[2009 Feb] THE MMR VACCINE IS NOT HOLY WATER by Dr. Sherri Tenpenny, DO

For nearly a decade, the British General Medical Council (GMC), the equivalent of a U.S State Medical Board on steroids, has been taking Dr. Andrew Wakefield to task for daring to suggest that autism could be caused by the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. This week proved that the inquisition continues. The Times UK published a report written by commissioned journalist, Brian Deer, claiming that “confidential medical documents and interviews with witnesses” have established that Andrew Wakefield manipulated patients’ data.[1] Deer claims that Dr. Wakefield’s “misleading and inaccurate” research about the MMR has lead to reduced vaccination rates and a resurgence of measles. And while the bickering about the MMR continues, the number of children who have been lost to autism continues to soar.

Before the 1990s, U.K. researchers estimated four to five cases of autism per 10,000 people in their country. By 2006, the number with autism had escalated to 39 per 10,000 and the number with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) stood at 77 per 10,000, making the total prevalence of all types of ASD 116 per 10,000, or one in every 86 children.[2] Barely one year later (2007), researchers at the Cambridge University's Autism Research Center in London released a report estimating that one in every 58 children in the U.K. (not just boys) suffers from "some form of autism disorder."[3]

The current population of the United Kingdom is estimated to be nearly 61 million.[4] One in every 58 equates to 1.7 percent of the population. The reality of that statistic should make one gasp: more than 1,000,000 citizens in the U.K. will become mentally handicapped adults, living on drugs and in group homes to manage their behavior. In twenty years, more than a million persons will be absent from the ranks of engineers, shop owners, doctors, lawyers, policemen, firemen and teachers. In addition, a significant portion of the population will be needed to care for adults who will be incapable of self care. Who will pay these costs?

Adults with severe autism could live very long lives. Some may have asthma and others bowel disorders, but unlike children with a true genetic disorder such as Down's syndrome, autistic adults could live well into their 70s or 80s. Who will care for them? Feed them? Bathe them? Who will wipe their bottoms? Persons with severe regressive autism have not lost their health; they have lost their minds. What if one in 58 children were suddenly going blind or becoming deaf? If vaccines were the suspected cause, would doctors continue to robotically vaccinate and explain away the travesty -- blaming genetics -- then try to fix the problem by increasing the number of seeing-eye dogs and cochlear implants? How much destruction of human life is necessary before the medical profession stops genuflecting to a methodology that should have become a relic of history, similar to bloodletting and skull trephination to release evil spirits?

The United Kingdom is a relatively small country. What will this society look like, with one million autistic adults in its midst? Imagine this as the opening scene of a movie, set in 20 years from now in 2029:

…The opening camera shot scans a British street, typical and narrow, bustling with activity. As the camera zooms in, it becomes apparent that something is disturbingly wrong. Dozens of adults with blank stares are wandering aimlessly through the streets flapping and shouting frequent, unintelligible words. Shopkeepers are concerned for their safety as these over-sized, unemployed adults, mostly men, bang on doors and nearly break windows, searching for food and shelter. Overwhelmed social workers do their best to keep these strong, frightened souls under control but with little success…

This science fiction story may become a reality show in a few short years. But this won’t be happening only in the UK. Autism rates across the globe are exploding. While the World Health Organization does not maintain global statistics on the prevalence of autism, reports from individual countries indicate the alarming scope of the problem.

Numerous studies have placed the rate of autism in India at approximately 1 in 500, or nearly 1.7 million autistic persons.[5] A report by China Central Television reported at least 1.8 million people (including 400,000 children) have autism in China, a number growing by nearly 20 percent per year.[6] Both of these countries have three times the population of the US but we nearly as many children with autism, nearly 1.5 million.[7] Perhaps Dr. Wakefield could see the future as he tried to stop the triple-vaccine jab from ruining the future of not only his country, but the entire world.

The recent decision on February 13, 2009 by the Special Court of Federal Claims, referred to as the “Vaccine Court,” perpetuates the travesty and once again defends the MMR as though it were Holy Water in a syringe. The ruling stated that claims connecting the MMR vaccine and autism were "speculative and unpersuasive." More than 1,500 news outlets proclaimed that the MMR did not cause autism. And while the paid mouthpiece of the vaccine industry, Dr Paul Offit of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia chirped, “It's a great day for science, it's a great day for America's children when the court rules in favor of science," hundreds of children are regressing daily in front of their parent’s eyes after a vaccine. How dare our government – and a doctor who took an oath to do no harm -- call them liars?

Several years ago, Dr. Wakefield and I were speakers at an autism conference in Dallas. On Saturday evening, Andy delivered the keynote speech at a dinner that doubled as a fund raiser for the sponsoring organization. I remember his words, and his stately British accent, as clearly today as the night he spoke them.

