'Unprecedented' rise in measles

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link

The BBC this morning have a story about an unprecedented rise in measles cases over the last year.
I'll C+P to save you clicking the link

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There is an "unprecedented increase" in measles cases in England and Wales, experts report.

Data from the Health Protection Agency showed there were 1,217 cases of measles from January to November 2008.

And 75% of the 115 cases diagnosed in November were outside the traditional hotspot of London - in the north west, west midlands and south east.

The HPA's Dr Mary Ramsay said the rise in cases was due to "relatively low" MMR uptake over the past decade.

DaftPunk

I had a very happy go lucky 4 1/2 yr old, healthy slept well. well behaved, etc he had the mmr and guess what within weeks he changed. He stopped sleeping, became aggressive, argumentative, constanly naughty etc

Now you and others can say thats a coincidence BUT I as a mum know that it was only after the MMR and I am not willing to risk the same happening to ds2.

I remember a bit of that book. There was a crazy bloke who used to come down to the clinic where he was having his treatment for cancer. The crazy bloke had cancer too but he used to go and rant and rave at the clinic patients about how they were killing themselves with chemotherapy and radiotherapy and so on. Then he disappeared and John Diamond asked someone at the clinic where he'd gone, and was told he'd got better.

Snake Oil is sad book. He so trusted conventional treatments, and so scorned the alternative view.

silverfrog;

no, i've never heard of her, but it could have been a coincidence?

theladyevenstar;

i'm sorry about your ds, and of course i'm speaking here as a mother who has had 4 children vaccinated with the MMR with no problems....BUT, i have read alot on this, and i will never be swayed into thinking there's a link....i'm sorry.

It's not really a conspiracy theory in that way. It's just good business sense. Why fund research that could catastrophise your performance?

I don't believe all medical practitioners and research scientists are in a giant conspiracy. However I'm sure there is a great deal of prejudice, fear and wilful misunderstanding among them.

Silverfrog

I have read about the Hannah Poling case. It seems like a pretty unusual case.
Also it was settled without causation being proved.

daftpunk -- NO!

in fact I think (note to self: stop writing things without checking) that it was conceded at the last stage .. oh somebody stop me -- I think it was conceded by the manufacturers to stop the full facts coming out in court?

silverfrog sorry if I'm wrong

oh 27 confirms it

Daftpunk you are entitled to your view, of course, but you must accept that other mothers should be free to leave their children unvaccinated. Otherwise that "my four were fine" attitude sounds rather I'm Alright Jack.

ahem. why when i search hannah poling on the bbc website does nothing come up?

i don't what to get totallyfucking hysterical about newsblackouts until someone has checked that that is right. it must be some mistake on my computer right?

daftpunk, I'm guessing that the coincidence theory has been ruled out in Hannah poling's case, as otherwise he judgement would not have been made.

it was ruled that she regressed into autism as a result of vaccines that she received.

she is awaiting damages.

there is an article about it here

oh, am off to re-check the hannah poling stuff.

but where is the news coverage that should be archived on the bbc website?

I also had a child regress after MMR and a dx of asd: after ds1's asd dx I was adament that MMR was nt related and vaccinated both the following children: a stance I bitterly regret. We are of the subset Andrew Wakefield raised concerns about I think, lots of bowel / gut issues.

Really, i'd be surprised if any parent who had been through that would then choose the MMR, daftpunk I would include you. Peoples experieces change them, especially life altering ones such as the diagnosis of a lifelong disability.

However as others have said no MMR does not mean no vaccination, just that ds4 will receive single jabs instead, but as these figures are not correlated he will not be counted as vaccinated, when clearly he will have been.

'because donnie, if they made single vaccines available they would be admitting there might be some truth in the MMR/autism link....when there isn't.
' not necessarily, they could plainly state that in their opnion it is unnecessary but in order to achieve maximum safety for all, single vaccinations woul be available on request: most mums I know wouldn't request them as it means more visits to the health centre.

As for research there is a dual issue here. As well as the whole Wakefield thing, organisations such as the NAS presumably have enough of a job maintaining existing support services for the 1 percent of children now diagnosed as being on the spectrum. Funding has to come from somewhere but whilst in cancer research a lot is funded iirc by cancer research uk and supporrt by macmillan, cancer bacup et5c there is only one dominant asd charity

no, nothing comes up for hannah poling on the bbc site for me either, sophable.

but then the bbc has never been very balanced about reporting vaccine stuff

Their health correspondent is Fergus Walsh.

