You know the old saying, “where there’s smoke there’s fire”. In the World Health Organisation’s case, it’s a blazing inferno. Not only is Dr Fukuda fighting for WHO’s reputation through clenched teeth, he appears not to realise just how deep is the hole he’s digging for himself is. What Fukuda also forgets is that not everyone is ignorant to the machinations of drug companies, so let’s take a wee walk down history lane to discuss a few seemingly unrelated events. Remember this from 9 October 2008?

“Vaccinate NOW to beat bird flu pandemic, researchers warn”. 

Vaccinating against bird flu now could save thousands of lives in a pandemic, research suggests.

People given a jab against one strain of avian flu were 'primed' against a wide range of different strains, the study shows.

A 'booster' jab with a new strain could protect these ‘pre-vaccinated’ people within a week.

Pandemic fell has been labeled the ‘gravest threat’ to the UK in a recent government report because of the speed it could sweep the world.

Some fear an emerging virus could reach the UK within a week.

In the time it takes a vaccine that exactly matches the new strain to be developed and administered, thousands could die.

Most people will have very little immunity to avian flu, unlike seasonal flu, which most people have been exposed to at some point.

A series of vaccinations given over a month would be needed to give protection, and it would take another few weeks for the body's antibodies to build up.

But the Leicester researchers say a single ‘booster’ jab with a new vaccine would be enough if people were ‘pre-vaccinated’ with an old strain of avian flu and it could work within a week.

Heard all this before, haven't we.  And who might have put them up to that?

As we know, like SARS,  bird flu and vaccine exhortations fizzled to nothing.   BUT just think!    

If the world had been vaccinated pre-emptively in 2008, against Bird Flu at the cost of gazillions of dollars, Fukuda would be standing in front of the European commission proudly proclaiming that WHO saved the world from Bird Flu!!!

Insert Tui Ad: Yeah right.

What you might not remember was something revealed on 26 October 2005:

In 2005, vaccine companies put the acid on various governments, saying,“You’d better get your annual influenza vaccine levels much much higher, or we won’t provide you with pandemic bird flu vaccine.”

The makers of flu vaccine yesterday threatened not to produce enough bird flu vaccine to deal with an outbreak unless ministers agreed to buy more of their products.

Richard Stubbins, of the UK Vaccine Industry Group, told a House of Lords select committee that it was "unreasonable" for the Government to expect the industry to build new plants to produce enough vaccine for a pandemic then mothball them.

He called for the Government to vaccinate everyone aged over 50 and possibly children against common flu as a matter of routine. That would guarantee that the extra capacity would be used.

The industry group represents all the companies that produce flu vaccine, including the British giant Glaxosmithkline and the French company Sanofi.

A vaccine for a feared bird flu pandemic cannot be created until the strain of the virus that can pass between humans is identified.

Mr Stubbins said the Government wanted 120 million doses of vaccine as soon as it was available but there was "a lot of work to do" before companies could produce enough to meet demand.

"We have to work very closely with the Government to find ways of increasing the productivity of the industry in as short a time as possible," he said.

One way to encourage companies to do so was to increase the use of ordinary influenza vaccines.

It’s no coincidence that from this date on, every country in the world, including New Zealand, charged the medical profession with finding every possible “acceptable” way to increase demand, and use of, the flu vaccine.

Targetted medical and population sectors were regaled with innumerable “fear tactics”, coercion and supposedly altruistic motives as in “protect everyone else”.  Anything, to get the numbers vaccinated up. Never mind actual "choice".

But one really sleazy tactic used worldwide, has backfired on them badly in 2009.

In order to increase demand for flu vaccines, instead of defining deaths by people who actually died of the flu (since telling the truth will not convince people to have the flu vaccine), the medical profession creatively inflated the numbers of people “dying”, by broadening the catagory to "influenza-like infections" and using imaginary extrapolations to include all the cases and deaths which they never got to see, but assumed happened behind the backs of the medical profession. In the 80’s they only inflated the data a little bit. In 1989, S.J. Ackerman stated in the FDA Consumer magazine, that “every year, 10,000 to 20,000 Americans die from the complications of the flu” and the vaccine was targeted only to the supposedly at risk - elderly and those with chronic conditions.

One of the reasons for this was that flu manufacturing technology was such that the amount of vaccine available would only “cover” those groups. Now, much more vaccine can be made, so in the spirit of “it can now be done, so it should be done” other groups have ALSO been classified as “vulnerable” to create more fear and demand. Soon, everyone will be classified "at risk".

