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From: TSS ()
Former science chief: 'MMR fears coming true' A former Government medical officer responsible for deciding whether medicines are safe has accused the Government of "utterly inexplicable complacency" over the MMR triple vaccine for children. Dr Peter Fletcher, who was Chief Scientific Officer at the Department of Health, said if it is proven that the jab causes autism, "the refusal by governments to evaluate the risks properly will make this one of the greatest scandals in medical history". He added that after agreeing to be an expert witness on drug-safety trials for parents' lawyers, he had received and studied thousands of documents relating to the case which he believed the public had a right to see. He said he has seen a "steady accumulation of evidence" from scientists worldwide that the measles, mumps and rubella jab is causing brain damage in certain children. But he added: "There are very powerful people in positions of great authority in Britain and elsewhere who have staked their reputations and careers on the safety of MMR and they are willing to do almost anything to protect themselves." His warning follows reports that the Government is this week planning to announce the addition of a jab against pneumococcal meningitis for babies, probably from next April. It is also considering flu jabs for under-twos - not to protect the children, but adults they may infect. In the late Seventies, Dr Fletcher served as Chief Scientific Officer at the DoH and Medical Assessor to the Committee on Safety of Medicines, meaning he was responsible for deciding if new vaccines were safe. He first expressed concerns about MMR in 2001, saying safety trials before the vaccine's introduction in Britain were inadequate. Now he says the theoretical fears he raised appear to be becoming reality. He said the rising tide of autism cases and growing scientific understanding of autism-related bowel disease have convinced him the MMR vaccine may be to blame. "Clinical and scientific data is steadily accumulating that the live measles virus in MMR can cause brain, gut and immune system damage in a subset of vulnerable children," he said. "There's no one conclusive piece of scientific evidence, no 'smoking gun', because there very rarely is when adverse drug reactions are first suspected. When vaccine damage in very young children is involved, it is harder to prove the links. "But it is the steady accumulation of evidence, from a number of respected universities, teaching hospitals and laboratories around the world, that matters here. There's far too much to ignore. Yet government health authorities are, it seems, more than happy to do so." 'Why isn't the Government taking this massive public health problem more seriously?' Dr Fletcher said he found "this official complacency utterly inexplicable" in the light of an explosive worldwide increase in regressive autism and inflammatory bowel disease in children, which was first linked to the live measles virus in the MMR jab by clinical researcher Dr Andrew Wakefield in 1998. "When scientists first raised fears of a possible link between mad cow disease and an apparently new, variant form of CJD they had detected in just 20 or 30 patients, everybody panicked and millions of cows were slaughtered," said Dr Fletcher. "Yet there has been a tenfold increase in autism and related forms of brain damage over the past 15 years, roughly coinciding with MMR's introduction, and an extremely worrying increase in childhood inflammatory bowel diseases and immune disorders such as diabetes, and no one in authority will even admit it's happening, let alone try to investigate the causes." He said there was "no way" the tenfold leap in autistic children could be the result of better recognition and definitional changes, as claimed by health authorities. "It is highly likely that at least part of this increase is a vaccinerelated problem." he said. "But whatever it is, why isn't the Government taking this massive public health problem more seriously?" His outspokenness will infuriate health authorities, who have spent millions of pounds shoring up confidence in MMR since Dr Wakefield's 1998 statement. But Dr Fletcher said the Government is undermining public confidence in vaccine safety by refusing to do in-depth clinical research to rule out fears of MMR damage to children. He added that the risks of brain and gut damage from MMR injections seem to be much higher in children where a brother or sister has diabetes, an immune disorder. "That is a very strong clinical signal that some children are immunologically at risk from MMR," he said. "Why is the