Re: White, middle-class, loving mums. And their stupitidy could kill your child

June 19, 2006

YOU SLAP HER. I"LL SHAKE HER! <redhead60707@...> wrote: I'd like to slap this writer. The English and their vitriol.http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6-2231905,00.html The Times June 19,

2006 White, middle-class, loving mums. And their stupitidy could kill your childCristina Odone It isn’t enough that my daughter has had her MMR jab. Her friends must have them too THE CHILDREN’S birthday party was in full swing: balloons, jelly, organic milk, Marmite sandwiches and rosy faces. One of the other mothers ruffles her three-year-old’s hair: “There was no way I was going to let Harry have the MMR —

he’s the only child I’m going to have and I don’t want him going autistic on me.” Panic-stricken, I look around the room: nine toddlers, aged between 2 and 4. How many of their mothers share this one’s view about MMR? How many of these children have never been immunised? Given that herd protection needs a vaccination rate of 92 per cent, it is not enough that my own daughter, almost 3, has received her MMR jabs; her friends need to be vaccinated too. I want to go up to the woman and shake her: do you realise you risk hurting, even killing, your son and those he comes in contact with? Measles can kill, mumps can lead to infertility and deafness, and a pregnant woman infected with rubella has an 83 per cent chance of giving birth to a child with some deformity. Yet parents such as her get away with it. They are middle-class and clean-cut, well meaning and well spoken. We indulge them because they assure us, ever so eloquently, that they are

motivated by parental love. We cut them slack because we are convinced that even irrational fear, when in such cosy packaging, cannot have dangerous consequences. We are wrong. Last week the Health Protection Agency reported the worst incidence of measles in 20 years. Three months ago the first child in 14 years was killed by the virus. Pockets of infection have surfaced in Surrey and in Yorkshire. We face a real health scare, because rogue parents fell for a bogus health scare — the one linking the MMR vaccine to autism. It is eight years since Wakefield began agitating against the MMR jab. In that time he managed to persuade hundreds of thousands to keep their children from taking part in the immunisation programme. Dr Wakefield, a former gut surgeon, was an extraordinarily convincing spokesman: when he made public his claims at a press conference at the Royal Free he throbbed with messianic ardour and heartfelt concern for those poor

innocents whom the State wished to inject with poison. When he faced critics who pointed out that he built his thesis on a skewed sample of only 12 children, he played the medical martyr who risked his career for the good of others. Anxious parents, unsure of their science and suspicious of the nanny state, were Dr Wakefield’s apostles. They rushed to spread his message and live out his commandments. Boden-wearing mothers and SUV-driving fathers refused to do the authorities’ bidding and vowed to protect their children from the evil that would be perpetrated against them. The Boden sundress and capable car determined the reaction that these parents aroused. Countless mothers and fathers shivered at the images of a middle-class couple looking on as their autistic son failed to show any sign of recognition. Even some doctors took seriously their descriptions of a terrifying fear and an all-engulfing guilt: these people were

obviously educated, perhaps even knew something of biology, so their experience and worries could not be dismissed out of hand. The media loved to feature their harrowing tales, relishing the contrast between these couples’ orderly and well-heeled existence and the dark, primitive fear that prompted them to rebel against the authorities. As for the Government, the Blairites didn’t dare take on this powerful and influential constituency, and opted out of forcing MMR upon all school children — a surefire method adopted already in America, where a child’s inoculation records must be presented before admission to any school. Now: imagine the brouhaha if the Wakefield weirdos had been not middle-class whites but, let’s say, Muslims. Other parents would have been up in arms, raging against the superstitious claptrap that risked landing their little one in hospital. The media would have wallowed in coverage of semi-literate households where a patriarch brandishing a

well-thumbed copy of the Koran chased away the doctors, social services and all other Western busybodies. The analogy is hardly preposterous. When imams in Nigeria managed to persuade tens of thousands of followers that they should boycott the polio vaccine because it was actually a Western plot to render them infertile, the ensuing outcry was almost racist in its condescension: what, don’t they know any better? But the same can be asked of the middle-class parents who joined the anti-MMR crusade. Dr Wakefield failed to disclose that the parents of 11 of the 12 children in his original study were suing the manufacturers of the MMR vaccine; and that he had been hired to help them by a firm of solicitors. Since then scientific evidence against Dr Wakefield’s findings has been conclusive: epidemiological and virological studies, including one that examined half a million children born in Denmark, found absolutely no link between the MMR vaccine and

