Contrarian Health

Vaccines have hit a bump in the road in recent years. The once minimal resistance to pediatric vaccinations has become more vocal and widespread. Parents groups, autism groups, and other right-headed doctors like me are stepping up and saying “no” to vaccinations.

So now, like an opportunistic infection, the vaccination pushers are seeking another host body to feed on. A new “sobering” report released by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) claims that too few adults are getting inoculated. “We really need to get beyond the mentality that vaccines are for kids,” said the CDC’s Dr. Anne Schuchat. “Vaccines are for everybody.”

Yeah, right.

There are relatively new vaccines that are alleged to protect against shingles, cervical cancer, and whooping cough, but the CDC seems to think that these cure-alls are being underused. According to the study, only 2 percent of the Americans over age 60 have been inoculated against shingles with Zostavax in the first year it’s been on the market. There are two whooping cough boosters – Adacel and Boostrix – yet only 2 percent of adults between 18 and 64 have opted to get the shot. Gardasil, which fights the human papillomavirus (HPV) – an STD that can cause cervical cancer – has been more successful than the others with 10 percent of women between ages 18 and 26 receiving the shot … but the CDC seems to be implying that this isn’t enough.

Schuchat says the CDC “obviously has more work to do” when it comes to spreading the word about these vaccines.

If you ask me, this study has the foul stink of Big Pharma about it.

These vaccines all carry a hefty price tag. The shingles inoculation will set you back $150. The HPV series of shots totals $300. Insurance? Well, as you know coverage varies greatly. And as a culture, we seem to only be gung ho about medical procedures that don’t cost us money out of pocket.

I’m absolutely loving this study – it shows that Big Pharma is taking it on the chin financially – they have these expensive inoculations that just can’t get any traction. Of course, Big Pharma’s got one helluva financial chin, and I’m not under the illusion that this will be a crippling blow. But I’m glad to see that much of the population hasn’t bought into their nonsense. And while I don’t believe that people are avoiding these vaccinations for the reasons that I think they should – primarily because they’re unnecessary, unproven, and potentially dangerous – I’m still happy that they’re staying away.

Of these three vaccines, only Gardasil has the benefit of both an expensive ad campaign and its alleged defense against the dreaded “C” word to help spread the word. But as I’ve said before, you don’t need a vaccination to protect against HPV – you just need to keep your pants on. Let’s be honest: you get HPV when you sleep around, not by walking down the street minding your own business.

As for shingles and whooping cough, these conditions just aren’t common enough to be top of mind in the U.S. The incidence of shingles worldwide is only about three per thousand among healthy adults (a bit higher for those over 65). Whooping cough can be deadly in childhood, but this is largely a disease of the Third World – in the U.S. there’s an average of only about 157 cases per 100,000 people – and 93% of these cases occurred in those under age 10.

So I ask you this: why is anyone surprised that the number of people opting for these vaccines is so low? In fact, it’s a little like getting vaccinated against getting hit by a bus falling out of the sky. Who in their right might would rush right out to the doctor to get a shot – an expensive shot – to defend themselves against a disease they’ll likely never contract in the first place?

Maybe I give Big Pharma too much credit for being evil geniuses … well, at least the “genius” part. I’m sure that they goosed the CDC to help spread the word about all the vaccination goodness the American public is missing out on, but it seems so silly to me. They’ve got to be kidding themselves if they think that some of the obscure vaccinations will catch on among adults. The scare tactics of Merck’s Gardasil campaign give it the best chance to grow in popularity (get this shot or you’re at more risk for cervical cancer!!). But if you ask me the others are doomed. No one likes to get shots, and it’s not like people are going to seek them out at great expense for uncommon ailments.

As I said – people aren’t ducking these inoculations for the reasons that I think they should. But when people say no to vaccinations, I don’t care what their motivation is – it’s still the right decision to keep your sleeves down at all times whenever someone comes around with a needle.

Vaccinating you against inane inoculations,

William Campbell Douglass II, M.D.