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Weekend Australian- Biased article on vaccination Action needed!
Hi All,
I am sorry for sending out another update so soon after the last one, but many of you have written to me regarding the two terrible pieces in the Weekend Australian, asking what you should do and I felt that this was important enough to send you another update with information on this situation.
First off, I was contacted on Friday afternoon by Adam Cresswell, the Health Reporter for the Weekend Australian. He said he was doing a piece on vaccination and wanted to speak with a family in a capital city that had chosen not to vaccinate. I gave him the name of one of our professional members, a chiropractor who has always been excellent with the media and is very well-informed and articulate.
Just as I was calling Adam back to give him the phone details for this pro member, he rang me to say that the situation had changed and they no longer wanted someone in a city, but rather, they wanted someone in Byron Bay. Alarm bells began to ring...
I asked him why Byron and he said because we have such a low vaccination rate and I knew straight away that this was a set-up. I asked if I could be the contact for the story but Adam said no because I had a 'profile' and had already spoken with the media - a connection I couldn't fathom unless the point of the piece was to find a sacrificial lamb, I said I would see what I could do and contacted another Chiropractor up on the Far North Coast of NSW who I know had not vaccinated his own young children.
He was happy to speak with the paper, but both he and I were concerned about how genuine the Australian was and whether things he said would be taken out of context. I left it up to him advising him to speak with the journo and do what he felt was best. After speaking with Adam, the Chiropractor decided not to do the story - a decision I supported.
Finally, running out of time, Adam decided to interview me though he told me from the outset that I would only get 1-2 sentences (that's fairness in the media for you!). The interview was done, photos were taken and the following 2 articles were put into this weekend's paper (I have linked to them to keep this update as short as possible).
With my wonderful husband Ken's help, I wrote a reply to the paper on Saturday. So far, I have not heard whether or not they will print it. My thinking is that they won't unless enough pressure is brought to bear.
If you can write a quick letter asking them to show the other side and stating that the articles on Satruday were biased and unbalanced, that would be very much appreciated.
The email address is [email protected] and you must include your contact details - name, address and daytime contact number. Otherwise, they won't consider using your information.
Please forward copies of your letters to me at [email protected].
First article: Parents' fear of measles
Adam Cresswell, Health editor | July 12, 2008
Second article Spurning vaccination OPINION: Peter Curson
| July 12, 2008
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Reply of the AVN
Your article, 'Parents fear of needles brings back
measles' (July 12-13, 2008), infers that unvaccinated people are
responsible for a five times increase in the incidence of measles this year - an
assumption which is not borne out by the government's own statistics.
The Australian childhood measles vaccination rate has
consistently exceeded 90% for the last decade with slight fluctuations,
depending on the cohort. In fact, the rate has been so consistent, it would be
difficult to link it with changes in yearly disease notifications.
The USA, one of the countries cited as having "the worst
measles outbreak since 1997", has a vaccination rate of 98% and Australia
experienced its worst epidemic in recent memory between 1993 and 1994 -during and immediately
following a large national measles vaccination campaign.
Vaccination coverage rates and disease notification
statistics can be confusing and contradictory and deserve better scrutiny than
the superficial analysis offered. Notifications of diseases and vaccine side
effects are notoriously under-reported. At the same time, medical research
proves that 97.5% of doctor diagnosed measles (as opposed to laboratory
diagnoses) are wrong. For this reason, an analysis of deaths from measles can
be much more informative.
The CDI (Communicable Diseases Intelligence) Bulletin shows
that the number of deaths from measles in Australia has generally halved every
decade since the 1920s - a figure unaffected by the introduction of the measles
vaccine in 1970. This is consistent with almost every other disease, including
those for which we have no vaccine like Scarlet Fever. These declines are
attributable to improving hygiene and nutrition.
In addition, vaccines HAVE been associated with autism,
ADHD, behavioural disorders, asthma, diabetes, eczema, epilepsy and
cancer. In addition, the introduction of animal viruses via contaminated
vaccines is of grave concern. Some vaccines administered to children still contain
mercury - a toxin whose partial removal was the result of lobbying by 'pro
choice' groups such as the Australian Vaccination Network (AVN).
Australia is unique in being the only country in the world
with a computerised database (the ACIR) that could be cross referenced with
Medicare to compare the overall health of vaccinated and unvaccinated children.
This could reveal incredibly important information that doesn't come from drug
companies. The AVN has requested such a study from the former Liberal Minister for
Health but this request was declined.
The fact remains that vaccines are not independently tested
or studied in Australia; that reactions are grossly under-reported; and most
information about vaccine safety and effectiveness comes from companies with a
vested financial interest in them. As parents, we must insist on accurate
unbiased information before we agree to having our children injected with such
questionable shots.
Meryl
Dorey,
President
Australian
Vaccination Network
Enabling
Australians to make informed health choices
PO
Box 177
BANGALOW
NSW 2479
Phone:
(61 +2) 02 6687 1699
FAX
(61 +2) 02 6687 2032
[email protected]
www.avn.org.au |
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