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CatherineR
United Kingdom
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 Posted - 05/20/2012 : 11:19:02
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http://www.nyrnaturalnews.com/chemicals-2/2012/05/italian-court-rules-mmr-vaccine-did-trigger-autism/
Natural Health News — An Italian court has ruled there is a link between the MMR vaccine and autism.
In what may be a ground-breaking decision, the Italian Court of Rimini has ruled that causation between an MMR vaccine and the resulting autism in a young child “has been established.”
The unnamed child received the vaccine in March of 2004 and on returning home immediately developed adverse symptoms. During the next year the child regressed, receiving the autism diagnosis one year later and is now 100% disabled by the disease.
The Italian court ruled that the child “has been damaged by irreversible complications due to vaccination (prophylaxis trivalent MMR)” and ordered the Ministry of Health to compensate the child with a 15 year annuity and to reimburse the parents of their court cost.
The judgement can be found in full here and the original news report in Italian appears here. A rough Google translation appears here.
The case is expected to go to appeal as authorities are concerned it may set a legal precedent.
Not the first judgement against the vaccine
This, however, is the second recent judgement to come to this conclusion. Earlier this year a US court also ruled that the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine can cause autism.
In a ruling that kept very quiet in the press, the US Court of Federal Claims has conceded that the mercury-based preservative thimerosal, which was in vaccines until 2002, caused autism in the case of one child.
The ruling was just one of 4,900 cases currently being considered for compensation payments. Health officials are concerned that it could open the floodgates for even more claims.
The ruling, made by US Assistant Attorney General Peter Keisler, was made last November, and was one of three test cases into the MMR-autism link that was being considered by a three-member panel, which Keisler chaired.
The case involved a child who received nine vaccinations in July 2000, when she was 18 months old. Two of these contained thimerosal. Within days, the girl, who had previously been healthy, began to exhibit loss of language skills, no eye contact, loss of response to verbal direction, insomnia, incessant screaming, and arching.
A diagnosis of autism was confirmed seven months later.
In its defence, the US government claimed the girl had a pre-existing mitochondrial disorder that was aggravated by the vaccine. However in his conclusion, Keisler said that “compensation is appropriate”.
Too much heat, not enough light
Both findings would appear to support the controversial findings of Dr Andrew Wakefield who, in 1998 published an article in the Lancet suggesting a link between the vaccine and autism. Official reaction to the paper was of such force and such outrage that the Lancet withdrew the paper on the grounds that it was scientifically unsound.
Wakefield has been in a battle for his professional reputation ever since and the question of the proposed link between the MMR vaccine and autism has been largely sidelined (though not solved) by bitter and very public professional rows that have done little to bring clarity to concerned parents. |
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jabsadmin
1238 Posts |
Posted - 05/24/2012 : 17:00:37
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http://childhealthsafety.wordpress.com/2012/05/23/mmr-causes-autism-italian-court-translation/
Italy – Court Holds MMR Vaccine Causes Autism – III: English Translation Of Court Decision
Posted on May 23, 2012 by ChildHealthSafety
We present here a professional medical translation of the full text of the decision of the Italian Court of Rimini holding that the MMR vaccine causes autism in children. First a few observations.
The MMR vaccine used in Italy is Morupar. That is a Urabe mumps virus strain containing vaccine, which is the type abandoned unilaterally and urgently in the UK in September 1992 by the manufacturer for legal reasons because of the high levels of all kinds of adverse reactions it causes. It was done so urgently that the UK’s Department of Health was not even given a week to break the news. However, the kind of MMR vaccine Hannah Poling in the US received with 8 other vaccines on the same day would have been Merck’s MMR vaccine containing the Jeryl Lynn strain of mumps virus. [US Government In US$20 million Legal Settlement For Vaccine Caused Autism Case]
And here is the key part of the Italian Court’s judgement:
The medicolegal and auxilary medicolegal assessments must be conducted according to their merits, which, on the basis of an in depth examination of the case in the light of the specialist literature to date, has conclusively established that the young child is suffering from AUTISTIC DISORDER ASSOCIATED WITH MEDIUM COGNITIVE DELAY ascribed with reasonable scientific probability due to the administration of the vaccine MMR occurring on the date 263\2004 at the ALS of Riccione
It should also be acknowledged that the auxiliary evaluation pursuant to the Medical Commission has expressed the view that there is a permanent impairment of physical and mental integrity established, ascribed to the first category of Table A ,attached to the DPR 30 \ 12 \ 81 n.834.
Now a further point to be made is that in common law jurisdictions like England, Australia, Canada and the USA and many more, a finding of fact by a Court of first instance is extremely difficult to overturn except in the case of manifest error or some other factor like fraud
Additionally, it appears the judgement of the Italian Court was by consent, which also appears to mean 1) the Italian health authorities did not contest the findings and 2) they cannot appeal. If a qualified Italian lawyer might like to comment here on CHS on whether that is a correct intepretation of the judgement that would be appreciated. The relevant part of the judgement is:
The case, informed through the production of documents and the testing of medical-legal advice, was discussed at today’s public hearing as a consent decree.
The English translation provided here has been kindly provided by Dr JLM Donegan.
Dr Donegan is the only English medical practitioner whose advice on vaccination issues has been found in a three week UK General Medical Council legal trial in August 2007 to the standard of beyond a reasonable doubt to be based on valid medical and scientific literature, not to be misleading and unaffected by any personal views Dr Donegan may hold – in other words Dr Donegan’s advice is independent, objective and unbiased.
More information can be found here:
UK’s GMC, Dr Jayne Donegan’s Story, Vaccines & MMR.......
Here follows the translated judgement. Any observations on or suggestions for improvements to the translation or typographical or other errors would be appreciated as this has been prepared as rapidly as reasonably possible:
Italian Republic
On behalf of the Italian people
The Ordinary Court of Rimini
Civil Division, Labour Section
With a single judge presiding in the person of Judge Lucius ARDIGO’ pronounces
JUDGMENT
in the civil case, with the ritual of work, registered as N.474 \ 10 RGL brought forward by:
XXXX and XXXX on their own behalf and as parents exercising parental authority in the case of their son, a minor xxxx (child)
represented and defended by the lawyer. VENTALORO LUCA with an address for service in Viale Principe Amedeo 12 47900 RIMIN at the Chambers of. VENTALORO LUCA
-APPLICANT-
AGAINST
MINISTRY OF HEALTH (CF80242255589), with the ADVOCACY of the lawyer DISTRICT STATE ADVOCATE electively domiciled in Via Guido Reni 4 40125 BOLOGNA at the Chambers of. DISTRICT STATE ADVOCATE
-AGREED-
Concerning
Compensation under Article 2, paragraph 1, of Law no. 210, 1992
GROUNDS FOR DECISION
By application filed 8 \ 06 \ 2012 XXXX and XXXX on behalf of themselves and in their capacity as parents exercising parental authority over the child xxxx agreed to press charges against the Ministry of Health, applying that they be ordered to pay compensation for irreversible damages from complications caused by compulsory vaccination
The basis for the application stated that on 26 \ 03 \ 2004 the minor (child) xxxx was subjected to prophylactic trivalent MMR at the AUSL (Local Health Authority) of Riccione.
The same daily worrying symptoms arose daily (diarrhoea, nervousness) between 2004 and 2005. xxxx (the child) experienced signs of serious psychological and physical discomfort as far as the date of 31 \ 08 \ 2007 when the recognition took place that he was invalided totally and permanently to a level of 100%
Only on the date 27 \ 06 \ 2008, did the specialist Dr. Niglio attest as to how the reported damages to the minor (child) were attributable to the vaccination carried out, this theory was definitively confirmed on the date 25 \ 07 \ 2009 by the specialist Dr. MONTANARI.
Therefore on the date 28 \ 04 \ 2008 the parents, the applicants, submitted an application for verification of eligibility requirements for the compensation provided for the benefit of those harmed by the irreversible complications due to mandatory, vaccinations, but on the date 13 \ 10 \ 2008 the Medical Hospital Commission refused the application because the MMR vaccination did not turn out to be compulsory by law or ordinance of Health Authority.