Government not investigating it further - diverting some of the millions of pounds spent on advertising and PR campaigns to promote MMR uptake into detailed clinical research instead?" Now retired after a distinguished 40-year career in science and medicine in Britain, Europe and the US, Dr Fletcher said that without such research, health authorities could not possibly rule out fears about MMR. He said: "It is entirely possible that the immune systems of a small minority simply cannot cope with the challenge of the three live viruses in the MMR jab, and the ever-increasing vaccine load in general." He said he had decided to speak out because of his deep concern at the lack of treatment for autistic children with bowel disease, as revealed in The Mail on Sunday two weeks ago. He called the sudden termination of legal aid to parents of allegedly vaccine-damaged children in late 2003 "a monstrous injustice". After agreeing to be a witness for the parents, he received thousands of documents relating to the case. "Now, it seems, unless the parents force the Government to restore legal aid, much of this revealing evidence may never come out," he said. The Department of Health said: "MMR remains the best protection against measles, mumps and rubella. It is recognised by the World Health Organisation as having an outstanding safety record and there is a wealth of evidence showing children who receive the MMR vaccine are no more at risk of autism than those who don't." http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/health/healthmain.html?in_article_id=376203&in_page_id=1774 Official defends editing climate papers By H. JOSEF HEBERT, Associated Press Writer Mon Mar 19, 5:54 PM ET WASHINGTON - A former White House official accused of improperly editing reports on global warming defended his editing changes Monday, saying they reflected views in a 2001 report by the National Academy of Sciences. House Democrats said the 181 changes made in three climate reports reflected a consistent attempt to emphasize the uncertainties surrounding the science of climate change and undercut the broad conclusions that man-made emissions are warming the earth. Philip Cooney, former chief of staff at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, acknowledged at a House hearing that some of the changes he made were "to align these communications with the administration's stated policy" on climate change. The extent of Cooney's editing of government climate reports first surfaced in 2005. Shortly thereafter, Cooney, a former oil industry lobbyist, left the White House to work at Exxon Mobil Corp. "My concern is that there was a concerted White House effort to inject uncertainty into the climate debate," said Rep. Henry Waxman (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif., chairman of the Cooney's appearance before Waxman's committee Monday was the first time he has spoken publicly, or was extensively questioned, about the issue. Cooney said that many of the changes he made to the reports — such as uncertainty about the regional impact of climate change and limits on climate modeling — reflected findings of a 2001 National Academy of Sciences report on climate. Waxman's committee also heard from James Hansen, director of "Interference with communications of science to the public has been greater during the current administration than at any time in my career," said Hansen, who was one of the first to raise concerns about climate change in the 1980s. Hansen's battles with NASA and White House public affairs officials are not new and resulted in an easing of NASA's policies toward scientists talking to the media about their work. But that was not always the case. Hansen said that in 2005 he was told by a 24-year-old NASA public affairs official he could not take part in an interview with National Public Radio on orders from senior NASA public affairs officials. Instead, three other NASA officials were offered for the interview. The young press officer, George Deutsch, now 26, sat next to Hansen at the witness table Monday and told the committee he had simply been "relaying" the views of higher-ups at NASA that Hansen was not to participate in the interview. Rep. Darrell Issa (news, bio, voting record), R-Calif., suggested that Hansen was not being muzzled at all and that there is nothing wrong with government scientists being subject to some limits in what they say. "You're speaking on federal paid time. Your employer happens to be the American taxpayer," Issa lectured Hansen. He said a Google search had shown Hansen cited on more than 1,400 occasions over a year in interviews and appearances. Hansen said he accepted only "a small