Protest Planned Against Last-Minute Bloomberg Push for Mandatory Flu Vaccines

Politicker.com ^ | December 9, 2013 | Colin Campbell and Jill Colvin

[Tolerance Sucks Rocks]

Autism advocates are set to protest tomorrow against a quiet effort by Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration to require annual flu vaccinations for all New York City schoolchildren.

On Wednesday, with just three weeks to go until he leaves office, Mr. Bloomberg’s controversial Board of Health is set to vote on new rules that would force children as young as six months old to be immunized each year before December 31 if they attend licensed day care or pre-school programs.

“Young children have a high risk of developing severe complications from influenza. One-third of children under five in New York City do not receive an annual influenza vaccination, even though the vaccine safely and effectively protects them against influenza illness,” the Health Department said in a statement. “This mandate will help protect the health of young children, while reducing the spread of influenza in New York City.”

The Board’s members are all mayoral appointees and controversial initiatives–from smoking bans to regulations on soda cup sizes–have historically sailed through with little opposition, angering a small, but vocal group of advocates who claim the vaccinations are potentially dangerous.

“The Bloomberg administration is wildly exaggerating the benefit of the flu shot and we think they are wildly underestimating the risks involved with it,” said John Gilmore, the executive director of the Autism Action Network, speaking more broadly than the controversial claim that links vaccines to autism.

“There are risks associated with every medical procedure,” he said, citing allergic reactions, toxic mercury used as a preservative and questions as to whether the Board’s move is legal given state government jurisdictions.

Mr. Gilmore’s organization is helping organize tomorrow’s protest. And though he doesn’t expect the Board’s vote to go his way, he hopes the rally will get Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s attention, potentially opening the door for a reversal once he takes office in January.

“This is basically to put the mayor-elect [on alert], make him aware that this is an issue that he’s going to have to deal with it. It’s not going to go away,” said Mr. Gilmore said, criticizing the way the Bloomberg administration has pushed the rules through. “He is kind of doing this in a stealth fashion. He just proposed this about 6 weeks ago. I don’t think there was any announcement.”

According to a Board of Health notice made public in September, influenza results in 20,000 hospitalizations and 30 to 150 deaths in children under 5 nation-wide each year.

Under the proposed rule, which had a public hearing in October, the vaccinations would be required “unless the vaccine may be detrimental to the child’s health, as certified by a physician licensed to practice medicine in this state, or the parent, parents, or guardian of a child hold genuine and sincere religious beliefs which are contrary to the practices herein required.”

[Sweating_Bullets]

Hey Cat! I agree with your point, but I am afraid that they will use the fact that you refuse to vaccinate your kids as an excuse to take them away from you. It’s for the children ‘ya know!

[dforest]

Yep, I will join you. I don’t care for force.

[Don W]

http://flu.ca/will-the-2013-2014-flu-season-be-worse-than-last-year/?wpmp_switcher=mobile

http://americancountrymd.com/flu-vaccines-fail-the-eldery/

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/96913.php

https://healthmasters.com/blog/truth-about-flu-shots-do-work

You asked, so there are a few. I work in a large hospital, and this information floats around, with little in the way of documentation available.

Yes, I am aware of how researchers get together and have a group guessing session.

[Still Thinking]

Bloomberg really is a sick, sick man. I am convinced he needs extensive professional help.

I tend to think he needs to just be put out of his misery, but giving up on anyone prematurely would be the last thing I'd ever want to do. Here's what I propose: give him extensive treatment with aggressive psychotropic drugs and daily electroshock therapy, then after you've given that protocol a while to work, say five years, if he hasn't improved, only THEN put him out of his misery.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[oh8eleven]

the last three years consecutively, the vaccine available has turned out to be the wrong strain
One of your links is 5 years old. Another is a "doctor" selling his books and miracle foods stuffs from his blog (quack, quack).
A third link is also to another "doctor" with a blog (quack, quack), while a fourth exclaims the vaccine (year to year) gives less than a 100% coverage ... a known fact for decades.
Your "proof" is as bogus as the "doctors" you cited. And based on your other comments, I can only hope you work somewhere in the hospital basement, far removed from the patients.

[oh8eleven]

In fact, when the US government couldn't push the entire batch of flu vaccine they ordered produced, they then quietly ordered that vaccine provided the next year, instead of the usual process.
Trying to "keep up to date" - still waiting for the link to your assertion.

[grania]

I keep saying it, this is the direction of things. Nobody setting public policy really gives a damn (from a policy standpoint) if some kids get permanent disabilities or other side effects. It's about public health. They really worry that a terrible contagious disease will spread, and masses of sick people would be expensive.

This is health care in the future. No individualization. What's good for the masses is what you get, by subtle coercion or if that doesn't work, force.

[Navy Patriot]

Trying to "keep up to date" - still waiting for the link to your assertion.

You can keep up to date sooner by doing research yourself, try here: 2011 Vaccine

[oh8eleven]

You can keep up to date sooner by doing research yourself
Is that right? You make stupid, moronic comments and then I'm supposed to validate them? Upyourz squidly.