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February 18, 2002        News Archive Search  www.feat.org/search/news.asp

PUBLIC HEALTH

(MMR – Vax News from the UK, Over the Weekend)

·        ‘Major U-turn’ by Gov’t as 100s of Parents Pay Up To Avoid Triple Vax

·        Firm Offers Single Jabs At £80 A Time On Milburn’s Doorstep

·        Autism Research Is Vital

·        UK Health Dept. Finally Asks for Wakefield’s Autism Research

·        Expert Who Never Attended A Meeting Quits MMR Safety Panel: Scotland

·        Doctor Challenged Over MMR Claim

·        Doctors Cash In On MMR Fear With £280 ($400) Charge For Single Jabs

·        Vaccine Drug Tycoon in £50,000 Labour Link

·        MMR and Autism Sunday Letters to the Guardian

·        Reader’s Posts

 

Major U-turn by Gov.t as 100s of Parents Pay Up To Avoid Triple Vax

Health chiefs ask doctor behind MMR warning to help them

[By Rachel Ellis, Mail On Sunday. Not available online.]

The Government has finally caved in to pressure over MMR and agreed to begin talks with the doctor who first raised concerns about the triple vaccine.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal the CMO has written to Dr Andrew Wakefield asking him to share his research findings with the Government.

The move is a significant u-turn by the DoH which has tried to ignore Dr Wakefield’s and his research, which suggests a link between the MMR vaccine and autism and bowel conditions.

It reveals the Government’s panic over the plummeting vaccination rates in some parts of Britain - and Dr Wakefield’s supporters say the Government may be ready to rethink its policy on making single vaccines available on the NHS.

The doctor, now in the US, has welcomed the chance to begin talks with the DoH.

He said yesterday:”we have been trying for many years to enter an appropriate dialogue with the Government in which our findings can be truly independently reviewed, but it has failed to provide us with this forum.

We’ve already made provision for samples to be analysed independently and

invited the Centre for Disease Control to come to work in one of our

laboratories to conduct the analysis, but it failed to take us up on the

offer. Let’s hope the latest move is the beginning of a new attitude towards

this serious dilemma”

The Government u-turn was prompted by a letter sent by Dr Wakefield to CMO Prof. Sir Liam Donaldson and Downing Street last week.

It followed reports of measles outbreaks in some parts of the country where the uptake of MMR has fallen as low as 65%.

Shortages and the high cost of paying privately for the single vaccines - about £200 for a complete course of single jabs - mean that some parents are not having children immunised at all.

In the letter, Dr Wakefield said concerns about the MMR vaccine will not go away because at least nine new pieces of work which show a link will be published during the year.

“You cannot fail to be aware of the unexplained and dramatic increase in autism in countries which administer the MMR vaccine” he adds. “No one is suggesting that the entire increase in this condition is down to the MMR vaccine but even if the vaccine is contributing only a small proportion, that would inevitably render it unsafe.”

A spokesman for the DoH said Prof. Donaldson had replied to the letter, setting out a list of questions about his research for him to answer. He added:”We also asked Dr Wakefield if he would turn over his data and samples for independent scientific analysis.”

A spokesman for Visceral, the charity which funds research into the link between MMR and autism, said:”We are delighted that a dialogue is to finally begin.”

* * *

 

 

Firm Offers Single Jabs At £80 A Time On Milburn’s Doorstep

[From the Mail On Sunday. Not available online.]

A private health company is offering separate vaccines for measles mumps and rubella at a clinic in Health Secretary Alan Milburn’s constituency.

Two hundred children were immunised yesterday at the start of the two-day ‘outreach clinic’ at the Woodlands hospital in Darlington, Co.  Durham.

They had waited patiently with their parents, who were happy to pay £240 for the three single jabs costing £80 each.

The clinic has been set up by doctors from the London-based Direct Health 2000 after they received hundreds of calls from parents in the North-East worried about the triple MMR vaccine, which some fear may have links to autism.

Direct Health 2000 spokeswoman Kathryn Durnford said some parents of youngsters aged between 2 and 4 had told them they would not vaccinate their children with the MMR jab.

She said:”This suggests there are lots of unprotected children of pre-school age who are at a high risk from catching measles or mumps.  Parents’ concerns are still very high, despite a £3million advertising campaign to convince them that the triplevaccine is safe.”

A statement released by the Woodlands hospital said:”The hospital is not promoting separate injections but believes that any immunisation is better than no immunisation.”

Shane Gray and his wife Jane, from Yarm, took 2 of their 3 children for the single vaccines.

