[Naples, FL] Parents, health-care workers question safety of swine flu vaccine:

http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/oct/18/parents-health-care-workers-question-safety-swine-/

By LIZ FREEMAN
Posted October 18, 2009 at 5:07 p.m. , updated October 19, 2009 at 5:59 a.m.

Parents and health-care workers may be at the forefront of opposition to the H1N1 swine flu vaccine because of uncertainty over its safety.

They’re not buying the bombardment of messages of reassurance from federal health authorities all the way down to local hospital representatives.

As the date nears when the vaccine is expected to be delivered to local communities, believed to be this coming week, more groups are vocalizing opposition to the vaccine and mandates in some states to get it.

“I’m telling my patients it has not been tested adequately,” said Dr. Brian Thornburg, a Naples pediatrician. “Whether for the nasal spray or injectables, all studies are in phase two.”

The estimated timeframe for when all four normally required stages of clinical studies will be completed is next June, he said.

“The public is becoming the test subjects,” Thornburg said. “The vaccine has not gone through the traditional requirements to make sure it is safe.”

A federal lawsuit has been filed against the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to halt distribution of swine flu vaccine. The suit claims the federal agency violated the law in its hurried approval of the vaccine.

Likewise, lawsuits against mandatory vaccinations have been filed in several states by nurses’ unions and the American Federation of Teachers this past week unanimously passed a resolution opposing mandatory flu vaccinations for health-care workers.

A Florida resident’s lawsuit was granted a continuance two weeks ago when a Santa Rosa County circuit judge denied the state’s motion to dismiss the lawsuit.

Filed by a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant, the lawsuit challenges a section of a new state statute that allows law enforcement officials to vaccinate a resident in an emergency situation.

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http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2009/oct/18/parents-health-care-workers-question-safety-swine-/