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"I believe the vaccinations killed her. I believe she was given too many and she just couldn't handle it."
— NATALIE CORZINE
Mother
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SARAH CORZINE WAS just nine weeks old. She died 14 hours after she got what seemed to be four routine and harmless vaccinations: Diphtheria Tetanus Pertussis, Haemophilus influenzae type b, Polio and Rotavirus. “Sarah was born on Feb. 18. We took her for her two month well baby visit on April 21,” says Natalie Corzine. “She’d received her two month vaccinations, and the morning of the 22nd at 4:30 in the morning we woke up to discover she wasn’t breathing,” she adds. The Corzines found Sarah laying on her back, with her eyes half open, fists clenched, and she wasn’t moving. Natalie Corzine believes her daughter had a seizure because her eyes were slightly opened and her little fists were closed. “I believe the vaccinations killed her. I believe she was given too many and she just couldn’t handle it,” she says.
Sarah had been born premature. When she got her shots, she was still tiny... only six pounds. According to the Corzines, their pediatrician insisted it was safe. “And I even objected,” says Natalie. “I said, ‘is it really safe to give her all these vaccines?’ And the doctor said, ‘oh it’s fine, we do this all the time with preemies.’”
But the Corzines say they never got any information packets on the vaccines, and did not get a consent form to give their permission. And less than a day later, Sarah was dead. Natalie says, “I will never forgive myself for trusting, for blindly trusting this pediatrician!”
The pediatrician’s lawyer said in a statement that the doctor, “is comfortable in the care that was given — that it was customary and standard.” The Corzines were not satisfied that the coroner ruled Sarah’s cause of death as “undetermined” so they hired their own pathologist for a second opinion. Natalie Corzine says the doctor called it a vaccine assault.
The Corzines are not the only family to blame death or serious harm on a vaccine. Linda Mulhauser thinks it happened to her son, Steven, when he was four months old, and got his second DTP shot. “Before the shot, Stephen was a bright, healthy baby and within three and a half hours, he started a very high pitched whine which turned into shrieking, which was nonstop for nine and a half hours. His hands were fisted and curled up to his shoulders. His eyes started wandering independently of each other. We reported all of this to the doctor and he said Stephen was just a normal healthy baby,” she says.
Stephen had a reaction to the DTP vaccine, he suffered severe hearing loss and brain damage. Now 17-years-old, his life has changed forever. His mother says she was never told that DTP shots could cause side effects. “I felt that I was not being given the information to help my child. I feel that if I had had the information... that Stephen would have never received the second shot, and he would be a normal child,” says Mulhauser.
The Mulhausers and the Corzines are just two of 12,000 families who annually report severe side effects from inoculations. And yet, Dr. Michael Gerber, of the American Academy of Pediatrics, says about 8-million babies get their shots every year with no problems. “No vaccine is 100% safe, but whatever risk there is from vaccination is much, much less than the risk from the diseases that the vaccine is designed to prevent,” says Gerber.
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| Vaccine reporting hotline numbers |
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| • | National Vaccine Information Center
1-800-909-SHOT |
| • | Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System
1-800-822-7967 |
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Doctor Marcel Kinsbourne, a pediatric neurologist who specializes in vaccine injuries, has deeper reservations. Kinsbourne doesn’t believe there is enough research done about the possible risks of vaccines. Part of the concern is kids today get so many shots.
Back in the 1950s, they received only a few vaccinations to stop the spread of rampant diseases like polio. Now the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention and the American Academy of Pediatrics say kids need up to 21 shots before they even get to first grade. How can doctors be sure all those shots together are totally safe? Kinsbourne says, “It’s assumed that if the individual vaccines areas were safe, then the combinations would be safe. That does not follow. We cannot assume there are no vaccine interactions. We have to find out if there are.”
Yet, the CDC says on its Web site, “Before vaccines are licensed by the FDA, they are extensively tested in the laboratory and in human beings to ensure their safety.” Kinsbourne believes there’s more to it. “The public health authorities do give the impression of downplaying these possible hazards I’ve mentioned, and of course they want public acceptance. They don’t want to scare people off, and that’s understandable.” The CDC does acknowledge that on its own Web site: “Some risks for serious health effects following vaccination are so rare that they currently cannot be measured... after a vaccine is licensed for public use, its safety is continually monitored.”
There is a law in place to deal with vaccine injuries. It was passed in 1986. The law requires doctors to explain every single vaccination they plan to give a patient, and keep thorough records. If a patient suffers a severe reaction, doctors have to report it. But, there’s no tracking system to make sure they uphold this law, and if they violate it, there’s no punishment.
Another part of the 1986 law set up a hotline for reporting vaccine reactions. As a result of many calls, federal health officials discovered problems with the DTP and rotavirus vaccines. But, when someone calls, it’s not always easy to get through.
It took two attempts to finally get through to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting hotline. How would you go through reporting what you think is an adverse event with a vaccination? The operator says, “I can send you some forms so you can fill them out... or you can go through the 800 line.” But calling that number got this, “this form will take 20 minutes to complete if all information is readily available.” It’s a potentially frustrating process, which may explain why it’s estimated only one to 10 percent of all reactions are ever reported. If a family seeks compensation from the government when a child suffers a severe reaction it can be an even lengthier ordeal.
How user-friendly is that investigation process? Dr. Michael Gerber says, “it’s very user friendly.” The Mulhausers went through it. How long did it take them to get a settlement? Linda Mulhauser says it took nearly eight years and in the process wiped out their savings. She describes her experience as “hell.” Dr. Kinsbourne says he also sees that, as a witness for parents in vaccine injury cases. “Five, six, seven, eight years are not at all uncommon,” he says.
Kinsbourne also says the government has tightened the rules on these settlements, refusing to compensate in many cases. But the Department of Health and Human Services maintains that, despite a recent narrowing of guidelines — over $1 billion has been awarded over 3,000 victims and that the average case is settled in two years.
Still, Barbara Fisher, an advocate for vaccine safety, says the system needs work. “It is really, in my opinion, been turned into a cruel joke. A system that is supposed to help children who have been injured by vaccines instead turns away three out of every four kids. It’s not fair,” she says. Fischer says the system is, “extremely adversarial.” That’s one reason why Fisher formed the National Vaccine Information Center. She was driven by what she believes was a reaction to the DTP vaccine in her son, Chris, that left him learning disabled. Fisher is campaigning for doctors to give parents more information about the shots they give to children. She believes cases like that of her son, Chris, Stephen Mulhauser, and Sarah Corzine can be prevented.
Which doesn’t necessarily mean boycotting vaccinations. “I’m not saying don’t vaccinate your child,” says Corzine.
Instead, parents should have a thorough talk with their pediatrician. Gerber says, “Before they allow their child to be immunized, they should be sure they understand why this vaccine is being given. They should understand all the potential adverse effects that could be caused by this vaccine.”
The Corzines want to serve as a stark reminder to other parents. “And if they won’t take the time to set up an appointment with you and have the time to discuss this with you then I think you need to find a new pediatrician,” says Natalie.
It may be too late for Sarah Corzine, but her parents want their experience to serve as a warning to others.
Last month federal health officials suspended the rotavirus vaccine — which prevents a common cause of infant diarrhea — after 15 babies suffered a life-threatening bowel obstruction called intussusception. The CDC and Wyeth Lederle, the vaccine’s manufacturer, are taking a closer look to see whether there’s a link. Use of the vaccine is postponed at least until November.
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