fraction" of the requests for interviews and appearances and that, as a matter of free speech, government scientists should not be restrained in their remarks or have public affairs officers listening in on interviews. "It doesn't ring true," said Hansen. "It's not the American way. And it's not constitutional." http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070319/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/scientists_warming VACCINES AND CJD 'CONFIDENTIAL' snip... 2.1.3. _______________, England Ltd) contains BOVINE HEART AND BRAIN SOURCED FROM USA. This is an oral product which declares a number of bacteria as active ingredients and is said to use BOVINE BRAIN AND HEART in process, sourced from the USA. (It also uses UK derived equine blood.) This product holds a PLR, and is indicated for the prevention and treatment of bronchial catarrh, sinus and antrum infections and bacterial infections following virus colds. There are no efficacy data. snip... 4.3 The following companies did NOT KNOW THE SOURCE of some or all of the serum they used XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX - (Factor VIII) XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX - (Rabies Vaccine) XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX - Measles, Rubella, MMR and rabies vaccine. snip... http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1989/09/06011001.pdf Then think of the CONFIDENTIAL documents of what was known of human/animal TSE and vaccines in the mid to late 8Os, it was all about depletion of stock, to hell with the kids, BUT yet they knew. To think of the recall and worry of TSE's from the polio vaccine, (one taken orally i think?), but yet neglect to act on the other potential TSE vaccines (inoculations, the most effective mode to transmit TSEs) of which thousands of doses were kept and used, to deplete stockpile, again would be foolish. --Oral polio; up to 1988, foetal calf serum was used from UK and New Zealand (pooled); since 1988 foetal calf serum only from New Zealand. Large stocks are held. --Rubella; bulk was made before 1979 from foetal calf serum from UK and New Zealand. None has been made as there are some 15 years stock. --Diphtheria; UK bovine beef muscle and ox heart is used but since the end of 1988 this has been sourced from Eire. There are 1,250 litres of stock. . . --Tetanus; this involves bovine material from the UK mainly Scottish. There are 21,000 litres of stock. --Pertussis; uses bovine material from the UK. There are 63,000 litres of stock. --They consider that to switch to a non-UK source will take a minimum of 6-18 months and to switch to a non-bovine source will take a minimum of five years. 3. XXXXXXXXXXX have measles, mumps, MMR, rubella vaccines. These are sourced from the USA and the company believes that US material only is used. 89/2.14/2.1 ============ BSE3/1 0251 4. XXXXXXXXXXX have a measles vaccine using bovine serum from the UK. there are 440,000 units of stock. They have also got MMR using bovine serum from the UK. 5. XXXXXXXXXXX have influenza, rubella, measles,' MMR vaccines likely to be used in children. Of those they think that only MMR contains bovine material which is probably a French origin. 6. XXXXXXXXXXX have diphtheria/tetanus and potasses on clinical trial. hese use veal material, some of which has come from the UK and has been ade by XXXXXXXXXXX (see above). I have documents of imports from known BSE Countries, of ferments, whole blood, antiallergenic preparations, 2 human blood plasma, normal human blood sera, human immune blood sera, fetal bovine serum, and other blood fractions not elsewhere specified or included, imported glands, catgut, vaccines for both human/animal, as late as 1998. Let us not forget about PITUITARY EXTRACT. This was used to help COWS super ovulate. This tissue was considered to be of greatest risk of containing BSE and consequently transmitting the disease. ANNEX 6 MEETING HELD ON 8 JUNE 1988 TO DISCUSS THE IMPLICATIONS OF BSE TO BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTS CONTAINING BOVINE - EXTRACTED MATERIAL How much of this was used in the U.S.? Please do not keep making the same mistakes. 'Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence'. What are the U.S. rules for importing and manufacturing vaccines, medicines and medical devices? Does the U.S.A. allow sourcing of raw material of ruminants from the U.S.A.? U.S. cattle, what kind of guarantee can you give for serum or tissue donor herds.? The U.S. rendering system would easily amplify T.S.E.'s: Have we increased the stability of the system (improved heat treatments) since the EU SSC report on the U.S.A. was published in july 2000? What is