcametothe

conclusionthattherewasnothinggoodaboutvaccination. Somytwootherkidsaren'tvaccinated.

Mydaughterhadtheinitialthreevaccines criedfor24hoursverydistressed.Visitedmydoctorwhosaid(pleasedon'tquoteme)Dosomereadinganddon'tgetthenextlot.

MythirddaughterhadaskinreactionalloverherbodyfollowingtheMMRinjection.Itlastedalongtime. Iheardthatawhoopingcoughjabcouldcausebraindamage.Iaskedmydoctorandhesaidthat

he

had

seen

a

ward

full

of

brain

damaged

children

in

a

major

UK

training

hospital

following

their

whoopingcoughimmunisation.SomyfourthchildonlyhadCDTimmunisation. NowIwouldnot

immuniseatall.

IhadaschoolfriendwhograduatedasabiochemistandthenheldaresponsiblepositionattheCommonwealthSerumLaboratory. Shewasconcernedenoughnottovaccinateherownchildren.I

didstillvaccinatemine,butIwasveryworriedaboutwhattodo.

Anelderchiropractorinmyprofessioneducatedmeaboutvaccinationandwhyitwassobadforneurologicaldevelopment.Hewasright! After11yearsofpracticeIseetheongoingsideeffectsof

vaccinationaswellasthelackofaccountabilitythemedicalprofessiontakesfortheinjuriesitcauses!

IreceivedtheHepBvaccineandexperiencedchronicfatigueimmediatelyanditcontinued. Doctordismissedmysuggestionofalinktothevaccine. Fiveyearsofchronicfatiguewasmorethanenough

formetorealisehowdangeroustheyare. ThenIsawdeadbabiesfromvaccinesinmypolicecareer. I

sawparentsbeingroutinelychargedwithmanslaughteraftertheirbabyhaddiedfromvaccines. This

isonecrazyworldofevil.

FacebookhasmadeitpossibletowatchfriendsandfriendsoffriendsaroundyouannouncethatitislittleJimmy'sneedlestodayandwithinafewdaysheisinhospitalwitha'weirdvirus'andnextweek

theyannounceheisnowsufferingseizuresetc. Iseesomethinglikethisdaily!

IwassonaivethatIstillhadmychildrenvaccinatedaftermydaughterwashospitalizedfordaysbecauseofconvulsionsfollowingavaccination;andeventhoughaneighbour,whenIwasateenager,

hadtold'us'(thefamily)abouthowsheandhersiblingsmissedoutonbeingvaccinatedthedayso

manychildrendiedinBundabergfollowingvaccination6. Myneighbourandhersiblingsweredressed,

readyfortown,onthebackoftheirtruckandthetruckwouldn'tstart. Howluckycouldtheybe?

6

Twelve

Bundaberg

children

died

after

a

diphtheria

vaccination

in

1928.

Reference:

Akers,

H.F.

and

Porter,

S.A.T.(2008).BundabergsGethsemane:thetragedyoftheinoculatedchildren. RoyalHistoricalSocietyof

QueenslandJournal. Vol.20,No.7.


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22

Weinitiallyvaccinatedourfirstchild,ourson,althoughwewereneverfullycomfortablesowedelayedeachvaccinationbyafewmonths.Atthetime,asnewandnaiveparents,wedidnotfeel

confidentorinformedenoughnottogoaheadwithvaccinatingastherewassomuchscaremongering

fromfriends,doctorsetc.Weagonisedeachtimehegotjabbed. Oursondevelopedeczemaandby

theageofonehadsevereallergytodairyandnutsaswellasasthma.That'swhenalarmbellsstarted

ringingforusandaftermonthsofreadingandresearch(thankyou,AVN!)westoppedthe

vaccinationsat

18

months

and

felt

it

was

the

best

decision

we

could've

made

for

him.

Our

daughter

is

notvaccinatedatall.

Aneighbourgavemeinformationaboutthedangersofvaccines21yearsago,aftermyfirstchildwasborn. Atthatstage,Iwasstilltoocaughtupinthefearandpropagandaaboutvaccines. However,

whenmysecondchildwasaboutayearold,anewvaccineappearedontheschedule. Iwasgiventhe

usualspielaboutitbeingimperative. Butatthatstagetherewasnocatchupscheduleformyson

whowasjust21monthsolder. Atthatpointthepennydropped. "HowstupiddoyouthinkIam? You

aretellingmeonechildisatriskofdeathfromthisdiseaseandtheotherwholivesinthesamehouse

isatnoriskatall." Thatwasthecatalystthatforcedmetostartresearching. IwashorrifiedbywhatI

discoveredanddiscontinuedvaccinationfromthatpoint.

Iaskedtwofriends bothGPs howmuchtimetheyspentlearningaboutvaccinesatuniversity. Oneanswered,"Noneactually." Thesecondanswered,"None,buteveryoneknowsit'stherightthingto

do."

LaterIgave

the

second

person

avideo

(produced

by

the

AVN

Ibelieve).

They

returned

it

afew

weekslaterwithoutevenviewingit,andhadwrittenonthecover"Antivaccinationpropaganda." I

hadsimplyaskedhertoviewthevideoandgivemefeedback. Thearrogantresponsebewilderedme.

Thankfully,itforcedmeintodoingtomyownresearch.

IworkedforGlaxoSmithKline, finishingin2007,sellingthefirstoftheCervarixvaccines. Notalotofinformationwasdeliveredbythemarketingdepartmentotherthantosayitwas'better'than

Gardasil. Istartedtofeelalittleuneasyaboutit. Thenmorecameoutaboutadverseeventsthat

were'patched'upbyamarketingspieldeliveredbyusreps. In2007theonlyreasonIdidntgetthis

'fabulous'vaccine(thatonlycoveredsomethinglike3strainsoutof200+)wasbecauseIwas

pregnant.Thisprecautionalsosoundedalarmbellsinmymind whywoulditatanystagenotbe

safe? Eventuallyafterthebirthofmydaughter,andoverwhelminghormonaldrivetoprotecther

from'everything'Iwonderedaboutthevaccines...Iwas'jabbed'withthisandthatatbirthwithzero

explanation!