The case, informed through the production of documents and the testing of medical-legal advice, was discussed at today’s public hearing as a consent decree.
In a preliminary ruling it was asserted that the the capacity to be sued of the Ministry was exempted under the provisions of Article D of .114> L.vo No. 112 of 1998, regarding the contribution to the Region of the functions and administrative tasks relating to Health, Article 123. This same decree explicitly recognized the retention by the State of the duties relating to appeals (to be understood both as administrative and judicial, in the absence of normative distinction) for the payment of compensation in favour of those harmed by the irreversible complications due to vaccinations, compulsory medical treatment and the like.
The latter theory shared by the most recent and prevailing case law of the Supreme Court of Cassation (Highest Court of Appeal) which has clarified how in the case of especially the capacity to be sued, it is exclusively the responsibility of the Ministry of Health (see most recently Cass. Sec. L n. 29311 of 28 \ 12 \ 2011 Rv. 620379; Compliant same section 13 \ 10 \ 2009 n. 21702, n.21703, n.21704 of 3 \ 11 \ 2009 n. 23216, n. 23217, by 5 \ 11 \ 2009 n. 23434, the 6 \ 11 \ 2009 n. 23588).
In point of law it is considered that the fact that the alleged permanent impairment of physical or mental integrity is due to a compulsory vaccination cannot be an impediment to the recognition of compensation required.
Referred to herein and in fact ,to the judgment of the Constitutional Court. 27 \ 1998 and 423 \ 2000 that it was declared unconstitutional by violation of Articles 2 and 32 Constitution, Article 1, paragraph 1, I. February 25, 1992 No 210 (Compensation for those harmed by complications of an irreversible type because of mandatory vaccination, blood transfusion and the administration of blood products), in so far as it provided no entitlement to compensation under the conditions specified therein, of those who were subjected to non-compulsory vaccinations against Hepatitis B and Poliomyelitis as a result of campaigns by the Health Authority to legally promote the dissemination of these vaccinations.
The aforementioned vaccinations, like the trivalent MMR vaccination in question, had been strongly encouraged by the state while not imposing a legal obligation: it is not constitutionally permissible in the light of Articles 2:32 of the Constitution, to require that the individual puts his own health at risk for the collective interest, without collective being willing to share, if you will, the weight of the negative consequences, there is no reason to differentiate from point of view of the aforesaid principle, the case where medical treatment is required by statute and that in which it is according to a law promoted by public authorities, in view of its widespread distribution in society.
The medicolegal and auxilary medicolegal assessments must be conducted according to their merits, which, on the basis of an in depth examination of the case in the light of the specialist literature to date, has conclusively established that the young child is suffering from AUTISTIC DISORDER ASSOCIATED WITH MEDIUM COGNITIVE DELAY ascribed with reasonable scientific probability due to the administration of the vaccine MMR occurring on the date 263\2004 at the ALS of Riccione
It should also be acknowledged that the auxiliary evaluation pursuant to the Medical Commission has expressed the view that there is a permanent impairment of physical and mental integrity established, ascribed to the first category of Table A ,attached to the DPR 30 \ 12 \ 81 n.834.
As for the ascertainment, on the part of the parents, of the actual knowledge of the cause of disability, it should be noted that in none of the medical records examined was the clinical picture established definitely as post-vaccine, in the sense of, caused by inoculation of the vaccine, and that the causal relationship is indicated for the first time only in the medical report on 27 \ 06 \ 2008 of the specialist Dr. Niglio.
In particular, we should highlight as the starting point, not reckoned in the knowledge of the diagnosis, or by the mere suspicion of an origin from compulsory vaccination, but from the moment when, on the basis of medical records, the claimant is found to have had knowledge of the damage, that awareness of the aetiological relationship between irreversible injury (including ascribability table) and the cause from vaccination (which entitles you to compensation).
As reiterated by the Supreme Court in the analogous issue of knowledge of occupational disease indemnification, it is not sufficient that the employee is informed of the mere professional/ occupational origin of the disease but it is also necessary that the same is aware of the importance of sequelae so as to provide an impairment higher than threshold percentage fixed for the recognition of pension entitlement (see in this sense civil Cassation section. Lav., April 3, 1993, No. 4031, in Riv. In fort. and mal. Prof. in 1993, II, 111; Supreme Court as well as civil sez. Lav., January 8, 1996, n. 63 INAIL Bulgari c rv 495 260)
Therefore, a deadline of two years from knowledge of the cause of the damage is enforced(Article 3 of Law no. 210, 1992), being the permanent impairment of psycho-physical integrity due to 1 / \ category in Table A attached to the DPR 30 \ 12 \ 81 n.834, and should be entitled to compensation provided for under Articles 1 and 2 of Law 210 \ 1992 comprised therein for the payment of the One off payment of Article 2 paragraph 2 of that law.
Under the combined provision in the Article 429 c.p.c. and 16. paragraph 6 of Law 30 December 1991, No. 412, the amount due in respect of statutory interest on pension claims is used to offset any amounts payable for the restoration of greater damages for the diminished value of the claim, which is why an adjustment for inflation becomes operational only for periods of time which the amount of interest is not sufficient to cover the full damage due to devaluation.
The court costs are settled on a payment formula accepted by the Ministry according to the general criterion of negative outcomes.
For this same reason they are definitively accepted by the Ministry as are the costs of CTU, to the extent already settled by a separate decree.
FOR THESE REASONS
THE ORDINARY COURT OF RIMINI
with a single judge presiding in the function of judge of the work
pronouncing definitively on the application brought by XXXX and XXXX as parents exercising parental authority over the child xxxx with an application lodged on 8 \ 06 \ 2012, dismissing all other claims, objections or inferences, will thus provide, in adversarial proceedings with the Ministry of Health:
1) I verify that (child) xxxx has been irreversibly damaged by complications caused by vaccination (prophylaxis trivalent MMR) with a right to compensation referred to in Articles 1 and 2 of Law no. 210, 1992, ( lifetime pension backdated for fifteen years), I order the Ministry of Health in the person of the Minister in charge to pay to (child) xxxx the compensation provided for by Articles 1 and 2 of Law 210/1992 including the payment of the One off payment of Article 2 paragraph 2 of that Act (for the arrears plus interest accrued in so far as legally possible and the second monetary revaluation ISTAT indexes, as required by law for payment of the application);
1. I Order the Ministery of Health to pay the court fees in settlement a total of Euro 2.500,00 in addition LVA, CPA and reimbursement of the general charges as required by law;
2. I definitively place the burden on the Ministry of Health to meet expenses of CTU (Expert witnesses).
Thus decided in Rimini, public hearing on the 15 \ 03 \ 2012.
THE JUDGE
Lucio ARDIGO ‘
Translated by JLM Donegan 23 May 2012
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Seonaid
United Kingdom
1361 Posts |
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jabsadmin
1238 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2012 : 10:35:57
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http://money.cnn.com/2006/03/16/news/companies/chiron/index.htm
Chiron recalls measles vaccine
Morupar, a combination vaccine for mumps and rubella, had $10 million in sales last year.
March 16, 2006: 9:40 AM EST
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) - Chiron Corp. said Thursday that is recalling its Morupar vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella.
Chiron (unchanged at $45.70, Research), a California-based drug maker, said it provided 5 million doses of the treatment in 2005, mostly for developing countries, through the United Nations Children's Fund and Pan American Health Organization.
Chiron said it is recalling the vaccine after noticing adverse events, including fever, allergic reactions and swelling of the glands, during routine surveillance of inoculated patients in Italy. Chiron said the events do not affect long-term health.
The company said Morupar sales were $10 million in 2005, with overall company sales that year at $1.4 billion. Because of the recall, Chiron revised its 2005 income for continuing operations, decreasing earnings per share by three cents, to $1.31.
