Formal complaint to the New Zealand Herald and New Zealand
Press Council.Hilary Butler,
25 Harrisville Road,
Tuakau 1892.
28 March 2007
09 2368990.
Editor of The New Zealand Herald and New Zealand
Press Council.
TWO FORMAL COMPLAINTS.
COMPLAINT No 1.
ISSUE: 1)
False data provided to Martin Johnston by Dr Nikki Turner, and the
Meningitis Trust.
Specifically stated:
New Zealand Herald Monday, March 26,
2007, Page A6. Article Title: WHO gives meningitis jab high priority.
Statement: The bug causes
about 150 cases a year of pneumococcal meningitis and/or blood poisoning in
New Zealand children under 5. Of them about 25 die and 35 are left with
disabilities like cerebral palsy."
FACTS. Attached above are four parliamentary
questions and answers on Pneumococcal Meningitis, deaths, cases and
disabilities from Hon Pete Hodgson, which state that :
1) For the five years 2000 - 2004,
(2004, being the latest data) there have been a TOTAL of five
deaths only in under fives.
2) For the five years 2000 - 2004, (2004 being
the latest data) there have been a TOTAL of TWELVE deaths only, in all age
groups.
3) In terms of health disabilities arising from
Strep Pneumonia, there is no record of numbers.
4) Discharges of Pneumococcal Meningitis cases
in all age groups is as follows, and is copied and pasted from Hon Pete
Hodgson's reply number 01771 attached:
|
Numbers of
discharges from publicly-funded facilities for Pneumococcal
Meningitis over the 1999/2000 to 2003/2004 financial year period:
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|
|
Age
group |
|
|
|
Total |
0- |
5- |
10- |
15- |
20- |
25- |
30- |
35- |
40- |
45- |
50- |
55- |
60- |
65- |
70- |
75- |
80- |
85+ |
|
2003/2004 |
Total: |
50 |
31 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
2002/2003 |
Total: |
34 |
18 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
2001/2002 |
Total: |
58 |
45 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
2000/2001 |
Total: |
40 |
26 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
1999/2000 |
Total: |
52 |
30 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
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REASON FOR COMPLAINT 1:
1) The data provided to Martin Johnstone is
clearly false.
2) Both IMAC and the Meningitis Trust provided
false data to promote falsely based public pressure at a political level, at
a time when Parliament is making a cabinet decision on the vaccine.
Fortunately, Parliament, as you see, is in possession of the correct data,
but the New Zealand public are not.
3) The New Zealand public have the right to
know that both the Meningitis Trust, and IMAC are presenting false data in
breach of a journalist's right to be provided true and accurate information,
and the public's right to be given that information.
4) Martin Johnston deserves an apology from
both organisations.
5) Professor Keith Cartwright who runs the
Meningitis Trust UK, which funded the New Zealand meningitis campaign is a
long term consultant to Wyeth, the manufacturer of Prevenar. The UK
Meningitis trust partially funds the New Zealand Trust and by proxy, that
funding is provided in part by Wyeth. For commercial reasons, it is obvious
that a conflict of interest arises. I believe that conflict of interest
should be made clear to the public.
6) Serious questions need to be asked why both
the Meningitis Trust and IMAC are publicly providing false information.
Complaint No 2.
ISSUE:
New Zealand Herald, A6 March 26, 2007 PHOTO and
PHOTO caption. Article Title: WHO gives meningitis jab high
priority.
Photo : Charlotte
Cleverley-Bisman.
Caption"VICTIM: Charlotte Cleverley-Bisman
might have benefited from the meningitis vaccine Prevenar."
Reason for complaint.
1) It is self evident that the vaccine would
not have benefitted Charlotte in any way, because her disabilities do not
stem from Strep Pneumo, and she has not had Strep Pneumo, therefore, the
photo proves that she never needed Prevenar.
How would Prevenar, two years ago, have benefitted her in any way today?
2) The use of the photograph is emotional
blackmail, based on false fact and logic, and has nothing to do with how
many deaths or disabilities strep Pneumo may result in.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I trust these two complaints will be dealt with
immediately, and that a public retraction with equal prominence to the
article concerned, will be forthcoming as soon as possible.
Both Martin Johnstone, and the public, have the
right to be provided with the facts.
Sincerely,
Hilary Butler.
13 April 2007
Dear David Hastings,
Here are the answers to the three parliamentary questions I
promised to forward to you from Catherine McElwain.
Last time I attached the actual e-mails, no-one got them, so
I've cut and pasted them below.
I've copied these to Martin Johnston as well.
You said to me in your email of Tuesday, March 27, 2007 5:30:
However it seems clear
that in some respects the figures cited in Parliament are not strictly
comparable with those in Martin's story inasmuch as the Parliamentary
figures refer to pneumonococcal meningitis only whereas Martin's refer to pneumonococcal
meningitis AND pneumonococcal blood poisoning.
He has been back to IMAC and the Meningitis
Trust and we are satisfied that the figure of 150 cases is
accurate.
The septicaemia (blood poisoning) figures below are
total figures for all ages. I have copied and
pasted the previous meningitis data below, so you don't have to scramble
around, to find the stats to do the basic maths for yourself.
