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Aug 8, 2022Liked by Gavin Giovannoni

We had this with my son. My ex was an alternative health practitioner - but in Traditional Chinese Medicine (pins and herbs) and in TCM despite what everyone thinks, they really like their data and numbers. I work in IT but have previously worked in pharmacovigilance (drug safety). My ex was very concerned about the childhood vaccinations and possible risks from the vaccines. I wasn't yet on immune-suppression therapies but nonetheless wanted my kid to be vaccinated. So we "did our own research".

I showed her how to calculate the relative risks and relative benefits, where to find the relevant SPCs and trial data and we did massive spreadsheets working on risks. The numbers are pretty stark, I'll be honest. We didn't just look at "deaths" because just as important (or maybe even more important) are the life-long consequences. Autism lasts your whole life, as does brain damage, deafness etc.

We looked closely at the risk of permanent deafness / permanent brain damage from measles and the rest (but mainly measles, the others are milder) - and it was pretty obvious to her that our son should get his vaccinations, so he did.

The only one he didn't get, because why would he need THAT - was HepB.

He was 5 when I failed Tecfidera and was being offered Ocrevus, both he and his mother got the HepB vaccine to protect daddy :') - he was very brave (chocolate may have been involved in this bravery - but still very brave).

Whilst anecdotal evidence isn't evidence, he is a fit, healthy, fully bilingual (Spanish and English), very lovely* 8 year-old about 2 years ahead of himself in the school system here.

*I don't think being precocious / pesky is a known side effect of MMR / pentavac and therefore conclude it's inherited from his mother ;-)

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I never understood what anyone had against vaccines: more specifically, vaccines to combat disease. I really don’t understand their distrust and mistrust of people who devote years of their lives to be educated, by thousands of other people who have devoted YEARS of their lives to the ONGOING and ever-expanding study of biology and medicine, that has been built on hundreds (if not a couple millennia) of years of experience, studies, trial and error, and teaching to others—as well as holding everyone else charged with the title of doctor to the same high standards by committee. These medications that have been created by many people working many hours, over many weeks or months or years, building on enormous amounts of previous information and experience, to help fight illnesses that harm is, hurt and kill.

I do understand the explanations, but they don’t comport with the reality of modern medicine. People say they don’t trust drug companies or the medical drug regulators. This is understandable from some of the news stories that circulate from time to time. But it’s not just those entities involved development and/or dissemination and/or guaranteeing safety and efficacy… it’s the whole medical community. And it’s based on everyone’s knowledge and intelligence in the community, not just one person or a few. And if you don’t trust that entire community, then you’ve got a real problem. A whole community of doctors can’t be a union of conspirators looking to fool us—can’t fool everyone all the time. I was once an assistant in a stem cell lab at the University of California, Irvine, and I was talking to a visiting doctor from CHOC (Children’s Hospital of Orange County), who was using the lab to study cerebral cancer specimens of children from around eighteen months to about eleven years old. A difficult job in many ways, as you might imagine. We were talking about the universe of people working on cures, and I asked him what he thought about the people who worked on cures and therapies only because the work interested them as a singular and insular pursuit, or just for the money, instead of because they really care about people and want to help them. He thought about it for a moment and then said, "You know Chris, there are a lot of us who do everything we possibly can to find cures and ease suffering because we want to help people, and even though we might not like it there are those who work on cures and therapies for selfish reasons, and have no interest in whether someone lives or dies. But actually we really need everyone." That was a good lesson for me, and probably a good lesson for anyone.

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Aug 8, 2022Liked by Gavin Giovannoni

I am 66, diagnosed at 45 and have been on Tysabri for 13 years. It has worked very well for me. Being 66 means that the MMR vaccine did not exist when I was a child! I do remember having a rotten case of either measles or German measles at about the age of 11. What do you advise I do - if anything?