They wanted their daughters aged 3 and 2 to receive single jabs after the furore over the MMR vaccine. Chemical site team leader Mr Gray said:”We have paid out a total of £500 for the two children to have this done. But you can’t put a price on your children’s health”.

* * *

 

Autism Research Is Vital

[By Suzanne Moore from the Mail On Sunday. Not available online.]

It is not before time that extra money - £2.5million - is being put into researching the causes of autism. This should be happening regardless of the MMR controversy.

More than 20 years ago I worked with autistic children and had to explain to most people what that meant. Now nearly everyone knows a child with it. The increase in autism is staggering. One study in America shows that in the early nineties autism levels in schoolchildren were around 15,500. By 1999/2000 the number had increased to 67,000.

We need to explain the rise. I accept MMR may not be the cause but until we know what is, parents will be suspicious of all vaccinations, not just this one.

* * *

 

UK Health Dept. Finally Asks for Wakefield’s Autism Research

“Let’s hope the latest move is the

beginning of a new attitude towards this

serious dilemma” - Dr Andrew Wakefield

 

[Different spins on the same report on UK’s request to see Wakefield’s

research.]

http://www.itv.com/news/Front6296702.html

The chief medical officer has contacted the doctor who first raised concerns about the MMR vaccine, asking him to turn his research over for independent analysis.

Professor Sir Liam Donaldson e-mailed Dr Andrew Wakefield - whose work indicated a possible link between the combined jab and autism - to make the request, the Department of Health said.

The exchange follows a decline in MMR uptake rates in parts of the country, as parents either refuse to have their children vaccinated or opt for single jabs.

There have also been reports of measles outbreaks in some areas.

A Department of Health spokeswoman stressed that Professor Donaldson

was responding to an e-mail sent by Dr Wakefield.

“He e-mailed us on February 11, giving us 48 hours to reply. We wrote back setting out a list of questions about his research which we wanted answers to.

“Given the degree of interest in the subject, we asked him if he would agree for us to publish his letter on our website.

“We also asked if he would agree to turn over his data and samples for independent scientific analysis.”

The spokeswoman said officials had chased the matter up on February 13, 14 and 15. Dr Wakefield had written back on the February 15 requesting another copy of the first e-mail.

However, Dr Wakefield told a Sunday newspaper that he welcomed the chance to “begin talks” with the Department of Health.

He said he had already asked the Centre for Disease Control to analyse his samples independently - but that it had failed to take up the offer.

“Let’s hope the latest move is the beginning of a new attitude towards this serious dilemma,” he said.

* * *

 

Expert Who Never Attended A Meeting Quits MMR Safety Panel: Scotland

[By Camillo Fracassini.]

http://news.scotsman.com/index.cfm?id=186562002&rware=HZXDHNZFMBKV&CQ_CUR_DO

CUMENT=2 <- - address ends here.

A member of the Scottish government’s expert group on the controversial MMR vaccine has quit to make the “most economical use of his time”.

Jonathan Best, chief executive of Yorkhill NHS Trust, was chosen from hundreds of health experts, campaigners and scientists to join the panel but has never attended any of the meetings.

The group was set up to assess the safety of the highly contentious triple measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, and last night autism campaigners said Best’s place on the group could have been taken by someone more committed to the inquiry.

Bill Welsh, of Action Against Autism, said: “Parents of young children will be dismayed to learn that a senior health executive has failed to attend a single meeting of the expert group on the MMR vaccine.

“This brings into question the decision to appoint Jonathan Best ahead of respected experts such as Dr Ken Aitken and Dr Gordon Bell who were only asked as an afterthought. Dr John March, a leading research scientist involved in vaccination, has been ignored. The Scottish Executive must review its procedures regarding appointments to future ‘expert’ committees.”

Earlier this month Scotland on Sunday revealed the group’s long-awaited report into the safety of the MMR jab had been delayed because of a split among the experts. The report, which had been due to be published in January, will not be published until next month at the earliest.

Health chiefs and politicians reacted angrily to the delay. They said it was crucial that parents of young children were given clear advice by the government as soon as possible in the wake of declining vaccination rates north of the Border.

Yesterday, Yorkhill NHS Trust insisted Best had decided not to take part in the group from its inception. However, his departure has only now been formally announced and the Scottish Executive health department said he had only left last month.

A spokeswoman for Yorkhill said Best had agreed with Lawrence Weaver, professor of child health at the trust, to allow him to represent Yorkhill on the group. She said: “Mr Best has not attended the meetings but Professor Weaver has been feeding back information to him. Mr Best is involved in a lot of other projects and felt it was the best and most economical use of his time.

“He has made a personal decision to leave because he could not combine his other commitments with the work that was expected as part of the group.”

