Meningoccal Vaccine / MS

[Suebee]

The meningoccal vaccine is required for most school age children. Although GBS has been noted, MS has not been identified as a counter indication for administering the vaccine. If you have MS in your family, know that the national The Vaccine Court found the childhood meningococcal vaccination caused a child to develop or trigger multiple sclerosis by preponderance of the evidence legal standard.

Drs are usually not kept up to date on vaccine court findings, so here is the decision if you want to share with your child's doctor to discuss.

Pg 20-21 of summary of expert testimony stated:
In Menatra [meningoccal] vaccine, the meningitis bacterium is covered with a polysaccharide and each "polysaccharide is conjugated (coupled) to a protein to increase the immune response. In
Menactra, that protein is diphtheria toxoid. Diphtheria toxoid is the toxin produced by diphtheria bacteria, chemically treated so that it is harmless, but still able to elicit an immune response"....

"there are similarities between the glycans in the Menactra [menigocal] vaccine and certain structures in the central nervous system, in particular contactin, which is a component of myelin.....[in this patient's case the expert believed that ]the immune system had an aberrant reaction to both the diphtheria toxoid protein and the polysaccharide coat of the Menactra vaccine, damaging the central nervous system and triggering MS in the process. "


Here is link to decision
https://ecf.cofc.uscourts.gov/cgi-bi...13vv0215-110-0

Speak up, advocate for yourself, stop MS!

[ActiveMSers]

Suebee, this is one court case and even the "experts" on this case disagreed. I could find nothing else to support this. Are there confirming studies you can point to? I usually don't fact-check posts on the forum, but you are a respected and long-time member. Stuff like this needs to be right-right lest folks start skipping vaccinations and risk their health. -D

Immunizations and risk of multiple sclerosis: systematic review and meta-analysis

Mauricio F. Farez

First Online: 24 March 2011

Abstract
The role of vaccinations in risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) or in risk of relapse has not been well established. The aim of this study was to estimate the effect of immunizations on risk of developing MS in adults as well as in subsequent risk of relapse. Systematic search for publications in MEDLINE (1966–January 2011), EMBASE (1977–January 2011) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (1961–January 2011). Both randomized clinical trials and non-randomized studies addressing the effect of any Center for Diseases Control (CDC) recommended vaccine for children, adults or travelers and BCG on risk of MS or disease relapse were included. Two reviewers independently extracted information from articles selected using a predefined datasheet. No significant change in the risk of developing MS after vaccination was found for BCG (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.69–1.34), Hepatitis B (OR 1.00, 95% CI 0.74–1.37), Influenza (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.77–1.23), Measles–Mumps–Rubella (MMR) (OR 1.02, 95% CI 0.64–1.61), Polio (OR 0.87, 95% CI 0.61–1.25) and Typhoid fever (OR 1.05, 95% CI 0.72–1.53). We found decreased risk of developing MS for Diphtheria (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.40–0.90) and Tetanus (OR 0.68, 95% CI 0.54–0.84). Influenza immunization was also associated with no change in risk of MS relapse (RR 1.24, 95% CI 0.89–1.72). Risk of developing multiple sclerosis remained unchanged after BCG, Hepatitis B, Influenza, MMR, Polio and Typhoid fever immunization, whereas diphtheria and tetanus vaccination may be associated with a decreased risk of MS. Further research is needed for the remaining vaccines.

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When it comes to vaccines, the MS Society has this guide and recommendations.

https://www.nationalmssociety.org/Li...s/Vaccinations

Here is another guide from The Cleveland Clinic:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/-/sca...ion.ashx?la=en

The MSAA's vaccine guide is here:
https://mymsaa.org/news/vaccine-safety-ms/

Here is the CDC site on Meningococcal Vaccinations
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/mening/index.html

[Suebee]

Always discuss concerns with doctor

Dave, agreed, no one should stop getting vaccines! They save lives and prevent disease. Anyone concerned about the risks of a particular vaccine should discuss it with their doctor. Period.

I am glad you clarified this. My post on the menoccocal vaccine was meant to be informative so that one could discuss the specifics with your doctor.

I tried to be clear in my post. The decision of the The Vaccine Court is a legal decision, NOT a scientific one. The Vaccine Court is set up to address and compensate the few individuals that are negatively impacted by a particular vaccine.

In the Vaccine court, the person claiming to be injured need only prove that the vaccine was a substantial factor and a "but for" cause of the injury. The person "need not show that the vaccination was the sole cause, or even the predominant cause, of her condition". In addition "[t]he medical theory must be a reputable one, although it need only be 'legally probable, not medically or scientifically certain.'”(see pages 16-17)

Nevertheless, it is not a simple legal case prove. The person claiming to be injured by a vaccine must show, among other things: “(1) a medical theory causally connecting the vaccination and the injury; (2) a logical sequence of cause and effect showing that the vaccination was the reason for the injury; and (3) a showing of a proximate temporal relationship between vaccination and injury.” (see pages 16-17)

In my situation, my mother died of progressive MS. I presume there is some genetic predisposition in my family for MS. Admittedly, I am fearful of triggering a latent MS in my children with a vaccine immune response. I do and did address this issue with my pediatrician. To be clear, I believe in the importance of vaccines and my own children are vaccinated for all required vaccines, with the exception of me getting a year exemption from the mennococal vaccine for my youngest. I wanted to give science more time to determine if this vaccine triggers MS in other individuals.

I hope this clarified the information the better. I will be more cautious on how I present information here. I value this forum and everyone on it. Suebee