Public statement – warning about the Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network, Inc. (‘AVN’), formerly known as Australian Vaccination Network Inc.
30 Apr 2014

The NSW Health Care Complaints Commission has completed an investigation into the Australian Vaccination-skeptics Network, Inc. (‘AVN’), formerly known as Australian Vaccination Network Inc and under section 94A(1) of the Health Care Complaints Act has decided to make the following public statement and warning.

AVN was established in 1994 in New South Wales by a group of people concerned about the lack of scientifically-based information cautioning against vaccination. AVN states on its website that the government and the medical community, in general, “exaggerate the safety and benefit profiles of vaccinations whilst downplaying their risks.” AVN states it was formed with the purpose of:

providing medically-referenced information on vaccine safety and effectiveness lobbying to ensure that vaccinations are never made compulsory for Australian children supporting those who have chosen not to vaccinate or to vaccinate selectively.

AVN disseminates information to the public via a variety of mediums. These include its website, www.avn.org.au, the magazine entitled ‘Living Wisdom’ (which ceased publication in January 2013), its Facebook page, Twitter account and YouTube. Meryl Dorey, the former President, has also held a number of radio interviews.

The Commission investigated whether information published and disseminated by AVN may be misleading or inaccurate. The investigation focussed on information provided on AVN’s website and some information disseminated on AVN’s Facebook page.

The investigation found that AVN provides information on vaccination that is misleading to the average reader because it is either incorrect, inaccurately represented or because it has been taken out of context. Specifically:

AVN makes specific assertions about the efficacy of the Gardasil vaccine used to prevent cervical cancer caused by the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). It states that: the connection between HPV and cervical cancer is tenuous at best and incomprehensive at worst the vaccine contains only four of the 100 strains of HPV and therefore its use is a “shot in the dark” it is an experimental vaccine with no proven record of safety or effectiveness. AVN does not qualify that: Gardasil contains the four strains of HPV that have the greatest potential to cause cancer the link between HPV and cervical cancer has been established beyond reasonable doubt significant research went into assessing the probable safety and efficacy of Gardasil before it was ever used in humans since its use, extensive worldwide data on its safety and efficacy has been collected supporting its safety. AVN asserts that the pertussis vaccine used to prevent whooping cough cannot protect against a new strain of pertussis, and that 84% of cases in the community are caused by this new strain. Further, AVN claims that the administration of the new acellular vaccine sometimes requires surgery at the injection site and attributes this as the reason for the change in the vaccination schedule with the removal of the 18-month booster. It is incorrect to state that the vaccine cannot offer any protection against the new strain; and there is no evidence of severe local reactions to the administration of the acellular vaccine that requires surgical intervention at the injection site. Further, the removal of the 18-month booster dose from the vaccination schedule was based on a study that evidenced protection from pertussis was maintained until six years of age when the primary vaccine course is given at two, four and six months of age. In relation to Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis (DTP) vaccines AVN asserts that “all whole cell DTP vaccines contain mercury in the form of thiomersal” and that it is one of the most toxic substances known to man and has been linked with autism. In the past, the whole cell DTP vaccine used in Australia did contain thiomersal, however even if the maximum possible number of doses were given, it is unlikely that the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended limit of exposure per kilogram of body weight would have been exceeded. In 2012, the WHO’s Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety reviewed available information on the safety of thiomersal and concluded that the levels of thiomersal attained in the body from cumulative doses of vaccines do not reach toxic levels, making a causal association between thiomersal in vaccines and autism implausible. Further, thiomersal is not present in any of the vaccines on the current National Immunisation Program for young children. AVN states that many of the Anti-D injections recommended for pregnant women with a negative blood group who have babies with a positive blood group, and that prevent the mother’s immune system from making antibodies to the baby’s positive cells thus preventing harm to the baby, contain thiomersal. They also state that late cord clamping and lotus birth minimises or completely eliminates the exchange of blood after birth. The Anti-D injections used in Australia are made from Australian plasma and are free from thiomersal. Further, late cord clamping and lotus birth do not completely eliminate the exchange of blood after birth; there can still be contamination of the maternal system by foetal blood. There is also an increased risk of post-partum haemorrhage and foetal jaundice. AVN provides links on its website to 68 journal studies that AVN states support the alleged vaccine/autism causation. However, the studies mostly describe an association between autism or other neurological disorders with vaccines or other environmental exposures, but they make no claim of causality. The subject of any link between vaccines and autism has been examined by a number of expert professional groups, including the Institute of Medicine , none of which have substantiated any link. A study carried out by the Institute of Medicine in 2011 rejects a causal relationship between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. AVN states that “vaccine ingredients” and “vaccines” have never been tested, either individually or in combination. This statement is incorrect as all vaccines available in Australia must pass stringent safety testing before being approved for use by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA). This testing is required by law and is usually done over many years during the vaccine’s development. There is also ongoing review of both vaccine safety and efficacy through post-marketing clinical trials and surveillance of disease and vaccine adverse events. This includes multivalent vaccines and the administration of more than one vaccine at a time. Further, much of the understanding of the safety of vaccine components comes from the use of the components and their lack of association over many years with reported significant adverse events. For components such as mercury and aluminium, conservative safety limits at most ages have been published by a number of reputable agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency (USA) and the WHO. AVN uses data from the United States Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) on its website, without qualifying that no cause-and-effect relationship has been established. This is because VAERS collects data on any adverse event following vaccination and it is specifically stated that any report of an adverse event to VAERS is not a causal link that a vaccine caused the event. On the AVN website there is the headline ‘Nurses don’t trust vaccines’, under which an article from the Vaccine journal about a study conducted into the low rates of vaccinations among nurses who treat infants is referenced . AVN summarised the study conducted as conveying that a large number of nurses are saying no to vaccination because they don’t trust the way in which vaccines have been promoted. The study was performed on a small group of 25 nurses in Israel. Due to the small sample size and unique context under which the study was conducted, the results cannot be generalised without caution. The authors of the article “suggest” that low rates of vaccinations among nurses in Israel who treat infants are “embedded deep in the mistrust nurses have towards health authorities and the nurses’ desire for autonomy”.