Learningabout

BPA

in

bottles

prompted

me

to

query

everything

Itouched

that

Iwould

givetomydaughter.

WhenmyinfantdaughtergotencephalitisaftervaccinationandIbegantoresearchtheissuewithverylimitedinformationatthattime. Ihavesincerealisedthatmyownautoimmuneconditionis

relatedtovaccination. AlsomybrotherinlawsnephewdiedaftervaccinationsomeyearsagoandI

haveanautisticgrandsonduetovaccination noonedaretellmeotherwise.

Mydaughterwas"encouraged"tohaveaflushotafterherfirstchildwasborn shegotreallysicktheeveningafterthevaccinationandwenttoemergencywheretheyadmittedher. Theyrefusedto

believeitwasrelatedtotheflushotandtreatedherforabloodinfection. Whentestresultscame

back,therewasnoinfectionandtheystillsaiditmusthavebeensomildthatitdidn'tshowup. When

Iaskedifitcouldbethevaccine,thethreedoctorspresentsaidyes,buthighlyunlikely theonewho

respondedcouldn'tlookmeintheeyewhenhesaidthat. Ifeltthenthattherewasacoverup. My

daughterand

Ithen

began

to

research

more

and

realised

that

there

was

so

much

we

were

not

told

andfeltquitebetrayedbythemedicalprofession. Iftheyhadtoldusthetruthwewouldnothave

beensosceptical.

Igavebirthtoourfirstchildandstartedresearching. MyintuitionkickedinandIfeltcompelledtoresearchandquestion,andultimatelywedecidednottousevaccination. Thankfullymyhusbandwas

onboardandhasthesameviewsbecausewithoutsupportthatitwouldbedifficult,perhapstoo

difficultformetonotvaccinatealonewithoutanysupportfromfamilyorfriends. IreadbooksandI

hadalongphonecallwithMerylDoreywhoIthankdeeplyfortheprofoundimpactshehadonour

lives,andmyabilitytolistentowhatmyintuitionwasalreadytryingtotellme. Thankyousovery

muchMeryl!

IcompletedadiplomainMedicalHerbalism.Ataboutthesametimemytwoyearoldgrandsonwasvaccinatedagainstmyadviceformeasles.Theresultofthatvaccinationwasaverysicktoddler. He

developedthe

worst

case

of

measles

Ihave

ever

experienced

and

he

had

guardia

in

his

bowel.

The


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24

AppendixB: Casestudyaccountsofadversereactionsandlongtermeffects

Behaviouralproblemse.g.autism,ADHD,Aspergers

Mother(53),anauthor,withtwodaughtersaged27and24andonesonaged23.Allfamily

members

are

partially

vaccinated.

Sonagethreewastripledosedin1992. Wasaveryplacidthreeyearoldchild. Becamevery

aggressiveafter. Itwaslikeatotalchangeinpersonalityovernight. GPstatedIneededarestanddid

notbelieveme.Ididnotreportthechange. SonstillhasaggressivebehaviourandistermedADD.

Father(63)withfourchildrenrangingfrom24to18. Allpartiallyvaccinated. Selfemployedinthe

cateringindustry.

Son(secondchild)born1989. MMRat12months. Suffersfromautism/epilepsy/Intellectual

disability/behaviouraldisorders Temperatureandscreamingfirst24hours. Notreportedto

governmentbyGPasyearspassedpriortomajordiagnosis.

A50yearoldmotheroftwosonsaged21and16. Theyoungerisnotvaccinated.

Mysonbornin1991receivedhisfirstvaccinationsatsevenmonths. HeslippedintoaSIDSlikecoma

fromwhichIcouldntrousehim. Hesleptfor14hoursthenwokeup. IneversawaGP. AndIdidntknowatthetimethathehadsufferedaseriousreaction. Ijustknowthathisbehaviourwasabit

differentfromthatepisode. Hewasdiagnosedatfouryearswithautism. HealsohasADHD. A

mainstreampaediatriciansawhimfor13yearstoadministerRitalinforhim. Allthroughthistime,

anduptonow,wehavealsousedlotsofcomplementarymedicine,whichIthinkhasplayedan

enormouspartinrestoringhishealth.

Mother(49)whohasworkedinfinance,humanresourcesandadministration. Sevenchildren

rangingfrom20tosevenyears. Thetwoyoungestarenotvaccinated.

Myson,whowasoutgoingandcheerfulandverysocialattheageoffourandahalf,withinweeksof

havinghispreschoolentryvaccinationsdone,hebecamethetotalopposite. Hehadslightswelling

andfevers. OurGPdismisseditasnormalanditwasnotreported. Thedoctorscouldnthelpandit

tookseveral

years

of

personal

research

and

reading

that

finally

put

it

together.

Mainstream

medicine

wasconsultedandtheytriedtosaybehaviourwaspartiallyAspergersandpartlypsychotic??

Thousandsofdollarshavebeenspentoncomplementaryhealth,somegivingminorrelief,somemore

significantandsomenoneatall,

Mother(48),atrainer,withtwodaughtersaged16and14,bothpartiallyvaccinated.

ReactionofyoungerdaughtertoMMRatageonewasreportedtoGPandpaediatricianbuttheysaid

itwasunlikelytobeMMR. Noofficialreporttogovernment. Ihavemetapprox.20familiesoverthe

yearswhosaysimilaraboutnonreporting.Thisworriesmebecauseifweallknowofupto20

unreportedreactionsthestatisticsaboutvaccinesafetyareinaccurateandparentsarebeingmisled

andconned. Mydaughterhasautism,dyspraxiaandhaslostherspeech. Wehaveconsulted

numeroustherapists. Naturaltherapieshelpwhenneeded. Mainstreammedicineworsens

symptomse.g.

antibiotics

cause

worse

gut

problems.