He told of his journey from a conventionally trained medical doctor into the world of autism.

Parents implored him to examine their children who had developed autistic tendencies and severe bowel disorders soon after receiving the MMR vaccine. Was there a connection? Colonoscopies were performed and the tissue samples from the each of the children surprisingly contained vaccine-strain measles virus. In 1998, he was the lead author in a paper published in The Lancet which concluded, “We did not prove an association between measles, mumps and rubella vaccine and the syndrome described…Further investigations are needed to examine this syndrome and its possible relation to this vaccine.”[8]

The personal and professional attacks began shortly after his case report was published. It was impossible to predict that this single, observational paper would lead to years of vile phlegm being spewed at him for the mere suggestion of an association between a vaccine and autism. He concluded his story with a reflection that, had he foreseen the onslaught that was to follow, perhaps he would have treated the children without fanfare and without publishing his findings.

Undeterred by the verbal and legal assaults, his research continued. He told of a time when he hand-delivered well-designed studies to a top Merck executive, imploring him to examine the data that strongly suggested an association between the measles virus and autism. In a follow up conversation with this very senior executive, Dr. Andy asked, “Did you bother to read any of those studies I gave you?” The Merck executive flatly replied, “We don’t have to.”

We don’t have to? Does that mean Merck makes the rules about the MMR? Does that mean Merck can deny the research of Dr. Wakefield, and subsequently, many others who have seen a correlation between the MMR and autism? One thing is certain: The good doctor poked a stick in the eye of an unfriendly giant named Merck. The giant joined forces with his powerful buddies in the Public Health Department and British National Health Service. Together, they have worked every angle to ensure that Dr. Wakefield’s reputation would be destroyed and any connection between the MMR vaccine and autism would be negated. Perhaps it is not a coincidence that the renewed attacks on Dr Wakefield began within days of the Vaccine Court’s proclamation that there is no connection between the MMR and autism.

At the close of his speech, Dr. Wakefield directly addressed the conference speakers and the activist parents in the room. He chose his words carefully and delivered them with laser focus. He asserted that those who work tirelessly to expose the truth about vaccines are the last hope for seriously ill, vaccine-injured children. “We must continue,” he said, “no matter how difficult the road, no matter how serious the consequences. We must fight for these children….because if we put down the flag and surrender when the going gets a little bit tough, who else will do it? Who will dare pick up the torch and carry it forward if we quit? There will be no one...not one. And the next generation of children…and the next…will be forever lost.”

The profoundness of his words hung in the air; there was no movement for a very long time. Each person knew, unequivocally, he had spoken truth directly into the heart. Our resolve was strengthened and united. The future of humanity hangs in the balance. One by one, hands slowly came together. The applause crescendoed to a roaring, well-deserved standing ovation.

That was November, 2003. The dogged determination of many who work tirelessly to expose the damage being done by vaccines is making a difference. The world is waking up because the health problems of our children are no longer anomalies. Parents are questioning the once-size-fits-all vaccination policies dictated by the minions of pharma. They are refusing to inject their precious babies with more than 100 vaccine antigens and measureable amounts of carcinogenic chemicals as a pre-requisite for school.

Moms and dads are standing firm, resisting the pressure from White Coats to vaccinate. They have done their homework and they are not frightened by the so-called “vaccine-preventable diseases.”

They are finding caregivers who support their decisions, leaving behind the pediatrician whose primary purpose is to give shots on a schedule decided by medical bureaucrats. Parents are embracing the fact that children can be healthy with plenty of sleep, ample exercise, clean hands, fresh water, good quality food and vitamins.

Whistleblowers and brave hearts are more often executed than honored for their courage. By refusing to recant his scientific findings to save his license to practice medicine, Dr. Wakefield is facing the tyranny of medical power. Barbara Loe-Fisher, co-founder of the National Vaccine Information Center, described it this way: “The spectacle this British Medical Inquisition is creating for the world to see will have repercussions far beyond the martyrs it will make. People are not stupid and they will not soon forget that medical doctors inside and outside of the British government so feared one man's scientific discovery about vaccination that they felt they had no choice but to destroy him and anyone who stands with him.”

Keep up the good work, Andy. Keep going. Your bravery and tenacity is an inspiration for all of us to continue to warn others of the real culprit behind the global autism epidemic. Thanks to your steadfast determination, parents are wiser and children are healthier. And the fight must go on. To thousands around the world, you are a hero.

And as for the Vaccine Court ruling, this is not the end. In fact, the battle is just heating up. After all, if the government can’t tell us the cause of autism, they certainly cannot tell us what doesn’t cause it either.