MMR Vaccination v Autism Debate Update

Concerns were being raised the whole world over (including the UK) in the MMR debate; long before Dr Wakefield was used as a scapegoat.

With the current trial of Dr Andrew Wakefield and his colleagues Professors John Walker-Smith and Simon Murch it is very worrying indeed to have confirmed that it was clear something significant was happening in the MMR debate long before Dr Wakefield was used as a scapegoat. The concerns were being raised the whole world over, including the UK.

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) has uncovered Minutes of Whitehall Committee meetings that confirm worst fears because serious concerns were expressed about the original MMR vaccine 20 years ago. The Minutes reveal that Whitehall were aware of the potentially dangerous side effects long before the introduction of the mass MMR (Measles-Mumps-Rubella) Vaccine programme and the Dr

Andrew Wakefield debacle. In 1988, 10 years before Dr Wakefield’s study was published in 1988, yet this information was kept secret from the public. Other countries were already reporting “adverse reactions” and a result, some countries like Canada, America and Australia withdrew the Licence. Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines followed suit.

A few months later, Sweden announced that they were making connections with the MMR Vaccine and “febrile convulsions”. Following that was a report from a study in Somerset that “5 cases of convulsions were reported in children taking part in a MMR trial”. Nevertheless, the MMR Vaccine Programme was rolled out in the UK went ahead. It is suggested that it was a cost cutting decision as some of the ingredients in this vaccine were cheaper than a suggested safer alternative. It wasn’t until 1992 that Britain stopped using it. It is suggested that revoking the Licence would have cast aspersions on the earlier Whitehall decision for that particular blend of the vaccine in favour of MMR2 which is said to be less potent.

Dr Wakefield’s research on the MMR Vaccine (which started this latest furore) was first published in the medical journal, The Lancet in 1998. The findings were so interesting one would have thought, in the light of previous concerns, he should have been patted on the back and encouraged to continue his research. Instead, a witch hunt began.

Is the MRR Vaccine safe?
This trial isn’t about the safety of the MMR Vaccine it’s about whether or nor Dr Wakefield and his colleagues violated ethical guidelines which resulted in them being involved in professional misconduct. What is in question is whether they acted against the clinical interests of the children who took part in his trial.

Dr Wakefield’s defence is that all he wanted to do was “help treat and prevent autism after being approached by worried parents”. Allegedly, he was approached by a mother in 1995 who believed her child had regressed into autism AFTER having the MMR Vaccine and he felt “as a human being, it was his duty to help her”… The mother told him that her child had “terrible bowel problems” which she connected to autism. If found guilty, Dr Wakefield faces being “struck off the medical register” in the UK. However, the GMC jurisdiction doesn’t stretch across the water where Dr Wakefield is currently running a development disorders clinic for children.

Dr Wakefield was interested in the parents comments as he had already been looking into links between measles and bowel disorders and so felt the concerns worth investigating. It is after all, he explains, common knowledge that there is a link between the gut and brain problems and the parents he spoke to all had remarkably similar stories to tell.

Over the years, in spite of the scientific community reassuring the public that the MMR Vaccine is safe, it seems parents are not convinced. Uptake of the vaccination slumped after the report in The Lancet and still hasn’t picked up to the 95% that the medical profession would like to see.

It’s interesting that the “scientific community” are still advocating that the vaccine is safe. They say that “ there has been many studies examining the safety of MMR since 1998. All have concluded that the three in one vaccine is safe”. Well, they would, wouldn’t they? Their research is sponsored by the pharmaceutical companies - so they’re hardly likely to allow such studies to reveal that the vaccines are potential killers of our children” That would be like biting off the hand that feeds them? No research funding. No studies. Scientists and researchers alike too would also be out of jobs.

Supporters of Dr Wakefield are stating that the charges are “trumped up by the pharmaceutical industry and the Government to bury the damage done to thousands of children by the MMR vaccine”. It should be highlighted that not one single parent has made a complaint against the doctors being charged.

They also point out that they believe the trial is more about serving as a warning to other doctors “who put their necks on the line to serve the interests of their patients rather than toe the line with the rich and powerful”. They also state that “we are in the middle of an autism epidemic – a man made catastrophe”. These supporters are concerned about what is being hidden is the way the vaccine damage has destroyed the lives of many of our children. They quote that one in every 100 children is now diagnosed with autism in the UK and whilst they accept that not all are vaccine damaged and not all are MMR damaged, they highlight that many are but these facts are hidden.