Medicines

full

of

artificial

colours

and

sweetenerskeepherawakeandreduceconcentrationetc. Innerheathandmagnesiumhelpand

homeopathyisgreatforher,notaseffectiveforothersinfamilybutgreatforher.

A34yearoldmotheremployedinchildcarewithadaughter11andafouryearoldson,both

partiallyvaccinated.

Mysonagedthreedayswentlimp,lifeless,wouldntwakeup,turnedyellowanddevelopedfevers

afterreceivingtheHepBvaccination. Hwasadmittedtohospital.Nobodyknewwhatwaswrong.

Theysaidhewasjaundicedbuthislevelswerefinebuthisconditiondidntimprove. Nothingwas

reportednorwasthevaccineblamed.Weweretoldoursonwasjustalazybaby.Heseemedtohave

permanentdamagetohismouth/throat/tongue. Hecouldnolongerbreastfeedanddrinkingfroma

bottlewasverymessyashecouldntlatchorsuckorswallowverywell. Mysonsdevelopmentwas

verydelayed

eating,

crawling,

talking.

He

had

difficulties

with

social

outings

or

visitors.

He

couldnt

handlechangeorbeingtakenout,orhavingpeopletouch,talkorlookathim. Atthreeyears,he


32/45

25

wasdiagnosedwithASD.

Mother(50),thedirectorofachildcarecentre,withtwochildrenaged18and11. Onlytheeldestis

vaccinated.

Myeldestsonwaslistedontheautismspectrumwhenhewassixyearsoldandvaccinationwas

thoughttheprobablecause.Wesawdoctors(Nameswithheld). Duringmysonsvaccinationvisitasa

babyin

1995,

the

doctor

asked

me

ifIwanted

my

diphtheria

and

tetanus

booster.

Iagreed

and

for

the

nextfiveyearsIlivedinafogwithtotalmentalandphysicalfatigue.Thedoctorsaiditwasdueto

beinganewmother.Ifoughtmywayoutofthisviavitamins&varioussupplementsthatIfoundfor

myself inthosedaystheInternetwasnotsowidelyused.Ilatertracedtheonsetofmyproblemto

thisvaccination.Icouldcryatthememoryofit.

Mother(42)whohasworkedinchildcare. Threechildrenrangingfrom15tofouryears. Thetwo

youngestareunvaccinated.

Mysonatsixmonthsofageaftervaccinationdevelopedhightemperaturesandrashalloverchest

andbackforacoupleofdays. Itwasnotreported. Hesufferedhightemperaturesandcryingwithall

hisvaccinationsuptoageof12months(thenreceivednomore).Thischildhassincebeendiagnosed

withAspergersSyndrome,ODDandADHD. Ihaveusedcomplementarymedicineforyearsandeven

hairmineral

analysis

results

have

shown

an

above

normal

level

of

heavy

metals

such

as

mercury

in

his

system.Allourhealthcareisalternativewherepossible.

Mother(53),aNaturopathandLecturer,withonefullyvaccinatedsonaged20.

MysonhadanadversereactiontotheMMRwhen18monthsold floppy,swollenlegatsite,

feverish,etc. Ibelievehesufferedsomeregressionafterthatshot. Hestoppedmakingeyecontact

andwaseasilydistracted. Later,whenhewaseightyearsold,hewasdiagnosedwithADDand

depressionbyaPaediatricConsultant,whoputhimonantidepressantsanddexamphetamine. Iwas

extremelyloathtoputhimonthesedrugsandresearchedalternativesmyself. Iamnowa

naturopathandhelpotherconcernedfamiliesmakeinformedchoices. Itispossiblethatmysonwas

intellectually affected. HisfatherisaMensan,andIwasthetopgraduateatmyschoolandlaterat

mycollege,butoursonwasnotahighachieveratschool. Hehasgreatdifficultyparticipatingin

mathematics.

Hehas

gotten

better

over

the

years

because

he

is

now

studying

the

thing

he

loves

(music),butIwouldhavethoughthewouldhavebeenmoreacademic.

Mother(60)ateacher,withonevaccinatedsonnowaged21.

MymothertoldmeIdevelopedeczemaandmyolderbrotherdevelopedasthmastraightafterthe

smallpoxvaccinethatwehadinScotlandwhenIwas19monthsoldandmybrother31monthsold.

Thiseczemaandmybrothersasthmaplaguedusintoadulthoodbutdiminishedwhenwereached

our30s. Oureczemaandmybrothersasthmaatthetimewerenotassociatedwithourreactionto

thesmallpoxvaccineandweretreatedbydoctorsbutnotreportedasvaccinereactions. Ihada

poliovaccineinmyarmwhenIwasabout11in1963andIhadtohaveafewdaysoffschool(arare

event)becauseitcausedmylegstobecomeveryheavyandIcouldntwalkproperlyforafewdays.I

didnotseeadoctorforthisreaction. Ijuststayedinbeduntilmylegsworkedagainanditwasnot

reported

to

a

doctor

only

my

teacher

through

a

note

from

my

mother.

MysonexperiencedabadreactiontohisfirstDPTatsixmonthsofageandthislastedforsixweeks

withirritabilityandpooreyedcontact. Hehadhighpitchedscreamingtwohoursafterthisvaccine.

Hedevelopedahighfeverof39.6for40hourswhichcouldnotbereducedbyPanadol.Thisreaction

wasreportedtoadoctorandthebabyclinicinQueenslandimmediately.Idontknowwhattheydid

withmycomplaint.Thebabyclinictoldmeitwasacommonreactionandheshouldnotgetthe

pertussiscomponentofthisDPTvaccineagainsomysonjusthadtheDTvaccineat17months.(My

sonactuallygotpertussiswhenhewas18in2010andhegaveittome.Webothcoughedforthree

monthsthengotbetter. Iwas58atthetimeandhadbeenanurseinmyyoungeryearsthena

teacherandIhavelivedinUK,SouthAfrica,USAandAustraliaandIhadneverseenacaseof

pertussisbeforethis.Somuchfortheeffectivenessofpertussisvaccines).

