IS IT POSSIBLE THAT FluMist®, THE NASAL
SPRAY FLU VACCINE, MAY BE CAUSING THE FLU?
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By RFD Columnist, Dr. Sherri Tenpenny
www.nmaseminars.com
The major media outlets are escalating the push for the flu shot to near hysteria, especially since the CDC announced that the flu vaccines “may” provide some protection against the A/Fujian strain. With the supply of flu vaccine running out, there is now new media-produced promotion for FluMist, the nasal spray flu vaccine. However, what is not being explored is the possibility that cases of flu may be caused by FluMist. An overview of the CDC’s most recently available data regarding flu virus testing brings this question to the forefront.
Viral types and “antigenic drift”
Each year, the CDC incorporates antigens from the three major strains in circulation: an Influenza A-type strain from the H1N1 subtype; a second Influenza A-type strain from the H3N2 subtype; and a third virus from the Influenza-B strain.
Influenza B viruses circulate widely only among humans and are not divided into subtypes. Influenza B is known to be the cause of sporadic outbreaks of illness, especially in residential communities such as nursing homes.
The Influenza A strains are the most common cause of annual, widespread influenza outbreaks. Influenza A viruses are divided into subtypes based on the type of protein located on the surface of the virus. There are many subtypes of Influenza A viruses and some of these viruses can be found in animals, including ducks, chickens, pigs, whales, horses, and seals. Although unusual, an Influenza A type of virus from an animal can be transmitted to people.[i]
The Influenza A subtypes most commonly found in people are (H1N1) and (H3N2) A virus from each of these subtype strains is selected each year for inclusion in the flu vaccines. The specific viral strains selected for this year’s flu vaccines are A/New Caledonia/20/99 (H1N1), A/Panama/2007/99 (H3N2) and Hong Kong/1434/2002 (Type B). Both FluzoneÒ and FluMistÒ are made to protect against these three viruses. [ii] [iii].
Influenza viruses can change in two different ways. One way is called "antigenic drift." These are small changes in the proteins on the surface of the virus that happen over time. Antigenic drift produces new viral strains. The new strains may not be recognized by a person’s antibodies developed from a previous flu episode, or by antibodies induced by a previously given flu shot. This is the reason why new viruses are selected each year to correspond with viruses thought to be commonly circulating.
The other way that flu viruses can change is by a mechanism referred to as "antigenic shift." Antigenic shift is an abrupt, major change in the influenza A viruses, resulting in a completely new influenza A subtype. While influenza A viruses morph via antigenic drift all the time, antigenic shift happens only occasionally.
The CDC has announced that the viral strain, A/Fujian/411/2002 (H3N2) is the most prevalent virus being identified in the community setting. The A/Fujian strain was the predominate virus in Australia and New Zealand during the recent Southern Hemisphere influenza season and is a classified as a “drift variant” related to the A/Panama virus found in this year’s vaccines. Because they are antigenically “related”, antibodies produced against the A/Panama virus will cross-react with the A/Fujian virus, but much less strongly.
Will the current vaccine protect against the A/Fujian strain? The CDC says that “vaccine effectiveness depends, in part, on the match between vaccine strains and circulating viruses and cannot be determined by laboratory testing.”[iv] Despite a degree of effectiveness suggested by a laboratory testing, clinical effectiveness from the flu shot—or from FluMist—cannot be presumed, and neither should it be assured.
The CDC’s Numbers
Since September 28, the WHO and NREVSS[v] laboratories have tested a total of 19,469 specimens, finding 25.6% of these samples to be positive for influenza virus. Among the 4,992 samples identified to contain influenza viruses, 99.6% of the viruses were Influenza A (and 0.4% were influenza B viruses). The CDC serotyped 20.4% of the Influenza A viruses (1016 samples) finding 99.9% of them to be Influenza A (H3N2) viruses.
When subtyping was performed on 157 of the 1016 viral samples, 45 (29%) were found to be antigenically similar to vaccine strain A/Panama, and 112 (71%) were found to be similar to the drift variant, A/Fujian. Of note, one sample contained an Influenza A virus that was similar to the vaccine strain A/New Caledonia/20/99.[vi]
Downplaying the numbers
The CDC performed identification on only a small number of samples that were isolated. In fact, of 4,992 positive samples, only 1016 were found to be Influenza (H3N2) viruses. What were the other serotypes?
In addition, only 3% (157) of the H3N2 viruses were indentified as subtypes. This is an extraordinarily small test sample. Even though the A/Fujian strain has been found in 71% (112) of this sample, what is being downplayed is that nearly 30% of the viruses have been identified as “antigenically similar” to viruses found in FluZone and FluMist: 45 samples (29%) had A/Panama strain viruses and 1 sample had the A/New Caladonia virus.
What is of great concern it that the CDC has subtyped so few samples. What if 50% or 60% or 80% had been subtyped? Would more A/Panama and A/New Caladonia viruses have been found? Would further testing implicate FluMist as a source of influenza?
Does the A/Panama virus come directly from FluMist? Is it possible to use this technology to differentiate vaccine-type A/Panama flu virus from an A/Panama wild-type virus?
Technology is available to differentiate wild virus from vaccine virus. For example, when a case of acute flaccid paralysis is identified in a Third World Country, PCR testing is used to differentiate wild poliovirus vs. vaccine-induced poliovirus vs. other types of viruses known to cause paralysis. Why are we not using this technology to determine community-acquired influenza from vaccine-induced influenza?
In addition to “finding” these strains within the community, it is known that FluMist contains the viral strains identified by the CDC. The question that demands an answer is this: Is FluMist shedding live viruses and infecting others? Could this nasal spray vaccine be a cause of the flu that is spreading throughout regions of the U.S.?
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