A prole of the Australian Vaccination Network 2012

A report compiled on behalf of the AVN by Trevor Wilson

April 2013

AProfileoftheAustralianVaccinationNetwork(2012)
PublishedbytheAustralianVaccinationNetwork, POBox177,BangalowNSW2479Australia. Firstpublished2013 ISBN9780646902951 TrevorDWilson2013 Author:Wilson,TrevorDouglas1946 TrevorWilson(BAgrSc,BEcon,MSc)isamemberoftheAustralianVaccinationNetworkand isaretiredeconomist. Keywords 1.Vaccinationofchildren 2.Attitudestovaccination 3.Adversereactionstovaccination 4.Longtermeffectsofvaccination

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 compulsoryvaccinationwasafactorfor72%.And17%saidtheyweremembersbecauseofanadverse 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,thishadbeenmorethan10yearsago.Formany,therewasaparticulareventthatsetthemon thepathtoresearchingtheissue.Themajoreventslistedwere:concernfordoingthebestfortheir family(oftenpromptedbyanimpendingbirth),andhavingwitnessedadversereactionstovaccinesor theirlongtermeffects.Inothercases,simplyhavingaccesstomoreinformationwasthefactorthat initiatedtheirresearch.Talkingtofamilyandfriendsandcontactwithcomplementaryhealthproviders werethemajoroneononesourcesofinformation. TheAVNwasnotprominentininfluencingachangeofattitude.Infact,contactwiththeAVNwas mentionedfirstinthedecisionmakingprocessesofonlyfourpeople.However,itwasasourceof informationthatwasusedafterpeoplehadembarkedonthejourneyoffindingoutmoreaboutthe vaccinationissue.Anditnodoubtservedasasupportgroupforthosepeople.Itshouldbenotedthata largenumberofpeopleexpresseddissatisfactionwiththeprovaccinationattitudesofthegovernment, themedicalprofessionandvaccinemanufacturers.Thishadbeenamajorfactorinmakingthem suspiciousofvaccines.

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 againstshortlyafter. 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 membersaftervaccination.However,fourrespondentsmadeanecdotalreportsofvaccinerelated deathssufferedbyrelativesoracquaintances. Benefitsandrisksofvaccination Almosthalf(44%)oftherespondentsvolunteeredcommentsabouttherisksandbenefitsofvaccination andaboutotheraspectsofthevaccinationissue.Manysaidtheydidnotseeanybenefitsinvaccination whiletherewasgeneralcriticismofgovernmentvaccinationpolicy,themedicalprofessionandthe vaccineindustry.Thelackofaccuratereportingofvaccinereactionswasacauseforconcern.A significantnumberindicatedtherewasagreatneedformoreinformationandresearchonthelongterm effectsofvaccinationandthattherewasaneedforgreatercommunityeducationwithaccurate information.Somerespondentsalsodescribedthesocialdifficultiesbeingfacedbyfamilieswhohad decidedagainstvaccinationoftheirchildren.Therewasaconsensusthattherightoffreechoicein vaccinationshouldbemaintained. ThesurveyresultsindicatethatmostmembersoftheAVNareinfamilycircumstanceswherevaccination isanissuefortheirfamilies.Manyhavechildrenofanagewherevaccinationisrecommendedbyhealth authorities.Andmanyarenowoldenoughtobeconcernedabouttheeffectsofvaccinesontheir grandchildren.Theyhavegonetoconsiderabletroubletouseawiderangeofvaccinationinformation sources.Theyarerejectingvaccination.Further,ahighproportionisclaimingadversereactionsto vaccinationintheirfamilyand,morealarmingly,seriouslongtermeffects.Theseresultsindicatethat thereisanurgentneedforsoundlybasedlongtermresearchonthepartofhealthauthoritiestoassess thevalidityoftheclaimsbeingmade.Inparticular,thereisaneedtotrackthelongtermphysicaland psychologicalhealthofvaccinatedandunvaccinatedchildren.

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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 Sourcesofvaccinationinformation........................................................................................ 7 Attitudestochildhoodvaccination......................................................................................... 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 Otherlongtermeffects........................................................................................................ 29 Vaccinationswitholderpersons........................................................................................... 32 AppendixC:Commentsaboutrisksandbenefitsofvaccinesandotheraspects..................34

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Introduction Background Thecommonperceptioninthecommunityisthatvaccineshavebeenlargelyresponsibleforthe declineslastcenturyinthemorbidityandmortalityfromawholerangeofcommondiseases.Both thegovernmentandthemedicalprofessionpromotethispointofviewandactivelyencourage 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%)andmostfamiliesrepresentedinthesurvey wereeithercoupleorsingleparentfamilieswithchildren(94%). 2. Ingeneral,respondentshadhighlevelsofeducation,with70%havingapostschool qualification. 3. Mostrespondentshadaccessedawiderangeofinformationsourcesonvaccination. 4. Respondentsoverwhelminglyhadnegativeattitudestothepracticeofchildhoodvaccination. Thisnegativeattitudewasreflectedinthevaccinationpracticesused.Theyhadincreasingly rejectedvaccinationforfamilymembersintheprecedingyears. 5. Theyreportedthatfamilymembershadexperiencedawiderangeofimmediateadverse reactionsfollowingvaccination.Themostfrequentlymentionedwere:feversandahigh temperature,inflammationandswelling,screaming(oftenhighpitched),crying,feeling listlessoroffcolour,feedingproblems,sorelimbs,sleepdisruptionanddiarrhoea. 6. Similarly,awiderangeoflongtermeffectsofvaccinationwerereported.Mostdistressing wasthatthreesaidtheyhadbabiesthatdiedasaresultofavaccinationshot.Other frequentlymentionedlongtermissueswere:asthmaandotherbronchialproblems, allergies,immunityproblems,earinfections,eczema,chronicfatiguesyndrome,arthritis, attentiondeficitdisorderandlearningproblems. 7. Therewasahighlevelofdistrustofthegovernment,themedicalprofessionandvaccine manufacturers. Theresultsindicatedanurgentneedforsoundlybasedresearchtoassessthevalidityoftheclaims beingmade.Unfortunately,therehavebeennoinitiativesbyanyofthethreemajorproponentsof vaccination(government,medicalprofession,vaccinemanufacturers)intheyearssincetoaddress thisneed. Despitethecontinuedpushbyitsproponentsforwidespreadvaccinationcoverage,membershipof theAVNhascontinuedtogrowsince1998.Attheendof2012,therewerecloseto2,000members.
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WilsonTD(1999),AProfileoftheVaccinationAwarenessMovementinAustralia(38pages).

Inordertoupdateitsdatabaseonthecharacteristicsofitsmembers,theAVNexecutivedecidedto commissionafollowupsurvey. Problemstatementandobjectives Thismostrecentsurveywascarriedoutasanonlinesurvey.Theobjectiveswerealmostidenticalto thoseofthe1998survey.Specificquestionsofconcernwere: Whatarethebiographicalcharacteristicsofmembers?Domembersmostlyhaveyoung familieswithchildrenofanagewhenvaccinationisanissue?Whataretheeducational levelsofmembersandwhatoccupationsdotheyhave? WhatfactorsinfluencedmemberstojointheAVN?Whatdotheyexpecttogetoutof membership?Whatsourcesofinformationhavetheyaccessedonvaccination? Howstrongaretheantivaccinationattitudesthatthesepeopleundoubtedlyhold?What werethefactorsthatinfluencedthemtoformtheirviews? Whatvaccinationprocedureshavemembersusedintheirfamilies?Towhatextentdo membersbelievethatvaccineshaveaffectedfamilymembers? 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:

http://www.surveymonkey.com/

1. Backgroundfactors(typeoffamilyunit,roleoftherespondentinthefamily,numberof adultsinthefamilytakinganinterestinthevaccinationissue,reasonsforjoiningAVN,socio economicfactorse.g.educationlevel,employment,postcode); 2. Sourcesofinformationusedonvaccination; 3. Attitudestovaccination,includinganyreasonsforachangeinattitudeinrecentyears; 4. Vaccinationstatusoffamilymembers(ageandsexofallfamilymembers,vaccinations received,immediateadversereactionsandlongtermeffectssuffered);and 5. Generalcommentsaboutthevaccinationissue. Respondentswereaskedtoindicatetheirhighestlevelofeducationusingthebroadclassificationsin theAustralianStandardClassificationofEducation(ASCED)3.Respondentswerealsoaskedtolist theirmajoroccupationiftheywereworkingorhadworkedinthepast.Theirresponseswere groupedusingtheAustralianandNewZealandStandardClassificationofOccupations(ANZSCO)4. Dataanalysis th Thecutoffdateforsurveyreturnswas6 December2012.Dataweredownloadedfromthe SurveyMonkeysiteintoanExcelspreadsheet.DatawereanalysedusingtheStatisticalPackagefor theSocialSciences(SPSS). Datacontainedinthereporttablesaremostlyshownaspercentages.Therewassomemissingdata forsomequestionsbutthemissingdataweremostlylessthan10%ofthepossibleresponses.The figuresshowninthetablesarethepercentagesofvalidresponses.Somepercentagesmaynotadd to100%duetorounding. Responserate Thenumberofquestionnairesreceivedwas640,representingareturnrateof32%.Some respondentspreferredtoremainanonymousanddidnotprovidetheirpostaladdress.However,530 membersdidprovidedetailsoftheirAustralianpostcodesandtherepresentationfromstatesforthis groupwas:NewSouthWales(includingACT)33%,Queensland29%,Victoria17%,WesternAustralia 12%,SouthAustralia6%,Tasmania2%andNorthernTerritory1%.Therewerealsosix questionnairesreturnedfromoverseastwofromNewZealand,twofromChinaandoneeachfrom USAandtheUK.

AustralianBureauofStatistics(2001),AustralianStandardClassificationofEducation(ASCED).ABS CatalogueNo.1272.0 4 AustralianBureauofStatistics(2006),AustralianandNewZealandStandardClassificationof Occupations(ANZSCO).ABSCatalogueNo.1220.0

Results Backgroundfactors The instructions on the questionnaire requested that The survey should be completed by the member of your household that takes the most interest in the vaccination issue. Table 1 shows the types of family units represented, the role of the person completing the questionnaire, and the numbersofadultsinthehouseholdwhofollowthevaccinationissue. Table1:Familybackgrounddata
Familyunit: Couplefamilywithchildren Couplefamilywithoutchildren Oneparentfamily Other Roleinfamilyunit: Husband(marriedordefacto) Wife(marriedordefacto) Singlefather Singlemother Other Numberofadultsinfamilytakinganinterestinvaccinationissue: One Two Threeormore Percentage 71 9 11 9 100% 17 66 1 10 6 100% 22 63 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. The reasons for joining the AVN are grouped in Table 2. Most respondents indicated more than one reason.

Table2.ReasonsforjoiningAVN
ReasonforjoiningAVN: Supportthegroupbeinvolved Togetinformation Tostopcompulsoryvaccination Becauseofanadversereactiontoavaccine Becauseofalongtermeffectfromavaccine Other Percentage 83 82 72 17 17 14

The data clearly show that a desire to support AVN and a need for information were major reasons for joining. The threat of compulsory vaccination was obviously high on the agenda of many people. There were also significant numbers of people who were prompted to join because they had witnessedadversereactionsorlongtermeffectsfromvaccines. Respondents were asked to indicate their highest level of education on an eight point scale. Their responsesareshowninTable3. Table3:Highesteducationlevelofrespondents
Educationlevel: Postgraduatedegreelevel Graduatediploma/graduatecertificate Bachelordegree Advanceddiploma/diploma Certificate Secondaryeducation Primaryeducation Other Total Percentage 20 11 25 16 12 14 1 1 100%

Over80%ofrespondentshadcompletedsometrainingsincefinishinghighschool.Further,56%had beentrainedatbachelordegreelevelorhigher.Overall,theAVNmemberswhorespondedtothe surveywerehighlyeducated. Respondentswerealsoaskedfortheiryearofbirthtoenablethecalculationoftheirages.The numberwhosuppliedboththeiryearofbirthandtheireducationlevelwas581.Theiraverageage was46years.Thenumbersindifferentagegroupswas: Upto40years 196(34%) 41to60years 316(54%) 61yearsandover 69(12%) Predictably,therewasatendencyfortheyoungerrespondentstohaveahigherlevelofeducation. ThisrelationshipisshowninTable4.

Table4:Educationlevelsandage
Educationlevel: Postgraduate/Grad.DiplomaorGrad Certificate/Bachelordegree Advanceddiploma/diploma/Certificate Primaryorsecondaryschool/Other Total Upto40 years 64 28 8 100% 41to60 years 53 29 17 100% Over60 years 44 26 30 100%

Thesurveyaskedpeopletoindicatetheirmainoccupationiftheywerecurrentlyworking,orhad workedinthepast.Eightyfivepercent(546people)answeredthisquestion.Theirreplieswere groupedintomajorareasusingtheAustralianandNewZealandStandardClassificationof Occupations.ThedistributionofrepliesforallsurveyrespondentsisshowninTable5. Table5:Distributionofbroadoccupationgroups

Occupation: Percent Managers 6 Professionals health 20 Healththerapy1 7 Midwiferyandnursing2 Otherhealth 2 10 Professionals education3 Professionals other 12 Techniciansandtrades 4 Communityandpersonalserviceworkers 10 Clericalandadministrativeworkers 10 Salesworkers 3 Machineryoperatorsanddrivers 1 Labourers 1 15 Notanswered4 Total 100% 1 Includes59chiropractorsandosteopaths,and62complementaryhealthproviders. 2 Includes32registerednursesand10midwives. 3 Includes50schoolteachers. 4 Notansweredeitherbecausetheyhadnotworkedinthepastorbecausetheydidnotrespondtothe question.

