Age Of Autism:On Media: Why I Hate the British Press

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http://www.ageofautism.com/

December 09, 2008

On Media: Why I Hate the British Press

By Anne Dachel

On January 19, 2006, an eighteen month old toddler named Fisher died in

Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England. On December 4 this year, an official

inquest declared that he died of " natural causes. "

Many people are asking what's natural about a child who was described as

" healthy and robust " in the British press suddenly being found dead in his crib.

It seems that in Britain, things like this simply can't be explained, especially

if all the alarming points of evidence are considered unrelated.

What has the attention of the autism community is the fact that this toddler

received an MMR vaccine just ten days before his death. Not only that, four

months earlier, he had a febrile convulsion following a fever. The Daily Express

(HERE) told readers, " His parents claim doctors failed to warn them about the

potential side effects he faced after the injection. They say doctors did not

ask them about 's medical history or warn them that he should be monitored

after the vaccination. "

The Gloucester Citizen (HERE) quoted a legal representative who said, " It is

documented that children who have experienced a febrile convulsion should be

closely monitored following their MMR vaccination as it can raise their

temperature. "

After receiving the MMR on January 9, developed problems which included

loss of appetite, swollen eyes, and diarrhea. The symptoms persisted and his

mother had scheduled a doctor's appointment on the day he was found dead.

At the inquest, it was revealed that " his lungs and blood showed measles virus, "

along with an enlarged spleen, a sign " he was fending off a virus. "

Furthermore, the Telegraph (HERE) said that Professor , an

immunization expert for the Heath Protection Agency, testified, " The MMR jab can

cause a febrile convulsion in one child in two to three thousand. " She also

stated that " the febrile convulsion would be expected to occur between six and

14 days after an MMR jab. "

All this seems pretty conclusive. There were very good reasons to think that the

MMR had severely compromised the health of this child, leading to his death.

That's not however the way things work out in the British system of justice.

Coroner Alan Crickmore, after hearing the evidence, concluded that Fisher

died of natural causes. This death has been attributed to the mysterious event

known as " Sudden Unexpected Death in Childhood, " or SIDS in the U.S., which the

coroner said was because " an unascertained disease. "

It seems incredible that Crickmore could reach his conclusion based on the facts

in evidence, but there's a lot more to the story.

First of all, Alan Crickmore is a lawyer, not a doctor. The BBC (HERE) announced

that the Crickmore asserted that 's symptoms had emerged too soon after

the jab to be related to it.

And Professor may have linked the MMR and the timing to a febrile

convulsion, similar to the first one Fisher had, but she disagreed that

this could have caused his death. stated, 'Fatal outcomes associated with

MMR vaccination as a result of febrile convulsion have not to my knowledge been

reported.'

was the expert and she denied a connection between the MMR and this

child's death, but is hardly unbiased in this issue and it seems

incredible that she would have ever been asked to testify. For a number of

years, has been a strong promoter of the safety of the MMR.

A BBC report (HERE) in 2001 told about a £3m publicity campaign to promote the

MMR vaccine with TV advertising, videos and leaflets for health professionals

and parents as well as information and training for doctors and nurses. The

story quoted Professor in defense of the vaccine and denying any truth to

the controversial link to autism. It seems that finds nothing dangerous

in the MMR. It doesn't cause autism and though it can cause convulsions, they

are never fatal.

A representative from Sanofi, the vaccine maker, was also there. His intent

seemed to be to blame the medications given to the child, not the vaccine.

Anything but the vaccine.

Other experts lined up against the parents. Dr. Alan Day, consultant

pediatrician at Cheltenham General, said the staff was correct in giving

the vaccine.

Professor of Infant Health, Fleming, of Bristol University, said it was

most likely that died of SIDS, which also gave Crickmore a conclusion

that let the medical community off the hook.

It seems that unless a child collapses and dies at the clinic, vaccines can

never be implicated. What stands out to us in the autism community is the

continued denial that MMR is a damaging and even deadly vaccine.

The British press couldn't wait to proclaim once again that parents are wrong to

worry about the MMR. Where earlier headlines had announced 'Healthy' Baby Died

After MMR Jab, and Inquest to Begin into Death of Baby after MMR Vaccination,

new ones appeared with reassuring messages:

MMR jab 'played no part in boy's death', coroner rules,

No link to MMR over baby's death,

MMR jab 'didn't kill healthy tot',

MMR baby died of natural causes.

What was really surprising was coverage from FOX News (HERE) in the U.S. They

posted the headline, Baby Dies From Vaccine Complication the day after the

inquest and announced, " An 18-month-old boy died after doctors vaccinated him

with the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine while he was sick, the baby's parents

told an inquest this week. " FOX hasn't caught up with the news that the coroner

disagrees that the death resulted from the MMR.

Fisher was 18 months old when he died. Many parents report that after

their children receive routine vaccinations at the same age, they suddenly lose

learned skills and regress into autism. Both in the U.S. and in Britain, health

officials have refused to honestly and thoroughly address this controversy. This

continues to be one of the most contentious issues in medicine.

of Cry Shame (HERE) was at the inquest and she gave her own

account of what happened before the findings were reported:

" We have reason to believe that the faith and trust we parents place in those

guardians of public health on immunisations has become much more about their own

protection than our children's. We have been betrayed. ... Unfortunately, I

predict that no-one will be held accountable and the death put down to an

unascertained cause. "

was right. The inquest covered for those who have everything to lose if

the truth about the side effects of the MMR were publicly acknowledged.

Stone, another tireless advocate in Britain, wrote to me about this decision and

the reaction of ordinary British citizens. He said, " They know they now live in

a country where increasingly everything can be 'fixed.' "

Anne Dachel is Media Editor of Age of Autism.