Bill Gate on Vaccines

Bill Gates talks about Vaccinations
"Dr. Wakefield has been shown to have used absolutely fraudulent data. He had a financial interest in some lawsuits, he created a fake paper, the journal allowed it to run. All the other studies were done, showed no connection whatsoever again and again and again. So it’s an absolute lie that has killed thousands of kids. Because the mothers who heard that lie, many of them didn’t have their kids take either pertussis or measles vaccine, and their children are dead today. And so the people who go and engage in those anti-vaccine efforts — you know, they, they kill children. It’s a very sad thing, because these vaccines are important."

Disabled girl's parents defend growth-stunting treatment

Disabled girl's parents defend growth-stunting treatment - CNN.com: "It's been a year since the parents of a severely disabled child made public their decision to submit their daughter to a hysterectomy, breast surgery and drugs to keep the girl forever small. Today, the couple tell CNN, they believe they made the right decision -- one that could have a profound impact on the care of disabled children worldwide."

Yorkshire and the Humber may have the healthiest children in England

Healthy eating in parents' hands: "Parents must eat more fruit and vegetables to improve their children's eating habits, it is claimed."

Free fruit and veg for toddlers

The influence of violent media on children and adolescents: a public-health approach
Another addictive drug. It's a shame people still aren't getting the message about TV, the "plug-in-drug". Every few years something like this crops up in the journals but nobody does anything about it. Subscription on-line to the Lancet is free.
Media Education: American Academy of Paediatrics Guidelines

False syllogisms, teddy bears, causality and MMR

Most parents are not trained in analysing clinical evidence, yet they can spend hours on the internet, and reach dangerous conclusions about whether to immunise their children.

"Many parents, wanting to do the best for their children, have been convinced by apparently logical arguments for a link between the MMR vaccine and autism.

Aristotle, the father of logic, introduced the concept of syllogisms: "An argument in which, when certain prepositions have been laid down, something distinct from these is seen to follow necessarily from their existence". Not all syllogisms are valid: an invalid, or false, syllogism is an apparently logical but in fact illogical argument, for example "All cats have four legs. This animal (a horse) has four legs. Therefore the animal is a cat".

How not to do science

I cannot help but touch on this as I am always getting asked if I would give my child the MMR.

It has been said,

"An unimmunised child is the infectious equivalent of a drunk driver"

MMR, autism, and Adam

"Adam was born in January 1990. His early development was uneventful though slow by comparison with that of his older sister. At 15 months, when Adam received his measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine, he was beginning to articulate two word utterances. After 18 months, however, Adam began to show signs which gave my wife and me cause for concern..."


MMR...the evidence?

"More media circuses about vaccinating children with MMR, and the "association" of MMR vaccination with autism and inflammatory bowel disease. Frightening stuff, but much heat and little light."


MP raises new allegations against Andrew Wakefield

Authors reject interpretation linking autism and MMR vaccine

MMR Myths and Truths

Before you even dream of having children, please follow this guide.

How to Know If You Are Ready to Have Children

I. Mess Test:

Smear peanut butter on the sofa and curtains. Now rub your hands in the wet flowerbed and rub on the walls.
Cover the stains with crayons. Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there all summer.

II. Toy Test:

Obtain a 55-gallon box of Legos. (If Legos are not available, you may substitute roofing tacks or broken bottles.) Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a blindfold. Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen. Do not scream (this could wake a child at night).

III. Grocery Store Test:

Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them with you as you shop at the grocery store. Always keep them in sight and pay for anything they eat or damage.

IV. Dressing Test:

Obtain one large, extremely annoyed, live octopus. Stuff into a very small oil-covered plastic sandwich bag, making sure that all arms stay inside.

V. Feeding Test:

Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill halfway with water. Suspend from the ceiling with a stout cord. Start the jug swinging. Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal ( such as Fruit Loops or Cheerios) into the mouth of the jug while pretending to be an airplane. Now dump the contents of the jug on the floor.

VI. Night Test:

Prepare by obtaining a small cloth bag and filling it with 8 - 12 pounds of sand. Soak it thoroughly with water. At 8 p.m., begin to waltz and hum with the bag until 9 p.m. Lay down your bag and set your alarm for 10 p.m. Get up, pick up your bag, and sing every song you have ever heard. Make up about a dozen more and sing these, too, until 4 a.m. Set alarm for 5 a.m. Get up and make breakfast like this for 5 years. Look cheerful.

VII. Physical Test

A. Women: Obtain a large beanbag chair and attach it to the front of your belly. Leave it there for 9 months, then remove 10 of the beans.

B. Men: Go to the nearest drugstore. Set your wallet on the counter. Ask the clerk to help himself. Now proceed to the nearest food store. Go to the head office and arrange for your paycheck to be directly deposited to the store. Purchase a newspaper. Go home and read it quietly for the last time.

VIII. Final Assignment:

Find a couple who already have a small child. Lecture them on how they can improve their discipline, patience, tolerance, toilet training, and child's table manners. Suggest many ways they can improve. Emphasise to them that they should never allow their children to run wild this experience. It will be the last time you will have all the answers.

Common Misconceptions

"At least ten misconceptions can lead parents to question the wisdom of immunising their children.

Misconception #1: Because of better hygiene and sanitation, diseases had already begun to disappear before vaccines were introduced.
Misconception #2: The majority of people who get the disease have been immunised.
Misconception #3: There are hot lots of vaccine that have been associated with more adverse events and deaths than others. Parents should find the numbers of these lots and not allow their children to receive vaccines from them.
Misconception #4: Vaccines cause many harmful side effects, and even death -- and may cause long-term effects we don't even know about.
Misconception #5: DTP vaccine causes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Misconception #6: Vaccine-preventable diseases have been virtually eliminated from the United States, so there is no need for my child to be vaccinated.
Misconception #7: Giving a child more than one vaccine at a time increases the risk of harmful side effects and can overload the immune system.
Misconception #8: There is no good reason to immunise against chickenpox (varicella) because it is a harmless disease.
Misconception #9: Vaccines cause autism.
Misconception #10: Hepatitis B vaccine causes chronic health problems, including multiple sclerosis.
Misconception #11: Thimerosal causes autism: Chelation treatment is bogus."

The following site (although it could be slightly more up to date) gives the answers to these common misconceptions:

http://www.quackwatch.org/03HealthPromotion/immu/immu00.html