For Healthcare Workers: Vaccinations & Your Rights

For many healthcare workers it is now "required" that you receive the flu shot.  I personally believe that it should be one's right to choose what they put in their body and that no employer should require vaccination.  That said, here are some links that can help you object to the annual flu vaccine requirement:

• If you work in a healthcare facility, this page on the CDC website will tell you whether you are able to use a medical, philosophical, or religious exemption.  For Marylanders, the site lists the following info:
• For Maryland, for religious exemptions to the immunization requirements of MD. Regs. Code tit. 10, § 06.01.12 (regarding rubella) and MD. Regs. Code tit. 10, § 06.01.15 (regarding rubella), see MD. Regs. Code tit. 10, § 06.01.12 and MD. Regs. Code tit. 10, § 06.01.15. MD. Regs. Code tit. 10, § 06.01.12 and MD. Regs. Code tit. 10, § 06.01.15 provide that if a worker objects to the immunization on the grounds that it conflicts with the worker’s bona fide religious beliefs and practices, the hospital shall grant a religious exemption. 
• Source: http://www.vaccinerights.com/healthcareworkers.html

• According to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), under the heading "Reasonable Accommodation & Religion", it indicates:
• The law requires an employer to reasonably accommodate an employee's religious beliefs or practices, unless doing so would cause difficulty or expense for the employer. This means an employer may have to make reasonable adjustments at work that will allow the employee to practice his or her religion, such as allowing an employee to voluntarily swap shifts with a co- worker so that he or she can attend religious services.
• Source: http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/practices/index.cfm

• Title VII
• Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act requires employers to reasonably accommodate their employees' religious beliefs, as long as it does not cause undue hardship.
• Source: http://answers.flu.gov/questions/4766

• MD Health General  Code Ann. § 18-403:
• HEALTH-GENERAL 

                   TITLE 18. DISEASE PREVENTION                    SUBTITLE 4. MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
                   Md. HEALTH-GENERAL Code Ann. § 18-403 (2007)
                   § 18-403. Religious exemption

• (a) In general. -- Unless the Secretary declares an emergency or disease epidemic, the Department may not require the immunization of an individual if:
• (1) The individual objects to immunization because it conflicts with the individual's bona fide religious beliefs and practices; or
• (2) The individual is a minor and the individual's parent or guardian objects to immunization because it conflicts with the parent or guardian's bona fide religious beliefs and practices.
• (b) Rules and regulations. -- The Secretary shall adopt rules and regulations for religious exemptions under this section.
• Source: http://www.nvic.org/Vaccine-Laws/state-vaccine-requirements/maryland.aspx

Additional Resources:

• For additional information, see Maryland Immunization Exemption Information.
• For a doctor that will not judge you for choosing to opt out of getting vaccinated, check out http://novaxdoctors.webs.com/
• National Vaccine Information Center
• The Canary Party
• Dr. Tempenny's Website

How Safe is TB Testing?

I began to wonder about this as I signed on to a new job that requires annual TB testing.  I came across a very lengthy article (1) that discussed TB testing in detail.  Some important takeaways were:

• the chemicals used for the TB test are typically made up of TUBERSOL® and Phenol (a preservative - see the toxicological profile for Phenol)
• TUBERSOL® is a known mutagen 
• the CDC states that TB testing is safe during pregnancy, even though there has never been any mutagenicity testing performed and Tubersol is a known mutagen
• according to the 1972 edition of Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine and nursing defines Phenol as "an extremely poisonous antiseptic, germicidal, and disinfectant"
• Phenol is associated with skin cancer development when injected in animals 
• the CDC states that the TB testing is safe, even though no carcinogenicity studies have been performed

• targeted TB testing in health care workers is only recommended (not required) by the CDC; although some facilities make testing mandatory amongst employees (and subject to termination for refusal)

Specifically, in the FDA document on Tuberculin (TUBERSOL®), it states:

• "Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with TUBERSOL.  It is also not known whether TUBERSOL can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can affect reproduction capacity.  TUBERSOL should be given to a pregnant woman only if clearly needed."

The article also discussed conflicts of interest amongst doctors establishing treatment guidelines on disease treatment.  Some interesting facts according to a cited JAMA article(2) on the website I'm referencing:

• 85% of guideline authors have some sort of relationships with drug companies, and they are often not disclosed
• 38% of respondents said they had served as employees or consultants for drug companies; 58% received research money
• 59% had links with drug companies whose medications were considered in the particular guidelines they authored, almost all cases predating the guideline creation process 
•  These numbers may be even greater, as only 52% of authors responded

Wow!  Great to know that the information OUR doctors read to learn how to properly treat US, is written by doctors that frequently have conflicts of interest.  Just another reason why it is so important for YOU to be in charge of your own health and be an advocate for proper care.

Also worth mentioning:
Another interesting document I came across indicates that the current limit values for Phenol were set over 40 years ago(5).  The document states that the limit values need to be reconsidered because research indicates that Phenol is harmful even at very low levels in animal experiments.  In addition to serving as a preservative in TB testing, phenol is used in plastic and dyes (and is frequently used in childrens toys and our food packaging).


References:
1) http://www.vaccinetruth.org/tb_testing.htm
2) N.K. Choudhry, et. al. Relationships between authors of clinical practice guidelines and the pharmaceutical industry JAMA; 287,612-617, 2002
3) http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/ucm114924.pdf
4) http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxprofiles/tp115.pdf
5) http://www.bfr.bund.de/cm/230/limit_values_for_phenol_in_food_contact_articles_and_toys_are_to_be_updated.pdf