We need your help to convince Governor Cuomo to veto the meningitis vaccine mandate, S4324a/A791c, passed by the New York legislture last June. The Governor just called up the bill which means we only have 8 days to convince him to veto it. The New York legislature knuckled under to the lobbying blitz led by Pfizer, the largest drug and vaccine manufacturer in the US, headquartered here in New York. They ignored all the data that clearly show far more children will be injured (4000 anticipated annual hospitalizations) and killed (estimates of 12 to 15 annually) by injecting every seventh and twelfth grader in the state, than from meningococcal meningitis itslef (no deaths in the affected age group in the past five years. The most shameful act of the legislature was that they voted to require separate injections for meningitis b even though there are no meningitis b vaccines licensed in the US. And just days after the legislature's vote the Federal government refused to recommend two meningitis b vaccines under development, citing safety concerns and no clear evidence of efficacy. With this vote your legislature completely abdicated their responsibility to assure that the vaccines required to attend school in New York meet minimal safety and efficacy standards. Pfizer's lobbyists speak much louder than your children's health and safety.

Here's what you can do:

Please click on the Take Action link to send an email to the Governor, or use this llink below:

http://capwiz.com/a-champ/issues/alert/?alertid=68214641&queueid=%5Bcapwiz%3Aqueue_id%5D

Please take a few minutes to make a call to the Governor's office at the number below and politely explain that you want the Governor to veto the bill. 1-518-474-8390

Please write a polite letter to the governor asking him to veto S4324c/A791a. Letters from voters matter. You can use the email on the Take Action link as a model, and but please include your own thoughts.

The Honorable Andrew M. Cuomo

Governor of New York State

NYS State Capitol Building

Albany, NY 12224

And FAX your letter: 518-4741513

Here are some key facts to use in your letter:

     Meningococcal meningitis is extremely rare. There have been no deaths from meningococcal meningitis in the age group targeted by this bill in New York in the past five years. However, there have been at least three deaths caused by meningitis vaccines in the same population reported to the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).

     Requiring all seventh and twelfth graders in the state to get vaccines for meningococcal meningitis would result in many more serious injuries and deaths than by leaving currently voluntary policies in place. When considering information from the CDC, the FDA and the vaccine’s package inserts, one can reasonably expect 4,000 serious injuries and 12 deaths every year from annually vaccinating 400,000 New York students to prevent a handful of meningococcal meningitis cases.

     This law will cost more than $54 million just administration cost not including the cost of the expected 4000 hospitalizations and deaths.

     S4324a/A791c also includes a mandate for vaccines for the B-strain of meningococcal meningitis, even though there are no vaccines for meningitis B licensed for use in the United States. How can the New York legislature mandate a drug that isn’t licensed or recommended to be administered as a mandatory vaccine? The legislature has over-stepped its authority and abdicated its responsibility to debate, discuss and hold hearings on such an important public health decision.

     This bill will not improve public health in New York and will result in a significant number of vaccine injured young people. The bill imposes significant financial burdens in addition to the additional cost of medical care for vaccine injured.

     The legislature has acted impulsively and incorrectly, and clearly at the behest of Pfizer and other lobbyists interests.

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