To read about Chiron's troubles with vaccine production, click here. |
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jabsadmin
1238 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2012 : 10:46:29
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http://www.ageofautism.com/2011/10/the-naked-cdc-the-truth-about-mmr-or-part-of-it-in-their-own-words.html
The Naked CDC: the Truth about MMR (or part of it) in their Own WordsBy John Stone
In a CDC study of the adverse effects of MMR:
Above 1 in 17 toddlers in the study developed a temperature of 39.5C (103F) or greater post vaccination, and 1 in 5.6 a raised temperature.
Nearly one quarter of toddlers in the study (23%) were routinely vaccinated despite being unwell prior to vaccination with fever (7%), diarrhea (12%) and rash (7%)
It is all too revealing to look at this 2006 study by LeBaron et al ‘Evaluation of Potentially Common Adverse Events Associated With the First and Second Doses of Measles-Mumps-Rubella Vaccine’ which was apparently designed to be re-assuring that the effects of a second and third dose of MMR at pre-school and mid-school age are milder than the first in infancy or toddlerhood.
But if so, we might ask, what about the first? We learn that it is quite routine for an infant to develop a raging fever with unknown long term consequences. Again LeBaron et al are frank about some of the limitations of their study:
‘Our study suffers from a number of limitations. Data on adverse events were based on unverified, family recorded symptom diaries. We had no unvaccinated control group. The baseline period for the study subjects lasted only 1 week and was relatively close to vaccination when the “healthy vaccinee effect”14 may well have been present. A 17% attrition rate occurred, mostly during the baseline diary period. The sample size was inadequate to examine rare adverse events or common adverse events with less than a twofold increase over baseline. The study population was atypical of the overall population of US children, in that they were almost all white, rural, healthy, and received vaccinations at the recommended ages. Other vaccines were administered simultaneously with MMR for >80% children in the 2 younger groups and <1% in the oldest group, making attribution of adverse events and comparison of groups more difficult.’
But their concept of what constitutes a healthy child, is somewhat thrown into doubt by figure 2 which shows that 7% of subjects already had fever, 12% diarrhea, 7% rash (23% one or all of these) prior to vaccination. If the target group is adjudged to be healthy by the authors it leaves a disturbing question about the circumstances in which an already unwell child could routinely be vaccinated, and demonstrates that the health and wellbeing of individual children is not what is at stake in the programme: at best it would be the control of the disease at the expense of the sick child.
The gung-ho attitude of this culture is further evidenced by the fact that more than 80% of toddlers received other vaccines at the same time as MMR. Routinely, a temperature of 39.5C or above is an acceptable side effect. Subjects were only monitored for 3.5 weeks after vaccination: the long term health and development of those getting a high fever has probably never been researched, and probably never will be.
LeBaron et al conclude (rounding their figures down):
‘Nevertheless, we believe our study findings confirm that vaccine-associated adverse events occur in #8764;1 of every 6 toddlers receiving the first dose of MMR, with high fever occurring in #8764;1 in 20, although very few of these events require medical attention.’
But I wouldn’t take their word for it. If the parents of Hannah Poling hadn’t been a particularly determined doctor and a nurse would we be any the wiser? And why are we treating babies like immunological supermen? Is it because they can't answer back??
It’s the culture, stupid.
(With thanks to Alex Snelgrove).
John Stone is UK Editor for Age of Autism.
Posted by Age of Autism at October 10, 2011 at 5:46 AM in John Stone, Vaccine Safety | Permalink | Comments (11)
Comments
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Linda- Your information is very interesting. This is a very interesting question- Is it good protocol to give a child a live virus vaccine while the mother is pregnant? - knowing that the virus may infect the mother. Any comments?
To Marie-Anne Denayer- This is interesting - that your child had no other vaccines along with the MMR. What I do wonder is whether the encephalopathy which ensues after the MMR could cause the mercury in the child's brain (from earlier vaccines) to change location and do more damage. Any comments anyone?
To Linda- Your child's autoimmune disorders would probably be due either to the mercury in vaccines or more likely to the aluminum, which goes on provoking the secretion of cytokines . You could implement a strategy of protecting your child from both mercury and aluminium and you might possibly see some improvement in the long term- perhaps taking years- but better than never ! Dont forget to reduce or stop eating fish- The mercury in fish can be far more dangerous that one imagines. Go to the Safeminds website to see a list of sources of mercury and check that out for your daughter.
Posted by: Cherry Sperlin Misra | October 11, 2011 at 02:23 PM
Barry,
Unless things have changed in the past 7-8 years, I believe anyone (parent, patient, health care provider) is able to report a vaccine injury to VAERS: http://vaers.hhs.gov/esub/index
I reported my son's vaccine injury myself about 8 yrs ago by submitting the info online. I was contacted by telephone about a month after submitting info, for questioning and verification, but my child's doctor was never involved with our VAERS report.
I heartily agree with your suggestion to include the name of administering physician in the VAERS database. (I won't hold my breath for that to ever happen, but one can dream...)
Bob Moffitt - doctors will never, ever willingly involve themselves in reporting vaccine adverse reactions. Their fear of malpractice overrides all ethical responsibility.
Posted by: Donna L. | October 11, 2011 at 11:22 AM
Barry posted:
"Included in each report would be name of the doctor who administered the vaccine, if the adverse reaction was reported to that doctor, and if that doctor went on to report the event to VAERS system. The file would also be left open for the child, so that health developments subsequent to the vaccine event could be recorded if/as they developed."
How difficult would it be for VAERS to compile an easily reviewable data base to record the number of adverse events a pediatrician or doctor annually reports? This data base could then be used by VAERS to establish a "base line" of anticipated adverse events .. per numbers of vaccines administered .. during any given year.
Should VAERS identify a doctor who consistently fails to reach the "base line" of reports .. VAERS should immediately investigate that doctor's reporting procedures to ascertain why he consistently reports fewer adverse events than his colleagues.
It would also be helpful if VAERS posted the annual "adverse event" reports filed by doctors .. in their waiting rooms .. so parents can read for themselves if their doctor is among those with annual .. exceptionally low .. reports of adverse events.
As Barry said:
"It’s amazing how honest people become, when they know they’ll be held accountable for their actions."
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | October 11, 2011 at 09:18 AM
Bob Moffit wrote: "... I have tried .. without success .. to understand what the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) requires for a doctor or pediatrician to comply with their request:
"Please report all significant adverse events that occur after vaccination of adults and children, even if you are not sure whether the vaccine caused the adverse event".
It should be no mystery why less than 10% of adverse events are reported .. because .. VAERS makes no effort to describe to doctors or pediatricians (parents???)what qualifies as a "significant event following vaccinations"?..."
*********************
VAERS is very difficult to understand, but only in the context of a system that is meant to honestly track adverse reactions. When you think of it in the context of system that is actually meant to HIDE adverse reactions.. then it makes perfect sense.
This whole data base "surveillance program" was concocted by (... I mean, co-sponsored by) the CDC and the FDA, institutes that have hardly become known for their honesty, or for competency of any kind. And the only time data can be fed to this data base is when a doctor CHOOSES to report a vaccine injury, most likely to a very small child, that happened on his or her watch. That’s a recipe for under-reporting, and for under-stated reports on the odd occasions when injuries are actually admitted.
What I would love to see is a database maintained by an organization that’s completely independent of the drug and /or medical industries. Adverse advents would be reported by parents themselves, and they would be free to report on any vaccine reaction which they believe they observed in their child. Included in each report would be name of the doctor who administered the vaccine, if the adverse reaction was reported to that doctor, and if that doctor went on to report the event to VAERS system. The file would also be left open for the child, so that health developments subsequent to the vaccine event could be recorded if/as they developed.
It’s amazing how honest people become, when they know they’ll be held accountable for their actions.
Posted by: Barry | October 10, 2011 at 10:48 PM
One of the symptoms I noticed with MMR was a little bit yellowing of the skin.
Posted by: Stef | October 10, 2011 at 10:24 PM
Thanks John.
It doesn't take an expert to recognise that your child is "running a fever."