autism. Yet middle-class mummies and daddies still wear opposition to MMR like a badge of honour. The General Medical Council last week, quite rightly, started disciplinary proceedings against Dr Wakefield. But while he could be struck off the medical register, vilified as the Abu Hamza of the medical profession, what of his followers? We need to deal with the hysterical middle-class parents who, in the name of love, risk dragging Britain back to an era of high child mortality. The answer lies in education, education, education: we cannot force parents to become scientifically literate, but we can ensure that their children’s attendance of schools, state or private, depends on their having had a complete set of jabs. Only then will the well-clad, well-heeled troops turn round their SUVs and beat a retreat. New Messenger with Voice. Call regular phones from your PC and save big.

Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low rates.

June 19, 2006

Stupitidy? Get a spellchecker, stupit!

From: EOHarm [mailto:EOHarm ] On Behalf Of Maurine MeleckSent: Sunday, June 18, 2006 7:06 PMEOHarm Subject: [Norton AntiSpam] Re: White, middle-class, loving mums. And their stupitidy could kill your child

YOU SLAP HER. I"LL SHAKE HER! <redhead60707@...> wrote:

I'd like to slap this writer. The English and their vitriol.http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6-2231905,00.html

The Times

June 19, 2006

White, middle-class, loving mums. And their stupitidy could kill your childCristina Odone

It isn’t enough that my daughter has had her MMR jab. Her friends must have them too

THE CHILDREN’S birthday party was in full swing: balloons, jelly, organic milk, Marmite sandwiches and rosy faces. One of the other mothers ruffles her three-year-old’s hair: “There was no way I was going to let Harry have the MMR — he’s the only child I’m going to have and I don’t want him going autistic on me.”

Panic-stricken, I look around the room: nine toddlers, aged between 2 and 4. How many of their mothers share this one’s view about MMR? How many of these children have never been immunised? Given that herd protection needs a vaccination rate of 92 per cent, it is not enough that my own daughter, almost 3, has received her MMR jabs; her friends need to be vaccinated too.

I want to go up to the woman and shake her: do you realise you risk hurting, even killing, your son and those he comes in contact with? Measles can kill, mumps can lead to infertility and deafness, and a pregnant woman infected with rubella has an 83 per cent chance of giving birth to a child with some deformity. Yet parents such as her get away with it. They are middle-class and clean-cut, well meaning and well spoken. We indulge them because they assure us, ever so eloquently, that they are motivated by parental love. We cut them slack because we are convinced that even irrational fear, when in such cosy packaging, cannot have dangerous consequences.

We are wrong. Last week the Health Protection Agency reported the worst incidence of measles in 20 years. Three months ago the first child in 14 years was killed by the virus. Pockets of infection have surfaced in Surrey and in Yorkshire. We face a real health scare, because rogue parents fell for a bogus health scare — the one linking the MMR vaccine to autism.

It is eight years since Wakefield began agitating against the MMR jab. In that time he managed to persuade hundreds of thousands to keep their children from taking part in the immunisation programme. Dr Wakefield, a former gut surgeon, was an extraordinarily convincing spokesman: when he made public his claims at a press conference at the Royal Free he throbbed with messianic ardour and heartfelt concern for those poor innocents whom the State wished to inject with poison.

When he faced critics who pointed out that he built his thesis on a skewed sample of only 12 children, he played the medical martyr who risked his career for the good of others.

Anxious parents, unsure of their science and suspicious of the nanny state, were Dr Wakefield’s apostles. They rushed to spread his message and live out his commandments.

Boden-wearing mothers and SUV-driving fathers refused to do the authorities’ bidding and vowed to protect their children from the evil that would be perpetrated against them.

The Boden sundress and capable car determined the reaction that these parents aroused. Countless mothers and fathers shivered at the images of a middle-class couple looking on as their autistic son failed to show any sign of recognition. Even some doctors took seriously their descriptions of a terrifying fear and an all-engulfing guilt: these people were obviously educated, perhaps even knew something of biology, so their experience and worries could not be dismissed out of hand. The media loved to feature their harrowing tales, relishing the contrast between these couples’ orderly and well-heeled existence and the dark, primitive fear that prompted them to rebel against the authorities. As for the Government, the Blairites didn’t dare take on this powerful and influential constituency, and opted out of forcing MMR upon all school children — a surefire method adopted already in America, where a child’s inoculation records must be presented before admission to any school.

