Controversial Norwegian Vaccine Used In New Zealand
A vaccine against meningitis that was developed and subsequently abandoned in Norway, was revived and exported to New Zealand, where it was used on over a million kids in a highly experimental campaign, says a recent Norwegian TV report.
"To say it nice, they enlisted hundreds of thousands of small kids into a gigantic experiment." - Jan Helge Solbakk, professor in medical ethics
At the time of the New Zealand mass vaccination experiment, I reported in several articles about how important facts were disregarded and how statistics were used in a very loose way by the Authorities in New Zealand, to justify the campaign.
No doubt the very 'cavalier' attitude about the dangers inherent in vaccinations which shows up in this case, is a result of the almost religious adherence of health authorities to the vacccine dogma: Injecting a bacterium or virus and some toxic adjuvant substances into the bodies of kids is harmless and will protect them from illness. The dogma disregards other, serious effects of vaccinations that tend to appear later in life. Autism, which has become an epidemic of the vaccinated, is only one example. Allergies and other immune system malfunctions, virtually unknown before vaccinations, are increasingly common in this highly medicated world of ours.
The Norwegian documentary, 'The Vaccine Experiment - In The Service of Good' has sparked an outcry against the vaccine trial in Norway, according to Ron Law, a Risk & Policy Analyst from New Zealand.
The documentary presents compelling evidence of serious adverse effects resulting from the 'parent' Norwegian vaccine and New Zealand's experimental MeNZB vaccine. The film reveals a remarkable trail of lies and deceit by meningococcal vaccine officials and researchers in Norway and New Zealand.
Connie Barr, a Norwegian TV personality who made 'enlistment' films for the original vaccine trial, hosts the film. It outlines her change of heart as the evidence of medical misadventure began to build up.
Ms Barr says the films she made in the 80's to attract youth to participate in the vaccine experiment had a very strong effect. "The more I looked into the material, the clearer I saw this was an ugly story."
The film features leading medical experts in Norway who heavily criticize the Norwegian Institute of Public Health for withholding information on the dangers of the vaccine and the fact that those who did get sick had to fight for years to get compensation.
"The Norwegian situation is so similar to New Zealand's it is scary," says Ron Law.
The Norwegian parent vaccine is considered bio-identical to the MeNZB vaccine – to the extent that Norwegian bridging data was used in lieu of phase three trials.
Norwegian manufactured vaccine was also used in the majority of the trials in New Zealand and an unspecified amount was used in the final rollout.
Researcher/Writer Barbara Sumner Burstyn comments New Zealand seems to be in a state of denial at the extent of the fraud surrounding the development and use of the vaccine. "From the highest levels of government to media and the medical profession, we seem to be desperate to believe everything is fine with this vaccine, despite copious evidence to the contrary."
The documentary reveals that New Zealand officials were warned about serious long-term adverse effects following the meningococcal vaccine in 2003. Officials systematically chose to keep quiet about those serious adverse effects.
"There has clearly been a cover-up by Ministry of Health officials and advisors that warrants a formal inquiry," says Ron Law.
Here is a summary of the Norwegian program:
Controversial Vaccine Exported
By Connie Barr, Karen Aarre and Kjell Persen
As Norwegian authorities were paying compensation to vaccine victims, the same vaccine was exported to New Zealand and used on small kids. To say it nice, they enlisted hundreds of thousands of small kids into a gigantic experiment, says Jan Helge Solbakk, professor in medical ethics.
1988 started the largest experiment ever conducted on the Norwegian population. 180,000 school teenagers were used as test subjects in the largest Norwegian vaccine trial ever. It lasted from 1988 to 1991.
The Norwegian Institute for Public Health was testing its new vaccine against meningococcus b, a dangerous bacterium that kills 30 people every year in Norway.
The information brochure given to teenagers states: "it is unlikely to expect serious complications", while the information submitted to the Norwegian Parliament states: "serious side effects can not be excluded" during the experiment.
Jan Helge Solbakk, professor of medical ethics, was working on the ethical side of the trial. He claims: "project leaders knew that trial subjects may suffer serious complications during the trial, statistically speaking."
"Trial subjects were not properly informed about the possibility of serious side effects during the trial. We encouraged the project leaders, during an open meeting, to do it in a better way, informative way" says Solbakk to Dokument 2 TV.
512 side effects were reported during the vaccine trial. 14 were considered serious. 5 school kids developed serious neurological diseases.During the second trial, involving 53,000 kids, 10 serious side effects were reported, while 1 child developed serious neurological disease.
Worried about the side effects
Hans Cato Guldberg, professor of medicine, was a member of a committee that was to evaluate side effects during the experiment. He was worried.
"Some time after the experiment was over, I came to a conclusion that there were serious side effects to this vaccine. And, the number was relatively high. I was worried. At the same time, I felt that project leaders were trying to tone down the danger of vaccine," said Guldberg.
Results of the vaccine trial were compiled 1991. The vaccine was providing protection in 57% of cases. That was not enough to add it to the Norwegian vaccination program. As the meningococcus b epidemic was dying out, the vaccine was never used in Norway the way it was meant to be.
After the request from the World Health Organization (WHO), the vaccine was exported to New Zealand, during 2001. Using the same technology and the same methodology from the 1980s, researchers from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health tailored a new vaccine for New Zealand. The multinational pharmaceutical company Chiron was awarded rights to mass produce the vaccine.
Usually, a vaccine is supposed to pass different tests before it is approved for mass use on the population. But, this vaccine was tested in record time. Phase III trials were completely dropped. Rare side effects are often not discovered before the phase III trials. Phase III trials are randomized, placebo controlled trials. Instead of testing this new vaccine through a new phase III trial, safety data and affectivity data were just taken from the Norwegian vaccine and assumed valid for the New Zealand vaccine. Because safety data of this vaccine were incomplete, the vaccine was not officially approved in New Zealand. Instead, mass vaccination of 1.1 million New Zealand kids started with a temporary approval.
Breach of the international research ethics
In New Zealand, the Norwegian vaccine was used as a guaranty that the New Zealand vaccine is safe and effective. It was the Norwegian Institute of Public Health that was the guarantor.
"First: Norwegian vaccine was not safe! Second, it is a serious overstatement to say that vaccine is effective. Third: it is against international regulations and against research ethics to start to vaccinate small children on New Zealand with a vaccine that was tested on a different group of people, Norwegian school kids. To say it nice, they enlisted hundreds of thousands of small kids into a gigantic experiment," says Jan Helge Solbakk, professor in medical ethics.
Quote: "Some time after the experiment was over, I came to the conclusion that there were serious side effects to this vaccine. And, the number was relatively high. I was worried. At the same time, I felt that project leaders were trying to tone down the danger of the vaccine."
Hans Cato Guldberg, professor of medicine, was a member of a committee that was to evaluate side effects during the experiment.