Oh for goodness sake folks update your information will you please.

There is a link between regressive autism and vaccination. What remains to be found out is how many people have been affected, how to help them and how to stop this happening to others.

The UK government is still dragging its feet but it won't be able to for much longer considering what is happening in the US.

Do you really think that the US Vaccine Court would pay out thousands in compensation and tarnish the image of vaccination because of a coincidence?

There are 5000 children waiting for a ruling as part of the Autism Omnibus Proceedings. Hannah Poling is not an isolated case and to suggest that what happened to her is mere coincidence is to be hugely misinformed.

"if they made single vaccines available they would be admitting there might be some truth in the MMR/autism link"

Surely the goal of the government is to ensure maximum vaccination rates, and not to doggedly insist that they are right, dammit. Which is not about to convince MMR sceptics.

So, two options:
(1) They continue to insist MMR is safe. Uptake rates remain at current levels.
or
(2) They offer single vaccines along with MMR. Uptake rates rise significantly, because most MMR sceptics would actually like to vaccinate their children against these diseases, just not all together.

Government needs to decide if their goal is "to eat the grapes or to beat the vineyard keeper" (Turkish proverb). To eat the grapes, offer singles. To beat the vineyard keeper, keep insisting MMR is safe, and whine at low MMR uptake rates.

Our obviously not very trustworthy government introduced Urabe mumps strain MMR to the UK despite evidence from other countries that it was responsible for clusters of mumps meningitis cases. They have since withdrawn this vaccine (and offloaded it to South America who then offloaded it to Africa) but many of the children engaged in the UK litigation for having developing autism received this vaccine. A vaccine that has been withdrawn because it is too dangerous.

Of course we never got to find out how many of these children were like Hannah Poling and how many were 'coincidences' because they never got their day in court. Their Legal Aid was abruptly withdrawn a short time before the hearing after years of preparation. No doubt the fact the the person who made the decision to withdraw the aid had serious conflict of interests issues and link to GSK the vaccine's manufacturer was mere 'coincidence' too.

i deal in hard facts....my ds broke his arm because he fell off his bike, i saw it...FACT!

i do not deal in conjecture.

i'm sorry but i feel some people like to have "reasons" for any problems that come there way....and the MMR/autism link is one of them.

i was given the facts by my doctor, i made my decision....and i made the right one.

I had measles, mumps, and rubella. So did everyone I knew as a child and all our parents & relatives. Nobody had any adverse reactions and we are all immune for life... FACT.

With the first two, I was sick in bed for a few days. Rubella, I didn't even notice it but am immune so must have had it... FACT

It is insane to vaccinate the entire human population against rubella, since it has no danger to boys/men and only dangerous for childbearing age women who haven't yet had it... FACT.

Vaccine immunity is not 100% and even when it's effective, does not last forever. So what it does is postpone your vulnerability to adulthood when these diseases are much more dangerous... FACT.

You were given some of the facts by your doctor, it seems. And you "made the right decision" for yourself - with no auto-immune problems in your family & mucho comfort in obeying authority. That decision does not suit the whole of humanity, and it is foolish to pretend it does.

children can die of measles...FACT!

WEll, if the NHS really wants to increase the number of children who are vaccinated, they would offer single vax to those of us who are no prepared to give our kids the combined MMR. You see, the choices available to my GP are:

1. A single vaccination
2. No thank you

Seems a bit daft they keep going for the "no thank you" option and then get their nickers in a twist about the low uptake. The ball is in the NHS' court. But it doesn't look like they want to pick it up.

People die of paracetamol and asprin as well... another FACT.

Exactly how many people have died in the developed world from measles in the past couple of decades? Talking about people with access to hospital care, here.

Very very VERY few. And these are either adults (whose vaccine immunity has worn off? otherwise they would have had measles as a child and been immune for life) or children with underlying immune system problems.

Just like MMR is safe for the vast majority of children, measles is safe for the vast majority of children. (Except that you can get medical help for a child if he developes a complication with measles, but there is no turning back for a vaccine damage child)

As parents, it is up to each one of us to decide what is best for our own children. One POV is not more valid than another, once you understand both sides of the argument.

Farking hell, JaneLumley, my heart stopped when I read your post. What a psycho nurse! I think I would have sued for grievous bodily harm (not sure I'd have won though...)