Now: imagine the brouhaha if the Wakefield weirdos had been not middle-class whites but, let’s say, Muslims. Other parents would have been up in arms, raging against the superstitious claptrap that risked landing their little one in hospital. The media would have wallowed in coverage of semi-literate households where a patriarch brandishing a well-thumbed copy of the Koran chased away the doctors, social services and all other Western busybodies.

The analogy is hardly preposterous. When imams in Nigeria managed to persuade tens of thousands of followers that they should boycott the polio vaccine because it was actually a Western plot to render them infertile, the ensuing outcry was almost racist in its condescension: what, don’t they know any better? But the same can be asked of the middle-class parents who joined the anti-MMR crusade.

Dr Wakefield failed to disclose that the parents of 11 of the 12 children in his original study were suing the manufacturers of the MMR vaccine; and that he had been hired to help them by a firm of solicitors. Since then scientific evidence against Dr Wakefield’s findings has been conclusive: epidemiological and virological studies, including one that examined half a million children born in Denmark, found absolutely no link between the MMR vaccine and autism. Yet middle-class mummies and daddies still wear opposition to MMR like a badge of honour.

The General Medical Council last week, quite rightly, started disciplinary proceedings against Dr Wakefield. But while he could be struck off the medical register, vilified as the Abu Hamza of the medical profession, what of his followers? We need to deal with the hysterical middle-class parents who, in the name of love, risk dragging Britain back to an era of high child mortality. The answer lies in education, education, education: we cannot force parents to become scientifically literate, but we can ensure that their children’s attendance of schools, state or private, depends on their having had a complete set of jabs. Only then will the well-clad, well-heeled troops turn round their SUVs and beat a retreat.

New Messenger with Voice. Call regular phones from your PC and save big.

Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low rates.

June 19, 2006

I think the article is useful. I now know that I can ignore any englishwoman

named Cristina

Odone!

How long before she's eating her words? Anyone wanna bet? MMR is clearly a

dangerous

vaccine (my daughter's damaged bowels can attest) and we have research being

done in

different parts of the world to verify its danger.

Wakefield is going to take his lumps and be scarred for these events, but he

will be

vindicated.

>

> I'd like to slap this writer. The English and their vitriol.

>

> http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6-2231905,00.html

>

> The Times June 19, 2006

>

> White, middle-class, loving mums. And their stupitidy could kill your child

>

> Cristina Odone

>

> It isn't enough that my daughter has had her MMR jab. Her friends must have

> them too

>

> <http://images.thetimes.co.uk/images/trans.gif>

>

> THE CHILDREN'S birthday party was in full swing: balloons, jelly, organic

> milk, Marmite sandwiches and rosy faces. One of the other mothers ruffles

> her three-year-old's hair: " There was no way I was going to let Harry have

> the MMR - he's the only child I'm going to have and I don't want him going

> autistic on me. "

> Panic-stricken, I look around the room: nine toddlers, aged between 2 and 4.

> How many of their mothers share this one's view about MMR? How many of these

> children have never been immunised? Given that herd protection needs a

> vaccination rate of 92 per cent, it is not enough that my own daughter,

> almost 3, has received her MMR jabs; her friends need to be vaccinated too.

> I want to go up to the woman and shake her: do you realise you risk hurting,

> even killing, your son and those he comes in contact with? Measles can kill,

> mumps can lead to infertility and deafness, and a pregnant woman infected

> with rubella has an 83 per cent chance of giving birth to a child with some

> deformity. Yet parents such as her get away with it. They are middle-class

> and clean-cut, well meaning and well spoken. We indulge them because they

> assure us, ever so eloquently, that they are motivated by parental love. We

> cut them slack because we are convinced that even irrational fear, when in

> such cosy packaging, cannot have dangerous consequences.

> We are wrong. Last week the Health Protection Agency reported the worst

> incidence of measles in 20 years. Three months ago the first child in 14

> years was killed by the virus. Pockets of infection have surfaced in Surrey

> and in Yorkshire. We face a real health scare, because rogue parents fell

> for a bogus health scare - the one linking the MMR vaccine to autism.