Herecoveredfromthisthenhisnextbatchofvaccineswasat11monthswhichwaspolio,HibB,

TetanusandDiptheria (nopertussiswasgivenduetopreviousbadreactionfromDPT).Hebecame

irritableafterthisvaccineaswellbutrecoveredafterafewweeks. At17monthshehadhisMMR

andpolioontheonedayandherapidlyregressed. Atagetwoyearssevenmonthshewasofficially


33/45

26

diagnosedwithdevelopmentalregressionandthensubsequentlyautism.Isuspectedthecausebeing

theMMRstraightawaybecausehemetallmilestonesearlyandhewasstrongandhealthybabywho

waswalkingindependentlyateightmonthsoneweekandused25wordsby17months.Fourdays

afterthevaccinehestartedtobashhisheadagainstthewallthensubsequentlyrunaroundincircles

thenbashhisheadwithallhistoysandstoppedplayingappropriately withthem. Ireportedmy

suspicionoftheMMRcausingmysonsautismtodoctorsatthebabyclinicsinhospitals(names

withheld)when

Ireturned

from

America

six

months

after

my

son

had

the

MMR

vaccine

in

USA.

(I

returnedtoAustraliatogetgoodmedicaltreatmentforhimbecausewecouldseehewassuffering

fromseveredevelopmentalregressionafterthisvaccineanditwasclearhewasnotgettingany

better). Idontknowwhatthedoctorsatthe (Namewithheld) hospitalhereinBrisbanein1993did

withmysuggestionthatmysonspiralledintoautismfourdaysafterhisoneandonlyMMRvaccine

buttheyranalotoftestsonhimandcouldntfindareasonforhisregressionandchromosometests

provednormal.AnMRIshowedsomedelayedmyelinpossiblyfromaformofencephalitisfromhis

DPTvaccineoranothervaccinesuchasHibBorMMR. At26monthsin1993hegotanotherHibB

vaccineandstartedactingveryagitatedagainafterthis.

Tothisdayhehasneverreturnedtobeingabletoplay,socialiseorcommunicateappropriately and

requireslifelongsupportbecausehecantdoanythingforhimself.IbelievethefirstDPTvaccine

damagedthebloodbrainbarrierandwhentheMMRcamealongitgotthroughthebloodbrain

barrierand

caused

chronic

encephalitis

like

avariant

of

SSPE.

He

currently

has

gut

issues

and

has

lost

alotofweightandhairinthepasttwoyearsandalsohasdevelopedsebohhericdermatits,

helicobaterpylori,esophagitis,gastritisandnowsomeswollenjointsonfingers.Hishealthyimmune

systemhewasbornwithhasbeencompromisedbyvaccinesresultinginhischronicillnessesand

delayeddevelopment.Ihadtogiveupmyjobasateachertotakecareofhimmanyyearsago.Lifeis

aconstantstruggleforusandhehassuchdifficultysleepingwithconstantinvoluntarymuscle

twitchingpreventinghimfromsleepingpeacefully.

Mother(57)withtwosons,nowaged22and20,bothvaccinated. HealingTherapist,aswellasa

MinddFoundationRepresentative.

Myself poliovaccinations vaccinatedbetween195560. Thiswasoneoftheworsttypesofpolio

vaccinationsinhistory. AccordingtoMedicalIntuitives,after55yearsthevaccinestillsitsinmy

systemthroughout

my

legs,

even

though

Ihad

no

polio

disease.

Ihave

severe

dyslexic

learning

disabilities.

Myoldestson fullyvaccinatedwiththetriple/polio/hib &HepBuptoagefive. Hehadfeverand

cryingthroughthenightaftereachvaccination. HedevelopedODD(Oppositional DefiantDisorder)

andbraindeformitiesthatlefthimseverelydisadvantagedinlearningcapabilities.Itwasnotreported

toaGPbecauseIwasunawareofthedamageuntilhewasolderanditwastoolateasODDdoesnot

showupuntilmuchlaterinachildsdevelopment. However,Itookhimtoanaturalpathologistto

healthegut,whichwasunsuccessfulduetohisdefiantbehaviour,andlatertoabrainspecialist,

whichalsowasunsuccessfulduetohisdefiantbehaviour. Helaterresortedtodrugsashisonlyway

tocopewithbrainchaoticabnormalities. Healsohasaweakimmunesystem,alwaysgettingcolds.

Myyoungestson fullyvaccinatedwiththetriple/polio/hib &HepBtoagethree. Afterhisfirst

vaccinationsattwomonths,hestoppedbreastfeedingashewasunabletosuckproperly,even

though

he

was

perfect

prior

to

his

first

vaccinations.

After

his

first

vaccinations,

at

two

months,

he

startedlosingweight. Afterthreemonths,hehadablockedbowelfor17days. Hewascheckedby

GPsbuttheydidnotindicatethatthismighthavebeeninstigatedbyvaccinations,whichatthetime

weretheworstformofvaccinationsinhistorygiventochildrenbetween1990and2000. Whenhe

wasthree,Ilearnedaboutthedevastatingeffectsofvaccinations,andimmediatelystoppedall

vaccinationswithmysons. LaterIlearnedofmysonsdeformitiesinspeech,brainandthegut.At

age18,unbeknowntome,hewasgiventhetetanusshot,whichnowhasthe3in1(diphtheria,

whoopingcoughandtetanus). Heregressedquiteseverelyinspeechandbehaviourwhichnearly

landedhiminjailwithacriminalrecord. Priortothetetanusshot,hewasspeakingandfunctioning

sufficientlytograduatefromtheBrisbaneTradeCollege,withnobehaviouralproblems. Heis

Aspergers/dyslexic/withsomeautism. HewasdiagnosedwithsevereAuditoryProcessingDisability

inBrisbane,andlaterbytheDyslexicCentreinBrisbaneasseverelydyslexic.Hehadseverespeech,

gutandlearningdisorders.HeundertooktheTomatisProgramforsevenyearswithaTomatis

Practitioner,aswellashadtwolongtreatmentswiththenaturalpathologisttohealthegut. Healso

hadtwoyearswithaspeechpathologist. HealsoundertookayearinBrainGymwithapractitioner.


