Diplomatic Immunity

The brouhaha around placebo choice in vaccine trials

Helen Petousis Harris • Feb 21, 2018

• gardasil,
• HPV,
• Placebo

There exists a sustained brouhaha around the nature of the placebos used in the clinical trials for Gardasil. The notion that some of the most rigorous vaccine trials ever conducted are questionable on account of their well thought out placebos is ill conceived at best. This is after over 270 million doses and huge epidemiological studies from all over the … Read More

Proving HPV vaccines really prevent cancer

Helen Petousis Harris • Feb 19, 2018

• cancer,
• cervical cancer,
• CIN2,
• effectiveness,
• gardasil,
• HPV,
• Nature,
• nz,
• pre-cancer,
• Sweden,
• USA,
• Vaccine

In the clinical trials for HPV vaccines cervical cancer was not a primary endpoint. An endpoint in a clinical trial is a disease or a symptom of interest. I want to explain why cancer was not an endpoint these efficacy studies. Instead surrogate endpoints were used. Why not, given that is what the investigators wanted to prevent? Because you can’t … Read More

Media, Dr Google, and the adverse events you were looking for

Helen Petousis Harris • Nov 13, 2017

• gardasil,
• HPV,
• vaccination

The perception of risk is greatly influenced by the media and related to the relationship between hazard and outrage, or Risk = Hazard + Outrage (Sanderman). Basically, the risks that can kill you are often not the risks that get you all alarmed. I am a bit scared of things with at least six legs but genes dictate it … Read More

Who is Levi Quackenboss and what is she saying about vaccine debates?

Helen Petousis Harris • Nov 02, 2017

• antivaxxer,
• autism,
• qauckenboss,
• Vaccine

Quackenboss is a vaccine denier with a history of internet bullying and going loopy when someone says something positive about vaccines. She hides nameless and faceless behind a blog, or captured in a state of self-glorification during an interview with HealthNut News. I know not her name, qualifications, or profession because they do not appear to be provided but she has plenty … Read More

Aluminium adjuvants, immune dysfunction, and the AV syndrome scammers

Helen Petousis Harris • Sep 15, 2017

• aluminium adjuvant,
• Asia,
• autoimmune autoinflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants,
• vaccination,
• vaccines

Vaccine scammers I call them. They prey on people with a sick kid. Perhaps they want to flog dietary supplements or bleach enemas but today I refer to the proponents of a variety of fake syndromes, which they claim have been induced by vaccines and/or vaccine adjuvants*. The most infamous vaccine scammer in this case is Andrew Wakefield, but this … Read More

Mumps outbreak – add fire and watch it burn

Helen Petousis Harris • Sep 06, 2017

• Infectious Diseases,
• MMR,
• mumps,
• public health,
• vaccines

The inevitable mumps outbreak is upon us. Inescapable because we have a significant proportion of the community who are not immune, dry tinder to a flame. NZ has high immunisation coverage right? So why has this happened? Here is the story. Back in the early 1990’s NZ had a terrible measles epidemic and seven people died. Waking up … Read More

In defence of the tamariki

Helen Petousis Harris • May 24, 2017

• vaccination,
• Vaxxed

Dr Lance O’Sullivan I salute you. Kaitaia is a town in the far north of NZ, warm people, lovely beaches. Sadly immunisation coverage is low, infectious disease rates are high. Doctors like Lance O’Sullivan work their guts out to improve the health of the people they serve, including treating kids for illnesses that they should never have to suffer. Read More

How vaccines are controlled and by whom

Helen Petousis Harris • May 05, 2017

• Vaccine,
• vaccine regulation,
• vaccine safety

A couple of people asked me the same questions yesterday. How do vaccines end up on a schedule, how are they regulated, and by whom? Reckon those are great questions, some answers ensue. How does a vaccine end up on the schedule? This is based on need, or other words the burden of a disease. It could be rare but … Read More

WHO VigiBase study does not find HPV vaccine unsafe.

Helen Petousis Harris • Mar 03, 2017

• gardasil,
• HPV vaccine,
• vaccine safety

A new study used the World health Organization’s global database of reports of adverse events associated with the use of a medicine (VigiBase), including vaccines, to look at reporting patterns after HPV vaccine. The cases in VigiBase are collected for 125 member states, including NZ, who participate in the WHOs International Drug Monitoring Programme. The data from all the member … Read More

Was the Gardasil vaccine ever compared with a placebo?

Helen Petousis Harris • Feb 20, 2017

• adjuvant,
• aluminium,
• gardasil,
• HPV,
• Placebo

Gardasil was assessed in Double Blind Randomised Placebo Controlled Trials that used the fully formulated vaccine and compared it with two different placebos, the aluminium adjuvant and a saline solution.  What is a placebo? A placebo is a substance as similar as possible to the active drug except it has no therapeutic effect. It does … Read More