Warning

The Commission has established that AVN does not provide reliable information in relation to certain vaccines and vaccination more generally. The Commission considers that AVN’s dissemination of misleading, misrepresented and incorrect information about vaccination engenders fear and alarm and is likely to detrimentally affect the clinical management or care of its readers.

Given the issues identified with the information disseminated by AVN, the Commission urges general caution is exercised when using AVN’s website or Facebook page to research vaccination and to consult other reliable sources, including speaking to a medical practitioner, to make an informed decision.

The Commission has recommended that AVN amend its published information with regard to the above issues and the Commission will monitor the implementation of these recommendations.
Further Information

Read the related media release.

For further information, contact the the Health Care Complaints Commission on 9219 7444 or send an email to media@hccc.nsw.gov.au.

The information in this media release is correct at the time of publication. Orders may change; for example, conditions may no longer apply. For current information, please contact the Commission.

Footnotes:

1. WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. It is responsible for providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends.

2. GACVS was established in 1999 by the World Health Organisation to respond promptly, efficiently, and with scientific rigour to vaccine safety issues of potential global importance. Its members are acknowledged experts from around the world in the fields of epidemiology, statistics, paediatrics, internal medicine, pharmacology and toxicology, infectious diseases, public health, immunology and autoimmunity, drug regulation and safety.

3. The United States Institute of Medicine is an independent, non-profit organisation that works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision-makers and the public. It was established in 1970 and it is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences.

4. Baron-Epel et al. (2012). What lies behind the low rates of vaccinations among nurses who treat infants? Vaccine, 30, 3151-3154.

you can ask for the mercury free vaccines now – vaccine makers have moved away from them as far as I can see

the rule of thumb is that single shot vaccines won’t have the mercury product in them, only the multishot pots of vaccine will use it ie you stab the lid to draw up the vaccine multiple times

strangely enough I reckon its the way we are vaccinating that’s causing the peanut allergy thing

I know of two people with a child that is allergic to peanuts yet both parent aren’t , its blown out of the blue

wookiemeister said:

strangely enough I reckon its the way we are vaccinating that’s causing the peanut allergy thing

You’re right, it is very strange that you reckon that. Did you get plenty of protein and potassium growing up?

