Flu Shot Safety

[From 10/7/08, a letter from my wife Terri in response to a story about flu shots.]

To the editor:

Yesterday's front-page flu shot article, encouraging pregnant women to get the flu shot ("Flu shot for pregnant mom protects newborn," Oct. 6, 2008) was missing some pertinent information that people need to make the best decision.

As with any drug, the flu shot carries risks as well as benefits.

The greatest risk of the flu shot, especially for pregnant women, is the fact that most available flu shots still contain mercury, which is extremely neurotoxic to the developing brain of a fetus or infant.

We all know that mercury has been removed from most routine childhood shots, as was recommended by the AAP in 1999, but few people know that most flu shots still contain anywhere from 5 up to 25 micrograms of mercury. To put this in perspective, the National Academies of Science set the safe standard for thimerosal (mercury used as a preservative) at 0.1 micrograms per 2.2 pounds of body weight per day. So 25 micrograms given in a single shot would be over 10 times the safe limit for the average infant, and even more dangerous to a developing fetus.

In addition (according to CDC estimates in 2002) as many as 1 in 6 women of reproductive age already have blood levels of mercury that could pose a serious risk to the developing fetus.

These risks include autism (1 in 100 boys), autism spectrum disorder, including ADHD (as many as 1 in 10 children) and other, specific learning disabilities. That's quite a high risk of brain and immune system damage, but many women will take that risk if not fully informed.

In the original Enquirer article, Mark Steinhoff comments, "The only way to prevent that high rate of hospitalization in the very young infants [1 percent of infants 6 months or younger] is by vaccinating pregnant women."

Not true at all. There are many ways to prevent flu, and most doctors will recommend all of them--eat right, including lots of foods high in Vitamin C, get plenty of rest, wash hands frequently, and if you are especially at risk (e.g., pregnant)--avoid contact with others who are known to have the flu!

More balanced and detailed information about the flu shot and other vaccinations of interest to expectant parents can be found at www.generationrescue.org.