From Factcheck.org:
Claims that the "swine flu" vaccine is dangerous range from seriously overblown to flat-out false.
Summary
Wild rumors are flying about the newly developed vaccine for pandemic influenza H1N1, also known as "swine flu." We’ve seen e-mails stating that the vaccine is tainted with antifreeze or Agent Orange, causes Gulf War syndrome, or has killed U.S. Navy sailors. One says the vaccine is an "evil depopulation scheme." The claims are nearly pure bunk, with only trace amounts of fact.
If you are the sort who trusts anonymous e-mails more than you do doctors and experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, you may wish to stop reading now. For others, here are the facts as stated by the best authorities we can find:
-The vaccine does have some risks – the same risks as the seasonal flu vaccine. Except for the virus, it is functionally identical to the vaccine that’s given every year.
-The multidose formulation of the vaccine contains thimerosal, which prevents contamination. Some have accused thimerosal of causing developmental disorders in children, but scientific evidence doesn’t support this.
-The vaccine does not contain squalene, which has been accused – also without good evidence – of causing Gulf War syndrome.
-There’s no reason to believe that a vaccination would cause Guillain-Barre syndrome. GBS was associated with several hundred flu vaccinations in 1976, but there’s been no evidence of an association since then, despite close monitoring.
-While it’s true that a Navy vessel was prevented from deploying because of a flu outbreak, that had nothing to do with the vaccine, which hadn’t been developed at the time. And there were no deaths aboard the ship, as some e-mails claim.
-Vaccination is not mandatory for the public nationally or in any state, although New York requires that health care providers get vaccinated. Massachusetts legislation granting standby powers in case of health emergencies does not require vaccination or establish quarantine "camps."
Longish debunker attached. Might be good to have if people in your family have received one of the dumb-ass emails.
Claims that the "swine flu" vaccine is dangerous range from seriously overblown to flat-out false.
Summary
Wild rumors are flying about the newly developed vaccine for pandemic influenza H1N1, also known as "swine flu." We’ve seen e-mails stating that the vaccine is tainted with antifreeze or Agent Orange, causes Gulf War syndrome, or has killed U.S. Navy sailors. One says the vaccine is an "evil depopulation scheme." The claims are nearly pure bunk, with only trace amounts of fact.
If you are the sort who trusts anonymous e-mails more than you do doctors and experts from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, you may wish to stop reading now. For others, here are the facts as stated by the best authorities we can find:
-The vaccine does have some risks – the same risks as the seasonal flu vaccine. Except for the virus, it is functionally identical to the vaccine that’s given every year.
-The multidose formulation of the vaccine contains thimerosal, which prevents contamination. Some have accused thimerosal of causing developmental disorders in children, but scientific evidence doesn’t support this.
-The vaccine does not contain squalene, which has been accused – also without good evidence – of causing Gulf War syndrome.
-There’s no reason to believe that a vaccination would cause Guillain-Barre syndrome. GBS was associated with several hundred flu vaccinations in 1976, but there’s been no evidence of an association since then, despite close monitoring.
-While it’s true that a Navy vessel was prevented from deploying because of a flu outbreak, that had nothing to do with the vaccine, which hadn’t been developed at the time. And there were no deaths aboard the ship, as some e-mails claim.
-Vaccination is not mandatory for the public nationally or in any state, although New York requires that health care providers get vaccinated. Massachusetts legislation granting standby powers in case of health emergencies does not require vaccination or establish quarantine "camps."
Longish debunker attached. Might be good to have if people in your family have received one of the dumb-ass emails.
Innoculation misinformation
- 20/10/2009 04:14:58 PM
654 Views
I'd be more inclined to believe it was all bunk
- 20/10/2009 04:34:03 PM
301 Views
Re: I'd be more inclined to believe it was all bunk
- 20/10/2009 04:35:35 PM
273 Views
oh yah sorry i forgot those words even though i said them in my head
- 20/10/2009 04:44:05 PM
274 Views
Their explanation on Thimerosol isn't really comforting.
- 20/10/2009 04:57:22 PM
303 Views
In Sweden it does contain squalene
- 20/10/2009 06:04:08 PM
508 Views
In the US, we're apparently not allowed to add it.
- 20/10/2009 06:10:06 PM
300 Views
Which is probably why there's so much controversy in Sweden
- 20/10/2009 06:22:30 PM
283 Views
the proper explanation to why some things are not allowed in the US but in europe...
- 20/10/2009 07:10:31 PM
260 Views
I generally ignore anything that is sent via email, or posted on facebook
- 20/10/2009 06:59:22 PM
247 Views
Some students at my university are acting like anarchist punks over these myths.
- 21/10/2009 12:59:25 AM
255 Views