For the last few years, the CDC has said that about 36,000 people die every year, from complications of the flu. Again, these aren’t actual deaths. These are their “look in the crystal ball” deaths. The supposed increase isn’t due to increasing population, and these deaths continue to stay the same, in spite of the fact that the percentage of American receiving the flu shot has skyrocketted. Some vaccine. Something stinks.

Here’s another similar porky. "... seasonal influenza is estimated to kill around 400 New Zealanders a year ..."   From the latest influenza report dated March 2009 report:

“The highest number of ILI related deaths (94) in New Zealand was recorded in 1996 during an A(H3N2) epidemic.”

Please note that these deaths are “Influenza Like Illnesses”, a category which includes any death following an “influenza like” infection, on the say so of a doctor WITHOUT laboratory proof that the death did indeed arise from an influenza . A good read of the annual reports will give an idea of just how "accurate" this influenza data is.

So when a “pandemic” only causes 19 deaths, everyone thinks, “19 deaths compared to 400 every year? Big deal!”

But if people knew that actual deaths were usually only a handful at most, 19 might look at bit more dangerous. But the doctors have to keep quiet about that, because to admit that, might lead to an inability to convince everyone to have their normal flu shots, not to mention provoking other awkward questions.

That is a problem and they must know it.  Their answer would appear to be to try to get everyone vaccinated as quickly as possible.

As expected with a swag of unused vaccine from last year on the shelf, on 27th January, 2010, vulnerable New Zealanders were told to be a good “early birds”. Rush on 1st February, and “Get flu vaccine while sun still shines.”  Get in for the limited supplies of monovalent vaccine available – (you know, the Baxter stuff imported last year, which must be used before the expiry date – like the Tamiflu used just before it’s expiry date last year. Cough cough. ) Someone else might get there before you!!! Create demand by claiming there are only small amounts if you want to beat the bug. Another great marketing strategy.

Be an “early bird”, and help the government justify spending all the money for a vaccine right now sitting on shelves. Let them put it into YOUR arm, so that the Government can’t be accused of wasting money.

Even if most people think the vaccines are “free” and don’t realise the millions which are taken out their back pocket in taxes to pay for these “free” vaccines.

So kiwis, what’s it to be?

You have a choice.

• No vaccines....

• Or you could be the “lucky” ones, specially chosen to get the Baxter’s vaccine, which comes in two shots, ….
• Or the 'unlucky' ones to get ONE SHOT containing the annual flu vaccines and the piggy version, which arrives in March.

What? Only one jab if you have the seasonal flu shot?

Why the discrepancy there? I guess they hope that people won’t even think about such an inconvenient anomaly.

We are exhorted that “it’s extremely important that as many people as possible get the seasonal influenza vaccine that contains protection against pandemic H1N1 and seasonal strains when it arrives in March.”

Like the WHO’s convoluted explanations as to whether or not they changed the definition of pandemic to suit themselves, … having fudged the New Zealand death data to hold over your head like a sword to sell yearly vaccines, the medical profession either has to cover that up, keep silent, or tell the truth. Truth in this case is never a good marketing option, because that would open another can of worms.

If everyone stampedes to heed the claxon call, and there are only the “normal” flu numbers betwen May and November – the medical profession could put out a press release congratulating the country on stopping a pandemic!!!   Luckily for them, pandemic viruses don’t roll in on visibly labelled rose-coloured clouds which we can see with the naked eye, so the public would be none the wiser as to whether or not any pandemic was actually thwarted by all the vaccines being used.

On the other hand, if the country leaves all the vaccines sitting on the shelves, and nothing happened, everyone would know that the medical profession would have called “wolf, wolf” yet again.

And we can’t have that. and let's face it, it's not likely to happen, such is the Pavlov's dog conditioning of large number of people to believe every syllable in Health Department press releases.

But there is another more serious reason why they are crying wolf again.

Some governments have realised that the Swine flu pandemic was a load of hot air, and are trying to cancel, downsize or on sell vaccine which the sceptical public refuse to take. And in a similar twist to the 2005 blackmail, the vaccine companies have come out swinging, and are again threatening Governments who don’t take and use their orders this time, that they will be seriously disadvantaged if another pandemic comes along in the future.

"If you want an effective vaccine industry you have to be consequent, because the next time that there will be a pandemic -- and there will be another one -- the governments who have been reliable partners will be treated preferentially," he added.

The edicts from vaccine manufacturers to government and the medical profession have a simple bottom line:

• Increase annual influenza use, or we don’t provide pandemic vaccine.
• Use the pandemic vaccine you order when we make it, or we won’t deliver when you want it, in the future.

So, do you want a flu shot? It's your choice.

But remember when you listen to the cute Kung Fu ads, or whatever they run this year, that the good little dogs are barking what they are told to say, when their tails are wagged for them. Or else. Simple as that.