AVN
Fund-Raising effort – help us to get to $52,000!
Our first
project with these funds:
Sydney Vaccination
Seminar – 99% confirmed!
Wakefield
made a scapegoat yet again!
So what did
happen after Wakefield’s article was published?
Measles
Vaccine Undeniably Linked to Autism
AVN
Fund-Raising effort – help us to get to $52,000!
Quite
a few of our members suggested a fortnightly tally sheet and several also asked
for a chart so you can keep track of how the fund-raising drive is going. Now,
I did this myself and remembering that I am a maths-a-phobic (remember the
$26-$260 blooper?), I hope I did this right?
To
date, we have received $6,016 in donations – going towards our goal of $52,000.
This is a fantastic start! Please remember that all it will take is $26 from
each one of you to help us achieve our goals – as stated in the last edition of
this newsletter. If you have not yet given, please have a think and if it is
possible for you to do so, your donation would be very much appreciated.
The
other thing people have asked is how they can make donations so…this
information will be repeated in each edition of Doing
the Rounds:
We
accept donations by credit card by phone (02 6687 1699), FAX (02 6687 2032) or
on our website – www.avn.org.au. Just
click on the link that says Donate in the upper right hand corner or use the Paypal link which is just below the magazine cover.
You
can also direct deposit funds into our account at the Westpac bank either by
internet banking or over the counter. Please! Leave your name as identification
so we can send you a receipt. There are several unidentified donations which
have come in recently. If you deposited money more than a week ago and have not
yet gotten a receipt, please contact us and we will hopefully be able to work
out which payment is yours.
The
bank details are as follows:
Australian
Vaccination Network Inc.
Westpac Bank - Ballina Branch
BSB number is 032 591
Account number is 188207
Of
course, cheque or money orders can be posted to:
AVN
Bangalow
NSW 2479
If
anyone reading this did not receive last edition and therefore, doesn’t know
what we are raising money for, please email me at meryl@avn.org.au and I will be happy to send
you through the information by return email.
Our first
project with these funds:
I
have arranged with an independent laboratory to test two different vaccines for
the presence of heavy metals. They will screen for a wide range of metals
without a placebo just so we see the result. One vaccine will be a
mercury-containing vial – the other will be a supposedly mercury-free shot.
Once
we have the results back from this preliminary test, we will design a true
scientific double-blind control study with a view to submitting the results for
publication.
We
will need a lot of help with the designing of this study. It is something that
I don’t have experience with and I would dearly love this to be above question
and good enough to submit for publication to a peer-reviewed journal.
If
you have a scientific background and have experience in designing studies,
please contact me as I would love to have your help.
The
seminar we announced 2 weeks ago has now been confirmed – the venue is the only
possible sticking point but we are 99% sure that we will be holding this at the
following venue:
Manly-Warringah
Rugby League Club Limited
A.C.N.
563 Pittwater Road
Brookvale NSW 2100
We
just need to be able to confirm that the room we want will be available and we
will have confirmation of that tomorrow. If there are any changes, I will be
sure and let you know. I just didn’t want to let my second newsletter be late!
This seminar is being hosted by both the AVN and the Aurum
Project.
The
speakers will be as follows:
Meryl
Dorey (that’s me J) from the Australian
Vaccination network – talking about some of the most important issues parents
face when deciding about vaccination as well as why health professionals need
to be well-informed about this subject and how they can help their clients make
a balanced decision. I will be discussing the fact that there are many new
vaccines on the horizon and their effect on the health of our children and ourselves.
Dr
David Ritchie – Paediatric Registrar from
Isaac
Golden, Dip Hom, PhD. – Members of the AVN will know
Isaac Golden well as both a professional member of our organisation and the author of many of the books we
carry on homoeopathy. Isaac has researched the issue of homoeoprophylaxis (the
use of homoeopathic remedies to prevent infectious diseases) for many years and
has published studies indicating that these same remedies are at least as
effective as the stated effectiveness of their medical counterparts without the
same risk of side effects and ongoing illness.
The
details for this seminar are as follows:
Date – Tuesday –
August 15th
Time – 6:30pm for a
7:00 SHARP start
Venue – Manly Wahringa Leagues club – details above
Cost – AVN members and students (must show student
card) - $17 per person/$30 a couple.
