Archive 2008
Media Articles and Books
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September
New Immunization Alliance Issues National Call to Action
Press Release
September 18, 2008
"Concerns about keeping immunization rates at adequate levels have prompted the nation's leading medical and advocacy groups to join together to raise the public's confidence in vaccines. The Immunization Alliance calls on policymakers, public health agencies, physicians, and the public to work together to preserve the health of the nation's children through immunization. The Alliance, which is made up of medical, public health and parent organizations, met recently to discuss the increase in questions from parents about the value of, and need for, today's childhood vaccines." Read more about the Alliance's call to action (PDF).
Childhood Vaccination Rates Remain High Despite Worries
Wall Street Journal Health Blog
September 4, 2008
"Despite the hullabaloo over alleged vaccination risks, the rate of young children getting their shots has remained high - and largely unchanged - over the past several years...The vaccine skeptics have received widespread media attention, but almost all children are still getting at least some vaccines. And the vast majority are still getting all of the shots that public health officials recommend, according to a survey published today by the CDC."
Study: No Link Between Measles Vaccine and Autism
Associated Press
September 3, 2008
"New research further debunks any link between measles vaccine and autism, work that comes as the nation is experiencing a surge in measles cases fueled by children left unvaccinated...Years of research with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, better known as MMR, have concluded that it doesn't cause autism."
August
Common Vaccine Beliefs
Chicago Tribune
August 26, 2008
"...Many studies, including a report by the Institute of Medicine, have concluded there is no association between autism and vaccines that contain thimerosal or the MMR vaccine. Not all news and Internet sources are reliable. Doctors recommend that parents visit sites run by reputable medical and scientific organizations that post information based on carefully reviewed research."
Kids' Vaccinations Face Risky Resistance
Chicago Tribune
August 26, 2008
"Doctors say worried parents tend to find scientific data less persuasive than the horror stories they hear about vaccine side effects online or from friends. One expert said attitudes are likely to change eventually, but only after children start dying again of diseases parents have come to think of as obsolete.”
Opinion: Autism's Cause Remains Mystery
San Angelo Standard Times (TX)
August 26, 2008
"While we are searching for the cause of autism, we want to continue to protect children from other diseases that we do know the cause of, specifically, vaccine preventable infections...Pediatricians want to make sure that parents do not rely on incorrect or incomplete information about the safety of vaccines when deciding to get vaccines."
Experts Plead with Parents to Vaccinate
San Diego Union-Tribune
August 24, 2008
“Parent Jeff Sternberg was against giving his boys all of the recommended vaccines in their first few years of life. Then his 4-month-old was accidentally exposed to measles. Baby Asher got vaccinated that night. Since then, Sternberg said, his philosophy about vaccines has changed. Yesterday, experts and parents including Sternberg talked about the importance of vaccination at a forum sponsored by the San Diego Immunization Coalition.”
Measles Returns
New York Times
August 24, 2008
“There has been an upsurge of measles cases in the United States, mostly because of parents’ misguided fears of vaccinations…Because it is so contagious, measles is one of the first diseases to reappear when immunization coverage declines. If confidence in all vaccines were to drop precipitously, many diseases would re-emerge and cause far more harm than could possibly result from vaccination.�
Vaccine Refusals Fuel Measles Outbreak
Reuters
August 21, 2008
"Parents refusing to have their children vaccinated against measles have helped drive cases of the illness to their worst levels in a dozen years in the United States, health officials reported on Thursday...Most of those infected were not vaccinated and there is no reason for any cases to occur when vaccines can prevent them, the CDC said in a weekly report on death and diseases."
Letter: Vaccinations are a Health Care Achievement
Charlevoix Courier (MI)
August 19, 2008
“Editor: The development of vaccines to eradicate or drastically reduce many infectious diseases is truly a marvel of medical science...Vaccines are safe. They undergo more rigorous testing before being licensed than any other pharmaceutical product...Newer vaccines contain only a small part of the virus needed for immunity, so children actually receive fewer viral particles even though may get more shots.--Northwest Michigan Community Health Agency Medical Director Dr. Joshua R. Meyerson, Charlevoix"
Editorial: Don’t be Complacent about Vaccinations
Helena Independent Record (MT)
August 19, 2008
"I have wonderful memories of being a kindergarten student. Another strong memory of kindergarten is lying in my bed in a dark room for a long time (three weeks, I found out later) with the measles...Fortunately, because of effective immunizations, today many of us haven’t seen the ravages of polio or suffered a bad case of the measles...The 2008 measles outbreaks illustrate the risk created by diseases imported into unvaccinated populations and those who come in contact with them."
Editorial: Vaccinate Kids
Grand Rapids Press (MI)
August 15, 2008
"Hundreds of children in Michigan become ill each year from diseases that could have been prevented...parents need to be reminded that children still suffer and die from preventable diseases. Childhood immunizations are a safe and effective way for them to protect their children from more than a dozen diseases such as mumps and whooping cough. Parents should talk to their family doctors before putting their children -- and other children -- at risk."
Editorial: Do Your Part: Take the Shot
Miami Herald
August 18, 2008
"OUR OPINION: OPTING OUT OF IMMUNIZATION NOT A SMART MOVE.The best way to prevent communicable diseases is to immunize as many people as possible. This idea -- our communal safety net -- faces a growing threat as more and more people choose not be vaccinated..."
5 Myths about Childhood Vaccines
Lansing State Journal (MI)
August 14, 2008
"Do vaccines cause autism? Is it OK to skip certain vaccines? Consider the facts behind these and other myths about childhood vaccines. Childhood vaccines protect children from a range of serious diseases. Yet you may wonder about the benefits and risks of childhood vaccines. Consider common myths about childhood vaccines - and the facts behind the myths."
The Media's Addiction to Controversy can Seriously Damage Your Health
The Guardian (UK)
August 13, 2008
"...The media should not take all the blame for the decline in MMR uptake. Clearly, Wakefield takes most responsibility. The refusal of Tony and Cherie Blair to confirm their baby son Leo had been vaccinated was foolish. And you might say people don't take much notice of papers; after all, the vast majority still took their children for vaccination. But the MMR affair should be a salutary warning of where the media's uncertain grasp of scientific evidence and its addiction to controversy can lead."
A Vaccine That Can Save a Life
The Virginian-Pilot
August 13, 2008
"The photo of Gerald Pe, as stark and grim as practically any that a newspaper publishes, told perhaps more than the accompanying story: Parts of both feet are missing. His legs are disfigured. His skin appears discolored. It took courage for Pe, now 20, to allow himself to be photographed. The Virginia Beach man did it to alert college students to vaccinate themselves against meningitis, an often-overlooked infection that can have ghastly results."