>Specifically:

They certainly took a deep breath before the next bit.

dv said:

wookiemeister said:

strangely enough I reckon its the way we are vaccinating that’s causing the peanut allergy thing

You’re right, it is very strange that you reckon that. Did you get plenty of protein and potassium growing up?

just a hunch
I can’t see why theres been such a huge surge in the numbers of people getting sick from eating peanuts

unlike cancer it can’t be explained away by saying that people are living longer (without mentioning that we are mining phosphate laden with uranium and polonium 210) apparently according to karl its ok to eat this stuff but seemingly drinking the stuff in a cup of tea will kill you within two weeks. either way its getting absorbed quickly or slowly.

its like lead I suppose, in mount isa the lead is making its way into childrens blood, its a neurotoxin – theres no safe amount of lead that you should ingest – try telling that to the government. they banned lead in petrol because it was poisoning people in great numbers – the dose doesn’t matter in that case – even small quantities are bad for you.

the main thing we should do when injecting things into our body is to never question authority, especially medical authority

its why they still perform lobotomies believe it or not – albeit in a rebranded, repackaged way

No one knows for sure, but in an article called “The Hidden Truth about Peanuts: From Food Allergies to Farm Practices,” Robyn O’Brien asks a provocative question: “Are we allergic to food? or what’s been done to it?” She explores the toxic agricultural practices behind peanut farming. Peanuts, which are actually a legume that grows in the ground, have a soft, absorbent shell. Peanut crops are often rotated with cotton, which receives applications of glyphosate, a herbicide that damages beneficial microorganisms in the soil. This leads to more diseases attacking the peanut crop, which requires more pesticides. The USDA found 8 pesticides in peanut butter, and piperonyl butoxide, a carcinogen, was found 26.9 percent of the time. O’Brien cites a farmer who says, “It is common to see a conventional peanut crop sprayed with some type of pesticide every 8-10 days during the growing season.”
http://www.treehugger.com/green-food/whats-causing-all-these-peanut-allergies.html

which could be another reason for the allergy

Seriously, though, wookie, not even your gobbledegook can spoil this.

wookiemeister said:

the main thing we should do when injecting things into our body is to never question authority, especially medical authority

Fuck me dead.

Vaccinations have saved millions of lives.

The main thing to do is to hold AVN to account for threatening people’s lives with their bullshit. They should be up for manslaughter.

>AVN

What motivates these critters? Are they making money out of it?

It’s not a game, wookie. It’s not an abstract thought experiment. Anti-vax means pro-polio, pro-rubella. It means illness and premature death.

Bubblecar said:

>AVN

What motivates these critters? Are they making money out of it?

Who knows. What motivates all the 9-11 conspiracy nutters? Some people are a bit unstable and they latch onto a particular idea and it devours their lives.

dv said:

wookiemeister said:

the main thing we should do when injecting things into our body is to never question authority, especially medical authority

Fuck me dead.

Vaccinations have saved millions of lives.

The main thing to do is to hold AVN to account for threatening people’s lives with their bullshit. They should be up for manslaughter.

I’m not disputing that

BUT

considering we are tampering with the body ALL questions should be answered and addressed and continually reviewed

ever heard of SV40? google and find out something surprising – they were deliberately infecting people with SV40 even after some chick discovered it was a monkey disease being spread by vaccination deliberately because the benefits out weighed the risks. polio vaccine is no longer grown on monkey oragns because of it.

it is a brainless stance to take to simply swallow everything that they tell you about vaccines

actually the chick who discovered they were deliberately infecting people with SV40 was struck off the medical register

a sad fate befell the poor sucker who tried to teach the medical fraternity that washing your hands will stop you killing your patients

only recently they discovered in a study that yet again these filthy fuckers still aren’t washing their hands in

the medical industry has a very bad track record and this is why anyone with any powers of thinking will always QUESTION everything

an industry will only ever clean up its act when people refuse to buy their product

WOOKIEMEISTER ADVISORY WARNING: THIS CONTAINS FACT PLEASE DO NOT READ THIS IF YOU HAVE NO POWERS OF REASON

SV40 is an abbreviation for Simian vacuolating virus 40 or Simian virus 40, a polyomavirus that is found in both monkeys and humans. Like other polyomaviruses, SV40 is a DNA virus that has the potential to cause tumors, but most often persists as a latent infection.

