http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/330/7500/1132#107884
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Clifford G.
Miller, Lawyer, graduate physicist, former university examining lecturer in law BR3 3LA Send response to journal:
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Dear Sir, FALSE GOVERNMENT MUMPS SCARE STORIES - (Reply to Jennifer Best) The sort of paper [1] that has provoked this and other exchanges is precisely what Government jumps on to run false mumps scare stories in the press. I am obliged to Jennifer Best for her response [2] which assists to make some of the main points I set out earlier [3]. Ms Best says she has no intention to scare. However, her response omits matter that will give a misleading impression of risk and could result in scares. The omitted matter is contained in the HPA leaflet I quoted verbatim in my earlier response [3]. The HPA state (and Ms Best does not) that:-
Further, as Ms Best confirms was the practice with rubella, we do not have to vaccinate everyone. We could leave it to people to decide as they reach adulthood if they have not developed natural immunity by contracting the disease naturally in the wild. Accordingly, we could leave nature to take its course. Those who want natural immunity can have it and those who do not or have not achieved it by adulthood can choose vaccination. Ms Best also refers to 1200 hospital admissions each year which shows two things:-
Unlike my prior response [3] Ms Best makes no effort either to put what she says into a risk context others can understand, nor does she comment on the fact that the risks are nowhere as bad as a one-sided set of statistics with no balance or context might lead others to believe exists. She further does not comment on the relative risk contexts my prior response provides. [1] Mumps and the UK epidemic 2005 BMJ 2005;330:1132-1135 (14 May) [2] Re: Mumps and Rubella 25 May 2005 [3] False Government Mumps Scare Stories 24 May 2005 ___________________________________ email Clifford Miller at cgmiller"insert an 'at' sign here"cliffordmiller.com
Competing interests: None declared |
False Government Mumps Scare Stories | 24 May 2005 |
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Re: False Government Mumps Scare Stories
http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/eletters/330/7500/1132#107478
Dear Sir,