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Panel Finds No Evidence to Tie Autism to Vaccines
NY Times ^ | May 19, 2004 | SANDRA BLAKESLEE

Posted on 05/18/2004 11:56:40 PM PDT by neverdem

An examination of scientific studies worldwide has found no convincing evidence that vaccines cause autism, according to a committee of experts appointed by the Institute of Medicine.

In particular, no link was found between autism and the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine or vaccines that contain a mercury preservative called thimerosal. The committee released its eighth and final report yesterday in Washington.

Some parents of autistic children immediately protested. Mark Blaxill, the father of an 8-year-old girl with autism, said the committee's conclusions were premature. Studies are under way that should not be dismissed, said Mr. Blaxill, who is a director of the Coalition for SafeMinds, an advocacy group that finances research on the possible connection between autism and vaccines.

Representative Dave Weldon, a physician and a Republican from Florida who is an advocate for the parents, said the report was "based on preliminary, incomplete information and may ultimately be repudiated."

The report will not "put to rest the concerns of parents who believe their children were harmed" by vaccines, Mr. Weldon said.

Autism is a disorder of brain development that has been the subject of much publicity in recent years as parents and researchers hunt for its underlying cause or causes. The issue has been fueled by a rise in the number of children found to have autistic traits in the last decade, though experts disagree on how large the increase is.

Dr. Marie McCormick, a professor of maternal and child health at Harvard who led the investigation, said that most "parents should be reassured" and should not worry about getting their children vaccinated. In the meantime, she said, research on autism should focus on "more productive" areas, like genetic and environmental factors. The debate over vaccines and autism began five years ago when a British researcher, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, reported that a small number of autistic children had signs of measles infection in their intestines after getting the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine.

A separate dispute soon broke out when researchers noted that many childhood vaccines contained a mercury preservative, though the measles formulation was not among them. Could an increase in the number of mercury-containing vaccines given to infants be an underlying cause of increased rates of autism?

The Immunization Safety Review Committee at the Institute of Medicine, which is affiliated with the National Academy of Sciences, was formed three years ago to examine those issues. The group, composed of expert physicians and scientists with no connections to the pharmaceutical industry, met nine times to gather evidence on the claims.

The committee emphasized that it carried out its mandate from a neutral position: the weight of evidence would indicate only whether it was possible to favor or reject a link between vaccines and autism. "You can never really prove a negative," Dr. McCormick said.

In 2001, the committee issued two reports. The first concluded that the measles vaccine was not likely to cause autism based on the epidemiological evidence. The second found that there was not enough evidence to reject or accept a causal link between vaccines with mercury and neurodevelopmental disorders like autism. To be on the safe side, it recommended that infants get vaccines without mercury preservatives. By 2002, mercury had been removed from most childhood vaccines.

The report released yesterday was based on previous evidence and new studies since 2001, and goes further than ever in discrediting claims that vaccines cause autism. On the subject of vaccines with mercury, five epidemiological studies worldwide show there is no evidence of a link with autism. Three studies found evidence, but the committee said the research methods were flawed.

As for the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, 14 epidemiological studies have shown no evidence of a link. The committee dismissed two studies that did show a link as flawed. The committee examined a number of possible biological mechanisms to explain how vaccines might cause autism, but said that all were theoretical and that there was not sufficient proof.

Fewer children today receive vaccines that contain mercury, Mr. Blaxill of SafeMinds said, so if the mercury hypothesis holds true, rates of autism should fall in the next couple of years. The number of cases in California, where autistic children are carefully tracked, declined slightly in the last six months, he said, but it is too soon to know if the drop is a trend.

Autism is notoriously complex, Dr. McCormick said. Many scientists believe that it may involve numerous genes that appear to interact with a variety of environmental factors and other nongenetic influences.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Government; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia
KEYWORDS: autism; iom; mercury; mmr; thimerosal; vaccine
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To: PCRit

Duh, nevermind, it was one of the first sentences in the article. Thanks anyway.


21 posted on 05/19/2004 7:41:54 AM PDT by FourtySeven (47)
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To: PCRit
As a research virologist, I’m very skeptical

shhh...as a new member you're probably unaware of the conspiracy to bump off scientists in your area. Not a Freeper conspiracy you understand. Check out some of the old threads.