It's Amanda's World
Gotham Magazine
August 2008
Amanda Peet discusses the "Vaccinate Your Baby" campaign with Gotham Magazine.
Measles Report: Why We Still Need Vaccines
MinnPost.com (MN)
August 8, 2008
"On Wednesday, the Minnesota Department of Health reported that a 10-month-old child in Hennepin County had been diagnosed with measles...Like the 10-month-old sickened in Hennepin County, almost all of the national cases involved patients who were either unvaccinated or weren't sure they had been vaccinated."
Avera Medical Minute: Importance of Vaccinations
KSFY-TV (SD)
August 6, 2008
"Dr. Kara Bruning, a pediatrician at the Main McGreevy Clinic Avera, talks about the importance of vaccinations...Actress Jenny McCarthy is leading the charge encouraging all of you not to immunize your child because it causes autism. Main McGreevy Clinic Avera Pediatrician Dr. Kara Bruning says that's very dangerous advice. Advice, she says, you shouldn't take from people in Hollywood...And information, the RIGHT information, is what Dr. Kara Bruning wants you to be armed with."
Opinion: Overcoming My Fear of Vaccinations
Lansing State Journal (MI)
August 6, 2008
"Jackson wasn't very happy with his Mom and Dad last Friday. Instead of getting him a new outfit or toy to celebrate turning 2 months old, we took him to the doctor's office for a checkup and for his first round of immunizations..."
X-Files Actress on Vaccines: Ignore the Stars
ABC News
August 5, 2008
"Actress Amanda Peet is not the first celebrity to speak out on childhood vaccination. But her message is clearly different from that of many other stars on the subject. And on Tuesday morning, she shared this advice with the public on ABC's 'Good Morning America': the public might be better off to turn a deaf ear to celebrities when it comes to vaccines...Don't listen to actors. Go to the experts.'""
Peet Heads Campaign Urging Vaccinations for Kids
WCBS-TV (NY)
August 5, 2008
"It's a decision many parents struggle with: whether or not to vaccinate their children. Several celebrities with autistic children have cautioned against immunizations, but on Tuesday another Hollywood name helped kick off a campaign encouraging parents to vaccinate. Beginning Tuesday, actress Amanda Peet will be starring in public service announcements for the 'Vaccinate Your Baby' campaign."
Quelling a Killer: The Case for the Meningococcal Vaccine
Wall Street Journal
August 5, 2008
"The stories sound chillingly similar. A healthy teenager comes down with what seems like the flu, then gets rapidly weaker, spikes a high fever, starts vomiting and breaks out in a rash. By the time he or she gets to the hospital, infection is overwhelming the body's defenses and shutting down vital organs...The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now recommends Menactra for all 11-to- 18-year-olds. As of 2006, however, only 12% of those eligible had received the vaccine."
Don't Wait to Vaccinate
Daily Democrat (CA)
August 1, 2008
"With summer vacation nearing an end, August is the perfect time to remind family, friends and neighbors about the importance of protecting children from vaccine-preventable diseases. Immunizations are vital, especially for young children most vulnerable to infection."
Fear of Vaccines Unwarranted; Health Scares Not Proven
Metro Magazine (NC)
August 1, 2008
"How to deal with parental fears? That's the $64 question," said Dr. Samuel Katz, 81, a pioneer in the development of vaccines and related research since the days when polio ravaged so many people across the United States. He also is dean emeritus of the pediatric school at Duke University. His most important response: 'You must have faith and trust in your physician.' Dr. John Rusher of Raleigh Pediatrics who attended medical school at UNC-Chapel Hill agrees. 'That's what I tell parents all the time. We are not here to cause disease. We are looking for ways to prevent disease.'"
July
Advocate Calls For Meningitis Vaccine Requirement
MetroNews (WV)
July 29, 2008
"A Texas woman says she wants vaccines for meningitis to be required for all kids going into the seventh grade in West Virginia and across the country. Right now, the vaccine is not a requirement for every child. 'I want to tell parents that it's very important that you immunize your kids,' says Meningitis Angels National Director Frankie Milley from Houston…'It's a long, hard fight. There's a lot of obstacles in the way, a lot of times finances are the issue but, with the Vaccines for Children Program, children from zero to 18 are covered and the Vaccines for Children Program does cover the meningitis vaccine.'"
Pediatricians: Get shots
Norman Transcript (OK)
July 23, 2008
" For pediatrician Dr. Tadgy Stacy, autism is not just a professional issue. It's a personal one. Stacy has an autistic nephew. 'And despite that, I immunized my children. My sister continued to immunize my autistic nephew. And I continue to recommend immunizations for all of my patients because I believe that immunizations are safe,' Stacy said. 'I think there is good evidence out there that there is no link between autism and vaccines...' He said even when parents opt out of getting immunizations, the vast majority of parents eventually make the decision to have their children immunized. Wilson said with the current climate of some parents becoming afraid to give their children vaccines, it's a matter of time before there is an outbreak of highly contagious measles. Another threat is pertussis, also known as whooping cough...What the pediatricians said they believe will happen as a result of the current controversy is childhood diseases that can be fatal could come surging back. That could include measles, with pockets of outbreaks across the country... The pediatricians urge parents wanting to research the issue on the Internet to visit well-researched, well-sourced sites, not the unsubstantiated Web sites that seem to be proliferating. 'I think that there's been so much misinformation in the media and myths that get perpetuated that families aren't getting good information and credible sources and places to go,' Stacy said."
