Polio - The Vaccine
The KILLED virus vaccine in the 1950s was developed by John Salk. This was injected under the skin. From there, it travelled to the blood stream, creating antibodies. It had serious side-effects, including convulsions and brain damage, so was withdrawn from circulation.
The LIVE oral vaccine came into use during the 1960s. This was developed by Sabin in an attempt to remove the severe side-effects of Salk's vaccine. This vaccine was in use until September 2004, given orally at the same time as diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, meningitis C and HIB vaccines to babies aged between two and four months. It remains active in the bowel for several weeks, and can potentially be passed on to susceptible people during this time, through contact with faeces or saliva, though there were only 30 reported cases of this happening in the UK between 1985 and 2002. The new injectible POLIO VACCINE is intended to prevent the possibility of "vaccine associated cases" of polio, i.e. cases where the disease was passed through the stool or saliva of a person recently vaccinated with the oral vaccine. From September 2004 oral Polio will only be used to control an outbreak. Inactivated Polio vaccine will now only be given in combination as follows:
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PEDIACEL ® (DTaP/IPV/Hib - this is the new 5:1 vaccine which includes high dose Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussin; plus injectable Polio and Hib) given at 2/3/4 months
INFANRIX ® (DTaP/IPV) pre-school age 4-5 years
REPEVAX ® (dTaP/IPV - which includes low dose Diphtheria, Tetanus and Pertussin; and injectable Polio) pre-school age 4-5 years
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REVAXIS ® (dT/IPV - which includes low dose Diphtheria and Tetanus; and injectable Polio) given at age 14-15 years
The list of additives includes:
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Medium 199 - which contains polysorbate 80, an emulsifying (thickening) agent derived from Sorbitol
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Formaldehyde or glutaraldehyde
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Aluminium phosphate or aluminium hydroxide
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Neomycin, streptomycin, polymyxin B (antibiotics)
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Polyribosylribitol phosphate (an artificial sweetener)
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2-phenoxyethanol (phenol) - a preservative
Side-effects of Polio vaccine
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Poor weight gain, especially in children already underweight for their age.
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Guillain-Barré Syndrome (a paralytic condition).
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During the 1950s and 1960s, millions of children were infected with a cancer-causing virus called SV40, which was present in the monkey cells on which the Polio vaccine was cultured.
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Babies in particular are vulnerable to the Polio vaccine, as their digestive systems are immature.
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The SIV simian immuno-deficiency virus (found in monkey cells) has been shown to be the cause of the initial outbreak of AIDS in the Congo, following mass immunisation there.
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The first outbreak of AIDS in the USA was caused by Polio vaccine contaminated with SV40. This had been given to homosexual men as an experimental treatment for Herpes.
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An average of 8 cases of vaccine-associated paralytic Polio occur each year in the USA. In the UK 30 cases of vaccine-associated Polio occurred between 1985 and 2002.
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As a preventative for the disease following any contact, take one dose of the homeopathic remedy Poliomyelytis 30c each week for 3 weeks.
The Department of Health lists side effects as: fever; hypotonic-hyporesponsive episodes; episodes of pallor, cyanosis and limpness; persistent crying or screaming for more than 3 hours; severe local reactions; encephalopathy or encephalitis; pain, swelling or redness at the injection site; convulsions; anaphylaxis and other allergic conditions.
Aventis Pasteur ® states that INFANRIX ® (DTaP/IPV) may also cause, in addition to the side effects listed above: pruritis, earache, pharyngitis, eye pain, insomnia, rhinitis, coughing, urinary incontinence, abdominal pain, back pain, swelling of the injected limb (sometimes involving the entire limb).