22 posted on 05/19/2004 7:43:29 AM PDT by ladyjane
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To: FourtySeven

Thimerisol is a vaccine preservative that contains a miniscule amount of mercury

It not been in any children's vaccines since 2002. It will be interesting to see if there are no more cases of autism diagnosed in kids born after the change was made.


23 posted on 05/19/2004 7:45:30 AM PDT by TaxRelief (Keep your kids safe; keep W in the White House.)
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To: FourtySeven

Thimerosal is a mercury derivative and was included in most childhood vaccines prior to 2002, however current vaccines no longer contain thimerosal (some do still contain trace amounts). The only exception that I could find are flu vaccines, which still contain thimerosal.


24 posted on 05/19/2004 7:46:10 AM PDT by PCRit
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To: TaxRelief

ABA is behavior modification. If initiated very early (like age 2 or 2.5), it can be very effective at minimizing some of the major effects of autism. Technically, the child is still autistic (somewhere on the spectrum), but is now more able to focus and learn. When done properly and intensively, ABA has about a 60% effectiveness track record.


25 posted on 05/19/2004 7:47:51 AM PDT by Choose Ye This Day (Better a bag over your head than your head in a bag.)
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To: TaxRelief

thimerisol = thimerosal (whoops!)


26 posted on 05/19/2004 7:49:14 AM PDT by TaxRelief (Keep your kids safe; keep W in the White House.)
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To: PCRit; TomB; discostu; longshadow; bonesmccoy
As a research virologist, I’m very skeptical of this panel’s conclusions. The feds tell us that mercury emissions from power plants must be lowered, they are dangerously high. The feds tell us that pregnant women should not eat tuna fish because it contains dangerous levels of mercury. And yet, the feds will NOT admit that injecting, on average, 25 micrograms per shot (this is thousands of times higher amounts than could be found in tuna or the air) of mercury directly into the bloodstream of infants for the last 30 yrs just might cause health/neurological problems?

Maybe, just maybe, the panel’s scientific conclusions are “flawed”, and the other studies showing a link between mercury and autism are correct?

Maybe not...


QuackwatchSM
Your Guide to Health Fraud,
Quackery, and Intelligent Decisions

  Operated by
Stephen Barrett, M.D
  If you write, please mention how you found this Web site.

Misconceptions about Immunization

Introduction

Immunizations should be part of routine health care obtained through one's personal physician (or in some instances, through one's local health department). Long-lasting protection is available against measles, mumps, German measles (rubella), poliomyelitis, tetanus (lockjaw), whooping cough (pertussis), diphtheria, chickenpox (varicella), Hemophilus influenzae b (Hib), and hepatitis B. Immunization against all of these is recommended for children by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Family Practice, and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

All states now require proof of immunization or other evidence of immunity against some of these diseases for admission to school. However, the requirements vary from state to state, and exemptions may be granted for medical, moral, or religious reasons.

Immunization is also important for adults. Those unprotected against any of the above diseases (except whooping cough) should consult their physicians. Tetanus boosters should be administered every ten years. Flu shots (which give only seasonal protection) and immunization against pneumococcal pneumonia are recommended for high-risk patients, elderly individuals, and certain institutional populations.

The success of vaccination programs in the United States and Europe inspired the 20th-century concept of "disease eradication" -- the idea that a selected disease can be eradicated from all human populations through global cooperation. In 1977, after a decade-long campaign involving 33 countries, smallpox was eradicated worldwide. Polio caused by wild virus has been eradicated from the Western Hemisphere; childhood vaccination levels in the United States are at an all-time high; and disease and death from diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, measles, mumps, rubella and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) are at or near record lows. In April 1999, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control issued a fact sheet with some interesting statistics about the impact of vaccination on childhood diseases.

  • Average annual number of smallpox cases in 1900-1904: 48,164.
    United States cases per year since 1950: 0.
    Worldwide cases per year since 1977: 0.
  • Average annual number of diphtheria cases in the U.S. in 1920-1922: 175,885.
    U.S. cases in 1998: 1.
  • Average annual number of pertussis cases in 1922-1925: 147,271.
    U.S. cases in 1998: 6,279.
  • Estimated average annual number of tetanus cases in 1922-1926: 1,314.
    U.S. cases in 1998: 34.
  • Average annual number of paralytic polio cases in 1951-1954: 16,316.
    U.S. cases of wild type poliovirus in 1998: 0.
  • Average annual number of measles cases in 1958-1962: 503,282.
    U.S. cases in 1998: 89.
  • The number of mumps cases in 1968: 152,209.
    U.S. cases in 1998: 606.
  • Average annual number of rubella cases in 1966-1968: 47,745.
    U.S. cases in 1998: 345.
  • Estimated average annual number of cases of congenital rubella syndrome in 1966-1968: 823.
    U.S. cases in 1998: 5.
  • Estimated average annual number of Hib cases before vaccine licensure: 20,000.
    U.S. cases in 1998: 54.