Non-Members - $27 per
person/$42 a couple
Bookings
will be taken starting now – seating is very limited so avoid disappointment
and please pre-book and pay. You can book by calling our office during business
hours.
For
those of you who offered to help on the night, we will be contacting you
shortly to confirm your availability.
For
those who said they would be willing to distribute flyers, we will be getting
them off to you ASAP – probably by early next week.
If
anyone can help and has not yet contacted us, please do so as soon as possible
on 02 6687 1699 – ask for either Greta, Judy or Meryl.
I
was contacted after the last newsletter by a non-member who has been subscribed
to our email list for some time but was not aware that she could even be a
member. She had some fantastic recommendations for ways in which we can
increase our membership (and therefore the number of people who know about our
information). We have decided to implement one of these straight away and hope
that you will throw your support behind this initiative since not only will it
help us, but you can benefit as well!
It
is actually quite simple – we started out complex but have honed the process
down to a hopefully easy process.
Everyone
who is an AVN member has a unique membership ID number. We will provide all
members with membership forms (there is one attached to this newsletter – it
requires the free Adobe Acrobat reader for you to open this. This can be
downloaded at www.adobe.com). On this form,
there is a place for you to insert your member ID (if you don’t know your ID,
it is on the cover sheet of the magazine or just email gtouzel@avn.org.au and she will email you
your ID number). Give this form out to friends, relatives, practitioners, leave
them at your preschool or childcare centre – anywhere you think that people
will be interested in learning about the information we offer.
For
every person who joins on the form with your number on it, you will be credited
one point. You will be credited with 2 points for each professional member who
signs up on your form. Each point is worth $5 and can be redeemed for either your own membership, a gift subscription, or any of
the resources we sell such as books, videos, CDs, DVDs and Information packs.
Here
is a way for you to get a free subscription or those books you have always
wanted but couldn’t afford. In addition, you will be helping others to get the
facts about vaccination and natural health.
Please
give this effort your best shot. An informed public is just a few memberships
away!
I
did an interview with Howard Sattler on radio 6PR’s drive programme (WA) on
Tuesday June 13th for about 15 minutes in total. The interview was
driven by an article in the West Australian newspaper on the same day called Multi-dose
children’s vaccines safe: doctor.
There is no evidence that
combined childhood immunisations, including the MMR vaccine, cause
a so-called cocktail effect or are more dangerous than separate injections, a
Peter Richmond, from the
vaccine trials group at the Telethon Institute for Child Health Research and
Princess Margaret Hospital, said parents regularly worried about overloading
their children’s immune systems but there was no scientific basis for their
concerns.
He said research showed
that combination vaccines were as safe as any others and that in some cases
they produced a better response in terms of antibody levels.
Perth doctors hoped to
publish soon the results of a study on MMR – which protects against measles,
mumps and rubella – to strengthen the case against the vaccine overload theory.
MMR has been a
controversial issue since researcher Andrew Wakefield claimed in 1989 that it
caused autism.
Although his research has
since been discredited, health officials, particularly in
Dr Richmond said
The vaccine, HibMenC, is licensed and already used in
Dr Richmond said reducing
the number of injections was likely to make it easier for parents to ensure
their children completed the necessary course of vaccines and also meant less
discomfort for babies because there were fewer places to become sore.
“These vaccines are now
given separately to babies and provide excellent protection against what can be
a deadly disease,” he said.
“However, we do understand
that many parents are concerned by the number of injections given to young
children, so where possible it would be great to be able to combine some of
these vaccines.”
The meningitis study needs
100 healthy toddlers aged 12-18 months who have not had their booster
vaccinations. Interested parents can contact the trials group on 08 9340 8542.
In
the interview, Howard Sattler started off speaking with Dr Richmond and asked
his audience, “Would you have your child vaccinated?” He said that there was
concern about the combined MMR jab and spoke about
Then,
Sattler
asked if the vaccine could be linked to bowel conditions and
It
was then my turn and Sattler asked me what I thought about what
I
also said that I had recently returned from the Mindd
Forum in
Sattler
went back to
Sattler
asked if measles was a deadly disease and the doctor said absolutely, it was a
killer.
Sattler
returned to me and asked what I thought of that and I said that prior to
vaccination, measles mumps and rubella were all considered to be benign
diseases of childhood. In fact, I said that we had a quote from a British
medical encyclopaedia from 1986 prior to the introduction of the MMR vaccine
which stated that, “The only long-term side effects to
infection with measles virus was life-long immunity to measles
infection.”
