For centuries, people with vaccinations to protect against diseases. Nevertheless, Nations parents possible side effects of vaccinations – part of fear, especially in industry, so much so that they let their kids vaccinated. Some opponents Stoke by false information, and these Fears.
In the current Film and book “Instilled” by David Sieveking, these Fears have a lot of space. The documentary asks the question whether he should let his children get vaccinated. His wife is clear, however, that he will in the course of the Research, always more sceptical.
A Review of the film “Instilled” can be found here:
To deal with all of the statements in the film, would lead too far on this point. A Thesis stands out, however, that is also discussed in science, in Public but still largely unknown is:
The research of the Danish anthropologist and medical researcher Peter Aaby: It has been working for four decades in the West African state of Guinea-Bissau, and reports of so-called non-specific effects of vaccines – both positive and negative. Vaccination would, therefore, also other effects than to protect specifically against a disease.
- Some vaccines reduce according to Aaby the mortality of children is much stronger than it would be alone by protecting against a specific disease. For example, the child mortality rate declined, according to studies in the Congo, in Senegal and in Guinea-Bissau, a good half after the introduction of the measles vaccination. Such a large effect was not solely explained by the prevention of measles disease. Aaby has published several studies in professional journals.
- Other vaccines, by contrast, increased mortality, Aaby. And, even though they protect well before a disease against which they are directed. As the vaccination against whooping cough, diphtheria and tetanus (abbreviated DTP) was introduced in Guinea-Bissau in the eighties, increased the mortality rate among children who received this vaccine, reported by Aaby in specialist publications (here and here). This affected girls in particular.
In what directions, the non-specific effects, depends on the type of vaccines: live vaccines would have a positive non-specific effects of inactivated vaccines is negative.
These theses are preserved? How strong these non-specific effects? You should change our view on Vaccination? An Overview.
The base: Vaccinate training is Immune…
Vaccines consist of pathogens from whole disease, or fragments, which the immune system recognises as foreign and, therefore, combat.
- Live vaccines contain a weakened, but still capable of propagation agents. For this reason, the vaccination can trigger discomfort of the disease is the same. They fall out in General, but much weaker. An exception is The oral Polio vaccine can cause-in very rare cases, permanent paralysis.
- In inactivated vaccines , however, are not a viable pathogen. These Adjuvants, so-called adjuvants must be added to vaccines to provoke the desired response of the immune system.
In both cases, the encounter with the vaccine is a learning process of the body’s immune system. Among other things, she remembers using a so-called memory cells, which has eliminated them. The immune system then eventually the real pathogen, it works faster and more efficient: The viruses or bacteria can be disposed of so quickly that the disease is absent.
All vaccinations are, in the truest sense of the word immune training against the respective disease.
…and the innate immune system with trained
But as vaccinations to protect against other diseases?
The immune system consists of far more than this very targeted response, which is controlled by specialized cells. Other parts of the body’s immune system, such as the so-called innate immune system, decide on whether we stay healthy or become ill. The researchers involved in non-specific effects of, say vaccinations can also strengthen this part of the immune system and train it.
Mihai Netea researches at the Radboud University Nijmegen and the University of Bonn to the immune system and has also studied with Peter Aaby, with the theme. He says: “plants and invertebrates, which have only an innate immune system, according to an infection and react to it the next time better.” This happens due to the “very old” mechanisms, such as epigenetic changes, says the immunologist. Epigenetics describes how the genome due to environmental influences is affected. Here, genes are not altered, but activated or inhibited, resulting in the production of proteins altered in the body.
“Non-specific effects make for a generally more resistant to infections – not only against a particular, but against all,” explains the researcher. “Vaccinations prior to deceive, in principle, very light infections, and can therefore lead to these helpful non-specific effects – without the risk of a real disease.”
Also, the immunologist, Christian Bogdan of the University of Erlangen, member of the Standing Committee on vaccination (Stiko) assumes a positive non-specific effects of vaccination from a scientific point of view is good.
How strong are these positive non-specific effects?
What will this mean for the Individual? The short answer: you don’t know exactly and it depends. At least on the age of the Vaccinated and the circumstances of their lives, as well as the relevant vaccination.
“The effects are obviously so large, that you can make in a difference, in which many children die of infectious diseases,” says Netea. He assumes, moreover, that you have in the first years of life have the greatest impact. Once the specialized immune system is fully able to work, play not so large role.
“In Guinea-Bissau, the specific effect of a vaccination makes itself more noticeable,” Christian Bogdan. He explained the example of the vaccine against rotavirus, the stomach-intestinal cause diseases. “We recommend vaccination in Germany, because small children can be saved from hospital stays. In this country no children die of rotavirus infection in Guinea-Bissau.” What to prevent in a country of only hospital treatments that save lives in a different country.
