Dr. Meryl Nass, M.D.

Dr. Meryl Nass, M.D.

[2009 April] Comments on: Ryan, MAK, et al. Birth Defects among Infants Born to Women Who Received Anthrax Vaccine in Pregnancy. American Journal of Epidemiology; July 2008. by Meryl Nass, M.D Dr. Ryan presented results of a subset of this group (those vaccinated 1998 through mid 2001) in late 2001 and early 2002. Shortly after her presentation to FDA, in January 2002 FDA changed the pregnancy warning on the anthrax vaccine label to category D from C, indicating that data showed the vaccine was associated with birth defects, and should not be given to women during pregnancy. The Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Dr. William Winkenwerder, also responded to Dr. Ryan's findings. He sent memos to all the military services, directing that special efforts should be made to avoid giving the vaccine during pregnancy, including the use of pregnancy tests if appropriate.

[2009 Nov] Misrepresenting smallpox vaccine in pregnancy findings by Meryl Nass, M.D Last April I wrote a detailed critique in this blog of a paper by Margaret A. K. Ryan et al on anthrax vaccinations in pregnancy and birth defects. In the paper I am discussing today, Evaluation of Preterm Births and Birth Defects in Liveborn Infants of US Military Women Who Received Smallpox Vaccine, Ryan has studied birth defects in military servicewomen who received smallpox vaccine during pregnancy. In fact, there is likely significant overlap between the two groups of women Ryan studied, since both anthrax and smallpox vaccines have been given to all service members deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan and Korea since 2003. The findings of the two studies are, no surprise, very similar: women receiving smallpox vaccine during the first trimester of pregnancy had a rate of major birth defects in their offspring of 4.5%, while the offspring of women vaccinated post-pregnancy had a major birth defect rate of only 3.2%. The birth defect rate is therefore 40% higher if the mother was vaccinated during the first trimester. What would a true scientist have done with these results?

Anthrax Epizootic in Zimbabwe, 1978-1980: Due to Deliberate Spread? by Meryl Nass, M.D.

[Meryl Nass--Anthrax letters] Beyond a Reasonable Doubt?

My understanding of the safety of anthrax vaccine and its role in GWS ---Meryl Nass MD

Dec 2003 Talking points: anthrax vaccine preliminary injunction by Meryl Nass, MD

The Anthrax Vaccine Saga: How Not to Develop a Vaccine Program--Dr. Meryl Nass, M.D.

"CDC recently sponsored a trial of post-exposure anthrax vaccine use. FDA approved the trial. The study's consent form acknowledged that preliminary data showed anthrax vaccine could cause birth defects. Since for the preceding two months antibiotic treatment had been 100 per cent successful at preventing anthrax in those exposed, it was not at all obvious that vaccination offered any additional benefit. Yet pregnant women were invited to enroll as subjects. Isn't it unethical to offer a vaccine to pregnant women that might cause birth defects, and one that was not necessary? But that wasn't the end of it. FDA just approved the license for anthrax vaccine, and approved a new anthrax vaccine label, which became public five weeks after the CDC study began. The new label clearly states that no animal experiments have ever been performed to determine the vaccine's effect on pregnancy. What logic led both CDC and FDA to experiment on human fetuses in the complete absence of animal fertility data? How could pregnant females be used as guinea pigs, before any guinea pigs or mice were studied? "-----Dr. Meryl Nass, M.D. http://www.redflagsweekly.com/nasspubhlth.html

WHO IS PROTECTING THE PUBLIC HEALTH? CAN WE TRUST THE REGULATORS? By Meryl Nass, MD http://www.redflagsweekly.com/nasspubhlth.html

I am known for having analysed a major anthrax outbreak, which occurred in Rhodesia during its civil war. I showed that none of the explanations for why it was a "natural" event stood up to scrutiny, and that the epizootic was due to biological warfare. My understanding of the safety of anthrax vaccine and its role in GWS ---Meryl Nass MD

Anthrax vaccine related to multiple cancers and other illnesses