Pneumococcal Vaccine: What You Need to Know

Should Your Newborn Baby And Kindergartener Receive A Vaccine For An STD?

By Patricia Johnson, Op-ed contributor Sunday, October 06, 2024 (Photo: Reuters/Brian Snyder)

It is hard to believe we should even have to ask this question. Many parents, including myself, doctors, and even politicians like Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Have asked this question as more and more vaccines were added to the schedule for infants and children.[1] [2]

Back in the 1950's, I received two vaccines. In the 1970s, our son received a total of nine vaccines by age 18. Now children receive 30+ vaccines by age 2 and up to 70 by age 18. [3]

By age two, the 2024 CDC vaccine schedule requires: 3 Hepatitis B, 1 to 2 RSV, 2 to 3 Rotavirus, 3 Diphtheria, 3 Tetanus, 3 Polio, 2 to 4 Hib, 4 Pneumonia, 1 COVID-19, 2 Flu, 1 Measle, 1 Mump, 1 Rubella, 1 Chickenpox and 2 Hepatitis A. [4]

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Each of these vaccines can contain multiple strains of viruses and bacteria, along with aluminum, formaldehyde, mercury, acids, contaminants, DNA particles from animals or aborted human fetal cells, unidentified viruses, and more.[5]  The PPSV23 pneumonia shot alone contains 23 different strains of bacteria.[6] These vaccine materials are injected into the child and reach the child's organs including the brain.

The purpose of vaccinating children was originally to stop dangerous diseases that spread easily and quickly in a school room or public setting. Do all these shots fulfill that original purpose? Have there been safety studies of the effect of multiple shots over a short period of time on the developing immune systems of children? These are all valid and important questions we need to ask as more vaccines are added to the schedule.  In this article, I will focus on the Hepatitis B vaccine. 

I first questioned the need for the Hepatitis B vaccine in 1997 as an elected official to the Colorado State Board of Education when the Colorado Health Department added it as a requirement for school attendance. Being elected on a platform to represent the parents and children of Colorado, I felt obligated to investigate. Was Hepatitis B affecting our children at epidemic proportions? Was Hepatitis B highly contagious in the classroom? Do newborns need a vaccine for an STD? I contacted doctors and scientists locally and internationally and asked them for their research.

First, are newborns at risk for Hepatitis B?

CDC guidelines recommend that newborns receive the Hepatitis B vaccine within 24 hours of birth and boosters at 2 and 4 months of age.[7]

Billboards and ads in newspapers with endorsements from sports teams and news stations appeared all over Colorado with a picture of a cute baby. The billboards and ads stated, "To you, your baby is one in a million, but to Hepatitis B she isn't anywhere near that rare."  According to the media campaign, parents should be concerned that their newborns are at risk for Hepatitis B and need vaccine protection.

After seeing those billboards and ads, I contacted the Colorado Health Department (CHD) and asked for the actual numbers of babies and children in Colorado with Hepatitis B.

According to CHD documents:

1996: 1-4 years old 0 acute cases and 1 chronic case

1997: 1-4 years old 1 acute case and 1 chronic case

CHD's own numbers show that Hepatitis B is rare in newborns. Hepatitis B only occurs in babies whose mothers had Hepatitis B or in very rare cases from a blood transfusion with infected blood. For those children whose mothers did not have Hepatitis B or blood transfusions, it is zero in a million cases! I contacted the CHD and newspapers and complained about the misleading information, fear-mongering, and threatened to expose the lie. As a result, the billboards were taken down, the newspaper ads stopped, and the CHD refused to send me any more medical information when I requested it. Babies were still given the shot and parents remained clueless unless their baby was injured from the shot.

How contagious is Hepatitis B in a classroom setting?