Opinion: Ouch! That's painful ... but it's for your own good
North Kitsap Herald (WA)
July 23, 2008
Nobody likes needles, that much is fact. Whether you-re on the health care side administering a vaccination shot or on the patient side receiving it, the experience isn't one you mark on your calendar and anticipate eagerly...Quite frankly, it's a matter of public safety. Since vaccines have become widespread - nay, a rite childhood passage - diseases like smallpox and measles have become extremely rare...I've also read in several places (most recently in Time Magazine's May 29 cover story and FDA.gov) there are only trace amounts of thimerosal in most children's vaccines that were manufactured after 2001. And even still, autism rates continue to rise...This is a statistic with which I am incredibly familiar. My son was diagnosed with Asperger-s Syndrome last year...By the way, my son doesn't know he has Asperger's and I'm not about to tell him. And I don't blame it on the vaccines. I don't blame it on anyone. It just happened. Any way about it, I'd rather have a healthy son who sees the world a bit differently than the mainstream population than one who has some preventable illness. For that, I'd never forgive myself. --Celeste Cornish, Editor
From outside the USA comes a measles threat inside the USA
USA Today
July 14, 2008
"A flurry of imported measles cases has kindled outbreaks in 15 states and two cities that together have given the USA its largest case toll in a decade, health officials said Monday...So far, no child has died. Most cases have occurred in children whose parents decided against having them vaccinated. Twenty children less than a year old were too young to be vaccinated...Unlike many diseases, measles doesn't necessarily kill those weakened by other illnesses. Most children who die are 'perfectly normal,' says William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University. 'The current generation of parents is perhaps two generations away from understanding what a bad disease measles is'...Schaffner says many infectious-disease experts worry that other diseases eliminated from the USA, including mumps and German measles, may rebound because parents are refusing vaccination and pediatricians are no longer trained to diagnose and treat them."
Measles outbreak hits 127 people in 15 states
Reuters.com
July 9, 2008
"The biggest U.S. outbreak of measles since 1997 has sickened 127 people in 15 states, most of whom were not vaccinated against the highly contagious viral illness, federal health officials said on Wednesday. The outbreak was driven by travelers who became infected overseas -- 10 countries are implicated -- then returned to the United States ill and infected others, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Thanks to a vaccination program dating to 1963, measles is no longer endemic in the United States, with ongoing transmission of the virus declared eliminated in 2000. Public health officials have been stressing the importance of immunizing children amid increasingly vocal vaccine opponents who object to them for religious or other reasons or because they fear the shots may cause autism or other harm…'The primary reason for lack of vaccination is personal belief exemptions,' the CDC's Dr. Larry Pickering told a news conference arranged by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases. 'Until better global control is achieved, cases will continue to be imported into the United States and outbreaks will persist as long as there are communities of unvaccinated people,' Pickering said."
Letter: New vaccines are preventing more diseases
Chicago Tribune
July 9, 2008
"The fact is, today's vaccines are safer than any in history. Current vaccines are more refined than older versions, so children receive fewer immune-challenging antigens overall even though they get a larger number of immunizations. It's true that doctors recommend more vaccines for children today than they did two decades ago. The number of vaccines has increased because new vaccines have been developed to prevent more diseases. That is a good thing. That means children will not have to suffer devastating diseases such as Hib meningitis, which once killed 600 children a year and left thousands more with deafness, seizures and mental retardation. The vaccine available today has wiped out 98 percent of these cases."
Fathering Autism: A Scientist Wrestles With the Realities of His Daughter's Illness
Washington Post
July 1, 2008
"In Bethesda, a 15-year-old girl talks to her television set. Often, she seems more connected to the tube's ghostly embrace than to her own father, mother, brothers and sister...Rachel has autism, and there are tens of thousands of children like her. Having a child like Rachel -- especially at a time of widespread fears that something in children's vaccines is responsible for surging rates of diagnosis in the United States -- is debilitating, dispiriting, demoralizing. Many families are worried by allegations that the medical establishment is covering up the risks of childhood shots, possibly because doctors have financial conflicts of interests with vaccine manufacturers or because health officials are worried about the consequences of lowered vaccination rates…[Peter] Hotez's feelings as a parent of an autistic child might seem unremarkable, except that he also happens to be one of the country's more prominent vaccine researchers... Some advocates believed the problem was in the vaccines themselves, while others thought the problem was in the thimerosal and cited evidence that showed mercury was highly neurotoxic…'Ever since Rachel was diagnosed, we heard about the possibility of thimerosal contributing to autism,' said Rachel's elder sister, Emily, who is interested in studying the genetic causes of the disorder. 'It has been frustrating because I know a lot of this talk about the vaccines, and how a special diet can cure autism. I know it takes away a lot of the funding that is needed to identify the biological markers of autism.'"
June
Opinion: Anti-vaccine Activists March On, Armed with Little Evidence
Indianapolis Star
June 17, 2008
"Actress Jenny McCarthy, the parent of an autistic child, believes infants are dangerously receiving too many vaccinations too quickly and that immunizations cause autism. She uses her fame to bring these convictions to the forefront of public attention. Her crusade, although well intentioned, is misguided and not based on sound scientific evidence. When recently questioned, she admitted that her conclusions were based mostly on anecdotal information. This very lack of scientific rigor among anti-vaccine activists confounds the ongoing debate regarding childhood immunization safety...All medications, including vaccines, have the potential to cause undesirable effects. But our best scientific evidence for vaccines is that they are safe, and that serious adverse events occur rarely."
Opinion: Vaccine Exemptions / Dangerous Policy
Press of Atlantic City (NJ)
June 10, 2008
"A bill that will allow New Jersey parents to exempt their children from the state's mandatory immunizations is bad public-health policy based on fear and beliefs rather than on knowledge and science. The measure would mollify an increasingly vocal group of parents who are convinced that there is a link between childhood vaccinations and autism. But lawmakers must side with science over angry parents...But the very existence of this proposal reflects an unfortunate trend in American society - the elevation of personal beliefs over the best scientific information available...Can some children have bad, even dangerous, reactions to vaccinations? Yes. But such complications are rare. Should research into a link between vaccinations and autism continue? Sure. But should public-health laws be rewritten to allow a handful of worried parents to put other people's children and society as a whole at risk? Should a 'sincerely held' belief outweigh a real, measurable, long-proven risk? The answer has to be 'No.'"
May
How Safe Are Vaccines?
TIME Magazine
May 21, 2008
"Spurred by claims that vaccinations can be linked to autism, increasing numbers of parents are raising questions about whether vaccines, far from panaceas, are actually harmful to children...More and more, all this wrangling over risks and benefits is leading confused parents simply to opt out of vaccines altogether."
Science, not lawsuits, will find autism's cause
Allentown Morning Call (PA)
May 19, 2008
"While much remains to be learned about the causes of autism and its treatment, much is already known. In the past two decades, many large properly performed scientific studies have been published looking at thousands of children with and without autism. All of these studies have concluded that there is no link between autism and the most commonly used vaccines in children. This stands in stark contrast to the theories quoted in the AP article that have been put forth by the involved parties. There is only conjecture, no testing of hypotheses, and no validation...Legal truth is very different from medical and scientific truth, and they should never be confused...It would be a great disservice to the country to allow some in the legal profession to promote their own unvalidated medical theories in the pursuit of financial gain. Much better would be their full unwavering financial support of ongoing scientific research into the causes of autism and its successful treatment. Science, not the law, should be used to solve medical problems."