SV40 became a highly controversial subject after it was revealed that millions were exposed to the virus after receiving a contaminated polio vaccine produced between 1955 and 1961.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SV40

The SV40 Cancer Foundation is an educational organization devoted to raising awareness about a potential link between the simian virus SV40 and human cancer.

The SV40 Cancer Foundation was founded by Raphaele and Michael Horwin. The Horwin’s son Alexander Horwin was born on June 7, 1996 and was given the oral polio vaccine in November 1997. On August 10, 1998, Alexander was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a malignant brain cancer, leading to his death on January 31, 1999. The Horwins contend that the polio vaccine their son ingested was contaminated with SV40, leading to his death. Four independent PCR tests performed at four separate research institutes on Alexander’s brain tissue demonstrated the presence of the virus.

The SV40 Cancer Foundation views their mission as raising public awareness of this threat, and lobbying for more research funding for this area. On September 10, 2003, the Horwins were successful in getting Congressman Dan Burton, Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness, U.S. Government Reform Committee to hold a hearing into SV40 contamination of vaccines.

The United States National Cancer Institute announced in 2004 that although SV40 does cause cancer in some animal models, “substantial epidemiological evidence has accumulated to indicate that SV40 likely does not cause cancer in humans.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SV40_Cancer_Foundation

I’m off to bed

if there’s anyone willing to rebut the SV40 problem then feel free

if its safe then you’d have no problem rocking up somewhere and demanding a polio vaccine riddled with the SV40 virus because someone has told you that its safe – right?

The woman does seem to be more-or-less insane. Here was her response to a court order in a child custody case, allowing a father to vaccinate his child against the wishes of an antivax mother:

“Court orders rape of a child. Think this is an exaggeration? Think again. This is assault without consent and with full penetration too.”

Even some other members of AVN took exception to this, so she then added:

“Guys, I apologize if anyone was offended with the rape analogy. I take the issue of rape VERY seriously as two very close family members were raped… I know that the word does tend to mainly have sexual connotations nowadays, but historically, rape has meant so much more. And as I said, rape is not a crime of sex – it is a crime of violence, control and anger/hatred. It is an act of violence that demonstrates power over someone … who cannot defend themselves and to my mind – forcing a child to be vaccinated against the informed consent of his or her parent is exactly that – an act of violence by someone who is more powerful against someone who is less powerful.”

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/vaccination-as-rape-meryl-dorey-and-the-australian-vaccination-network/

wookiemeister said:

the medical industry has a very bad track record and this is why anyone with any powers of thinking will always QUESTION everything

Back in real life, the track record of modern medicine amounts to: higher levels of good health, longevity and quality of life than ever before enjoyed by the human species.

Bubblecar said:

wookiemeister said:

the medical industry has a very bad track record and this is why anyone with any powers of thinking will always QUESTION everything

Back in real life, the track record of modern medicine amounts to: higher levels of good health, longevity and quality of life than ever before enjoyed by the human species.

Bernice Eddy, right before the vaccine’s release, discovered faulty batches. She tested the vaccine on her own monkeys who subsequently became paralyzed. She immediately tried to delay release.