Professionals in the health area made up the biggest occupation group. These were mostly chiropractors, osteopaths, complementary health providers, nurses and midwives. School teachers and other educational professionals also accounted for a significant number (10%). The 12% who made up the rest of the professional group came from a variety of professions: arts and media (11 people), business, human resources and marketing (30), design, engineering, science, transport (7), informationandcommunications(6)andlegal,socialandwelfareprofessionals(13). Community and personal service workers made up a significant number (10%). This group included health and welfare support workers and carers and aides. Similarly, clerical and administrative workersmadeup10%ofallsurveyrespondents.

Sourcesofvaccinationinformation Respondents were asked to indicate from a list of 10 possible sources of information on vaccination which ones they had used. The percentages indicating the numbers using each source are shown in Table6. Table6:Sourcesofinformationonvaccinationused
Informationsource: Medicalliterature Naturalhealthmagazines AVNinformation Theinternet Books TVprograms Talkingtomedicalprofessionals,e.g.GPs Talkingtocomplementaryhealthproviders,e.g.naturopaths, homeopathsandchiropractors Talkingtofriends,familyandotherparents Vaccinationmeetings Other 54% 75% 96% 85% 82% 31% 37% 77% 57% 30% 5%

Allsourcesofinformationlistedwereindicatedasbeingusedbyalargenumberofrespondents. Predictably,theAVNwasthemostused(96%ofrespondents).Theinternetandbookswerealso eachlistedbyover80%.Naturalhealthmagazinesandcomplementaryhealthproviderswerealso widelyused. Othersourcesofinformationlistedwere:complementaryhealthstudies(14people),common senseorpersonalbeliefs(4people),haveseenvaccinedamagedchildrenorpersonalexperience(3 people),governmentinformationorwebsites(2people),DVDsorCDs(2people)andvaccine manufacturerinformationorproductinserts(2people). Thefollowinginformationsourceswerealsolistedonceeach:healthshopwork,workedin pharmacyfor10years,homebirthgroups,radioprograms,schoolprojects,andoverseasgroups similartoAVN. Amajorityofrespondentshadaccessedawiderangeofinformationsources.Forexample,80%had accessedfiveormoreoftheinformationsourceslistedonthequestionnaire. Attitudestochildhoodvaccination Table7showstheresponsestothe10attitudestatementsthatsupportedvaccination,whileTable8 showstheresponsestotheeightattitudestatementsthatopposedvaccination.

Table 7: Percentage distributions of replies to statements that are favourable to childhood vaccination
SA A U Doctorshavetheknowledgetowarnparentsofanylikelyadverse 7 18 11 reactionstovaccination Vaccinatedchildrenhavelessseveresymptomsiftheydocatchthedisease 3 7 17 Doctorscanbetrustedonissueslikevaccination 0 0 4 Thebenefitsofvaccinationfaroutweightherisks 1 1 6 0 1 7 Vaccinationwillhelpuseliminateinfectiousdiseasesfromthehumanrace Vaccinationisasoundlyresearchedmedicalprocedure 1 1 3 Weneedthemajorityofchildrentobevaccinatedfortheincidenceof 0 1 6 diseasestodecrease Unvaccinatedchildrenposearisktoothers 1 1 2 Parentswhodonotvaccinateareirresponsible 0 0 0 Schoolsshouldexcludenonvaccinatedchildren 1 0 1 Legend:SA=stronglyagree,A=agree,U=undecided,D=disagree,SD=stronglydisagree D SD 34 30 35 31 29 27 23 28 38 64 63 65 73 65

18 78 10 90 8 90

Table 8: Percentage distributions of replies to statements that are unfavourable to childhood vaccination
Parentswhodecidenottovaccinatehavegenerallydonetheirhomework Onaverage,nonvaccinatedchildrentendtobehealthierthanthosethathave beenvaccinated Vaccinationcouldberesponsiblefortheincreaseinchronicdiseasessuchas asthmaanddiabetes Therearebetterwaystoprotectchildrenagainstdiseasethan childhood vaccination Therearemoreadversereactionstovaccinationthangetreported Childrencanstillcatchdiseasestheywerevaccinatedagainst Parentsandnotthegovernmentshoulddecidewhetherchildrenare vaccinated Parentsneedbetterinformationabouttherisksofvaccination SA A U D SD 57 39 2 1 0 53 37 9 1 0 50 39 9 1 65 31 3 0 81 17 2 0 78 21 0 0 89 9 1 0 89 10 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 0

The responses highlight the negative attitudes of the respondents to childhood vaccination. There was general disagreement with the statements that were positive to vaccination and general agreementwiththenegativestatements. A total attitude score was calculated for each respondent (see Methods section for an explanation). This score had a possible range of zero to 72, with high scores indicating a positive attitude to childhoodvaccination.ThedistributionofscoresisshowninTable9. This distribution of scores highlights the overwhelming negative attitudes to childhood vaccination. Only one percent of respondents could be considered to be neutral to the practice, with the rest beingeitheragainstorstronglyagainst.

Table9:Distributionoftotalattitudescores
Attitudescorerange: Stronglyinfavourofvaccination 5872 4457 2943 1528 014 Stronglyagainstvaccination 1 Onerespondentwasinthiscategory.

Percentage 01 0 1 15 84 100%

The questionnaire asked people whether they could remember a time when they had become 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 No Ifyes,howmanyyearsagodidyourattitudetovaccinationchange? 15years 610years 1115years 1620years Over20years 85 15 100% 17 30 19 14 20 100%

A majority (85%) said they could remember a time when their attitude towards vaccination became lesspositive.Foroverhalfoftheserespondents,thishadbeenmorethan10yearsagoi.e.itwasnot a recent event. It is likely that a high number in this category would have been older AVN members andhavebeenmembersformanyyears. Respondents were also asked to explain the reasons their attitude changed. Most described the decisionmakingprocesstheywentthrough.Formost,therewasnoonesinglefactorthatinfluenced them.Thefactorsthatinfluencedthemtochangewereidentifiedbysiftingthroughthedescriptions theygave.ThesefactorsaregroupedintoanumberofareasasshowninTable11. Formany,therewasaparticulareventthatsetthemonthepathtoresearchingtheissue.Themajor eventslistedwere:concernfordoingthebestfortheirfamily(oftenpromptedbyanimpending birth),andhavingwitnessedadversereactionstovaccinationortheirlongtermeffects. Table11alsoshowsthatalargenumberofsourcesofinformationthatwereusedtocollect information.Insomecases,thiswasthefactorthatinitiatedtheirresearche.g.talkingtofamilies andfriends.Forothers,asnotedabove,therewasaparticulareventthatpromptedthemtocarry outresearchontheissue.ThebiggestcategoryisageneraloneandisgroupedasDid research/becameinformed/startedtothink.Thiswouldhave,ofcourse,includedresearching manyofthemorespecificsourceslistedsuchasreadingbooks,magazinesandarticles.Talkingto

familyandfriendsandcontactwithcomplementaryhealthproviderswerethemajoroneonone sourcesofinformation. Table11:Reasonsforbecominglesspositivetothepracticeofvaccination

Event: Researchpromptedbyabirth/havingafamily Childorpersonwithadversereactions Saworexperiencedlongtermeffects Personcaughtdiseaseithadbeenvaccinatedagainst Seeinghealthyunvaccinatedchildren Witnessedkidsbeingvaccinated Concernaboutovervaccination Concernaboutcervicalcancerexperiment Concernaboutrecallofvaccines Reactionsinanimals Other Informationsource: Didresearch/becameinformed/startedtothink Readingarticles/books/magazines Informationfromfamilyandfriends Contactandinformationfromcomplementaryhealthproviders Partoftrainingorwork Speakingwithdoctors Internet TVprograms/othermedia/DVDs Attendinglecture/seminar Contactwithmidwife Other AVNinformation Lectureorseminar AVNwebsite AVNmagazine AVNVaccinationRoulettebook OtherAVNcontacte.g.phone,personalmeeting Otherreasons: Attitudeofpharmaceuticalindustry,medicosandthegovernment Ethicallyopposed/instinct Total No.oftimes mentioned 97 107 115 11 10 3 4 2 2 2 6 148 65 58 48 47 13 11 9 9 4 2 4 5 4 3 17 53 6 865

TheAVNwasnotprominentininfluencingattitudes.Infact,contactwiththeAVNwasmentioned firstinthedecisionmakingprocessesdescribedinonlyfourcases.However,itwasasourceof informationthatwasusedafterpeoplehadembarkedonthejourneyoffindingoutmoreaboutthe vaccinationissue.Anditnodoubtservedasasupportgroupforthosepeople.

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Itshouldbenotedthatalargenumberofpeopleexpresseddissatisfactionwiththeprovaccination attitudesofthegovernment,themedicalprofessionandvaccinemanufacturers.Thishadbeena majorfactorinmakingthemsuspiciousofvaccines. Eachpersonthatsaidtheyhadchangedtheirattitudehadadifferentstorytotell.ThedatainTable 11summarizetheirresponses.However,topresentamorecompletepicture,AppendixAhasbeen compiledtoshowtheuniqueperspectivesfromwhichdifferentpeopleapproachedtheissue.Thisis onlyaselectedsampleoftherepliesthatcamein. Familyvaccinationlevels Thequestionnairecontainedquestionsthataskedforthefollowingdata: 1. The number of people in the family unit, including the person filling out the questionnaire, theirpartnerandchildren,evenifnotlivingathome. 2. Thegenderandyearofbirthofeachfamilymember. 3. The vaccination history of each family member: fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated, not vaccinated,ordontknow. Table12showsdetailsoffamilysizes. Table12:Familysizesofrespondents
Familysize: One Two Three Four Five Sixtoten Elevenormore Meanfamilysize Totalnumberoffamilymembers Percentage 2 9 18 34 22 13 2 100% 4.5people 2,664

Mostfamilies(85%)consistedoffivepeopleorless.Themeanfamilysizewasfourandahalf.There wereafewlargefamilieswith11ofmorefamilymembers,althoughsomeoftheserespondentsmay havebeenincludinggrandchildrenintheirfamilysize.Thetotalcombinednumberofpeoplewas 2,664. Thequestionnaireallowedforamaximumfamilysizeofonly10peoplewhencollectingdetailsofthe ageoffamilymembersandtheirvaccinationstatus.This,combinedwiththefactthatsome respondentsdidnotshowtheageorvaccinationstatusofallfamilymembers,meantthatthetotal numberofpeoplewhocouldbeidentifiedbyageandvaccinationstatuswas2,470.Table13shows thenumberofpeopleinvariousagegroupsbyvaccinationstatus.

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Table13:Vaccinationstatusoffamilymembersbyagegroup
Vaccinationstatus: Upto5 years (348people) 2 8 89 1 100% 6to10years (267people) 11to20 years (329people) 11 36 53 0 100% Over20 years (1,526 people) 44 43 10 4 100% Total (2,470 people) 29 34 34 2 100%

Fullyvaccinated Partiallyvaccinated Notvaccinated Dontknow Total

5 19 75 0 100%

ThemoststrikingfeatureofthedatainTable13isthattherehasbeenagreatdeclineinvaccination fortheyoungeragegroups.Forexample,only10%ofchildrenfiveyearsoryoungerhadbeengiven anyvaccinationshotsatall,andmostofthesewereonlypartiallyvaccinated.Forpeopleagedmore than20years,theproportionthathadreceivedsomevaccinationswas87%. Incidenceofperceivedimmediateadversereactionsandlongtermeffects

Thequestionnaireaskedwhetheranyfamilymemberhadsufferedimmediateadversereactionstoa vaccine.Respondentsweregiventhreeoptionstocheckyes,noanddontremember.Therewasa similarquestionaskingwhetherpeoplebelievedanyfamilymemberhadsufferedlongtermeffects fromvaccines.Theoptionstocheckwereyes,noanddontknowornotsure.Table14showsthe percentagesofthetotalresponsesthatfellinvariousresponsecategories. Table14:Incidenceofimmediateadversereactionsandlongtermeffects

Sufferedlongtermeffects? Yes No Don'tknowornotsure Sufferedadversereactions? No Dontrememberor notsure 6% 7% 14% 7% 10% 23%

Yes 17% 4% 12%

Intotal,33%ofrespondentssaidthatatleastonefamilymemberhadsufferedanadversereaction. And17%saidthat,aswellashavingafamilymemberwithanadversereaction,theybelievedthatat leastonefamilymemberhadsufferedlongtermeffects. Ontheotherhand,sixpercentsaidtheydidnotrecallanadversereactioninthefamilybutthey believedafamilymemberhadsufferedlongtermeffects.Intotal,30%feltthatafamilymember hadlongtermeffects. Immediateadversereactions Forthoserespondentsthatindicatedafamilymemberhadsufferedanadversereaction,therewasa question asking for more details: which family member, their age when the reaction occurred, the symptoms, whether the family member was seen by a GP, whether the reaction was confirmed as beingcausedbythevaccineandwhetherthereactionwasreportedtothegovernment. Thirtythreepercentrepliedthatafamilymemberhadsufferedanimmediatereactiontoavaccine. Table15showsthenumberoftimesparticularadversereactionswerementioned.Theseare groupedtogetherasmuchaspossiblesothatsimilarsymptomsarelistedtogether.