> It is eight years since Wakefield began agitating against the MMR

> jab. In that time he managed to persuade hundreds of thousands to keep their

> children from taking part in the immunisation programme. Dr Wakefield, a

> former gut surgeon, was an extraordinarily convincing spokesman: when he

> made public his claims at a press conference at the Royal Free he throbbed

> with messianic ardour and heartfelt concern for those poor innocents whom

> the State wished to inject with poison.

> When he faced critics who pointed out that he built his thesis on a skewed

> sample of only 12 children, he played the medical martyr who risked his

> career for the good of others.

> Anxious parents, unsure of their science and suspicious of the nanny state,

> were Dr Wakefield's apostles. They rushed to spread his message and live out

> his commandments.

> Boden-wearing mothers and SUV-driving fathers refused to do the authorities'

> bidding and vowed to protect their children from the evil that would be

> perpetrated against them.

> The Boden sundress and capable car determined the reaction that these

> parents aroused. Countless mothers and fathers shivered at the images of a

> middle-class couple looking on as their autistic son failed to show any sign

> of recognition. Even some doctors took seriously their descriptions of a

> terrifying fear and an all-engulfing guilt: these people were obviously

> educated, perhaps even knew something of biology, so their experience and

> worries could not be dismissed out of hand. The media loved to feature their

> harrowing tales, relishing the contrast between these couples' orderly and

> well-heeled existence and the dark, primitive fear that prompted them to

> rebel against the authorities. As for the Government, the Blairites didn't

> dare take on this powerful and influential constituency, and opted out of

> forcing MMR upon all school children - a surefire method adopted already in

> America, where a child's inoculation records must be presented before

> admission to any school.

> Now: imagine the brouhaha if the Wakefield weirdos had been not middle-class

> whites but, let's say, Muslims. Other parents would have been up in arms,

> raging against the superstitious claptrap that risked landing their little

> one in hospital. The media would have wallowed in coverage of semi-literate

> households where a patriarch brandishing a well-thumbed copy of the Koran

> chased away the doctors, social services and all other Western busybodies.

> The analogy is hardly preposterous. When imams in Nigeria managed to

> persuade tens of thousands of followers that they should boycott the polio

> vaccine because it was actually a Western plot to render them infertile, the

> ensuing outcry was almost racist in its condescension: what, don't they know

> any better? But the same can be asked of the middle-class parents who joined

> the anti-MMR crusade.

> Dr Wakefield failed to disclose that the parents of 11 of the 12 children in

> his original study were suing the manufacturers of the MMR vaccine; and that

> he had been hired to help them by a firm of solicitors. Since then

> scientific evidence against Dr Wakefield's findings has been conclusive:

> epidemiological and virological studies, including one that examined half a

> million children born in Denmark, found absolutely no link between the MMR

> vaccine and autism. Yet middle-class mummies and daddies still wear

> opposition to MMR like a badge of honour.

> The General Medical Council last week, quite rightly, started disciplinary

> proceedings against Dr Wakefield. But while he could be struck off the

> medical register, vilified as the Abu Hamza of the medical profession, what

> of his followers? We need to deal with the hysterical middle-class parents

> who, in the name of love, risk dragging Britain back to an era of high child

> mortality. The answer lies in education, education, education: we cannot

> force parents to become scientifically literate, but we can ensure that

> their children's attendance of schools, state or private, depends on their

> having had a complete set of jabs. Only then will the well-clad, well-heeled

> troops turn round their SUVs and beat a retreat.

> <http://images.thetimes.co.uk/images/trans.gif>

>

> _____

>

> New Messenger with Voice. Call

> <http://us.rd./mail_us/taglines/postman5/*http://us.rd./ev

> t=39666/*http://messenger.> regular phones from your PC and save

> big.

>

> _____

>

> <http://us.rd./mail_us/taglines/postman3/*http://us.rd./ev

> t=39666/*http://messenger.> Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls

> for ridiculously low rates.

>

June 19, 2006

Yeah, her kid may be fine now, but I'll bet there's a 1 in 6 chance that if she

keeps up that

stupiD, ignorant, self-rightous attitude, she will end up with some type of

" learning

disability " . Sorry, that was really ugly of me- just a little steamed right

now...

> >

> > I'd like to slap this writer. The English and their vitriol.

