U.S. Vaccine History

The United States vaccine schedule has changed dramatically over the years. Every few years, new vaccines are added, formulas are changed, frequency of dose and age are revised, and vaccines are continually being combined into mega doses, (e.g. the new Vaxelis, will combine 6 vaccines in ONE shot). From 1962 to 2020, we created vaccines against 5 diseases up to 13 diseases; and recommended doses have increased from 5 to 49! See link.

HIGHLIGHTS

DTP safety concerns and lawsuits in the 80’s

The United States increased vaccination dose for children under 5 years from 5 in 1962 to 22 by the 80’s. Interestingly, as recommended vaccines increased, so did the lawsuits against manufacturers for vaccine injury.

In the early to mid 1980’s, manufacturers of DTP began to received large volumes of lawsuits for vaccine injuries. Threatening to withdraw production of DTP, Congress paved the path to indemnified private companies from liability in the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act.

The US continued to recommend DTP for anther decade, even though other countries had developed a safer version of the vaccine. Finally in 1996, the US approved DTaP.

DTP is no longer available in the United States due to safety concerns.

Differences between DTP and DTaP
DTP used whole cell, inactivated pertussis antigens. DTaP uses “acellular” and selected components of the pertussis antigen. The use of selected antigens in the DTaP vaccine makes it: less effective at creating immunity than DTP, more expensive, but it’s safer with fewer adverse reactions.

A Diverging Approach
In 1975, Japan stopped giving DTP due to increasing vaccine injuries and death. Instead of giving immunity to vaccine manufacturers and continuing to cover the public’s concern, Japan began to find ways to develop a safer vaccine. In 1981, Japan created DTaP, which although less effective at creating antibodies, was safer. The United States adopted a DTaP version over 15 years later.

The 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act

This Act created legal immunity for vaccine manufactures. The number of mandatory vaccines for children to attend school rapidly expanded after the Act, including vaccines for sexually transmitted diseases.

*Pharmaceutical lobbyist are 2x oil and gas and outnumber congressional representatives.

The Revving 1990’s

New vaccines start to flood the market and join the “recommended list”:
Hib (included mercury)
Hep B (included Mercury)
Chickenpox
Hep A

Whoops! Mercury Overdose!
With the lack of regulation and CDC’s conflict of interest to both sell vaccines and ensure safe vaccines, no regulatory body thought to check the cumulative levels of mercury in recommended vaccines given to babies and young children. As a result, mercury exposure for 6 month olds -from CDC recommended vaccines-increased from 100mcg in the the 80’s to over 237.5 mcg in the 90’s. Link. The mercury in CDC recommended vaccines- from birth to 6 months- had 87x more methylmercury– than FDA guides for adults per day.

The Mega Millennial 2000’s

In the 2000’s, after mercury was phased out of the majority of pediatric vaccines as a “preservative” (click here for vaccines that still contain mercury) there was over a 20% increase in aluminum in pediatric vaccines, a major CDC campaign to push the mercury flu shot for pregnant women and infants, and the birth of big combo vaccines.

New Vaccines Included:
2005, Meningococcal is added.
2006, Rotavirus added.
2009, HPV vaccine Cervarix is added. New Innovative aluminum adjuvant is used!!
2010, pneumonia PCV13 (Pneumococcal) is added.
2014, HPV vaccine, Gardisil9 is added, different formulation from Cervarix.
2014, Meningococcal B is added.

Whoops! Maybe more effective means less safe?
*2016, although Cervarix creates more antibodies in16 and 18 HPV and memory B cells than Gardisil9, the vaccine became “unavailable” in the US due to “demand.” Only Gardisil9 is now available. (Thousands of vaccine injuries from HPV vaccines were filed.)

Combo Vaccines Get Bigger and Bigger
2001, Combo vaccine added, Hep B/Hep A
2002, 5 combo vaccine is added, DTaP/ Hep B/ polio
2005, 4-Combo vaccine added, MMR + chickenpox
2008, 4-combo vaccine is added, DTaP/Polio (GKS) (2016, Sanfori)
2018, 6-combo vaccine is approved. DTaP/ Hep B/ Polio/ Hib

The Ever-Changing MMR

1963, both live and inactivated forms of vaccine were licensed.
1967, inactivated vaccine was removed from the market.
1971, combined MMR shot is given in US.
1986, one shot, at 1 yr and older.
1989, the first time two doses are recommended. (12 mons and 18 mos.)
1989, mumps virus formula went from 5,000 to 20,000 units in vaccine. At some point, UK discontinued use of a certain strain of the MMR.
1991, Revised age of second shot of MMR. (12mo and 4 yrs.)
2005, MMR is combined with the chickenpox vaccine.
2009, Merck announced it would stop producing the individual vaccines: ATTENUVAX®/ Measles, MUMPSVAX®/mumps and MERUVAX®II/rubella.
2016, a Somalian community in Minnesota refers to it as the autistic shot.