My son had "passed out" (fainted) in my arms on many occassions and his body was covered in "beads of perspiration." Instinctively, you know something is wrong! This occurred not long after the MMR!!!!!
Elizabeth
Posted by: AussieMum | October 10, 2011 at 09:21 PM
How long following "natural" exposure to measles, mumps, or rubella virus does it take to measure adverse outcomes?
For measles the incubation period alone is supposedly 8 to 12 days:
http://measles.emedtv.com/measles/measles-incubation-period.html
For rubella, 14-21 days:
http://measles.emedtv.com/rubella/rubella-incubation-period.html
For mumps 12 to 25 days:
http://mumps.emedtv.com/mumps/incubation-period-for-mumps.html
Though I'm sure they believe a week is somehow a useful time frame for follow-up, how do they believe one week of observation will indicate anything to the average Joe and Jen anything other than that no one is really checking vaccine safety?
The "disease prevention" approach to the scientific method to me appears completely inverted:
Take what you want to conclude.
Construct a test that should come to that conclusion. Confounding variables may be helpful.
Weed out data that contradicts the conclusion as much as possible.
If the data appears to support the conclusion use the data to answer any raised hypothesis. If the data inexplicably appears to falsify the conclusion stop testing.
Observe only the conclusion. Make no further observation. Conclude the conclusion. Do not listen to questions. Thinking at this point, and if possible throughout the entire process, is not allowed.
Go back and repeat the process as much as necessary to affirm the conclusion.
Posted by: Jeannette Bishop | October 10, 2011 at 02:41 PM
Just in case we have any new folks here--the MMR can cause autism. And it does. For some kids, it's simply the "last straw" after a long assault with mercury- and aluminum-filled vaccines--that was clearly the case for our son, looking back.
Our son had a fever ranging from 103 to almost 105 degrees after the MMR. He got the shot at 15 months, in June, 2002. He was sick repeatedly that fall and winter. He just couldn't stay well. His behavior changed, he developed daily diarrhea, he was never "himself" again.
By 24 months, he had moderate to severe autism. We began a GFCFSF diet (plus no highly-colored foods), started supplements and floortime therapy. . .
Here's the kicker: unless your child recovers FULLY (and I do mean completely) symptoms can come and go for years and years, with your child getting better, then stabilizing, then worse.
He seemed recovered at about age 6, but the gap between him and his peers began to widen again between ages 7 and 9. . .
And my husband--after seeing what happened to him, after agreeing that autism was "epidemic," after seeing the foul-smelling diarrhea clear up (it took two years), after seeing his sleep patterns normalize--after all this, he put his head in the sand and now says that "vaccines don't cause autism" and "unvaccinated kids shouldn't be in public schools."
Posted by: Terri Lewis | October 10, 2011 at 11:46 AM
My daughter's temperature spiked to 104F within 6 hours of the MMR and remained elevated for 48 hrs. She was 15 months old,it was July of 1988 and no other vaccine was administered with the MMR. That day she lost the sparkle in her eyes and by Christmas, autism had taken over.
Posted by: Marie-Anne Denayer, M.D. | October 10, 2011 at 09:46 AM
I have tried .. without success .. to understand what the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) requires for a doctor or pediatrician to comply with their request:
"Please report all significant adverse events that occur after vaccination of adults and children, even if you are not sure whether the vaccine caused the adverse event".
It should be no mystery why less than 10% of adverse events are reported .. because .. VAERS makes no effort to describe to doctors or pediatricians (parents???)what qualifies as a "significant event following vaccinations"?
How difficult would it be for VAERS to specifically list "significant events" worthy of reporting .. such as .. high temperatures, persistant diarrhea, inconsolable crying tantrums in a formerly placid infant, sleepless nights, seizures, etc .. occuring within two weeks of vaccinations?
Personally, I believe these types of "events" should be reported so that VAERS can conduct longer-term "follow up" monitoring to make certain they are not early symptoms of what will eventually become a chronic autoimmune disorder in a small sub-set of children so afflicted.
Shouldn't VAERS require pediatricians and doctors to at least report those events where a vaccinated child eventually is diagnosed with a disease that is specifically listed as a possible reaction on the vaccine manufacturers product information? Even though the actual diagnosis of the disease occurs far removed from the vaccination?
Shouldn't these "warnings" be listed in the pediatrician's waiting room where parents can read them for themselves so they will be forewarned of the potential risks ahead?
Hopefully, someday someone will actually investigate VAERS to make certain they are "pro-actively diligent" in their critically assigned task of monitoring adverse reactions following vaccinations.
After all .. parents and public health officials rely exclusively upon VAERS .. to make certain the "benefits of vaccines far outweigh the risks"?
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | October 10, 2011 at 09:27 AM
My daughter developed the measles 10 days after her vaccination at her one year old well visit. My pediatrician told me this is a side effect of the vaccination since it is a live virus. How can you only study reactions for one week when such a reaction can occur later? I was seven months pregnant at the time and luckily had the measles as a child so I was immune. Amazingly, she was given a booster before kindergarten because " it was necessary" and they said she could not get the measles once she had the disease. She is now 19 and has many autoimmune disorders. She does not have autism. I was told the measles are not really harmful, and to take her home and watch her fever. She had strep throat numerous times in the first year of life. I believe her immune system could not handle this vaccination properly.Her head also became unusually large after this shot.
Posted by: LInda | October 10, 2011 at 08:50 AM |
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jabsadmin
1238 Posts |
Posted - 05/27/2012 : 23:50:42
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SUNDAY POST
27th May 2012
Legal hope for MMR row
By Janet Boyle
Ruling backs up parents' pleas for compensation
Picture subtitle: Many parents are convinced the MMR vaccine damaged their children.
A breakthrough judgement which ruled in favour of a boy damaged by the MMR vaccine in Italy has offered hope to parents fighting for kids in the UK.
The court in Rimini decided the child's autism was caused by the triple vaccine and awarded the parents compensation.
The news has been welcomed by many parents including Scots mum Maria Cunningham, from Edinburgh, whose son David, 21, became severely autistic within weeks of being given the MMR vaccine when he was 14 months old.
Within days he began to withdraw from Maria and stopped speaking a week later.
"I could only watch terrified as my baby moved into his own world refusing to turn when I spoke or called his name," she says.
Several pleas to the family GP for help were dismissed as being the complaints of an over-anxious mum, Maria, 51, reveals.
"But within eight months I had lost my son as he had sunk completely into a world of his own," Maria adds.
A paediatric neurologist eventually diagnosed autism. David was four by then and showing signs of severe developmental delay.
David spent most of his education at a special needs school and today is cared for by Maria. But he will never live independently.
The number of children with autism has risen 12-fold in the past 30 years and may be 50% higher than previously suspected.
Many parents point to the MMR vaccine as a driving factor.
Maria says she has fought for more than 15 years for compensation but her pleas have been dismissed.
She appealed to the UK government's Vaccines Damage Compensation Programme but they do not recognise autism as a side effect of the MMR vaccine.
"This legal decision in Italy is the recognition so many families in the UK have been seeking for years.
"It is a ruling in a fellow European country and proof that the MMR vaccine can and does cause autism in some children.
"Payments have been made in the USA to children and I believe David has been damaged.
"We also know that countries like Japan and Canada no longer use the vaccine."
Families like Maria are backed by campaigning group JABS.
Campaign head Jackie Fletcher said: "There are many others like David who suffered side effects from the vaccine and all the parents ask for is justice for their autistic children.
"We are not anti-vaccine but urge parents to consider single vaccines because some children react badly to vaccines given in triple doses. Individuals respond differently and one vaccine is not suitable for all infants."
A spokesman for the vaccine's makers, SmithKlineGlaxo said: "Unfortunately we don't have anything about this specific case in Italy. There are many manufacturers of the MMR vaccine."
The Government urges parents to continue to have their children protected with the triple vaccine.
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Emerald
298 Posts |
Posted - 06/16/2012 : 09:01:36
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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160054/MMR-A-mothers-victory-The-vast-majority-doctors-say-link-triple-jab-autism-Italian-court-case-reignite-controversial-debate.html
MMR: A mother's victory. The vast majority of doctors say there is no link between the triple jab and autism, but could an Italian court case reignite this controversial debate?
