Vaccination programme for measles "may increase autism risk"

"Early Protection" vaccination programme for measles "may increase autism risk"

On October 21, the Bay of Plenty District Health Board announced that in a bid to control measles in its area, it was changing the recommendations for the age at which children receive the controversial MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine. For years, the Ministry of Health recommendation has been for children to receive their first dose of MMR vaccine at the age of 15 months, followed by a second dose at the age of four years.

However, in press release last Friday Medical Officer of Health Dr Phil Shoemack has said that babies can now receive their first dose of MMR vaccine at the age of twelve months and that "Once a baby has the vaccine at 12 months of age, the second dose of MMR vaccine can be given 28 days later."

The MMR vaccine has long been dogged with controversy due to research linking the vaccine with the development of autism and bowel disease in children whose health and development were previously normal. It appears that some children suffer from chronic infection of the bowel with the vaccine-strain of the measles virus following MMR vaccination which contributes to their developing regressive autism.

Recently, scientist Dr Helen Ratajczak, formerly a researcher with Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals postulated that the human DNA in MMR vaccines (from the aborted foetus-derived cells used as a culture medium for the rubella viruses in the vaccine) may also contribute to autism.

According to Katherine Smith, editor of The New Zealand Journal of Natural Medicine, changing the recommended age at which children receive their first and second doses of MMR vaccine is risky.

"To the best of my knowledge, such a dosing schedule has not been the subject of clinical trials, so it is essentially unknown whether giving two doses of the vaccine so close together is as safe as the usual schedule," she says, adding that there is also evidence that a younger age at MMR vaccination is associated with increased risk of autism, compared with MMR vaccination at age three years or older. "It's important to realise that the MMR vaccine contains three live viruses," Smith continued "While these have been attenuated (weakened), they can still multiply in the body -- and are capable of causing potentially fatal infections in people with compromised immune systems. According to the manufacturer of the MMR vaccine most commonly used in NZ, a person who has been vaccinated with the MMR vaccine may still have the live vaccine-strain rubella viruses in their nose and throat as late as 28 days after MMR vaccination."

The Bay of Plenty DHB's recommendation that babies are given a first dose of MMR at 12 months followed by a second disease as early as 28 days later means, according to Smith that "A baby may only just have fought off the first dose of rubella viruses when he or she is injected with another lot of live attenuated measles, mumps, and rubella viruses. In some cases, this may be too much for a baby's developing immune system to cope with."

Smith describes the policy of giving a second injection of MMR vaccine twenty-eight days after the first as "unnecessarily risky", citing the fact that "over 90% of people who receive a single MMR shot develop a level of antibodies consistent with immunity" and adding that "in my opinion a second dose of the vaccine is not necessary in most cases". Moreover, Smith states that it's possible that giving a second dose only 28 days after the first may increase the chance that a child develops a chronic infection with any of the vaccine viruses.

Parents should not be panicked by reports of measles in the Bay of Plenty, but carefully consider the pros and cons of the MMR vaccine before making a decision, Smith continues. "As the spokeswoman for the human rights group No Forced Vaccines , I have been told by members who have vaccine-damaged children that they wished that they had investigated the vaccination issue for themselves rather than accepting at face value assurances from the authorities that the vaccines were 'safe'".

A useful place to start for parents, Smith suggests, is to read the manufacturer's datasheet for any vaccine that they are considering for their children, as well as to read more generally about specific vaccines on the internet.

"It's also a good idea for parents to become familiar with the treatment options for measles, such as vitamins A and D, or in serious cases, intravenous vitamin C," Smith concludes.

www.noforcedvaccines.org

ENDS

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