done to avoid cross-contaminations in the U.S.A.? How can the U.S. control absence of cross-contaminations of animal TSE's when pig and horse MBM and even deer and elk are allowed in ruminant feed, as well as bovine blood? I sadly think of the rendering and feeding policy before the Aug. 4, 1997 'partial' feed ban, where anything went, from the city police horse, to the circus elephant, i will not mention all the scrapie infected sheep. I am surprised that we have not included man 'aka soyent green'. It is a disgusting industry and nothing more than greed fuels it. When will the U.S.. start real surveillance of the U.S. bovine population (not passive, this will not work)? When will U.S. start removing SRMs? Have they stopped the use of pneumatic stunners in the U.S.? If so, will we stop it in all U.S. abattoirs or only in those abattoirs exporting to Europe? If not, WHY NOT? same questions for removal of SRM in the U.S.A., or just for export? If not, WHY NOT? How do we now sterilize surgical/dental instruments in the U.S.A.? Where have we been sourcing surgical catgut? (i have copies of imports to U.S., and it would floor you) When will re-usable surgical instruments be banned? 'Unregulated "foods" such as 'nutritional supplements' containing various extracts from ruminants, whether imported or derived from US cattle/sheep/cervids ("antler velvet" extracts!) should be forbidden or at least very seriously regulated. (neighbors Mom, whom also died from CJD, had been taking bovine based supplement, which contained brain, eye, and many other bovine/ovine tissues for years, 'IPLEX'). What is the use of banning blood or tissue donors from Germany, France, etc... when the U.S.A. continues exposing cattle, sheep and people to SRM, refuses to have a serious feed ban, refuses to do systematic BSE-surveillance? The FDA should feel responsible for the safety of what people eat. prohibit the most dangerous foods, not only prohibit a few more donors, the FDA should be responsible for the safe sourcing of medical devices, not only rely on banning donors "from Europe", The 'real' risks are here in the U.S. as well, and have been for some time. We must not forget the studies that have proven infectivity in blood from TSE's. The Lancet, November 9, 1985 " Sir, --Professor Manuelidis and his colleagues (Ott 19, p896) report transmission to animals of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) from the buffy coat from two patients. We also transmitted the disease from , whole blood samples of a patient (and of mice) infected with CJD.l Brain, Cornea, and urine from this patient were also infectious, and the clinicopathological findings2 are summarised as follows. snip... http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1989/02/14010001.pdf NOW, here we are in 2006, worried and still fumbling around with what should have been Subject: 91ST MEETING OF THE SEAC MEETING LONDON 24TH FEB 2006 © SEAC 2006 NINETY FIRST MEETING OF THE SPONGIFORM ENCEPHALOPATHY ADVISORY COMMITTEE The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee held its 91st meeting in London on 24th February 2006. snip... MEDICAL IMPLANTS CONTAINING BOVINE MATERIAL SEAC considered the risk to human health from medical implants that include bovine material sourced from the USA. This material was used for a wide range of medical devices, some of which are life saving and for which there are no alternative products. SEAC considered that the source of the animal was crucial to manage the risk. The committee suggested that other precautionary steps be taken where practicable, such as using material from young animals, sourcing material from countries with good surveillance procedures and a low prevalence of disease. ...... snip... http://www.seac.gov.uk/minutes/final90.pdf A BIT OF HISTORY ON THIS TOPIC TWA LITTLE minute http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1988/10/06005001.pdf NON-LICENSED HUMAN TISSUE DEVICES WERE NOT COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE I was quite prepared to believe in unofficial pituitary hormones, also in the 1970's, whether as described by Dr. Little, or in other circumstances, for animal use. snip... The fact that there were jars of pituitaries (or extract) around on shelves is attested by the still potent 1943 pituitaries, described in Stockell Hartree et al. (J/RF/17/291) which had come from the lab. at Mill Hill. Having taken the trouble to collect them, they were not lightly thrown out... http://www.bseinquiry.gov.uk/files/yb/1989/02/14010001.pdf Jan. 9, 2001 FDA emergency 50 state BSE conference call, that in fact, USA serum and tissue donor herds were eating banned ruminant feed as well ; Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2001 09:45:19 -0800 TUESDAY, JANUARY 9, 2001 A special "50 STATE CONFERENCE CALL" to discuss BSE (Bovine The 50 State call is scheduled for Tuesday, January 9, 2001 from We request that you forward this message to your agency management The agenda will be as follows: 1. Center For Veterinary Medicine (FDA) - Discussion of the problem 2. Office of Regional Operations (FDA) - Discussion of 3. Questions and answers. Richard H. Barnes, Director http://lists.ifas.ufl.edu/cgi-bin/wa.exe?A2=ind0101&L=sanet-mg&P=13410 http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/DOCKETS/96n0417/96N-0417-EC-2.htm just what about those supposedly USDA ''TISSUE DONOR HERDS''? do they really exist? this was taken from my notes of the infamous Jan. 9, 2001 50 STATE EMERGENCY BSE CONFERENCE CALL which i did participate in as an _uninvited_ guest; Subject: BSE--U.S. 50 STATE CONFERENCE CALL Jan. 9, 2001 Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2001 16:49:00 -0800 From: Terry S. Singeltary Sr. Reply-To: Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy To: BSE-L@uni-karlsruhe.de ######### Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy ######### Greetings List Members, I was lucky enough to sit in on this BSE conference call today and even managed to ask a question. that is when the trouble started. I submitted a version of my notes to Sandra Blakeslee of the New York Times, whom seemed very upset, and rightly so. They tell me it is a closed meeting and they will release whatever information they deem fit. Rather infuriating. and i would have been doing just fine, until i asked my question. i was surprised my time to ask a question so quick. (understand, these are taken from my notes for now. the spelling of names and such could be off.) [host Richard Barns] and now a question from Terry S. Singeltary of CJD Watch. [TSS] yes, thank you, U.S. cattle, what kind of guarantee can you give for serum or tissue donor herds? [no answer, you could hear in the back ground, mumbling and 'we can't. have him ask the question again.] [host Richard] could you repeat the question? [TSS] U.S. cattle, what kind of guarantee can you give for serum or tissue donor herds? [not sure whom ask this] what group are you with? [TSS] CJD Watch, my Mom died from hvCJD and we are tracking CJD world-wide. [not sure who is speaking] could you please disconnect Mr. Singeltary [TSS] you are not going to answer my question? [not sure whom speaking] NO from this point, i was still connected, got to listen and tape the whole conference. at one point someone came on, a woman, and ask again; [unknown woman] what group are you with? [TSS] CJD Watch and my Mom died from hvCJD we are trying to tract down CJD and other human TSE's world wide. i was invited to sit in on this from someone inside the USDA/APHIS and that is why i am here. do you intend on banning me from this conference now? at this point the conference was turned back up, and i got to finish listening. They never answered or even addressed my one question, or even addressed the issue. BUT, i will try and give you a run-down for now, of the conference. ...SNIP...END...TSS http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/DOCKETS/96n0417/96N-0417-EC-2.htm http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dailys/03/Jan03/012403/8004be07.html Two million children innoculated with BSE vaccines The documents below were provided by Terry S. Singeltary Sr on 8 May 2000. They are optically character read (scanned into computer) and so may contain typos and unreadable parts. TIP740203/l 0424 CONFIDENTIAL http://www.mad-cow.org/00/jul00_dont_eat_sheep.html#hhh http://www.emergingdisease.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=9587&view=next 18 January 2007 - Draft minutes of the SEAC 95 meeting (426 KB) held on 7 64. A member noted that at the recent Neuroprion meeting, a study was Other work presented suggested that BSE and bovine amyloidotic spongiform http://www.seac.gov.uk/minutes/95.pdf Models Qingzhong Kong, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Pathology, Case Western Reserve Bovine Amyloid Spongiform Encephalopathy (BASE) is an atypical BSE strain ***These results indicate that BASE is transmissible to humans and suggest that BASE is more virulent than There is a growing number of human CJD cases, and they were presented last He estimates that it may be up to 14 or 15 persons which display selectively i don't know whom, or what to believe anymore. we must get politics and the industry (one of the same), out of science based decision making, that much i do know. TSS
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