Landmark ruling in an Italian court has said Valentino Bocca's autism was provoked by the MMR jab he had at aged nine months
His parents have already been awarded £140,000 and could be paid an additional £800,000 in their case against the Italian government
The case could set a precedent for many similar civil proceedings
By SUE REID
PUBLISHED: 23:03, 15 June 2012 | UPDATED: 01:18, 16 June 2012
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At nine months old, Valentino Bocca was as bright as a button. In a favourite family photo, taken by his father, the baby boy wriggles in his mother’s arms and laughs for the camera.
His parents look at the precious picture often these days. It is a reminder of their only son before they took him on a sunny morning to the local public health clinic for a routine childhood vaccination.
Valentino was never the same child after the jab in his arm. He developed autism and, in a landmark judgment, a judge has ruled that his devastating disability was provoked by the inoculation against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR).
The judgment in a provincial Italian court challenges the settled view of the majority of the medical profession — and could have profound implications in Britain and across the world.
Valentino’s parents, Antonella, 44, and Maritzo, 43, have been awarded £140,000, to be paid by Italy’s Ministry of Health and they plan a civil action against the Italian government that may get them £800,000 more.
‘But, of course, the money will never bring back the perfect and beautiful child of 15 months that we had before the doctors gave him the inoculation,’ said his mother this week at the family’s small but beautifully designed flat near Rimini in northern Italy.
‘We have a different Valentino today. We love him just as much, but our lives will never be the same again.
‘He is nine, but cannot speak, and only sings a little to himself. He cannot hold a pencil. He has a special teacher at school to help him and finds it difficult to mix with other children. What the future holds for him, or for us, we do not know.’
The story of Valentino Bocca is a tragic one. His family have agreed to reveal their identity for the first time as the outcome of their case became public last week. They spoke exclusively to the Mail because they believe other parents all over the world should learn what has happened to their son.
Autism covers a huge range of developmental disorders which affect a child’s communication, social skills, and ability to lead a normal life.
Families caring for severely autistic children say their lives are blighted. Care of sufferers and related disorders costs the British state billions of pounds a year.
The number of autism cases has soared over the past four decades — at the last count researchers found one in 64 British children have some kind of autistic condition — and there has been widespread speculation over the cause of this widespread curse on so many families. In the Eighties, only four in every 10,000 children showed any signs of autism.
Suspicion has long been directed by some parents at the MMR vaccine, a triple cocktail of the measles, mumps and rubella viruses, although the Department of Health and NHS doctors have argued forcefully that better diagnosis of autism and environmental factors are responsible for the extraordinary rise in the number of cases.
In 1998, a highly controversial article in the medical journal The Lancet written by Dr Andrew Wakefield made a connection between the MMR jab and autism.
His research methods were later discredited, but as a result of the article countless numbers of parents in Britain refused to let their children have the jab, and cases of measles — which is very occasionally fatal — went up significantly.
In recent years, public confidence in the MMR inoculation has returned, but the Italian court’s judgment could reopen the controversy. This week, Luca Ventaloro, the Bocca family’s lawyer who specialises in helping families with vaccine-damaged children, proclaimed that the Rimini court judgment was the ‘first public admission’ that the MMR vaccine could, in some cases, lead to a healthy child developing autism.
Crucially, it came after Antonio Barboni, a doctor of forensic medicine and appointed by the judge to independently advise the court, wrote a report saying that ‘in the absence of any other pre-existing conditions’ it is a ‘reasonable scientific probability’ that Valentino’s autism can be ‘traced back to the administration of the MMR vaccine#8201;.#8201;.#8201;.#8201;by the health authority’.
Dr Barboni’s findings were endorsed by two other eminent doctors who examined Valentino, investigated his medical background, and gave evidence to the court hearing.
Judge Lucio Ardigo, awarding compensation to the family, agreed. He said it was ‘conclusively established’ that Valentino had suffered from an ‘autistic disorder associated with medium cognitive delay’ and his illness, as Dr Barboni stated, was linked to receiving the jab.
Lawyer Mr Ventaloro explained yesterday: ‘This is very significant for Britain which uses, and has used, an MMR vaccine with the same components as the one given to Valentino.
‘It is wrong for governments and their health authorities to exert strong pressure on parents to take children for the MMR jab while ignoring that this vaccine can cause autism and linked conditions.’
Claudio Simion, a leading member of the lobby group Association for Freedom of Choice in Vaccination (Comilva), adds: ‘The Rimini judgment is vitally important for children everywhere. The numbers with autism are growing. It is a terrible thing that the authorities turn a blind eye to the connection between the MMR vaccination and this illness.’
No doubt the Bocca family would agree. They turned to Comilva for advice on compensation after they were finally told that their son had autism when he was five years old.
They had travelled to a world-renowned children’s clinic in Milan, bewildered as to why their son screamed all night, refused to eat anything but bread, could not keep still or concentrate and refused to look them in the eye.
After 14 days of tests into his genetic background to rule out a family connection for his illness, a neurologist explained the diagnosis.
‘We were handed a big file with Valentino’s name on it and stamped with the word ‘autism’,’ remembers his mother Antonella. ‘Up to then, we had suspicions he had autism. But the nurses, the doctors, and the specialists we had seen before said we were dreaming up fairy tales.’
Father Maritzo adds: ‘When we mentioned our suspicions about the MMR jab and how Valentino had been an ordinary happy little boy until he had it, these medical people looked at us as if we were crazy,’
As they talk in the park near their home, with Valentino tightly holding each of their hands, Antonella and Maritzo reveal how their nightmare began.
The couple had been married for a year before Valentino was born in 2003. His birth was normal and they were thrilled to take their healthy baby home.
Antonella, who worked part-time in a textile factory, and Maritzo, a civil engineer, went together with Valentino for all his routine vaccination appointments.
It was on the last Friday of March, 2004, that the boy was given the MMR jab. The dark-haired toddler was already saying ‘Mama’ and ‘Dada’, walking a few steps and enchanting his two grandmothers because he would not stop chattering. His parents had delayed for a month the triple MMR jab (normally given at 13 months) because Valentino had a bout of gastro-enteritis.
Antonella told the doctor about the illness and asked if it was safe for Valentino to have the jab. The doctor said there was ‘no problem’.
‘He cried when they gave him the injection,’ remembers Maritzo. ‘We were asked to wait half an hour afterwards at the clinic to make sure he was all right. When the doctors said he was OK, we just went home.’
They drove away — not knowing their lives had changed for ever. By the evening their normally hungry son was refusing to eat very much. That night he had diarrhoea and was restless. But neither of his parents attributed this to the jab.
Maritzo continues: ‘A few days after that, Valentino stopped using his spoon to eat. We started having to put food into his mouth. It was as though he was a baby again.
‘It was as if we’d gone to the vaccination clinic with one child and had been given another to take home. Valentino was not interested in what was happening around him any more. He could not concentrate on a single thing.’
But worse was to follow. The little boy stopped sleeping at night. He would wake up and scream in pain. During the day he ran around in circles without stopping. His parents were getting exhausted and were at their wits’ end.
Maritzo explains: ‘About two weeks after the jab he began screaming every night. He woke up three or four times each night and cried. It was like something out of The Exorcist. He was obviously in pain and we could do nothing to comfort him.’
They went back to the vaccination clinic for advice.
‘We were not being over fussy but the medical staff did not seem to grasp the gravity of the situation,’ added Antonella.
The clinic just gave them some cream to put on Valentino’s skin. After six months of no improvement in his condition, they took Valentino to the casualty department of the local hospital.
For the first time Antonella mentioned that the MMR vaccine might be to blame. ‘They said it was not possible,’ she says. Bewildered, the couple still looked for answers. Valentino was still screaming at night and like a wild child during the day.
When he was nearly two-and-a-half (14 months after the jab), they went to see an expert in neuropsychiatry and told her that their son had changed after the jab.
