http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/GE0505/S00159.htm

MeNZB(tm) Vaccination Campaign Starts Derailing
Friday, 20 May 2005, 1:24 pm
Press Release: Barbara Sumner Burstyn
Press Release
MeNZB(tm) Meningococcal Vaccination Campaign Starts Derailing

Ron Law & Barbara Sumner Burstyn

"The Minister of Health has confirmed that none of the five deaths
acknowledged as being due to meningococcal disease so far this year could
have been prevented by the MeNZB(tm) vaccination programme," say risk &
policy analyst Ron Law, and writer/researcher Barbara Sumner Burstyn.

In answer to MP Sue Kedgley's parliamentary question 06029 (2005): How many
deaths have there been due to Meningococcal Disease so far this year and
how many of them could have been prevented by the current MeNZB(tm)
vaccination programme? The Minister claimed that saving lives was a "narrow
focus" of the MeNZB(tm) vaccination program.

We find this an absurd statement for two reasons.

Firstly, the Ministry of Health has been using wildly exaggerated deaths
rates to create unnecessary fear as they tried to justify the mass
experiment of injecting an entire sub-population of 1.15 million otherwise
healthy children with 3.5 million doses of the unproven MeNZB(tm) vaccine.

Secondly, the three deaths caused by the epidemic strain of meningococcal
disease so far this year have all been in New Zealanders denied access to
the MeNZB(tm) vaccine, and the two under 20 year olds, one of whom was
fully 'protected' by the MeNZB(tm) vaccine have died of Meningococcal C.

To date the five deaths reported have been:

- in Jan 2005 two deaths

One death in Counties Manukau, 5 year old female [fully vaccinated with
MeNZB(tm)] died of Meningococcal C

One in Canterbury, 30-39 years Male died of epidemic strain

in Feb 2005 one death in Canterbury, 50-59 years Female died of epidemic
strain

- in April 2005 two deaths

One death in Mid Central, unvaccinated 8 month old male died from
meningococcal C

One death in Counties Manukau, 40-49 year old male died from epidemic strain

None of these deaths could have been prevented by the MeNZB(tm) vaccination
program.

The 5 year old girl in Counties Manukau may well have died as a direct
result of complacency created by health care professionals knowing that she
was vaccinated, and therefore believing that she was protected from
meningococcal disease and therefore failing to consider meningococcal
disease as a diagnosis and therefore failing to administer life saving
antibiotics in both the ambulance and at the hospital.

"We believe that this case should have been referred to a coroner for a
fully inquiry," says Barbara Sumner Burstyn

"The little girl may still be alive but for medical error," says Ron Law,
who was a member of the Ministry of Health's expert working group that
advised it on the reporting and management of medical error. "This appears
to be a clear cut case of medical error that may well have contributed to
the girls death. Circumstances such as this require a formal coronial
inquiry."

We are also concerned about the Ministry of Health's continued
falsification of meningococcal disease rates. It may be sloppy science, or
deliberate falsification; we believe it is likely to be the latter given
the fact that we have raised this before and the Ministry has not corrected
its error.

Statistics New Zealand have estimated the NZ population at the end of 2004
as being 4,060,000 ...

During the past 12 months there have been 334 cases of meningococcal
disease notified, and the Ministry of Health and ESR claim that to equate
to a case rate of 9.0 per 100,000 people.

Let's do some basic math.

334 cases divided by 4,060,000 times 100,000 = 8.2 cases per 100,000, not
9.0 as claimed in official MOH/ESR documents.

A case rate of 9.0 per 100,000 equates to a population for New Zealand of
3,710,000

According to the Stats department, the population in New Zealand was at
that level 9 years ago in mid 1996. [LINK]

We propose a question for the media and politicians alike to ask the
Ministry of Health.

"Why is the Ministry of Health falsifying meningococcal disease data by
using decade old population data in calculating cases per 100,000? Is it to
provide inflated figures for their campaign-of-fear so that figures look
worse than they actually are?"

In her response to PQ 06029 (2005): the Minister said, "The goal of the
Meningococcal B Immunisation Programme goes beyond the narrow focus of
saving lives; it is also about stopping people contracting the epidemic
strain of group B meningococcal disease and being left with life-long
disability."

The following graph shows that the MeNZB(tm) vaccination program appears to
be having no noticeable impact to date on the decline of meningococcal
disease rates in Counties Manukau... if anything, the decline appears to
have slowed up, rather than increase as would be expected.


Click for big version

The decline was well advanced before the MeNZB(tm) campaign began and we
find it anathema to good science for the Ministry of Health to be claiming
that the MeNZB(tm) program was a contributing factor to the 10 - 13 year
lows in cases and deaths due to meningococcal disease in 2004.

If the MeNZB(tm) vaccination program couldn't have prevented the five
deaths to date in 2005, and has made no measurable impact on disease rates
in Counties Manukau, then we ask the question, "why continue to expose 1.15
million otherwise healthy children to an experimental drug with no evidence
of efficacy, and that is creating complacency to the point that children
are being denied life-saving treatment?"

ENDS

*************

Barbara Sumner Burstyn is a free-lance writer based in the Hawkes Bay. She
is interested in issues of accountability.

Ron Law's career spans twenty years as a medical laboratory scientist,
including 10 years as a clinical biochemistry lecturer, 5 years as a
university business management lecturer, including research methodology, 4
years as executive director of a trade association, and more recently  as
an independent risk & policy analyst. Ron has a masters degree in
international business studies and an applied theology degree. Ron was
appointed by the Ministry of Health as a member of the expert group that
advised the Director General of Health on the reporting and management of
medical injury in New Zealand's healthcare system.


© Barbara Sumner Burstyn, Ron Law February 05

The Meningococcal Gold Rush  More MeBZB News From Barbara Sumner
Burstyn -
http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0502/S00064.htm