By grade school Hepatitis B boosters were required because the vaccine given at birth lost its efficacy.[8] 

According to the CDC Prevention Guidelines: A Guide to Action (1997):

"Unlike smallpox, whooping cough or measles, Hepatitis B is not a highly communicable disease and affects adults primarily engaged in high-risk behaviors." According to a Colorado Department of Health and Environment fact sheet, "Hepatitis B virus is not spread through casual contact or in a typical school, office or food service setting. It is not spread by coughing, sneezing, or drinking out of the same glass. Hepatitis B is transmitted by direct contact with bodily fluids of an infected person. Highest at risk are IV drug users, prostitutes, people who have frequent sex with multiple partners, health care workers exposed to blood, and babies born to infected mothers."

The CDC's own Morbidity and Mortality Weekly reports that nationwide there were only 279 children under the age of 14 with Hepatitis B in 1996. Colorado's Health Department recorded 15 total cases in children ages 14 and under in 1996 and 17 in 1997. These numbers do not show a highly contagious epidemic requiring schoolchildren to be vaccinated. 

The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) opposed mass vaccination of children against Hepatitis B stating, "It is a national experiment on children for a disease that is not highly contagious." Barbara Loe Fisher, founder of NVIC and parent of a vaccine-injured child, stated "Our children are a captive market for the vaccine industry."

How deadly is the disease:

According to Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine 1994, Hepatitis B is not a killer for most. Symptoms of Hepatitis B may include low-grade fever, headache, cough, pain, joint swelling, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting before jaundice and inflammation of the liver set in. The symptoms can last up to four weeks. Fatigue may last a year. In acute cases of Hepatitis B, most patients do not need hospital care. 95% of patients recover completely with immunity for life. The fatality ratio is 0.1%. Of those who do not recover completely fewer than 5% become chronic carriers and one-fourth of these could possibly be in danger of life-threatening liver disease later in life.

How safe is the Hepatitis B vaccine?

In 1986 the FDA awarded Merck & Co. A license for the first recombinant DNA Hepatitis B vaccine. Later Smith Kline Beecham Pharmaceuticals was also granted a license for its genetically engineered Hepatitis B vaccine. Both companies used safety studies that followed 653 infants and children for only four to five days of being vaccinated.[9]  There have been no long-term safety studies. There have been no safety studies of the effects of multiple vaccines given at one time.  

I had several conversations with Australian researcher Dr. Vera Scheibner, who developed a baby respiratory monitor for crib death also known as Sudden Infant Death, SIDS, in the U.S. Her unique research led her to the discovery that almost all crib deaths occurred shortly after babies were vaccinated. This caused her to reevaluate her strong support for all vaccines and compelled her to write a book warning parents to investigate before vaccinating.[10]   

Recently, RFK Jr. Cited a study of children who had received the Hepatitis B vaccine within thirty days of birth. The study found that those babies who had received the shot within 30 days of birth had an 1135% increased risk of developing autism. [11] RFK Jr. Also stated that the dramatic increase in childhood diseases/cancers/immune disorders that he had never heard of when he was a child could correlate with the increase in vaccines required for children.

I talked extensively with Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, Ph.D., cell biologist and pioneering vaccine researcher from Baylor Medical College, who had been collecting data on the Hepatitis B vaccine. She had been contacted by doctors and hundreds of patients who reported severe autoimmune and neurological complications post Hepatitis B vaccination in previously healthy children and adults. These included serious rashes, joint pain, chronic pain, chronic fatigue, multiple sclerosis and lupus-like symptoms, rheumatoid arthritis, and neurological dysfunction.[12] 

The Minister of Health in France suspended the Hepatitis B vaccine for school children after repeated reports of the development of autoimmune and neurological disorders after being vaccinated. Subsequently, the July 31, 1998, issue of Science reported that 15,000 French citizens filed a suit against the French government "accusing it of understating the vaccine's risks and exaggerating the benefits for the average person."[13]  

"Children younger than 14 are three times more likely to die or suffer adverse reactions after receiving Hepatitis B vaccines than to catch the disease. It's one thing to bar a student from school if he is carrying an infectious disease posing a threat to other children. But to require questionable medical treatment as a condition of attendance crosses over the line of practicing medicine" said Dr. Jane Orient M.D. Executive Director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS). [14]

Why do doctors and HMOs promote the vaccine?