 

 

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* * *

 

 

Doctor Challenged Over MMR Claim

[By Cahal Milmo.]

http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/health/story.jsp?story=120507

The doctor who first claimed that the MMR vaccine could be linked to autism and bowel disease in children has been asked by the Government to hand over his research for independent analysis.

The Department of Health insisted yesterday that the request to Dr Andrew Wakefield from Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer, did not represent a U-turn over the controversial injections.

Sir Liam made the suggestion in response to an e-mail sent by Dr Wakefield last week, which claimed further research would soon be published questioning the measles, mumps and rubella jabs.

Concern over the vaccinations has led to a decline in uptake rates and measles outbreaks in parts of the country despite repeated assertions from health officials and ministers that MMR is safe.

At the weekend, a commercial health company started offering single vaccinations costing £80 each at a clinic in Darlington, Co Durham, in the constituency of Alan Milburn, the Health Secretary.

The Department of Health said it had replied to Dr Wakefield’s e-mail by sending him a list of questions on his research and requesting that his data and samples be scrutinised by independent scientists.

Officials said they were not asking for Dr Wakefield’s assistance or to share his research – a move that would represent a change in direction after claiming that his findings were unproved.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: “This is not a U-turn.  Professor Donaldson has asked a wide range of questions about the methods used in Dr Wakefield’s research which experts have concerns about.”

The department added that Dr Wakefield had not yet responded to its request for access to his research and denied suggestions that the national health service was considering offering single-dose jabs.

Sir Liam has asked the doctor to clarify a statement that some of the children featured in his study had received a single-dose measles vaccine.

* * *

 

Doctors Cash In On MMR Fear With £280 ($400) Charge For Single Jabs But What Price to Avoid Autism?

[By Sue Leonard and Rosie Waterhouse.]

http://www.sunday-times.co.uk/article/0,,177-210437,00.html

Doctors are cashing in on public worries over the MMR vaccine by charging fees of up to £280 for a set of three single jabs that can be bought for as little as £32.

Peter Copp, a GP running a private clinic in Edinburgh, has treated 2,000 children over the past 18 months. Their families have paid a maximum of £280 for the three jabs, creating an income of about £450,000.

Private clinics are opening around the country to exploit the MMR scare and the subsequent demand for single vaccines that it has caused. Many are recruiting NHS staff to meet the demand.

This weekend one company, Direct Health 2000, set up a clinic in Darlington, the constituency of Alan Milburn, the health secretary. The 400 patients booked will pay a total of £96,000 for courses of single jabs.

There is a huge variation in prices around the country, from £120 for the first course of three jabs to £280. Children are meant to receive their first set of three inoculations as one MMR jab between 13 and 15 months. A second MMR vaccination is given as a pre-school booster at the age of four.  So the cost of having all six jabs separately is £240-£560.

Clinics say the mark-up is necessary to pay for the high cost of overheads such as rent, private staff and advice to parents. Some also claim that they pay as much as £80 for the set of three vaccines.

Demand is unprecedented. Last week one private clinic in Lincolnshire received 10,000 telephone calls a day. The pressure group Jabs, which campaigns for single vaccines, is receiving more than 3,000 inquiries a day.

Some NHS GPs are also prepared to give three separate injections, despite advice from the chief medical officer that the MMR is the safest way of protecting children.

Doctors can provide jabs singly for NHS patients who pay the pharmacist for the vaccine on a “named patient basis”, meaning they accept liability. GPs can charge private patients typically about £60 per jab.

A prominent supporter of the government’s policy on MMR has made a £50,000 donation to Labour, it emerged last night. Paul Drayson, chief executive of PowderJect Pharmaceuticals, made a personal gift to the party two months after his company had won a £17m contract to produce tuberculosis jabs for the NHS, it was reported. PowderJect does not produce the MMR vaccine.

* * *

 

Vaccine Drug Tycoon in £50,000 Labour Link

[By Brian Brady.]

http://www.scotlandonsunday.co.uk/index.cfm?id=185742002

The boss of Britain’s biggest vaccines company made a £50,000 donation to Labour two months after winning a £17m NHS contract, Scotland on Sunday can reveal.

Dr Paul Drayson, chief executive of bio-science business Powderject, handed over his donation after winning a deal to provide all the UK’s anti-TB jabs at a price four times that of the previous contract.

The cash - from a family fortune estimated at over £100m - was donated shortly after Blair’s election victory last June.

Drayson, 41, has made a string of statements in recent months praising the Prime Minister and his government, including a defence of Blair’s refusal to reveal whether his baby son Leo had had the controversial MMR vaccination.

