1 Secret Report Reveals 18 Deaths Following Vaccinations A secret government report has revealed that eighteen babies and toddlers have died following childhood vaccinations. The report details how one baby suffered a cot death and 2 more infants died after their MMR jab in 2001, but the cause of death in these cases is unknown. There is a fear that children are getting too may vaccines. The Department of Health announced, in February, the introduction of a new vaccination for the bug that causes meningitis. So by the time a child is two they will have been given a total of 25 vaccinations. Experts said that the true figures for deaths and serious side effects could be much higher than those reported. Doctors say that a lot of reactions to the vaccine cannot be explained. It may be due to the infant having an infection before they got the jab or something in their genetic make-up or sometimes an allergic reaction. UK-wide the take-up of the MMR jab fell to a record low between July and September with a coverage rate of just 84.2%. The recommended rate is 95%. The BBC has uncovered disturbing evidence that some doctors are bullying parents into giving their children the combined vaccine. Doctors receive an extra payment if they meet targets for vaccinating a high proportion of patients.

2 Demand for Single Measles Jab Soars There has been a huge rise in demand for the single measles vaccine in the UK after concern over the safety of the MMR vaccine. According to the Medical Controls Agency there was 9 times the take- up of single measles vaccines between May- December last year compared with the same period the previous year. Demand is so high that clinics are reporting a worldwide shortage of the vaccine. The single vaccine is instead of the combined vaccine of Measles, Mumps and Rubella which is said to have been linked to autism. Japan stopped using the 3 in 1 MMR jab in 1993as they thought it linked to Meningitis. Japan used a slightly different type of vaccine from the one used in the UK The UK MMR vaccine has been linked to autism and bowel disorders but the medical establishment says such a link does not exist. Professor Donaldson said research suggesting that the measles virus was found in the guts of autistic children was "riddled with flaws". Splitting the vaccines would mean six separate jabs instead of one. Friday 23 rd June 2002

3 Children Ordered by Court to have MMR Jab A high court ruled yesterday that two girls were to be given the MMR jab despite the objections from their mother. Mr Justice Sumner told the mother that it was in her children’s best interest that her children, one 10 and one 4 should be vaccinated. He dismissed evidence of possible links between the vaccine and autism and bowel disease. He also said that the risk of the vaccination were small compared to the risks of the diseases they stopped. He ruled that the combined three in one jab had fewer risk than giving the Measles Mumps and Rubella jabs separately. The Father of the children took the mother to court to enforce the vaccination as the couple were divorced and the mother refused to allow the vaccination. The judge ruled that the decision was in the best interests of the children even though it distressed the mother. While the government, doctors and medical groups were pleased by the decision, many said that the courts shouldn’t intervene in such affairs. The mother made a statement outside the court, saying, “I think this ruling is an outrage, you should be able to make your own decisions about your own children. Who is willing to take responsibility if something goes wrong? Not the judge, vaccination company, doctor or the father.” Tuesday 3 rd May 2002

4 Research Clears MMR The expert whose research shows no link between MMR and autism says he hopes his findings will put an end to the controversy over the vaccine. It has been suggested that the MMR vaccine had caused a particular form of autism - known as new variant autism - in which children deteriorate over time and suffer bowel disorders. Measles is potentially dangerous in a very small number of cases - it can lead to pneumonia or brain swelling. The measles, mumps and rubella triple jab was introduced in The researchers say if there was link between MMR and new variant autism, there would have been an increase in cases of new variant autism after that date. Autism showed to be just as likely among children who did not receive MMR, or to have surfaced in children before they were vaccinated. This is the third time the researchers have conducted a study of this type - on each occasion for a longer period. Each time, the results have been the same. Professor Brent Taylor added that there was "no relation whatsoever" between MMR and autism, and a "huge amount of good evidence that there's no relation". Tuesday 27 th June 2006

5 MMR Jab Defended The government's chief medical expert has defended the controversial MMR vaccine as a safe and effective way to protect children from disease. Professor Donaldson said, “Not vaccinating would literally be playing Russian roulette with our children's health, and that would be an irresponsible and unacceptable way to run a programme which is meant to be protecting children's health." Before MMR was introduced 14 people died of measles a year in England and Wales. Today measles is nearly eradicated from the UK. But as more and more parents are refusing to give their children the MMR vaccine, the children are at more risk of becoming very ill from the diseases. Tony Blair has given his strongest hint yet that his baby son has had the controversial MMR triple vaccine as he attempted to rest fears over its safety. He said he hoped people realised that he would not ask or advise them to do something that he believed was dangerous to his own child. Mr Blair told MPs the triple vaccine had been cleared by the British Medical Association and was in use in 90 countries around the world. A Health Department spokesman said that if numbers fell below 95% of the population we would not keep our "herd immunity". Which means that measles could again have the potential of spreading across the UK, causing serious illness and possibly death. Friday 4 th December 2002

6 MMR 'cleared' of autism link Friday, 9 February, 2001 A major study suggests that the high rate of autism in recent years is almost certainly not due to the MMR injection. The research could help government ministers trying to stop parents from opting out of the vaccine in large numbers, because they are unsure how safe it is. Another study that the government are going to debate on is from Tory MP, Julie Kirkbride, who is calling for the introduction of single jabs for measles, mumps and rubella. One of the strongest arguments linking the jab to autism has been the fact that the number of diagnoses has spiralled upwards since the late 1980s - around the time that the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine was introduced. However, a major statistical analysis of UK children, published on the website of the British Medical Journal, has found that there appears to be no clear link between MMR and the rise Dr Hershel Jick, said “We have no idea what's causing it, but it isn't MMR." He also said that he hoped the research would provide extra reassurance for parents.

7 Children infected at 'measles parties' Opponents of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine have set up a network of parents to help each other's children catch illnesses. They believe that by exposing the youngsters to the diseases they will build up their own resistance to the bugs. At least 500 sets of parents are said to be linked by the informal network - and each is ready to attend "measles parties" where families can meet those infected with the illnesses. However, the government has warned parents against ignoring the vaccination scheme. Mother-of-two Lesley Dove, from Harrow, Middlesex, is refusing to have her children treated with the MMR vaccine. Instead she lets her children mingle with youngsters who have come down with infections. Ms Dove, 36, added: "This is the way it was done until the days of MMR vaccine. "When I was at school we all just caught these illnesses and got over them and developed our own immunity to them." The diseases these vaccines protect against are potentially very serious. Measles can cause pneumonia, brain swelling and even death 31 st October 2003

8 Autism levels are 'ten times higher' According to the research autism levels have increased ten-fold over the past decade, Some people have linked the increase in autism to the MMR jab, but others feel it could be linked to a number of environmental factors. The Autism Research Unit, which is part of the University of Sunderland, said it was unable to rule out a link between the MMR and autism. And researchers called for further investigations to look at what is causing the huge increases. He said: "We have been doing research for many years with the 6,000 people in our database where we have looked at dates of births of people with autism to see if there is a large increase. "Our early data shows that there are a 10 times more cases of autism than 10 years ago. The National Autistic Society said the research was "interesting", but said it was difficult to record autism figures as there is no central data base. Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects the way a person communicates and relates to people around them. Children and adults with autism are unable to relate to others in a meaningful way. Their ability to develop friendships is impaired as is their capacity to understand other people's feelings. Researchers called for further investigations to look at what is causing the huge increases. 18 th September 2002