Antonella says: ‘She did not even write down what I was saying. She downplayed the situation, although she said he was not developing normally for a child of his age. But she could not offer any explanation and said it might be temporary in such a young boy.’
Desperately, they started to do some research on the internet. It suddenly occurred to them, after reading of other parents’ experiences, that Valentino might have autism.
When this was confirmed by the Milan children’s clinic, he was put on a milk-free and gluten-free diet.
‘Within a week, Valentino was sleeping at night and not shouting out in pain,’ says Maritzo.
‘He started to look us in the eye for the first time since the jab. He began to feed himself again. Progress was slow, but at last there was some hope.’
But, sadly, it was too late to find a complete cure for Valentino. At nine years old, he will never lead a normal life, and may need care for the rest of his days.
However, the Rimini court judgment has brought his parents some comfort because, for the first time, it supports their long-held belief that the MMR jab caused their son’s autism.
In the UK, this much-debated link has never been established in the courts. In 2010, a boy called Robert Fletcher received £90,000, for severe brain damage provoked by the MMR jab, under the Government’s Vaccine Damage Payment Scheme. But he did not have autism.
In the U.S., nearly 5,000 families blame the MMR jab for causing their children’s autism — despite continuing protests from the medical and scientific world that there is little evidence.
In 2008, a girl called Hannah Poling was awarded $1.5#8201;million damages by the U.S. government when a court ruled that receiving nine vaccines in one day (including the MMR) had caused her autistic condition.
But the court said that Hannah had an underlying cell disorder, mitochondria, which had been aggravated by the vaccinations and manifested itself as autism.
The Italian judgment has important implications for Britain for a number of reasons. First, the jab given to Valentino — called MMR 11 — contains the same active measles, mumps and rubella viruses in the same quantities as MMR VaxPro, one of only two approved MMR vaccines in the UK which is used on hundreds of thousands of children every year. (Prior to the introduction of MMR VaxPro in 2006, MMR II had been used in the UK since 1988).
This match of ingredients is confirmed in the Department of Health Green Book — a guide for doctors on inoculation against infectious disease — and by detailed data on MMR vaccines released by the European Medicines’ Agency.
Second, in the UK, like Italy, the MMR jab is not compulsory.
However, the judge in Valentino’s case said that because the Italian government’s medical authorities so strongly recommend child vaccination against measles, mumps and rubella, the state should take responsibility for the devastating damage to Valentino.
The judge’s view has since been endorsed by Italy’s High Court of Law (the equivalent of our Supreme Court) which ruled that the Italian government must pay compensation to children damaged by any jabs given under the Ministry of Health auspices — even if they are not compulsory ones.
Today, Antonella and Maritzo believe this is only fair for families. ‘The medical authorities were really pushing us to take Valentino for his childhood jabs,’ recalls Antonella.
‘We were sent endless appointment letters from the clinic. They started arriving when he was three months old.There was huge pressure. The letters made us, and other parents, feel obliged to have the MMR jab in order protect our beloved child from a dreadful illness.’
Little did they know that, soon after that jab, their son would suddenly develop a devastating condition from which he would never recover. The consensus of medical opinion in Britain remains that autism symptoms emerge suddenly and inexplicably around the age at which MMR is administered — making it inevitable that some cases will arise just after the jab.
Most doctors continue to argue that this is merely coincidence and that no convincing mechanism to explain a link has been set out.
The Department of Health has insisted: ‘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.’
However, the Italian judgment clearly suggests this important debate is far from over.
DR MARTIN SCURR: 'I WOULD STILL GIVE THE MMR JAB TO MY CHILD'
As we are all aware, there has been much debate about the safety or otherwise of the MMR triple vaccine that protects against measles, mumps and rubella. It is given to children after the first year of life, and again just before starting school.
Some research which implied there was an association between the MMR and both inflammatory bowel disease and autism has been discredited.
And the risk-benefit analysis (as with many medical procedures, there is no such thing as an entirely safe immunisation) is now that it’s safer to have an MMR shot than not.
Measles is potentially lethal, although there have been only four childhood deaths in this country in the past 20 years, and two of these children had underlying health conditions.
But measles, mumps and rubella do have significant complication rates. This ruling by a court in Italy has re-opened the debate — though it is too early to decide if the judges have got this right and found new evidence.
Meanwhile, we have been coping with a recent increase in cases of measles in London, owing to the fact that so many children were not immunised over the past few years due to parental anxiety: there have been 1,000 cases this year in the UK so far, and 15,000 in France.
More relevantly to my practice, patients who have caught measles were initially misdiagnosed by the doctors seeing them, because those much younger than me have little or no experience in recognising and treating this severe childhood illness — and late diagnosis is not ideal when it comes to minimising complications.
It is true that the MMR vaccine can cause brain problems — a response called encephalitis — in one child in a million given the shot.
But the measles illness causes encephalitis 1,000 times more frequently, and one child in 3,000 dies of measles if they catch it.
So, in my view, it’s a no-brainer: all my children had the MMR jab, and I work hard to make sure that my patients are well and carefully instructed about its pros and cons.
And that is what I shall go on doing — despite the events in Italy.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160054/MMR-A-mothers-victory-The-vast-majority-doctors-say-link-triple-jab-autism-Italian-court-case-reignite-controversial-debate.html#ixzz1xwOqrQ5B |
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informed
Ireland
93 Posts |
Posted - 06/17/2012 : 01:06:28
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The same brand of MMR vaccine was used for Irish children!
Mairéad
Irish Vaccine Informed Parents |
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jabsadmin
1238 Posts |
Posted - 06/18/2012 : 22:12:59
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http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/italian-court-reignites-mmr-vaccine-debate-after-award-over-child-with-autism-7858596.html?origin=internalSearch
Independent
Italian court reignites MMR vaccine debate after award over child with autism
PAUL BIGNELL SUNDAY 17 JUNE 2012
The controversial row surroundings alleged links between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism is set to be reignited following a court ruling in Italy.
Judges in Rimini, north-east Italy awarded the Bocca family Euros 174,000 (£140,000) after the Italian Health Ministry conceded the MMR vaccine caused autism in their nine-year-old son Valentino. Up to 100 similar cases are now being examined by Italian lawyers and experts suggest the case could lead to other families pursuing cases.
Doctors and health experts in Britain insist the link is merely coincidental saying children who develop autism, do so around the same time the MMR jab is administered. The Department of Health says '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.'
But the ruling in Italy is likely to re-open a debate which first made the headlines in Britain over a decade ago when the respected medical journal The Lancet published an article in 1998, making a connection between the triple vaccine and autism. Though the author's methods were later discredited, it was enough for many families to refuse their children the jab.
Valentino Bocca was 15 months old when he received an MMR jab in 2004. His parents said the change in him, after the jab, from a healthy boy to one who was in serious discomfort, was immediate.
Luca Ventaloro the family lawyer, said yesterday: “This is very significant for Britain which uses, and has used, an MMR vaccine with the same components as the one given to Valentino. It is wrong for governments and their health authorities to exert strong pressure on parents to take children for the MMR jab while ignoring that this vaccine can cause autism and linked conditions.”
The number of autism cases has risen sharply since the 1970s, with one in 64 British children affected.
It is not yet clear what the new evidence presented to the Italian courts was, but similar cases around the world could be brought.
In the UK, the Vaccine Damage Payments Unit has only paid small sums to 34 cases over the last decade and the child has to be 60 per cent disabled.
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jabsadmin
1238 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 11:39:33
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http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/blogs/italian-court-reignites-contentious-autism-vaccine-debate#comments-348009
Italian court reignites contentious autism-vaccine debate
Landmark ruling in Italian case finds that autism was caused by vaccine.
18th June 2012
It was a debate that had been put to rest. Or so we thought.
Almost two years ago, a federal court in the United States upheld a ruling that vaccines are not to blame for autism. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the decision that there is little if any evidence to support claims of a link between vaccines and autism. New evidence continued to deliver blow after blow to the original theory until the researcher who initially blew the whistle on the supposed link between vaccines and autism was declared a fraud.
