Soon the postman will be delivering your flu vaccines

This morning I was horrified to read an article stating that the flu vaccine could soon be delivered by post. In the article A flu vaccine that could be delivered by mail. The Star.com state:

"Sometime soon your annual flu vaccine may come to you by mail in the form of a microneedle patch, thanks to the work of researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology & Emory University.

The patch is like a Band-aid with tiny needles no bigger than the width of a hair, which are made up of a polymer substance that´s water soluble, according to Mark Prausnitz, a chemical and bio-chemical engineer and professor at Georgia Institute of Technology."

This is probably, the most , stupid and dangerous idea that any pharmaceutical company or government has come up with to date.

According to the information given in this article this vaccine has only been tested on mice.

"The researchers successfully tested the patch on mice and have reported their findings in a recent edition of Nature Medicine. In the study, the patches delivered the correct dose of the flu vaccine."

I did try to imagine a laboratory full of the mice with the flu but even my vivid imagination could not quite stretch that far, I decided to look into their study.

According to the study and this has been backed up by NHS Choices this vaccine has indeed only been tested on mice. NHS Choices commented that "While the technology worked in mice, the immune response and safety issues need to be tested in human trials before this will become an acceptable alternative to intramuscular injections for vaccinating humans. If testing is successful, the patch will be an attractive option because, as many of the newspapers report, it is easier to administer than a normal injection. It might also reduce some of the difficulties associated with traditional mass vaccination campaigns. This is a technology to watch, and more research will undoubtedly follow."

The Independent on Sunday say in their article Health in the future: mail-order dissolvable vaccine patches

"A collaborative research study by Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University in Atlanta details a new way to deliver painless effective vaccines in the July 18 online edition of the journal Nature Medicine.
Mark Prausnitz, a professor at the Georgia Tech School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, said in a Georgia Tech announcement on July 18, "we have shown that a dissolving microneedle patch can vaccinate against influenza at least as well, and probably better than, a traditional hypodermic needle."

The patch is one-fourth the size of a US penny with an array of dissolving "micron-scale needles carrying a vaccine" that can easily be self-administered."

The Independent also say:-

"The study's lead author, Sean Sullivan, explained, "we envision people getting the patch in the mail or at a pharmacy and then self-administering it at home, because the microneedles on the patch dissolve away into the skin, there would be no dangerous sharp needles left over."

My worries are the following-

The side effects to the flu vaccination have been shown to be catastrophic to date. One case, outlined on ABC News 20/20, just a few days ago, was the case of Desiree Jennings Medical Mystery or Hoax: Did Cheerleader Fake a Muscle Disorder?

Desiree Jennings, a young, athletic and beautiful women, is shown on film to have been transformed into a twisted, stumbling wreck, unable to stand or walk in a straight line. She says that her symptoms only began after she had a routine flu vaccination. As usual,the doctors are doubting that these symptoms are real, claiming that they are in her head. However, Desiree is unperturbed by their comments saying:-

"Why would I fake it?" she said during her interview with "20/20." "I've had a great life. . . Now I'm sitting at home every day, bored to tears."

Why, indeed, especially when her symptoms are so bad at times, that Desiree forgets to breathe, causing her to faint or have seizures.

This is an extreme case but adverse reactions to the flu vaccination have been appearing worldwide. In fact, the adverse reactions were so bad in Australia this year that they took the unprecidented step to suspend the vaccine programme, until the side effects had been fully invesitgated.

ABC News Flu Shots suspended after kids hospitalized

"The Western Australian Government has suspended all flu vaccinations for children under five while it investigates a spike in admissions to Princess Margaret Hospital in Perth.

The Health Minister, Kim Hames, says 45 children have been taken to hospital suffering high temperatures and febrile convulsions after receiving the vaccination.

Dr Hames says the program will be suspended until the department finishes its investigation.

He says parents who have had their children vaccinated should take precautions."

I worry that should these vaccine patches begin to be delivered by post, then there will be no one monitoring the vulnerable and elderly, administering these vaccines alone at home. With no one there to monitor any side effects of this vaccine, this could potentially put a large group of the population at risk.

Many of the elderly and mentally ill who live alone are on numerous medications and often have a wide array of health problems including, heart disease, diabetes, alzhemier's and bi polar, if these vaccines have only been tested on mice they may interact with other medication being taken.

Another enormous worry that has been seriously overlooked, is the very real possibility that animals or young children may be able to open letters or packets that contain these vaccines and swallow them.

On the JSPCA site they write the following about pets accidentally swallowing human medications:-

"Human Medicines:

The accidental ingestion of human medicinal preparations by pets such as dogs and cats is a common cause of accidental poisoning in small animals in veterinary practice, sometimes resulting in serious illness or even death.Examples of human drugs often involved in accidental ingestion by pets and resulting toxicity include:

Ibuprofen (Nurofen, Advil or Brufen):

This drug at surprisingly low doses may cause stomach ulcers or even kidney damage.

Paracetamol and salbutamol:

Paracetamol is particularly dangerous to cats.

If you think your pet may have accidentally eaten a human drug, contact your veterinary surgery immediately.

To help prevent pets from having access to human medicines and accidentally eating human drug preparations, it is important to ensure that all human medicines are stored out of the reach of pets and separately from any veterinary medications for pets."

In other words posting dangerous chemicals and toxins in the form of vaccination patches may not only cause unmonitored adverse reactions to the person that they are intended for but may cause harm to pets and small children who may also be able to get hold of them.

Related Topics: Op-Ed and Editorial receive the latest by email: subscribe to weekly blitz's free mailing list

Soon the postman will be delivering your flu vaccines

Comment on this item