The vaccine market is booming right now. Already, drug companies have sold $1.5 billion worth of swine flu shots, in addition to the $1 billion for seasonal flu they booked earlier this year. In addition to that, Congress has set aside more than $10 billion this year to research flu viruses, monitor H1N1's progress and educate the public about prevention.

But there is still some good news in the midst of all this, and that is that more people than ever before are finally beginning to sit up and take notice, and are beginning to consider the risks versus benefits of flu vaccinations.

As I recently reported, a new poll by Consumer Reports shows that nearly 2/3 of American parents plan to either hold off on vaccinating their children against the H1N1 (swine flu) virus, or won't vaccinate them at all.

In fact, quite a number of surveys, polls and studies are showing that more and more people are refusing the swine flu shot for themselves or their children over health and safety concerns.

And even a recent New York Times article acknowledges this site as playing an important role in educating the public about vaccine safety concerns, which has contributed to a less than wholehearted embrace of the government’s recommendation to rush out and get vaccinated.

The NY Times reports that, "The popular Web site Mercola.com is urging parents not to get the flu vaccine ...", with the result that the majority of parents are now planning to refuse to let their children get these shots.

Largely as a result of this Web site's posting the information, and your sharing it with your friends and relatives, we have together created MAJOR doubt in the minds of many consumers about the value of these vaccinations. Many people are now coming to the realization that flu vaccinations can cause serious health problems.

Together, we are making a difference! A difference that is likely saving people’s lives and preventing permanent and irreversible health consequences.

Have You Thought About This?

Barbara Loe Fisher with the National Vaccine Information Center brings up several important points to consider in her blog, Vaccine Awakening. I highly recommend you read her article in its entirety, but here are a few of the highlights:

• Getting vaccinated in a non-medical setting can be very dangerous.
  
  The swine flu vaccine is now being offered all over the place; in pharmacies, stores, schools, and even drive-by kiosks. Getting vaccinated in a non-medical setting like this can be very risky. For example, if you drive away immediately after getting vaccinated and suffer an unexpected allergic reaction or collapse, it could be deadly, not only for you but also for innocent bystanders and others sharing the road with you.
  
  These places also do not have the ability to properly evaluate your medical history, nor perform the necessary follow-up, should you have any adverse reactions.

• If you get vaccinated and suffer health complications, REPORT IT!
  
  This is a crucial element of vaccine safety, and diligent reporting of all adverse reactions can help save the lives of others. As Fisher recommends, insist that the health care worker who gave you the vaccine immediately files a report with the US federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). If they, for whatever reason, won’t do it, you CAN file it yourself!
  
  To file a report yourself, simply go to www.vaers.hhs.gov and follow the instructions.

• Don’t accept “coincidences” when it comes to vaccine reactions.
  
  I strongly agree with her concern when she says:

  “Do NOT let a doctor or anyone else tell you that a serious health problem you or your child experiences after vaccination is a coincidence and allow more shots to be given until you know for sure.
  
  The most tragic cases of vaccine injury occur when vaccine reaction symptoms are dismissed as a 'coincidence" and more vaccines are given that result in more severe symptoms and sometimes end with permanent brain and immune system damage or death.”

• There is NO safety data or precedent for receiving 3-4 flu shots in one season.
  
  Even though the media and government pronouncements sound confident and authoritative it’s vital to realize that the current recommendations by doctors and health officials are unprecedented, and highly experimental.
  
  Some people, including children under the age of 10, are urged to get as many as four flu shots this year: two shots for seasonal flu and one or two more for swine flu, depending on a few different factors.
  
  Never before have this many flu shots been given in a single season, and there is absolutely no information about the safety of doing so. 

• Standing up for health care workers’ right to choose could save you from mandatory vaccination down the line.
  
  As of right now, the swine flu vaccination program is still voluntary – unless you’re a health care worker that is… New York and other states have already implemented laws that force their health care workers to get the swine flu vaccine in order to work.
  
  According to a recent report in Time Magazine, this includes not just NY doctors and nurses who care for patients, but also administrative staff, including housekeeping and food-service personnel.
  
  What does that tell you about the possibility of mandatory vaccinations for the rest of us?

Anti-Virals Now Pose Serious Health Threat from Environmental Sources Too

According to a Japanese study published in the September 28 issue of Environmental Health Perspectives, the flu drug Tamiflu is now contaminating rivers downstream of sewage-treatment facilities.

The source? Urinary excretion from people taking Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate).

Researchers are quite concerned that birds exposed to these waterborne residues could develop and spread drug-resistant strains of various types of flu.

Science News reports:

“Once ingested, virtually all Tamiflu will end up in the environment in the active form, notes environmental chemist Jerker Fick of Umeå University in Sweden. The reason: Tamiflu becomes active once the body converts it into a carboxylate form.

Roughly 80 percent of an ingested dose becomes this OC, which your body eventually excretes. Your body sheds the remaining 20 percent of Tamiflu in its original form, but this phosphate form is immediately turned into the active, carboxylate form when it reaches a water treatment plant, he says.”

Making matters worse, previous studies have confirmed that water treatment removes ZERO percent of this drug, and appears to have a half-life of approximately three weeks, once exposed to sunlight.

I bring this up to demonstrate the long-term dangers inherent in our current drug-based paradigm.

Each time you take a drug like Tamiflu, you not only expose yourself to potentially serious health risks, you’re also contributing to a growing problem of ever more drug-resistant flu strains that can affect countless others. The willy-nilly administering of anti-virals goes far beyond just the immediate health risks – it affects the environment and every living thing in it, including the human race at the top of the food chain.

The fact remains that there are many FAR BETTER alternatives to anti-viral drugs and vaccines. These drugs are not essential for human health – nutritious food, clean water, and an overall healthy lifestyle are.

I’ve listed my top recommendations for avoiding the flu on many occasions. For a refresher, you can find that list here.

In addition, should you be forced to take the swine flu shot, please review Dr. Blaylock’s recommendations on what to do in that situation.

The Time to Act is Now

I urge you to join NVIC and become a grassroots vaccine safety and informed consent advocate in your community.

“Stand up for the human right to make informed, voluntary health care choices, including vaccine choices, today - so your children and grandchildren and all Americans will have that right tomorrow.” Barbara Loe Fisher

If, like NVIC says, we don’t stand up for our rights to choose now, there is no doubt in my mind we’ll all be paying for it, both financially and physically, in the years to come.