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Table15:Numberoftimesimmediateadversereactionswerereported
Fever/sweating/temperature Breathingproblems Headaches/migraines Bronchiolitis Chestinfections/bronchitis Flusymptoms Glandularfever Anaphylaxis(seriousallergicreaction) Hayfever Pneumonia Inconsolablecrying Screaming/highpitchedscream Prolongedmoaning Convulsions/fits/seizures Fainting Collapse/limp/shock Delirium Nausea Hallucinations Encephalitis Coma Sleepdisruption Sleepy Skindiscolourationorrash Earinfection Eczema Blistersinmouth,hands,throatandfeet Dermatitis Vomiting Gutproblems,incl.leakygut Feedingproblems Diarrhoea Stomachaches/gastricupset Irregularbowelmovements Greenslimydiarrhoea Loosesloppystools Wouldnotdrink Bladderproblems Constipation 59 11 6 4 3 2 2 2 1 1 20 20 1 12 6 3 3 2 2 2 2 8 2 21 10 4 1 1 9 6 3 3 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 Uglysoreorredsore Swollenbodypart/swelling Numbness/heaviness Turnedyellow Paralysis Inflammation/swellingatinjectionsite Bluelipsandface Localpain Redinface Eyesrollingback Swollenglands Hypotonia(lowmuscletone) Irritability/whingy/clingy Listless/offcolour/drowsiness/lethargy/malaise Depression Didnotlikebeingheld Tonsillitis Throatinfection Immunedisorder Fatigue Muscleaches Lostmovementinlegs Painfuljoints Neurologicaldamagetoonesideofface Flappingarms Shaking Bloodpressuredropped Highmercurylevel Unwell/rundown Libidochange Bodyshutdown Personalityorbehaviourchange Delayeddevelopment Hospitalised Unabletoattendschool Timeoffwork Caughtdiseasevaccinatedagainst 21 19 6 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 15 8 1 1 5 1 1 7 2 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 13 1 1 22 1 7 3 1 11

Awiderangeofadversereactionswerementioned.Themostfrequentlymentionedreaction,and somethingthatisoftenregardedasacommonconsequenceofvaccinationapparently,wasfever, sweatingandahightemperature(59mentions).Further,inconsolablecryingandscreaming,often highpitched,wereeachmentioned20times. Otherreactionslistedmorethan10timeswere:skindiscolourationorrash(21mentions),uglysore (21),swollenbodyparts(19),personvaccinated(usuallyababy)beingirritable,whingyorclingy(15), breathingproblems(11),convulsions,fitsorseizures(12)andearinfections(10).

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 Itisofconcernthat22reportedapersonalityorbehaviourchangesoonaftervaccination.And11 peopleclaimedthatafamilymemberhadcontractedthediseasetheywerevaccinatedagainst shortlyafterthevaccination. Onehundredandeightythreepeopledescribedtheadversereactionssuffered.Many,ofcourse, mentionedmorethanonesymptomaspartoftheonereactione.g.cryingandlistlessnessfromthe onevaccination.Around85%(ofthe183)mentionedone,twoorthreesymptomsintheirfamily. Fromtheinformationprovided,therewere133childrenvaccinatedasbabieswhohadsuffered immediatereactions78malesand55females.Respondentswereaskedtoprovideawritten descriptionoftheadversereactionssuffered.Manyaccountswereincompleteintermsofwhethera doctorhadbeenconsulted,whetherthereactionswereconfirmedasbeingcausedbythevaccine andwhetherthereactionhadbeenreportedtothegovernment.However,AppendixBcontainsa numberofselectedcasestudieswheretheseaspectsarementioned. Longtermeffects Thirtypercentsaidafamilymemberhadsufferedalongtermeffectfromavaccine.Table16shows thenumberoftimesparticularlongtermeffectswerementioned.Theyarealsogroupedtogetheras muchaspossiblesothatsimilarlongtermeffectsarelistedtogether. Themostfrequentlymentionedlongtermeffectswereallergies(includingfoodintolerance)which werementioned41times,asthma(34)andautism(23). Thereareahostofbehaviouralissuesgroupedwithautism.Theseinclude:learningproblems(14), ADDorADHD(10),speechdeficiency(8),unspecifiedbehaviourproblems(7),togetherwitha numberofotherseriousbehaviouralproblemsmentionedlessoften.Sixtyrespondentssaidthatat leastonefamilymemberhadsufferedlongtermbehaviourproblemsasaresultofvaccines. Otherlongtermproblemsmentionedahighnumberoftimeswere:chronicfatigue(21times), eczema(21),gastrointestinalproblems(17)andimmunityissues(15). Therewerenoconfirmedreportsofdeathsoffamilymembersaftervaccination(Therewerethree reportedbabydeathsinthe1998AVNmembershipsurvey).However,onerespondenthadason thatdiedofHodgkinsLymphomawhenhewas24yearsold(born1982).AnalternativeGPsaidhe wasthetypeofchildthatshouldneverhavebeenvaccinatedandthatitwouldhavebeena contributingfactor.Therewerefouranecdotalreportsofdeathsinthedescriptiveanswersgivento thequestionaboutwhyrespondentshadbecomelesspositivetovaccination.Theseweredeaths 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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mainstreamorcomplementaryhealthprovidershadbeenconsulted.AppendixBcontainsanumber ofcasestudieswherethereaspectsarementioned. Table16:Numberoftimeslongtermeffectswerementioned

Allergies(incl.foodintolerance) Hayfever Anaphylaxis Autism Learningproblems ADD/ADHD Speechdeficiency Behaviourproblems Mentalillness(incl.bipolar) Depression Dyspraxia Oppositionaldefiantdisorder(OD) Personalitychange Moodswings Memoryconcentrationproblems Drugdependence Socialinteractionissues Obsessivecompulsivedisorder(OC) Dyslexia Schizophrenia Retainedprimitivereflexes Asthma Colds Respiratoryproblems Pneumonia Motorproblems Epilepsy Bedwetting Delayeddevelopment Growthproblems Clumsiness Poormusclestrength/hypotonia Sleepproblems Eyeproblems Hairproblems Chronicinflammatorypolyneuropathy 41 4 2 23 14 10 8 7 4 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 34 1 1 1 6 6 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 Highheavymetallevels Diabetes Blooddisorder Toxinsinblood Pyroluria Chronicfatigue Arthritis Fibromyalgia Multiplesclerosis Earinfections Hearingloss Rhinitis Ear,nose&throatproblems Auditoryprocessingdisorder Eczema Skinrash Melanoma Vitilago Gastrointestinalproblems Crohnsdisease Immunityproblems Candida Primarybilarycirrhosis Headaches/migraines Meningitis Tonsillitis Polycysticovarysyndrome Heartproblems Cervicalcancer Proteininurine Glandularfever Constantlyill 5 4 2 1 1 21 5 4 1 9 3 3 2 2 21 10 1 1 17 4 15 1 1 5 1 4 2 1 1 1 1 2

Generalcomments Almost half (44%) of the respondents volunteered comments about the risks and benefits of vaccination and about other aspects of the vaccination issue. These comments covered a range of issues and points of view. Appendix C contains some examples of the comments made. They were groupedintothefollowing10areas: 1. Risks of vaccines 71 people commented. There was a universal view that the risks of vaccinationfaroutweighedthebenefits.

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2. Reportingofchildhoodreactionsthreepeoplecommented.Theirviewwasthatonlyavery smallfractionofreactionsactuallygetreportedtotheAdverseDrugReactionsAdvisory Committee(ADRAC)5. 3. Need for more information for parents 40 commented. The consensus was that the information that is being made available to parents was misleading and inaccurate. Some saidthattheinsertsaccompanyingvaccinesshouldbemoreprominentlydisplayed. 4. Comparison of health of vaccinated and unvaccinated children 13 commented. The consensuswasthatunvaccinatedchildrentendtobehealthierthanvaccinatedchildren. 5. Upholdingtherightoffreechoice38peoplecommented.Allsupportedfreechoice. 6. Criticism of the medical profession, the government, drug companies and the media 72 peoplemadecomments.Variousaspectswerementionede.g.pushingtheuseofvaccinesin the pursuit of profits, presenting a biased view of the value of vaccines by the media, denial bydoctorsofobviousadversereactions. 7. Provaccinationviewssixpeopleexpressedwhatcouldbeconsideredsomelevelofsupport forvaccination. 8. Needformoreresearch14peoplementionedthis.Variouslinesofresearchwere suggestede.g.lookingatthehealthlevelsofvaccinatedandunvaccinatedchildren,research todetermineasafeagetoadministervaccines,theefficacyofcombininganumberof vaccinestogether,whetheravaccinedosageshouldvarywiththesizeofthebaby. 9. Issuesfornonvaccinatingparents16peoplecommented.Theriskoffeelingalienated fromotherparentswasaconcern,aswastheriskofbeingcensuredbythemedical profession. 10. FeedbackontheworkoftheAVN46peoplecommented.Individualcommentsarenot showninthisreport.However,therewasuniversalsupportandappreciationexpressed towardstheAVN,particularlytotheoutgoingpresidentoftheorganisation.

Replacedin2010bytheAdvisoryCommitteeontheSafetyofMedicines(ACSOM).

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Majorresultsandimplications TheinternetlinktothesurveyquestionnairewasemailedtoallAVNmembers(approximately2,000) attheendofOctober2012,withaclosingdateforreturnsof6thDecember.Sixhundredandforty questionnaireswerereturned,aresponserateinexcessofthirtypercent.Thefollowingarethe majorsurveyresults: 1. Themajorityofrespondentswerefemale(80%),andcoupleorsingleparentfamilieswith childrenaccountedfor82%ofallfamiliesrepresented.Theother18%offamiliesincluded peoplewithchildrenthathadlefthome,manyofthemnowgrandparents,togetherwith somesingleanddivorcedpeople. 2. Theaverageageofrespondentswas46years,witharangefrom23to90years.Aroundtwo thirdsofallrespondentswereolderthan40years.Althoughitwasgenerallythefemale parentinthefamilywhoresponded,twoormoreadultstookaninterestinthevaccination issueinfouroutoffivehouseholds. 3. MostindicatedthattherewereanumberofreasonswhytheyjoinedtheAVN.Themain reasonsforjoiningweretosupportthegroupandbeinvolved(83%ofallrespondents),and togetinformation(83%).Thethreatofcompulsoryvaccinationwasafactorfor72%.And 17%saidtheyweremembersbecauseofanadversereactiontoavaccine,and17%because ofalongtermeffect. 4. Theeducationlevelofrespondentswasquitehighoverall.Forexample,over80%had completedsometrainingsincecompletinghighschool,and56%weretrainedtobachelor degreelevelorabove.Therewasatendencyfortheyoungerrespondentstohavehigher levelqualificationsthantheolderrespondents. 5. Eightyfivepercentlistedtheiroccupationtoindicatewheretheywerecurrentlyworkingor hadworkedinthepast.RepliesweregroupedintomajorareasusingtheAustralianandNew ZealandStandardClassificationofOccupations.Fiftyonepercentwereinprofessional occupations.Professionalsinthehealthareamadeup29%ofthetotal.Theseweremostly chiropractors,osteopaths,complementaryhealthproviders,nursesandmidwives.School teachersandothereducationalprofessionalsalsomadeupalargegroup(10%).Another 12%wereotherprofessionalsinavarietyofoccupations. 6. Mostrespondentshadtakentheinitiativetoaccessawiderangeofsourcesofinformation onvaccination.Forexample,80%saidtheyhadusedfiveormoreofthe10sourcesof informationlistedonthequestionnaire.Naturalhealthmagazines,AVNinformation,the internet,booksandtalkingtocomplementaryhealthproviderswereallusedbymorethan 70%. 7. Respondentsoverwhelminglyhadnegativeattitudestothepracticeofchildhoodvaccination. Thisnegativeattitudewashighlightedbyrespondentsanswersto18statementscontained inaLikertattitudescale.Amajority,(85%),hadbecomelesspositivetothepracticeof vaccinationatsomepointintheirpast.Foroverhalfofthesepeople,thishadbeenover10 yearsago.Formany,therewasaparticulareventthatsetthemonthepathtoresearching theissue.Themajoreventslistedwere:concernfordoingthebestfortheirfamily(often promptedbyanimpendingbirth),andhavingwitnessedadversereactionstovaccinationor theirlongtermeffects.Inothercases,simplyhavingaccesstomoreinformationwasthe