Details of the financial backing from a Labour ‘cheerleader’ whose firm competes for lucrative government contracts last night intensified the row over the party’s links with big business.

Downing Street is already trying to limit the damage from last weekend ’s revelation that Blair endorsed a Caribbean-based company’s bid to take over the Romanian steel industry after its owner donated £125,000 to party funds.

A spokesman for Powderject last night confirmed that Drayson was a Labour party member who had given the money as an individual donor. The spokesman insisted it was “completely unrelated” to Powderject’s dealings with the government.

The spokesman said Drayson met politicians, including ministers, “all the time” in his capacity as boss of both Powderject and his trade organisation, the BioIndustry Association.

But shadow health secretary Liam Fox, who complained about the cost of the BCG deal when it was announced, challenged the government to lay bare full details of its contacts with Drayson.

He said: “Any suggestion that the NHS is being overcharged for vaccines would naturally be a cause for concern at any time.

·        Article Continues at:

http://www.scotlandonsunday.co.uk/index.cfm?id=185742002

* * *

 

MMR and Autism Sunday Letters to the Guardian

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Archive/Article/0,4273,4357840,00.html

Last week Nick Hornby wrote that we ‘know from experts that only specialist education can make a difference’ to our 76,000 autistic children (Comment, last week). In fact, many autistic children are educated successfully in mainstream schools. This won’t be achieved all at once for all autistic children, but where ordinary schools take measures to recognise and meet their specialist needs, this is surely preferable to the artificial environment of segregated schools.

Cath Ryde

Bolton

 

                           * * *

I wanted to congratulate you on the balanced coverage of the MMR issue. As a neurologist, I have seen the devastating effects of subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) in a girl who was not vaccinated for measles (a progressive neurodegenerative disorder not dissimilar to CJD, but arguably worse as the patient takes longer to die). As a father, I none the less had feelings of confusion and uncertainty recently when my own daughter went for her MMR, even though I know there is no credible scientific evidence to support a link between MMR and autism. I feel anger towards the UK tabloid press, which is solely responsible for creating this air of panic and fear for the parents of Britain (myself included).

Dr David Nicholl

Department of Neurology

Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Birmingham

 

                            * * *

It is astonishing that the government insists that MMR vaccine does not cause autism yet funds litigation that has been brought by many autistic children who claim that their condition was caused by MMR. This unsubstantiated health scare and the litigation are mutually sustaining; they endanger children, enrich lawyers and impoverish the health service.  Who advises that this case should be publicly funded and who stands to benefit from such funding?

Dr Penelope Elphinstone

General practitioner

London NW1

* * *

 

Reader’s Posts

Our pediatric neurologist at Kennedy Krieger told us that our 3 year, 11

month old son who is autistic has an arachnoid cyst over his cerebellum.  He

plans to consult his collegues at Kennedy Krieger on the matter, but we are

anxious to begin to understand any relationship know between these cysts and

developmental delays / autism. Does anyone have experience with this

Anyone have an autistic child that was also born cleft lip/cleft palate?  It

is Super hard to get a good speech therapist that can consider both language

“opportunities”.  He is very high functioning and it is hard to tell what

the cleft palate is masking in his language development.  Rhonda Cooper,

Ebay is opening a Special Needs category: Medical subcategory Special Needs.  It will take a few day would benefit-parents, teachers, therapists, school purchasing depts, hospitals, etc.

Forward this to anyone you know that would use this. Jacki French

Have written before about my son and the MMR, he is 7 next month he has

autism and severe bowel problems,the story is we had a dog for 15years who

died 8 months ago, we swore that never again as it tore us up losing him, he

was my sons best friend, and has asked for him to come back every day, well

the other night he said to my husband, I need my friend I am lonely and sad,

I need a dog! Problem we have is finding a puppy that doesn’t cost £500, we

dont have a lot of money. We live in basingstoke and would be willing to

My name is Greg and I work for a company called Exceptional Resources.  My

boss Karen Sicoli, author of “Little RainMan”, has developed a live

teleclass taking place March 25 from 4 - 5 pst.  Please contact me If this

is any interest in you or if you have any questions. Greg Moscaluk, Autism

Our 3 ½ yr old son has PDD and we’re looking for doctors in the

Philadelphia/Southern N.J. area that specialize in treating children with

autistic spectrum disorders.  Our main concerns are behavioral and possible

Any information about behavioural vision therapy? what is it and is it

helpful for children with autism? Does is cause more damage if the therapy

is discontinued in the middle? Kindly let me know if you have any experience

or information about this therapy and also where in India this is

 

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APRIL 21, 2002 - 12 Noon to 5pm

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ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.