Vaccines and Autism Revisited - The Hannah Poling Case
Paul A. Offit, M.D.
New England Journal of Medicine
May 15, 2008
"On April 11, 2008, the National Vaccine Advisory Committee took an unusual step: in the name of transparency, trust, and collaboration, it asked members of the public to help set its vaccine-safety research agenda for the next 5 years. Several parents, given this opportunity, expressed concern that vaccines might cause autism - a fear that had recently been fueled by extensive media coverage of a press conference involving a 9-year-old girl named Hannah Poling...Like the Werderitsh decision, the VICP's concession to Hannah Poling was poorly reasoned...Going forward, the VICP should more rigorously define the criteria by which it determines that a vaccine has caused harm. Otherwise, the message that the program inadvertently sends to the public will further erode confidence in vaccines and hurt those whom it is charged with protecting."
Vaccines: Individual Liberty vs. the Health of the Public
Reno Gazette-Journal (NV)
May 13, 2008
"Despite widespread public support for childhood vaccinations and remarkable achievements in the control of many vaccine-preventable diseases, the compulsory immunization of young children highlights the delicate balance between the powers and duties of the state to defend and advance the public health and constitutionally protected rights of individuals. Vaccines are one of the greatest achievements of biomedical science and public health during the 20th century. Indeed, the impressive role of vaccinations in preventing morbidity, as well as reducing the societal and medical costs of infectious disease is likely difficult for most Americans to appreciate. Against this backdrop of unqualified success, the medical and public health communities are expressing concern for the recent outbreak of measles in various regions of the country...The challenge for those charged with protecting the public's health is thus to simultaneously understand the increasingly diverse character of our nation and constitutional protected liberties of individuals, yet confront unfounded beliefs in circulation, including the deadly notions that vaccines don't work, vaccines are not necessary, and vaccines are not safe or are linked to autism and other disorders."
Measles Madness
New York Post
May 8, 2008
“Measles, which once killed 500 American children a year, is making a comeback - and some New York lawmakers are eager to help the disease prosper…Vanquished diseases are rebounding thanks to growing - but groundless - fears over the safety of traditional vaccines…The consequences of autism can be devastating, and the rise in the condition's incidence is of great concern. Yet too many people still cling to a few flawed ideas about its origin - none more prominent than the purported link to thimerosal…When it comes to vaccines, safety concerns have always been paramount - for these products are given to millions of otherwise healthy children. Any safety problems could have devastating consequences. For these reasons, and many others, vaccines are among the most closely scrutinized and carefully regulated health-care products on the market. But that reality, and reams of the scientific evidence, isn't enough to quell fears.�
Vaccines: We're All in This Together
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
May 3, 2008
"The current outbreak of measles and rubella is another in a series of warnings to Wisconsinites. These outbreaks are preventable, and they are indicators of what happens when children and adults in our community aren't immunized...Moreover, some people have inaccurate perceptions or believe myths about vaccines. Here are some of them: Myth 1: 'These diseases aren't around anymore.' Measles is the single biggest worldwide cause of vaccine-preventable death in children, with more than 30 million cases and nearly 1 million deaths every year...Myth 2: 'It's better to get the natural infection.' Wrong. About one in eight people with measles requires hospitalization, and one or two per 1,000 will die...Myth 3: 'Vaccines are not safe and do not work.' Actually, vaccines are one of the safest and most effective medical interventions we have. Myth 4: 'Vaccines can cause long-term problems.' Multiple studies have looked carefully for possible connections between vaccines and many chronic diseases such as asthma, SIDS, diabetes, autism, multiple sclerosis, etc. Autism in particular is an urgent health concern, and many scientists are working very hard to determine what causes it. However, the credible scientific evidence shows no link between vaccines and these diseases."
April
We Must Vaccinate Kids
Los Angeles Times
April 29, 2008
"Score one for the anti-vaccine parents: The federal government recently concluded, in response to a claim, that vaccines may have triggered one young girl's autism. Score many more for the doctors: Study after study has shown inoculation to be an infinitesimal part of a vast and complex syndrome. Yet the number of California parents seeking exemptions from vaccination, based on their personal beliefs, is rising and in various counties ranges from 5% to 15% -- high enough to endanger vaccinated children as well...A small but vocal group of parents clings to the belief that vaccines cause autism...In rare cases, doctors think, that "something" might be a vaccine. But if the child weren't inoculated, something else might trigger the condition -- perhaps even an illness the child gets by not being protected...Parents cannot be allowed to endanger other people's children. The Legislature should revisit the 'personal belief' exemption."
What the Autism Studies Show Isn't Reflected in What the Candidates Say
Washington Post
April 22, 2008
"Two leading presidential candidates have now wandered into an exceptionally emotional medical debate in which they have no known scientific expertise. Several advocacy groups and families of children with autism are embroiled in a long-running court case seeking billions of dollars in damages because of alleged links between autism and a preservative in vaccines given to children at a young age… In November, the court agreed to compensate a 9-year-old Georgia girl, Hannah Poling, after concluding her underlying illness may have been aggravated by the vaccines, predisposing her to autism-like symptoms. Whatever the outcome of the court case, the overwhelming weight of scientific opinion is that there is no proven link between autism and the vaccines, which include a preservative known as thimerosal that contains mercury. Edwin Trevathan, a senior CDC official, told reporters in March that the Poling case did not demonstrate any link between vaccines and autism. At least five major studies have found no link between autism and thimerosal… The scientific debate will continue, but the body of evidence assembled so far suggests no proven link. Both McCain and Obama are wrong to suggest that the scientific verdict is still hanging in the balance."
Foul Shots
New York Post
April 20, 2008
"In 1957, a remarkable man named Maurice Hilleman, a J.C. Penney salesman turned microbiologist, predicted and prevented a pandemic strain of the Asian flu. As detailed by Paul Offit in 'Vaccinated: One Man's Quest to Defeat the World's Deadliest Diseases', Hilleman went on to discover and develop nine childhood vaccines, including protections against measles, mumps and rubella… Yet it took only one press conference by a British physician, Andrew Wakefield, to twist Hilleman's vaccine into a dangerous stab at the lives of children… Wakefield's theory, announced in 1998, was discredited, along with Wakefield , when it was discovered he was paid by a defense lawyer to do his research… ' Wakefield in a single statement had undone what it taken Maurice Hilleman years to accomplish,' Offit writes… The thimerasol-autism link has been discredited, but that has not stopped vaccine conspiracy theorists from finding other connections. Instead, along came Jenny McCarthy, the former Playboy model… Now McCarthy supports a movement to purge vaccines of 'toxins' and separate out the MMR shot to avoid autism. The medical 'expert' behind this campaign? Andrew Wakefield. So much for autism awareness."