> >

> > http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6-2231905,00.html

> >

> > The Times June 19, 2006

> >

> > White, middle-class, loving mums. And their stupitidy could kill your child

> >

> > Cristina Odone

> >

> > It isn't enough that my daughter has had her MMR jab. Her friends must have

> > them too

> >

> > <http://images.thetimes.co.uk/images/trans.gif>

> >

> > THE CHILDREN'S birthday party was in full swing: balloons, jelly, organic

> > milk, Marmite sandwiches and rosy faces. One of the other mothers ruffles

> > her three-year-old's hair: " There was no way I was going to let Harry have

> > the MMR - he's the only child I'm going to have and I don't want him going

> > autistic on me. "

> > Panic-stricken, I look around the room: nine toddlers, aged between 2 and 4.

> > How many of their mothers share this one's view about MMR? How many of these

> > children have never been immunised? Given that herd protection needs a

> > vaccination rate of 92 per cent, it is not enough that my own daughter,

> > almost 3, has received her MMR jabs; her friends need to be vaccinated too.

> > I want to go up to the woman and shake her: do you realise you risk hurting,

> > even killing, your son and those he comes in contact with? Measles can kill,

> > mumps can lead to infertility and deafness, and a pregnant woman infected

> > with rubella has an 83 per cent chance of giving birth to a child with some

> > deformity. Yet parents such as her get away with it. They are middle-class

> > and clean-cut, well meaning and well spoken. We indulge them because they

> > assure us, ever so eloquently, that they are motivated by parental love. We

> > cut them slack because we are convinced that even irrational fear, when in

> > such cosy packaging, cannot have dangerous consequences.

> > We are wrong. Last week the Health Protection Agency reported the worst

> > incidence of measles in 20 years. Three months ago the first child in 14

> > years was killed by the virus. Pockets of infection have surfaced in Surrey

> > and in Yorkshire. We face a real health scare, because rogue parents fell

> > for a bogus health scare - the one linking the MMR vaccine to autism.

> > It is eight years since Wakefield began agitating against the MMR

> > jab. In that time he managed to persuade hundreds of thousands to keep their

> > children from taking part in the immunisation programme. Dr Wakefield, a

> > former gut surgeon, was an extraordinarily convincing spokesman: when he

> > made public his claims at a press conference at the Royal Free he throbbed

> > with messianic ardour and heartfelt concern for those poor innocents whom

> > the State wished to inject with poison.

> > When he faced critics who pointed out that he built his thesis on a skewed

> > sample of only 12 children, he played the medical martyr who risked his

> > career for the good of others.

> > Anxious parents, unsure of their science and suspicious of the nanny state,

> > were Dr Wakefield's apostles. They rushed to spread his message and live out

> > his commandments.

> > Boden-wearing mothers and SUV-driving fathers refused to do the authorities'

> > bidding and vowed to protect their children from the evil that would be

> > perpetrated against them.

> > The Boden sundress and capable car determined the reaction that these

> > parents aroused. Countless mothers and fathers shivered at the images of a

> > middle-class couple looking on as their autistic son failed to show any sign

> > of recognition. Even some doctors took seriously their descriptions of a

> > terrifying fear and an all-engulfing guilt: these people were obviously

> > educated, perhaps even knew something of biology, so their experience and

> > worries could not be dismissed out of hand. The media loved to feature their

> > harrowing tales, relishing the contrast between these couples' orderly and

> > well-heeled existence and the dark, primitive fear that prompted them to

> > rebel against the authorities. As for the Government, the Blairites didn't

> > dare take on this powerful and influential constituency, and opted out of

> > forcing MMR upon all school children - a surefire method adopted already in

> > America, where a child's inoculation records must be presented before

> > admission to any school.

> > Now: imagine the brouhaha if the Wakefield weirdos had been not middle-class

> > whites but, let's say, Muslims. Other parents would have been up in arms,

> > raging against the superstitious claptrap that risked landing their little

> > one in hospital. The media would have wallowed in coverage of semi-literate

> > households where a patriarch brandishing a well-thumbed copy of the Koran

> > chased away the doctors, social services and all other Western busybodies.

> > The analogy is hardly preposterous. When imams in Nigeria managed to

> > persuade tens of thousands of followers that they should boycott the polio

> > vaccine because it was actually a Western plot to render them infertile, the

> > ensuing outcry was almost racist in its condescension: what, don't they know

> > any better? But the same can be asked of the middle-class parents who joined

> > the anti-MMR crusade.

