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United Daily News / Reporters Zhu Shujuan, Chen Huihui / Taipei Report
October 4, 2007
The Consumers’ Foundation yesterday strongly criticized the Department of Health for allowing children and the elderly to receive mercury-containing flu vaccines, harming the health of the most vulnerable citizens. The foundation will visit the Centers for Disease Control today, demanding a written guarantee that no harm will come from administering mercury-containing vaccines.
In response, Health Minister Hou Sheng-mao emphasized the safety of the vaccines and retorted, "If parents refuse to vaccinate their children and the children fall seriously ill as a result, who will take responsibility? Who will compensate?" Hou stated that over 80 million doses of mercury-containing vaccines have been administered in the past without any issues, and that not vaccinating would be the real problem. "In the next couple of days, I will get the flu vaccine myself," he added.
Wu Jia-cheng, a professor at the Department of Chemistry at National Taiwan Normal University, said he was "overwhelmed with grief and anger" upon learning two days ago that the Department of Health was providing mercury-containing flu vaccines. "Why administer mercury-containing vaccines when mercury-free ones are clearly available?" he questioned.
Wu pointed out that while the Department of Health claims the mercury in the vaccines is ethylmercury, which can be metabolized, ethylmercury is the least understood form of mercury in academic circles. Ethylmercury aggressively attacks and damages hormones, proteins, and DNA in the body. If even healthy adults are affected, how much more vulnerable are children and the elderly?
Wu also noted that the U.S. government had instructed pharmaceutical companies in 2002 to stop selling mercury-containing vaccines, though it did not mandate their destruction. He strongly suspects that the U.S. is selling expired mercury-containing vaccines to Taiwan.
The Consumers’ Foundation warned that a child may receive 10 to 20 different vaccines throughout their life, including those for flu, whooping cough, hepatitis B, and Japanese encephalitis. If all these vaccines contain mercury, the cumulative amount would be alarming.
Source: http://mag. udn. com/ mag/ life/ storypage. jsp? f_ART_ID=85883#ixzz1rXmuouJK
Mercury-Containing Vaccines: Scholars Suspect US Dumping Expired Stock
October 4, 2007
The Consumers’ Foundation yesterday strongly criticized the Department of Health for allowing children and the elderly to receive mercury-containing flu vaccines, harming the health of the most vulnerable citizens. The foundation will visit the Centers for Disease Control today, demanding a written guarantee that no harm will come from administering mercury-containing vaccines.
In response, Health Minister Hou Sheng-mao emphasized the safety of the vaccines and retorted, "If parents refuse to vaccinate their children and the children fall seriously ill as a result, who will take responsibility? Who will compensate?" Hou stated that over 80 million doses of mercury-containing vaccines have been administered in the past without any issues, and that not vaccinating would be the real problem. "In the next couple of days, I will get the flu vaccine myself," he added.
Wu Jia-cheng, a professor at the Department of Chemistry at National Taiwan Normal University, said he was "overwhelmed with grief and anger" upon learning two days ago that the Department of Health was providing mercury-containing flu vaccines. "Why administer mercury-containing vaccines when mercury-free ones are clearly available?" he questioned.
Wu pointed out that while the Department of Health claims the mercury in the vaccines is ethylmercury, which can be metabolized, ethylmercury is the least understood form of mercury in academic circles. Ethylmercury aggressively attacks and damages hormones, proteins, and DNA in the body. If even healthy adults are affected, how much more vulnerable are children and the elderly?
Wu also noted that the U.S. government had instructed pharmaceutical companies in 2002 to stop selling mercury-containing vaccines, though it did not mandate their destruction. He strongly suspects that the U.S. is selling expired mercury-containing vaccines to Taiwan.
The Consumers’ Foundation warned that a child may receive 10 to 20 different vaccines throughout their life, including those for flu, whooping cough, hepatitis B, and Japanese encephalitis. If all these vaccines contain mercury, the cumulative amount would be alarming.
Source: http://mag. udn. com/ mag/ life/ storypage. jsp? f_ART_ID=85883#ixzz1rXmuouJK