Fashionable and frightening French fables about disease

From GMO Pundit Blog

The French (and other Europeans) are currently exporting disease to the United States in the form of measles infections. This post attempts to put on the record where this problem comes from. It comes from beliefs in complementary and alternative therapies as a substitute for conventional medical treatment (CAM).
We start out documenting the large outbreaks of infectious disease in France, then provide an illustration of the forthright and opinionated expression of alternative medical ideas in that country, and finish with a compilation of the orthodox medical literature that dissects this sets of events.
The take home message is that there is real health damage generated by scaremongering about modern medicine, gruesomely illustrated by public failure to accept the use of disease-preventative vaccines, causing disease outbreaks, death, and permanent bodily damage such as encephalitis in the victims of disease.
These horrible and predictable consequences show up in European statistics demonstrating the resurgence of measles disease. These are available from surveillance reports published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.
One of the worst affected countries is France.

SURVEILLANCE REPORT European monthly measles monitoring (EMMO) (pdf file)
Issue 8: 21 February 2012
Measles is a highly infectious and potentially fatal disease which can be prevented by a safe and effective vaccine. When given in two doses, at least 98% of vaccine recipients develop life-long protective immunity against the disease. As the measles virus only infects humans, the disease could theoretically be eradicated. The countries in the European Region of the World Health Organization, which includes all EU and EEA/EFTA countries, have committed to eliminate measles transmission by 2015. Elimination of measles requires sustained vaccination coverage above 95% with two doses of a measles-containing vaccine.
In 2011, 30 567 cases of measles were reported by the 29 contributing EU and EEA/EFTA countries. This is effectively the same number of cases as was reported in 2010 (30 264 cases) but a four-fold increase compared with 2009 (7 175 cases) and 2008 (7 817).
• Five countries – France, Italy, Romania, Spain and Germany – accounted for more than 90% of all measles cases reported in 2011.
• Twenty-four of the 29 contributing countries reported more measles cases in 2011 than in 2010.
• Only two countries remained measles-free in 2011: Iceland and Cyprus.
• There is an ongoing measles outbreak in Ukraine with focus in the western part of the country bordering Hungary, Poland and Slovakia. More than 3 000 cases have been reported so far in 2012. Ukraine will host the European Football Championship together with Poland in June 2012 and large numbers of visitors are expected. Unvaccinated participants and spectators will be at risk of measles infection.

It can be seen from the graphics taken from this measles surveillance report that it is the countries with high vaccination coverage that have the lowest rates of measles.


In France, there is an active social expression of opinions in which conventional medical treatment and vaccination are strongly questioned and disparaged among the educated and literate French people. An example is provided by following text,  which is a machine translation from a French booklet (pdf file)  advocating alternative ideas on medicine (whose cover shown at the beginning of this post).
Sacred territory

Take care of his health, respect of others and the environment. Understand the process of immunization to choose from well vaccinated, with all the guarantees of success. Reap the benefits and assume the risks. Apply the precautionary principle. Knowing the contra-indications for each. In short, take responsibility for immunization to self, family, society, here and now, but everywhere and for future generations. The earth and human beings are sacred territories. No one has the right to enter uninvited.
This alternative guide immunization was carried out from these ideas and with the authors that are familiar. You meet in your associations, their consulting practices, conventions, conferences and alternative gatherings. They represent the other medicine, respectful of your integrity. They are the actors in this modern medicine focusing on…  individual, without toxic drugs.
Vaccination is a medical custom. The mass vaccinations are dangerous. But, vaccinate the entire population against all diseases is a huge market, virtually inexhaustible source of considerable financial benefits for shareholders of multinational pharmaceutical companies. Nowadays, stock markets rule the world. The hype merchants and the official propaganda vaccines are struggling to make us believe that vaccination is the silver bullet to stay healthy.
Faced with this unilateral advertising, it is essential that everyone has access to different information. This alternative guide to vaccinations is made so that you are informed to make an informed decision. Pierre JEAN

