MMR safe? Baloney, according to Melanie Phillips.
MMR safe? Baloney, according to Melanie Phillips.
The consequences of this sort of scaremongering about MMR and autism are currently being felt in Wales. 900 people have been infected with measles in Swansea alone – measles is a disease that can cause brain damage and death in children – and there are fears that London could be the next city to suffer an outbreak.
The reemergence of measles as a threat to human health is due to parents not getting their children vaccinated in the past 15 years. And why haven’t parents been getting their children vaccinated? As the Times reports today: “one million children may not have received the full course of the MMR vaccine, in large part because of discredited fears it leads to autism“.
Now who would have spread such nonsense?
In her 2005 article (where the ‘baloney’ headline comes from), Melanie Phillips referred to “a frenzy of gloating by Wakefield’s discredited enemies” and “ripe denunciations of those like this newspaper who took his concerns seriously and demands that we apologise for creating a scare that left children unvaccinated and at risk of measles, mumps and rubella”.
I haven’t noticed much gloating. What is there to gloat about? Measles can kill. It’s not about political point scoring, it’s about what’s true and what isn’t, and the responsibility the press has not to mislead the public on such grave issues.
An apology would be appropriate, though – an apology for promoting discredited nonsense long after it has been discredited, putting the lives of children at risk.
Disclaimer: To give them some credit, the Mail has taken the measles outbreak seriously enough to look for someone to blame.
19 Responses to “‘Baloney’ – the Mail’s campaign against life saving MMR vaccine”
Jouboy
SimonDv – before handing out rebukes, its advisable to do some research yourself. According to many sources, the ONLY evidence admitted to the GMC as part of the case AGAINST Dr Wakefield was issued NOT by a doctor; nor by any anguished parents. It was SOLELY submitted by a News International JOURNALIST called BRIAN DEER, who the TImes still roll out when it comes to any story to do with MMR.
Even today, Ann Widdecombe (in the Express) makes the following quote:-
“IF parents are refusing to vaccinate their children with the combined MMR because they are afraid of autism and the state is really concerned about an epidemic of measles then the solution is obvious: make the single vaccines available to all instead of just to those who can afford them.”
Can YOU explain why the on-so-concerned Health Department still refuses to reintroduce the TRUSTED single Measles jab that virtually eradicated Measles between 1968 – 1988?
SadButMadLad
And why pick on Melanie Phillips and the Daily Fail when journalists are one of the few groups who aren’t trusted by the general public. Politicians are one of the groups less trusted by the public than journalists.
The group that has the most trust are doctors and it was Dr Wakefield who started, pushed and has never given up on the story. If anyone has blood on their hands, it is him.
Picking on the DM just highlights that James Bloodworth is only interested in using the situation in Wales for political point scoring in an attack on a right wing newspaper.
SadButMadLad
And why pick on Melanie Phillips and the Daily Fail when journalists are one of the few groups who aren’t trusted by the general public. Politicians are one of the groups less trusted by the public than journalists.
The group that has the most trust are doctors and it was Dr Wakefield who started, pushed and has never given up on the story. If anyone has blood on their hands, it is him.
Picking on the DM just highlights that James Bloodworth is only interested in using the situation in Wales for political point scoring in an attack on a right wing newspaper.
SadButMadLad
And why pick on Melanie Phillips and the Daily Fail when journalists are one of the few groups who aren’t trusted by the general public. Politicians are one of the groups less trusted by the public than journalists.
The group that has the most trust are doctors and it was Dr Wakefield who started, pushed and has never given up on the story. If anyone has blood on their hands, it is him.
Picking on the DM just highlights that James Bloodworth is only interested in using the situation in Wales for political point scoring in an attack on a right wing newspaper.
Steve
Simply put, Autism is a mental health disability that people ARE BORN WITH! Your child WILL NOT get Autism because they have been vaccinated, I have High-Functioning Autism and know for a fact anyone who even considers it is an idiot so c’mon Britain, lets use our brains (for once)