Autism Myth Lives On
USA Today
April 16, 2008
"As the brother of an autistic person and a brain scientist, I have been hoping that the increased focus on autism in the news would lead to a greater public understanding of this disorder. Instead, I am angry that this coverage is spreading dangerous myths...Autism is a neurological disorder, and its signs appear by the age of 1 or even earlier. It is highly inheritable...In a recent discussion on Larry King Live, three pediatricians invited to make the case for science were no match for McCarthy's star power. Situations like this could mistakenly persuade parents to leave their children unvaccinated and vulnerable to contagious diseases...Out of sight of the cameras, increased research funding is spurring efforts to find autism's causes. Scientists are vitally interested in possible environmental influences. But the vaccine story is a dry well. Working on it further wastes valuable time and resources. It's time to dig elsewhere."
NH Epidemiologist: No Link Between Vaccine, Autism
New Hampshire Sunday News (NH)New Hampshire Sunday News (NH)
April 14, 2008
"State epidemiologist Dr. Jose Montero understands why some parents -- including the Ryan family featured in today's Lifestyles section -- worry that there's a connection between their children's autism and childhood vaccines. But he wants to make it clear: 'There is no relationship. It's unfortunate that some people in their pain and in the search for a source of the illness are blaming the vaccines, which have been the most effective public health measure that we have had in the last several decades.'… The state health department continues to stress how critical childhood vaccines are to prevent disease, Montero said. 'We do believe that it's a safe and cost-effective way of preventing disease and protecting our children,' he said. Montero noted the controversy over autism and vaccines arose over thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used in some vaccines. He noted the ingredient has since been phased out of childhood vaccines; the only vaccines used in New Hampshire that still contain thimerosal are flu vaccines used for older youngsters and adults. Despite that change, autism rates have not decreased, Montero said. And that, he said, proves 'it's not the vaccine, it's not the mercury.'"
Editorial: Ignore the Fear, Get the Vaccines
Journal Times (WI)
April 11, 2008
"It should be a no-brainer, should be but isn’t, this business of being vaccinated against disease. Yes many people do it, and yes it’s advice preached regularly by doctors and public health workers. Yet every time some vaccine-preventable disease flares up, it’s almost guaranteed that the anti-vaccine voices will be heard. They appeared again last week on local TV newscasts in conjunction with a story about Milwaukee area people who contracted measles. It’s a rare disease now, thanks to the progress in vaccinating most of the population, but here again were people voicing their distrust of vaccines and linking them to a greater risk of autism even though the evidence is fully against them and has been…Time and again studies have found no link between thimerosal and autism…By focusing the unproven link to autism, we look at only the recent past. We have forgotten the lessons of our parents’ and grandparents’ generations… One can sympathize with people who want answers to the autism puzzle, but playing up unproven fears about vaccinations is not the answer."
Vaccine Court's Ruling Adds to Confusion Over Autism Link
American Medical News
April 7, 2008
"Physicians are being called upon, once again, to address concerns about the safety of childhood vaccines. This time families' queries are driven by a special vaccine court's decision to pay for the care of a young girl injured by vaccines. The court ruled last fall that 9-year-old Hannah Poling's underlying mitochondrial disorder was aggravated by the shots which she received as a toddler and resulted in brain dysfunction and 'features of autism spectrum disorder.' News of the ruling made waves after it was recently leaked to the public. The case, however, does not have broad application, and families can be reassured that having their children vaccinated is still the safer approach, experts said… The advice for physicians in light of the new case is to 'know what this set of events says and doesn't say,' said Louis Z. Cooper, MD, a member of the National Network for Immunization Information's steering committee…1 in 4,000 children in the United States will develop mitochondrial disease by age 10. 'The bottom line is that the court decision is not germane to any but a very few American children. The best summary is, there are a few unanswered questions but this doesn't change the need to vaccinate,' added Dr. Cooper, also a past present of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Decision May Undermine Years of Vaccine Progress
Denver Post
April 2, 2008
"It wasn't so long ago that Colorado had the shameful distinction of being last in the nation in childhood immunization rates. Thankfully, much has improved since then. But a recent decision by the nation's so-called vaccine court has motivated the nation's anti-vaccination contingent and has the potential to undo the good progress that has been made. The case involved vaccinations administered to Hannah Poling, a Georgia girl who was 19 months old at the time. She fell ill and later developed autism-like symptoms. Eventually, she was found to have a disorder in her mitochondria, the power sources for cells. A federal court for people injured by vaccines reached a settlement with the girl's family, saying the vaccines may have aggravated her cellular disorder. The decision provided fuel to those who believe vaccines cause autism… While the weight of scientific evidence has shown no credible link between vaccines and autism, the devastation wreaked by vaccine-preventable diseases is well documented… And what we know now is this: Despite the vaccine court's decision in the Poling case, there isn't a credible scientific link between vaccines and autism. A victory for this family should not be a defeat for the public health issue of vaccinations."
March
Inoculated Against Facts
New York Times
March 31, 2008
“On March 6, Terry and Jon Poling stood outside a federal courthouse in Atlanta, Ga., with their 9-year-old daughter Hannah and announced that the federal government had admitted that vaccines had contributed to her autism. The news was shocking… If, at a trial in a special court, a preponderance of scientific evidence suggested that a vaccine caused one of these problems, a family would be compensated quickly, generously and fairly… The system worked fine until a few years ago, when vaccine court judges turned their back on science by dropping preponderance of evidence as a standard. Now, petitioners need merely propose a biologically plausible mechanism by which a vaccine might cause harm — even if their explanation contradicts published studies.”
Fear Over Vaccines and Autism
Denver Post
March 30, 2008
"Vaccinations do not cause autism. Certainly, we are past due in dedicating the appropriate resources to look for the potential causes — and in identifying effective therapies — for the very serious condition of autism. But the March 'Vaccine Court' decision, a single legal settlement involving an unfortunate child suffering from a rare heritable disorder, serves as an unnecessary distraction from this course. The worst decision parents could make as a result of this isolated event would be to avoid immunizing their children against serious childhood disease, where the risks are real and proven. We must put behind us the concern that there might be a link between vaccination and autism, and concentrate on finding the true causes and potential cures. The recent legal decision has been miscast by vaccine opponents. In truth, this case was treated separately from other autism cases being evaluated by the federal court because the child involved has a rare mitochondrial disorder leading to an encephalopathy or neurological condition with autism-like symptoms, and thus is unrelated to the rest of the population. And, despite the findings of the court, there is no scientific evidence that this child's condition was affected by her receipt of recommended childhood vaccinations. This was a legal decision, not one supported by scientific evidence."
