[Libertarian] Re: Fw: [PROVE] Flu Vaccine Fails to Reduce Cases

Sat, 06 May 2006 11:48:22 -0700

I won't challenge your assessment of the report as I essentially
passed it on FYI. 

But, I will challenge what I understand to be your assertion that
govt coerced subsidy of suspect health care orthodoxy is
somehow 'justified' by a 'libertarianism' which is consistent to it's
core principle: one is free to do as one decides of their own free
will except for initiating, or doing a CREDIBLE threat of initiating,
physical force upon an innocent person and/or their possessions. 

Please see what I wrote in
'LIMITED vs UNIVERSAL Libertarianism'
at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Libertarian/message/48007


-Terry Liberty Parker
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TerryLiberty




--- In [email protected], Harland Harrison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
wrote:
>
> The study did NOT prove that the flu vaccine does not work; the
article
> quotes expert opinion that the study was worthless and proved
nothing. The
> true effect of this $200,000,000 government program remains
unknown!  The
> fact that the program had no baseline study, and did not
incorporate any
> official way to measure its effectiveness, tells nothing about the
flu
> vaccine, but quite a lot about government.
>
> Libertarians should note that vaccines protect all the people in the
> community, including those who do NOT take them, and that taking a
vaccine
> does involve some risk. As market "externalities", vaccines are one
of a few
> public health measures which a government can justify subsidizing.
>
>
> --
> Harland Harrison
> Libertarian for Congress
> 12th District (San Mateo-San Francisco, CA)
> http://Harrison2006.LPSM.org
>
>
>
> on 5/6/06 9:55 AM, Terry L Parker at tx [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "PROVE" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> > Sent: Friday, May 05, 2006 10:47 AM
> > Subject: [PROVE] Flu Vaccine Fails to Reduce Cases
> >
> >
> > [PROVE Note: Thanks to NVIC for sending this out and thanks to The
> > University of Ottawa researchers who were honest in reporting
that $200
> > million dollars later, flu vaccines failed to reduce the number
of flu
> > cases!  This is just another bit of evidence adding to the
growing pile that
> > vaccines don't work like the public is told.  With any other
product, if it
> > worked this poorly, people wouldn't hesitate to demand to stop
being forced
> > to pay for it.
> >
> > It is time in America that TRUE cost analyses are done on each
vaccine and
> > the taxpayer is no longer forced to pay through the nose for
everything in a
> > syringe just because it is approved by the FDA and the conflict
of interest
> > riddled ACIP adds it to their "RECOMMENDED" schedule.  Once a
vaccine is
> > approved and ACIP adds it to the schedule, we all pay for it for
every kid
> > on public assistance and then you pay for it again whether you
give it to
> > your children or not through higher insurance premiums which are
> > automatically jacked up to cover the cost.  Then you pay for it
again in
> > every product you consume and service you use as those companies
jack up
> > prices to cover the growing cost of providing health insurance to
their
> > employees.  Vaccines are first dollar coverage for private
insurance
> > companies which means the cost of the vaccine is directly added
to the
> > premium whether the employee or their children use the shot or
not.
> >
> > General Motors announced in June of last year that on average it
has to add
> > $1500 to the price of every vehicle to cover health costs for
their
> > employees.  I wonder if corporate executives at GM know what
portion of that
> > is because of childhood vaccines for diseases most kids will
never get and
> > for diseases that the vast majority of children recover from with
no serious
> > consequences?  In Texas, insurance companies are forced by law to
cover any
> > vaccine on the required schedule and you are still stuck with
those
> > outrageous premiums whether you want your child to get the
vaccine or not.
> > Last year, one insurance company informed legislators in Texas
that adding
> > the pneumococcal shot to day care requirements in Texas would
force them to
> > have to raise their premiums by over $100 per year to cover the
costs of the
> > required coverage. Vaccines or their coverage should not be
mandated by law.
> > Enough is enough. - DR]
> >
> > http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/story.html?id=a3febc68-
8863-4a2c-802
> > f-f414d0876e86&k=20268
> >
> > Free flu vaccine fails to reduce cases
> > study: 'Rates haven't decreased and there's been lots of money
spent'
> >
> > Tom Blackwell
> > National Post
> >
> > Tuesday, May 02, 2006
> >
> > Canada's first experiment in universal, free flu vaccine has cost
Ontario
> > taxpayers more than $200-million, but appears to have done
nothing to cut
> > the spread of influenza, a new study suggests.
> >
> > Per-capita flu rates in the province have not fallen at all since
the
> > program was introduced in 2000, concluded the University of
Ottawa research,
> > published in the journal Vaccine.
> >
> > In fact, the average monthly incidence of the virus jumped over
the first
> > five years of the program, though researchers say it is too early
to say
> > that numbers are really on the rise.
> >
> > "All we do know is rates haven't decreased, and there has been a
lot of
> > money spent," said Dianne Groll, the University of Ottawa
professor who led