34/45

27

Overafewhundredthousanddollarsofourfundstosupporthimthroughcountlessprogramsand

endlessworthlessschoolingsystems,heisnowonhissecondyearofapprenticeship. Hestillhas

severespeechdisordersandbecauseofthis,hehasnofriendsinhislife. Keepinghimaliveisafull

timejob.Hisonlywaytofeelfunctionalinlifeistoworknonstop.

AllreactionsofbothchildrenwerereportedtoAVNmanyyearsago,whichIwasinformedwould

havebeenpassedontothegovernment. ItisacompletewasteoftimegoingtoanyGPtoreportany

reactionbecause

they

would

never

admit

that

vaccinations

are

the

cause

of

problems.

From

their

pointofview,theyneedtoprotecttheirjobs,whichisfarmoreimportantthansavingthewellbeing

ofanychild. AlltheresearchIhaveinvestigatedthroughnaturalpaths,AVN,andtheMindd

Foundation,wherespecialist(includingsomedoctors) andscientistshaveprovidedclearevidenceto

showhowvaccinationsdestroythebrainandimmunesystemofthebody,hasshownwithoutdoubt,

bothofmychildren,includingmyselfhavebeenseverelydamagedbyvaccinations. Noneofthese

disordersexistedinmyparentsortheirparents,onbothsides.

Asthma,allergies,immunityissues,earinfections

Mother(40)whoworkedforawholesaletravelcompanyandisastudentofkinesiologywithone

sonborn2005.

Iwaspregnantandbeingbombardedwithinformationaboutvaccination. Luckilymysisterspoke

withmeabouttheideaofnotvaccinatingandsuggestedviewingyourwebsiteformoreinformation

andresearchingtheissuefurther. Unfortunately, Iwaspressuredbymysonsfatherandhissideof

thefamilywhoaredoctorsandsurgeonsandsomysonwasvaccinated. Mychildsufferedfeverand

irritabilityandcriedmostofthenightafterhischildhoodvaccinations.Hethensufferedfromeczema

untilIbroughtitundercontrolwithdiet. Imanagedtoavoidthefouryearoldvaccinationsuntil

earlierthisyearwhenhisfatherwentagainstcourtordersandtookhimtobeimmunised. Forthe

pastsixmonthshehasbeenextremelysickwithadrasticallyweakerimmunesystemthanpreviously.

A56yearoldmotherwhohasworkedasafamilyviolenceworker, hypnotherapistandyoga

teacher.

Whenwe

were

talking

as

adults,

my

mother

said

that

Ichanged

straight

after

the

four

month

vaccine

shot.ShesaidIwasahappyhealthybabyandthenIjustchangedovernightanddidntlikebeingheld

muchordrinkingandIbecamequitedifferent.Istartedgettingsevereearinfectionsandtonsillitis,

wasoftensickandweakwithstomachaches.Stillhavetroublewithmystomachalot. Ihavechronic

fatigue,nowlabelledasfybromyalgia.

Mother(65)whohasworkedinnaturalhealthforthelast32years. Threechildrenwhoarenow

41,38and37.

Mydaughterhadeczemaafterherfirstandonlyvaccineandshebrokeoutterriblywithrashoverher

wholebody.Thenshehadallergiesuntilher30s. ShedevelopedgastroenteritisaswellandtheGP

saidnevertovaccinateheragainandgavemealettertosaythisfortraveletc.Thenmysecondchild,

aboy,hadhisthreemonthvaccineandbrokeoutineczemaandwhiteblotches. Thesamedoctor

saidnot

to

vaccinate

and

wrote

aletter

for

me,

When

my

third

child,

ason,

was

born

Idid

not

vaccinatehimatall.WewenttoliveinChinainavillageforacoupleofyearsbutmychildrennever

gotsick.Theyplayedinthestreetsandfellintosewers.Itwasawful.Howevertheynevergotsick

fromthis. Ithinkitwasnaturalinoculation.

Mydaughtersufferedyearsofallergies. Herhairfelloutanditwentveryweakandfine. Ittooktwo

yearstogrowhairafterheroneandonlyvaccinebutthenshenearlydiedfromtheGIEwhichwent

onfortwomonths.Shehasalwaysbeentiredevenasasmallgirl.Sheistiredtillthisdayasayoung

41yearoldmumabouttohavehersecondchild.Sheisbetterthanwhenshewaswhenyoung. She

stillhasfinethinhairbutsheisovertheallergiesnowthankgoodnessbutisverysensitivetothings,

especiallychemicals.

Mother(43)oftwochildren,asonaged12andadaughtersixyears,whohasworkedasanauthor,

editor,mentor

and

teacher.

The

daughter

is

unvaccinated.

MysonhadallvaccinationsuptoandnotincludingtheMMR.Thereactionswerealwaysthesame.


35/45


36/45

29

normalyears. Thelastfivehadnoproblems.

Mother(58)withtwodaughtersnowaged 19and16. Onlytheeldestisvaccinated. Motherhas

workedasabankofficer,officeworker,secretaryandreceptionist.

Eldestdaughter,attwo,four&sixmonths DPT,polio.(cantremembertheothers theusual,atthe

time). Thefourmonthshotsbroughtonunnatural,highpitchedscreamingfortheentireday. Could

notbe

consoled.

14

days

later:

severe

eczema.

Later,

off

the

scale

allergies

as

described

by

a

naturaldoctor. Furtherdownthetrack,anaphylaxisreactiontofish. Wasseenbythecommunity

nurseatthetime.. Shedismissedthereactionsandreferredtothemascompletelynormal. Asfaras

Iknow,notreportedtothegovernment. Longterm,ithascostheapsofmoney(many,many

thousands)tryingtounderstandwhathappened,andtryingtoremedytheproblem,andfixitup.