Editorial: Keep Vaccinating
Washington Post
March 12, 2008
Despite many studies discrediting its views, a vocal group of parents and lobbyists insists that vaccines cause autism, a disorder characterized by impaired social, emotional and communications skills... A recent case seems to have added fuel to their fire, but it should not dissuade parents from giving their children life-saving vaccines... In the case, a 1 1/2 -year-old girl suffered a fever and other adverse reactions after receiving vaccine shots... Government officials have agreed to compensate her family because, they said, the vaccines had aggravated a previously unknown underlying mitochondrial disorder, a rare condition that can deprive the brain of energy... The science behind this recent case is tenuous, as there haven't been any studies that clearly prove causation between vaccines and mitochondrial disorders or between mitochondrial disorders and autism... Given how little is known about autism -- and the fact that no science has been able to connect it to vaccines -- parents should continue to protect their children against known, preventable risks: the deadly diseases that vaccines keep at bay."
Editorial: A Puzzling Autism Case
New York Times
March 11, 2008
"The federal government’s concession that vaccines may have triggered brain deterioration with symptoms like autism in a young girl is sure to exacerbate concerns among parents worried about immunizations. It is imperative that the court for vaccine compensation unseal documents involved in this unusual case so that experts, families and their doctors can better understand exactly how Hannah Poling, now 9 years old, came to be harmed after receiving a battery of shots when she was a toddler... Hannah’s case was complicated by a rare disorder that can deprive the brain of needed energy and cause neurological deterioration... Top health officials are still urging parents to get their children vaccinated, and with good reason... It will be important to develop the best possible medical guidance for youngsters with rare defects. That effort would be enhanced if the government makes public all relevant documents in this puzzling case."
Editorial: No link to autism
Rocky Mountain News
March 10, 2008
"Colorado parents should not hesitate to have their children vaccinated, even though a Georgia family recently won a settlement by claiming that their 9-year-old daughter's autism-like symptoms are linked to vaccinations she received as a toddler. That's the message from Colorado chief state medical officer Dr. Ned Calonge, and we agree wholeheartedly...As Calonge told us, there are a lot of 'mights' in this case. And federal health officials are emphatic that the Polings' case sets no precedent... Researchers have yet to find evidence supporting a link between autism and vaccinations or thimerosal... The good news is, Colorado is part of a five-year, multistate study that will gather as much information as possible from autistic children and their parents in the hopes of finding the actual causes of autism and preventing its occurrence... Meantime, parents should consider the significant risks that follow when children aren't immunized. The responsible conclusion: Get those vaccinations."
AP Analysis: Vaccine settlement no slam-dunk for autism advocates
Associated Press
March 7, 2008
"For those convinced that vaccines can cause autism, the sad case of a Georgia girl, daughter of a doctor and lawyer, seems like clear-cut evidence. The government has agreed to pay the girl's family for injury caused by vaccines. But it turns out it's not that simple -- and maybe not even a first...'This does not represent anything other than a very special situation,' said Dr. Julie Gerberding, head of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...The case may not be a first, said Gary Golkiewicz, chief special master for the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. He oversees the special 'vaccine court' which rules on requests for payments from the vaccine injury fund. 'Years ago, actually, I had a case, before we understood or knew the implications of autism, that the vaccine injured the child's brain caused an encephalopathy,' he said. And the symptoms that come with that 'fall within the broad rubric of autism.'Â And there are other somewhat similar cases, Golkiewicz says, that were decided before autism and its symptoms were more clearly defined....She is 'not a typical autistic child,' said Dr. Paul Offit, chief of infectious diseases at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a longtime government vaccine adviser. 'It's not a precedent-setting case."
Case Stokes Debate About Autism, Vaccines
National Public Radio
March 7, 2008
"The federal government has agreed to award damages from a special vaccine compensation fund to the family of a girl with symptoms of autism. Officials deny they are admitting a link between vaccines and autism, but autism activists are using the case to back up their claims about vaccine dangers. The case of nine year-old Hannah Poling, for whom childhood vaccines worsened a rare, underlying disorder that ultimately led to autism-like symptoms, may now affect the fate of a program that's supposed to compensate families whose children suffer rare injuries that are definitively linked to vaccines. As part of a ruling that's supposed to be confidential, lawyers for the Department of Health and Human Services agreed to pay an as-yet undetermined amount from the federal vaccine injury compensation program to the Poling family...'There's no question this is the biggest challenge to the vaccine compensation system it's ever seen,' said Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), wrote the law that created the vaccine compensation system in 1988. Waxman says the program is threatened, no matter what happens. If the families of autistic children win compensation, there won't be enough money to pay all their bills. But if compensation is denied those families, Waxman says, they will probably go to court instead. And that, Waxman says, could scare off manufacturers from staying in the vaccine business."
Into the Fray Over the Cause of Autism
New York Times
March 4, 2008
“'It’s indisputable that autism is on the rise among children,' Senator John McCain said while campaigning recently in Texas. 'The question is, What’s causing it? And we go back and forth, and there’s strong evidence that indicates that it’s got to do with a preservative in vaccines.' With that comment, Mr. McCain marked his entry into one of the most politicized scientific issues in a generation. Mr. McCain is correct that autism diagnoses have increased in recent decades; no one disputes that. He is on much shakier ground when talking about the preservative as a cause. While some parents’ groups and lawmakers assert that the preservative, which contains mercury and is called thimerosal, has caused an epidemic of new autism cases, most mainstream researchers strongly disagree... Still, the parent groups raising concerns about the dangers of vaccines have not wavered in their conviction, and if anything have become more skeptical of government pronouncements on the issue. Radio hosts, journalists and a new television drama have also taken up the issue. So if Mr. McCain’s goal was bucking the establishment — and turning a weather eye on the government — his remarks made good politics."