During a doctor's visit, I saw a poster on the wall promoting the Hepatitis B vaccine for infants and schoolchildren. I pointed to the poster and asked my doctor, "Why would an infant need a vaccine for a sexually transmitted disease if the mother does not have the disease?" He agreed that an infant does not need the shot. Then I asked my doctor, "Why should school children get the shot?" He explained, "A child could get Hepatitis B if he has an open cut and comes in contact with an open cut of an infected child during a contact sport." So, I showed him the Colorado Health Department numbers of how many school children had Hepatitis B and asked, "Why don't we just restrict the few children who have Hepatitis B from contact sports instead of vaccinating hundreds of thousands of healthy children?" He agreed that would be a better plan. I then asked him, "Why is the HMO pushing this vaccine?" and pointed to the poster on the wall again. He said, "To be perfectly honest, the HMO gets financial rewards for every 'fully' vaccinated child." Meaning, children must be given every single vaccine on the CDC schedule for the HMO to get their financial reward from the CDC. Cha-ching. Follow the money.

Why do Health Departments put Hepatitis B on the list of required vaccines for babies and schoolchildren?

When I asked the head of the Colorado Health Department this question, he told me that they needed to "catch" the children and protect them before they became sexually active. Really? Are toddlers sexually active? How about grade schoolers? What if a parent teaches their child abstinence?

For parents who don't teach abstinence and believe the shot is necessary to protect their sexually active teen, they are free to give their child the shot. However, I would warn them that the Hepatitis B shot could give them a false sense of security because it does not protect them from other sexually transmitted diseases. The Colorado Department of Health stated that over 200 sexually transmitted diseases have been identified. Some do not have names yet.[15] [16]

Is the CDC going to keep adding more vaccines for STDs to infant and school children's vaccine schedule?

The CDC added the Gardasil shot to the schedule for schoolchildren several years ago with deadly results. The Gardasil shot is for sexually transmitted Human Papillomavirus, aka genital warts. Parents were told the shot was to prevent cancer. Many parents of injured girls have spoken out. Drug companies are currently developing vaccines for Herpes, Gonorrhea, Syphilis, and Chlamydia.[17]  In 2022 Moderna vaccinated its first participants in a Phase 1 clinical trial of an experimental HIV vaccine utilizing mRNA technology.[18]

Who decides which vaccines are necessary for our children?

The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, ACIP, recommends the vaccination schedule for all children in the United States. The CDC appoints the committee members of ACIP and defers to their recommendations. Many of the committee members on ACIP either used to work for the very drug companies that they are now approving vaccines for or are hired by the drug companies and awarded high-paying jobs after their term on the ACIP is over if they had done a good job approving their vaccines. It is a revolving door. This is a direct conflict of interest.

Did I get the Hepatitis B vaccine removed from Colorado's school entrance requirements?

The Colorado Health Department had control over deciding which vaccines to mandate for school entrance. To get it removed I needed to seek legislation, so I asked a Colorado State Senator to carry legislation to remove the Hepatitis B vaccine from the school requirement list. We flew in Dr. Jane Orient, head of the AAPS, and Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, internationally acclaimed vaccine researcher to testify at the hearing. NVIC founder, Barbara Loe Fischer, as well as numerous doctors, scientists, nurses, and parents whose children had been damaged by the Hepatitis B vaccine, came to testify. The hearing started at 9 am. The drug companies, the health department, and the pro Hepatitis B vaccine people testified for 6 ½ hours. At 3:30 we were finally allowed to testify but we were told they were "tired" of hearing testimony. They restricted us to 3 minutes each and only allowed five people to testify. After 15 minutes the testimony was closed and the legislation to remove the Hepatitis B vaccine was voted on. We lost. We were down but not defeated. It was a wake-up call to an upward battle to gain back control over our children's health.

What can You do?

