Hepatitis B – The Virus and It’s Effect

“Hepatitis B is a liver disease…It can range in severity from a mild illness lasting a few weeks to a serious, lifelong illness. Hepatitis B is usually spread when blood, semen, or another body fluid from a person infected with the Hepatitis B virus enters the body of someone who is not infected.” – CDC, 2013

Annual U.S. Mortality Rate for Hepatitis B

2,000– 4,000 deaths per year

“U.S. mortality data for 2000–2003 indicated that HBV infection was the underlying cause of an estimated 2,000– 4,000 deaths annually… approximately 25% of persons infected with HBV as infants or young children.” – CDC, 2008

Hepatitis B Vaccine

Since 1991, a series of three hepatitis B shots has been part of the standard federally-recommended childhood vaccination schedule, with the first dose given within the first 12 hours after birth, the second dose given between one and two months of age, and the third dose given between six and 18 months of age.

Side Effects

Again, weighing the pro’s and con’s of vaccination, let’s look at the documented adverse reactions that have been associated with this vaccine. Keep in mind, each of these studies and observations are separate from one another, but they all tell a similar story.

 “A total of 82 articles were identified which included 58 case series or case reports, 15 review articles, 4 cross sectional studies, 3 prospective cohort studies, one retrospective cohort study and a case control study. After reviewing the literature, we observed that complications seen after Hepatitis B vaccination are sudden infant death syndrome, multiple sclerosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, vasculititis optic neuritis, anaphylaxis, systemic lupus erytymatosus, lichen planus and neuro-muscular disorder.” – Annals of Medical and Health Sciences Research, 2014

Adverse Reactions:

• Ear Infection
• Pharyngitis (sore throat)
• Chronic Arthritis
• Increased Risk of Type-1 Diabetes
• Autism Spectrum Disorder
• Rheumatic Diseases
• Nerve Inflammation
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Central Nervous System Inflammatory Demyelination
• SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome)

“Other studies found positive associations between hepatitis B vaccination and ear infection, pharyngitis, and chronic arthritis; as well as receipt of early intervention/ special education services (EIS); in probability samples of U.S.” – Annals of Epidemiology, 2009

“Findings suggest that U.S. male neonates vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine had a 3-fold greater risk of ASD; risk was greatest for non-white boys.” – Huffington Post, 2009

“Findings suggest that U.S. male neonates vaccinated with the hepatitis B vaccine prior to 1999 (from vaccination record) had a threefold higher risk for parental report of autism diagnosis compared to boys not vaccinated as neonates during that same time period. Nonwhite boys bore a greater risk.” – Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, 2010

“This study examined whether acquisition of neonatal reflexes in newborn rhesus macaques was influenced by receipt of a single neonatal dose of hepatitis B vaccine containing the preservative thimerosal (Th)…This primate model provides a possible means of assessing adverse neurodevelopmental outcomes from neonatal Th-containing hepatitis B vaccine exposure, particularly in infants of lower GA (Gestational age) or BW (birth weight).” – Journal of Toxicological Environmental Health, 2010

“Hepatitis B vaccine might be followed by various rheumatic conditions and might trigger the onset of underlying inflammatory or autoimmune rheumatic diseases.” – Oxford Journals, 1999

“An Italian study presented here at the annual meeting of the American Diabetes Association suggests that children who get the hepatitis B vaccine are at greater risk for developing type 1 disease than those who have never been vaccinated.” – WebMD, 2015

“Nerve Inflammation. There have been reports of nerve inflammation after vaccinations for hepatitis B, and some questions about multiple sclerosis.” – NY Times, 2012

“However, the Engerix B vaccine (GlaxoSmithKline’s vaccine) appears to increase this risk, particularly for confirmed multiple sclerosis, in the longer term.” Journal of American Academy of Neurology, 2008

“The Hepatitis B vaccine series were 50% more likely to develop “central nervous system inflammatory demyelination.” – Huffington Post, 2009

“…patients diagnosed with either fibromyalgia (FM) or chronic fatigue (CFS) following hepatitis B vaccination (HBVv) and furthermore to apply the recently suggested criteria of autoimmune (auto-inflammatory) syndromes induced by adjuvants (ASIA), in the aim of identifying common characteristics that may suggest an association between fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and HBV vaccination…All patients fulfilled the ASIA criteria. This study suggests that in some cases CFS and FM can be temporally related to immunization, as part of ASIA syndrome.” – Immunologic Research, 2014

“The committee concluded the evidence convincingly supports 14 specific vaccine–adverse event relationships. In all but one of these relationships, the conclusion was based on strong mechanistic evidence with the epidemiologic evidence rated as either limited confidence or insufficient.” Of these “14 specific vaccine-adverse event relationships,” 1 of them are from the hepatitis B vaccine.  The symptom that have been confirmed to be convincingly supportive of causal is “Anaphylaxis.” – Committee to Review Adverse Effects of Vaccines; Institute of Medicine, TABLE S-2 – Summary of Causality Conclusions, 2011

Ten month old, Haylee Schmidt, dies just hours after receiveing Hepatatitis B vaccine. They hired an independent pathologist, Dr. Steven Rostad, and he concluded that the autospy was subpar and that the little girl did not die from SIDS; instead, Haylee showed “features of a generalized allergic response most likely from the vaccination that was given earlier in the day.” – Fox News Detroit, 2014