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Germans Unhappy with Alternative Swine Flu Vaccine for Politicians
SPIEGEL ONLINE ^ | 10/19/2009

Posted on 10/19/2009 12:22:54 PM PDT by Mount Athos

Damage control is the name of the game in Berlin on Monday as politicians rush to deny that they are receiving a better, safer swine flu vaccine than ordinary Germans. The first of 50 million doses arrived in Germany on Monday.

But with news breaking over the weekend that top government officials in Berlin will be injected with an alternative vaccine -- one widely seen as safer -- a debate about an alleged two-class medical system has erupted.

The controversy centers on an additive included in the vaccine manufactured by pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline. The additive includes an inactive strain of the entire flu virus as opposed to virus fragments. Critics say the additive can increase the risk of side effects from the flu vaccine such as fevers and headaches.

An Interior Ministry spokesman told SPIEGEL that the Baxter vaccine had been ordered for all ministries and other agencies as well as for the employees of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, the authority responsible for approving vaccines.

The Green Party's health expert Biggi Bender said that the separate vaccines amount to "big risk for the people, little risk for the government. This type of second-class medicine cannot be allowed to exist in a democracy."

Leading physicians also complained about the planned vaccination. The head of the Institute for Hygiene and Public Health at the University of Bonn, Martin Exner, said: "The fact that politicians and top civil servants in ministries will be vaccinated with a vaccine other than the people is a terrible sign. Today politicians must take what they recommend."

Virologist Alexander Kekulé Hall of the University Hospital said the fact "that the members of the Federal Government and the authorities have any other vaccine is a scandal."

(Excerpt) Read more at spiegel.de ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Germany; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: alternative; flu; germans; germany; h1n1; influenza; politicians; swineflu; swinefluvaccine; unhappy; vaccine
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edited for brevity
1 posted on 10/19/2009 12:22:54 PM PDT by Mount Athos
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To: Mount Athos

“This type of second-class medicine cannot be allowed to exist in a democracy.”

...and certainly not in a republic like ours used to be!


2 posted on 10/19/2009 12:24:59 PM PDT by albie
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To: albie

Under the amorphous term “democracy”, all manner of collectivist depravity is allowed to fester and grow,

into what they’re seeing now.


3 posted on 10/19/2009 12:26:34 PM PDT by MrB (Go Galt now, save Bowman for later)
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To: Mount Athos

That’s the nature of socialized medicine.

I am not sure why they are surprised.


4 posted on 10/19/2009 12:27:29 PM PDT by TheThirdRuffian (Nothing to see here. Move along.)
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To: Mount Athos

Oh yes, that nasty Elitist health care system. Little people get the C***, while the Overlords get the Cadillac.


5 posted on 10/19/2009 12:27:48 PM PDT by Marty62 (former Marty60)
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To: Mount Athos

And you can bet THIS story will get bigtime play on CNN!!!
BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA


6 posted on 10/19/2009 12:30:57 PM PDT by Oldpuppymax (AGENDA OF THE LEFT EXPOSED)
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To: Marty62
Well, in a democracy, some people are more equal than others, aren't they?

Apologies to G. Orwell.

7 posted on 10/19/2009 12:31:12 PM PDT by Former Proud Canadian (How do I change my screen name now that we have the most conservative government in the world?)
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To: Mount Athos

Would anyone be suprised if the same were true in the US.


8 posted on 10/19/2009 12:32:00 PM PDT by Hans
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To: Mount Athos

"Some of us are more equal than others...
especially if we're in Government Service."

9 posted on 10/19/2009 12:34:08 PM PDT by theDentist (fybo; qwerty ergo typo : i type, therefore i misspelll)
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To: Mount Athos

The politicians are taking the vaccine w/out thimerosol, but we all know thimerosal causes no problems. /sarc

The flu vaccines in this country pretty much all contain thimerosal. You can ask for a thimerosal free vaccine, but the hypocrisy is that they claim to have eliminated thimerosal in vaccines for children, yet they give millions of children a vaccine each year (the flu vaccine) with thimerosal in it.


10 posted on 10/19/2009 12:34:41 PM PDT by dawn53
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To: Mount Athos

These idiots are so in love with State dictates and elitist-control of their lives (including health-care), they should overlook such minor things as this.

Here in NY State, the SEIU is protesting NY State’s ordering of mandatory vaccinations for SEIU health-care workers. How hypocritical they are - they promote Gov’t take over everyone’s health-care, but don’t want to live with the consequences!


11 posted on 10/19/2009 12:34:59 PM PDT by PGR88
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To: Mount Athos

But, but, but Euopean socialized medicine is so much better than anything we have! They know how to do everything so much better than we do.

And, yes, this is sarcasm, in case you don’t catch that.


12 posted on 10/19/2009 12:39:30 PM PDT by Happyinmygarden (Yes, actually, I have pretty much seen and heard it all before...)
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To: Mount Athos

i’m sure hini is an attempted manufactured crisis. leftists have to have a crisis, or they can’t consolidate power.


13 posted on 10/19/2009 12:39:58 PM PDT by the invisib1e hand (Fearing for the republic 24/7.)
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To: dawn53

It’s not the thimersol; there is an additive to “boost” effectiness in the the socialized-medicine-made vaccine.

The American (pre-Obama control) vaccine is free of this junk.


14 posted on 10/19/2009 12:48:31 PM PDT by Jewbacca (The residents of Iroquois territory may not determine whether Jews may live in Jerusalem.)
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To: Mount Athos
I'm unhappy with it, too. If this story turns out to be true, it means that the idiot politicians actually believe the unscientific BS being spread by the anti-vaccine crowd. And this gives them fuel to spread their BS even further.

It's amazing how many people would rather potentially die of the flu than get a shot that they believe has imaginary evil powers.
15 posted on 10/19/2009 12:51:44 PM PDT by mysterio
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To: mysterio
It's amazing how many people would rather potentially die of the flu than get a shot that they believe has imaginary evil powers.

I guess Im one of those morons. Although, I dont 'believe it has evil powers'. I dont get the flu shots simply because I dont want to. Never have, never will.
16 posted on 10/19/2009 12:59:22 PM PDT by Frogtacos (Horse lovers are stable people.)
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To: Mount Athos

Politicians taking the best for themselves! Wow! What a surprise!
< / sarkazm>


17 posted on 10/19/2009 12:59:35 PM PDT by Leftism is Mentally Deranged
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To: All

That’s not the worst part. Old people, the infirm and Jews are likely having trouble getting even the second-class vaccine. Socialized medicine at its finest. Eat your heart out Michael Moore, you’ve already eaten everything else.


18 posted on 10/19/2009 1:00:03 PM PDT by KarinG1 (Please excuse any grammatical errors, as I was slobbering mad when I posted this.)
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To: Frogtacos

Sometimes I have imaginary evil powers, but I only use them for good. With great imaginary power comes great imaginary responsibility.


19 posted on 10/19/2009 1:03:28 PM PDT by KarinG1 (Please excuse any grammatical errors, as I was slobbering mad when I posted this.)
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To: Frogtacos
If the risk of the flu is something that doesn't worry you, don't get the shot, by all means.

Of course I have no problem with that. Where I take issue is with those who spread the BS about the shot and convince others to put themselves at risk.
20 posted on 10/19/2009 1:04:22 PM PDT by mysterio
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