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factorthatinitiatedtheirresearch.Talkingtofamilyandfriendsandcontactwith complementaryhealthproviderswerethemajoroneononesourcesofinformation. 8. TheAVNwasnotprominentininfluencingachangeofattitude.Infact,contactwiththe AVNwasmentionedfirstinthedecisionmakingprocessesdescribedbyonlyfourpeople. However,itwasasourceofinformationthatwasusedafterpeoplehadembarkedonthe journeyoffindingoutmoreaboutthevaccinationissue.Anditnodoubtservedasasupport groupforthosepeople.Itshouldbenotedthatalargenumberofpeopleexpressed dissatisfactionwiththeprovaccinationattitudesofthegovernment,themedicalprofession andvaccinemanufacturers.Thishadbeenamajorfactorinmakingthemsuspiciousof vaccines. 9. Thenegativeattitudestochildhoodvaccinationwerereflectedinvaccinationpractices. Respondentshaveincreasinglyrejectedvaccinationinrecentyears.Thevaccinationstatusof familymemberswasprovidedforatotalof2,470people.Ofthe348oftheseageduptofive years,onlytwopercentwerefullyvaccinatedandeightpercentpartlyvaccinated.Ofthe 1,526agedover20years,87%hadbeenfullyorpartlyvaccinated.Itislikelythattheolder familymemberswerevaccinatedbecausetheirparentswerelessquestioningofvaccines. 10. Thirtytwopercentsaidthatatleastonefamilymemberhadsufferedadversereactionsto vaccination.Awiderangeofreactionswerementioned.Themostfrequentlymentioned reactionwasfever,sweatingandahightemperature(59mentions).Further,inconsolable cryingandscreaming,oftenhighpitched,wereeachmentioned20times.Otherreactions listedmorethan10timeswere:skindiscolourationorrash(21mentions),uglysore(21), swollenbodyparts(19),personvaccinated(usuallyababy)beingirritable,whingyorclingy (15),breathingproblems(11),convulsions,fitsorseizures(12)andearinfections(10). Itisofgreatconcernthat22reportedapersonalityorbehaviourchangesoonafter vaccination.And11peopleclaimedthatthepersonbeingvaccinatedhadcontractedthe diseasetheywerevaccinatedagainstshortlyafter. 11. Thirtypercentsaidthatafamilymemberhadsufferedalongtermeffectfromvaccines. Again,awiderangeoflongtermeffectswerementioned.Themostfrequentlymentioned longtermeffectswereallergies(includingfoodintolerance)whichwerementioned41 times,andasthma(34). Therewereahostofbehaviouralissues:autism(23),learningproblems(14),ADDorADHD (10),speechdeficiency(8),unspecifiedbehaviourproblems(7),togetherwithanumberof otherseriousbehaviouralproblemsmentionedlessoften.Sixtyrespondentssaidthatat leastonefamilymemberhadsufferedlongtermbehaviourproblemsasaresultofvaccines. Otherlongtermproblemsmentionedahighnumberoftimeswere:chronicfatigue(21 times),eczema(21),gastrointestinalproblems(17)andimmunityissues(15).Therewereno reportsofdeathsoffamilymembersaftervaccination.However,therewerefouranecdotal reportsofdeathssufferedbyrelativesoracquaintances. 12. Almosthalf(44%)oftherespondentsvolunteeredcommentsabouttherisksandbenefitsof vaccinationandaboutotheraspectsofthevaccinationissue.Manysaidtheydidnotseeany benefitsinvaccinationwhiletherewasgeneralcriticismofgovernmentvaccinationpolicy, themedicalprofessionandthevaccineindustry.Thelackofaccuratereportingofvaccine reactionswasacauseforconcern..Asignificantnumberindicatedtherewasagreatneed

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formoreinformationandresearchonthelongtermeffectsofvaccinationandthatthere wasaneedforgreatercommunityeducationwithaccurateinformation.Somerespondents alsodescribedthesocialdifficultiesbeingfacedbyfamilieswhohaddecidedagainst vaccinationoftheirchildren.Therewasaconsensusthattherightoffreechoicein vaccinationshouldbemaintained. ThesurveyresultsindicatethatmostmembersoftheAVNareinfamilycircumstanceswhere vaccinationisanissuefortheirfamilies.Manyhavechildrenofanagewherevaccinationis recommendedbyhealthauthorities.Andmanyarenowoldenoughtobeconcernedaboutthe effectsofvaccinesontheirgrandchildren.Theyhavegonetoconsiderabletroubletouseawide rangeofvaccinationinformationsources.Theyarerejectingvaccination.Further,ahighproportion isclaimingadversereactionstovaccinationintheirfamilyand,morealarmingly,seriouslongterm effects.Theseresultsindicatethatthereisanurgentneedforsoundlybasedlongtermresearchon thepartofhealthauthoritiestoassessthevalidityandaccuracyoftheclaimstheyaremaking.In particular,thereisaneedtotrackthelongtermphysicalandpsychologicalhealthofvaccinatedand unvaccinatedchildren.

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AppendixA:Reasonsforattitudechangetovaccination
Mynephewwasvaccinedamagedandaftereveryshothegotslowerinspeechandeventuallyhada tickinhisheadwherebyhekeepsblinkinghiseyes. Mysonreactedseverelyafterbeingvaccinatedatthree.Mynextdoorneighbourthentoldmeher babyboydiedthenighthewasvaccinated. Thatswhenmychildwentfrombeinghealthytoasick,floppystateandmyworldturnedupside down. Deathofthesisteroffriendswhohadbeenseverelydamagedbyvaccination20yearsbefore. AtwoyearoldgirlwasbroughtintothechiropracticofficewhereIhadjuststartedworking.Shewas constantlyfittingandhermothertoldmeshewascompletelynormaluntiltheminutethedoctor stucktheneedleinherarmforhertwoyearoldvaccination.ThenIstartedtoreadallIcould. Istudiedteachingin1989anddidapracticumataspecialschool.Themajorityofthechildrenthere hadbeenseverelyneurologicallydamagedbyvaccines. Isawaperfectlyhealthyandhappy,normalchildturnintoaveryunhappyandsickautisticchildafter receivingtheMMRvaccination.Ithenstartedtodomyownresearch. Whenmydoctorcalledmeselfishandirresponsiblefornotvaccinatingmythen12montholdson withtheMMRvaccineasIwasunsureifthevaccinewasindeedlinkedtoautism.ThankyouDr AndrewWakefield. Ihadachilddiagnosedwithautismattheageoftwo.Hewasacompletelynormalbabyuntilhewas givenallofhisvaccinationsandthenhechanged. Mydaughterdevelopedautism.Itookhertoanaturopathwhosuggesteditcouldbevaccination.I thenspentthenextsevenyearsresearchingeverythingIcouldonvaccination.Metafewdoctorson myjourneywhoalsoagreedwithme.FoundtheAVN.Researchedsomemoreandcametothe conclusionthattherewasnothinggoodaboutvaccination.Somytwootherkidsaren'tvaccinated. Mydaughterhadtheinitialthreevaccinescriedfor24hoursverydistressed.Visitedmydoctorwho said(pleasedon'tquoteme)Dosomereadinganddon'tgetthenextlot. MythirddaughterhadaskinreactionalloverherbodyfollowingtheMMRinjection.Itlastedalong time.Iheardthatawhoopingcoughjabcouldcausebraindamage.Iaskedmydoctorandhesaidthat hehadseenawardfullofbraindamagedchildreninamajorUKtraininghospitalfollowingtheir whoopingcoughimmunisation.SomyfourthchildonlyhadCDTimmunisation.NowIwouldnot immuniseatall. Ihadaschoolfriendwhograduatedasabiochemistandthenheldaresponsiblepositionatthe CommonwealthSerumLaboratory.Shewasconcernedenoughnottovaccinateherownchildren.I didstillvaccinatemine,butIwasveryworriedaboutwhattodo. Anelderchiropractorinmyprofessioneducatedmeaboutvaccinationandwhyitwassobadfor neurologicaldevelopment.Hewasright!After11yearsofpracticeIseetheongoingsideeffectsof vaccinationaswellasthelackofaccountabilitythemedicalprofessiontakesfortheinjuriesitcauses! IreceivedtheHepBvaccineandexperiencedchronicfatigueimmediatelyanditcontinued.Doctor dismissedmysuggestionofalinktothevaccine.Fiveyearsofchronicfatiguewasmorethanenough formetorealisehowdangeroustheyare.ThenIsawdeadbabiesfromvaccinesinmypolicecareer.I sawparentsbeingroutinelychargedwithmanslaughteraftertheirbabyhaddiedfromvaccines.This isonecrazyworldofevil. Facebookhasmadeitpossibletowatchfriendsandfriendsoffriendsaroundyouannouncethatitis littleJimmy'sneedlestodayandwithinafewdaysheisinhospitalwitha'weirdvirus'andnextweek theyannounceheisnowsufferingseizuresetc.Iseesomethinglikethisdaily! IwassonaivethatIstillhadmychildrenvaccinatedaftermydaughterwashospitalizedfordays becauseofconvulsionsfollowingavaccination;andeventhoughaneighbour,whenIwasateenager, hadtold'us'(thefamily)abouthowsheandhersiblingsmissedoutonbeingvaccinatedthedayso manychildrendiedinBundabergfollowingvaccination6.Myneighbourandhersiblingsweredressed, readyfortown,onthebackoftheirtruckandthetruckwouldn'tstart.Howluckycouldtheybe?

TwelveBundabergchildrendiedafteradiphtheriavaccinationin1928.Reference:Akers,H.F.andPorter, S.A.T.(2008).BundabergsGethsemane:thetragedyoftheinoculatedchildren.RoyalHistoricalSocietyof QueenslandJournal.Vol.20,No.7.

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Ineverquestionedvaccinationbutaftermydaughter'sseveresideeffectsIwouldnotacceptthe "coincidence"explanationIreceivedfromthemedicalprofession.Istarteddoingmyownresearch.I havelostalmostalltrustinwesternmedicineandmedicaldoctorsandonlyconsultnatural therapistsnow.IfIdoneedadoctor,whichishardlyever,IgotomyGPwhosharesmyconcernsand supportsmybeliefs.Sheconfessedtomethatmyconcernsarevalid.ShesignedmyConscientious Objectionformsnoquestionsasked. MerylDoreyspoketomyuniversitynaturopathyclassabouttherisksandthelackofscientific evidencetosupportvaccination.Iwasdevastated.IhadneverquestionedvaccinationbeforeandI wasverydisappointedinmyself.Ispoketomypartnerandweresearchedtheinformation.Therewas somuchevidencetosupportwhatI'dlearned.PartofmewishesI'dneverbeenatthatlesson ignoranceisbliss.Howlovelyandeasyitwastobelievethatvaccinationswerenotonlysafebutalso effective.Butwearenowinamuchbetterpositiontosupportandprotectourfamily.Itjustinvolvesa lotmoreworkintermsofresearchanddefendingourselvesamongourfriends,familiesandhealth professionals. WhenpregnantIwasadvisedtohavevaccinationsthattomeseemedcrazy.I,likethemajorityof parents,hadntthoughttoomuchaboutimmunisingmychildrenuntilthismoment.Thisledtoour immersingourselvesinbothsidesofthevaccinationdebatetowhere,Iamhappytosay,weare today.Threehealthychildrenagedsix,threeandonewhodontknowwhataneedleisanduntil schoolthisyearhadnevertakenacourseofantibiotics.ThanksMerylforeverythingyoudo.Welive inasmalltownwhereeveryoneknowseveryoneandourchoiceissomethingwekeeptoourselves. WearesoinspiredbytheworkyoudoforthepeopleofAustralia. IwasallforvaccinationasIthoughtthatwastherightthingtodo.Myfirstchildwasvaccinatedat birthandatsixweeksofage.Afterhisvaccineatsixweeks,hebecameillandwashospitalisedaweek laterforRSV/bronchiolitis.Doctorstoldmeitwasjustacoincidence,butIfeelthatitwasn't.Ialso receivedaboosterwhoopingcoughvaccineatthesametimeandbecameillwithabadcaseoftheflu. IhavenotbeensicksincethattimeuntilthisMarchwhenIstartedtolosestrengthinmyarmsand legs.IgraduallybecamesoweakIcouldnolongershowermyself,brushmyhair,dressmyself,walkup stairsorliftacoffeemug.IwashospitalisedanddiagnosedwithCIDP,aformofdemyelinationofthe nerves.Thecauseofmyproblemhasstillnotbeenfound(itcanbecausedbyinfections,bacteria, chemicals,vaccines)butifyoufollowthepathbacktowhenIwaslastsickitwasjustafteravaccine. Thishasfurtherincreasedmychoicenottovaccinatemyownchildren! Oneofmychildrenhadaseverereactiontoherfirstvaccination(anaphylaxis)andnothingwassaidto informmeotherthantoencouragemetocontinuevaccinationwithoutthepertussis.Threeyears laterIread"Immunitylet'skeepit"whereallthereactionsweredescribedandIrealisedIhadbeen dupedbymedicalprofessionalsregardingthedanger.Inevervaccinatedagain.Myfirstsixchildren werevaccinateduptotwoandahalfwhilethelastfivewereunvaccinated.Noneoftheyoungerones evenhasamedicalrecordduetotheirgreathealthandwelldevelopedimmunesystem. Mythirdchildwasbornill.Iaskedforhervaccinationstobedelayedandthedoctorlefttheroomand sentin'AttilatheHun'totellmeIwasirresponsibleandthatpeoplelikemewerethecauseofillness remaininginthecommunity.IwasgobsmackedandsoIstartedtolookintotheissue.Ireadarticles, magazines,watchedvideosandtalkedtopeople.Thelogicofimmunisationdidnotstandupunder scrutiny.Ittookmeanotherthreeyearstohavethecouragetoretakecompletecontrolofmyfamilys healthandIeventuallymadeacareeroutofit.Ithank'Attila'inmymindforthetriggerthatsentme tothelight! Myattitudewasenforcedatmyfirstbornsplaygroup12yearsagowhen,afterthe18monthshots, oneofthetoddlersinthegroupclearlywasaffectedbyhisvaccinationsandwentfrombeingthemost talkative,mostphysicallyadeptchildinthegrouptobecomingseverelyautistic,dyspraxicandlosthis abilitytowalkformonthsthereafter.Tothisdayhehassevereglobaldevelopmentaldelay. Afterreceivingtheappropriatevaccination,mynephewstillcontractedwhoopingcough.Atthetime therewasaspateofcasesandthepressdemonisedparentswhodidnotvaccinatetheirchildren.But mynephewwasandtheHealthDepartmentwereratherofficious.Apparentlytherewereanumberof caseswherechildrenwerevaccinated.Butthepressnevermentionedthesecases.ThatswhenI begantoquestionthewholevaccinationdeal.Inursedayoungadultwhowasseverelymentally retardedasaresultofvaccination.Itwasevenwritteninherchartthatherretardationwascausedby thevaccination.Itstartedmequestioning.

