This blog continues discussing the issues from the BBC Horizon programme presented by Sir Paul Nurse, called Science Under Attack.
It covered many topics in such a biased and ‘unscientific’ manner that I am dealing with the issues separately in a small series of blog entries.
You can watch the Horizon programme HERE
This blog deals with some issues raised in the programme with particular reference to vaccines.
On the subject of vaccines Sir Paul Nurse had this to say:
“Trust in other scientific theories has also been eroded, such as the safety of vaccines.”
The fact is that there are many doctors, scientists and researchers who say that vaccines have never been proven to be either safe or effective.
If this statement is new to you please download a report HERE
The whole subject of vaccines is far too vast to cover in a single book let alone a single blog entry, so this blog will just address Sir Paul’s point about vaccine safety and concentrate on the recent debate over the MMR vaccine and autism because it will show why trust in the safety of vaccines has been eroded.
If you have only read the mainstream media coverage of the MMR and autism debate, you may think that the person at the centre of this story, Dr Andrew Wakefield, and his work have been thoroughly discredited. You may also be under the impression that his work was unscientific and has been proved to be fraudulent, which is why he was struck off from the British medical register.
This is a brief overview of how it is being portrayed in the mainstream media, but nothing could be further from the truth.
You may also think, from the mainstream media coverage, that his original research paper set out to prove that the MMR vaccine caused autism.
Again, nothing could be further from the truth.
His original paper was a case series about 12 children who had severe gastrointestinal problems, which was Dr Wakefield’s area of expertise.
His case is dreadfully unfair and a shocking example of what can only be described as a witch hunt, the reasons for which are money, power and control by certain vested interests. Make no mistake, this issue is not about the health of the children, as will be apparent when you study the links provided in this blog.
If you have only read the mainstream media coverage of this story and want to know more about the true facts, instead of the biased media treatment, and if you care about your children’s health, I urge you to watch two video interviews that you can access from the following links.
Interview with Dr Andrew Wakefield on January 18th 2011 HERE
Interview with Dr Andrew Wakefield on January 30th 2011 HERE
You can also access the website that is mentioned in the interviews about the true story and the book HERE
One of the points highlighted by these interviews is that the BMJ, the supposedly prestigious journal of the British medical establishment, ignored the evidence.
It was so important for them to avoid the situation of having to publicly admit that a vaccine had caused harm that they were prepared to take the word of the journalist Brian Deer over that of a conscientious and highly qualified doctor.
What you may not be aware of is that the US National Vaccine Compensation Program has already paid settlements in excess of $2 billion in compensation for vaccine injury claims since 1989.
You can download the information from their website HERE or download this information as a PDF HERE
Please access all the information available from this blog and please especially watch the interviews, then you will understand why trust in the safety of vaccines has been eroded.
The damage they cause is real, whilst the benefits are, at the very least, highly questionable. In fact the overwhelming scientific evidence points to their being neither safe nor effective.
Which only begs the question, why was Sir Paul Nurse promoting such a biased and unscientific view in the BBC Horizon programme?