I am very keen to read the Finnish report. Does anyone know where to get
hold of it?
Several other people have requested it too.
Maggi Thomson
Glasgow Caledonian University.
Scotland.
> ----------
> From: Jon Brassey
> Reply To: Jon Brassey
> Sent: Thursday, January 25, 2001 11:33 am
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: MMR
>
> Just to add further controversy Private Eye have run an interesting piece
> on the MMR controvesy. It reports on the 14 year study in Finland looking
> at 1.8 million children - which the Government, and numerous doctors, took
> as 'proof' that MMR was safe. I can only assume no-one read it (I
> haven't) as, according to Private Eye:
>
> - They did not study 1.8 miilion children, they relied on 'passive
> reporting' by doctors of adverse reactions to the vaccine - with a similar
> level of accuracy of the 'yellow card' system in the UK (generally
> accepted as being highly unreliable and picking up around 10% of
> incidents).
> - The adverse effects looked for where sudden death, fits, allergic
> reactions etc. The search for adverse events concentrated on a 3 week
> period after vaccination.
> - Long-term follow-up accounted for 173 potentially serious reactions
> identified by doctors. The researchers did not look for autism in these
> 173 patients.
> - The authors state that they were not looking for a link between autism
> and MMR.
>
> Other research is reported:
> - The Dr Wakefield study suggested inadequate testing before release
> - Prof Brent Taylor reported that there was a sharp rise in North London
> in autism starting in 1988 - the year MMR was introduced.
> - Prof John O'Leary found the measles virus in 24 out of 25 of Dr
> Wakefield's autistic or bowel-diseased patients - and only one in a
> control group. A Japenese research group found that the genetic
> fingerprint of the measles virus found was consistent with the strain used
> in the MMR vacine.
> - The parents of 2000 children are convinced that their children's
> decline, so soon after vaccination, is no coincidence.
>
>
> I'm not saying that Private Eye are correct but it helps bring some
> scepticism into play - and gives the other side. As pointed out in the
> Private Eye article, all articles questioning the MMR are rubbished while
> those in support get pushed out, with little to no critical appraisal, and
> accepted as true.
>
> If the government needs to use a paper such as the Finnish one (as
> reported in Private Eye) to support its position it is on very dodgy
> ground! If anyone has actually read the report and Private Eye have
> misrepresented anything I would be interested to hear.
>
> Again I'm not against vaccination. I think parents should have the choice
> to vaccinate with MMR or have single vaccinations. The goverments
> refusual to allow this - supported by the medical hierarchy - is
> preventing my child getting vaccinated against measles.
>
> jon
>
>
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