FIRST INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC CONFERENCE ON VACCINATION PUTS
VACCINE RISKS ON THE RECORD
On September 13-15, 1997, the National Vaccine Information
Center (NVIC) brought together more than 500 parents, doctors, scientists,
health officials, lawyers, ethicists, journalists and consumer activists
from 34 states and five countries to the U.S. Capitol for the First International
Public Conference on Vaccination to talk about why and how vaccines cause
injury, death and chronic illness and what to do about it.
The first day of the conference, which was held at the Holiday Inn Hotel
and Suites in Alexandria, Virginia, featured distinguished medical doctors
and vaccine researchers from the US, Canada and Great Britain discussing
the biological mechanisms of vaccine injury and death and why chronic
illness in the form of immune and neurological dysfunction can be caused
by vaccination. Topics included vaccines and infant death; biological
mechanisms of vaccine injury and vaccine reaction blood tests; vaccines
and learning disabilities; measles virus and measles vaccine; hepatitis
B vaccine injuries; viral vaccines and chromosome damage; vaccine administration
combined with other hazardous exposures; and vaccine regulation and polio
vaccine contamination.
Scientific Evidence Presented by Physicians and Researchers
— A cross section of specialties within medical science, clinical research
and law were represented by speakers on the first day of the conference,
each of whom offered scientific evidence that vaccines can cause a wide
range of chronic immune and neurological disorders.
Presenters included:
Mark Geier, MD, PhD, Co-Director Genetic Consultants, and Director, Institute of Immune-Oncology and Genetics;
Terry M. Phillips, D.Sc., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine and Director, Immunochemistry Laboratories & Hematology/Oncology Laboratory, Department of Medicine, The George Washington University Medical Center;
Marcel Kinsbourne, M.D., Research Professor, Center for Cognitive Studies, Tufts University and Professor of Psychology, New School University;
Andrew J. Wakefield, MD, Chairman of an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Study Group in London;
Byron M. Hyde, MD, Chairman, The Nightingale Research Foundation, Canada;
Howard B. Umovitz, Ph.D., Founder and Science Director, Chronic Illness Research Foundation and Founder and Chief Scientific Officer,
James J. Tuite, III, International Security and Science and Technology Consultant and Director, Gulf War Research Foundation; and
Walter Kyle, Vaccine Product Liability Expert.
Barbara Loe Fisher, Co-Founder & President, National Vaccine Information Center, delivered the keynote address.
A United Call for Truth in Science — Some of the more important observations made by individual presenters on the first day were:
The general consensus among the research scientists
was that current vaccination programs are causing injuries and deaths
because of inadequate vaccine safety research, testing, manufacturing
and monitoring for long term effects. NVIC called for funding of scientific
investigation by non-governmental researchers into the persistently reported
links between vaccines and chronic illness, citing the inherent conflict
of interest in the federal government's role in developing new vaccines,
promoting mandatory vaccination and monitoring vaccines for side effects.
Special Award for Lea Thompson — The special dinner guest
and speaker at Saturday evening's dinner was NBC-TV consumer reporter
Lea Thompson, whose Emmy award winning 1982 documentary 'DPT: Vaccine
Roulette" alerted American parents to the risks associated with the
DPT vaccine and brought together the co-founders of Dissatisfied Parents
Together (DPT), the organization known today as the National Vaccine Information
Center. Lea was presented with an engraved award that said, "On the
15th Anniversary of the National Vaccine Information Center, this public
education service award is presented to LEA THOMPSON in recognition of
courage, excellence and integrity in journalism and with deep appreciation
for her historic, lifesaving contribution to protecting the health of
America's children by informing their parents about the DPT vaccine.”
Health Care Alternatives for Staying Well Explored — The second
day of the conference featured doctors discussing health care options
for maintaining wellness and providing innovative therapies for vaccine
injured children such as chiropractic, homeopathy, naturopathy, nutritional
and metabolic support, and neuroimmuno therapeutics. Arno Burnier, DC,
of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association, kicked off the
second day of the conference with a lecture on the universal intelligence
inherent in all living things and the need to protect the biological integrity
of the human organism by maintaining wellness through non-toxic avenues
such as reduction of stress, good nutrition and chiropractic care.
Other presenters on the second day included —
Amy Rothenberg, ND, Editor of New England Journal of Homeopathy and Instructor, New England School of Homeopathy;
Patricia Kane, PhD., Director of Medical Research and Director of Metabolics, Kaplan Foundation;
Stephen C. Marini, PhD, DC, Director, Family Chiropractic Center and Lecturer, Life College of Chiropractic;
Terry Rondberg, DC, President, World Chiropractic Alliance
Philip Incao, MD, Founder and Director, Gilpin Street Holistic Center;
Hugh Fudenberg, MD, Founder and Director of Research, Neuro lmmuno Therapeutic Research Foundation;
Harold E. Buttram, MD, Director, Woodlands Healing Research Center and Founding Medical Director, Foresight-America Foundation for Preconception Care;
J. Barthelow Classen, MD, MBA, Founder and CEO, Classen Immunotherapies, Inc.;
Murry J. Cohen, MD, Co-Chair, Medical Research Modernization Committee;
Peter H. Meyers, JD, Professor of Clinical Law and Director, Vaccine Injury Project, George Washington University Law School; and
David J. Walsh, PhD., Professor of Politics, Catholic University of America.
Terry Rondberg, DC, President, World Chiropractic Alliance
Some of the important observations made by presenters on the second day were:
A discussion about vaccination, the law and informed consent led by legal and ethics experts included questions from the audience. During open discussion periods, many parents went to the microphone and talked about how vaccines injured their children or how public health officials in their state refuse to allow medical, religious and philosophical exemptions to vaccination for their children
Parents Go to Capitol Hill —
On Monday, September 15, about 100 of the conference attendees, some of
them carrying pictures of their children, who had been injured or died
following vaccine reactions, took buses to Capitol Hill and visited their
representatives and senators. They asked for more scientific research
into the long term effects of vaccines and for oversight hearings on the
National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act of 1986 to investigate why only
one in four vaccine injury victims, who apply for compensation under the
law, are given financial support for their often catastrophic vaccine
injuries.
The First International Public Conference on Vaccination was professionally
audiotaped by Repeat Performance and a complete 16 tape set or individual
tapes can be ordered from
Repeat Performance 2911 Crabapple Lane, Hobart, IN 46342. Tel and Fax:
219-465-1234.
The National Vaccine Information Center
407 Church Street, Suite H
Vienna VA 22180