60 Minutes II: TIME TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT VACCINATIONS

To:
Josh Howard, Executive Producer
Michael Rosenbaum, Producer
Elliot Kirschner, Producer
Dan Rather, Reporter
Staff of 60 Minutes II

We, the undersigned, request that you air a correction of your October 20, 2004 segment entitled “Saying ‘No’ to Immunization”. This piece was biased, inaccurate, and dangerous to the health of the public because it grossly misled viewers about the safety of vaccinations and the autism epidemic.

You failed to tell viewers that the medical expert you chose is a patent holder on childhood vaccines and a paid consultant to vaccine drug companies.
You showed a child with whooping cough but failed to show a child injured by a vaccine.
Your compromised expert stated vaccines were safer than vitamins but you failed to mention that the U.S. government has paid over $1.5 billion to families of children who have been injured or killed by vaccines.
You indicated that the unvaccinated are responsible for disease outbreaks when just the opposite is true.
You made erroneous and inflammatory claims about Dr. Andrew Wakefield's research and subsequent recommendations while he was not present to rebut these false claims.
You failed to mention even one of the many other studies by numerous reputable researchers showing vaccine dangers.
You chose to ignore blatant examples of conflicts of interests endemic in the vaccine industry, comprised of pharmaceutical manufacturers, government agencies such as the CDC, and universities that receive funding for research.

Petition created by Health Advocacy in the Public Interest (HAPI)
Scroll down for the information 60 Minutes II failed to report:

Now, more than ever, with 1 in 166 children diagnosed with autism and 1 in 6 with neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders, people deserve to hear the truth about this country's disastrous vaccination policy and the iatrogenic epidemic it is causing. (1) One American family in 68 is now impacted by autism. The implications are staggering. The cost to these families in terms of financial devastation and human misery is incalculable. Future care for these children is predicted to cost in the trillions of dollars. Who will pay for it? And why do legislators and the media aid in exonerating those who are culpable? Campaign contributions? Advertising? (2) (3)

Incredibly, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends that children in the U.S. now receive up to 51 injected vaccines by the age of 7 months, 73 by 18 months, and 95 by 4-6 years. (4) The general public is unaware of these numbers because some of these injections combine up to eight vaccines in one "shot", obscuring the fact that there are such a large number of actual vaccines. These multiple doses are some of the most dangerous. Up until 1999, children were receiving, via vaccinations, more than 100 times the amount of mercury that EPA would consider "a level not likely to cause harm". (It never says "safe".) The EPA's guidelines pertain to methyl-mercury that is less toxic than the ethyl-mercury in vaccines. (5) Ethyl-mercury is preferentially taken up by the brain. Though the levels of mercury have been reduced, it still remains in many vaccines and no agency has established that the current levels are safe. The industry claims it is filtering mercury out of some vaccines, but according to Dr. Boyd Haley, the nation's leading thimerosal expert, thimerosal breaks down into ethyl-mercury which binds to the antigenic proteins in the vaccine vial and is, therefore, impossible to remove.

This is mercury, a known neurotoxin and the second most toxic substance on earth after plutonium. The material safety data sheet (MSDS) for thimerosal says: DANGER! POISON! MAY BE FATAL IF INHALED ABSORBED THROUGH SKIN OR SWALLOWED... MAY CAUSE DAMAGE TO CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM. Anyone reporting on autism should first read the thimerosal MSDS. (6)

Autism is not a "disease", as you claimed. It is primarily MERCURY POISONING. (7) Look at these charts and see for yourself.


Child with acrodynia, a form of mercury poisoning Courtesy: L'Aerodynie by AW Cameron, 1931	Child diagnosed with autism Courtesy: Lyn Redwood, Safe Minds 2001

Summary Comparison of Characteristics
of Autism & Mercury Poisoning

Speech, Language & Hearing Deficits
Mercury Poisoning	Autism
Loss of speech, failure to develop speech	Delayed language, failure to develop speech
Dysarthria; articulation problems	Dysarthria; articulation problems
Speech comprehension deficits	Speech comprehension deficits
Verbalizing & word retrieval problems	Echolalia; word use & pragmatic errors
Sound sensitivity	Sound sensitivity
Hearing loss; deafness in very high doses	Mild to profound hearing loss
Poor performance on language IQ tests	Poor performance on verbal IQ tests

Sensory Abnormalities
Mercury Poisoning	Autism
Abnormal sensation in mouth & extremities	Abnormal sensation in mouth & extremities
Sound sensitivity	Sound sensitivity
Abnormal touch sensations; touch aversion	Abnormal touch sensations; touch aversion
Vestibular abnormalities	Vestibular abnormalities

