|
Health board: of course the MMR jab is safe ...
the maker said so
http://www.sundayherald.com/15064
As
parents take to the streets in protest, they are branded as 'reckless as
drink-drivers' for questioning vaccine's safety. By Sarah-Kate Templeton Health Editor
Worried Scottish parents who apply to a health
authority for information about the controversial MMR jab are being sent
publicity produced by the manufacturers of the vaccine.
Parents
who requested advice on the safety of MMR from Greater Glasgow Health Board
were surprised and angered to be sent copies of a leaflet compiled by the
pharma ceutical company Aventis Pasteur.
The
document, MMR Vaccine: Myths And Facts, claims to provide accurate
information about the jab but infuriates parents further by comparing with
drunk-drivers those who opt to give their children single vaccines for
measles, mumps and rubella. The leaflet is written by Mike Watson, Medical
Director of Aventis Pasteur and a well- known proponent of the MMR vaccine.
Recently
the Scottish parliament's Health Committee agreed to investigate whether
parents who have concerns about the MMR should be given the choice of
single vaccines on the NHS. But, according to the Aventis Pasteur leaflet,
the idea that parents should be given a choice is branded a 'myth'.
Instead,
the document accuses parents who ask for the choice of single vaccines of
being 'selfish' and 'reckless' and putting other children's lives at risk.
It
says: 'Not only are the unvaccinated children at risk but also those that
they come into contact with. It is for this reason that we do not allow
people to choose to drink and drive because their choice is a selfish and
reckless one which will eventually inflict pain and suffering on others.'
The
original Aventis Pasteur information sheet had the additional blunt
sentence: 'An unimmunised child is the infectious equivalent of a drunk
driver.'
This
sentence was dropped from the Greater Glasgow Health Board copy but the
remaining accusation was strong enough to offend the McQuade family, who
called the health board asking for information. Diane and Joe McQuade from
Glasgow have a five year-old autistic son, Jordan, whose autism they
believe was caused by the MMR vaccine. The McQuades' friends' children are
now reaching the age for vaccination with MMR and have turned to them for
advice.
The
McQuades hoped to get independent advice from Greater Glasgow Health Board
but instead were sent the Aventis Pasteur document.
Diane
McQuade said: 'This information is so confusing for families. To imply that
if you want to make sure you are doing the right thing you are acting
irresponsibly is just a disgrace. I think it is horrendous that the health
board is putting parents who are just trying to do the best for their
children in the same category as drunk-drivers. They are using this to hit
at the heart of people and that is just despicable.'
She
added: 'We asked for information on the safety of MMR because we believe
the vaccine may be the cause of our own son's autism.
'Within
three months of receiving MMR, Jordan stopped eating a lot of foods and
developed bowel problems. He started to flap his hands, he lost the
language he had learnt and his eye contact. It was like he was going into a
cocoon. Jordan loved to be thrown in the air but after that he couldn't
bear to be touched. We couldn't really reach him.'
Yesterday
afternoon hundreds of people marched in Edinburgh to highlight the plight
of the growing number of children with autism. A recent study found that
the condition had increased tenfold in the past decade.
The
Autism Research Unit, part of the University of Sunderland, has found that
the condition, which restricts the ability to communicate and make sense of
the world, has dramatically increased in Britain in the past 10 years. The
authors of the study did not rule out a link between the increased
incidence of the condition and the MMR vaccine programme.
The
demonstrators were calling for politicians to direct more funding into
researching whether there is a link between vaccination and autism and
bowel disease. They were also calling for urgent funding to pay for the
care of the increased numbers of children diagnosed with autism.
Bill
Welsh, of march organisers Action Against Autism, said: 'This is
unacceptable. Parents of young children seeking information regarding
vaccine safety and possible side effects must now feel that Greater Glasgow
Health Board is a branch office of Aventis Pasteur, the MMR manufacturers.
'To
foist drug company propaganda on worried parents is an indication of the
contempt the department of health has for their genuine concerns.
'For
doctors to act in this cavalier fashion at a time when the controversial
MMR vaccine is being investigated worldwide, due to the growing belief that
it is implicated in the upsurge of bowel disease and autism in children,
beggars belief.'
But
Dr Syed Ahmed, public health consultant with Greater Glasgow Health Board,
defended the use of the vaccine manufacturer's material and said that he
was entirely satisfied with the content of the document.
He
said: 'The information was modified. We have taken parts out and modified
it. One shouldn't get into a debate about where the information came from.
'So
many products are now funded by drug companies and just because it is
funded by them does not mean that there is a vested interest.
'If
the information is factually wrong I will be happy to answer the parents'
questions. The fact that it was put together from a drug company is
immaterial. The issue should be whether the information is factually
correct, not where it came from.'
|
in
this section