It is highly likely that the figures are actually higher – symptoms vary. Not all are as serious as autism. Therefore, some parents may not made the connection with regard to their child’s behaviour changing or other problems occurring after their MMR Vaccination. How many I wonder are labelled suffering from ADD/ADHD or being referred to Child Psychologists for anti social behavioural problems at home or at school without anyone ever making the link between behaviour and the MMR vaccine?

One parent explained to me that her baby was definitely different. Almost immediately (the same day) of his MMR vaccination. She said he went from being a happy, smiling, carefree baby to a grumpy baby with sleeping and digestive problems and that was just the beginning. The hyperactive behaviour followed very soon after. This level of “harm” is extremely (if not impossible) to prove but that doesn’t mean the evidence is not valid, documented or not.

Parents and carers of autistic children who believe their children are in distress and suffering as a direct result of the MMR Vaccine are angry that they trusted the doctors and the pharmaceutical companies and now their lives are in ruin and worse still they are not being treated fairly. Not even being listened to.

To add insult to injury, it was recently announced that legal aid is being withdrawn for those suing over the MMR vaccine. It is felt that this is quite a deliberate move to discourage parents/carers from going down this route. The logic is that it is a waste of public money as the majority of cases fail. I wonder why?

The fact remains that the MMR Vaccine used on our babies is more dangerous than we are led to believe and the guardians of our health are deliberately keeping this information from us – as they have done in the past. Instead they attempt to blackmail us by publicising that the lives of our children are in danger if we DON’T get them vaccinated. It’s made even worse when schools insist that if your child hasn’t been vaccinated they can not attend that particular school – and we believe we live in a democratic society? One without any freedom of choice when it comes to the safety of our children’s lives !!

The poisons these vaccinations contain are pumped into our babies from 6 weeks of age when their body is not properly mature, particularly their digestive systems. In my experience there is a direct correlation between the tripe vaccine and feeding and sleeping problems.

What Doctors Don’t Tell You (WDDTY) recently reported and have published a book on the subject - that “so-called independent studies are skewed. WDDTY also reveal that studies have been publicised in Hong Kong stating that “no association between mercury preservatives found in vaccines versus children diagnosed with autism”. However, WDDTY reveal that when the study which was reviewed by eminent scientists (before publication) contained so many “computational errors that when the findings were re-analysed, there was a significant relationship between mercury and autism”. WDDTY also state that in the “USA.

The Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has been supporting data that suggests many vaccinations come with a far higher risk that we’re being told. They claim that data is unreliable and yet, until the discovery was made it was the same data that was being released to every study group that was seeking to PROVE the safety of the vaccines”.

Additionally, the body doesn’t contract measles, mumps and rubella all at the same time. nature hits us with them one at a time. This enables the immune system to build up immunity.

What a heavy responsibility parents have to bear today? To decide whether to vaccinate or not? It takes a brave parent to decide against it but at the end of the day, common sense should prevail - they have to live with their decision and it’s not an easy one.

Personally, I’m of the old school. When I was a child, our parents used to hold street parties to make sure we got it – whatever was going around at the time. I don’t remember anyone dying or becoming permanently brain damaged as the result of getting measles, mumps or rubella. There is of course, always the risk to pregnant mothers which can not be taken lightly. I have seen the results of that scenario and it’s heart breaking.

In any case, having a child vaccinated does NOT guarantee they will not get a “children’s illness”. They can still get it – maybe not quite so bad. Next time you're in the presence of cjildren, listen for the child coughing constantly; the kind of cough that makes you turn around and stare or want to quickly move away for fear you'll catch it. Whatever "it" is. It's not always children, can sometimes be adults too.

I’m pretty confident that’s Whooping Cough, without the “whoop”. Parents aren't aware - the child ins't necessarily "ill" so they don't seem to consider their child is unwell - hence they're out in the public arena, including attending school. Yet parents who decided against having their children vaccinated are castigated for those decisions and cast out as though lepars. Meanwhile, vaccinated children are out and about in the community – spreading the germs; funnily enough - just as we always did years ago ! Yet the propaganda is that measles, mumps and rubella is more prevalent because irresponsible parents aren't having their children vaccinated. Don't believe a word of it.

IMPORTANT NOTE : The views in this article are solely those of the author.  Parents and guardians are advised to seek advice from medical professionals and others and to glean as much information from as many different sources as possible, before making decisions or embarking on vaccination programmes for their babies and children.

Sunday, 6 April 2008

© 2008 Bromley Health Management