Motor Disorders
Mercury Poisoning	Autism
Involuntary jerking movements - arm flapping, ankle jerks, myoclonal jerks, choreiform movements, circling, rocking	Stereotyped movements - arm flapping, jumping, circling, spinning, rocking; myoclonal jerks; choreiform movements
Deficits in eye-hand coordination; limb apraxia; intention tremors	Poor eye-hand coordination; limb apraxia; problems with intentional movements
Gait impairment; ataxia - from incoordination & clumsiness to inability to walk, stand, or sit; loss of motor control	Abnormal gait and posture, clumsiness and incoordination; difficulties sitting, lying, crawling, and walking
Difficulty in chewing or swallowing	Difficulty chewing or swallowing
Unusual postures; toe walking	Unusual postures; toe walking

Cognitive Impairments
Mercury Poisoning	Autism
Borderline intelligence, mental retardation - some cases reversible	Borderline intelligence, mental retardation - sometimes "recovered"
Poor concentration, attention, response inhibition	Poor concentration, attention, shifting attention
Uneven performance on IQ subtests	Uneven performance on IQ subtests
Verbal IQ higher than performance IQ	Verbal IQ higher than performance IQ
Poor short term, verbal, & auditory memory	Poor short term, auditory & verbal memory
Poor visual and perceptual motor skills, impairment in simple reaction time	Poor visual and perceptual motor skills, lower performance on timed tests
Difficulty carrying out complex commands	Difficulty carrying out multiple commands
Word-comprehension difficulties	Word-comprehension difficulties
Deficits in understanding abstract ideas & symbolism; degeneration of higher mental powers	Deficits in abstract thinking & symbolism, understanding other's mental states, sequencing, planning & organizing

Unusual Behaviors
Mercury Poisoning	Autism
Stereotyped sniffing (rats)	Stereotyped, repetitive behaviors
ADHD traits	ADHD traits
Agitation, unprovoked crying, grimacing, staring spells	Agitation, unprovoked crying, grimacing, staring spells
Sleep difficulties	Sleep difficulties
Eating disorders, feeding problems	Eating disorders, feeding problems
Self injurious behavior, e.g. head banging	Self injurious behavior, e.g. head banging

Visual Impairments
Mercury Poisoning	Autism
Poor eye contact, impaired visual fixation	Poor eye contact, problems in joint attention
"Visual impairments," blindness, near-sightedness, decreased visual acuity	"Visual impairments"; inaccurate/slow saccades; decreased rod functioning
Light sensitivity, photophobia	Over-sensitivity to light
Blurred or hazy vision	Blurred vision
Constricted visual fields	Not described

Physical Disturbances
Mercury Poisoning	Autism
Increase in cerebral palsy; hyper- or hypo-tonia; abnormal reflexes; decreased muscle strength, especially upper body; incontinence; problems chewing, swallowing, salivating	Increase in cerebral palsy; hyper- or hypotonia; decreased muscle strength, especially upper body; incontinence; problems chewing and swallowing
Rashes, dermatitis/dry skin, itching; burning	Rashes, dermatitis, eczema, itching
Autonomic disturbance: excessive sweating, poor circulation, elevated heart rate	Autonomic disturbance: unusual sweating, poor circulation, elevated heart rate

Gastro-intestinal Disturbances
Mercury Poisoning	Autism
Gastroenteritis, diarrhea; abdominal pain, constipation, "colitis"	Diarrhea, constipation, gaseousness, abdominal discomfort, "colitis"
Anorexia, weight loss, nausea, poor appetite	Anorexia; feeding problems/vomiting
Lesions of ileum & colon; increased gut permeability	Leaky gut syndrome
Inhibits dipeptidyl peptidase IV, which cleaves casomorphin	Inadequate endopeptidase enzymes needed for breakdown of casein & gluten

Abnormal Biochemistry
Mercury Poisoning	Autism
Binds -SH groups; blocks sulfate transporter in intestines, kidneys	Low sulfate levels
Has special affinity for purines & pyrimidines	Purine & pyrimidine metabolism errors lead to autistic features
Reduces availability of glutathione, needed in neurons, cells & liver to detoxify heavy met als	Low levels of glutathione; decreased ability of liver to detoxify heavy met als
Causes significant reduction in glutathione peroxidase and glutathione reductase	Abnormal glutathione peroxidase activities in erythrocytes
Disrupts mitochondrial activities, especially in brain	Mitochondrial dysfunction, especially in brain

