America is in the grips of the worst flu season since 2009.
To date, 20 children nationwide have died from the flu. Record numbers of people have already fallen ill. In New York state alone, more than 19,000 confirmed cases have been reported so far this year (2013) — five times more than all of 2012. Here’s the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) latest flu map:
The news this morning is that many places are running out of flu shots. The most vulnerable — children, elderly, those with impaired immunity system — are urged to get a flu shot, although according to the CDC, the flu vaccine is effective in only 62% of cases.
Others, myself included, have eschewed getting a flu shot because flu manufacturers use aborted human fetal cells and tissue to grow their vaccine, including non-flu vaccines.
For conscientious flu-vaccine objectors, there is now good news!
Novartis is producing a new flu vaccine, Flucelvax, that does not rely on aborted fetal cell lines for its production.
EWTN reports, Nov. 23, 2012, that a U.S. pro-life group that monitors pharmaceutical research says the Switzerland-based company Novartis’ new vaccine Flucelvax is ethically produced and does not rely on aborted fetal cell lines like some others in development. Novartis has chosen to use a mammal cell line rather than the current, slower process using chicken embryos.
Debi Vinnedge, executive director of the Florida-based group Children of God for Life, said “We are extremely pleased to see Novartis advance in the market over those such as Sanofi Pasteur who are developing influenza vaccines using aborted fetal cell lines.” Novartis should be commended for “listening to public concerns.” Vinnedge encouraged the public to write the company and thank them for a vaccine that “will not force anyone to violate their religious and pro-life beliefs.”
Cell lines from two babies aborted in 1964 and 1970 have been used to create vaccinations for diseases such as measles, mumps and rubella, hepatitis, polio, rabies, chicken pox and smallpox.
The production of vaccines from these aborted fetal cells drew condemnation from the Catholic Church’s Pontifical Academy of Life in 2005. Though the pontifical academy said the use of such vaccines is morally permissible because those vaccinated do not directly cooperate in producing the vaccine, it stressed the “grave responsibility” to try to use alternative vaccines and to object to vaccines with “moral problems.”
Aborted fetal cells have also been used in the development of consumer products like anti-aging creams and artificial sweeteners. The San Diego-based company Senomyx, many of whose patents involved an aborted fetal cell line derived from embryonic kidneys, drew scrutiny when business agreements with soft drink maker PepsiCo and Campbell Soup came to light. Campbell Soup cut ties with Senomyx, while PepsiCo in April 2012 announced that it does not conduct or fund research that uses tissue or cell lines derived from embryos or fetuses.
Click here to read more about the use of aborted human fetal cells in vaccines, cosmetics, and even food/drinks.
So if you’re getting a flu shot or another vaccine, make sure you ask which manufacturer produced the vaccine. Tell your hospital, physician, or drug store to procure flu vaccine from Novartis.
Here’s the contact info for Novartis’ headquarters in the USA:
Novartis Corporation
1 South Ridgedale Avenue
Building 122
Hanover, NJ 07936
862-778-8300
888-644-8585
Interested in investing in Novartis? Here’s the e-mail address: Investor.relations@novartis.com
~Eowyn