Vaccines, viruses and microbes

It is now recognized that Pasteur was a forger. Bechamp, Tissot and others had denounced in their time. Compelling experiences have shown that the approach of Pasteur on germs was false, having himself acknowledged on his death bed!
Why is not criticism last hundred years? The scientific community, once again, was satisfied with short-termism: the disappearance of germ or virus and the apparent eradication of the disease.
If we can show that microbe or virus as a function of the composition of culture medium, we must admit that it was present in cells and that only the terrain allowed it to occur or not. Louis Pasteur had also proved itself in a communication to the Academy of Science. He demonstrated the role of stress on the result of inoculation of anthrax by presenting two chickens inoculated. Only those who died had been subjected to cold exposure prior to injection.
Why has it taken so long to access this information? Why the viewpoint of a scholar like Antoine Bechamp is it not taught in schools? This would allow researchers to test the veracity of his work. And the scandal of vaccinations – medical error if any – would not be perpetuated. Yet it continues because of media hype, manipulation and abusive advertising, to preserve the huge financial interests related to mass vaccination. They contribute to the major deficit of Social Security.
Today, it’s time to stop these lies. The new medicine, that of information, we can approach a totally different disease. It makes us consider vaccinations as one of the biggest mistakes of our time, the remains of a medieval anti-scientific approach, which refuses to take into account the “ground”. Yet what have we rehashed: “The microbe is nothing, the terrain is everything!”
The terrain is characterized, among other characteristics, by the vibratory rate of our cells and organs.
Physics tells us that a vibration is always a form, and vice versa. Thus a field weakened leaves emerge from constituents who normally do not occur. The alleged “abusers”: germs, viruses and prions are nothing but cellular constituents. So these are endogenous products and not “aggressors from elsewhere”. Then it is absurd to try to immunize an organization against its own constituents! By doing so, we change the terrain, so the vibration, and the virus or microbe is no longer manifested.
The consequence is that another pathology will likely make its appearance; person, or almost, one would think of linking it to this barbaric act against nature and that is to enter the body:
• A vile concoction made from immortal cells (cancer) of fetal calf serum (…prions).
• The famous Freund’s adjuvant, a potent oxidant, without which there would be no “immunization”, and for good reason!
…
It is necessary that the public has a rigorous approach to the problem of data to allow those who would bother to think about claiming the rightful freedom of choice for themselves not to undergo mandatory aggression, supported and perpetuated by the unspeakable behaviour of “experts” whose archaic sign of inadequate information on the evolution of science.
Motivation is more, far from it, people’s health, but the profitability and pharmaceutical fortune.
Vaccination remains one of the biggest scandals to come, the source of many lawsuits that would allow victims the recognition of their suffering, caused by those whose mission was to protect them and among them, hopefully, it n ‘ there will be more “responsible but not guilty!” Jacqueline Bousquet
Jacqueline Bousquet, Dr ès-sciences-biology biophysics, honorary research fellow at CNRS, is the author with Sylvie Simon of Revival of Consciousness.

Several recent authoritative medical publications discuss the rejection of vaccination in France, for  example
Bull Acad Natl Med. 2010 Apr-May;194(4-5):719-32; discussion 732.
[Consequences of opposition to vaccination in France and Europe. How to maintain
effective vaccine coverage in 2010?].[Article in French] Bégué P. pbegue@wanadoo.fr

Refusal of vaccination can result in inadequate vaccine coverage. The collective benefit of immunisation depends on a sufficient and sustained level of vaccine coverage. Low vaccine coverage can lead to the persistence of preventable diseases and, in some cases, to a dangerous shift in the age of pathogen encounter towards adulthood. This is the case of measles in Europe, where some countries, including France, have not reached the effective vaccine coverage rate of 95%. Outbreaks are occurring, leading to complications (encephalitis and pneumonia) in adolescents and adults, necessitating hospitalization in nearly one-third of cases. The French population is also under-vaccinated against hepatitis B, due to fears of a risk of demyelinating disorders: the coverage rate is currently only about 30% in infants and 10% in adolescents. These difficulties are due to negligence and to vaccine refusal by parents. Refusal of immunisation has a long history in Europe, and explains for example why pertussis remained endemic in many countries until 1995, and also the resurgence of diphtheria in the Russian federation during the 1990s. Sections of Western society are now questioning the need for some routine vaccines, overlooking the fact that they have eradicated some diseases (polio, diphtheria, etc.) and protect effectively against lesser-known pathogens such as hepatitis B virus and HPV. In France, it will be necessary to restructure healthcare professional training programs in vaccinology and to provide the public with more thorough information on the risk-benefit ratio of vaccination. The recent controversy surrounding pandemic H1N1 influenza vaccination demonstrates that the public and the media tend to focus more on the potential risks of vaccination than on its benefits. A vigorous ethical and political debate is needed to shape an effective and acceptable vaccine policy for the 21st century. PMID: 21568045  [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]

