Molecular Mimicry—Understanding the link between vaccines and autoimmune disease

By the World Mercury Project Team
Autoimmune diseases have become increasingly common in the United States and other high-income countries over the past several decades and now affect an estimated 5%-10% of the population in those countries. The broad category of “autoimmune disease” comprises over 100 different rheumatic, endocrinological, gastrointestinal and neurological conditions that ensue when the body’s immune responses get misdirected against itself. Researchers generally agree that environmental factors (including drugs and chemicals) are strongly to blame for the rise in autoimmune disorders, possibly in conjunction with genetic and epigenetic influences—and studies dating back to the mid-1990s indicate that vaccines, with their unique configuration of viral or bacterial antigens and adjuvants, are a biologically plausible trigger.      Read Full Story Here