Possible hidden hazards of mass vaccination against new influenza A/H1N1: have the cardiovascular risks been adequately weighed?

Abstract

Programs for vaccination against the new influenza A/H1N1 targeting many hundred million citizens in Europe and the USA are to be launched in the fall of this year. The USA is planning to employ a non-adjuvanted vaccine, whereas European nations are opting for inclusion of MF59, the adjuvant contained in an alternative seasonal flu vaccine, or the related adjuvant AS03 that is contained in a recently developed H5N1 vaccine. We draw attention to unappreciated hazards of using adjuvanted vaccine in Europe. Evidence from animal experiments in conjunction with clinical epidemiological data indicates that, quite irrespective of cause, stimulation of the immune system may accelerate atherogenesis. Application of adjuvanted flu vaccines to individuals at risk may therefore aggravate the course of underlying atherosclerotic vessel disease with all the clinical consequences. The same may hold true for other widespread diseases that are propelled by deregulated immune mechanisms. Safety trials conducted to date have not specifically taken these possible side effects into account, and unexpected serious adverse effects thus may follow in the wake of a general vaccination program.A prudent consequence would be to establish careful survey systems alongside with mass application of new adjuvanted vaccines, or to hold mass vaccination in reserve for use only in situations of true need, such as would arise with the emergence of a more virulent new H1N1 virus strain, or to use non-adjuvanted vaccines in individuals who are potentially at risk for adverse side effects.

Determination of serum antibodies against swine-origin influenza A virus H1N1/09 by immunofluorescence, haemagglutination inhibition, and by neutralization tests: how is the prevalence rate of protecting antibodies in humans?

“…Adverse reactions are well known and not completely ruled out. Hidden hazards of inXuenza vaccination might be realized even only after months or years, as recently outlined by Bhakdi et al [2]. The more people are found already IAV/H1N1/09 seropositive with an antibody titre of 1:>20, the more vaccinations in diYcult cases can be saved.…”

The Initial Common Pathway of Inflammation, Disease, and Sudden Death

“…Al-Bayati's work provides strong support for the view that microvascular ischemia plays a central role in the pathophysiology of SIDS and, by inference, all SDS events [220][221][222]. Surfactantinduced water stress [29,40,43,45,54,174,178,211,212], especially that associated with polycationic surfactants, is an important determinant of risk. Any exogenous food, chemical, or biological exposure which lowers blood pH and ZP is also a risk factor.…”

“…We propose that the underlying reason is that all three processes are driven by the colloidal instability of the blood associated with abnormally low ZP. We propose that the earliest events in the inflammatory process are characterized by ZP lowering, increased water stress, cell membrane dysfunction [29,156,157], and hemostatic [3] and immune derangement [3,[209][210][211][212][213][214]. Inflammation and serum sickness can be thought of as an unstable dispersion state of our blood, which has an increased tendency to aggregate, flocculate, gelate, hemorrhage, and coagulate [3,[209][210][211][212][213][214].…”

“…We propose that the earliest events in the inflammatory process are characterized by ZP lowering, increased water stress, cell membrane dysfunction [29,156,157], and hemostatic [3] and immune derangement [3,[209][210][211][212][213][214]. Inflammation and serum sickness can be thought of as an unstable dispersion state of our blood, which has an increased tendency to aggregate, flocculate, gelate, hemorrhage, and coagulate [3,[209][210][211][212][213][214]. This unstable state is manifest clinically as acute coronary syndromes, transient cerebral ischemic events, myocardial infarctions [211,212] and cerebrovascular accidents [211,215].…”

“…Inflammation and serum sickness can be thought of as an unstable dispersion state of our blood, which has an increased tendency to aggregate, flocculate, gelate, hemorrhage, and coagulate [3,[209][210][211][212][213][214]. This unstable state is manifest clinically as acute coronary syndromes, transient cerebral ischemic events, myocardial infarctions [211,212] and cerebrovascular accidents [211,215]. It is known that static surface tension of blood (49-50 Din/cm 2 ) is normally lower than the surface tension of water or normal saline solution (approx.…”