Are Vaccines Causing ITP?

low Platelets, platelets low, platelet count, what is itp, low platelet counts, itp blood, itp platelets, itp blood disease, itp autoimmune disease, itp blogs, blogs about itp, bleeding disorder

Feature image from ITP & ME

They say that there is no know cause for ITP.  All the information points to a combination of genetic susceptibility, life style, stress, immune function and whatever…  The list goes on.  If you have ITP then you are probably sick of hearing all the reasons why some people get ITP and other people don’t.

While researching an article for ITP and Me, I came across a very interesting pie graph that I wanted to share with my readers.  I was looking for information on PEOPLE LIVING WITH ITP for another article, and I found heaps.  I pulled it from a public presentation from a medical conference in 2012.  It was a pie graph that depicted the prevalence of Secondary ITP in relation to Primary ITP.

Look at the following image closely.  Notice there is a little black line that does not have any writing next to it.

Secondary ITP, Primary ITP, ITP facts, People with ITP

 

  • Primary ITP accounts for 80% of all cases of ITP.
  • SLE or Systemic Lupus erythematosus or Simply Lupus accounts for 5% of cases. 
  • APS or Antiphospholipid Syndrome or Hughes Syndrome or Sticky Blood accounts for 2% (ME!)
  • CVID or Common Variable Immunodeficiency accounts for 1 %
  • CLL or Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia accounts for 2 %
  • Evan’s or Evan’s Syndrome accounts for 2 %
  • ALPS of Autoimmune Lymphoproliferative Syndrome is responsible for 1 %
  • HIV or Human Immunodeficiency Virus accounts for 1 %
  • Hep C of Hepatitis C has about 2 % of ITP cases
  • H. Pylori or Helicobacter pylori is 1 %
  • Misc Systemic Infection which would be Miscellaneous Infections account for 2 % of ITP Cases

Then I found this …

ITP chart, ITP facts, ITP statistics, Secondary ITP, Primary ITP

  • Post Vaccine accounts for 1 % of cases of ITP.

WOW!  Where was that on my other graph?  The statistics that represented Post Vaccine prevalence of ITP had been taken from the pie graph.  The information about Post Vaccine ITP cases was removed.  You might think that of the 2 200 people living with ITP this only accounts for 22 people…  It might not seem like much.  22 people might seem like a very insignificant amount to be writing an article on.  But for those 22 people this is a pretty big deal.

When I finally found the original here it looked like this…

People with ITP, what is ITP, ITP, ITP auto immune, autoimmune disorders

Before I left for my over seas holiday I had a few vaccines.  I forget what they all were, but I remember I was required to get a Yellow Fever Vaccine (Can they still call it that?) because of the countries that I wished to enter.  A couple of the countries had restrictions on traveler’s without a Yellow Fever Vaccine Certificate.  When I returned from my holiday four months later I was in hospital being diagnosed with ITP.  So I set off to discover if the link between ITP and Vaccines was a secret.

Were we being kept from this information?  The answer is NO.  All you need to do is a very basic search online to find thousands of articles on the links between ITP and getting vaccinated.  The conversations are startling in their anger, aggression, frustration and single mindedness for both sides of the argument.

The Measles Mumps and Rubella Vaccine (MMR)

It is stated on the packaging of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine that ITP is a known risk of taking the live viral vaccine.  ITP is a known risk of getting the MMR vaccine.

A MMR STUDY posted by the IMMUNIZATION INFOR ORGANISATION stated that researchers estimate that about one in every 22,000 MMR vaccinations could result in a child developing the temporary bleeding disorder idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura.  ‘ITP is rarely dangerous — generally much less serious than measles, mumps, or rubella — and is easily treated.’  A recent study found that children who had ITP and later received the MMR vaccine had no vaccine-associated recurrences.  ITP can also occur as a result of the natural rubella infection.

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), a bleeding disorder, has long been a recognised side-effect of live viral vaccines such as measles, rubella and MMR.  A study by researchers from the Public Health Laboratory Service (published in Archives of Diseases in Childhood, February 2001) also confirms earlier estimates that the rate of ITP after MMR is around 1 in 22,300. To quote this article, it states that the link between the MMR Vaccine and ITP is a casual one.

The article stresses the need to remember that the rate of ITP occurring after a natural viral illness is much higher (at about 1 in 3,000 for rubella and 1 in 6,000 for measles) and that the severity of illness in non-vaccine related ITP cases is much greater. Therefore MMR offers protection against this higher risk of ITP due to the natural disease, as well as the other known serious complications of measles, mumps and rubella.

So the Likelihood of getting ITP from an MMR Vaccine is approximately 1 in 22,000 cases.  The likelihood of getting ITP from the viruses they are immunising the child against is about 1 3000 to 1 in 6000.  BUT – The child may never catch the disease!  Why, because all their friends are immunised?  Perhaps.

The Gardasil, HPV Vaccine

The most popular ITP article on the internet right now is this – Gardasil Vaccine causing ITP.  The video raises awareness of the side effects of having the Gardasil Vaccine.

Many articles are being posted now about the dangers that the Gardasil Vaccine pose for young women who are taking one of the three government endorsed vaccines, including this one from the Vaccine Injury Help Centre.  This article states that side effects being listed from the Gardasil Vaccine now are almost as severe as being diagnoses with cervical cancer –  as the side effects are coming up with Guillain Barre Syndrome, ITP, and even some cases of death in the US.