> > Dr Wakefield failed to disclose that the parents of 11 of the 12 children in

> > his original study were suing the manufacturers of the MMR vaccine; and that

> > he had been hired to help them by a firm of solicitors. Since then

> > scientific evidence against Dr Wakefield's findings has been conclusive:

> > epidemiological and virological studies, including one that examined half a

> > million children born in Denmark, found absolutely no link between the MMR

> > vaccine and autism. Yet middle-class mummies and daddies still wear

> > opposition to MMR like a badge of honour.

> > The General Medical Council last week, quite rightly, started disciplinary

> > proceedings against Dr Wakefield. But while he could be struck off the

> > medical register, vilified as the Abu Hamza of the medical profession, what

> > of his followers? We need to deal with the hysterical middle-class parents

> > who, in the name of love, risk dragging Britain back to an era of high child

> > mortality. The answer lies in education, education, education: we cannot

> > force parents to become scientifically literate, but we can ensure that

> > their children's attendance of schools, state or private, depends on their

> > having had a complete set of jabs. Only then will the well-clad, well-heeled

> > troops turn round their SUVs and beat a retreat.

> > <http://images.thetimes.co.uk/images/trans.gif>

> >

> > _____

> >

> > New Messenger with Voice. Call

> > <http://us.rd./mail_us/taglines/postman5/*http://us.rd./ev

> > t=39666/*http://messenger.> regular phones from your PC and save

> > big.

> >

> > _____

> >

> > <http://us.rd./mail_us/taglines/postman3/*http://us.rd./ev

> > t=39666/*http://messenger.> Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls

> > for ridiculously low rates.

> >

>

June 19, 2006

What about an SUV-driving mother who wants to run her over! You

guys Shake her, then slap her, and then I'll run her over with my

Tahoe!!!

" SUV-driving fathers "

> > >

> > > I'd like to slap this writer. The English and their vitriol.

> > >

> > > http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,6-2231905,00.html

> > >

> > > The Times June 19, 2006

> > >

> > > White, middle-class, loving mums. And their stupitidy could

kill your child

> > >

> > > Cristina Odone

> > >

> > > It isn't enough that my daughter has had her MMR jab. Her

friends must have

> > > them too

> > >

> > > <http://images.thetimes.co.uk/images/trans.gif>

> > >

> > > THE CHILDREN'S birthday party was in full swing: balloons,

jelly, organic

> > > milk, Marmite sandwiches and rosy faces. One of the other

mothers ruffles

> > > her three-year-old's hair: " There was no way I was going to

let Harry have

> > > the MMR - he's the only child I'm going to have and I don't

want him going

> > > autistic on me. "

> > > Panic-stricken, I look around the room: nine toddlers, aged

between 2 and 4.

> > > How many of their mothers share this one's view about MMR? How

many of these

> > > children have never been immunised? Given that herd protection

needs a

> > > vaccination rate of 92 per cent, it is not enough that my own

daughter,

> > > almost 3, has received her MMR jabs; her friends need to be

vaccinated too.

> > > I want to go up to the woman and shake her: do you realise you

risk hurting,

> > > even killing, your son and those he comes in contact with?

Measles can kill,

> > > mumps can lead to infertility and deafness, and a pregnant

woman infected

> > > with rubella has an 83 per cent chance of giving birth to a

child with some

> > > deformity. Yet parents such as her get away with it. They are

middle-class

> > > and clean-cut, well meaning and well spoken. We indulge them

because they

> > > assure us, ever so eloquently, that they are motivated by

parental love. We

> > > cut them slack because we are convinced that even irrational

fear, when in

> > > such cosy packaging, cannot have dangerous consequences.

> > > We are wrong. Last week the Health Protection Agency reported

the worst

> > > incidence of measles in 20 years. Three months ago the first

child in 14

> > > years was killed by the virus. Pockets of infection have

surfaced in Surrey

> > > and in Yorkshire. We face a real health scare, because rogue

parents fell

> > > for a bogus health scare - the one linking the MMR vaccine to

autism.

> > > It is eight years since Wakefield began agitating

against the MMR

> > > jab. In that time he managed to persuade hundreds of thousands

to keep their

> > > children from taking part in the immunisation programme. Dr

Wakefield, a

> > > former gut surgeon, was an extraordinarily convincing

spokesman: when he

> > > made public his claims at a press conference at the Royal Free

he throbbed

> > > with messianic ardour and heartfelt concern for those poor

innocents whom

> > > the State wished to inject with poison.