If after learning the facts you are now concerned, some states provide parents with opt-out provisions for health, religion, or personal reasons. However, some states are eliminating these exemptions. Many parents whose states do not provide exemptions have chosen to homeschool. The choice is yours and not the government or the drug companies. Get involved locally and nationally. Contact your elected representatives. Most importantly, I encourage you to educate yourself further on this issue and know the facts before you vax. 

Notes:

[1] https://x.Com/i/status/1837967245298770211

[2] https://www.Riverbendbookshop.Com/book/9781881217404

[3] Child and Adolescent Immunization Schedule by Age (Addendum updated June 27, 2024)Vaccines & ImmunizationsCDC

[4] Your child needs vaccines as they grow!Vaccines & ImmunizationsCDC

[5] "How Many Vaccinations Will Your Child Get?" Koren Publication Inc., 2007 

[6] https://www.Cdc.Gov/vaccines/hcp/current-vis/pneumococcal-polysaccharide.Html#:~:text=PPSV23%20protects%20against%2023%20types%20of%20bacteria%20that%20cause%20pneumococcal

[7]Hepatitis B Perinatal Vaccine InformationHepatitis BCDC

[8] Hepatitis B Vaccine Requirements for Childcare and School (Kg–Gr 12) (immunize.Org)

[9] The Vaccine Reaction Newsletter 1/11/99

[10] https://www.Amazon.Com/Vaccination-100-Years-Orthodox-Research/dp/064615124X

[11] https://x.Com/liz_churchill10/status/1837967245298770211

[12] https://www.Amazon.Com/When-Your-Doctor-Wrong-Hepatitis/dp/1401029736

[13] https://www.Nytimes.Com/1998/10/03/world/world-news-briefs-france-ends-program-of-hepatitis-b-shots.Html

[14] AAPS July 8,1999 Doctors Call for Moratorium on Hepatitis B Vaccine for Schoolchildren Citing Potentially Deadly Outcomes

[15] https://www.Cdc.Gov/sti/about/index.Html

[16] Friends First, Parents Education Workshop. Sexually Transmitted Diseases  Information Sheet January 28, 1999

[17] Future prospects for new vaccines against sexually transmitted infections - PMC (nih.Gov)

[18] Moderna mRNA HIV vaccine: First patients vaccinated in clinical trialCNN

Patricia Johnson is a former Colorado State Board of Education Member (1995-2001). During her tenure, she promoted strong academic curricula and fought to protect parental rights. After working many years attempting to fix the public schools she now encourages parents to homeschool. She has been married to Brad for 49 years.

You can reach her at pj4charis@gmail.Com.

First 1000 Days: Top 6 Must-Know Newborn Care Tips Every Parent Should Follow

Newborn Care Tips: Caring for a newborn in these first 1000 days involves several critical elements. Here Are Some Tips To Follow. First 1000 Days: Top 6 Must-Know Newborn Care Tips Every Parent Should Follow

The first 1,000 days spanning from pregnancy to a toddler's second birthday are crucial; during this period, the baby's brain undergoes rapid development, laying the foundation for your child's lifelong health, behaviour and learning.

If you are a parent/would-be-parent worried and/or clueless about how to make the most out of the 1000-days-long 'opportunity window', this article has come to your rescue.

By following the simple, practical tips mentioned below, you can give your baby the best start in life:

Ensuring the Right Nutrition During Pregnancy

A baby's development begins in the womb, and hence the mother's nutrition plays a pivotal role. Keeping that in mind, here's what to focus on:

Folic acid: Essential for preventing birth defects. Eat leafy greens, beans, and fortified cereals.

Iron: Helps with seamless oxygen flow to your baby's brain. Include spinach, beans, and lean meat in your diet.

Omega-3 fatty acids: Support brain development. Fatty fishes like salmon, flaxseeds, and walnuts are great sources.

Actionable Tip: Ensure your prenatal vitamins include folic acid and iron, and consider an omega-3 supplement in case you're not eating enough fish.

Breastfeeding Your Baby's Superfood

Breastfeeding is highly recommended since it provides the ideal nutrition for your baby's growth and development and strengthens his/her immune system. Breast milk is packed with vital fatty acids like DHA that aid the child's brain and vision development.