> > the study. "The program was designed to reduce the incidence of
flu, and
> > this hasn't yet happened."
> >
> > The heavily publicized offer of free flu shots to all 12 million
Ontarians
> > was launched in 2000 to try to ease pressure on emergency wards
from flu
> > patients, and cut the incidence and severity of the illness.
> >
> > Dr. Grohl said it might be wise to focus on better targeting the
vaccine at
> > high-risk groups -- the very young, the elderly and the
chronically ill --
> > perhaps by giving shots to anyone who comes into an emergency
ward.
> >
> > She also said the province failed to collect detailed "baseline"
information
> > on vaccination patterns before the plan started or similar data
since then
> > to compare, making it difficult to thoroughly evaluate the
program.
> >
> > Some infectious disease specialists warned yesterday the study is
seriously
> > limited, partly because it compares the rates of laboratory-
diagnosed flu
> > before and after the program started. Cases that are confirmed by
a lab test
> > represent a small fraction of the total amount of flu and may not
give a
> > true picture of the situation, said Dr. Allison McGeer, one of
the country's
> > leading influenza experts.
> >
> > The Ottawa research correctly and interestingly analyzed the data
available
> > but is "irrelevant," concluded Dr. McGeer, infection-control
officer at
> > Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital and a strong proponent of universal
> > immunization. She acknowledged there is simply very little
evidence with
> > which to evaluate the program.
> >
> > "That we would publish this study is a marker of desperation."
> >
> > Dr. McGeer said there is other research, not yet published,
suggesting the
> > campaign has resulted in more chronically ill seniors being
vaccinated and
> > has reduced the seriousness of some illness.
> >
> > The Ontario initiative, the world's first universal flu campaign,
> > distributes about five million vaccine doses a year at a current
cost of
> > $50- to $55-million, including promotion, according to the Health
Ministry.
> >
> > Dr. Groll looked at the number of cases of laboratory-diagnosed
flu reported
> > to Health Canada between 1990 and 2005.
> >
> > She found that the rate between 1990 and 2000, when the program
started, was
> > 109 per 100,000 Ontarians. After the campaign's launch, it jumped
to 164.
> > The data was analyzed by Queen's University statistician David
Thomson, who
> > concluded there are not enough statistics yet to prove the
numbers are on
> > the rise.
> >
> > The researchers also found the Ontario flu rates did not change
relative to
> > other provinces. And, though the number of laboratory tests
conducted has
> > gone up, it has not increased compared with the rest of Canada.
> >
> > Dr. Michael Gardam, infection-control specialist at Toronto
General
> > Hospital, also stressed the limitations of the study, noting the
vaccine in
> > one of the years after the program started did not match the
strains
> > circulating in Ontario.
> >
> > Still, he admitted that emergency rooms at his hospital are no
less busy and
> > that "Ontario still gets flu outbreaks like anybody else."
> >
> > "The most we can say from this study is that clearly this program
is not a
> > home-run success," he said. "If there is success, it's subtle. If
the
> > results are that subtle, should the money be spent elsewhere?
That is a very
> > good question."
> >
> > Dr. Groll noted the campaign was instituted in 2000 without
any "baseline"
> > data -- information on what sort of people were getting
vaccinated before,
> > how many of those got the flu and whether flu patients used
hospital
> > emergency wards.
> >
> > Nor has such information been gathered since, making it very
difficult to
> > effectively evaluate the global vaccination plan, she said.
> >
> > "The program just lacks the baseline information you would need --
that
> > anybody would need -- before anybody put this kind of multi-
million-dollar
> > proposal together," Dr. Groll said.
> >
> > John Letherby, a spokesman for the Ontario Health Ministry,
defended the flu
> > program, though, saying it does have many "ancillary benefits"
apart from
> > the impact on overall rates.
> >
> > Those benefits include less emergency-room crowding and less
absenteeism,
> > but Mr. Letherby said the ministry does not itself collect such
statistics.
> >
> > t [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >
> >
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
> > Dawn Richardson
> > PROVE(Parents Requesting Open Vaccine Education)
> > [EMAIL PROTECTED] (email)
> > http://vaccineinfo.net/ (web site)
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
> > PROVE provides information on vaccines, and immunization policies
and
> > practices that affect the children and adults of Texas.  Our
mission is to
> > prevent vaccine injury and death and to promote and protect the
right of
> > every person to make informed independent vaccination decisions
for
> > themselves and their family.
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------
-
> > This information is not to be construed as medical OR legal
advice.
> > ------------------------------------------------------------------
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> > Tell a Friend about PROVE:
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> > ------------------------------------------------------------------
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> >
> >
> >
> >
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