I
also said that the majority of those in
I
also said that when trying to judge the safety of vaccines, the basic science
has not yet been done because there have never been any double-blind placebo
controlled studies performed – the placebo is always either another vaccine or
a vaccine adjuvant or solvent.
Sattler
went back to Richmond who said that he knew of a couple of double blind studies
done on vaccines and that we had enough information from the Danish study of a
few years ago to show that the MMR vaccine, tested on 500,000 children in this
study, was safe and didn’t cause autism.
I
then asked him to give me some references for studies that used a true placebo
because in 17 years of researching this issue, I had not been able to find even
one. He could not provide a reference.
We
then had just one line for closing remarks and
My
closing remark was a question to
He
answered that it was the vaccine manufacturer who was funding which was
absolutely as it should be because after all, it was up to them to prove that
the vaccine was safe and effective.
All
in all, it was a good interview and I think I hopefully got a message out even
to the most ovine of listeners that they should be asking some questions.
The
next day, I called the West Australian and spoke with the reporter who had
written the original article. She seemed to feel that she had shown both sides
of the story because she mentioned some parents’ fear of the ‘cocktail effect’
of vaccination! We spoke for about 15 minutes and I sent her some information,
but I fear that there will not be any follow up on this particular story at
least.
Dr
Andrew Wakefield, the courageous gastroenterologist who first published about
the association between the MMR vaccine and gut problems/autism has been
through the wringer because of his refusal to deny the findings of his ongoing
research. Finding which have been verified by independent laboratories in the
First,
he lost his job at the
Now,
it seems that the mainstream medical community in the
Evil Empire Seeks to Punish Autism Expert
Noted British
gastroenterologist Dr.
Andrew Wakefield is certainly no stranger to controversy, terminated from
positions in
the medical bureaucracy, thanks to his persistence about the undeniable
link between vaccines
laced with mercury and autism.
Now, the General Medical
Council (GMC) -- the UK equivalent of the American Medical Association -- plans
to charge Dr. Wakefield on four counts, including serious professional
misconduct for "scaring" patients away needlessly from the
measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, thanks largely to a 1998 paper published
in the Lancet.
Formal charges are
expected to be presented this fall, with a public hearing slated for next year.
Should Dr. Wakefield be found guilty, his license to practice medicine in the
How much more evidence
does anyone need about the dangers of vaccines than the stories I posted
last year about the
scarcity of autism among Amish children? And what about
the most recent study about the measles vaccine being linked to children with regressive
autism and serious digestive problems?
Perhaps, it's those
arrogant "experts" at the GMC who should be facing charges, and not Dr. Wakefield...
MMR doctor 'to face GMC charges'
The doctor who first suggested a link between the MMR vaccine and
autism is to be charged with serious professional misconduct, it is reported.
The
Independent newspaper reports that the General Medical Council will accuse Mr
Andrew Wakefield of carrying out "inadequately founded" research.
Vaccination
rates fell sharply after Dr Wakefield questioned the safety of MMR, raising
fears of a measles epidemic.
His initial
Lancet paper has since been disowned by the journal.
The editor
admitted he would not have published the 1998 paper if he had known about what
he called a "fatal conflict of interest".
Mr Wakefield
was being paid to see if there was any evidence to support possible legal
action by a group of parents who claimed their children were damaged by the
vaccine. Some children were involved in both studies.
In addition
ten doctors who co-authored the paper issued a statement in 2004 arguing there
was insufficient evidence to draw the conclusion that the MMR vaccine was not
safe.
The main
thrust of the paper was that MMR was linked not only to autism, but also to the
bowel disorder Crohn's disease. Small-scale
No
corroboration
But a host
of major studies has since failed to find any evidence of a link between MMR
and autism.
However, the
uptake rate for MMR - a triple jab which protects against measles, mumps and
rubella - slumped in the wake of the controversy.
The rate has
since picked up again, but remains low in some areas of the country, most
notably
The number
of confirmed measles cases in
The
Independent reports that Mr Wakefield will face four charges: that he published
inadequately founded research, failed to obtain ethical committee approval for
the work, obtained funding for it improperly, and subjected children to
"unnecessary and invasive investigations".