Today,aslongasshekeepsawayfromanumberoffoods,herimmunityisnotcompromisedso

much. Stilltheseriousproblemwithfish,though. Andshehastroublewithenergy,periods,sleeping,

stress,eventhoughsheisonanexcellentdiet. Theyoungerdaughter,whohasnotbeenvaccinated,

isrobustandhealthyandstrong.

Mother(43),anadministrationassistant,withsixchildrenagedfrom14totwoyears. Onlythe

eldestisvaccinated.

Iwas

vaccinated

for

Rubella

at

11

years.

Iwas

an

A

student

and

within

aweek

of

the

vaccination,

I

wasaBandCstudent.Myparentswonderedwhybutnoonecouldgiveananswer. Myeldest,ason,

wasvaccinatedupuntiltwoyears.Heisnow14,stillwetsthebed,hasahugeintolerancetowheat

(noneofthefamilydoes)andgetsillfarmoreoftenthanhissiblings.Wehavebeentomany

specialistsandgivenhimmanytreatmentsandnonework. Itisnotconfirmedthatitisthevaccines.

Otherlongtermeffects

Father(53)withtwosonsaged16and15. Onlytheeldestisvaccinated.

Sonborn1996. Withinacoupleofdayswhenhewasafewmonthsold floppystateandturneda

bluecolourafterDTP. WasseenbyaGP. Onehospitaldoctorhasagreedmysonsproblemswere

causedby

the

vaccines.

Not

sure

if

GP

reported

reactions

to

the

government.

He

now

has

very

poor

eyevisionwithcataractsinbotheyes.

MotherwithabackgroundasaBusinessAnalystinIT.

Daughterborn2004wasvaccinatedagainstmywishesbyherfatherwhenshewasvisitinghim. She

contractedaskindiseasewhichlookedlikeringworm. TheGPskeptdiagnosingherwithringworm

aftersixmonths! Finally,adermatologistdiagnosedherproperlyfromabloodtest.Plus,thetest

showedherbeingdeficientinVitD. Afteracoupleofmonths,IwantedtheGPtorequestanother

bloodtesttocheckfortheskindiseaseandherVitDdeficiency,buthewasveryrudesayinghecould

seefromherskinshewascured. AstheGPdidnotdiagnoseherproperlythefirsttime,Iwas

offendedfromhiscomment. Itshowedhisignorance. Afterayear,mydaughtersskinfinallycleared.

ShewasgiventheHepBwhichIbelievecausedtheskindisorder.No,IdidnotreportthisreactionasI

wastrying

to

find

out

how

my

ex

husband

had

the

right

to

do

this.

Unfortunately,

the

Council

only

needsonesignaturefromaparentwhichIfindoutrageous. Second,Iwastryingtofindouthowto

protectmydaughterfromtheonslaughtoftoxins.So,Ididnotevengiveitathoughttoreporther

reaction.

Amotherfamilydetailsnotdivulged.

Mythen20montholdsonhadhisshotsaspertheschedule.Ithenhopelesslywatchedashespent

theeveningscreaminginwhatcanonlybedescribedasagony.Thateventuallystoppedandwasthen

replacedwithtwodaysofaverylimpchildwhodidnotwalkortalkfortwoorthreedays.He

eventuallyimprovedbutwasnotthesamevibrant,inquisitivelittleboythathewasbeforethose

shots.Thisledtomyquestioningandresearchingvaccination.

Motheraged

30

who

has

worked

in

education.

Three

sons

aged

six,

four

and

two,

and

anewly

born

daughter. Onlytheeldestchildisvaccinated.


37/45

30

Oureldestboy(born2006)hadfevers,rashes,breathingdifficulties,flusymptomsandvomiting.We

tookhimtoadoctorafterthevomitingandnothingwasdonesowestoppedvaccinating.Thedoctor

saidtheywereallcoincidentalsymptoms. Myhusbandsreactionwasconstantearinfectionsthat

startedasachildonlyafterhewasvaccinated.

A35yearoldmotherofthree(daughtersagednineandfour,andasevenyearoldson)whohas

workedin

administration.

The

younger

daughter

is

unvaccinated.

Mysonhadamildseizurewhichwasdeniedbythedoctorasbeingareactiontothevaccine. Itwas

notreportedtoanygovernmentauthority. Ibelievethisreactionisnowthecauseofhisverypoor

visionmakinghimdyslexic. Itwasafterhissixmonthneedles. Ihaveconsultedmanymedical

professionsbuthavereceivedthegreatesthelpfromawelltrainedhomeopath.

A37yearoldmother(Yogateacher)withapartiallyvaccinateddaughteragedfiveandan

unvaccinatedsonagedone.

Myself developedwhoopingcoughshortlyafterthevaccine. Mydaughterhadthefirsttwo

vaccinesatfourandsixmonthsaftermyhusband(nowex)insisted.Bothtimesherlegswelledand

wasredatthesiteofthevaccinationandshescreamedforsixhours.Afterthefirstvaccine,theGP

convincedmethatthiswasanormalreaction,whichIdidntbelieve.Afterthesecondtime,Iwentfull

ballinto

research

and

found

apaediatrician

who

agreed

it

was

abad

reaction

and

to

never

subject

her

tovaccinationsagain,oranysiblings.IalsocontactedtheAVNatthetimeandyouwereveryhelpful.

TheGPdisagreedbutcontinuestohaveourfamilyaspatients.Nothingwasreported.

Father(71)withsevenchildrenrangingfrom46to38. Hehasbeenateacherandaministerof

religion.Allfamilymembershavebeenvaccinated.

