In 1999, Dr. Jane Orient, executive director of the American Association of Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS) made the following statements about the hepatitis B vaccine:

"An independent review of the VAERS data; publications by governmental, pro-vaccine, and anti-vaccine groups; and a sample of the medical literature leads to the following conclusions: For most children, the risk of a serious vaccine reaction may be 100 times greater than the risk of hepatitis B....VAERS contains 25,000 reports related to hepatitis B vaccine, about one-third of which were serious enough to lead to an emergency room visit, hospitalization, or death."

Statement by Jane Orient, M.D., president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons to the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources of the Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives, June 14, 1999. Click here to view

In 1998, 15,000 people filed a class action lawsuit against the French government because the officially mandated hepatitis B vaccine caused thousands to develop MS-like symptoms. That year, France ended compulsory hepatitis B vaccinations. "Hep B Vaccine Linked Directly to Autoimmune Rheumatoid Diseases," From Doctor's Guide to Medical and Other News, click here to view.

Since 1987, there have been at least 38 reports in international medical literature showing that the hepatitis B vaccine causes chronic autoimmune and neurological disease in both children and adults. This is easily found in, Hepatitis B, The Untold Story": a 16-page Report sent to 55,000 pediatricians by the National Vaccine Information Center in 1999.

Because it is genetically engineered, Recombivax HB can confuse the body's immune system into attacking itself resulting in an auto-immune response such as multiple sclerosis (MS). "Ounce of Prevention, Pound of Misery?" Insight Magazine, March 22, 1999, In this article, Dr. Bonnie Dunbar, professor of cell biology at Baylor College of Medicine and an award-winning vaccine research scientist has stated that because the hepatitis B vaccine derives from a surface protein of virus molecules, the similarities between the antigen and proteins in human nerves and tissues may trick the autoimmune systems of the genetically susceptible into attacking themselves. Dunbar says it may take months or years for the auto-immune response to become obvious.

In 1998, data linking the vaccine to auto-immune diseases, including lupus and rheumatoid arthritis, was released at the 62nd annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology. That same year, a study by Dr. John Classen, an immunologist at Classen Immunotherapies, published a paper linking hepatitis B vaccine with the development of insulin dependent diabetes in certain children. Diabetes is considered an auto-immune disease. "Vaccines Proven to be Largest Cause of Insulin Dependent Diabetes In Children" PR Newswire, September 11, 2000. This article says Classen presented data to the International Public Conference on Vaccination showing that vaccines cause at least 80% of diabetes in children who have received multiple vaccines starting after the first 2 months of life. His research showed that there was a 60 percent increase in Type I diabetes following a massive campaign in New Zealand to vaccinate babies with Hepatitis B vaccine. Dr. Classen's research was mentioned by Jane Orient, M.D. president of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons to the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources of the Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives, June 14, 1999. For more information, contact Classen Immunotherapies, at classen@vaccines.net

Although young children are in the lowest risk category for contracting hepatitis, they are given three doses of hepatitis B vaccine by the age of 18 months, and then a fourth booster shot around 11-12 years of age. Birthing hospitals routinely inject all newborns with their first hepatitis B vaccination before they leave the hospital. The only way a newborn is at risk for hepatitis is if it is born to a mother with an active hepatitis B infection. The problem is said to be the fact that the liver in a newborn baby does not begin to function until after the first 48 to 72 hours of life. The enzymes in mother's milk assist the liver in beginning to function. Receiving a hepatitis B vaccine within the first few hours of life does nothing to protect the newborn. Rather, the opposite is true, since the vaccine may compromise proper development of the immune system. This can be verified by looking at the Master Research Chronology, The Psycho-Social Chemical, Biological and Electromagnetic Manipulation of the Human Consciousness, Revised and Expanded Version 2.0, by Valdamar Valerian 1994/1995/1996 Leading Edge Research Group.

After many newborns died or suffered seizures, brain swelling and permanent brain damage following their hepatitis B injections, the dangers of the vaccine were brought to public attention by a documentary on ABC's 20/20. Finally in July, 1999, the CDC reversed its ill-advised mandate on giving the hepatitis B vaccine to newborns. Nevertheless, despite a decade of problems, and virtually no clinical control studies proving safety or efficacy, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices once again recommends in its 2002 immunization schedule that newborns be injected with the hepatitis B vaccine. All this is in "Fed Policy Reversed on Hep B Vaccine," Gannett News Service, July 11, 1999. On July 9, 1999, the US Public Health Service and the American Academy of Pediatrics announced cancellation of their previous recommendation to inject newborns with the hepatitis B vaccine.

By 1999, at least 100 medical reports confirmed at least 45 side effects associated with the hepatitis B vaccine, many related to chronic crippling disabilities and permanent neurological damage. Adverse reactions include: polyneuropathy, Guillain-Barre (paralytic nerve damage), visual disturbances and blindness, vertigo, tinnitus (ringing in the ears), serum sickness, colitis, autism, herpes zoster, myesthenia gravis and rheumatoid arthritis. See vaclib website here.

The hepatitis B vaccine, Recombivax HB, manufactured by Merck and Co., is a recombinant DNA vaccine. It is produced by cloning the hepatitis virus, and then, adding the cloned virus to a yeast-based culture. This culture, as with all vaccine cultures, contains a variety of foreign proteins originating from other viruses and bacteria. The problem with this is that in 1971, scientists in Geneva discovered that when viral proteins are injected directly into the bloodstream, they combine with human genetic material, causing DNA to mutate. "Vaccines and Production of Negative Genetic Changes In Humans," Leading Edge Research Group, 1996-1998. See it here.

Recombivax HB also contains the neurotoxin aluminum sulfate along with Thimerosal, a mercury derivative which the U.S. government has mandated for removal from vaccines because of its ability to cause brain damage.

In 1997, while publicly defending hepatitis B vaccine, the CDC produced an internal memo suggesting a "possible association between the vaccine and multiple sclerosis. "Shots in the Dark," American Spectator Magazine, May 1999.