However, her warnings were ignored and they were delivered on schedule. Dr. Alton Ochsner even tested the vaccines on his own grandchildren. Dr. Ochsner, a past president of the American Cancer Society, ended up killing his own grandson and crippling his granddaughter with the faulty vaccine…apparently not all the polio had been “inactivated.”
http://kentfreedommovement.com/profiles/blogs/dr-bernice-eddy-and-others-warned-of-cancer-epidemic

real life for you

you must always question this kind of thing, it is simply mental apathy otherwise

basically Bernice said that we would be building in cancer into our society by vaccinating with things known to have virus that can cause cancer

>you must always question this kind of thing, it is simply mental apathy otherwise

AVN aren’t “questioning” anything, they’re running an entirely nutcase campaign against science and medicine that has saved millions of lives.

anyway its too late now the virus injected into millions of people is now transmissible from mother to child

basically we’ve infected ourselves with a monkey virus because no one could be fucked to do thinking – this attitude to basic thinking is prevalent amongst the management types – they know better regardless of what reasoning you put before them.

funny enough there was something on radio national a few years ago that put forward that AIDS was originally spread by a vaccination programme in some African state (congo?) and reusing the syringes, which spreads lots of things, this was back in the 50s

Bubblecar said:

>you must always question this kind of thing, it is simply mental apathy otherwise

AVN aren’t “questioning” anything, they’re running an entirely nutcase campaign against science and medicine that has saved millions of lives.

I’m saying that that may be true in part but considering what has happened in the past isn’t this a natural and logical outcome of a sloppy vaccination programme?

Sometimes I wonder if wookie has been infected with something.

>>>>
Even some other members of AVN took exception to this, so she then added:

“Guys, I apologize if anyone was offended with the rape analogy.
<<<<

Yes, a word bandied around a bit I’ve noticed.

One example of this that really shits me is when extreme earth worshippers suggest that
we are “raping the Earth” simply by extracting minerals, energy etc.

Yeah, it’s all good fun until little Jimmy catches Autism from a dirty vaccination needle.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-03/tainted-anaesthesia-drug-stocks-prompt-nationwide-recall/5428276

Borg
There is NO WAY I will let my kids be vaccinated unless I have seen a full toxicology report on ALL the ingredients that they are to be injected with. I also want a written guarantee that no long term ill health will befall my children after said vaccination. In an era of skyrocketing incidence in autism, ADHD, Asperger’s allergies, and all kinds of children’s health issues how do we know that it is not the insult of vaccination to underdeveloped immune systems triggering these disorders? We don’t. Hell let’s just spin the wheel if you’re child is an unlucky one you can just take one for the team? I think not. Disease creation and making billions is the game played by big pharma, and you are all suckers. I have no objection to the principle behind vaccination, but by all hell I have a massive problem with the stuff you are using. You stay well away from my children.

————————————————————————————————————————————

Andy
I’m a bit like you. I won’t drive over a bridge unless I have a full structural report including the tensile strength and load-bearing capacity of EVERY piece of metal used in its construction. Actually, I object to the use of metal – the same stuff atom bombs are made from. Some bridges are even made out of wood, the same stuff paper is made from. Yes, that’s right – many bridges are made out of paper. Engineering companies earn billions from bridge-building but, not surprisingly, bridges collapse all the time so they get to build more bridges and make even more money. People die when bridges collapse – are you willing to spin that wheel and hope you aren’t among the dead? I have no objection to the principle behind bridges but they need to build them properly and make them safe. Metal and wood are simply not good enough. Until then, there is NO WAY I will ever cross a bridge. I swim across rivers instead, the way nature intended – it’s far safer. No one ever died when a river collapsed.

that’s quite brilliant.

I had some vaccinations recently

I decided to get the fluvax last year along with the whooping cough vaccine

there should be time for my company to pay for my next fluvax vaccine as long as I get in before 31st may

I had the pneumococcal vaccine late last year too, saves being wiped out by someone coughing over you

Now that I’m bloated with beef stew, I think I’ll watch A Private Function, a 1984 comedy starring Michael Palin, Maggie Smith & Denholm Elliott which won 3 BAFTAs.

Bubblecar said:

Now that I’m bloated with beef stew, I think I’ll watch A Private Function, a 1984 comedy starring Michael Palin, Maggie Smith & Denholm Elliott which won 3 BAFTAs.

…in May chat.