Ourson,atfourmonthsofage,hadtripleantigen;febrileconvulsions,hightemperature,crying,not

seenbyadoctor;noconfirmation,noreporting. Hesuffersminimalbraindamage(milddegreeof

spasticity)whichcontinues. Complementaryhealthprovidershavebeenconsultedandhaveoffered

moresupportthanthemedicalprofession.

Mother(54)whohasworkedasaneditorandastockbroker. Fourchildrenrangingfrom23to17

years.

Thetwo

youngest

are

unvaccinated.

Mysonhadhighpitchedscreaming,ahighfeveranddevelopedsleepapnoeaafterhisfirst

vaccinationsattwomonthsofage.Hisimmunesystemwasseverelysuppressedandhewas

constantlysickandonantibiotics.AfterhereceivedtheMMRvaccineat18months,hewas

hospitalised.ThehospitalsaidtheybelievedhehadgastroenteritisbutIbelieve,afterdoingagreat

dealofresearch,thathehadencephalitisandbothhisbehaviourandhisgrowthwereaffectedafter

thistime.Hewasdiagnosedwithfailuretothriveandgainednoweightatallfor18monthsand

stoppedgrowingcompletely. Eventoday,thoughheworkshardatbeinghealthy,heisverysmallfor

hisageandhasanimmunesystemwhichallowshimtogetsickwhenotherswhomightbestronger

wouldhavemoreresistance. Hewasonantibioticsformonthsatatimewithoutanybenefit.Itwas

notuntilwediscoverednaturaltherapies(anthroposophiccare,homeopathyandnaturopathy)that

wefinallyturnedacornerandhestartedtoimprovebutithasbeenaverylonghaulofmanyyearsto

get

him

back

to

some

semblance

of

health.

Mother(54)whoisaKinesiologist. Threechildrenbetween23and19,allvaccinated.

Theeldestchildhadtripleantigenattwomonths.Moanedforfourhourswithoutstopping,asifhe

hadaheadache. Hehadneverdonethisbeforeorsince. ReportedtothedoctorasIwasconcerned

aboutsubsequentinjections,andwastolditwasnothing,asthebabywasntconvulsing.SoIpresume

thisdidntgetreported.Hewassmilingatfiveweeksofageandhehaddelayeddevelopmentfor

everyothermilestone. TheyoungesthadMMRatfouryears. Causedanasthmaattack.Hewassick

foraweek.Ionlyconsentedtothisbecauseofthepossibilityofbeingexcludedfromschool.He

missedmoreschoolbecauseofthereaction.

Theeldestnowhasallergies,gutproblems,developmentaldelay,retainedprimitivereflexesand

socialandlearningproblems. Hewalksonhistoes. Thesecondchildhasallergies,someretained

primitivereflexes.somelearningproblemsandeczema. Theyoungesthasasthma,eczema.walkson

toes,isafussypickyeaterwithsomeretainedprimitivereflexes. WehavedoneBehavioural

Optometry,Chiropractic(PrimitivereflexInhibition),SamonasSoundTherapy Occupational


38/45

31

therapy,Paediatric Physiotherapy,VagaTesting,SkinPrickAllergyTesting,Naturopathy,

Homeopathy,Biofeedback,Neurofeedback, SpeechTherapy,Kinesiology(N.O.T.),(LEAP).Auditory

IntegrationTherapy. Imayhavemissedacouple. Mychildrenhaveallcompletedschool. My

oldestsonwasstrugglingwithschoolbyyeartwo,andIdoubtedwhetherIcouldkeephiminthe

schoolsystem.ThankgodIgothiseyestestedwith(Namewithheld).Thisopenedupawholerangeof

wonderfulandsupportivepractitioners.

Mother(41)whohasworkedasaninvestigator. Twochildrenagedsixandfouryears,both


Eldestchildattwoandahalfyearshadthevaccineforrotavirus. Myvery,veryregular(bowels)child

becameveryirregularstraightafterthevaccinationforaperiodofweeks evenstoppedallmotions

foraperiodoftime. IhadhimcheckedbyaGP,butIwastoldithadnothingtodowithit.Ialso

mentionedittothenurse shebasicallysaidthatitwasrubbishandcouldnthappen. Notreported.

Bowelsreturnedtonormalafteranextendedperiod. Ididnttakethematteranyfurther otherthan

startingtoresearchvaccinationmorethoroughlyanddecidingnottovaccinatemychildren

anymore!!! Therehavebeenalotofissueswiththatvaccine fortherotavirus.

Father(72)withabackgroundasamarinenavigator. Threechildrennow45,43and40,allfullyor


Ourinfantsonagesixmonths(Ithink) violentfeversoonafterthevaccination,rushedtoGPthen

directlytohospital.Thereactionwasalmostimmediateafterthevaccination. Inhospital,hewas

listedashavingpneumonia,whichitpatentlywasnt.

Mother(42)withthreechildrenagedeight,sixandthree. Onlytheeldestisvaccinated.Research

associateforADHDresearch(Yes,lotsoffebrileseizuresinthosekidsfilesthatInowknowwere

vaccinereactions almostalwaysatagefourmonths,sixmonths,and18months!).

Ihadjointpainandtendonitisrequiringphysiotherapy(thoughtitwasrepetitiveworkinjury!!)after

MMRboosterage28. Fluafterfluvaccineage30.

Eldestchildhadvaccinereactionatagetwomonths. Puffyface,chronicgreenslimydiarrhoea,later

on,loosestoolsandtotallyundigestedfood(firstsolidstoolatagefourandahalfafterpartial

healing).Infancy:

Constant

crying

seemed

something

inside

her

head

and

belly

was

hurting.

Head

droppeddown,sleepingforthreetofivesecondsandnowIbelievethesewereheaddropseizures.