Postscript:

There is considerable discussion and substantial rejection of hepatitis B vaccination in France documented in the medical literature:
1. Arch Pediatr. 2012 Feb;19(2):111-7. Epub 2011 Dec 29. [Vaccination against hepatitis B in children: survey on knowledge, opinions, and  practices of general practitioners in Île-de-France in 2009].[Article in French] Partouche H, Scius M, Elie C, Rigal L.
Département de médecine générale, faculté de médecine, université
Paris-Descartes, Sorbonne Paris-Cité, 24, rue du Faubourg-Saint-Jacques, 75014
Paris, France. henri.part@wanadoo.fr
Vaccination against hepatitis B in infants has been recommended since 1994. However, the WHO target of eradicating the disease in Europe is compromised due to less than 50% coverage in France. A telephone survey conducted in the first quarter of 2009 on 300 general practitioners (GPs) randomly selected in 3 departments in eastern Île-de-France was used to study the knowledge, reported practices, and opinions on the vaccine in infants and the impact of the hexavalent vaccine’s reimbursement. Two hundred and nine GPs agreed to answer. Among those taking care of infants (180), 74.4% reported offering them the vaccine. The GPs who did not practice complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), who knew of the reimbursement of the hexavalent and the  ecommendations, and who practiced in the suburbs rather than in Paris offered to vaccinate infants more frequently. Among GPs taking care of infants, 40.5% reported they had changed their practice since the reimbursement of the hexavalent vaccine. More than a quarter of GPs (26.2%) were opposed to the vaccination against hepatitis B in infants. They were older, practiced CAM more frequently, and were less familiar with the recommendations. Among the respondents, 79% had encountered the fear of side effects from the parents and among them 17.7% did not insist or postponed the discussion. In conclusion, in 2009, over a quarter of GPs were refractory to the vaccination proposal in infants but the hexavalent vaccine seems to have a significant impact on practices.
2. Rev Epidemiol Sante Publique. 2006 Jul;54 Spec No 1:1S95-1S101. [Perceptions of hepatitis B vaccination in France. Analysis of three surveys]. [Article in French] Balinska MA, Léon C.
Institut National de Prévention et d’Education pour la Santé, Direction des
affaires scientifiques. mbalinska@institutcancer.fr
BACKGROUND: The main target for hepatitis B vaccination has never been reached, since less than 30% of infants were immunized in 2000. We wished to examine what  might explain this situation by surveying attitudes within the general public and among vaccinators.
METHODS: We analyzed and compared the data on hepatitis B vaccination from three quantitative surveys conducted by the National Institute of Prevention and Health Education in 2003-2005.
RESULTS: Even those physicians (especially pediatricians) who are favorable to hepatitis B immunization do not always apply recommendations; 95% of physicians stated their patients are rather reticent to participate. Regarding the general public, less than half of French adults would be prepared to have their infant immunized against hepatitis B.
CONCLUSION: The usefulness of immunizing infants, rather than the absence of adverse events, should be put forth as the main argument in favour of hepatitis B immunization, both for physicians and the larger public. PMID: 17073136  [PubMed – indexed for MEDLINE]
3. Rev Med Interne. 2006 Jan;27(1):40-5. Epub 2005 Jul 1. [Risk-benefit assessment of hepatitis B vaccination in France, 2006]. [Article in French] Hanslik T, Valleron AJ, Flahault A.
Inserm U707, épidémiologie, systèmes d’informations, modélisation, université
Pierre et Marie-Curie, Paris, France. thomas.hanslik@apr.aphp.fr
PURPOSE: Rare and unexpected adverse events following hepatitis B immunization have been reported. This article aims to illustrate the risk-benefit assessment of hepatitis B immunization strategies, using the available evidence in medical literature.