Immune Dysfunction
Mercury Poisoning	Autism
Sensitivity due to allergic or autoimmune reactions; sensitive individuals more likely to have allergies, asthma, autoimmune-like symptoms, especially rheumatoid-like ones	More likely to have allergies and asthma; familial presence of autoimmune diseases, especially rheumatoid arthritis; IgA deficiencies
Can produce an immune response in CNS	On-going immune response in CNS
Causes brain/MBP autoantibodies	Brain/MBP autoantibodies present
Causes overproduction of Th2 subset; kills/inhibits lymphocytes, T-cells, and monocytes; decreases NK T-cell activity; induces or suppresses IFNg & IL-2	Skewed immune-cell subset in the Th2 direction; decreased responses to T-cell mitogens; reduced NK T-cell function; increased IFNg & IL-12

CNS Structural Pathology
Mercury Poisoning	Autism
Selectively targets brain areas unable to detoxify or reduce Hg-induced oxidative stress	Specific areas of brain pathology; many functions spared
Damage to Purkinje and granular cells	Damage to Purkinje and granular cells
Accummulates in amygdala and hippocampus	Pathology in amygdala and hippocampus
Causes abnormal neuronal cytoarchitecture; disrupts neuronal migration & cell division; reduces NCAMs	Neuronal disorganization; increased neuronal cell replication, increased glial cells; depressed expression of NCAMs
Progressive microcephaly	Progressive microcephaly and macrocephaly
Brain stem defects in some cases	Brain stem defects in some cases

Abnormalities in Neuro-chemistry
Mercury Poisoning	Autism
Prevents presynaptic serotonin release & inhibits serotonin transport; causes calcium disruptions	Decreased serotonin synthesis in children; abnormal calcium metabolism
Alters dopamine systems; peroxidine deficiency in rats resembles mercurialism in humans	Possibly high or low dopamine levels; positive response to peroxidine (lowers dopamine levels)
Elevates epinephrine & norepinephrine levels by blocking enzyme that degrades epinephrine	Elevated norepinephrine and epinephrine
Elevates glutamate	Elevated glutamate and aspartate
Leads to cortical acetylcholine deficiency; increases muscarinic receptor density in hippocampus & cerebellum	Cortical acetylcholine deficiency; reduced muscarinic receptor binding in hippocampus
Causes demyelinating neuropathy	Demyelination in brain

EEG Abnormalities / Epilepsy
Mercury Poisoning	Autism
Causes abnormal EEGs, epileptiform activity	Abnormal EEGs, epileptiform activity
Causes seizures, convulsions	Seizures; epilepsy
Causes subtle, low amplitude seizure activity	Subtle, low amplitude seizure activities

Population Characteristics
Mercury Poisoning	Autism
Effects more males than females	Male:female ratio estimated at 4:1
At low doses, only affects those geneticially susceptible	High heritability - concordance for MZ twins is 90%
First added to childhood vaccines in 1930s	First "discovered" among children born in 1930s
Exposure levels steadily increased since 1930s with rate of vaccination, number of vaccines	Prevalence of autism has steadily increased from 1 in 2000 (pre1970) to 1 in 500 (early 1990s), higher in 2000.
Exposure occurs at 0 - 15 months; clinical silent stage means symptom emergence delayed; symptoms emerge gradually, starting with movement & sensation	Symptoms emerge from 4 months to 2 years old; symptoms emerge gradually, starting with movement & sensation

Charts generously provided by Safe Minds http://www.safeminds.org

Your so called "expert", Dr. Paul Offit, holds a rotavirus vaccine patent and was part of the team that mandated a harmful rotavirus vaccine that was taken off the market after it had damaged children, not before, even though the approving committee had information in prelicensure trials that it caused painful bowel obstructions, sometimes requiring surgery to remove portions of the intestines. He received $350,000 grant money from Merck to develop that vaccine, is a member of the CDC Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) and "…is paid by the pharmaceutical industry to travel around the country teaching doctors that vaccines are safe." (8)

Those of us who question. and even forego, vaccinations were not surprised when the former editor of the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Marcia Angell, revealed that studies in all medical journals are tainted with conflicts of interest. (9) Two years later, in June 2002, the NEJM announced that it would now openly accept biased authors because it is too difficult to find ones who have no ties. Did you first check to see if the 900 studies and more than 4,000 pro-vaccine articles that you touted could be biased due to conflicts of interest? (10)