> > > When he faced critics who pointed out that he built his thesis

on a skewed

> > > sample of only 12 children, he played the medical martyr who

risked his

> > > career for the good of others.

> > > Anxious parents, unsure of their science and suspicious of the

nanny state,

> > > were Dr Wakefield's apostles. They rushed to spread his

message and live out

> > > his commandments.

> > > Boden-wearing mothers and SUV-driving fathers refused to do

the authorities'

> > > bidding and vowed to protect their children from the evil that

would be

> > > perpetrated against them.

> > > The Boden sundress and capable car determined the reaction

that these

> > > parents aroused. Countless mothers and fathers shivered at the

images of a

> > > middle-class couple looking on as their autistic son failed to

show any sign

> > > of recognition. Even some doctors took seriously their

descriptions of a

> > > terrifying fear and an all-engulfing guilt: these people were

obviously

> > > educated, perhaps even knew something of biology, so their

experience and

> > > worries could not be dismissed out of hand. The media loved to

feature their

> > > harrowing tales, relishing the contrast between these couples'

orderly and

> > > well-heeled existence and the dark, primitive fear that

prompted them to

> > > rebel against the authorities. As for the Government, the

Blairites didn't

> > > dare take on this powerful and influential constituency, and

opted out of

> > > forcing MMR upon all school children - a surefire method

adopted already in

> > > America, where a child's inoculation records must be presented

before

> > > admission to any school.

> > > Now: imagine the brouhaha if the Wakefield weirdos had been

not middle-class

> > > whites but, let's say, Muslims. Other parents would have been

up in arms,

> > > raging against the superstitious claptrap that risked landing

their little

> > > one in hospital. The media would have wallowed in coverage of

semi-literate

> > > households where a patriarch brandishing a well-thumbed copy

of the Koran

> > > chased away the doctors, social services and all other Western

busybodies.

> > > The analogy is hardly preposterous. When imams in Nigeria

managed to

> > > persuade tens of thousands of followers that they should

boycott the polio

> > > vaccine because it was actually a Western plot to render them

infertile, the

> > > ensuing outcry was almost racist in its condescension: what,

don't they know

> > > any better? But the same can be asked of the middle-class

parents who joined

> > > the anti-MMR crusade.

> > > Dr Wakefield failed to disclose that the parents of 11 of the

12 children in

> > > his original study were suing the manufacturers of the MMR

vaccine; and that

> > > he had been hired to help them by a firm of solicitors. Since

then

> > > scientific evidence against Dr Wakefield's findings has been

conclusive:

> > > epidemiological and virological studies, including one that

examined half a

> > > million children born in Denmark, found absolutely no link

between the MMR

> > > vaccine and autism. Yet middle-class mummies and daddies still

wear

> > > opposition to MMR like a badge of honour.

> > > The General Medical Council last week, quite rightly, started

disciplinary

> > > proceedings against Dr Wakefield. But while he could be struck

off the

> > > medical register, vilified as the Abu Hamza of the medical

profession, what

> > > of his followers? We need to deal with the hysterical middle-

class parents

> > > who, in the name of love, risk dragging Britain back to an era

of high child

> > > mortality. The answer lies in education, education, education:

we cannot

> > > force parents to become scientifically literate, but we can

ensure that

> > > their children's attendance of schools, state or private,

depends on their

> > > having had a complete set of jabs. Only then will the well-

clad, well-heeled

> > > troops turn round their SUVs and beat a retreat.

> > > <http://images.thetimes.co.uk/images/trans.gif>

> > >

> > > _____

> > >

> > > New Messenger with Voice. Call

> > >

<http://us.rd./mail_us/taglines/postman5/*http://us.rd.

..com/ev

> > > t=39666/*http://messenger.> regular phones from your

PC and save

> > > big.

> > >

> > > _____

> > >

<http://us.rd./mail_us/taglines/postman3/*http://us.rd.

..com/ev

> > > t=39666/*http://messenger.> Messenger with Voice. PC-

to-Phone calls

> > > for ridiculously low rates.

> > >

> >

>

June 19, 2006

As I said at least in the UK the villains are obvious.