WHEN I GRADUATED I BEGAN WORKING AT MERCK MERCK HAS RELEASED PEPCID FAMOTIDINE PRILOSEC OMEPRAZOLE AND MERCK MANUFACTURES QUITE A FEW VACCINES MOST WELL KNOWN IS PROBABLY THE MMR BEFORE MY WIFE BECAME PREGNANT WITH OUR FIRST CHILD I WAS LARGELY INDIFFERENT TOWARDS VACCINES I JUST ASSUMED THAT IT WAS OKAY I DIDN'T REALLY THINK ABOUT IT SO WHEN STEPHANIE BECAME PREGNANT EARLY 2000 I HAD JUST RECENTLY STARTED IN THE VACCINE STERILE QUALITY OPERATIONS BUSINESS UNIT AS A SUPERVISOR IN THE BIOCHEMISTRY LABORATORY I BEGAN TO ATTEND VACCINE POLICY MEETINGS I ASKED BASIC QUESTIONS ABOUT FOR INSTANCE THE HEP B VACCINE I'VE GOT A CHILD COMING IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS SO I'M WONDERING ABOUT THE WISDOM SCIENTIFIC AND OTHERWISE ABOUT ADMINISTERING A HEP B VACCINE TO AN INFANT VIRTUALLY EVERY MEDICAL SCHOLAR ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE IMMUNE NOT IMMUNE SYSTEM OF AN INFANT IS NOWHERE NEAR DEVELOPED AND SO THIS IS A MEDICAL INTERVENTION TO BOOST AN IMMUNE SYSTEM ABOUT WHICH WE KNOW VERY LITTLE MY QUESTIONS ARE VERY SPECIFIC HOW DO WE KNOW VACCINES ARE SAFE WHAT DO WE DO TO DETERMINE THEIR SAFETY WHAT HAVE WE DONE TO DETERMINE THE ROBUSTNESS OF THE METHODS THAT WE'RE EMPLOYING TO DETERMINE SAFETY AND EFFICACY THESE ARE BASIC QUESTIONS WHAT I BEGAN TO FIND IS THAT THE TYPE OF STUDIES WERE KIND OF SHABBY I FELT THEY WERE KIND OF RUSHED THEY'RE SORT OF A RUSH TO MARKET I RAISED QUESTIONS LIKE THAT AND DIDN'T FEEL THAT THEY WERE PARTICULARLY APPRECIATED WHAT I'M SUGGESTING IS THAT WHILE I WAS AT MERCK THE ANSWERS THAT COME BACK ARE SUPERFICIAL AND THAT'S USUALLY CODE FOR I DON'T KNOW THAT DOESN'T LINE UP THEN WITH THE CONVICTION AND THE PASSION THE VACCINES ARE ABSOLUTELY BULLETPROOF AND EVERYBODY SHOULD BE VACCINATED THERE'S A DISCONNECT THERE MAKES YOU WONDER WHAT ELSE IS GOING ON RIGHT AROUND WHEN MY WIFE WAS ABOUT SEVEN MONTHS PREGNANT IT WAS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS WHERE WE'RE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND I'M SHARING WITH HER THE CONCERNS THAT I THAT I BEGAN TO HAVE AND EVENTUALLY WE JUST KIND OF LOOKED AT EACH OTHER AND KNEW THAT WE HAD COME TO THE SAME CONCLUSION THE PROBABILITY OF DISEASE ACTUALLY FROM VACCINATION WAS ACTUALLY HIGHER AND WE MADE A DECISION WE WEREN'T GONNA VACCINATE ANY OF OUR CHILDREN WE WERE MEETING MORE AND MORE INDIVIDUALS IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL BUSINESS WE'RE ALSO LEANING IN THE SAME DIRECTION I HAD A DEAR FRIEND WHO STILL WORKS IN BIG PHARMA SHE WAS ABOUT TO GIVE BIRTH HERSELF SHE MADE THAT DECISION AS WELL NOT VACCINATE AT ALL AND WE HAVE NOT VACCINATED A SINGLE TIME FOR ANY OF OUR FOUR CHILDREN THEY ARE SUPER HEALTHY AND IT'S YOU KNOW 18 YEARS AFTER THE FACT AND NEVER LOOKED BACK