Student & Teacher Research Initiative
for Vaccine Education
for Vaccine Education
Click here to edit subtitle
STRIVE - Who We Are
STRIVE was established in 2015 by
a coalition of concerned students, teachers and parents to help raise
awareness and share information about the safety profiles and possible
risks of vaccines recommended to college and university students. We are
a UK-based group focusing on vaccines typically offered to students
between the ages of 16 and 24. Our aim is to furnish this age-group and
their families with information about vaccines that is generally not made
available by schools and colleges. Our founder and editor is writer and activist, Miri Finch, and you can learn more about her here.
Absolutely
not. Every contributing member of STRIVE has been fully vaccinated as
per the childhood schedule when they were born, and many have chosen to
have boosters and other additional vaccines as adults. Furthermore,
many STRIVE parents have opted to vaccinate their children. We are
entirely in favour of vaccines being made available to those who want to
use them; however, we are also in favour of people being given the full
and unobscured facts before they make a decision. The "official line"
on vaccines is that they are exceptionally safe, and
that serious side effects are very rare - the figure "one in a million" is often quoted, though never supported with a citation. Investigating the scientific literature suggests the incidence of serious adverse reactions to vaccines is actually much higher, with a 2011 study putting it at 1 in 168.
Therefore, if people are consenting to
receive vaccines believing their chances of a significant adverse event are approximately one in one million, their consent is not
fully informed. The medical profession is governed by strict guidelines of informed consent, yet these are not reliably adhered to where vaccinations are concerned. When consent is not fully informed, it may be considered
coerced, manipulated or invalid. STRIVE therefore aims to ensure people
consent to any vaccines offered to them knowledgeably, confidently
and freely.
Is STRIVE anti-science?
Of
course not. Many contributing members of STRIVE work in academic or
research fields, using science and the scientific method on a daily
basis. STRIVE is extremely pro-science, but recognises there is not a
scientific consensus on the safety of vaccines. Some less rigorous
information resources state that "the science is settled" where it comes
to vaccines, however, this is simply not true. Not only is research
into vaccine safety very much ongoing, but much of the existing data
supporting the safety of vaccines is outdated or incomplete. For
instance, most vaccine safety studies test one vaccine against
another vaccine, or a solution using the same adjuvant (which is sometimes erroneously labelled a placebo), rather than the scientific gold standard of using a true, inert placebo. So
this doesn't give us a full picture of whether a vaccine is objectively
"safe", just that it may be safer than another vaccine, or have comparable effects to another biologically reactive solution. Further,
studies that do find safety concerns with vaccines are often obscured
from public view. Therefore STRIVE endeavours to make this information,
and all information, easily available and accessible, in order
that people can evaluate all the data and make an informed choice.
Is STRIVE selling anything?
No. We do not retail any product or service, and all our resources are available for free. You can, however, support us via donation should you wish to do so.
Are you crazy conspiracy theorists who deny the Holocaust and believe the earth is flat?
No. (We like to think Elvis is still alive, though.)
For more information about STRIVE, please contact us using the form on the home page. You can also connect with us on social media through our Facebook page, and by following us on Twitter
For more information about STRIVE, please contact us using the form on the home page. You can also connect with us on social media through our Facebook page, and by following us on Twitter