The paper
says that detailed charges are being formulated by the GMC's lawyers, and will
be presented in the autumn, with a public hearing expected next year.
If found guilty, Mr Wakefield could be struck off the medical
register.
Mr Wakefield
carried out his initial study while working at
He has since
moved to the
A General
Medical Council spokesperson refused to confirm details, but said: "An
investigation is ongoing."
She said the
council had been investigating Mr Wakefield since The Lancet issued its
retraction in 2004.
She added
that any charges against him might "evolve" before they were formally
presented.
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/health/5070670.stm
So what did
happen after
According
to health ‘experts’ around the world, after Wakefield’s initial article on the
link between MMR vaccination and autism was published and the ensuing furore
with the efforts to sue the British government for vaccine injuries, the number
of children getting the MMR shot dropped, there were huge epidemics of all
three of these diseases and
children were hospitalised and died.
I
haven’t got the
How
cases of measles, mumps and rubella in Wales have fluctuated with MMR
take-up
MMR UPTAKE
2005 - 85%
2003-04 - 80%
1996-97 - 91% (before Dr Andrew Wakefield's claims jab is linked to autism
and bowel disease)
MUMPS
2005 - 3,757 cases
2004 - 1,891 cases
1995 - 71 cases
MEASLES
2005 - no cases
2004 - four cases
1996 - no cases
RUBELLA
2005 - two cases
2004 - no cases
1996 - 347 cases
(Source: Health Protection Agency)
Interestingly,
whilst mumps seems to have increased (and mumps is just about as likely to be mis-diagnosed as measles, according to the Pulse article
quoted in the last edition of this newsletter), measles saw no increase at all
and the rate of Rubella diagnoses actually declined!
|
Measles Vaccine Undeniably Linked to Autism |
|
The
vaccine strain of measles virus has been found in the guts of 85 percent of
autistic children in a New York University School of Medicine study. The
finding renews concerns that the triple combination vaccine of measles, mumps
and rubella (MMR) given to children may not be entirely safe. In
the study, biopsies of gut tissue were performed on 82 autistic children who
had serious intestinal inflammation. Seventy of these showed evidence of the
measles virus. Similar
results were found by Dr. Andrew Wakefield, who found the measles virus in
the guts of 12 autistic children in 1998, and pathologist John O'Leary in
2002. In
the Mainstream
scientists maintain that there is no evidence linking the MMR vaccine to
autism, however, in the UK concerns regarding MMR's
potential side effects have driven vaccination rates to as low as 70 percent.
|
http://www.mercola.com/display/router.aspx?docid=33228
In
the last edition of Doing the Rounds, we talked about
Terry O’Gorman’s discriminatory views on a parent’s right to choose not to
vaccinate and how he felt that vaccinations should be compulsory. One of our
sleuthing members has found out some more information on the organisation Mr
O’Gorman represents:
Hi Meryl
Thanks for your Email Newsletter and the
information on Terry O'Gorman's view. Being Queenslanders we hear his
point of view regularly and they are not always sound.
However, we investigated the website for QCCL
and did a search on 'vaccination' and found this information in what appears to
be their 1996/97 annual report:
(see pg 9 of the above
link)
"VACCINATIONS
This represented
a classic balancing of civil liberties issues between the rights of the
community (where there is clear evidence that an inadequate level of
vaccination in the community as a whole places children at risk of death and
serious injury as a result of preventable diseases) against the strongly held
and genuine beliefs of a small but vocal minority who are opposed to compulsory
vaccination.
The Council for Civil Liberties believes
that any legislation governing vaccinations, however framed, must continue to recognise
the rights of community members conscientiously opposed to vaccination."
(emphasis added)
Given
that this is the view of the organisation he
represents, why is he publicly espousing an opposing view? It would appear to
be his personal viewpoint rather than the view of the Council of Civil
Liberties.
I will be writing to him to seek clarification on that above in relation
to the Tasmanian measles article and to find out why they are not "recognis(ing) the rights of
community members (who are) concientiously opposed to
vaccination". I will let you know if I get a response.
Thanks
sincerely for all your hard work
AVN Members
Perhaps others would like to write to the QCCL and ask the same
question? Please submit their replies to me on meryl@avn.org.au
– we’ll meet back and compare notes on what they say.