In Africa, there was that many people are permanently infested by worms or other parasites. Also affects the immune system and might increase non-specific effects, or inhibit.
Whether the non-specific effects of vaccination in countries such as Germany tangibly evident, it is unclear, if at all, their influence is likely to be low. In this direction, previous studies suggest, for example from Denmark or the Netherlands.
However, research in industrial Nations, such as the nonspecific effects reverberate earlier vaccinations may be a life. Currently, a large study in Australia, for example, to the question of whether early BCG vaccination (against tuberculosis) lowers the risk of Allergy.
“Perhaps the increase in allergies is that we have ceased to vaccinate against smallpox and BCG,” says Aaby. He wonders, even, whether the Setting of the smallpox vaccination could not have done any damage, because the immune training shortfalls because of this vaccination.
And what is with the negative effects?
Peter Aaby speaks not only of the beneficent side-effects of live vaccines. Killed vaccines have negative consequences, which are manifested for example in Guinea-Bissau, even in a increased child mortality.
How can you explain that?
Here, the immuno-lied. “We have no research results and can only speculate,” says Mihai Neta. “It could be due to the adjuvants.” Among these, for example aluminium hydroxide. It can trigger, for example, in rare cases, a so-called Myositis, a muscular inflammation.
Christian Bogdan says, you have to classify the borders of Aabys studies concerns the data appropriately. A WHO commissioned Review concluded that the Work to make no Change to the current Vaccination is needed. But the scientists warned more research on the subject.
Immunologically, let the negative effect hard to explain, says Bogdan. “May only the positive additional effect of the live vaccines offer falls in the inactivated vaccines”, he speculates. The scientists will dismiss the result, but by no means. Because it is precisely from such seemingly inexplicable phenomena, new research, and at the end of a better understanding and better treatment options develop.
Aaby speaks to a Dilemma of research: higher Quality studies are simply not feasible. Because as soon as a vaccine is approved, it is for ethical reasons impossible to test in further studies with Placebo groups. For this we have to deprive children of the vaccination aware of and only an active ingredient-free Placebo. Appropriate studies have been conducted Aaby and his Team, therefore, with the BCG vaccine in rich countries is no longer in the vaccination plan, but in developing countries as the first vaccination is administered. They have also tested, for example, a measles vaccination at an earlier point in time, or in times of supply shortages vaccinated and unvaccinated children. (Here is the scientific publication list of the “Bandim Health Project” in Guinea-Bissau.)
How can you possible nonspecific effects of the already widely used vaccines, then you better explore? Bogdan considers it useful to explore use of controlled experiments, first in mice in more detail. A large part of the basic immunological findings of the past 30 years is based on mouse experiments.
Must change something now?
Aaby himself stresses that he is not opponents. “I want you to reconsider the current immunisation Schedules. My data suggest that the negative effects of inactivated vaccines to mitigate or eliminate them altogether, if at the same time, or shortly after, a live vaccine is administered.” He, too, wishes to generally be more Alive and less dead vaccines.
Stiko member Bogdan is rather skeptical. “Before we modify vaccination plans, we need good studies that show that Vaccination points, the other time just as good or better.” The data of Aaby is not enough from his point of view, to vaccination schedules to knock it over in Germany.
“He advocates vaccination for is more Live? “That depends on what you want,” says Bogdan. We used to, for example, a whooping cough had completely germ totimpfung. “The offered excellent protection, but about 30 percent of the vaccinated children fever. Didn’t like the parents.” Now, there was for many years a so-called sub-components-Totimpfung that offer no fever trigger, but for a much shorter period of protection.” The example will show: Already between different Totimpfungen must be balanced in Detail. To draw the line between Alive and Totimpfung, appears Bogdan, therefore, too simplistic.
We do not know, despite the long application nor every Detail about vaccinations, may confuse parents, who worry about the health of their children. For you immunologist Netea has a message: “in the past, many children died from infectious diseases that today are prevented by vaccination. We are very lucky to live in this time.”
Because one thing is clear: vaccines save people from serious diseases and thus also of life-long consequence of damage or even death. In the case of smallpox, it is even managed, a devastating disease to eradicate: Who is born today, is protected from the smallpox, therefore, without vaccination: The virus no longer exists (apart from a few samples in laboratories). To be right vaccinations counted, therefore, of the greatest medical achievements of history.
Summary: studies suggest that vaccination in addition to the specific protection against the respective disease nonspecifically on the immune system. This has in countries where many children die of infectious diseases, have a greater impact than in developed Nations such as Germany. Some researchers advocate because of these effects that live-virus vaccinations administered, and the schedules for Vaccination changed, there should be others on the basis of the current data situation is not a compelling conclusion.
Note: The quote from Christian Bogdan for the whooping cough vaccine has been changed.