February
No, Vaccines Aren't Behind the Rise in Autism
Huffington Post
February 29, 2008
"I have hesitated to wade into this acrimonious public debate. Yet my family has gotten forwarded HuffPo columns that hype the supposed link between vaccines and autism. As a public health researcher and as a caregiver, I take umbrage... Spreading debunked rumors will not help anyone here...I know that many good people believe that vaccines have harmed their children, but there is just no evidence that vaccines lay behind the concerning rise in diagnosed autism cases in recent years... I'll simply say that the scientific controversy has been put to bed long ago, even if many people angrily respond to this post. Unfortunately, the same social currents that lead people to fear vaccines lead people to dismiss the messengers and messages that might assuage these fears…Too bad, because the vaccine-autism controversy provides a great illustration of how hysterical epidemics are spread through an interaction of families in pain, underlying cultural anxieties, issue advocates, and the modern media."
Fallout from Vaccine Fear Hits U.K. Kids
ABC News
February 29, 2008
“The refusal of many parents in the United Kingdom to have their children vaccinated in the fear that the shots could lead to autism or other problems may have put their children in danger of a different health threat -- that of infectious disease. Despite mounting evidence against any link between vaccines and disorders such as autism and inflammatory bowel disease, researchers at the UCL Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London found that many parents in the United Kingdom still refuse to have their children vaccinated for measles, mumps and rubella…What they found was that in 1995, 92 percent of U.K. children had received their MMR immunization on schedule, but this number dropped sharply to 79 percent in 2003 following a 1998 report in the journal Lancet that linked the vaccine to autism.”
Flight spreads measles from S.D. to Hawaii
San Diego Union Tribune
February 13, 2008
"San Diego's measles outbreak has spread aboard a planeload of passengers to Hawaii, where an 11-month-old baby infected in a Bird Rock medical clinic last month is recovering in isolation at an island military base... In less than a month, the outbreak – San Diego County's first since 1991 – began in Switzerland and has spanned about half the globe. The case demonstrates how quickly, extensively and silently the potentially lethal virus can spread... 'Measles is very very contagious,' said Dr. Stuart Cohen, a pediatrician and president-elect of the San Diego County Medical Society. 'Kids under a year who haven't received the routine vaccination are at risk of getting sick, and that's what will happen if we start getting higher percentages of parents not vaccinating their children.' Under state law, parents can decline to have their children vaccinated based on medical, religious or personal reasons. Many have done so out of fear – which doctors say is unfounded – that the vaccine may cause autism. The vaccine does not contain thimerosal, a compound that some people link to autism."
Editorial: Vaccinations and Autism
Philadelphia Inquirer
February 9, 2008
"New waves of science are debunking the sturdiest of suburban myths: that childhood vaccination is linked to autism in children. This myth has been stoked by the Internet, concerned parents' groups, high-profile advocates like Joseph Ken nedy II, and pop media (the topic was in the first episode of ABC's Eli Stone)…Although there never was much evidence, a few doctors, and many parents, worried vaccinations might introduce harmful levels of mercury into the system. The myth got rolling in the 1990s, and has been hard to stop. In 1998 a British scientist claimed there was a link, but his work is widely rejected today... Every major medical organization, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the American Academy of Pediatrics to the Institute of Medicine , states that vaccination does not cause autism. But advocates insist the science is suspect, part of a conspiracy of a science-industrial-governmental complex... Parents can rest assured about vaccination. It's a success story, helping create a world freer of disease than ever. It has changed childhood for billions of people and all but ended former scourges of the world. Bottom line: The risks of not getting children vaccinated aren't worth taking."
Another Study Finds No Link Between MMR Vaccine and Autism
HealthDay News
February 4, 2008
"Yet another study has found no evidence of a link between the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism. The British authors of this latest research said theirs was the third and largest study that has looked for a connection between the MMR vaccine and autism, and has failed to find one... The controversy about the potential connection between autism and the MMR vaccine began in 1998 when British researcher Dr. Andrew Wakefield published a study in The Lancet that claimed the vaccine caused brain damage, resulting in autism. Since that time, numerous studies have failed to confirm Wakefield's hypothesis."
Editorial: Eli Stone’s Overleap of Faith
New York Times
February 2, 2008
"You can’t help rooting for Eli Stone, the young corporate attorney who has decided to go to bat for the little guy (after a “Faith�-singing George Michael appears in his living room) in ABC’s new series that bears his name. Unfortunately, on his first try, Mr. Stone — even with Mr. Michael singing backup and the spiritual insights attributed to an inoperable brain aneurysm — chose the wrong cause to champion and sent the wrong message to parents about the safety of vaccines...Nevermind that such authoritative bodies as the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization have found no evidence of a causal link. Nevermind that the incidence of autism continued to rise even after mercury preservatives were phased out of almost all childhood vaccines. As far as Eli Stone is concerned, you can’t just rely on science. Sometimes you have to go on faith...Let’s hope that any parents who watched don’t make that mistake. And let’s hope that in future episodes, Eli Stone and ABC show better judgment in picking causes."
January
Vaccine-Autism Debate Moves to Small Screen: Medical Groups Say ABC TV Show Story Line Could Undermine Childhood Vaccinations
By Susan Donaldson James
ABC News
January 31, 2008
"Today, ABC will premiere 'Eli Stone,' a legal show it calls a 'drama-dy with fantastical elements.' In the first story line, a jury awards the mother of an autistic child $5.2 million in damages after it is revealed that the CEO of a vaccine maker kept his daughter from getting the company's mercury-based vaccine... At the heart of the debate is whether television shows created purely for entertainment can have a negative impact on public health. 'The claims of anti-vaccine groups fly in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence,' said Hotez. 'It's like religious fanaticism believing that mercury causes autism, and it's very frustrating for me because it distracts away from our genetic research efforts and services for our kids.' Marie C. McCormick, a pediatrician and professor at Harvard Medical School ... 'If you go on blogs and the Web, there are a lot of anti-vaccine sites,' said McCormick. 'They continue to tout data that is showing an association, even if it is flawed. People don't know what is correct and [the belief in a link] is being continually reinvigorated.'"
Pitt Expert Goes Public to Counter Fallacy on Autism
By Mark Roth
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
January 31, 2008
"Nancy J. Minshew is finally ready to take off the gloves. After years of sitting back and hoping the science would speak for itself, the director of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Excellence in Autism Research has decided it's time for her to take a personal stand. Autism is not caused by vaccinations, she says, and those who continue to push that theory are endangering the lives of children and misdirecting the nation's scarce resources for autism research."