The debate appeared to be over — until now.
In a landmark ruling, an Italian court has awarded £140,000 (about $219,000 U.S.) to the parents of Valentino Bocca, stating that the boy's autism was caused by the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella that he received at 9 months old. Valentino's parents could be awarded an additional £800,000 ($1.2 million) as their case continues.
The crux of the case hinged on the testimony of Dr. Antonio Barboni, a forensic scientist appointed by the judge to independently advise the court. Barboni wrote a report saying that "in the absence of any other pre-existing conditions" it is a "reasonable scientific probability" that Valentino’s autism can be "traced back to the administration of the MMR vaccine....by the health authority." Barboni’s findings were endorsed by two other well-respected doctors who examined Valentino, evaluated his case history, and gave evidence to the court hearing.
The case could set a precedent for many similar civil proceedings in Italy and around the world.
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jabsadmin
1238 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 22:13:19
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http://www.leighreporter.co.uk/news/local/mmr-jabs-mum-hails-new-ruling-1-4659824
Leigh Reporter
MMR jabs mum hails new ruling
19th June 2012
LEIGH MP Andy Burnham has described a landmark ruling in Italy as a significant development in the campaign for vaccine-damaged children.
For years the British medical establishment has denied links between the MMR vaccine and autism.
But a judge in Italy this week awarded damages to the family of a nine-year-old saying that the triple jab for mumps, measles and rubella had been to blame for his being autistic.
Of equal significance is the fact that the inoculation the child received as a healthy baby was manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and was also available in Britain.
Golborne mum Jackie Fletcher, who set up the Jabs group almost 20 years ago after her own son Robert developed numerous medical conditions shortly after having his MMR as a baby, said that the authorities could no longer ignore the mounting evidence.
Shadow Health Secretary Mr Burnham said that he would be referring the Italian case to his opposite number in Government, Andrew Lansley, describing it as potentially a “significant development.”
Mrs Fletcher - who says she does not want to scare people away from vaccines altogether, but rather have single jabs - today said she was encouraged by the news.
She added: “Whenever anyone has contacted the UK’s Vaccine Damage Unit and mentioned autism it has gone straight in the bin. It is so difficult to get past the grey suits when autism is involved but this case deserves to be investigated, not dismissed.”
Mr Burnham said: “I have not had the chance to read a translation of the Italian ruling but it sounds like a significant development.
“We will want to meet Jackie to discuss this further and shall refer the matter also to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.
“We only ever act on medical evidence and if that evidence changes then we have an obligation to look at an issue again.”
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jabsadmin
1238 Posts |
Posted - 06/19/2012 : 22:14:34
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Not yet available on line - typed from newspaper edition.
WIGAN EVENING POST
19th June 2012
MMR jab test case re-opens controversy
BY CHARLES GRAHAM
The Wigan mum who launched a national campaign for vaccine-damaged children says that a landmark ruling in Italy could have massive implications for this country.
For years the British medical establishment has denied links between the MMR vaccine and autism.
But a judge in the Italian city of Rimini this week awarded damages to the family of nine-year-old Valentino Bocca, saying that the triple jab for mumps, measles and rubella had been to blame for his being autistic.
Of equal significance is the fact that the inoculation Valentino received as a healthy baby was manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and was available in Britain.
This follows a ruling in America which has also linked an MMR vaccine made by Merck (again used on these shores) to autism.
Golborne mum Jackie Fletcher, who set up the Jabs group almost 20 years ago after her own son Robert developed numerous medical conditions shortly after having his MMR as a baby, said that the authorities could no longer ignore the mounting evidence.
Shadow Health Secretary and Leigh MP Andy Burnham said that he would be referring the Italian case to his opposite number in Government, Andrew Lansley, describing it as potentially a "significant development."
Mrs Fletcher - who says she does not want to scare people away from vaccines altogether, but rather have single jabs - today said she was encouraged by the news.
She added: "Whenever anyone has contacted the UK's Vaccine Damage Unit and mentioned autism it has gone straight in the bin. It is so difficult to get past the grey suits when autism is involved but this case deserves to be investigated, not dismissed."
Mr Burnham said: "I have not had the chance to read a translation of the Italian ruling but it sounds like a significant development.
"We will want to meet Jackie to discuss this further and shall refer the matter also to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley.
"We only ever act on medical evidence and if that evidence changes then we have an obligation to look at an issue again."
The Wigan Borough Clinical Commissioning Group had not replied to a request for a comment at the time of going to press.
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jabsadmin
1238 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2012 : 19:53:55
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http://www.leighreporter.co.uk/news/local/mmr-is-still-best-option-says-top-doctor-1-4678915
Leigh Reporter
26 June 2012
MMR is still best option says top doctor
CALLS for a re-think over the safety of the MMR jab have been dismissed by a top Wigan doctor.
Dr Paul Turner, the new Borough Clinical Commissioning Group’s consultant in public health, believes that an Italian court’s ruling that a nine-year-old’s autism was caused by the triple vaccine does not prove a link.
And he had his own son inoculated this way as it remains the best protection against measles, mumps and rubella.
Pressure group Jabs, founded by Golborne mum Jackie Fletcher, had this week seized on news from a court in Rimini which awarded young Valentino Bocca £140,000 damages, with the history-making statement that the MMR vaccine - manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline and widely used in Britain - had been responsible for making him autistic.
The medical establishment has long held up numerous reports from around the world that conclude that MMR is not to blame for cases of autism and other conditions such as Crohn’s disease.
But Mrs Fletcher, whose 20-year-old son was recently awarded compensation by the Vaccine Damage Unit after it agreed that MMR had caused the seizure which left him severely disabled as a toddler, says that the Italian ruling cannot be ignored.
Shadow Health Secretary and Leigh MP Andy Burnham is to refer the case to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, describing it as potentially a “significant development” and will be having a meeting with Mrs Fletcher to discuss the matter.
Referring to his own time running the NHS, he said: “We only ever act on medical evidence and if that evidence changes then we have an obligation to look at an issue again.”
But Dr Turner said: “The case of Valentino Bocca is tragic. However, this of itself does not prove a link between Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism.
“The balance of scientific evidence is that there is no link between the MMR vaccine and autism.
“On a more personal note, when the controversy regarding MMR was at its height, I had no hesitation in ensuring that my son was given his MMR immunisations as this was and still is the best way to protect him.
“MMR immunisation remains the best way for parents to protect their children against the three diseases.”
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jabsadmin
1238 Posts |
Posted - 06/26/2012 : 19:57:52
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http://www.thisischeshire.co.uk/news/9780389.Dad_welcomes_MMR_ruling/
25th June 2012
Stockton Heath dad welcomes Italian MMR ruling
A STOCKTON Heath father, who believes his son became autistic after being given the MMR vaccination, has welcomed a landmark Italian court ruling.
Judges in Rimini awarded the Bocca family £140,000 after the Italian health ministry conceded the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine caused autism in their nine-year-old son.
The result has given fresh hope for many parents with similar cases who feel the British legal process has failed them including father-of-one David Thrower.
His son Oliver, aged 25, requires 24 hour care which he believes was the result of a measles jab at 15 months and the MMR vaccination aged four.
The 61-year-old, of Ackers Road, said: “There was going to be a judgement sooner or later from a court that recognised a child’s health had been damaged by the vaccine and this is very important to us.
“There’s a store of dynamite underneath the medical establishment and parents can’t get through to the authorities despite the reaction of children being consistent.
“Politicians are not experts themselves but they are relying on advice from the very people who have fouled this up.”
David, who never had the opportunity to argue his case in court after legal aid was taken away, said he has an objective view of the vaccine.
He added: “Despite what happened to Oliver, I only go where the evidence takes me.
“I accept vaccines have saved millions of lives but I’m not prepared to accept when things go wrong the government should simply shrug it off.”
