FLU VACCINES, PREGNANCY, & CHILDREN: What You Need to Know:

http://www.safeminds.org/about/documents/SM%20Flu%20Brochure%202009-2010.pdf

TEXT of the .PDF BROCHURE FOLLOWS HERE:

Mercury Exposure in Pregnant
Women and Small Children

In March of 2001, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement warning pregnant women and young children not to eat fish containing high levels of mercury because it causes neurological problems in children. Yet, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that these same women and young children should get seasonal influenza vaccines.

Many seasonal influenza vaccines contain mercury, from the preservative thimerosal, in amounts exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended safe levels.

SafeMinds is deeply concerned that the risks of mercury-containing seasonal influenza vaccines
outweigh the benefits for pregnant women, infants and children. Mercury is known to be highly toxic to brain tissue and can interrupt critical stages of brain development.

A large-scale scientific study in approximately 50,000 pregnant women and their infants over five flu seasons found no difference in the risk for developing influenza illness among those who received the influenza vaccine during pregnancy and those who did not receive the vaccine. Reviews in the medical journal The Lancet found a lack of health benefit of influenza vaccine for children under two and significantly increased rates of vaccine related adverse events in children.

If You Are Pregnant or Have
Small Children . . .

∑ Look at the evidence and decide if you consider the influenza virus a true threat to
your family. Also consider evidence questioning the effectiveness of the flu vaccine
in actually preventing influenza;
∑ If you do decide to vaccinate, insist on mercury-free influenza vaccines for yourself
and your children;
∑ Do not combine the flu vaccine with other vaccines;
∑ If you are not able to get mercury-free flu vaccines, reconsider your choice to vaccinate.

What is Thimerosal?
Thimerosal contains ethyl-mercury, a documented and
dangerous neurotoxin. It is used as an inexpensive
preservative in vaccines. Developed in the 1930’s and
marketed by Eli Lilly, thimerosal has never been tested
using modern safety standards.

In 1982 an expert FDA panel found thimerosal to be toxic
and caused cell death. In 2001 the Institute of Medicine
recommended that “government agencies give full
consideration to removing thimerosal from all vaccines
administered to infants, children or pregnant women."
In addition, a 2005 study funded by the NIH found that ethyl-
mercury used in vaccines crosses into the brain of infant
primates, resulting in appreciable levels of mercury being
trapped in the brain.

Today, some vaccines, like the influenza vaccine, contain as
much as 25 micrograms of mercury, over 15 times the safe
limit for an infant and roughly two times over the safe limit
for adults. All vaccines on the immunization schedule are
available in mercury-free, or mercury reduced, versions.
Contact your health care provider well in advance to request
a mercury-free influenza vaccine this season.

MERCURY-FREE INFLUENZA VACCINE - 2009/2010:
Afluria® - CSL Biotherapies: Age indication - 18 years
and up, mercury-free
FluMist® – MedImmune: Age indication - healthy 2
year olds and up, mercury-free
Fluarix™ – GlaxoSmithKline: Age indication - 18
years and up, mercury-free
Fluvirin® – Novartis: Age indication 4 years and up,
request pre-filled mercury-free syringe version
Fluzone® - Sanofi Pasteur: Age indication - 6 months
and up (.25ml) or 36 months and up (.5ml),
request pre-filled mercury-free syringe

MERCURY-CONTAINING INFLUENZA VACCINES - 2009/2010:
Afluria® - CSL Biotherapies: Age indication - 18 years
and up, contains 24.5 mcg of mercury
FluLaval™ - GlaxoSmithKline: Age indication - 18
years and up, contains 25 mcg of mercury
Fluvirin® – Novartis: Age indication - 4 years and up,
contains 25 mcg of mercury
Fluzone® – Sanofi Pasteur: Age indication - 6 months
and up, contains 25 mcg of mercury

Get All The Facts!

All vaccines pose some risk, with or without mercury
content. However, the influenza vaccine is of great
concern, as many brands contain high levels of
mercury. SafeMinds recommends that consumers
read package inserts for any vaccine prior to
immunization.

All seasonal influenza vaccines are classified by the
FDA as Category C, as are all swine flu vaccines.
Category C means either studies in animals have
revealed adverse effects on the fetus and there are no
controlled studies in women, or studies in women and
animals are not available.

Below is package insert information from three
commonly used influenza vaccines.

FLULAVAL™ - GLAXOSMITHKLINE: Animal repro-
duction studies have not been conducted with FLU-
LAVAL. It is also not known whether FLULAVAL can
cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant
woman or can affect reproduction capacity. FLULAVAL
should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly
needed.

FLUVIRIN® - NOVARTIS: Animal reproduction studies
have not been conducted with FLUVIRIN®. It is also
not known whether FLUVIRIN® can cause fetal harm
when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect repro-
duction capacity. FLUVIRIN® should be given to a
pregnant woman only if clearly needed.

FLUZONE® - SANOFI-PASTEUR: Animal reproduc-
tion studies have not been conducted with Fluzone
vaccine. It is also not known whether Fluzone vaccine
can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant
woman or can affect reproduction capacity. Fluzone
vaccine should be given to a pregnant woman only if
clearly needed.

H1N1 Flu Vaccine:
The new “swine flu” vaccine
will be available in both mercury-containing and
mercury-free formulations. This vaccine will also be
categorized as a Class C drug (see Get All The Facts
section). Little safety data will be available when
vaccination begins in October 2009. At publishing,
vaccine names were not known. Contact your health-
care provider well in advance for mercury-free
formulations.