Law suits in America are still pending and yet to be settled on cases of Gardasil side effects.  While over $6 MILLION DOLLARS has already been awarded to people in damages, the list continues to grow.

I tried looking for the statistics on the likelihood of getting ITP from naturally occurring Cervical Cancer, but could not find any information.  If anyone knows any information on the topic, please share below.

So What Should You Do?

This is a very controversial topic and it seems that both sides of the argument, wether you are pro vaccinations or against vaccinations, everyone seems to be able to produced a study that will confirm their beliefs.

This article is in no way intended to persuade you one way or the other.  It is mealy an addition to the huge dialogue that is taking place online every day.

The most important thing we can do is start a conversation.  We need to start talking about Vaccinations without yelling at each.  If you have any experience with ITP and Vaccines, we would love for you to contribute below.  Please bare in mind that your experience may not reflect any one else’s experience on the subject.

 

 

by Meg

Meghan Brewster is a writer and blogger. She is an ITP patient and launched ITP&Me in 2011. She is a coffee lover and a try hard dancer. @meghan_brewster

13 thoughts on “Are Vaccines Causing ITP?

  1. fenellajolly@yahoo.co.uk'
    Fenella jolly says:

    What sort of time after receiving vaccine are the children being diagnosed with ITP and has the flu vaccine been indicated as a potential vaccine that can cause ITP?
    Also are live vaccines more of a risk?

    • Meg says:

      ITP is a possible outcome of ANY viral infection. It is possible to get ITP from the Vaccine version and the naturally occurring version of any virus. I would not like to make any assumptions regarding time frames or likelihood.

  2. shallbesweet@yahoo.com'
    Maribel Ubbo says:

    I was been given gardasil vaccine last Jan17,2015 due to the presence of genital warts.They told me that it will prevent me from getting cervical cancer as I have those warts.After two weeks of the injection I git some problems in my stomach such,bloating,indigestion etc.To make the story short I was been diagnosed of h.pylori.I started reasearch on the net and found out that some people have same side effects as me.I was been so healthy and out of health problems before and now that I am having medication to eradicate h.pylori makes me too sick and lost 7kg in just 6days..Good luck to me and God help those people who are victims of this vaccination.

  3. nerabon@gmail.com'
    Nera says:

    Hello! I came across this article while sitting next to my 5 year old son who was just diagnosed with ITP. We are still in the hospital waiting for his platelets to increase. He was at 3000 and now he is at 18000 (still extremly low but getting better). While doctors are trying to fix the problem, I am more curious to learn what caused this in a healthy child and what I need to expect for the future. One very interesting fact is that he just got his kindergarten shots, including MMR vaccine on 12/13/2016. He has had this vaccine before but did not have any complications until now. Also, he was sick with a viral infection a week later between 12/28-12/30. Related or just a coincidence?

    • Meg says:

      Hi Nera, While I have absolutely no medical knowledge to support my theories, it is interesting that everything happened at around the same time. Personally I could not believe that it was all a coincidence. Hopefully it is from the MMR vaccine as I believe these mostly right themselves in a few months (correct me if I’m wrong)

  4. pjasovsky@me.com'
    Paul says:

    My daughter has had ITP for 20 some years . She was treated for Hodgkin’s when she was 15 and had a relapse 2 years later. Chemo and radiation, She is battling it now again and it started up 2 weeks after a flu shot? The treatment she is receiving now has so far not been working.
    She is presently in the hospital? She just received her 5th platelet transfusion ? There is no question in my mind that flu shot set it off again ?

  5. gchiappetta@hotmail.com'
    Gay Chiappetta says:

    Hi – back in 2013 prior to a trip to Peru, I had 3 vaccines: Yellow fever, Hep A & Typhoid. I developed ITP shortly thereafter. At the time my hematologist denied that the vaccines could be the cause. My new PCP however, thinks that the vaccines could have very well been the cause of my developing ITP. My ITP was refractory to treatment so I had to have a splenectomy.

  6. jeffbroomfield@me.com'
    Jeff says:

    Our dog has this a month after getting his yearly shot. All advice related to dogs say no more vaccines. I have experience with the science behind pesticides and both Health Canada & FDA actively cover up the severe negative heath effects of pesticides. Are we supposed to believe that something like this occurs naturally?

    • Meg says:

      As far as I understand it, there is a lot of confusion between the ‘vaccine’ and the live virus contained within the vaccine. ITP can manifest after any viral infection so yes it makes sense that ITP would also appear after a live virus vaccination. But I am not vaccine scientist.

  7. g.johnson268@gmail.com'
    Georgi says:

    Hello, so I was recently admitted and diagnosed with ITP- September 15,2017 to be specific. Also I have never gotten the flu shot but I’m planning to get it this time around due to the recent diagnosis. So my question is should I get it even though I have never had it, and my recent diagnosis?

  8. ldykhtan@gmail.com'
    Lara says:

    My son, who is now 7, has had ITP whem he was 5
    Months old. He received his 2month, 4 month and 6 month shots and on the day he received his 6 month shots he was hospitalized with platelets at 6,000

    Long story short- he recovered 6 months later, after catching a cold. All of a sudden his system reset itself and he was fine afterwards.
    Fast forward 7 years, we never gave him any further vaccines. A few days ago we received a letter that his vaccinations are not up to date and need to be updated.

    I was happy to forget ITP ever happened to us, but now im not sure what to do. No one gives us any straight answer..
    Should we vaccinate/not…..

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