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Weinitiallyvaccinatedourfirstchild,ourson,althoughwewereneverfullycomfortablesowe delayedeachvaccinationbyafewmonths.Atthetime,asnewandnaiveparents,wedidnotfeel confidentorinformedenoughnottogoaheadwithvaccinatingastherewassomuchscaremongering fromfriends,doctorsetc.Weagonisedeachtimehegotjabbed.Oursondevelopedeczemaandby theageofonehadsevereallergytodairyandnutsaswellasasthma.That'swhenalarmbellsstarted ringingforusandaftermonthsofreadingandresearch(thankyou,AVN!)westoppedthe vaccinationsat18monthsandfeltitwasthebestdecisionwecould'vemadeforhim.Ourdaughteris notvaccinatedatall. Aneighbourgavemeinformationaboutthedangersofvaccines21yearsago,aftermyfirstchildwas born.Atthatstage,Iwasstilltoocaughtupinthefearandpropagandaaboutvaccines.However, whenmysecondchildwasaboutayearold,anewvaccineappearedontheschedule.Iwasgiventhe usualspielaboutitbeingimperative.Butatthatstagetherewasnocatchupscheduleformyson whowasjust21monthsolder.Atthatpointthepennydropped."HowstupiddoyouthinkIam?You aretellingmeonechildisatriskofdeathfromthisdiseaseandtheotherwholivesinthesamehouse isatnoriskatall."Thatwasthecatalystthatforcedmetostartresearching.IwashorrifiedbywhatI discoveredanddiscontinuedvaccinationfromthatpoint. IaskedtwofriendsbothGPshowmuchtimetheyspentlearningaboutvaccinesatuniversity.One answered,"Noneactually."Thesecondanswered,"None,buteveryoneknowsit'stherightthingto do."LaterIgavethesecondpersonavideo(producedbytheAVNIbelieve).Theyreturneditafew weekslaterwithoutevenviewingit,andhadwrittenonthecover"Antivaccinationpropaganda."I hadsimplyaskedhertoviewthevideoandgivemefeedback.Thearrogantresponsebewilderedme. Thankfully,itforcedmeintodoingtomyownresearch. IworkedforGlaxoSmithKline,finishingin2007,sellingthefirstoftheCervarixvaccines.Notalotof informationwasdeliveredbythemarketingdepartmentotherthantosayitwas'better'than Gardasil.Istartedtofeelalittleuneasyaboutit.Thenmorecameoutaboutadverseeventsthat were'patched'upbyamarketingspieldeliveredbyusreps.In2007theonlyreasonIdidntgetthis 'fabulous'vaccine(thatonlycoveredsomethinglike3strainsoutof200+)wasbecauseIwas pregnant.Thisprecautionalsosoundedalarmbellsinmymindwhywoulditatanystagenotbe safe?Eventuallyafterthebirthofmydaughter,andoverwhelminghormonaldrivetoprotecther from'everything'Iwonderedaboutthevaccines...Iwas'jabbed'withthisandthatatbirthwithzero explanation!LearningaboutBPAinbottlespromptedmetoqueryeverythingItouchedthatIwould givetomydaughter. WhenmyinfantdaughtergotencephalitisaftervaccinationandIbegantoresearchtheissuewith verylimitedinformationatthattime.Ihavesincerealisedthatmyownautoimmuneconditionis relatedtovaccination.AlsomybrotherinlawsnephewdiedaftervaccinationsomeyearsagoandI haveanautisticgrandsonduetovaccinationnoonedaretellmeotherwise. Mydaughterwas"encouraged"tohaveaflushotafterherfirstchildwasbornshegotreallysickthe eveningafterthevaccinationandwenttoemergencywheretheyadmittedher.Theyrefusedto believeitwasrelatedtotheflushotandtreatedherforabloodinfection.Whentestresultscame back,therewasnoinfectionandtheystillsaiditmusthavebeensomildthatitdidn'tshowup.When Iaskedifitcouldbethevaccine,thethreedoctorspresentsaidyes,buthighlyunlikelytheonewho respondedcouldn'tlookmeintheeyewhenhesaidthat.Ifeltthenthattherewasacoverup.My daughterandIthenbegantoresearchmoreandrealisedthattherewassomuchwewerenottold andfeltquitebetrayedbythemedicalprofession.Iftheyhadtoldusthetruthwewouldnothave beensosceptical. Igavebirthtoourfirstchildandstartedresearching.MyintuitionkickedinandIfeltcompelledto researchandquestion,andultimatelywedecidednottousevaccination.Thankfullymyhusbandwas onboardandhasthesameviewsbecausewithoutsupportthatitwouldbedifficult,perhapstoo difficultformetonotvaccinatealonewithoutanysupportfromfamilyorfriends.IreadbooksandI hadalongphonecallwithMerylDoreywhoIthankdeeplyfortheprofoundimpactshehadonour lives,andmyabilitytolistentowhatmyintuitionwasalreadytryingtotellme.Thankyousovery muchMeryl! IcompletedadiplomainMedicalHerbalism.Ataboutthesametimemytwoyearoldgrandsonwas vaccinatedagainstmyadviceformeasles.Theresultofthatvaccinationwasaverysicktoddler.He developedtheworstcaseofmeaslesIhaveeverexperiencedandhehadguardiainhisbowel.The

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batchofvaccinewasinvestigatedandfoundtobecontaminated.Ittookthechildseveralmonthsto recoverandhisparentsnevervaccinatedhimagain.Heisnow27yearsoldandveryhealthy. Workinginthemedicalindustryandtalkingtootherstaffandonedoctorwhodoesnotvaccinatehis ownchildrenopenedmyeyesupandmademequestionvaccination.Familyhasalsoplayedabig partinmyantivaccinationattitude. MysonbecameverysickafterhisMMRshotand,aftergoingtofourpaediatricians,Ifinallyfounda greatdoctorcalled(Namewithheld)whotoldmeIwasrightaboutthevaccines.Fromthenon,it becameclearerandcleareraboutthetruthofvaccines. MymotherhadgivenmesomeinformationtoreadbeforeIhadmydaughterandIwasshockedby theingredients.Ihadagirlfriendwhowasamidwifeandshementionedmostofthevaccinatedkids thatsheseesatthehospitalhadbeenvaccinatedforthatparticulardisease.HenceIdidn'tvaccinate mybaby. WhileIwasdoingmynursetrainingIgotverysickafterreceivingmyvaccines.Ithennotedanumber ofpatientsthisalsohappenedto.Inursedpatientswithdiseasesthatweresupposedlywipedoutby vaccines,andtheattendingdoctortoldmethatthevaccinesactuallycausedthedisease(polio)in theseparticularpatients. Aftersuspectingalinkbetweenmyvaccinationsandmyown"inconclusive""strangeviruswhich resultedinonesideddeafnessasaninfantandconstantearinfections,thenmyownchildren's constantbronchialinfections,earinfectionsandasthmaandanotherfamilymembersimmediate severeadversereactiontoascheduledvaccination,Istartedmyownresearchintovaccinations.Iam disgustedthatneverhasa"healthprofessional"discussedwithmeormyhusbandormyparents aboutwhattheingredients,thesideeffectsorthebenefitsandrisksofvaccinationsare. Whenmydoctorof10yearstoldraisedhervoicetomewhenIwasaskingherquestionsaboutwhat researchhadbeendoneontheimpactofcombiningvaccinesintooneneedle.Shewasquite exasperatedwithallmyquestionsandendeduptellingmethatit'spremmiebabieslikeminethatdie fromdisease.Thebestanswershegavemeaboutcombiningtheneedleswasthatitwasdone becauseparentsweregettingtooupsetbyhowmanydifferentneedlestherewereandsoputting moreintooneneedlemeanttherewerelessneedlesneeded.Hardlyscientificresearchonthe cocktailofchemicalsgettinginjectedintolittlebodiesisit? WhenIwaspregnantIreadmanynaturalparentingmagazinesandpublications.Istartedtohear abouttheMMRcausingautismandthenIlookedintoothervaccines.Ididn'trealiseallvaccineswere bad,justthoughttheMMRwas.Ihadtroublefindinginformationonline,Ithinkmysearchingskills wererustybackthen.IvaccinatedmychildagainstHepBatbirth,somethingIwillregreteverydayfor therestofmylife,thoughIdobelievehehasnotsufferedanylastingdamage.Ifeltextremely pressuredtovaccinatebymymotherinlaw.Wheninhospitalwithmyson,Isawanursewhohad workedwithmyGP.Shehadjusthadababyherself.Inaivelyaskedheropinionofvaccinationandshe wentonwiththeexpectedrant,whichscaredme.Fortunately,amidwifeoverheardtheconversation andlatertookmeasideandhadaconversationwithmeandtoldmeabouttheAVN.Onhernextshift, shebroughtmesomepamphletsandmyeducationtrulybeganthen.IjoinedtheAVN,researched somemore,sawahomeopathanddiscusseditwithhim,foundoutmylactationconsultantsharedmy views,wenttoanAVNseminarwhichiswhatfinallyswayedmypartnertherestishistory.IfeellikeI owemyson'sperfecthealth,andperhapsevenhislife,toMerylDoreyforherpassionandselfless commitmenttothecauseandtothatmidwife.IliketobelieveIwouldhavecometothispointonmy own,buthowcanIbesure?Icouldnotbemoregrateful.TheconstantsicknessIseeinchildren aroundusisoverwhelmingtome.Howdotheparentsnotseethatsomethingisn'tright?Mysonis nearlyfiveandhashadtwo24hour,verymildillnessesandonestomachupsetthatlasted24hours andwasonlypain.Thisisatestamenttohislackofpharmaceuticalsandhischemicalfreelifestyle.

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AppendixB:Casestudyaccountsofadversereactionsandlongtermeffects Behaviouralproblemse.g.autism,ADHD,Aspergers
Mother(53),anauthor,withtwodaughtersaged27and24andonesonaged23.Allfamily membersarepartiallyvaccinated. Sonagethreewastripledosedin1992.Wasaveryplacidthreeyearoldchild.Becamevery aggressiveafter.Itwaslikeatotalchangeinpersonalityovernight.GPstatedIneededarestanddid notbelieveme.Ididnotreportthechange.SonstillhasaggressivebehaviourandistermedADD. Father(63)withfourchildrenrangingfrom24to18.Allpartiallyvaccinated.Selfemployedinthe cateringindustry. Son(secondchild)born1989.MMRat12months.Suffersfromautism/epilepsy/Intellectual disability/behaviouraldisordersTemperatureandscreamingfirst24hours.Notreportedto governmentbyGPasyearspassedpriortomajordiagnosis. A50yearoldmotheroftwosonsaged21and16.Theyoungerisnotvaccinated. Mysonbornin1991receivedhisfirstvaccinationsatsevenmonths.HeslippedintoaSIDSlikecoma fromwhichIcouldntrousehim.Hesleptfor14hoursthenwokeup.IneversawaGP.AndIdidnt knowatthetimethathehadsufferedaseriousreaction.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 tookseveralyearsofpersonalresearchandreadingthatfinallyputittogether.Mainstreammedicine 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.antibioticscauseworsegutproblems.Medicinesfullofartificialcoloursand 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 verydelayedeating,crawling,talking.Hehaddifficultieswithsocialoutingsorvisitors.Hecouldnt handlechangeorbeingtakenout,orhavingpeopletouch,talkorlookathim.Atthreeyears,he