Actionable Tip: Just breastfeed for the first six months, and thereafter, continue breastfeeding for as long as possible, while introducing complementary feeding alongside.

Introducing Solid Foods: The Next Stage

As your baby grows and becomes ready to eat solid foods, provide nutrient-rich options to continue supporting their development. Toddlers need the most:

Iron offer iron-rich foods like lentils, eggs, and fortified cereals.

Zinc and protein include chicken, beans, and yogurt in your little one's diet.

Healthy fats for which Avocado, nut butters, and fish are excellent choices.

Actionable Tip: When introducing solid foods to your child, start with cereals and pureed meats to ensure your baby gets enough iron. In the long run, make sure your child's meals are balanced with a lot of fruits, vegetables, proteins, and whole grains incorporated into the diet.

Shielding Against Illness With Vaccinations

Immunization plays a major role in protecting children from preventable diseases and in ushering in a healthy future by boosting their immunity. It is recommended to give your newborn a Hepatitis B shot within the first 24 hours of birth. Certain other vaccines like tetanus, pertussis (DTaP) vaccine, polio vaccine, inactivated poliovirus vaccine (IPV), pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), rotavirus vaccine, measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, among others, must be given within the first few months, including booster doses in some cases.

Actionable Tip: Adhere to the immunization schedule recommended by your paediatrician, and ensure that your child receives all necessary vaccines on time.

Creating A Stimulating Environment

As you might know already, babies' brains grow through interactions with their surroundings. Simple activities like talking, reading, and singing to your baby stimulate their senses and encourage healthy cognitive development. Besides, activities like crawling, walking and playing outdoors also help your child stimulate necessary brain development.

Actionable Tip: Every day, read and talk to your baby, even during regular activities like feeding and diaper change. Ensure your baby has plenty of opportunities to move and explore inside the house, and once in a while, take them out to play outdoors.

Optimizing the Baby's Slumber

Getting adequate sleep is important at every age, even more so among infants and toddlers. Proper sleep aids a baby's cognitive development, including learning and memory. While newborns aged less than 3 months usually sleep for 15 to 18 hours a day, as your child grows up, their sleep time will reduce and would possibly hover around 12 hours per day after their first birthday.

Actionable Tip: Establish a consistent bedtime routine and create a conducive sleep environment. For calming and helping fussy newborns sleep, swaddling and pacifiers often prove useful.

The first 1000 days offer a fantastic opportunity to shape your child's future. Excited to get started? Go ahead, but don't forget all this while, regular consultations with your paediatrician are the key to monitoring your child's health and addressing any concerns whatsoever.

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A Look At The Different Types Of Hepatitis

Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. It's considered acute until it lasts six months, at which point it's considered chronic. Complications that can develop from chronic hepatitis include a scarring of the liver called cirrhosis, liver failure, and liver cancer.

Here's what you need to know about hepatitis, its causes and symptoms, and how it can be prevented, diagnosed, and treated.

Viral Hepatitis

The five different types of hepatitis that can be caused by viruses are hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E.

• Hepatitis A: This type is commonly spread through contaminated food and water. It's usually contracted from food that was handled by someone who didn't wash their hands after going to the bathroom. Not washing your hands after changing a baby's diaper or having sex with an infected person can also cause it. Hepatitis A is always acute but can occasionally cause severe liver failure.

• Hepatitis B: The virus that causes hepatitis B lives in bodily fluids, such as blood and semen. It's usually spread through sexual contact with someone who's infected. It can also be contracted by using the razor or toothbrush of someone who has the virus, touching their open sores, or sharing needles with them. If a pregnant person has hepatitis B, they need to get their baby treated within 12 hours after birth to prevent the child from getting it. Hepatitis B becomes chronic in 90 percent of infants but only 2 to 6 percent of adults.

• Hepatitis C: This type is usually spread by sharing needles and other drug-injection equipment. Less commonly, it can be spread through sexual contact, sharing razors or toothbrushes with an infected person, or from unsanitary equipment used for tattoos or body piercings. Hepatitis C becomes chronic in about 75 to 80 percent of the people who get it.