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Aug 8, 2022Liked by Gavin Giovannoni

omgoodness! I had measles when I was a kid. Long before the measles vaccine was ever available. I am now 64. Having had the disease, does this give me lifetime immunity? I was exposed to mumps and rubella but never had it. When I was pregnant some 35 years ago i tested positive for antibodies to rubella. Should I be concerned about this? Also, i am past due for tetanus booster. I am on Aubagio. Is it ok to get that booster on this drug along with COVID booster? Not sure what to do here.. Flu season will be coming up as well of course. I am very confused about vaccines and taking them while on these DMT's in general.. Thanks in advance for any insight

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Aug 8, 2022Liked by Gavin Giovannoni

My mum made sure I had all of my vaccinations - or so I thought! The MMR vaccine was introduced when I was 11. It was sprung on me. We were lined up outside the staff room at school, a space we normally weren't allowed into. It was a school I'd only been at for a short time and I did not find it a welcoming or supportive place. I ended up freaking out and refusing the vaccination. Mum took me to the doctor for it, but that experience gave me needle phobia for the following 25 years. I delayed seeking help when I thought I might have MS. Finally I just had to get over it and face the blood tests I needed every three months to be on Tecfidera. When they changed my blood tests to every 6 months I actually struggled a bit more with them, and I worry the phobia will come back.

When I went on Tecfidera, I assumed I'd had all of my childhood vaccinations as I knew my mum would have taken me for all of them. But I had no idea there was an MMR booster as I didn't learn about that until later - and due to my traumatic experience, I would have remembered if I was called in for a second dose! My mum asked at our surgery and they confirmed I'd only had one - but also said I'd had a measles vaccine as a baby and measles as a child (I remember that well too!) so my immunity now would be good.

I am too old for the HPV vaccine and my latest smear test confirmed I have HPV, lucky me...

I also haven't had the BCG vaccination because it isn't routinely given in NZ where I was born and grew up.

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Aug 8, 2022Liked by Gavin Giovannoni

Thx so much for this, Prof G. Looks like polio is on the rise again in the US - another reason to make sure u get all ur childhood vacs.

Looking forward to a possible EBV vaccine, what are your thoughts on when this would be ideally administered (in a child 2 or 3 yrs or later) and if u think parents would accept this - if they are not familiar with MS or other blood cancers etc?

(https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/polio-virus-found-in-more-ny-wastewater-after-recent-case/2022/08/04/f36ef482-142d-11ed-8482-06c1c84ce8f2_story.html

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Aug 8, 2022Liked by Gavin Giovannoni

Thanks again for providing such valuable information!

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Aug 8, 2022Liked by Gavin Giovannoni

Interesting topic ! Nice discussion 👏

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Aug 8, 2022Liked by Gavin Giovannoni

I've just re-read your newsletter on the HPV vaccine and it answers the questions I was about to ask you. Thanks for providing this really useful and detailed information!

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Aug 8, 2022Liked by Gavin Giovannoni

If you have had childhood vaccines to MMR and boosters does this mean you won’t need further vaccination? I thought that would keep you immune for lifetime. I am due to be starting mavenclad and also travelling to the Dominican, so am trying to get all my vaccinations done before I travel.

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Aug 8, 2022Liked by Gavin Giovannoni

I did my MMR antibody blood testing after starting Natalizumab, as we wanted to get on this DMT asap.

Turns out i have past immunity (infection) to measles, Rubella but nothing for mumps. My GP did say my risk to mumps was extremly minor (Australia pretty rare) but your article makes me nervous about possible measles infection again.

as i can't get a live vaccine on Tysabri, would you say based on the above i would be at a higher risk of measles? i know for a fact i had it as a teenager but cannot confirm if i had the MMR vaccine as a child , am up to date on all other vaccines however

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It's a damned if you do or don't situation. Im pretty sure i was absolutely fine until i had the flu vaccine. So no, i will not be having anymore vaccines. Of any type.

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