* In several large post-licensure studies, MMRV was associated with an approximately twofold increased risk of febrile seizures one to two weeks after immunization compared with separate injections of MMR and varicella.

Again, a Diverging Path:
1989, Japan introduced MMR. Concerns over the mandated MMR shot began to sky rocket. Over 25% of vaccine injuries came from the MMR shot. “An analysis of vaccinations over a three-month period showed one in every 900 children was experiencing problems. This was over 2,000 times higher than the expected rate of one child in every 100,000 to 200,000. The ministry switched to another MMR vaccine in October 1991 but the incidence was still high with one in 1,755 children affected.” 1993, Japan took MMR off the recommended list. However, they continued to promote individual shots of the M, M and R. 2006, Japan re-introduced the MR (took out mumps due to safety concerns.) Although it is nearly 2x more expensive, Dr Hiroki Nakatani, director of the Infectious Disease Division at Japan’s Ministry of Health and Welfare said “We believe it’s worth it.” Link.

Read more about Japan’s vaccine policies.

TIMELINE

1946, the P was mixed with DT, to create the first “3-in-one” shot.
1962, only 5 vaccines were given. Polio, DTP and smallpox (5 doses)
1978, last case of known smallpox
1978, MMR is added by Merck and the goal is set by CDC to eliminate measles from the US.
1983, 7 vaccines were given at 22 doses. Polio-OPV, DTP, MMR.
Early 1980’s, lawsuits against DTP manufacturers begin to stack up. DTP is creating severe brain injuries in hundreds of children. Manufacturers threaten to halt DTP production due to high levels of adverse reactions and risks with the vaccine.
1986, in response to the increasing levels of lawsuits, congress passes the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act, which creates legal immunity for vaccine manufactures.
1989, mumps virus formula in MMR went from 5,000 to 20,000 units in vaccine.
1989, Hib is added. includes mercury (Versions of the vaccine are released in: 1990, Merck; 1993, Sanfori; 2009 GKS)
1989-1991, Hep B is added. includes mercury. (Versions of the vaccine are released in: 1986, Merck; 1989, GSK)
1992, CDC stated that the live-virus vaccine, OPV, had become the dominant cause of polio in the US.
1992, DTaP is added (1992, Sanfori/mercury; 1997, GKS, 2002, Sanfori)
1994, Out of the 127 polio cases in the US between 1980-1994, 119 were caused by the polio vaccination. (link)
1995, Varicella (chickenpox) is added.
1995, Hep A is added.
1996, US switched from DTP to DTaP (acellular) due to safety concerns.
1996, Combo vaccine added. Hib/hep B
1997, DTap is added. (Versions of the vaccine are released in: 1990, Merck; 1993, Sanfori; 2009 GKS)
1999-2003, After a congress mandated investigation, thimerosal (mercury) is phased out of pediatric vaccines as a “preservative”. (See list of vaccines that still include mercury.)
2000, US switched back from OPV back to Polio-IPV, because the majority of polio cases came from the vaccine OPV. Polio-OPV is no longer licensed in US due to risk of contracting polio from the vaccine.
2001, Combo vaccine added, Hep B/Hep A
2002, 5 combo vaccine is added, DTaP/ Hep B/ polio
2005, Meningococcal is added.
2005, 4-Combo vaccine added, MMR + chickenpox
2006, Rotavirus added.
2008, 4-combo vaccine is added, DTaP/Polio (GKS) (2016, Sanfori)
2009, HPV vaccine Cervarix is added. New aluminum adjuvant, AS04, is included in ingredients.
2010, pneumonia PCV13 (Pneumococcal) is added.
2014, HPV vaccine, Gardisil9 is added.
2014, Meningococcal B is added.
2016, although Cervarix creates more antibodies in16 and 18 HPV and memory B cells than Gardisil9, the vaccine became “unavailable” in the US due to “demand.” Only Gardisil9 is available.
2018, 6-combo vaccine is approved. DTaP/ Hep B/ Polio/ Hib