Monday, November 23, 2009

65% of French Nurses Refuse Swine Flu Shot


The take on the swine flu and swine flu vaccines in Europe is interesting. Even though every country seems to have their "Gripe" campaign encouraging vaccinations, there is quite a bit of resistance and uncertainty about the efficacy and safety of the vaccine. In France, the French Nurses Union (SNPI) has reported that  65% of French nurses are refusing to get the vaccine, and they found nurses and doctors in other countries had similar reservations. A translated version of their news release can be found here.

A Spanish nun, Teresa Forcades, formerly a physician has come out with an informative and interesting video (allow time to watch it as it is just shy of an hour) about the history of flu viruses and the concerns she has about the implications of possible mandatory vaccination laws. To view the subtitled version click here.

Jane Burgermeister, an Austrian journalist has filed lawsuits against two Austrian pharmaceutical companies citing contaminated vaccines. She is also working on suits against the World Health Organization (WHO) and others claiming far-reaching and devastating conspiracies. While some may find Burgermeister's take on the flu vaccine situation straight out of a Dan Brown novel, she is undertaking a daunting task, challenging such enormous, powerful, and potentially dangerous health conglomerates. To read in depth about her theories and legal cases see her Web site The Flu Case.

The bottom line is everyone should have the freedom and right to make choices about their own health care based on full disclosure of information not fear-mongering. If people can make choices  like whether to smoke cigarettes, take drugs, drink copious amounts of soda and sugar, and eat unhealthy-fat laden foods, it seems reasonable that people should also be able to choose  whether or not they want to shoot potentially harmful (and untested) ingredients into their bodies, without fear of reprisals, like loss of jobs, sick days or other disproportionate penalties.