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wasdiagnosedwithASD. Mother(50),thedirectorofachildcarecentre,withtwochildrenaged18and11.Onlytheeldestis vaccinated. Myeldestsonwaslistedontheautismspectrumwhenhewassixyearsoldandvaccinationwas thoughttheprobablecause.Wesawdoctors(Nameswithheld).Duringmysonsvaccinationvisitasa babyin1995,thedoctoraskedmeifIwantedmydiphtheriaandtetanusbooster.Iagreedandforthe nextfiveyearsIlivedinafogwithtotalmentalandphysicalfatigue.Thedoctorsaiditwasdueto beinganewmother.Ifoughtmywayoutofthisviavitamins&varioussupplementsthatIfoundfor myselfinthosedaystheInternetwasnotsowidelyused.Ilatertracedtheonsetofmyproblemto thisvaccination.Icouldcryatthememoryofit. Mother(42)whohasworkedinchildcare.Threechildrenrangingfrom15tofouryears.Thetwo youngestareunvaccinated. Mysonatsixmonthsofageaftervaccinationdevelopedhightemperaturesandrashalloverchest andbackforacoupleofdays.Itwasnotreported.Hesufferedhightemperaturesandcryingwithall hisvaccinationsuptoageof12months(thenreceivednomore).Thischildhassincebeendiagnosed withAspergersSyndrome,ODDandADHD.Ihaveusedcomplementarymedicineforyearsandeven hairmineralanalysisresultshaveshownanabovenormallevelofheavymetalssuchasmercuryinhis system.Allourhealthcareisalternativewherepossible. Mother(53),aNaturopathandLecturer,withonefullyvaccinatedsonaged20. MysonhadanadversereactiontotheMMRwhen18monthsoldfloppy,swollenlegatsite, feverish,etc.Ibelievehesufferedsomeregressionafterthatshot.Hestoppedmakingeyecontact andwaseasilydistracted.Later,whenhewaseightyearsold,hewasdiagnosedwithADDand depressionbyaPaediatricConsultant,whoputhimonantidepressantsanddexamphetamine.Iwas extremelyloathtoputhimonthesedrugsandresearchedalternativesmyself.Iamnowa naturopathandhelpotherconcernedfamiliesmakeinformedchoices.Itispossiblethatmysonwas intellectuallyaffected.HisfatherisaMensan,andIwasthetopgraduateatmyschoolandlaterat mycollege,butoursonwasnotahighachieveratschool.Hehasgreatdifficultyparticipatingin mathematics.Hehasgottenbetterovertheyearsbecauseheisnowstudyingthethingheloves (music),butIwouldhavethoughthewouldhavebeenmoreacademic. Mother(60)ateacher,withonevaccinatedsonnowaged21. MymothertoldmeIdevelopedeczemaandmyolderbrotherdevelopedasthmastraightafterthe smallpoxvaccinethatwehadinScotlandwhenIwas19monthsoldandmybrother31monthsold. Thiseczemaandmybrothersasthmaplaguedusintoadulthoodbutdiminishedwhenwereached our30s.Oureczemaandmybrothersasthmaatthetimewerenotassociatedwithourreactionto thesmallpoxvaccineandweretreatedbydoctorsbutnotreportedasvaccinereactions.Ihada poliovaccineinmyarmwhenIwasabout11in1963andIhadtohaveafewdaysoffschool(arare event)becauseitcausedmylegstobecomeveryheavyandIcouldntwalkproperlyforafewdays.I didnotseeadoctorforthisreaction.Ijuststayedinbeduntilmylegsworkedagainanditwasnot reportedtoadoctoronlymyteacherthroughanotefrommymother. 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

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diagnosedwithdevelopmentalregressionandthensubsequentlyautism.Isuspectedthecausebeing theMMRstraightawaybecausehemetallmilestonesearlyandhewasstrongandhealthybabywho waswalkingindependentlyateightmonthsoneweekandused25wordsby17months.Fourdays afterthevaccinehestartedtobashhisheadagainstthewallthensubsequentlyrunaroundincircles thenbashhisheadwithallhistoysandstoppedplayingappropriatelywiththem.Ireportedmy suspicionoftheMMRcausingmysonsautismtodoctorsatthebabyclinicsinhospitals(names withheld)whenIreturnedfromAmericasixmonthsaftermysonhadtheMMRvaccineinUSA.(I returnedtoAustraliatogetgoodmedicaltreatmentforhimbecausewecouldseehewassuffering fromseveredevelopmentalregressionafterthisvaccineanditwasclearhewasnotgettingany better).Idontknowwhatthedoctorsatthe(Namewithheld)hospitalhereinBrisbanein1993did withmysuggestionthatmysonspiralledintoautismfourdaysafterhisoneandonlyMMRvaccine buttheyranalotoftestsonhimandcouldntfindareasonforhisregressionandchromosometests provednormal.AnMRIshowedsomedelayedmyelinpossiblyfromaformofencephalitisfromhis DPTvaccineoranothervaccinesuchasHibBorMMR.At26monthsin1993hegotanotherHibB vaccineandstartedactingveryagitatedagainafterthis. Tothisdayhehasneverreturnedtobeingabletoplay,socialiseorcommunicateappropriatelyand requireslifelongsupportbecausehecantdoanythingforhimself.IbelievethefirstDPTvaccine damagedthebloodbrainbarrierandwhentheMMRcamealongitgotthroughthebloodbrain barrierandcausedchronicencephalitislikeavariantofSSPE.Hecurrentlyhasgutissuesandhaslost alotofweightandhairinthepasttwoyearsandalsohasdevelopedsebohhericdermatits, helicobaterpylori,esophagitis,gastritisandnowsomeswollenjointsonfingers.Hishealthyimmune systemhewasbornwithhasbeencompromisedbyvaccinesresultinginhischronicillnessesand delayeddevelopment.Ihadtogiveupmyjobasateachertotakecareofhimmanyyearsago.Lifeis aconstantstruggleforusandhehassuchdifficultysleepingwithconstantinvoluntarymuscle twitchingpreventinghimfromsleepingpeacefully. Mother(57)withtwosons,nowaged22and20,bothvaccinated.HealingTherapist,aswellasa MinddFoundationRepresentative. Myselfpoliovaccinationsvaccinatedbetween195560.Thiswasoneoftheworsttypesofpolio vaccinationsinhistory.AccordingtoMedicalIntuitives,after55yearsthevaccinestillsitsinmy systemthroughoutmylegs,eventhoughIhadnopoliodisease.Ihaveseveredyslexiclearning disabilities. Myoldestsonfullyvaccinatedwiththetriple/polio/hib&HepBuptoagefive.Hehadfeverand cryingthroughthenightaftereachvaccination.HedevelopedODD(OppositionalDefiantDisorder) andbraindeformitiesthatlefthimseverelydisadvantagedinlearningcapabilities.Itwasnotreported toaGPbecauseIwasunawareofthedamageuntilhewasolderanditwastoolateasODDdoesnot showupuntilmuchlaterinachildsdevelopment.However,Itookhimtoanaturalpathologistto healthegut,whichwasunsuccessfulduetohisdefiantbehaviour,andlatertoabrainspecialist, whichalsowasunsuccessfulduetohisdefiantbehaviour.Helaterresortedtodrugsashisonlyway tocopewithbrainchaoticabnormalities.Healsohasaweakimmunesystem,alwaysgettingcolds. Myyoungestsonfullyvaccinatedwiththetriple/polio/hib&HepBtoagethree.Afterhisfirst vaccinationsattwomonths,hestoppedbreastfeedingashewasunabletosuckproperly,even thoughhewasperfectpriortohisfirstvaccinations.Afterhisfirstvaccinations,attwomonths,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.

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Overafewhundredthousanddollarsofourfundstosupporthimthroughcountlessprogramsand endlessworthlessschoolingsystems,heisnowonhissecondyearofapprenticeship.Hestillhas severespeechdisordersandbecauseofthis,hehasnofriendsinhislife.Keepinghimaliveisafull timejob.Hisonlywaytofeelfunctionalinlifeistoworknonstop. AllreactionsofbothchildrenwerereportedtoAVNmanyyearsago,whichIwasinformedwould havebeenpassedontothegovernment.ItisacompletewasteoftimegoingtoanyGPtoreportany reactionbecausetheywouldneveradmitthatvaccinationsarethecauseofproblems.Fromtheir 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. Whenweweretalkingasadults,mymothersaidthatIchangedstraightafterthefourmonthvaccine shot.ShesaidIwasahappyhealthybabyandthenIjustchangedovernightanddidntlikebeingheld muchordrinkingandIbecamequitedifferent.Istartedgettingsevereearinfectionsandtonsillitis, wasoftensickandweakwithstomachaches.Stillhavetroublewithmystomachalot.Ihavechronic fatigue,nowlabelledasfybromyalgia. Mother(65)whohasworkedinnaturalhealthforthelast32years.Threechildrenwhoarenow 41,38and37. Mydaughterhadeczemaafterherfirstandonlyvaccineandshebrokeoutterriblywithrashoverher wholebody.Thenshehadallergiesuntilher30s.ShedevelopedgastroenteritisaswellandtheGP saidnevertovaccinateheragainandgavemealettertosaythisfortraveletc.Thenmysecondchild, aboy,hadhisthreemonthvaccineandbrokeoutineczemaandwhiteblotches.Thesamedoctor saidnottovaccinateandwrotealetterforme,Whenmythirdchild,ason,wasbornIdidnot 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,mentorandteacher.Thedaughterisunvaccinated. MysonhadallvaccinationsuptoandnotincludingtheMMR.Thereactionswerealwaysthesame.

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Hebecamefeverish,sick,rashesandswellingappeared.ItookhimtomyGPonalloccasionswho confirmedtheywerecausedbyvaccinesandononeoccasiontheywerereported.Mysonwasasickly childwithconstantearandthroatinfections.Hespenthisfirstbirthdayinhospitalwithasevere pneumococcalinfectionandbursteardrum.Hehadhistonsilsandadenoidsoutatthreeandthey grewbackagain,thushavingthemoutagainatageeight.Ihadnoideaatthetimeaboutadverse reactionstovaccinationsandwhenIaskedmyGPswhatwasactuallyinthemtheydidnotknowand treatedmewithcontemptforevenquestioning.ThatswhenIdidmyownmedicalresearchand foundenoughevidencetosatisfymethatvaccinationswereharmfulandpotentiallylifethreatening.I cametotheconclusionthattherisksfaroutweighedthepositives.Ihavebeendiscriminatedagainst byGovernmentagencies,daycaresandschoolsbutIcanseethedifferenceinthehealthinmytwo children,onewhowasvaccinatedandtheotherwhowasnotandhasneverbeensick.Whatmore canIsay? Mother(37)whoisaretiredlaboratorytechnician.Fourchildrenrangingfrom12totwoyears.The youngestisunvaccinated. OurfirstsonreactedbadlytotheMMRvaccineandafterseeingmanydoctors,wefinallyfoundthe answerwhenadoctor(namewithheld)confirmeditwasthevaccinecausinghisleakygut.Thenwe didevenmoreresearchandwerestunnedwhenwefoundthetruthaboutvaccines.Oursonstillhas auditoryprocessingdisorderandcanteatcertainfoodsbecauseofhisfoodsensitivity. Mother(57)whoisanaturopathintheclinicatacountryhospital.Threechildrenaged26,23and 13,theyoungestnotbeingvaccinated Suddenasthmaattacksneedingemergencytreatmentandadmissiontohospital.Prescriptiondrugs wereordered.Emotionalhealthranparalleltophysicalexacerbations.Thiswasformyfirstbornat agefiveonadmissiontoschool.GPdidnotreporttoADRAC.Naturopathictreatmentdecreasedthe severityoftheasthmaattacksasayoungboy.Theimbalanceintheimmunemodulationcapacityof mysonremainswithresultantissuesofincreasedsensitivitytoallergenssuchasanimalhair,dust, dairyproducts.Hisinabilitytoparticipateinsportaffectedhissociallinksandabilitytofeellikeoneof thecrowd. Mother(51),aschoolcounsellor,withonesonagednineyears Iallowedmysontohavethetwomontholdvaccinecombinationwhenhewasfouryearsold(feltit wouldbesaferthantwomonths!!!).Diditduetofamilypressureandpressurefromfriendsashe wasstartingapreschoolprogram.Mysonbecamesickafteritforsixmonths.Hehadsymptomsof almosteverydiseaseintheimmunisationincludingpertussis,varicella,pneumococcal,Hibetc.It waslikehehadbeeninfectedwitheverythingallatonceasaresultofthevaccine!!!Eversince,he hasbeenpronetoallergiesandchestinfections.Hehasallergiesandasthmalikesymptomsat certaintimesoftheyearwhichhedidnothavebeforethevaccineinJuly2007.Hemissestimeoff schoolduetosickness.Ihavehadhimtakenoffmebythecourtsattimesduetomyreluctanceto givehimmainstreammedicationsi.e.antibiotics.Evenmyowndoctorwentagainstmeandquoted myreluctancetouseantibioticsdespitehavingpostersinthesurgeryaboutnotexpectingeveryviral infectiontobetreatedwithantibiotics.ItcontributedtolosingmysontomyexhusbandandwhenI gothimback(yearslater)recentlyhewastotallyaddictedtofastfoodsandrefusingtotakenatural medicines. Mother(57)with11childrenrangingfrom33yearsdownwards.Thefirstsixchildrenare vaccinatedandtheotherfivearenot.Motherisaparttimekinesiologist. Daughternowaged24andthefourtheldestchildanaphylaxisreactionattwomonthsafterDPT spentthreehoursinhospitalwhereshewasonlyobservedwithnothingbeingsaidandnoone seemingtoknowwhattodo,whileIheldher.Whenshebecamealittlepinkerafterstirringenough totakeafeed,Iwassenthomenothingwassaidaboutcause,prognosisoranything.Shedidnot comebacktohernormalselfforaweek,beingverylethargicandragdolllike.WhenInextvisited thedoctor,hesaiditwasprobablyareactiontothewhoopingcoughpartofthevaccineandto requestthatthatbeleftoutofhernextvaccination.Unfortunately,thatswhatIdid,notrealisingthe generaldangerofallvaccines.Idoubtifthereactionwasreported.Shebecamehypoactiveandvery sensitivetofoodsandcolourings.Twinsareoneyearyoungerandwerewheatanddairyintolerant andneededaspecialdietastoddlers.Firstsixchildrenhadproblemswithbedwettingbeyondthe

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normalyears.Thelastfivehadnoproblems. Mother(58)withtwodaughtersnowaged 19and16.Onlytheeldestisvaccinated.Motherhas workedasabankofficer,officeworker,secretaryandreceptionist. Eldestdaughter,attwo,four&sixmonthsDPT,polio.(cantremembertheotherstheusual,atthe time).Thefourmonthshotsbroughtonunnatural,highpitchedscreamingfortheentireday.Could notbeconsoled.14dayslater:severeeczema.Later,offthescaleallergiesasdescribedbya 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. IwasvaccinatedforRubellaat11years.IwasanAstudentandwithinaweekofthevaccination,I wasaBandCstudent.Myparentswonderedwhybutnoonecouldgiveananswer.Myeldest,ason, wasvaccinatedupuntiltwoyears.Heisnow14,stillwetsthebed,hasahugeintolerancetowheat (noneofthefamilydoes)andgetsillfarmoreoftenthanhissiblings.Wehavebeentomany specialistsandgivenhimmanytreatmentsandnonework.Itisnotconfirmedthatitisthevaccines.