You abrogated any semblance of fairness by not facing your chosen "expert" with an independent scientist who has found unfavorable vaccination outcomes. There are numerous studies by independent researchers linking vaccines to autism and other neurological disorders (11) such as ADD, ADHD, MS and Alzheimer's, as well as many auto-immune diseases and other serious maladies. (12) You could have interviewed obstetrical geneticist Dr. Mark Geier regarding his study showing an increased risk of autism after repeated administration of mercury-containing vaccines. (13) You could have featured the nation's leading expert on thimerosal and mercury poisoning, Boyd Haley, Ph.D., Chair of the Chemistry Dept. at the University of Kentucky. (14) Dr. Vijendra K. Singh reported on the relationship between autism, vaccines and immune reactions. (15) Neurosurgeon David Baskin, M.D., of Baylor College of Medicine, authored "Toxicity of Thimerosal". (16) Dr. Mady Hornig of Columbia University published a study demonstrating that thimerosal induces autism-like symptoms in susceptible mice. (17) Researchers at the University of Calgary have visually demonstrated that mercury kills brain neurons. (18) You could have invited Neurosurgeon Russell Blaylock, M.D., an excellent source with broad knowledge of how vaccines thwart the immune system, causing brain damage, autism and other disorders. (12)

Instead, you spoke of only one scientist out of the many who have linked vaccines to harm, making untruthful and inflammatory accusations about him without allowing him to defend himself or correct your falsehoods. Dr. Andrew Wakefield did not "urge" parents not to vaccinate their children, nor did he receive funds from lawyers for the Lancet study as you stated. What he did that was so offensive to vaccine proponents was to indirectly threaten their profits by finding a possible link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Other researchers are finding the same thing Dr. Wakefield found: vaccine-strain measles virus in the guts of autistic children. Dr. J. J. Bradstreet and others detected measles virus genomic RNA in the cerebrospinal fluid of children with regressive autism who had received the MMR vaccine. (19) Drs. Yazbak and Goldman found that autism in Denmark increased after 1987 when MMR vaccination was introduced. This finding refutes the industry touted study by Madsen and Associates which was co-funded by the CDC, that bastion of impartiality, as we shall see. (20)

Your claim was correct in that "many anti-vaccine parents believe the medical establishment, in collusion with the government and vaccine-makers, is hiding these dangers from the public". For example, most are all too aware of what took place at a secret conference at Simpsonwood Retreat Center in Norcross, Georgia on June 7-8, 2000, when the CDC gathered 51 scientists, physicians and representatives of 5 vaccine manufacturers to discuss vaccine policies. In regard to vaccine dangers, immunologist and pediatrician Dr. Dick Johnson expressed concern for his grandchild, "…I do not want that grandson to get a Thimerosal containing vaccine until we know better what is going on. It will probably take a long time. In the meantime, and I know there are probably implications for this internationally, but in the meanwhile I think I want that grandson to only be given Thimerosal-free vaccines." So here was a scientist sitting on this panel, making policy concerning all children in the U.S. and other countries, protecting his new grandson, but not concerned enough about our children to stop this insanity. They all remained silent and allowed a cover-up. The CDC, the AMA, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Practice, and every other compromised organization endorsed thimerosal-containing vaccines and proclaimed them to be safe. (21) (22) (23) (24)

Yet, in light of all that is known, six months old infants are now mandated to receive flu vaccine, most of which contains mercury! (25) (26) Because there is currently not enough so-called "mercury free" flu vaccine for everyone in the US, most babies will get up to 12.5 micrograms (mcg) of mercury in each shot. According to EPA guidelines, an infant would have to weigh 275.5 lbs. to ingest that amount of mercury at a "level not likely to cause harm". (27) There are no guidelines for the insane practice of injecting mercury into human flesh, which then crosses the blood-brain barrier. These innocent babies will then be injected with another 12.5 mcg dose of mercury four weeks later. How many of them will join the multitudes of vaccine-brain-damaged children already among us?

Did you get a flu shot? According to distinguished virologist and former Chief Vaccine Control Officer at the FDA, Dr. J. Anthony Morris, "There is no evidence that any influenza vaccine thus far developed is effective in preventing or mitigating any attack of influenza. The producers of these vaccines know they are worthless, but go on selling them anyway." Up to 25 mcg of mercury are in most flu vaccines being injected into adults, requiring them to weigh 551 lbs. by EPA's ingestion standards. How about getting the vaccine that is sprayed up your nose? It contains live viruses which can be shed for up to 21 days, infecting those who come within close proximity of the vaccinated individuals. (28)

A recent study, by the world renowned immunologist Dr. H. Hugh Fudenberg, found that adults vaccinated with the flu vaccine 4 to 5 times within 5 years had a 10-fold increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. He attributes this to the mercury and aluminum in the vaccine. (29) Government agencies such as the CDC, are little more than mouthpieces and revolving doors for pharmaceutical companies, encouraging the use of flu vaccines, and all other vaccines, through statistical lies and fear mongering. (30) (31)

