Chief Medical Officer to the British Government Defends MMR Safety: Autism Up by 15 Times And Still No Explanation
Since November I have been writing, on and and off about my correspondence with Dame Sally Davies, the out going Chief Medical Officer of England, and to the British Government. This correspondence is now published under Freedom of Information (barring my address and telephone number). It began when I asked Dame Sally to support her comment on the BBC about MMR "It's a a safe vaccine - we know that".
Recently, I made this list of points which I believe emerged from the exchange:
- ASD in schools is at least 15 times the level of 25 years ago
- 1.74% of all schoolchildren in the recent Northern Ireland census (the most complete data we have at the present time) had a severe/complex level of ASD disablement (education Stage 5)
- The overall rate is 2.9% for the province but 4.7% for Belfast
- Epidemiologists trying to explain the rise in ASD at the beginning of the millennium were still only talking about a rate of 0.2%
- 1999 National Statistics for schools’ mental health showed a rate of 0.2% for ASD/PDD for those born between 1984 and 88 but by the 2004 survey the overall rate was 1%
- The rate appears to have risen 5 times during the years following the introduction of MMR and 3 times since, and the majority of cases are not fringe diagnoses
- There is still no robust or adequate evidence of a large ASD population over the age of 35 and Dame Sally was unable to cite any
- Our schools, and their finances, are breaking down under the burden of disablement, with ASD being frequently mentioned as the major cause
- The social cost of ASD, once almost invisible, is set to outstrip old-age in the near future and is only likely to keep rising
- There is no robust or adequate evidence base for MMR safety: the six studies in the single review cited by Dame Sally were flawed and inadequate
- The first of these studies was only published 14 years after the products were introduced in the UK, and Dame Sally failed to cite any pre-marketing data, so the question also arises what the evidence base was for safety before they were introduced?
- The MHRA yellow card scheme would be incapable picking up long term neurological effects of vaccination
- The government has no coherent or convincing explanation of these events which are set to engulf everybody
A pdf of the correspondence can be read and downloaded here.
John Stone is UK editor of Age of Autism.
Excellent and thorough work John.
I doubt Dame Sally is anywhere near as competent as she is given credit for being, one of a stream of ‘yes men’ positioned helpfully by big industry until they retire to a more lucrative job through that ever revolving door.
It seems as if it’s only money that makes the world go around.
Posted by: Alli | April 26, 2019 at 04:22 AM
Nobody on here is going to say we told you so simply ,because, its such a tragedy!
Huge rise in number of Scottish pupils with autism, dyslexia and mental health issues
The Scottish Government’s pupil census showed the number of pupils with additional support needs (ASN) increased by 68.7 per cent between 2012 and last year.
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/politics/massive-rise-number-scots-schoolkids-14447638
Pharma For Prison
MMR RIP
Posted by: Angus Files | April 23, 2019 at 02:58 AM
Thanks John ,you have done the best you can with it - Vaccination Risk Assessment Failure !
"Time to call it a day ,and move on from it"
Yet the CMO has some sensible and responsible comments to make re antibiotic difficulties, problems, and issues but more vaccinations with failed risk assessments are not the solution for the problem?
I have not read Callous Disregard book yet , The then CMO is a very compassionate and kind doctor
"The best in the west" His Ward 2B in Gartnavel General Hospital Glasgow even the ward domestics/cleaners got pulled aside to listen to his "on the ward tutorials" as they had frequent contact with patients and were considered a valuable team worker!
BB song "Boys Brigade , Will Your Anchor Hold YouTube
Anyone who questions vaccine risk assessments failure. can expect to end up about as popular as a vegetable stock tub portion, at a meat only barbeque!
Posted by: Morag | March 07, 2019 at 09:01 AM
An analysis in 2010 found that two thirds of US medical research was commercially funded, and that percentage has only grown during subsequent years.
All medical advice needs to be viewed in that light.
Posted by: Science is pure. People are corrupt. | March 07, 2019 at 08:18 AM
Thank you John. I was unsure about posting the Mail's article (one of three on the same day), but felt the comments about Dr Wakefield and 'vaccine deniers' made this article relevant, particularly since another hatchet job, this time on so called 'vaccine deniers' is almost certainly in the Mail's pipeline.
There were more than 900 comments posted below the article, most of which were against the sentiments expressed by the author, Barney Calman. Many explained how side effects from taking Statins affected and in some cases even ruined their quality of life.
Zoe Harcombe, one of the 3 persons smeared by Mr Calman responded below. She too received lots of supportive comments and private messages of support. Dr Kendrick also wrote a response on the internet.
http://www.zoeharcombe.com/2019/03/cholesterol-statins-the-ctsu-the-mail-on-sunday/
March 3, 2019
Quote from Zoe:-
"Before I did what I do now I worked as the HR Director at management team level for a number of blue chip organisations. I was privileged to receive some world class training in a number of different areas; one of which was bullying. I will never forget the ACAS definition of bullying that was instilled in us at the time: Bullying is an act designed to undermine, humiliate and intimidate. Those three words were so well thought through, so appropriate and so precise. Make no mistake – today’s hatchet job in the Mail on Sunday is an attempt to undermine, humiliate and intimidate me, Dr Aseem Malhotra and Dr Malcolm Kendrick."
I should add here I have been taking Statins for around 10 years, prescribed for high cholesterol by my GP. My cholesterol is monitored annually and my cholesterol levels are normal. This was a matter for discussion between myself and my doctor and that's as it should be. I am totally opposed to blanket mass medications for whatever reason.
Posted by: Jenny Allan | March 07, 2019 at 06:56 AM
And thank you Angus for obtaining this material under FOI.
