"If the people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are souls of those who live under tyranny." - Thomas Jefferson

Wyoming State Legislature is currently voting on SF 54.  Here you can read all about the consequences of such a bill regarding mandatory meningococcal vaccination for college students.

Please contact those legislators that are voting yes to this bill and tell them to vote no.  Use any information that I've outlined in my previous blog post to try and make your case.  Please support the legislators that are voting no.

I am urging all citizenry to remember how this vote went down and who chose more government control and less freedom for choice.  According to our governments Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) these vaccines cause more death and disability then the disease themselves.  To across the board mandate this policy to college students without the option of philosophical exemption is hard for take.

Voting Record

2/14/2012 Introduced and Referred (First Reading)

Ayes:  Senator(s) Anderson, Barnard, Bebout, Burns, Christensen, Driskill, Emerich, Esquibel, Geis, Hastert, Hicks, Hines, Jennings, Johnson, Landen, Martin, Nicholas P, Nutting, Perkins, Peterson, Rothfuss, Scott and Von Flatern.

Nays:  Senator(s) Case, Coe, Cooper, Meier, Ross and Schiffer.

Scheduled for hearing in the Standing Committee.

2/20/2012 Reported Committee of the Whole in House of Origin 

Ayes:  Senator(s) Dockstader, Nutting and Scott

Nayes:  Senator(s) Martin and Schiffer
Responses from some legislatures.  

Senator Gerald E. Geis
2/23/2012 4:56pm

"Thank you for your e-mail.  I voted yes on this bill.  I based my decision on the debate on the Senate floor that made me feel that it is necessary.  IF you have any further question for me feel free to contact me at any time."

Senator Paul Barnard
2/24/2012  7:59am

"Dear Friend,

Thank you for your input.  I appreciate your comments on this matter.

Paul"  

Update

Feb. 24, 2012

SF 54 sat all week without getting discussed by the full Senate.  It died on the floor.  We do believe it will be brought up again on 2013.  

Also, next year might be the year that Senator Scott tries to get the state law changed to make people wanting a religious exemption prove it is really against their religion.  He brought it up during the committee meeting on Monday.  He actually said that in the future, they need to work on the state requiring more evidence of religious objection for people wanting that exemption!

by Susan Pearce, Wyoming Vaccine Information Network

In the state legislature we are currently fighting for our health freedom and trying to stop the SF 54 Meningococcal Vaccination mandate for college students.  This Bill is sponsored by Senator Bill Landen (307) 237-4067.   Last year they tried to pass a similar bill, it mandated vaccine injection of seventh graders as well as college students.  That bill was easily defeated but SF 54 with the new language has been drafted and is currently on the dockets of our legislature to be read and voted on.  

Here is a list of current meningococcal vaccines and their ingredients.

1.  MENVEO by Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.

• N. meningitidis serogroup A, C, Y and W-135
  
• Corynebacterium diphtheriae CRM protein
  
• Franz Complete medium
  
• Formaldehyde
  

2.  MENOMUNE by Sanofi Pasteur

• 50 mcg N. meningitidis group A, C, Y and W-135
  
• 25 mcgs thimerosal per dose/in multi-dose vials (neurotoxin)
• Mueller Hinton Agar Media
  
• Watson Scherp Media
  
• detergent precipitation
  
• alcohol precipitation
  
• solvent or organic extraction and diafiltration
• 2.5 mg to 5 mg of Lactose

3.  MENACTRA by Sanofi Pasteur

• N. meningitidis serogroup A, C, Y and W-135
  
• diphtheria toxoid protein
  
• Mueller Hinton agar media
  
• Watson Scherp media
  
• detergent precipitation
  
• alcohol precipitation
  
• Miller medium
  
• formaldehyde
  
• ammonium sulfate

This is my open letter to my state legislatures.

Dear Senator,

I urge you to oppose SF 54 which mandates the meningococcal meningitis (Neisseria Meningitidis) vaccine for college students born after 1994 who enroll after the effective date of the law.  The meningitis vaccine mandate is not necessary, the current vaccines have questionable effectiveness and there are outstanding safety questions surrounding the use of this vaccine.

The Vaccine Is Expensive And Could Decrease Student Enrollment.

The SF 54 fiscal note states that the University of Wyoming Student Health Service fee of $125.00 for each vaccine could result in decreased student enrollment.

Some students would be eligible for state and federally funded vaccines.

The Meningitis Vaccine Mandate Is Unnecessary

Information about the disease and vaccine can be made available to every college student.  The University of Wyoming and at least some Wyoming community colleges already provide such information.  The UW Student Health Service and local public health offices offer the vaccines.  Official recommendations are that colleges educate students about it and let interested students know where to obtain it.  

Invasive Meningococcal Disease In College Students Is Extraordinarily Rare, Deaths Exceedingly Rare.

There are not enough cases of meningitis to make the vaccine cost-effective.

Speaking of all USA college students, the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) says:  "...Vaccination of all freshmen would result in the administration of 1.4 - 2.3 million doses of vaccine each year preventing 37-69 cases of disease and 2-4 death each year.  The cost per case prevented would be $1.4 - 2.9 million, at a cost per death prevented of $22 million to $48 million...."