Historical records show that all communicable diseases were in marked decline before mass vaccination programs began due to better hygiene and sanitation. (32) For example, whatever happened to scarlet fever? There has never been a vaccination for it. Have you not wondered how the human race survived before vaccinations? But, you might then say, "What about polio, smallpox and influenza epidemics?" Glad you asked; please learn the truth. (33) Historical old medical books have data that the vaccine industry prefers we didn't know. (34)

There are many other toxins in vaccines besides mercury, including aluminum (enhances the toxicity of mercury), formaldehyde, beta-propiolactone (known to cause cancer) (35) , phenoxyethanol (used as anti-freeze), ammonium sulfate, monosodium glutamate, and many more, as well as animal cells and human diploid cells from aborted fetal tissue. (36) There are concerns that a reduction in mercury may be replaced by an increase in aluminum and other toxic adjuvants deemed necessary by the manufacturers to provoke an immune response, however skewed. There are more than 200 vaccines in the pipeline. Will people someday in the future believe they could not have lived without them? Or will the increasing neurological damage, autoimmune disorders, sterility, and genetic mutations caused by an ever-increasing vaccine schedule, have taken its toll?

Vaccinations force diseases to mutate, such as whooping cough. There are outbreaks not because of lower vaccination rates but because the vaccines don't work. Contrary to popular belief, vaccines are incredibly ineffective. For example, in a 1997 outbreak in Idaho, 91.6% of confirmed pertussis cases had been fully vaccinated with 3 or more doses, and 6.8% had received 1-2 doses. Only one case was confirmed in an unvaccinated, but eligible by age to be vaccinated, person. The CDC's own conclusion stated that "the myth of vaccine refusal played no role in this outbreak". (37) In a December 7, 2003 article, James Howenstine, M.D., board certified specialist in internal medicine, stated, "In 1986 there were 1,300 cases of pertussis in Kansas, and 90% of these cases occurred in children who had been adequately vaccinated." A report from the Madigan Army Medical Center in Ft. Lewis, WA in the September 1997 issue of "American Family Physician", said, "Outbreaks of the disease are now occurring every three to four years in highly immunized populations throughout the U.S. …despite widespread vaccination …pertussis vaccine provides only transient protection." The notion that only unvaccinated children are spreading disease is a scare tactic, with no basis in science. You said the outbreak in New York was "traced to a local school with unvaccinated children", giving people the false idea that those children spread the disease. Shame on you.

The reports of outbreaks of childhood diseases are always accompanied by alarmist directives to have our children vaccinated, but the media never gives statistics on how many among the outbreak have already been vaccinated. If vaccines worked, why do our children have to be vaccinated to protect the vaccinated? Please ponder that question. Feel kind of silly for falling for it? (38) The truth is, vaccines cause disease. Unvaccinated children are healthier than vaccinated children. (39) Could that be why the vaccine industry, which controls the funding of studies, has NEVER funded a study comparing the vaccinated to the unvaccinated? (40)

There is overwhelming evidence that a healthy immune system can meet and even benefit from the challenges of childhood diseases. (41) But it is much less profitable for the medical industry to encourage breast feeding and proper nutrition than it is to push vaccines that irreparably damage the immune system, causing humoral immunity instead of cell-mediated immunity. This imbalance leads to autoimmune disorders and is well known in immunology today. (12) In this Faustian bargain, the health industry profits by selling vaccines, damages the health of generations, then sells the multitudes of victims lots of drugs to treat the damage.

We insist that you thoroughly educate yourselves about these life and death issues. We have done our homework. Now please do yours. There are hundreds of thousands of vaccine damaged and dead children and adults as a direct result of the vaccine industry, an annual multi-billion dollar business. Learn the facts and report THE TRUTH for the sake of these victims and the people you have misled, the potential victims.

In closing, consider this: A 1997 survey revealed that only 30 percent of doctors, nurses and attendants annually get flu shots. (42) On Oct. 1, 2004, the Washington State Association of Nurses brought suit in federal court to stop a policy requiring them to receive flu vaccinations. So why is it so hard for health professionals to publicly admit the damage caused by vaccines?

"It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." (Upton Sinclair)

CBS, Dan Rather and all who are involved, are you going to continue failing to understand? Vaccinations are the exact opposite of a panacea. It took 200 years for people to stop believing in a flat earth; physicians scoffed about the idea that washing their hands could affect surgical outcomes; it took centuries to abandon blood letting. What are today's fallacies? Please do not be a flat earth proponent; do not help to spread disease; do not help to spill blood. Instead, be among the first to help stop the carnage. Please.