Otherlongtermeffects
Father(53)withtwosonsaged16and15.Onlytheeldestisvaccinated. Sonborn1996.Withinacoupleofdayswhenhewasafewmonthsoldfloppystateandturneda bluecolourafterDTP.WasseenbyaGP.Onehospitaldoctorhasagreedmysonsproblemswere causedbythevaccines.NotsureifGPreportedreactionstothegovernment.Henowhasverypoor 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 wastryingtofindouthowmyexhusbandhadtherighttodothis.Unfortunately,theCouncilonly needsonesignaturefromaparentwhichIfindoutrageous.Second,Iwastryingtofindouthowto protectmydaughterfromtheonslaughtoftoxins.So,Ididnotevengiveitathoughttoreporther reaction. Amotherfamilydetailsnotdivulged. Mythen20montholdsonhadhisshotsaspertheschedule.Ithenhopelesslywatchedashespent theeveningscreaminginwhatcanonlybedescribedasagony.Thateventuallystoppedandwasthen replacedwithtwodaysofaverylimpchildwhodidnotwalkortalkfortwoorthreedays.He eventuallyimprovedbutwasnotthesamevibrant,inquisitivelittleboythathewasbeforethose shots.Thisledtomyquestioningandresearchingvaccination. Motheraged30whohasworkedineducation.Threesonsagedsix,fourandtwo,andanewlyborn daughter.Onlytheeldestchildisvaccinated.

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Oureldestboy(born2006)hadfevers,rashes,breathingdifficulties,flusymptomsandvomiting.We tookhimtoadoctorafterthevomitingandnothingwasdonesowestoppedvaccinating.Thedoctor saidtheywereallcoincidentalsymptoms.Myhusbandsreactionwasconstantearinfectionsthat startedasachildonlyafterhewasvaccinated. A35yearoldmotherofthree(daughtersagednineandfour,andasevenyearoldson)whohas workedinadministration.Theyoungerdaughterisunvaccinated. Mysonhadamildseizurewhichwasdeniedbythedoctorasbeingareactiontothevaccine.Itwas notreportedtoanygovernmentauthority.Ibelievethisreactionisnowthecauseofhisverypoor visionmakinghimdyslexic.Itwasafterhissixmonthneedles.Ihaveconsultedmanymedical professionsbuthavereceivedthegreatesthelpfromawelltrainedhomeopath. A37yearoldmother(Yogateacher)withapartiallyvaccinateddaughteragedfiveandan unvaccinatedsonagedone. Myselfdevelopedwhoopingcoughshortlyafterthevaccine.Mydaughterhadthefirsttwo vaccinesatfourandsixmonthsaftermyhusband(nowex)insisted.Bothtimesherlegswelledand wasredatthesiteofthevaccinationandshescreamedforsixhours.Afterthefirstvaccine,theGP convincedmethatthiswasanormalreaction,whichIdidntbelieve.Afterthesecondtime,Iwentfull ballintoresearchandfoundapaediatricianwhoagreeditwasabadreactionandtoneversubjecther 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.Thetwoyoungestareunvaccinated. 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 gethimbacktosomesemblanceofhealth. 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),SamonasSoundTherapyOccupational

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therapy,PaediatricPhysiotherapy,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 partiallyvaccinated. Eldestchildattwoandahalfyearshadthevaccineforrotavirus.Myvery,veryregular(bowels)child becameveryirregularstraightafterthevaccinationforaperiodofweeksevenstoppedallmotions foraperiodoftime.IhadhimcheckedbyaGP,butIwastoldithadnothingtodowithit.Ialso mentionedittothenurseshebasicallysaidthatitwasrubbishandcouldnthappen.Notreported. Bowelsreturnedtonormalafteranextendedperiod.Ididnttakethematteranyfurtherotherthan startingtoresearchvaccinationmorethoroughlyanddecidingnottovaccinatemychildren anymore!!!Therehavebeenalotofissueswiththatvaccinefortherotavirus. Father(72)withabackgroundasamarinenavigator.Threechildrennow45,43and40,allfullyor partiallyvaccinated. Ourinfantsonagesixmonths(Ithink)violentfeversoonafterthevaccination,rushedtoGPthen directlytohospital.Thereactionwasalmostimmediateafterthevaccination.Inhospital,hewas listedashavingpneumonia,whichitpatentlywasnt. Mother(42)withthreechildrenagedeight,sixandthree.Onlytheeldestisvaccinated.Research associateforADHDresearch(Yes,lotsoffebrileseizuresinthosekidsfilesthatInowknowwere vaccinereactionsalmostalwaysatagefourmonths,sixmonths,and18months!). Ihadjointpainandtendonitisrequiringphysiotherapy(thoughtitwasrepetitiveworkinjury!!)after MMRboosterage28.Fluafterfluvaccineage30. Eldestchildhadvaccinereactionatagetwomonths.Puffyface,chronicgreenslimydiarrhoea,later on,loosestoolsandtotallyundigestedfood(firstsolidstoolatagefourandahalfafterpartial healing).Infancy:Constantcryingseemedsomethinginsideherheadandbellywashurting.Head droppeddown,sleepingforthreetofivesecondsandnowIbelievethesewereheaddropseizures. Latetosit,latetowalk,didnotgrasporplaywithtoys.HoldingherwassomewhatofacomfortandI becameababywearingexpert,holdingheralldaywhileshejustwhimpered,butputtingherdown thingsgot10timesasbad.Neverbellycrawled.Taughthertocreeponallfoursatnearly11months ofage.Asatoddler,OCDlikesymptoms,agethreestartedfacialandvocaltics(mommyyuhyuh yuhyuhwhilefacegrimaced),stereotypicalmovementsofhershoulders.Felldownalotallher life,uptoagefour.Seriousfatigueuptoagefiveandahalf.Tantrumsthatwentforhours,starting 14monthstoagethreeandahalfwhenwestartedhealingprocess.Shealsoseemedtohavea proprioceptionproblem.Walkingintowalls,leaningdownintoopendrawers,etceventhoughvery carefulinhibitedpersongenerally.Sensoryproblems:oversensitivetonoiseandheat(bathwater neededtobecool/tepid!)OCDlikefears(blackfuzzinbathtubwasaseriousconcernuptoagethree andahalf).Ididnotrecognizeitassuchforaverylongtime,butbecausesomanydoctorstoldme 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,

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somehow)andwasstartingballet.Todayshehasissuesfromearlystressfullife,but95%normal.We nevervaccinatedanyoneinourfamilyagain.Wesubsequentlyhadtwomorechildrenandtheyare 100%unvaccinated.OurdaughterwithDownsyndromeisthethirdchild,theyaresaidtohavepoor immunesystemsanddefinitelygetvaccinated.Well,Iknowtheyarealsoverysusceptibletocellular andbraindamage.ShehasbeenonDSsupplementsandaverycleannontoxiclifestyle(asgoodas wecanmakeit,inBeijing,organic,nontoxichouseholdandpersonalcareproducts,goodnonBPA waterandmostimportantlynomedicinesorvaccines).Sheisnearlyfourandtalking,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. Idevelopedfever,headaches,muscleachesandexhaustionafterallchildhoodvaccinations.SawGP 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 whereitwasdifficultornotpossibletoclimbstairs,getupofftheground,liftmychildrenup,shower myself,dressmyself,toiletmyself,holdacoffeemug,opendoorsetcetcetc.Iwashospitalisedand diagnosedwithCIDP(Chronicinflammatorypolyneuropathy),aformofdemyelinationthatattacks themyelinaroundmynerves.IwasseenbytwoGPsandseveralneurologists.ItwasrecordedthatI hadaboostervaccinethreeyearspriortothisbutneverconfirmedasthecauseofmycondition,soit wasntreportedtotheGovernment.Mysonreceivedhisvaccinesatsixweeksofageandwasputin hospitalaweeklaterwithRSV/bronchiolitis.Doctorssayitwasacoincidenceandsoitwasnot reportedasanadversereactiontoavaccineeither. MyCIDPconditionischronic.Ihavetohavetransfusionsonceamonthtotreatmysymptomssothat Icanliveasnormalalifeaspossible.Istillhavenoreflexes,cannotrunorjump,havetroublelifting thingsover10kilogramsandwalkingupstairs.Itaffectsmywork,myemotionalandphysicalwell beingandhascausedamajorstrainonmepsychologically.Iregularlyhavedeeptissuemassageand acupunctureinthehopethatitwillassistmybodytocopewiththeextraphysicalstressandIseea naturopathtoassistmewithmydietandlifestylechoices,againtoenablemetodowhatIcanfrom

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myendtohelpmybodyhealitself!!Iamawaitinganappointmenttoseeaveryexpensivemedical doctorinBrisbanewhoTreatstheCausesothatperhapshecandiscoverthetruecauseandhelpme treatitnotjustthesymptoms! Mother(69)whoworkedingeneralnursingandasamidwiferychildbirtheducator.Threechildren nowaged38,37and34,allunvaccinated. Iwasvaccinatedage18duringPreliminaryTrainingSchoolat(Namewithheld)Hospital.Many vaccinationstetanus,typhoid,BCG.cholera.Idevelopedrespiratorytractinfectionwhichthen progressedtochronicrhinitisandsevereacne.Therewasneveranymentionofaconnectionto vaccinations.Iwasgivenantibiotics,antihistaminesandXRaytherapytomyface.Isufferedmany yearsofrhinitis,asthma,foodintolerance,environmentalsensitivities,andchronicfatiguesyndrome andskinrashes.Thankstofastingandmanyyearsofstrictdietaryregimeandhomoeopathic treatmentmyhealthimproved.Ihavenothadanyconventionalmedicaltreatmentforfortyfive years.Ourthreechildrenhavenothadanyvaccinationsorantibiotics. Mother(37),ateacher,withfourchildrenrangingfrom13tosixyearsofage.Onlythetwoeldest havebeenvaccinated. WhenIwas27(10yearsago)IreceivedaMMRvaccination.Iwasgivenafactsheetwiththepossible sideeffectsandtherangeofdaysinwhichthesecouldoccur.Iexperiencedallbaroneoftheside effectswithinaweekofthevaccine.ItoldtheGPwhowasadamantitwasacoincidence.Ithenspent thenexttwomonthsinbedwithpostviralfatigue,accordingtotheGP.Iwassurethatitwasmy bodysimmunesystemunderstressfromthevaccine.Iwasangryifgettingalmostalltheside effectslistedonthevaccinebrochuredidntcount,thenwhenwouldadoctoragreethattherewas anadversereaction? Mother(43),abusinessmanager,withtwounvaccinatedchildrenagedeightandsix. At17yearsoldIhadtheHepBvaccinationsandaboutthreedaysafterthefirstshotgotmyveryfirst migrainewhichIhavecontinuedtohavetothisday.Ihadanadversereactiontotravelvaccinations whenIwas22yearsoldIwasgivenarangeofvaccinationsbuttheythoughtitwasmostlikelythe typhoidvaccinethatcauseditIwassoillthattheythoughtIwasgoingtodieseveregastrowith hospitalisationabout12hoursafterthevaccine.IalsowasverysickasachildandteenagerthatI attributetovaccinations. Wife(47)whoworksinmusiceducation.Nochildren. Myhusbandhadaseverereactiontoavaccinethathehadtohaveforwork.Itisavaccinegiventopeoplewho workwithbatsthevirusistheLyssavirusvirus(similartoRabiesvirus).Idontknowthenameofthevaccine. Itwasgiveninthreedoses.Hereactedseverelytotheseconddose.HisGPtoldhimtoexpectareactionand advisedhimnottohaveitasitwasawasteoftime(ashewouldhavetohavethevaccineifhewaseverbitten byabat)buthisworksaidthathehadto.HisGPconfirmedthatitwasareactiontothevaccine.Hebelieves thathisGPwouldhavereportedthereactionbutdoesntknowthisforcertain.