Common Misconceptions

At least ten misconceptions can lead parents to question the wisdom of immunizing their children. If you encounter others you would like Quackwatch to address, please contact us.

  • Misconception #1: because of better hygiene and sanitation, diseases had already begun to disappear before vaccines were introduced.
  • Misconception #2: The majority of people who get the disease have been immunized.
  • Misconception #3: There are hot lots of vaccine that have been associated with more adverse events and deaths than others. Parents should find the numbers of these lots and not allow their children to receive vaccines from them.
  • Misconception #4: Vaccines cause many harmful side effects, and even death -- and may cause long-term effects we don't even know about.
  • Misconception #5: DTP vaccine causes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
  • Misconception #6: Vaccine-preventable diseases have been virtually eliminated from the United States, so there is no need for my child to be vaccinated.
  • Misconception #7: Giving a child more than one vaccine at a time increases the risk of harmful side effects and can overload the immune system.
  • Misconception #8: There is no good reason to immunize against chickenpox (varicella) because it is a harmless disease
  • Misconception #9: Vaccines cause autism.
  • Misconception #10. Hepatitis B vaccine causes chronic health problems, including multiple sclerosis.
  • Misconception #11. Thimerosal Causes Autism

Opposition by Chiropractors and Naturopaths

Large percentages of chiropractors and naturopaths advise parents not to immunize their children. These actions are irresponsible and can cause serious harm both to patients and to our society as a whole.

For Additional Information

Quackwatch Home Page

This page was revised on April 20, 2002.



27 posted on 05/19/2004 8:06:07 AM PDT by Sabertooth (Mohammed wrote: "Cut off their heads, and cut off the tips of their fingers." (Sura 8:12))
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To: TaxRelief
I would like to see a study of completely unvaccinated kids, especially those with earlier siblings who were vaccinated and have autism, to see the rate in them.

Sticking so many toxins and media (culture, preservatives, etc.) into the bloodstreams of infants with new immune systems sounds so suspicious, as does the onset of many kids' autistic symptoms.

Remember the Hippocratic oath?

28 posted on 05/19/2004 8:12:00 AM PDT by Yaelle
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To: Choose Ye This Day

It wasn't until our oldest son turned 4 that he was diagnosed with high functioning autism. Soon after that we enrolled him in the SECEP Program for Autistic Children here in VA Beach. This program has made a HUGE difference in our son. At 7 yrs of age he has the language skills of a 3 yr old and is writing at the kindergarten level. It takes a LOT of work but ABA has benefited us greatly.


29 posted on 05/19/2004 8:16:39 AM PDT by Severa (Wife of Freeper Hostel, USN STS3(SS))
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To: PCRit; Sabertooth; aruanan
The feds tell us that pregnant women should not eat tuna fish because it contains dangerous levels of mercury. And yet, the feds will NOT admit that injecting, on average, 25 micrograms per shot (this is thousands of times higher amounts than could be found in tuna or the air) of mercury directly into the bloodstream of infants for the last 30 yrs just might cause health/neurological problems?

Interesting, isn't it, that thimerosal has been in vaccines since the 40s, and yet we only see an increase in autism rates since the 80s? And earlier vaccines contianed much more of the preservative than did later versions.

Also,Denmark discontinued the use of thimerosal in 1992, yet autism rates have continued to climb.

Face it, there is no evidence linking autism to thimerosal.

30 posted on 05/19/2004 8:24:41 AM PDT by TomB ("The terrorist wraps himself in the world's grievances to cloak his true motives." - S. Rushdie)
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To: Sabertooth

Good post. I agree with almost everthing in it. My common sense just tells me that putting mercury directly into infants is NOT a good idea. Only time will tell whether it was related to the increase in autism or other neurological problems. We won't know the stats on this until around 2007-2012, 5-10yrs after they stop including thimerosal in childhood vaccines.


31 posted on 05/19/2004 8:34:17 AM PDT by PCRit
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To: megatherium
Now if the vaccine isn't responsible for the increase in autism, what is?

