Sunday, January 6, 2013

Flu Vaccine Pusher Greg Poland says "Anything Goes"

One person has been instrumental in creating flu vaccine mandates in the US, and he continues to push them overseas as well:  Mayo's Greg Poland, MD.

Poland is a scoundrel.  He enjoys throwing punches below the belt, and brags about it.  He placed on his Mayo website:  "In Dr. Poland's war, there are no rules of engagement; anything goes." (Actually, he scrubbed it from the original page, which I previously cited, but you can still find the quote here.)

He helps write position papers and then cites them, without mentioning his role in creating them.  Here is one from the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America which he coauthored and then cited to support mandatory vaccinations.  He was key in writing the Infectious Diseases Society of America guidelines here.  [These guidelines are brazen in demanding money ("Significant and sustainable funding for long-term planning and action") from Congress, state and local governments for a variety of flu-related activities and procurements.  See page 19.]  Follow the money and understand how Poland benefits personally from the policies he pushes.

From the Mayo Clinic website comes this 2010 accolade to Poland:
Dr. Poland is a special government employee with appointments with the U.S. Department of Defense and the CDC. He has sat on every federal committee that deals with vaccines. Representing the American College of Physicians, he and fellow committee members advise the Department of Health and Human Services on vaccines and who should receive them. In his government work, he is particularly proud of one accomplishment.
“I had introduced a resolution to this committee three times to recommend universal influenza immunization, and this past meeting in February they finally approved it,” he says proudly. “Now every American will be recommended to receive the influenza vaccine this year.”
Poland claims to be an expert in medical ethics and law, as well as public policy, all to aid the forced administration of more and more vaccine.  Here is a recent abstract; the link above will give you the full text:
 2011 Feb;101(2):212-6. doi: 10.2105/AJPH.2009.190751.
Vaccinating health care workers against influenza: the ethical and legal rationale for a mandate.
Ottenberg ALWu JTPoland GAJacobson RMKoenig BATilburt JC.

Bioethics Research Program, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. ottenberg.abigale@mayo.edu
 
Abstract
Despite improvements in clinician education, symptom awareness, and respiratory precautions, influenza vaccination rates for health care workers have remained unacceptably low for more than three decades, adversely affecting patient safety. When public health is jeopardized, and a safe, low-cost, and effective method to achieve patient safety exists, health care organizations and public health authorities have a responsibility to take action and change the status quo. Mandatory influenza vaccination for health care workers is supported not only by scientific data but also by ethical principles and legal precedent. The recent influenza pandemic provides an opportunity for policymakers to reconsider the benefits of mandating influenza vaccination for health care workers, including building public trust, enhancing patient safety, and strengthening the health care workforce.
 
Acknowledgments
Abigale L. Ottenberg, Joel T. Wu, Barbara A. Koenig, and Jon C. Tilburt have no disclosures. Gregory A. Poland has offered consultative advice on novel influenza vaccine development to Merck & Co., Inc., Avianax, Theraclone Sciences (formally Spaltudaq Corporation), MedImmune LLC, Liquidia Technologies, Inc., Novavax, Sanofi Pasteur, and PAXVAX, Inc. Robert M. Jacobson serves as the Principal Investigator on a Pfizer-funded study ex- amining PCV 13 in adults, which involves, in part, adult receipt of the influenza vaccine.
In 2007 he disclosed serving as a consultant to these vaccine companies:  

Dynavax, 
Novavax, 
Merck, 
Protein Sciences, 
GlaxoSmithKline, 
Novartis Vaccines, 
CSL Biotherapies, and 
Avianax. 

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