All Three of My Kids Had the MMR.... Ooops.

Former science chief: 'MMR fears coming true'
By SUE CORRIGAN, Mail on Sunday -Last updated at 16:08pm on 22nd March 2006
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."

Men are men

Two bored casino dealers are waiting at the crap table.

A very attractive blonde woman from Alabama arrived and bet twenty-thousand
dollars ($20,000) on a single roll of the dice.
She said, "I hope you don't mind, but I feel much luckier when I play
topless."
With that, she stripped to the waist; rolled the dice and yelled, "Come on,
baby.... Southern Girl needs new clothes!"
As the dice came to a stop, she jumped up-and-down and squealed... "YES!
YES! I WON! I WON!"
She hugged each of the dealers... and then picked up her winnings and her
clothes, and quickly departed.
The dealers stared at each other dumbfounded.
Finally, one of them asked, "What did she roll?" The others answered, "I
don't know... I thought you were watching."
---Moral ---
Not all Southerners are stupid.
Not all blondes are dumb.
But, all men..... are men.

And the Winners Are...

ANNUAL NEOLOGISM CONTEST

Once again, The Washington Post has published the winning submissions to its yearly contest, in which readers are asked to supply alternate meanings for common words.

The winners are:

1. Coffee (n.) the person upon whom one coughs.


2. Flabbergasted (adj.) appalled over how much weight you have gained.


3. Abdicate (v.) to give up all hope of ever having a flat stomach.


4. Esplanade (v.) to attempt an explanation while drunk.


5. Willy-nilly (adj.) impotent.


6. Negligent (adj.) describes a condition in which you absent-
mindedly answer the door in your nightgown.


7. Lymph (v.) to walk with a lisp.


8. Gargoyle (n.) olive-flavored mouthwash.


9. Flatulence (n.) emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are
run over by a steamroller.


10. Balderdash (n.) a rapidly receding hairline.


11. Testicle (n.) a humorous question on an exam.


12. Rectitude (n.) the formal, dignified bearing adopted by
proctologists.


13. Pokemon (n) a Rastafarian proctologist.


14. Oyster (n.) a person who sprinkles his conversation with
Yiddishisms.


15. Frisbeetarianism (n.) (back by popular demand): The belief that,
when you die, your Soul flies up onto the roof and gets stuck there.


And the pick of the literature:


Ignoranus (n): A person who's both stupid and an asshole.

Keep Dreams Alive or Keep Dreaming?

A guy walks into the local welfare office, marches straight up to the
counter and says, "Hi... You know, I just HATE drawing welfare. I'd
really rather
have a job."

The social worker behind the counter says, "Your timing is excellent.
We just got a job opening from a very wealthy old man who wants a
chauffeur
and bodyguard for his beautiful nymphomaniac daughter. You'll have to
drive
around in his Mercedes, but he'll supply all of your clothes. Because
of
the long
hours, meals will be provided. You'll be expected to escort her on her
overseas holiday trips. You will have to satisfy her sexual urges.
You'll be
provided a two-bedroom apartment above the garage. The starting salary
is $200,000 a
year."

The guy, wide-eyed, says, "You're bull shittin' me!"
The social worker says, "Yeah, well... you started it."

Woman Is A Bad Ass

CIA JOB OPENING

The CIA had an opening for an assassin. After all the background
checks, interviews and testing were done, there were 3 finalists...2 men
and a woman . For the final test, the CIA agents took one of the men to
a large metal door and handed him a gun. "We must know that you will
follow your instructions, no matter what the circumstances. Inside
this room, you will find your wife sitting in a chair. Kill her!" The
man said, "You can't be serious. I could never shoot my wife." The
agent said, "Then you're not the right man for this job. Take your wife
and go home."

The second man was given the same instructions. He took the gun and
went into the room. All was quiet for 5 minutes. Then the man came out
with tears in his eyes. "I tried, but I can 't kill my wife." The
agent said, "You don't have what it takes. Take your wife and go home."

Finally, it was the woman's turn. She was given the same instructions
to kill her husband. She took the gun and went
into the room. Shots were heard, one shot after another, eight in a
row. They heard screaming, crashing, and banging on the
walls. After a few minutes, all was quiet. The door opened slowly and
there stood the woman. She wiped the sweat from her
brow. "This gun is loaded with blanks," she said. "I had to beat him to
death with the chair."



Moral: Never put a woman to the test.

WHY I LOVE MOM

Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it's
getting late. I think I'll go to bed."

She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches.

Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.

She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button

She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on
the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer.

She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to
dry.

She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair.

She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the
envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both
near her purse.

Mom then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her Night
solution & age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails.

Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed."

"I'm on my way," she said.

She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then
made sure the doors were locked and the patio light was on.

She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps
and TV's, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.

In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next
day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her 6 most important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.

About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in
particular. "I'm going to bed."

And he did....without another thought.
Anything extraordinary here? Wonder why women live longer...?

CAUSE WE ARE MADE FOR THE LONG HAUL..... (and we can't die sooner, we still have things to do!!!!)

Do you think a gay man with a "mom" role does this?

WHY I LOVE MY MOM



Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it's

getting late. I think I'll go to bed."



She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches.



Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.



She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button



She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on

the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer.



She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to

dry.



She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair.



She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the

envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both

near her purse.



Mom then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her Night

solution & age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails.





Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed."



"I'm on my way," she said.



She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then

made sure the doors were locked and the patio light was on.





She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps

and TV's, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.



In her own room, she set the alarm; laid out clothing for the next

day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her 6 most important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.



About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in

particular. "I'm going to bed."





And he did....without another thought.



Anything extraordinary here? Wonder why women live longer...?





CAUSE WE ARE MADE FOR THE LONG HAUL..... (and we can't die sooner, we still have things to do!!!!)