Opinion: Perpetrating the Autism Myth
By Benjamin Kruskal and Carole Allen
Boston Globe
January 31, 2008
"In tonight's premiere episode of the ABC legal drama 'Eli Stone,' the protagonist is a lawyer who has spent most of his professional life defending large corporations. A vision inspires him to change direction, and he starts by suing a vaccine manufacturer, representing the mother of an autistic child who claims that a vaccine caused the child's autism...Vaccination is the single medical intervention that has saved the most lives over the past century. Vaccines are so successful that most Americans have never seen the diseases that they prevent, nor known anyone who has experienced them... When new parents start to think about vaccines, they are likely to hear primarily the voices of those who fear vaccines. They are less likely to hear the voices of parents who have lost children as a result of such diseases as polio, meningitis, and hepatitis, or who have watched their children suffer with illness and lifelong complications such as paralysis, deafness or liver cancer... The scientific evidence is clear: neither the MMR vaccine nor thimerosal (mercury) in vaccines has any relationship to autism... The fueling of this negative trend through the careless use of a storyline based on bad science is inexcusable. ABC should rethink its decision, and viewers should understand that the episode is a scriptwriter's fantasy rather than health education."
ABC Drama Takes on Science and Parents
By Edward Wyatt
New York Times
January 23, 2008
"A new legal drama making its debut this month on ABC is stepping into a subject that is the source of heated debate among some parents — the relationship between autism and childhood vaccines — and seemingly coming down on the side that has been all but dismissed by prominent scientific organizations...The title character of 'Eli Stone,' adopting the message of his visions to fight for the little guy, takes his first case: suing his former client on behalf of the mother of an autistic child who believes a mercury-based preservative in a vaccine caused her son’s autism...reams of scientific studies by the leading American health authorities have failed to establish a causal link between the preservative and autism. Since the preservative was largely removed from childhood vaccines in 2001, autism rates have not declined...The initial episode of 'Eli Stone' posits that the child received a flu vaccine containing the preservative...After the dramatic courtroom revelation that the chief executive of the vaccine maker did not allow his daughter’s pediatrician to give her the company’s vaccine, the jury in 'Eli Stone' awards the mother $5.2 million."
Opinion: Time to Fight Back Against “Angry Paranoid” Anti-Vaccinationists
By Michael Fumneto
Canadian Free Press
January 23, 2008
Grant the anti-childhood vaccine fanatics this; they are dogged. No amount of data and no number of studies from any array of sources will sway them from their beliefs – or claimed beliefs – that thimerosal, a mercury-containing vaccine preservative once used in many such injections, is causing the so-called “autism epidemic.” Therefore a California Department of Public Health study in the current Archives of General Psychiatry hasn’t either. Nevertheless, for the rest of us there are two valuable lessons. First, the lack of a thimerosal connection to the developmental disorder has once again been reaffirmed. And second, those fanatics really and truly are fanatical – as a British Medical Journal book reviewer put it, an “angry and paranoid universe.”
CDC: Too Few Adults Get Their Vaccines
By Lauran Neergaard
Associated Press (Ran on New York Times online and Washington Post online)
January 23, 2008
Vaccines aren't just for kids, but far too few grown-ups are rolling up their sleeves, disappointed federal health officials reported Wednesday. The numbers of newly vaccinated are surprisingly low, considering how much public attention a trio of new shots -which protect against shingles, whooping cough and cervical cancer- received in recent years.
Spotlight On Science: Vaccine land
By Jeff May
Newark Star-Ledger (NJ)
January 18, 2008
The New Jersey-Pennsylvania region can arguably be called the vaccine capital of the United States. It's a claim that could be made on the strength of one man's work alone. Maurice Hilleman, a Merck researcher who spent decades working in the company's labs in Rahway and West Point, Pa., developed nine vaccines to ward off childhood diseases in the latter half of the 20th century.
Wyeth says court rejects thimerosal-autism link
Reuters
January 14, 2008
Drugmaker Wyeth said a court in Maryland has granted the company's motion to exclude some expert witnesses from testifying that exposure to thimerosal-containing vaccines can cause autism and rejected the compound's link to autism. In the alleged vaccine injury case, a judge has found that thimerosal in vaccines does not cause or contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, the company said in a statement.
On Parenting: Genes—Not Vaccines—Linked to Autism
By Nancy Shute
US News & World Report
January 9, 2008
Two major new studies grapple with the conundrum at the core of autism, the often-devastating disorder that can make it difficult for children to connect with their fellow humans. This news brings us two big steps further down the path of understanding this complex, enigmatic disease. And it reassures all parents that childhood vaccines do not appear to increase the risk of autism.
12 Diseases That Altered History
By Matthew Shulman
U.S. News & World Report
January 3, 2008
In his book Twelve Diseases That Changed Our World, Irwin Sherman, a professor emeritus of biology at the University of California Riverside, describes how bacteria, parasites, and viruses have swept through cities and devastated populations, felled great leaders and thinkers, and in their wake transformed politics, public health, and economies...Smallpox. It's the only infectious disease that has been eradicated through vaccination. The medical science of vaccination was a direct result of the devastating effects of smallpox.
California study finds no link between vaccine ingredient, autism
By Erin Allday
San Francisco Chronicle
January 8, 2008
Rates of autism have increased in California despite the removal of the preservative thimerosal from childhood vaccines seven years ago, a finding that researchers say disproves the theory that the mercury in thimerosal causes the mysterious neurological disorder...."Whatever the explanation for this increase in children with autism, exposure to mercury in vaccines is not it," said Robert Schechter, a medical officer with the California Department of Health Services and lead author of the study. "Vaccines with thimerosal and without have been safe and appropriate to give to our children."
Autism Rate Is Still Rising Despite Vaccine Change
Jennifer Corbett Dooren
Wall Street Journal
January 7, 2008
Researchers at the California Department of Public Health said autism rates in that state have continued to rise despite the removal of the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal from most childhood vaccines...The study authors said if there really was a thimerosal link that autism rates should have started declining in 2004, or when the first group of children coming into the California Public Health Department's system would have received thimerosal-free vaccines.
Thimerosal Disappears but Autism Remains
Eric Fombonne, MD
Archives of General Psychiatry
January 2008
Since autism was described in the 1940s, multiple unfounded theories of causation and corollary "treatments" have been offered... To name only a few more recent such theories taken from both the psychosocial and biological realm of explanations, facilitated communication and secretin infusion enjoyed widespread support up to the point when the systematic accumulation of carefully controlled clinical trials consistently failed to provide support for their efficacy.1-2 In the last decade, 2 hypotheses on autism-immunization links were raised that have had a profound impact in the field of autism research and practice and on public health at large.