Italian Court Links MMR Vaccine to Autism Victim

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Italian Court Links MMR Vaccine to Autism Victim

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?

The case of Valentino Bocca age nine from Rimini Italy has reignited the

debate over a possible link between the MMR and autism after a judge ruled his

disability was provoked by the jab

By Sue Reid dailymail.co.uk

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 Maurizio, 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.

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