Goal
To reverse the rising rate of chronic disease in American children within two years.
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS:
- Immediate modification of the United States Recommended Childhood and Adolescent Immunization Schedule from birth to two months of age to include only high-risk vaccinations. Specific vaccines to be deleted or made non-compulsory unless the infant is at high-risk include: Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV-mAB) and Hepatitis B.
- Include a list of four non-compulsory vaccines that include: 1) COVID-19 mRNA 2) influenzae 3) hepatitis A and 4) varicella.
- Minimize compulsory vaccines to be in alignment with other countries with better health outcomes until comprehensive, non-biased studies are performed.
- Implement a comprehensive risk versus benefit vaccine educational program for all parents and prospective parents. Education can be delivered through non-biased primary care access. Options for choice are presented without industry bias.
- Introduce choice through education for all vaccination programs.
- Eliminate all discriminatory practices against choice in vaccinations.
- Implement federal penalties for all educational institutions and employers that discriminate against or require non-compulsory vaccinations as a prerequisite for education or employment.
Our Problem
The number of American children with chronic disease is rising at alarming rates. Chronic health conditions and disabilities among American children and youth arise primarily from four common classes: asthma, obesity, mental health conditions, and neurodevelopmental disorders. An estimated 43% of US children (32 million) currently have at least 1 of 20 chronic health conditions. When overweight, obesity, or being at risk for developmental delays are included, this number increases to 54.1%.
History of Pediatric Vaccines
In the 1970s, the list of pediatric vaccines recommended for American children from birth to 18 months of age included: 1) diphtheria 2) tetanus 3) pertussis (whooping cough) 4) polio 5) measles 6) mumps and 7) rubella (German measles).
By 2024, the list of pediatric vaccines recommended for American children from birth to 18 months of age include: 1) diphtheria 2) tetanus 3) pertussis (whooping cough) 4) polio 5) measles 6) mumps and 7) rubella (German measles) 8) Haemophilus influenzae type B (Hib) 9) varicella (chicken pox) 10) hepatitis A 11) hepatitis B 12) pneumococcal conjugate 13) influenzae 14) rotavirus 15) respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and 16) COVID-19 mRNA.
OECD Data
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) compares the health of the United States to that of thirty-eight other member countries using key indicators.
Key indicators of population health include the rates of infant mortality and life expectancy at birth. OECD data shows that for the past 50 years, the United States has not improved at the same pace as other member countries.
“The U.S. had a higher infant mortality rate and lower life expectancy than most other OECD countries. Even the best-performing U.S. states ranked poorly among member countries for the infant mortality and life expectancy measures, despite the U.S. having the highest total health spending of all OECD countries”
Based on these indicators, the United States ranks among the bottom one-third.
Healthcare Cost
Despite the United States’ abysmal health outcomes, healthcare expenditures have increased from $94.1 billion in 1973 to $4.5 trillion as of 2022.
Comparison Data
The enclosed table compares the United States with the top five OECD country rankings out of 38 member countries in terms of overall infant mortality and life expectancy at birth. This data is then compared to each member country’s pediatric vaccination schedules between ages 0 - 18 months.
It’s important to note that there are slight variations in the number of vaccine doses depending on the specific formulation used. For comparative purposes, the formulation with the greatest number of doses will be used.
In addition, it’s important to note the exceptions to each recommended vaccination schedule. Voluntary or optional vaccines are not included in the total counts, but included in the footnotes.
Japan and Finland do not begin routine vaccination until at least two months of age. Switzerland has no compulsory vaccines and does not offer any vaccines prior to two months of age. Norway introduces its first vaccine at 6 weeks of age. Korea introduces one vaccine at birth.
Only the United States, which ranks 33 of 38 in terms of the lowest infant mortality rates and 32 of 38 in terms of life expectancy at birth, requires two routine immunizations beginning immediately at birth (RSV and Hepatitis B) and offers 38+ vaccines to a child before the age of 18 months.
Notes:
1 No other country recommends compulsory vaccinations unless the disease is endemic prior to 6 weeks of age except the U.S.
2 Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV): no other country recommends compulsory vaccinations for RSV except the U.S.
3 COVID-19: no other country recommends compulsory vaccinations for COVID-19 except the U.S.
4 Hepatitis A: Korea and the U.S. are the only countries that vaccinate for Hepatitis A at 12 to 23 months of age.
5 Hepatitis B: Japan has universal vaccination at 2 months; Norway introduces the vaccine at 3 months of age; Finland includes the vaccine for high-risk neonates only; Switzerland introduces non-compulsory vaccine at 2 months of age; Korea recommends vaccination of neonates based on material HbsAg although still recommends vaccination if maternal HbsAg is negative.
Discussion
A list of the least deadly diseases for infants and children include: 1) rotavirus 2) varicella 3) hepatitis A 4) COVID-19.
Rotavirus
Rotavirus causes gastrointestinal infection and is spread through a fecal-oral route. This means, strict handwashing and disposal of dirty diapers in a sanitized environment with running water should contain the virus from epidemic spread. Treatment includes adequate hydration, electrolyte replacement and intervention if symptoms become worse.
Varicella
Those Americans who grew up prior to the varicella introduction into the vaccination schedule in the United States in 1995 recall chicken pox parties. Strong natural immunity is developed by contracting a disease. Natural immunity wanes as adults get older, however not as quickly as vaccine-induced immunity requiring additional boosters and exposure to cumulative toxins.
Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A is contracted through a fecal-oral route and is a rare and non-fatal disease. It is spread in crowded, unsanitary conditions. Most American infants are raised in homes with access to all the infectious disease precautions the entire world learned about during the COVID-era. Prevention includes limiting exposure, adequate hydration, electrolyte replacement and strict hygiene. Early access to higher levels of medical care is readily available in the United States should the illness progress (urgent care, primary care and emergency rooms). Immunization is simply not necessary at such an early age and is only included in the compulsory childhood immunization schedules in Korea and the United States.
COVID-19
The COVID-era remains as a post-traumatic experience for the entire world. This was a time during which severely biased and inadequately researched medical information was presented as fact and then mandated. Today, some states and countries are banning COVID-19 mRNA vaccines. Consequences of mRNA vaccination are still being discovered and include potential neuro-degenerative disorders, myocarditis and thrombotic events. No other country includes COVID-19 vaccines on their childhood immunization schedules between the ages of 0 to 18 months, while the U.S. recommends 1+ vaccines beginning at 6 months of age. The long-term consequences (20-30 years) have yet to be fully determined and may include shocking results. .
Hepatitis B Vaccine at Birth
Hepatitis B is a highly contagious disease that is spread primarily through contact with blood, semen and other bodily fluids. The only way a newborn can contract hepatitis B is from a mother with hepatitis B, close contact with family members positive for the disease or by receiving a contaminated transfusion.
If a mother is hepatitis B negative, the newborn is not at risk.
The only reason for hepatitis B inoculation in childhood is the assumption that the child will eventually grow up to engage in IV drug abuse, high risk sexual practices or live in highly unsanitary conditions. Therefore, it’s illogical to assume that the majority of infants will be exposed to hepatitis B on a routine basis in a developed country that screens all medical grade blood products. Only Korea and the United States recommend challenging a neonate’s fragile immune system regardless of maternal immune status within 24 hours of birth.
Certainly, causes and progression of chronic disease is complicated and multi-factorial. However, could cumulative toxic challenges to underdeveloped immune systems in addition to the increasingly polluted modern world in which we live, contribute to chronic inflammation in a growing child’s body, and thereby lead to chronic health problems?
What is Chronic Disease?
Chronic diseases are defined broadly as conditions that last one year or more and require ongoing medical attention or limit activities of daily living or both.
While a chronic health condition can be a disability, not all disabilities are chronic health concerns. Chronic illness is the leading cause of disability in the United States.
Preventable chronic illness often originates from long-term inflammation of the body. Inflammation is a response to a substance that is not natural ( ex. pathogen or toxin) and creates irritation that then leads to an immune response. An immune response represents a process of containment, detoxification and/or elimination that returns the body to homeostasis, or equilibrium. While helpful in some respects, vaccinations are primarily irritants (toxins) designed to challenge a body’s immune response so that protective cells are developed (antibodies).
Between birth and approximately two to three months old, infants rely on their mother’s immunoglobulins to protect them. Their bodies are still developing adaptive immunity which involve B and T-lymphocyte cells. It’s not until after two years of age that the adaptive response begins to manifest, becoming fully functional after the first decade of life.
It’s clear that populations today are exposed to vastly more toxins transmitted into the body via the air, soil, water supply and food sources. In addition, pharmaceuticals rather than natural health principles have become the basis of first-line medical care. Earlier, when medical practice attempted to conquer infectious disease, pharmaceuticals and other products were miraculous. Today, reflexive observation of rigid doctrine has led to the continued introduction of unnecessary toxins into the body. These high levels of toxicity serve to overload normal detoxification and elimination processes which then, if not dealt with in a rapid and healthy way, leads to chronic inflammation and the subsequent manifestation of a variety of chronic illnesses.
The public has not been properly educated in unbiased research. Rather, industry sponsored research dominates the vaccine controversy, and a one-sided narrative is then established. Industry stakeholders stand to make tremendous profits from sales of their products making truly unbiased research difficult to come by. Much of this information is forbidden, hidden or ignored by healthcare professionals and the catch-all, polarizing phrase ‘anti-vaxxer’ used to label those who would question the current profit-driven narrative. This level of polarization stifles legitimate inquiry and eliminates freedom of choice in healthcare.
When we establish from the data that the United States includes the greatest number of vaccinations on its childhood immunization schedule prior to 18 months of age, and has some of the worst health rankings for the highest healthcare ticket price in the world, we begin to understand that the repetitive trajectory of maintaining and/or increasing vaccinations as a way to achieve optimal health is simply insanity.
Summary
Childhood chronic disease begins with chronic inflammation. Vaccines are inflammatory by design and are made to challenge the immune system to mount a response (innate or adaptive) and lead to the creation of specific antibodies against a particular pathogen. Infants do not possess mature immune systems and rely on their mother’s immunity during the first few months of life. In addition, natural infectious challenges to an immune system are necessary to strengthen it, not just against one specific disease but against many, demonstrating synergies in immunity which are often not well understood. In addition, robust immune systems create an internal physiological environment that can prevent a host of other diseases like cancers, from ‘expressing’ their genes (epigenetics).
Surely, we want to give our children the best chance at disease prevention possible, right from the moment they are born. A solid place to begin is by immediately modifying the U.S. recommended childhood vaccination schedule.