Oliver’s family said he ‘markedly regressed’ within weeks of the jab from a bright boy who could point to every letter on a bedroom alphabet freeze to someone who lost all his skills and language and was in a ‘world of his own’.
David added: “Oliver was our first child so we couldn’t understand what was going on.
“There was no media coverage and we didn’t know anybody else in the same position so we coped the best we could.
“It was a terrible day when I took Oliver, aged four, to a pre- assessment school.
“They were trying to get him to do a toddle race and he had no idea what was expected of him.
“I looked at him and realised I had got a brain damaged child and I cried.”
Repeated visits to the hospital did not supply any answers until a BBC report in 1997 highlighted an investigation into connections between MMR and autism.
Following that he met founder of vaccine support group Jabs Jackie Fletcher and many other parents who had all experienced the same thing.
He added: “All money would do now is pay towards Oliver’s care but we are determined to get the truth for him and other children uncovered.”
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jabsadmin
1238 Posts |
Posted - 07/01/2012 : 19:17:52
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http://www.ageofautism.com/2012/06/autism-treatment-trusts-bill-welsh-on-italian-mmr-vaccine-ruling.html#more
Age of Autism
30/6/2012
Autism Treatment Trust's Bill Welsh on Italian MMR Vaccine Ruling
Readers familiar with the arts will immediately recognise the name Federico Fellini, a film maker who is regarded as one of the most influential in twentieth century cinema. It is less likely that they will be aware that he was born in Rimini, a coastal town situated on the Adriatic coast in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy, an area recently hit by earthquakes causing much damage and loss of life. Fellini’s films were apparently influenced by Jungian psychology resulting in cinematic works containing magical surrealist episodes. There was however nothing surreal about an event that took place in Rimini’s District Court House last month. The court ruled that a child had become autistic as a direct result of vaccination. The vaccine concerned was none other than MMR. The after-shocks emanating from this decision will stretch much further than the tremors of the recent local tectonic stress and will already have reached the legal departments of some of the world’s most powerful pharmaceutical companies.
Some years ago in the UK almost 2,000 parents reported the self same adverse outcome for their child; ‘autism following MMR’, only to have their legal aid removed by the Legal Services Commission shortly before a court decision could be reached. The presiding judge at the tribunal in 2007, Mr Justice Keith, emphasised that “it was the funding issues rather than the merits of the case, which had driven the decision not to allow the claims to proceed: it is not because the court thinks the claims have no merit”. He added “Although this litigation has been going on for very many years, the question whether the claims have merit has never been addressed by the court”.
Over the following days, months, and years the UK media-- hand fed by various public health bodies- -insinuated that the parents had actually lost their case and that there were no grounds for further speculation on a connection between MMR vaccination and autism. The parents of the damaged children were soon to find out that their legitimate claims for compensation would be misrepresented ad nauseam until the very suggestion of an MMR/autism link became regarded in the public eye as preposterous.
The gross injustice done to the parents of MMR damaged children in the UK by the Legal Services Commission brings shame on us all. Today, the truth is there for all to see: MMR can cause autism.
A judgement in a small court room in Rimini may be the tipping point in what has been a lengthy and acrimonious debate.
Fellini said “Our dreams are our real life”. Hopefully the dreams of justice for parents of autistic children can now become real, and very soon.
Bill Welsh
President
Autism Treatment Trust |
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jabsadmin
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Posted - 07/26/2012 : 13:35:39
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http://www.cryshame.co.uk//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=151&Itemid=135
CryShame
LANDMARK MMR JUDGMENT IN ITALY: implications for future litigation
19 July 2012
On 16 June the Mail reported the landmark decision of an Italian court that the MMR is responsible for the devastating disability - autism - of nine-year old Valentino Bocca. This decision, following the submission of independent forensic doctors, is now accepted by the Italian government. The Italian Ministry of Health has paid compensation to the family of a one-off payment of £140,000 together with a lifetime pension backdated 15 years.
Valentino Bocca received an MMR vaccination in 2004. Between 2004 and 2005, he displayed ongoing symptoms of 'nervousness and diarrhoea'. In 2008 Dr Niglio, a specialist doctor, attested that the symptoms were attributed to the MMR vaccination. In 2009 this conclusion was verified by Dr Montanari, another specialist doctor.
The judgment was made by Judge Lucio Ardigo, following the expert testimony of Antonio Barboni, a doctor of forensic medicine appointed by the court as an expert witness who testified that MMR had caused Valentino's autism. This evidence was in addition to the evidence of Drs Niglio and Montanari. The judge ordered the Ministry of Health to pay compensation for the damages caused by the MMR. The two parties to the case - the parents and the Ministry of Health - reached agreement by consent.
Valentino's application for compensation for damages caused by vaccination was first lodged in 2008. This was followed by court rulings to establish whether he was eligible for compensation and whether the Ministry of Health was responsible for causing vaccine damage to Valentino. Initially the Ministry argued that as the vaccination was not compulsory but based on a voluntary decision taken by the parents, it could not be held responsible for causing damage. Eventually Judge Ardigo ruled that the Ministry of Health was responsible for compensating the vaccine-induced damages suffered by Valentino, and that this responsibility was not lessened by virtue of the fact that the vaccine was not compulsory
An important finding of the court was that if the state's policy is to encourage a high level of vaccination in the population in order to achieve herd-immunity, then by the same token the state owes an obligation to compensate children damaged by such a policy. The judgment expressly states that this collective state responsibility over-rides any consideration of whether the vaccine was voluntary or mandatory.
A further important finding concerns the standard of proof used in the Rimini judgment to establish that the MMR caused autism. The judgment used a standard of "reasonable scientific probability" which it argued had been established by the expert witnesses in Valentino's case.
This is of particular interest to claimants in the UK class action brought by 1500 children against three manufacturers of MMR where their application to bring the case to court was refused in 2003 on the grounds that there was insufficient scientific proof of causation. At the time the claimants argued that the standard of proof should be the civil law standard of the balance of probability. However the Legal Services Commission that had legally aided the litigation argued that the case lacked conclusive scientific evidence when deciding in 2003 to withdraw legal aid from the children.
The standard of proof defined as reasonable scientific probability is higher and more exacting than the balance of probability, but not as high as a scientific standard of proof. The UK claimants argued that it was inappropriate to apply a strict scientific standard to a legal context. The standard in the Italian case is interesting in that it retains the notion of probability used in civil law cases, but recognises that in cases of damages caused by medical intervention the notion of probability should apply to the scientific evidence, ie that there is scientific evidence that MMR in all probability caused Valentino's autism.
A further finding was that, although the parents did not produced evidence from clinical records immediately following MMR of its serious adverse effects on their child, this was not material to the outcome of the case. Dr Niglio's findings in 2008 - four years after the MMR was given - were the first evidence of causation which prove material in the case. The Italian compensation system enforces a two-year limit on lodging claims after knowledge of causation is first established, not two years after the actual causal event - the MMR vaccination - occurs.
Summary
Although the Rimini judgment was conclusive for Valentino Bocca and may well have implications for subsequent compensation claims processed by the Italian system, it is based on Italian law. The implications of the case for UK litigation cannot be known for certain. What is interesting, however, is the clarification of legal arguments, namely the non-mandatory status of the MMR vaccination is not relevant in deciding cases of compensation rather the clinching argument was that government policy seeking a sufficiently widespread vaccination coverage to induce herd-immunity - put at 95% in the UK - place a responsibility on government to compensate for adverse consequences resulting from this policy the judgment used a standard of "reasonable scientific probability" to reach its conclusion that MMR caused autism in Valentino's case. This may prove a more appropriate and legally verifiable standards than a strictly scientific standard of proof (a concept that even scientists continue to debate and fail to agree on) the time by which a claimant should bring a damage claim to court starts from the moment when knowledge of causation occurs, not from the moment when the vaccination was administered.
An important outcome to watch for will be the precedent this case sets for other claimants claiming damage from the MMR. Its status as a precedent will first be tested in Italian courts in the coming months. If established it could also support similar claimants in other countries such as the UK.
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Courts rule MMR vaccine did trigger autism
