Legal aid victory for paralysed MMR boy

the safe MMR vaccine:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

Legal aid victory for paralysed MMR boy
By JULIE WHELDON, Daily Mail 21:16pm 23rd July 2006

The family of a boy left paralysed after the MMR jab have won legal aid to
sue the drug company behind the vaccine.

Shane Lambert developed transverse myelitis, an incurable disease of the
spine, following the triple mumps, measles and rubella jab he had when he
was 13 months.

His mother Sandra is convinced the jab is to blame for his condition and has
been granted legal aid to sue the vaccine manufacturer Merck.

At the same time, another family has been given legal aid to sue over
another jab made by GlaxoSmith-Kline.

Fadi Khawaja developed the same condition as Shane after having a combined
measles and rubella jab, known as the MR vaccine, at the age of ten.

Campaigners welcomed the news that both families are being legally aided,
saying it was vital in the 'David and Goliath' battle against global drug
companies.

Shane, now 11, from Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, is paralysed below the waist
and has to use a wheelchair or crutches. His 39-year-old mother said he was
a healthy normal baby when he had the MMR jab.

"Within 28 days of having the jab he fell asleep and when he woke up he was
paralysed from the waist down."

Fadi, now 22, from Motspur Park, Surrey, was ten when he had the MR jab,
which was given to school-age children during a 1994 campaign. Now he can
walk only short distances using crutches.

Parents of 1,300 children were initially awarded £15million legal aid to sue
the MMR makers, Merck, Aventis Pasteur and Glaxo-SmithKline.

But the Legal Services commission controversially withdrew funding in 2003
for the group action saying it had no reasonable chance of success.

These two families have recently had their legal aid reinstated - however it
is not clear at this stage how much they will be able to get and whether it
will be enough to fund a lengthy battle through the courts.

"john" wrote in message
...
the safe MMR vaccine:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

Legal aid victory for paralysed MMR boy
By JULIE WHELDON, Daily Mail 21:16pm 23rd July 2006

The family of a boy left paralysed after the MMR jab have won legal aid to
sue the drug company behind the vaccine.

Shane Lambert developed transverse myelitis, an incurable disease of the
spine, following the triple mumps, measles and rubella jab he had when he
was 13 months.

...

This condition is a rare-enough condition that occurs after a jab that they
have to get special permission to sue the drug maker. While it does happen,
it is very rare. And, not necessarily related to the vaccine.

Jeff

it helps if you can remove the experts



Dr. Derek Smith. A neurologist and assistant professor at Harvard Medical
School, Smith had been retained to testify for people with transverse
myelitis, a potentially paralyzing neurological disorder. Smith said he was
"highly confident" that the tetanus vaccine could trigger the ailment in
certain vulnerable individuals. Officials with the Vaccine Injury
Compensation Program strongly disagreed. Then Smith quit. According to
court papers and interviews, Smith decided to bail out after complaints
were lodged with his superiors by three other experts with a long history of
testifying for the government in vaccine court.....Early in 2002, Smith was
informed (that he) "was ruining his reputation by his testimony in the
vaccine program," ...Wary of antagonizing people who could affect his
career, Smith decided to drop out after testifying in one last case,
......Smith was told in so many words that he was jeopardizing his access to
research funding. [Media, 29 Nov 2004] Witnesses for Petitioners Are Often
Tough to Find





"Jeff" wrote in message
ink.net...

"john" wrote in message
...
the safe MMR vaccine:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

Legal aid victory for paralysed MMR boy
By JULIE WHELDON, Daily Mail 21:16pm 23rd July 2006

The family of a boy left paralysed after the MMR jab have won legal aid
to sue the drug company behind the vaccine.

Shane Lambert developed transverse myelitis, an incurable disease of the
spine, following the triple mumps, measles and rubella jab he had when he
was 13 months.

...

This condition is a rare-enough condition that occurs after a jab that
they have to get special permission to sue the drug maker. While it does
happen, it is very rare. And, not necessarily related to the vaccine.

Jeff

"john" wrote in message
...

it helps if you can remove the experts



Dr. Derek Smith. A neurologist and assistant professor at Harvard Medical
School, Smith had been retained to testify for people with transverse
myelitis, a potentially paralyzing neurological disorder. Smith said he
was "highly confident" that the tetanus vaccine could trigger the ailment
in certain vulnerable individuals. Officials with the Vaccine Injury
Compensation Program strongly disagreed. Then Smith quit. According to
court papers and interviews, Smith decided to bail out after complaints
were lodged with his superiors by three other experts with a long history
of testifying for the government in vaccine court.....Early in 2002, Smith
was informed (that he) "was ruining his reputation by his testimony in
the vaccine program," ...Wary of antagonizing people who could affect his
career, Smith decided to drop out after testifying in one last case,
.....Smith was told in so many words that he was jeopardizing his access
to research funding. [Media, 29 Nov 2004] Witnesses for Petitioners Are
Often Tough to Find

Is Smith the best they can do? Apparently. He has no publication record that
I can find (there is another Derek Smith, who does research on vaccines, but
this guy is in England and was in New Mexico where he got his Ph.D.). Makes
you wonder what kind of researcher. Except for this one incident, I can find
nothing about Smith and vaccines or transverse mylitis. Smith is now in
private practice in Conneticut, where he is a neurology. His position at
Harvard is an adjunct. Nothing to write home about.

Nothing against Dr. Smith. I suspect that he is a good neurologist helping
lots of patients in Connenticut. Just that he is not really an expert of
vaccines or a researcher, as claimed.\

Jeff