Posted by: John Stone | March 07, 2019 at 04:58 AM
Jenny,
No, statins are very like vaccines: they allegedly prevent something so everyone has got to have them, though they don’t lengthen life significantly and make people ill. Hancock’s obsession with them echoes that of Tony Blair many years ago (if I remember in answer to a PM question he said that the NHS spent £600m - 1b dollars - a year on them and he hoped to extend it further). So it is particularly appalling to hear the Wakefield propaganda rolled out for statins. Our politicians are quite liberal when forking out our money for mass pharmaceuticalisation - note the cost of vaccines for a single child went up by 68 times between 2001 and 2014 according to the EU parliament - but all too happy to run ordinary citizens into ever larger debt, and throw them on to the street.
Posted by: John Stone | March 07, 2019 at 04:48 AM
Thank you John for all your work on this. I am sure Dame Sally Davies will have been impressed and influenced by your arguments. We can only hope she instigates some changes in vaccine policies before stepping down in September. Perhaps parents can be offered the choice of monovalent vaccines, instead of spending £millions propping up the MMR vaccine, a policy which has manifestly failed. The single measles vaccine was in use for 20 years in the UK before the implementation of MMR vaccine. Autism then was at very low levels.
We now have a new UK Health Secretary, in Westminster. Mat Hancock, an inexperienced minister, who has no medical or scientific qualifications. He previously worked as an economist for the Bank of England before becoming an economic adviser (and later Chief of Staff) to previous Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne. Mr Hancock is already making headlines with a vociferous campaign against what he has been told is medical 'fake news'. Needless to say he is targeting anything he considers 'anti-vaccine', but with 'all guns blazing' he linked up with the Daily Mail for a new campaign supporting Statins, a medication which lowers cholesterol.
You may think Statins have little or nothing to do with vaccines and autism, but bear with me and read on:-
Quote Mail Headlines:-
"The deadly propaganda of the statin deniers: The drugs DO protect you from heart attacks but as this devastating investigation reveals thousands are refusing them
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-6764117/Devastating-investigation-reveals-impact-deadly-statin-denier-propaganda.html
Dr Malcolm Kendrick, Dr Zoë Harcombe and Dr Aseem Malhotra are all deniers "
Yes - we have a familiar format here. Three persons who dared to question the safety and/or effectiveness of Statins are denigrated and ridiculed.
More Quotes:-
1. "There is a special place in hell for the doctors who claim statins don't work."
By Barney Calman, Health Editor, for The Mail on Sunday
2. ‘Medical evidence shows that statins save lives.'
‘Needlessly risking people’s health by spreading reckless and ignorant misinformation claiming otherwise is completely unjustified.’ Mat Hancock, Health Minister
3. "The Mail on Sunday campaign comes amid growing concern about the erosion of trust in mainstream, evidence-based medicines caused by ‘fake news’ on the internet. On Friday, NHS England Chief Executive Simon Stevens warned that ‘vaccine deniers’ who went online to spout ‘fake messages’ were making it harder for doctors to ‘win the public argument’ on vaccination."
4. "The trio mentioned in our piece aren’t the only ones. There is Dr John Abramson at Harvard, author of the misleading ‘20 per cent side effect’ BMJ study; Joseph Mercola, a discredited anti-medicine campaigner who claims to have millions of website views a day; Dr Uffe Ravnskov in Denmark, founder of The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics, and others.
It is a particularly insidious type of fake news they peddle, apparently from a respectable, credible source, but laced with misinformation. They seem now even to have the ear of policy-makers."
5. "Professor Sir Rory Collins, the British scientist behind pivotal research into statins, says the potential consequences far outweigh that of the infamous MMR vaccine scandal, in which disgraced paediatrician Andrew Wakefield fabricated evidence to support his idea that the jab triggered autism in infants, leading to a decline in vaccination uptake and the resurgence of measles. The suggestion is that the statin deniers are simply wrong rather than dishonest, but Prof Collins says: ‘In terms of death and disability that could have been prevented, this could be far worse than we saw with MMR.’
This final quote demonstrates how such ignorant and defamatory journalism can backfire spectacularly. No doubt the Mail has already written a similar article about 'vaccine deniers', but Prof Collins has flagged up the 'elephant in the room'. In the UK a few hundred measles cases are over inflated and hyped up to the ceiling. There have been 3 child deaths due to measles following MMR vaccine implementation in 1988. Two of them could not be vaccinated due to being immune compromised. There have been at least 4 admitted deaths from MMR vaccine and countless disabilities. All under reported.
No other UK newspaper has chimed in on this story. If Mr Hancock has any sense he will refuse to participate in any more of these press and media OTT campaigns.
Posted by: Jenny Allan | March 07, 2019 at 04:03 AM
Glug glug!! the shIps sinking abandon ship!!!glug glug!!BUT DONT PUT OUT A DISTRESS CALL!!
What I see through Johns questioning is that they have no answers there are no 2% credible F.O.B. offs
left.Well done John as always.
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2018/nov/10/councils-face-crisis-special-needs-education-funding
Council overspending on children’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) has trebled in just three years and is continuing to increase, with councils having to raid hundreds of millions from their overall schools budget to cope. The Observer has identified 40 councils that have either cut special needs funding this year, are considering making cuts or are raiding other education budgets to cope next year.
Data from freedom of information requests and council reports shows that the combined overspend on “high needs” education budgets among councils in England soared from £61m in 2015-16 to £195m in 2017-18. It is already expected to hit £200m this year. The figures cover 117 of England’s 152 councils, meaning the true figures will be higher.
Pharma For Prison
MMR RIP
Posted by: Angus Files | March 07, 2019 at 04:03 AM