CURRENT EVENTS: i) Hepatitis B vaccination efficacy is high in infants, children and adolescents. It may be lower in adults and at risk populations; ii) Hepatitis B descriptive epidemiological data in France are scarce, fragmental, unprecise and changing according to the studied population strata. The incidence of symptomatic cases in the general population is below 5 per 100,000 since the year 2000. In France, it is estimated that about 300,000 adults are carriers of HBs antigen, and thus able to transmit the disease; iii) The actual French pharmacovigilance signal and the epidemiological studies may suggest the hypothesis of an association between the occurrence of central nervous system demyelinating diseases and hepatitis B vaccination. If this association exists, the relative risk is probably of less than 3.
PERSPECTIVES:
The lack of accuracy of risks estimates complicates the risk-benefit assessment of hepatitis B vaccination. Its perception is then influenced and distorted by subjective factors, underlying the need for research in communication about benefits and risks of immunizations. Although still debated, the hypothesis of a putative role of hepatitis B vaccine in the pathophysiology of demyelinating diseases should prompt to pursue experimental and epidemiological research to better understand the links between infectious environment and inflammatory chronic diseases.
4. Med Mal Infect. 2004 Apr;34(4):149-58. [Evolution of strategy and coverage rates for hepatitis B vaccination in France, a country with low endemicity]. [Article in French] Denis F, Abitbol V, Aufrère A. Service de bactériologie-virologie-hygiène, CHU Dupuytren, 87042 Limoges, France.
fdenis@unilim.fr
Both HBV plasma derived vaccines and HBV recombinant vaccines have proved safe and highly immunogenic. In France, exhaustive population surveys have revealed a vaccine coverage rate of over 21.7% and very low three-dose vaccine coverage among infants (19.8%), children (23.3%), and adolescents. Among hospital staff, around 80 to 90% of physicians and health care personnel in public or private hospitals were vaccinated against hepatitis B and the level of coverage was higher among personnel accidentally exposed to blood (90 to 100%). Among risk groups, the specific prevention program against mother-infant transmission was unevenly applied, and between 25 to 45% of intravenous drug abusers, prisoners, or STD patients were vaccinated. These coverage rates are inadequate to obtain a  significant reduction and control of hepatitis B infections in France. The complete eradication of HBV transmission might take another 20 years to achieve unless great efforts are made to vaccinate the general population (infants especially) and high-risk groups.
5. Med Mal Infect. 2011 Oct;41(10):518-25. Epub 2011 Sep 13. Hepatitis B virus vaccination by French family physicians. François M, Alla F, Rabaud C, Raphaël F.
Département de médecine générale, faculté de médecine de Nancy, 9 avenue de la
Forêt-de-Haye, Vandœuvre-lès-Nancy, France. fra_marie@yahoo.fr
Vaccine coverage against hepatitis B virus (HBV) in France has decreased to one of the lowest levels among countries that recommend it, over the last decade. The probable cause was that the vaccine was suspected to induce demyelinating diseases. We studied the factors limiting the use of HBV vaccine amongst French family physicians (FPs), who play a significant role in the implementation of the vaccination policy.
METHOD: We conducted a national survey in 2008, using an interactive questionnaire sent by e-mail to 2175 private general practitioners in metropolitan France. This questionnaire provided us with demographic data and information on perception, opinions and practices of FPs regarding HBV vaccination. It also assessed practical barriers to vaccination FPs encountered.
The answer structure was analyzed by multiple correspondence analysis (MCA). An agglomerative hierarchical clustering (AHC) identified typical behaviors among FPs. We determined and tested specific links among answers. The representativeness of the final sample (341FPs) was tested. RESULTS: HBV vaccination for infants is increasingly recommended; children and teenage vaccine
catch-up is less routinely recommended; 25% of FPs are opposed to systematic vaccination; the main barrier to vaccination, according to FPs, remains public opinion on the vaccine’s potential adverse effects; barriers among physicians include excessive precaution principle in prescribing the vaccine and
misconceptions on hepatitis B and vaccination.