Members of the Ball State University Truth Movement are hoping to make the campus a safer place through research done on a popular flu vaccine given at the Amelia T. Wood Health Center.
The organization presented research to the Health Center's Medical Director, Dr. Kent Bullis, showing that thimersol, which is found in the Fluzone vaccine given to Ball State students this year, can lead to Alzheimer's disease or autism.
The Truth Movement, which put on the "Eyes Wide Open Exhibit" last week, hopes the research will convince Bullis to order more doses of FluMist, a vaccine that does not contain the potentially harmful thimersol.
FluMist is $13 more than the traditional Fluzone. However Bullis said it does not sell, forcing him to throw away the extras. This year, Bullis ordered 500 doses of Fluzone and 30 of FluMist. While the Health Center sold out of Fluzone, it only sold three doses of FluMist.
Even with this research, Bullis said there are no studies done by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that found Fluzone to be dangerous. Tony Farmer, president of the University Truth Movement, believes the FDA's research was not enough.
"It's absolutely junk science," he said. "There are hundreds of thousands of parents of autistic children that are screaming at the top of their lungs that it is junk science."
In 1999 the Public Heath Service Agencies, the American Academy of Pediatrics and vaccine manufacturers decided that thimerosal should be eliminated in all vaccines due to the potential danger. As of 2001, only certain flu vaccines contain the ingredient.
Bullis said he is taking the research seriously and plans to read it thoroughly so that he can make an informed decision as to which vaccines the Health Center will distribute next year. "I asked them for the information," he said. "What I have read so far is very interesting."
Though Bullis is looking into the subject, he still stands by the FDA.
"I think the U.S. has one of the best regulatory systems in the world," he said. "They have a lot of manpower to look at vaccines and medications on a regular basis and I personally feel very safe taking the flu vaccine, and other vaccines. Overall I think the safety outweighs any risks."
Bullis said students who come in for the flu vaccine are aware of the options and are informed of the risks given by the FDA, which do not include the possible risk of Alzheimer's or autism.
"We do not include those risks because we haven't found any evidence," Bullis said.
Farmer said he believes that Bullis is open-minded and has the best interest of students at heart. Farmer's goal is that the research will go on to protect students on campus, and eventually help people across the nation, he said.
"My hope is that the vaccine will never be injected into the unsuspecting arms of Ball State students again," he said.
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