One increase for the number of diagnosed cases of autism is just that: more cases are being diagnosed. That is, more children who once were simply labeled "slow" or "difficult" or some other adjective are now diagnosed with autism, even though very little is known about autism itself. My wife teaches special ed at an elementary school, so I hear about this all the time. "Autism" has become a sort of catch-all for kids who have strange issues that do not respond to conventional treatements. That's not to say that there are not some genuine cases of autism, but many things that once were not labeled autism now are. That is one big reason that we see a rise in cases--not because more kids have it than used to, but because we are more liable to diagnose something as "autism" today than we were 20 years ago.

32 posted on 05/19/2004 8:43:19 AM PDT by johnfrink
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To: PCRit
We won't know the stats on this until around 2007-2012, 5-10yrs after they stop including thimerosal in childhood vaccines.

Aside from the Denmark survey, we also have the fact that thimerosal was already being removed from vaccines in this country as early as the mid-90s due to the increased use of single-dose containers. With the increased use of that dosing, we would have already seen the drop in autism cases, which we haven't.

33 posted on 05/19/2004 8:58:04 AM PDT by TomB ("The terrorist wraps himself in the world's grievances to cloak his true motives." - S. Rushdie)
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To: TomB; PCRit; Sabertooth
If the levels of mercury in fish are only thousandths of that in one dose of vaccine and the vaccine isn't dangerous, as far as autism goes, then eating the fish won't be either. Don't make the mistake of assuming that because the government in one place says that something is horribly dangerous (DDT, chrysotile asbestos, dioxin, Red Dye #3, saccharin, etc..) that it actually is. Also, there are chemicals that are safe for an adult or an infant that are not so for a first trimester fetus.

Remember, every day you eat many hundreds of chemicals any one of which, in sufficient quantities, would make you die a horrible death. Many of these same chemicals, though, are chemicals in the absence of which you would also sicken and die.
34 posted on 05/19/2004 9:13:18 AM PDT by aruanan
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To: TomB

All I'm saying is that it is a known scientific fact that:

1)mercury is a neurological poison, it is toxic
2)it is not good to inject large amounts (relative to body mass)of known poisons into infants
3)mercury was recently removed from vaccines (except for flu)due to scientific pressure
4)no conclusion relating mercury to ANY neurological disorder can be made, one way or the other....yet.


35 posted on 05/19/2004 9:24:30 AM PDT by PCRit
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To: johnfrink
Good point. My mother tells me I was actually diagnosed with autism when I was 4. I hadn't started talking. She didn't buy the diagnosis. She found a different psychiatrist, who somehow got me to start talking. I still remember him and his office. Of course, I wasn't autistic.

The conservative commentator Thomas Sowell has an interesting book on children who start talking late; he had such a child himself.

36 posted on 05/19/2004 9:37:42 AM PDT by megatherium (giant ground sloth)
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To: PCRit

Thanks for your post. I will stand beside you on this issue.


37 posted on 05/19/2004 9:38:10 AM PDT by sarasota
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To: Sabertooth

Quackwatch rocks!


38 posted on 05/19/2004 9:38:41 AM PDT by megatherium (giant ground sloth)
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To: megatherium

Good for your mom. Nowadays it's the other way around--a lot of parents my wife deals with WANT their kids to have the autism diagnosis, simply because they believe that this will enable them to get their kids some treatment and some medication. We are such a pill-centric society that many people believe that all solutions are found in a bottle of medicine. Parents can't accept the fact that their kid, for whatever reason, has a behavior problem, or a learning difficulty. They demand that they get a diagnosis of autism. It's really discouraging to watch this kind of behavior--even moreso, I'd imagine, for parents whose kids really DO have autism.


39 posted on 05/19/2004 9:42:48 AM PDT by johnfrink
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To: PCRit
4)no conclusion relating mercury to ANY neurological disorder can be made, one way or the other....yet.

Didn't you read my post?

In Denmark thimerosal was removed from vaccines in 1992, and there has been no drop in autism rates. In addition, the use of the preservative in this country has been decreasing since the prevalent use of single-dose vials in the mid-90s, and autism rates continue to rise.

There is NO EVIDENCE of thimerosal causing aurtism.

40 posted on 05/19/2004 9:44:25 AM PDT by TomB ("The terrorist wraps himself in the world's grievances to cloak his true motives." - S. Rushdie)
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