Paul G. King PhD., Analytical Chemist commented regarding this policy and substantiates that the meningococcal vaccine program is not cost-effective and disease is extremely rare.  

According to the Wyoming Department Health, the number of confirmed cases of invasive Neisseria Meningitidis in Wyoming was 26 cases from 2001 through 2011 (11 years).  In the 11 years, there were four deaths.

Most College Age Students Are Already Naturally Protected Without Vaccination.

In this study:  Gardner, "Prevention of Meningococcal Disease," The New England Journal of Medicine, 355;14, October 5, 2006.  Dr. Gardner states "Colonization induces an immunologic response to N. Meningitides (as do certain organism in the enteric flora that have cross-reacting antigens), so that by young adulthood, the majority of people in the United States have measurable antibody to the pathogenic serogroups of N. Meningitides (A, B, C, Y, and W-135)."

The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) warns, "...we will be trading the natural herd immunity our population has achieved for inferior vaccine acquired immunity that does not last..."

The Meningococcal Vaccination Program Could Make Some Bacterial Strains More Deadly.

The NVIC warns, "...Like with excessive antibiotic use, we just might be creating a nightmare scenario for meningococcal organisms to mutate into more lethal vaccine resistant bugs that will have all of us highly susceptible to invasive meningococcal infection and wishing we had taken the precautionary principle much more seriously.  meningococcal vaccine is available and can be used by anyone who wants to use it, but there is no reason for government to recommend and schools to mandate the shots for everyone."

Meningitis Is Not Casually Contagious

According to the CDC:  "Fortunately, none of the bacteria that cause meningitis are as contagious as things like the common cold or the flu.  Also, the bacteria are not spread by casual contact or by simply breathing the air where a person with meningitis has been."

Current Meningitis Vaccines Are Not Proven Effective

According to this study:  Gardner, "Prevention of Meningococcal Disease," The New England Journal of Medicine, 355;14, October 5, 2006.  "A major limitation of these vaccines is that neither provides immunity against serogroup B, which is responsible for approximately one third of cases of meningococcal disease."

That was written before the third vaccine Menveo was created.  Menveo does not prevent serogroup B infections, either.  Please refer to the manufactures product insert: "...MENVEO does not prevent N. Meningitidis serogroup B infections..."

Vaccine efficacy is not tested for prevalent Y or W-135 serogroups.

According to the Menomune vaccine package insert:  "No studies have been conducted to evaluate the efficacy of meningococcal polysaccharide vaccines against disease due to serogroups Y and W-135."

Questionable Duration Of Protection

According to the Menveo vaccine package insert:  "The duration of protection following immunization is not known."

The Vaccine Manufactures Advise Pregnant Women Caution and Discouragement When Considering Injection Of Their Products.

So prior to administration of the Meningitis Vaccine all childbearing females should be required to undergo a lab confirmed pregnancy test - increasing costs.

Safety Questions Raised By Current Meningitis Vaccines

Acknowledged Serious Side Effects.  All Three current meningitis vaccines carry warnings of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a serious and devastating neurological disease.

According to the passive reporting system our governments Vaccine Adverse-Event Reporting System (VAERS) there have been in a five year period;

20 Deaths
49 Permanent Disability
98 Life Threatening Injuries
4,190 Not Serious Injuries
307 Hospitalizations
19 Extended Hospitalizations
2,412 Emergency Room Visits

These vaccine adverse events only cover one of the three Meningococcal vaccines - MENACTRA.  

Balance that with the disease in all USA college students;

37-69 cases of disease
2-4 deaths each year

You can see the complete table on Dr. Kings website page 10.

It is also important to note that the FDA admits that less then 10% of all vaccine injuries are picked up by VAERS.  
"Although the FDA receives many adverse event reports, these probably represent only a fraction of the serious adverse events encountered by providers.  A recent review article found that between 3% and 11% of hospital admissions could be attributed to adverse drug reactions.  Only about 1% of serious events are reported to the FDA, according to one study."

David A. Kessler MD, former head of the FDA

Kessler, et al. "Introducing MEDWatch:  "A New Approach to Reporting Medication and Device Adverse Effects and Product Problems." JAMA. 1993;269(21):2765-2768.

Incomplete Safety Testing

All three current meningitis vaccines have not been evaluated for carcinogenic or mutagenic potential.  Two (Menactra and Menomune) of the three have not been evaluated for impairment of fertility.

The third current meningitis vaccine, Menveo has a chance to impair male fertility.

Menveo:  "MENVEO has not been evaluated for carcinogenic or mutagenic potential, or for impairment of male fertility."

No Liability Or Accountability For Vaccine Manufacturers

February 2011, The Supreme Court took away the people's right to sue the pharmaceutical industry or medical professionals for vaccine injury.  Justice Sotomayor filed a dissenting opinion in which Ginsburg, J., joined.  Justice Kagan took no part in the consideration or decision of the case.  

The CDC has not suggested the vaccine be mandated for college students.  The most prudent plan is to educate the students and let them make their own decisions.  I believe strongly that SF 54 should be defeated.

Sincerely,
Heather White
(address)
(phone number)
(email)
www.autismrawdata.net

Competing Interest:  Mother of a vaccine injured son - 2005

Special thanks to Susan Pearce co-founder of the Wyoming Vaccine Information Network for putting together much of this research.