• Hepatitis D: This is the most severe type of hepatitis, but it can only be contracted by people who already have hepatitis B. This type of hepatitis is spread through contact with infected blood or bodily fluids. That can happen by sharing needles, having unprotected sex, or during childbirth. Hepatitis D can be extremely stressful on the liver, causing lifelong symptoms and damage.

• Hepatitis E: This type is most prevalent in countries with poor sanitary conditions. Hepatitis E is not common in the United States and most people who get it fully recover.

Other types of hepatitis

Other types of hepatitis besides viral hepatitis include:

• Toxic hepatitis: This type of hepatitis results from exposure to chemicals, medications, and supplements. It can be acute or chronic.

• Alcoholic hepatitis: This is caused by drinking too much alcohol. This type of hepatitis can seriously damage the liver, and even lead to death, if alcohol use continues.

• Autoimmune hepatitis: This type occurs when the immune system attacks the liver. There is currently no cure, but it can be managed.

Symptoms and diagnosis

Hepatitis symptoms include:

• Loss of appetite• Weight loss• Nausea and vomiting• Pain and bloating in the belly area• Dark urine and pale or clay-colored stools• Diarrhea• Fatigue• Joint pain• Mild fever• Itching• Jaundice (a yellowing of the skin or eyes)

Someone with hepatitis may experience no symptoms. In other cases, the symptoms may be so mild that many people attribute them to something else. For those who do get symptoms, they usually appear:

• Two to six weeks after contracting hepatitis A• Three months after contracting hepatitis B, although they can appear anywhere within six weeks to six months after infection• Six to seven weeks after get hepatitis C, although they may be noticeable in two weeks to six months

Tests are done to determine if someone has hepatitis A, B, or C. Tests for alcoholic hepatitis include liver function tests, liver biopsies, and ultrasounds. Blood tests and liver biopsies can detect autoimmune hepatitis. Those and other tests, as well as an exposure history, are used to diagnose toxic hepatitis.

Prevention

Preventing hepatitis involves vaccination, avoiding risky behaviors, and limiting exposure to alcohol and toxins.

For hepatitis A, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends children get one vaccine dose when they're 12 to 23 months old and a second dose at least six months after that. Children, adolescents up to 18 years old, and adults who haven't been vaccinated are also encouraged to get the hepatitis A vaccine. Newborns should receive the hepatitis B vaccine, with the recommendation extending to children up to 18 years old, adults between 19 and 59 years of age, and older adults (60+) who are at high risk of infection.

The CDC also recommends the vaccine for children and adolescents through 18 years and adults who haven't received it. The CDC recommends the hepatitis B vaccine for all newborns; children up to age 18; adults 19-59 years of age; and adults 60 and older who are at high risk for infection.

Treatment

Hepatitis A and E usually go away on their own. Both infections can usually be treated by resting and drinking plenty of fluids, as well as avoiding alcohol and certain medications.

People with chronic hepatitis B will likely meet with their doctor every six to 12 months to check for signs of liver disease or cancer. They may also be put on an antiviral medication.

You may be prescribed antiviral medication for hepatitis C, but your doctor also may decide you don't need medication.

Hepatitis D can be treated in some people by a medication called interferon. However, a liver transplant may be needed if the infection has caused severe damage.

For toxic hepatitis, treatment primarily involves limiting or eliminating exposure to the substance causing the hepatitis. However, additional care, including hospitalization or even a liver transplant, may be required depending on how much the liver damage has occurred.

Treatment for alcoholic hepatitis involves stopping alcohol use, reducing the symptoms, and halting the disease's progression.

Treatment for autoimmune hepatitis typically begins with a large dose of corticosteroids followed by doses that taper off over time.

Hepatitis is a liver inflammation that can become chronic and lead to serious complications. Knowing what symptoms to watch for, getting the recommended vaccinations, and avoiding risky behaviors are key to prevention and catching the virus early when it's most treatable.

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