Latetosit,latetowalk,didnotgrasporplaywithtoys. HoldingherwassomewhatofacomfortandI

becameababywearingexpert,holdingheralldaywhileshejustwhimpered,butputtingherdown

thingsgot10timesasbad. Neverbellycrawled. Taughthertocreeponallfoursatnearly11months

ofage. Asatoddler,OCDlikesymptoms,agethreestartedfacialandvocaltics(mommyyuhyuh

yuhyuhwhilefacegrimaced),stereotypical movementsofhershoulders. Felldownalotallher

life,uptoagefour. Seriousfatigueuptoagefiveandahalf. Tantrumsthatwentforhours,starting

14monthstoagethreeandahalfwhenwestartedhealingprocess.Shealsoseemedtohavea

proprioceptionproblem. Walkingintowalls,leaningdownintoopendrawers,etceventhoughvery

carefulinhibitedpersongenerally. Sensoryproblems:oversensitivetonoiseandheat(bathwater

neededtobecool/tepid!) OCDlikefears(blackfuzzinbathtubwasaseriousconcernuptoagethree

and

a

half).

I

did

not

recognize

it

as

such

for

a

very

long

time,

but

because

so

many

doctors

told

me

herincessantcryingwasmyfault,Ineverfoundadoctortoresumethevaccinationschedule. Now

nearlyagenineandstillnotafluentreader,verylabouredandpainfulforhertoread. Hermathskills

arefine,andsheisveryrightbrainedandcreative/artistic. ShehasspeechdifficultieswithR. Bad

headachesandbackachesagesixtosevenandahalf. Didalotofthingsinthisorder....chiropractic,

TCMacupuncture,physiotherapy/massage,Craniosacraltherapy, allhavehelpedandasofthepast

sixmonthsallthosehavebeenalotbetter. TheTCMandphysiotherapyhelpedalot,thengoingto

CSTregularlygotherfeelingmuchbetter. Now,noheadachesandonlyalittlebackachinessattimes.

Inthemeantime,Iheardotherparentsstoriesthatwereeerilylikemyown;greendiarrhoea,

screaminginpain,wakingupscreaming,sleepdisruptions,seriousrefluxandvomitingformonths,

headdropseizuresIhadthoughtwerefromsleepiness/exhaustion....well,Idecidedtodelay. Then

astimewentonIgotmoreandmoreeducatedandrealizedmynowtoddlersPDDNOSwas

stemmingfromthevaccinedamage. Fixedherdiet,gaveherprobiotics,GFCFdiet,andvitaminsand

shegotsomuchbetterquicklythatIdecidedtolearnmore. Healedhertotallyintwofullyears. By

agefiveandahalfshehadnodiagnosisexcepttheIgAdeficiency(whichalsolatergothealed,


39/45

32

somehow)andwasstartingballet. Todayshehasissuesfromearlystressfullife,but95%normal. We

nevervaccinatedanyoneinourfamilyagain. Wesubsequentlyhadtwomorechildrenandtheyare

100%unvaccinated. OurdaughterwithDownsyndromeisthethirdchild,theyaresaidtohavepoor

immunesystemsanddefinitelygetvaccinated. Well,Iknowtheyarealsoverysusceptibletocellular

andbraindamage. ShehasbeenonDSsupplementsandaverycleannontoxiclifestyle(asgoodas

wecanmakeit,inBeijing,organic,nontoxichouseholdandpersonalcareproducts,goodnonBPA

waterand

most

importantly

no

medicines

or

vaccines).

She

is

nearly

four

and

talking,

learning,

singingsongs....doingGREAT!

Vaccinationswitholderpersons

Wife(59)whohasworkedasanadministrationofficerandbookkeeper.Nochildren.

At43yearsofage,IIhadatetanuscomboduetoaswollenfoot. ThevaccinebroughtmyCFS

symptomsoffatigueandseverefibromyalgia.Thislastedforyearsandstilltothisday. Iamnow59

yearsold. Thesymptomshavebeenhelpedwithahealthylifestyletosomeextent. Iwasseenbya

GPbutreactionwasnotreported.Theyhavenoidea!

Mother(58),abusinessconsultant,withonepartiallyvaccinatedchildwhoisnow24. Asonis

deceased.

MysondiedofHodgkinsLymphomawhenhewas24yearsold(born1982). MyalternativeGPsaid

hewasthetypeofchildthatshouldneverhavebeenvaccinatedandthatitwouldhavebeena

contributingfactor.

Mother(39),agraphicartist,withoneunvaccinatedchildagedfiveyears

Iwasvaccinatedformeasles,notsureofexactagebutunder10Iassume. Camedownwithsevere

caseofmeasles,worstcasethedoctorhadeverseen.Mumreportedittothelocalcouncilwhowere

doingthevaccinationsatthetimeandtheytoldheritmusthavejustbeenabadbatch.

A28yearoldmother,anaturopath,withanunvaccinateddaughterbornin2012.

Ideveloped

fever,

headaches,

muscle

aches

and

exhaustion

after

all

childhood

vaccinations.

Saw

GP

afterfirstfewreactions.Theywereconfirmedasbeingcausedbyvaccinebutnotfurtherreported.

Fromage12,Iwoulddeveloplocalizedswellingafterallvaccinationse.g.HepB,tetanus. The

affectedarmwouldbeswollen,itchy,achy,numb,andtinglyforuptotwoweeksfollowing

vaccination.ReactionconfirmedbyGPtohavebeencausedbyvaccinebutwasnotfurtherreported.

HusbanddevelopeddermatitisafteraDTPvaccinationin2005.WasreportedtoGP,whodeniedlink

tovaccineanditwasnotfurtherreported. Hestillsuffersfromdermatitis.Bothmainstreamand

complementaryhealthpractitionershavebeenconsulted.Mainstreampractitionersdenythelink.

Mother(34)whoisaprimaryschoolteacher.Twochildrenagedthreeandtwoyears,theyounger

onenotbeingvaccinated.

At34yearsofageIhadawhoopingcoughvaccine. Iloststrengthinmyarmsandlegstothepoint

whereit

was

difficult

or

not

possible

to

climb

stairs,

get

up

off

the

ground,

lift

my

children

up,

shower

Documents

A profile of the Australian Vaccination Network, 2012