The Meningitis Trust would have to allege that
all these septicaemia (blood poisoning) cases below for all ages
occured only in the under twos;
that there were none in any age group above that age; and after adding in
the meningitis stats at the bottom to the blood poisoning ones provided
today ..... even then ... by fiddling the stats that way .... they would be
at least 20 cases in deficit. Were the Septicaemia data broken down into
age groups, the deficit would no doubt be a lot greater number than 20,
since septicaemia occurs readily in the elderly (for whom there has been a
vaccine for decades), and can occur in adolescents/young adults as per the
last case your paper featured.
Therefore, the Meningitis Trust does not have a leg to stand
on regard the annual figure of 150 cases in under twos, given to you
which you accepted as accurate, on Tuesday March 27.
I thought I had asked for the data to be broken down into age
groups but it seems that either I didn't, or the minister chose to respond
only with total numbers.
Even so, my question to you, in the light of your Tuesday March 27,
2007 comment above is:
Which is it to be? Is the Minister of Health being told lies, or is
the Meningitis Trust and IMAC still attempting to defend the indefensible?
I will watch for any future attempt by the Meningitis Trust
and IMAC (via unsuspecting media), to brow-beat parliament, and the public,
with interest.
Hopefully, at least regarding the Herald, attempted
hoodwinking will be unsuccessful from now on.
Data below.
Sincerely,
Hilary Butler.
Question: What is the full annual breakdown for the last five
years, of deaths from pneumococcal septicaemia?
Portfolio: Health
Minister: Hon Pete Hodgson
Date Lodged:05/04/2007
Answer Text: The number of deaths for the last five years with an underlying
cause of death of A40.3 Septicaemia due to Streptococcus pneumoniae is set
out below:
2000 = 2
2001 = 1
2002 = 2
2003 = 3
2004 (provisional) = 2
Data Source: publication series Mortality and Demographic Data
Attachment: None
Date Received:13/04/2007
Question: What is the annual breakdown for the last five
years, of hospital discharges for pneumococcal septicaemia?
Portfolio: Health
Minister: Hon Pete Hodgson
Date Lodged:05/04/2007
Answer Text: The number of publicly funded hospital discharges for the last
five years
with a primary diagnosis of A40.3 Septicaemia due to Streptococcus
pneumoniae is show below.
2001/02 = 99
2002/03 = 90
2003/04 = 89
2004/05 = 104
2005/06 = 86
Data source: National Minimum Dataset
Data extract date: 5 April 2007
Attachment: None
Date Received:13/04/2007
Question: How many, if any, children who have been fully
vaccinated for Meningococcal B have contracted any form of meningococcal
disease, broken down by year/month, age, district health board, and bacteria
type.
Portfolio: Health
Minister: Hon Pete Hodgson
Date Lodged:04/04/2007
Answer Text: The attached tables provide the numbers of children who have
received three doses of MeNZBTM vaccine and developed invasive meningococcal
disease by year, age, District Health Board region, and strain. The format
in which this information is provided (aggregate data in tables) is partly
to ensure that no individual level data (with potential identifiability of
persons) is provided.
The MeNZBTM vaccine does not provide protection for strains other than the
epidemic strain. A person requires three doses of the MeNZBTM vaccine (four
doses for infants) to be fully immunised, and protection can take up to 28
days after the person has received their last dose.
See the attached tables for details.
Attachment: 5496 attachment.doc
Date Received: 13/04/2007
This is the table in the word document 05496 (2007) - 5496 -
just in case the formatting below gets scrambled.
Table 1 in PQ5496:
Meningococcal cases* who have had three doses of MeNZB, shown by strain and
age group.
|
Age-group (years) |
Epidemic strain |
Other group B |
Group C |
Other strains |
|
<1 |
6 |
4 |
2 |
0 |
|
1 to 4 |
13 |
9 |
2 |
1 |
|
5 to 9 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
2 |
|
10 to 14 |
6 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
15 to 19 |
6 |
3 |
9 |
2 |
|
20+ |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total |
36 |
21 |
15 |
6 |
|
Total unvaccinated or partially vaccinated |
344 |
76 |
58 |
31 |
*
as at 26 March 2007
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
FACTS. Attached above are four
parliamentary questions and answers on Pneumococcal Meningitis, deaths,
cases and disabilities from Hon Pete Hodgson, which state that :
1) For the five years 2000 - 2004,
(2004, being the latest data) there have been a TOTAL of five
deaths only in under fives.
2) For the five years 2000 - 2004, (2004
being the latest data) there have been a TOTAL of TWELVE deaths only, in
all age groups.
3) In terms of health disabilities arising
from Strep Pneumonia, there is no record of numbers.
4) Discharges of Pneumococcal Meningitis
cases in all age groups is as follows, and is copied and pasted from Hon
Pete Hodgson's reply number 01771 attached:
|
Numbers of discharges from publicly-funded facilities for
Pneumococcal Meningitis over the 1999/2000 to 2003/2004
financial year period:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Age group |
|
|
|
Total |
0- |
5- |
10- |
15- |
20- |
25- |
30- |
35- |
40- |
45- |
50- |
55- |
60- |
65- |
70- |
75- |
80- |
85+ |
|
2003/2004 |
Total: |
50 |
31 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
7 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
|
2002/2003 |
Total: |
34 |
18 |
3 |
0 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
2001/2002 |
Total: |
58 |
45 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
2000/2001 |
Total: |
40 |
26 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
1999/2000 |
Total: |
52 |
30 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
1 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
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