The FDA has released yet another vaccination related warning. Since smallpox was supposedly eradicated in 1979 this should be a non-event. Indeed, it will no doubt be given extremely little attention.
The real story is behind the news however. That the Dryvax smallpox vaccine from Wyeth Corporation causes a high enough incidence of myopericarditis in previously healthy adults who are vaccinated is newsworthy enough. What is possibly more interesting is the fact that the data warranting this FDA warning announcement, which is dated October 11, 2005, comes from vaccinations performed in 2003.
This should raise some important questions for thinking people. For starters, if smallpox was eradicated in 1979, why was a vaccination program conducted in 2003?
The story is that the US government feared, and still fears, a biological attack from an unknown enemy. As a consequence, a vaccination campaign was conducted amongst health workers. That is the group within which the myopericarditis cases were identified.
Such is the US government’s fear, and resulting level of preparedness, that tens of millions of smallpox vaccines have been stockpiled. Since the smallpox infection has a mortality rate of around 30 percent there is no doubt that the present warning of associated risk would not deter its use.
Smallpox vaccinations have always had an associated mortality rate of their own. It is fully expected that the vaccination itself will kill at least one person in every million. That’s the official version. In reality it is probably considerably higher and of course, there are other unwanted side effects, including the myopericarditis which is the subject of this FDA warning.
Wyeth’s smallpox vaccine will now come with a "black-box warning", the strongest type of warning used by the FDA for prescription drugs and vaccines, about possible cardiac problems. I have seen far too many vaccinations given to believe that such a warning will have any real effect however.
So I say to you again, do not have any vaccination lightly and be sure you become sufficiently informed of the potential benefits and risks to make a sensible judgement before consenting to vaccination. The life you are dealing with is your own. Take care of yourself.
