MEASLES : THE REAL FACTS

HILARY BUTLER, spokesperson for the Immunisation Awareness Society.

The Health Department is intending to vaccinate 540,000 children from the ages of 2 - 10, which they say will prevent an epidemic of 50,000 cases, 900 hospitalisations with complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis, and 10 deaths.

The seven to 10 year olds were the so-called susceptible children in 1991 who either got measles, or were the targetted population for the "one-off" MMR vaccine campaign. Of the 2- 6 year olds 85%. have been vaccinated with a vaccine which is supposed to produce antibodies in 95% of vacinees.

This means that 87+ of the 2 - 6 year old will be given a vaccine that they don't need, and the 7 -10 year olds will yet again be subjected to another "one-off" jab.

WHAT YOU HAVE NOT BEEN TOLD ABOUT MEASLES:

In the early stages of the cough, runny nose and fever, a child with Measles will get KOPLIK SPOTS which look like bluey-white grains of salt. These are best seen on the inside of the cheek near the second upper molar, but may also be on the gums anywhere in the mouth. They last for a few days, and are SPECIFIC for measles only. (Medicine International, 1984, pg 20, Viral Diseases in Man, 83rd Edition, pg 412.) Why do you need a painful blood-test with such a specific sign easily available?

You should NOT take your child to the doctor in this prodromal stage if your child has KOPLIK SPOTS. This stage is the MOST infective. If necessary, ring the surgery, but there is nothing your medically responsible doctor should, or could prescribe for your child at this stage. Studies have shown that "prodromal" children taken to doctor's surgeries, health care facilities and hospitals increase the spread of measles, and put at risk the very people for whom measles is so dangerous - sick or immunocompromised adults, babies and other children. (Infect Dis Child, Dec 95; Ped Infct Dis, Jan 93; Maryland Med J, Oct 91.)

There is a "cure" for measles. It is called Vitamin a...Cod-liver oil. As early as 1932, doctors used cod-liver oil to reduce hospital mortality by 57%, but then antibiotics became the treatment of fashion, and Vitamin A was thrown out until the mid-80's. Recent published studies have found that 72%. of hospitalised measles cases in America are Vitamin A deficient, and the worse the deficiency the worse the complications and higher the death rate. (Pediatric Nursing, Sept/Oct 1996.) Yet doctors and hospitals in New Zealand do not use Vitamin A.

FACT; 1991 Six deaths, 4 younger than 12 month , unvaccinated, died of pneumonia/encephalitis. 2 vaccinated children, deaths encephalitis.

FACT: THESE CHILDREN WERE NOT TREATED WITH VITAMIN A

Q. ( IF THEY HAD BEEN, WOULD THEY HAVE DIED?)

The Health Department says that keeping unvaccinated healthy children away from vaccinated children will protect vaccinated children. They tell us that vaccines protect children, so aren't they already vaccine "protected"? The answer is No. In 1991 over 60% of cases in children were "vaccinated".

Question: Didn't children used to get measles regularly? Health Department answer: "Yes, because there was no widespread immunisation... Deaths and hospitalisations from measles were not recorded."

FACT. Vaccinated children still get measles. Deaths and hospitalisations have been recorded for 120 years. The measles death decline graph provided shows that the measles vaccine had nothing to do with the decline in deaths, and has not affected the number of children hospitalised during epidemic years since its introduction. (Appendices to Parliamentary Journals, Official Year Book, Health Department publications such has "Health Trends" and Immunisation Handbook. Also, graphs provided to Herald and Metro in the past)

PARENTS HAVE A RIGHT TO KNOW THAT,

*** A similar campaign vaccinating 7.1 million schoolchildren in England has resulted in a legal firm called Dawbarns (dawbarns @paston.co.uk) (0044 1553 764373) taking legal action against the British Health Department on behalf of the following cases:

Autism (202), Crohn's disease and other serious chronic stomach problems (110) Epilepsy (97) Hearing and vision problems (40) Arthritis (42) chronic fatigue syndrome (24) Diabetes (9) Guillain-Barre syndrome (9) chronic Thrombocytopenia (5) subacute sclerosing panencephalitis SSPE {3) Wegener's Granulomatosis (2) Multiple Sclerosis (1) Death (14) (Dawbarns fact sheet)

*** The childrens' doctors and specialists have come out in the media in support of the children

*** The New Zealand, and British Health Departments deny the existence of these cases. (NZ H Dept media release, and BMJ article) and maintain that OPERATION SAFEGUARD eliminated measles from UK. In October 1996, UK started another MMR booster campaign.

**** Deaths from Measles were virtually wiped out in every <developed country before the vaccine was even used.(See disease decline graph

*** Using the Health Department statistics on vaccinating 540,000 children, would result in:

Up to 81,000 cases of rash and fever.

Up to 5,400 cases of parotid (mumps) swelling

Up to 216 cases of febrile seizures

Up to 18 cases of thrombocytopenia (red-blood cell destruction)

Up to cases of chronic thrombocytopenia.

Up to 5 cases of Aseptic Meningitis.

Up to 1 case of Central Nervous system damage.

Up to 15,420 cases of transient joint arthralgia some of these becoming chronic. (pg 95, H. Dept Handbook)

*** Germany does not routinely use the measles vaccine because their reporting system found 1 per 2,500 vaccinees had a neurological complication, and 1 per 17,500 vaccinees had abortive encephalopathy. (FDA Technical Report, 1980)

The Germans considered the risks too high in light of the fact that deaths and disease severity had decreased without any reference to a vaccine. * THE SAME IS TRUE OF NEW ZEALAND, but parents are not told that.

*** That in the pre vaccine era, mothers' antibodies protected babies for around 15 months, measles was mainly an infection of 5 - 9 year olds, and by 15 yrs, 99% had antibodies. By 1985, 14 % of 15 year olds lacked antibody.( NZ Med J. 27 May, 1987) No-one knows what the level is now, but evidence from America shows that adult measles, which can be very serious, is now quite common.

*** that vaccinated mothers cannot give protective antibodies to their babies, so that young babies, for whom measles is serious are no longer protected. (Washington Post, Sun Nov 22, 1992, and others)

"** that in the 1991 USA measles outbreak, over half the deaths were vaccinated, and most deaths were in immunocompromised people. (Washington Post June 14, 1991, BMJ, 11 May, 1991)

*** that New Zealand doctors and hospitals do not prescribe or use Vitamin A for measles, and as a result, many cases are far more serious than they should be.

"** that in Africa, children who have a natural measles infection have half the asthma, allergies and eczema compared with their vaccinated peers. (Lancet, June 29, 1996)

*** that if children with mild to moderate psoriasis get a natural dose of measles, the psoriasis is often cured. (3 med studies)

*** that babies vaccinated who have maternal antibodies, or people who have measles suppressed with gammaglobulin go on to have a higher rate of immunoreactive diseases, sebaceous skin diseases, degenerative cartilage and bone disease and certain tumours. (Lancet, 5 Jan 1985) If you revaccinate children who already have antibodies what will happen to them in later life?

*** that you have the right to take home the PRODUCT INSERT, and read it carefully before you make any decision".

IF YOU CHOSE TO VACCINATE YOUR CHILD WITH MMR.

and anything happens which you know is not normal for your child, go to your doctor, or hospital immediately. Fill out an H 1574 form, make sure that the medical records are correct, sign them yourself, and get copies. In the event of permanent damage. Without these documents you will be unable to obtain ACC coverage, or financial assistance of any sort

[Measles]