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AppendixC:Commentsaboutrisksandbenefitsofvaccinesandotheraspects
Risksofvaccines71peoplemadecommentsabouttherisksassociatedwithvaccines.Someexample commentsare: IhavenotseenorheardofanythingthatIdeemtobeabenefit. Drugcompanieshavehadtopaycompensationtoinjuredchildrenoverseas,sotheharmhasbeen legallyestablished. IamverydisturbedtoseethattheyarestillgivingGardasilinschoolsdespitetheverylargenumberof badreactions. If you do choose to vaccinate your child and they have an adverse reaction, the doctors are unlikely to agree it was the vaccine that caused the reaction. Some parents in the US have been jailed wrongly for causing damage to their children. Parentsshoulddomoreresearchabouttheprosandconsonvaccinationsinsteadofjusthavinga herdmentalityandfollowingsociety.Therearejusttoomanyvaccinationsandkidsseemtobesicker nowadaysthanbefore. TheincidenceofADDandautismhasincreasedwithincreaseduseofvaccinations.WhenIwentto school(Iamnow72),childrenhadfewallergies,andnoADDorautism. Thereisanincreasedriskofbraininflammationwhichcouldleadtolearningproblems,behavioural issuesandautism.Themedicalprofessionhasnotadequatelyresearchedtheimpactofvaccineson thebrainsofchildren. Theytellushowmanydiseaseshavebeeneradicatedduetovaccines,butthechildrenshospitalsare burstingattheseamswithchildhoodcancer!

Reportingofchildhoodreactionsthreepeoplecommented. Iamalsoextremelyconcernedaboutthelackofreportingofadversereactions. Completelyindependentadversereportingmechanismneedstobeestablishedwithnonconnected healthcareprovidersreviewingcases,toestablishifareactionispossiblylinkedtoavaccine.Too oftenitisjustdismissedasthepractitionerisconnectedtothecaseandfearslitigation. UnreportedreactionstovaccinationsareHUGE!The'smaller'reactionslikeachildcrying,unsettled andunwellfordaysetcarecommontohearingeneraltalkamongparentsbuteventhemore dangerousreactionsaregoingunreported!Ihadaparentfriendtaketheirchildtothedoctorasthe childhadbecamelimppostvaccinationonlytobesenthomeasthiswasok!!

Needformoreinformationforparents40commentedonthisaspect.Someselectedcomments: Soooomuchmisinformationoutthere! Schoolsbothprivateandpublicneedmoreinformationtheyaresimplypushingoutthegovernment andpharmaceuticalcompanyrubbishwithoutprovidingabalancedview. Bothmychildren(20and17)havenotreceivedanyvaccines.MysonistravellingtoEcuadornext yearandthereisabiglistofvaccinesheshouldhavebeforetravelling.Ifindmyselfgoingthroughthe samequandaryaswhentheywerebabiesonwhethertovaccinateornotandamquiteconcerned.I amhopingtobeabletoreadlotsofinformationonthissubject. Peopleneedtobemadeawareofhowmanyofthesocalled'epidemics'ofwhoopingcoughetc.are actuallyinvaccinatedchildren.Mediaisconstantlymisleadingormisinformingofthisfact. Themanufacturersinsertsshouldbemadeavailabletotheparentsbeforetheshotsotrueinformed consentcantakeplace.Havingtowrestleitfromthenursesintheclinicisstupid. Iliketoknowallaspectsofanissuebeforemakinganinformeddecisionandvaccinationisno different.Theideathatthegovernmentorafacelessinternet'Skeptic'groupcouldpresumeto preventmefromobtainingarangeofinformationandviewsisoutrageous.Iamentitledtoan informedopinionitismydemocraticright.Andwedoliveinademocracy....don'twe? Parentsneedtobemademoreawareoftheingredientsofvaccinesandtheeffectseachingredient canhaveonachild'sbodyandhealth.Therearestillalotofparentsblindlyvaccinatingtheirchildren becausetheydon'tknowtheyhavethechoice.

Comparisonofhealthofvaccinatedandunvaccinatedchildren13peoplecommented.Examplecomments: ChildrenwhohavenotbeenvaccinatedhaveahigherIQ.

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Ihaveeightgrandchildrenandtwohavebeenfullyvaccinated.Theyarethetwothathavehealth problems.OneisanaphylacticandtheotherhasAspergers. Mostofourcommunitycamedownwithwhoopingcoughrecently.Theywereallvaccinatedbefore andmostagainafterthisepidemic.Mostofthechildreninonesmallcountryschoolcaughtchicken pox.Allwerevaccinated.Ourchilddidnotcatchit. Mychildren,fourandeight,arenotvaccinated.Theyrarelygetsickandiftheydoitisverymildi.e.; soretummywhentheirfriendshaveseveregastro,slightsniffleforadayortwowhentheirfriends developsevereLRTI'sorURTI's. Vaccinated children are getting sicker and allergic a lot earlier than they used to. I work in childcare and I get children at the age of nine months with eczema and allergies to eggs, dairy, etc. Asthma seemstobetheworstinveryyoungchildren. It is lovely to treat unvaccinated children when using kinesiology techniques there is a huge differenceintheirhealthandvitalityandalertness.

Upholdingtherightoffreechoice38peoplecommented.Allsupportedfreechoice.Examplecomments: Idon'tthinkthereisaright/wrongchoice.Ithinkbothchoices,tovaccinateornottovaccinate,should berespected. Itshouldneverbemadecompulsory,notinademocracyoranywhereforthatmatter. Legislationshouldneverbeusedtoforceanymedicalprocedureontothepublic,including vaccination. Parentsand/ortheprimarycaregivershouldhavethefinalsayinthismatterastheyaretheoneswho haveinvestedtheirlivesinthewellbeingofthechildandwillspendtherestoftheirlivesanswering astowhytheydidordidnotvaccinate. Vaccinationshouldneverbecompulsory,orusedtodiscriminateagainstparents.Itisanindividual's choice.

Criticismofthemedicalprofession,thegovernment,drugcompaniesandthemedia72peoplemade commentsaboutthis.Examplecommentsare: Theperceivedbenefitsarepushedbythosewhostandtoprofitgreatly. Idontbelievefinancialincentivesshouldbeplacedonmedicalprocedures. Adoctortoldmehedidnottaketheannualflushotandneitherdidhisfamily,andyethepromotesit tohispatients. Doctorsclearlyhavenotevenreadthepackageinsertsforthevaccinestheysostronglyrecommend! Doctorsneedtobeheldaccountableifadversereactionstovaccinationoccur.Theyneedtobe openlyaccountabletothepubliciftheyreceiveanybenefitsorgiftsetcfromdrugcompanies. Fearisthedrivingforceofvaccination.IdonottrustGPsanymoreeventhoughIamanurseandstill workinthehospitalsystem. Pharmaceuticalcompaniestogetherwithgovernmentscontinuetouse"fear"tacticstoinducepeople tovaccinatetheirchildrenwithoutallparentsbeingmadefullyawareoftherisks,sideeffectsand contentsofconventionalvaccines. Themediaareveryirresponsibleandtotallyignorantwithwhattheypresent,andtheyonlypresent onesideofanyhealthissueifitgoesalongwiththemedicalprofession. Thereshouldbeopenaccesstoinformationfrombothsidesofthediscussionanditshouldbefreely availablefrombothdoctorsandotherhealthcareprofessionals.Drugcompaniesandthepeoplewho makedecisionsinthosecompaniesshouldbeheldresponsible. Theattitudeofthemedicalprofessionisappalling.

Provaccinationviewssevenpeopleexpressedwhatcouldbeconsideredsomelevelofsupportfor vaccination. IamparticularlyconcernedaboutwhatIconsiderwillbeanepidemicofchildhooddiseases(mumps, measles)inabout20yearstimewhentoday'schildrenwillforgettokeeptheirvaccinationsupto date! Vaccinationsaveslives. MaybebeneficialinthirdworldcountriesbutnotinwelldevelopedcountriessuchasAustralia. Peopletravellingtoproblemareaswherecertaindiseasesareprevalentcanbenefitfromvaccines.

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Therisksofvaccinesareoverstated,thebenefitsareoverwhelming,thereisnorealdebate.Youare sowrong,andsodangerous,andsostupid. Benefitsyoucanblamesomeoneelseifthingsgowrong.Lessisolation,youaremoreaccepted amongothermotherswhousuallyfeelthreatenedbytheknowledgeofmumswhodonotvaccinate.

Needformoreresearch14peoplementionedthis.Somecomments: Thereisagreatneedforbetter,unbiased,scientificallybasedresearchontherisksofvaccination. Vaccinesshouldbetestedbyindependentthirdparties,notpharmaceuticalcompanies.Prosecution ofcompaniesfoundtobenegligentshouldbestricter. Isthereastudythatshowsthesafetyandefficacyofallthevaccinationshotscombined? Iwonderifthereareanystudieslookingintotheimpactsetcoftheagewhenvaccinesaregiven?Is therebenefitinwaitinguntilthelittlebodiesareolder,moredevelopedandmoreabletodealwitha vaccine?Thedeathsandreactionsofhighschoolgirlstothecervicalcancervaccinemaybesuggest thatthesafetyissuedoesnotdiminishwithage? Thetestingofvaccinatedandunvaccinatedchildrenisagoodidea. Ibelievethatnoproperlongitudinalstudieshavebeendoneonvaccination.Ithinkthatwhenthe studiesweredoneonsuddeninfantdeathsyndrome,vaccinationwasnotincludedasoneofthe parametersofstudy.Ithereforebelievethestudywasseverelyflawed. Whycan'twelinktheMedicareclaimsofthevaccinatedandunvaccinatedtoseewhoreallyissicker? Itwouldalsobegoodtoseesomeresearchaboutwhyonevaccinedosefitsallsizes.It'sinteresting thatsomethingassupposedlysimpleasPanadolandcoughsyrupshavedifferentdosagesbasedon age/weightyetthatdoesnotapplytovaccines. I'mveryinterestedtoseehowtheresearchgoesinmakingvaccinesthatcomeinaskinpatch.

Issuesfornonvaccinatingparents16peoplemadecommentsaboutthisissue. Youaredamnedifyoudoandyouaredamnedifyoudont. Idon'tknowwheretobegin.Ijustwishmydecisioncouldberespectedandaccepted.Surelypeople shouldhavetherighttochoose. ItwouldbenicetohaveknowledgeofothersinDarwinwhohavechosennottovaccinatefeelall aloneintheissuesometimes.Forexample,Ihaveonlyevermetonepersonupherewhohasn't vaccinatedherchildrenandsheismynaturopath.Mysisterdoesn'tbutshehasmovedawaynow. It'saveryemotionalsubjectthatissupportedbysomeveryhighpowered,knowledgeablepublic figuresthatIadmire.Ireallystrugglewiththisconcept.Thismakesitcomplicatedandconfronting whenmakinganinformeddecisiontovaccinateornot.NowthatIhavedelvedintothissubject,I'm findingthatIamnotwillingtospeakopenly/publicallyforfearofretaliation. Ithinktheissueofherdimmunityhasreallycontributedtosomeoftheresentmenttowardspeople whodon'tvaccinatebecauseparentsmistakenlybelievetheirchildisbeingplacedatriskbynon vaccinatedchildren. I'velostacoupleoffriendsbecausemysonwasn'tvaccinatedandwhentheyhadtheirbabies,myson wasnolongerallowedtovisituntiltheirbabieswerefullyvaccinated.Hencethefriendshipisover. Despiteknowingthatalotoftheinformationwehavebeengivenisalie,andthatvaccinationsaren't whattheyaremadeouttobe,Istillstrugglewithmydecisionnearlyeveryday,especiallyifthekids getsickandevenmoresoiftheyneedtogotohospital.Ihatebeingmadetofeellikeanincompetent parentwhodoesn'tdeservetohavekids. Ibelieveallparentsultimatelywantthebestfortheirchildren.Ifinditupsettingthatitseems impossibletoshareinformationandattemptdebateanddiscussionwithoutbeingridiculedand attacked. Imostcertainlydonotcriticisemyfriendsforvaccinatingtheirchildren.However,vaccinatedfolk appeartobelievepeoplelikemearefairgamewhichisreallywrong.Myresponsetothemistoask howmuchresearchtheyhavedoneanddotheyknowalloftheingredientstheyareinjectinginto theirchild.Thisgenerallystopsthemdeadintheirtracks. Ifeelformydaughterswhohaveyoungchildren.Onehaschosennottovaccinateatall,shegets pressurefromdoctors,friendsandfamilymemberstovaccinateandhasevenbeenverballyabused forbeing"irresponsible"eventhoughshespentmonthsofintenseresearchontheissueafterher

hospitalisation.

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IamveryfearfulofbringingthissubjectupevenwithpeopleIknowwell.Iwouldlovetoletallthe girlsthatIteachknowaboutthedangersofGardasilbutamconstantlyworriedabouttheirparents reaction.

FeedbackontheworkoftheAVN46peoplecommented.Individualcommentsarenotreportedhere. However,therewasuniversalsupportandappreciationexpressedtowardstheAVN,particularlytothe outgoingpresidentoftheorganisation.

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A Prole of the Australian Vaccination Network (2012) Published by the Australian Vaccination Network PO Box 177, Bangalow NSW 2479 Australia

C Trevor D Wilson - 2013

First Published 2013 ISBN 978-0-646-90295-1