Vaccine risk data
Re: "Dept quick to dispel vaccine naysayers", (BP, Sept 29). Unfortunately, this article, in which the Department of Disease Control dismisses claims that vaccines are unnecessary or harmful, uses authoritarian declarations. There are copious testimonies and a recent definitive paper presented to the US Congress committee investigating vaccine safety.
First, evidence was presented that after thoroughly scrutinising all published scientific papers on vaccine safety, not one study revealed that a clinical trial of any vaccine now administered routinely to children has compared the effects of the vaccine to a genuine placebo (saline being the international standard).
Second, the "Henry Ford Study" was introduced (online at "Impact of Childhood Vaccination on Short and Long-Term Chronic Health Outcomes in Children: A Birth Cohort Study"). From a cohort of 18,468 children born between 2000 and 2016, 16,511 received one or more vaccines, and 1,957 had no vaccine exposure. The results demonstrated conclusively that exposure to vaccination was independently associated with a 2.5 times increased risk of developing a chronic health condition. These specifically included: asthma, autoimmune diseases, atopic diseases, eczema, and neurodevelopmental disorders. There were no chronic health conditions associated with an increased risk in the unexposed group.
Michael Setter
Letters on Thai life
Re: "Bolt from the blue", "Help for farmers" & "An eager nose", (PostBag, Sept 29).
Three letters today, the first, "Bolt from the blue", advocates for stopping a round of golf if lightning is imminent on the golf course. Well, yes, it has always been the case in most countries, solely because caddies are never used, so it's up to the player. However, Thailand is different, of course. In this case, the caddies were rewarded to keep their mouths shut with a 1,500 baht "tip", and the author concludes that big-paying customers get priority over the caddy. Yup, agree there as well, pretty obvious, but that's life.
The second one bemoans the lack of help for farmers and urges government intervention in subsidising farm machinery and education with new technology, etc. As I've lived here these past 23 years in rural Thailand, I can see what the author is getting at, but don't hold your breath. Either for some help or the younger generation getting off their backsides, away from the computer, picking up a farm tool and discovering what the outdoors looks like.
Thirdly, "An eager nose" letter mocks a previous scribe's anger at all the disruptive weed/marijuana/wacky baccy prevailing on the streets of today's Thailand. Fully agree. I've never come across it here in Sa Kaeo, and I could cite far more urgent issues needing attention, but that would take a long time. Where do you want me to start?
Ian Dann
America in decline
Re: "Trump slams UN failures, warns Europe'", (World, Sept 25).
If you have any doubts about the decline of US manufacturing power, just look around you: Is anything you use daily made in the US?
If you have any doubts that the United States is still a military superpower, look at its military's involvement in practically all conflicts worldwide.
If you have any doubts about the decline in the morality of US leaders, look at the sole dissenting vote of the US against a ceasefire in Gaza in the UN Security Council Meeting.
If you have any doubts about the decline in US world leadership, listen to the recent speech the president of the United States gave at the UN General Assembly. The mostly rambling, incoherent, self-aggrandising speech, at roughly 56 minutes, significantly exceeded the UN's 15‑minute guideline for general debate statements.
ML Saksiri Kridakorn
