Posted on 03/03/2006 1:54:55 AM PST by neverdem
Autism diagnoses have dropped nationwide since mercury was removed from most childhood vaccines, according to a new study that some say lends credence to charges that vaccinations were responsible for a huge increase in autism cases.
About 4,700 families -- including ones from Framingham and Waltham -- have pending claims in a federal vaccine court alleging that mercury in vaccines caused their children to develop autism.
The allegations are controversial and viewed with skepticism by many government officials and medical professionals. But supporters of a vaccine-autism link say a new report in the peer reviewed Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons proves that the removal of mercury from vaccines has led to a decrease in autism cases.
"This study is exactly the kind of thing people have been waiting for for three years now," said Richard Deth, a neuropharmacologist at Northeastern University who has testified in front of Congress on this issue. "It was recognized that this type of data would be (necessary) to see whether this theory had validity or not."
The study by two researchers was criticized by a government vaccination official who said it drew conclusions from unreliable data.
"I don’t think this study can really be taken to provide any evidence one way or another," said Dr. Robert Davis, director of the immunization safety group at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
But the study was warmly received by Jared Hansen, a Framingham resident with two autistic children who filed a claim in the federal vaccine court.
"It’s certainly the data we’ve been expecting and waiting for. I’m glad to see it’s been published," Hansen said. "I believe it will swing some people who are sitting on the fence."
Hansen’s claim is pending in front of the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a no-fault system that pays financial settlements from a trust fund consisting of vaccine surcharges. The program is considering claims in one omnibus proceeding from Hansen and 4,700 other parents, including Mike Chmura of Waltham.
Between 1988 and 1992, the federal government more than doubled the amount of mercury injected into babies by recommending additional vaccines that contain thimerosal, a preservative containing mercury.
Since then, estimated autism prevalence soared from one out of 2,500 births to one in every 166. Federal officials say the increase is at least partly explained by changes in diagnostic guidelines, but some researchers believe mercury in vaccines is to blame.
Thimerosal is still used in flu shots, but was eliminated from most other childhood vaccines by 2003.
A father-son research team determined that new diagnoses of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders have dropped since then after analyzing data from the national Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, the U.S. Department of Education and the California Department of Developmental Services.
Additional doses of mercury-containing vaccines were associated with a 2- to 8-fold increase in risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, they wrote in the latest issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.
"Significant decreasing trends in newly diagnosed (disorders) were observed ... from mid-2002 through 2005," wrote Dr. Mark Geier and son, David. Mark Geier is president of the Genetic Centers of America and his son is a graduate student in biochemistry at George Washington University.
Their study was criticized by officials who said the data bases the Geiers analyzed are not reliable. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System can contain reports filed by anyone, including doctors, patients and lawyers, Davis said.
The Department of Education numbers are skewed, another official said, because the DOE did not make autism a separate diagnosis until the 1990s. That led to an artificial increase because children who previously had different diagnoses were then considered autistic, said Dr. Marie McCormick, a Harvard professor who chaired an Institute of Medicine committee that dismissed any link between vaccines and autism.
(Jon Brodkin can be reached at 508-626-4424 or jbrodkin@cnc.com.)
How we go about protecting ourselves and our infants is not easy.
If you read the disclosure information on the innoculations you would never give your child any vaccine.
That child would not be allowed in school without the vaccines.
Further, there was a case in NJ...a freeper was involved......who did not want to give his child the hepatitus vaccine. The state not only told the family that the child would not be allowed in school, but threatend to remove the child from the custody of the parents.
Outrageous.
There are more and more cases of that every day. Don't dope up your kids, and da state will come and take them away. Yet, the CDC refuses to treat AIDS like a disease, and the cases keep climbing.
That type of behavior is not autism and is not what parents see when their kids go from interactive to withdrawn around 18 months to 24 months. But it is easier to tell a parent autistic rather than emotionally disturbed. This type of labeling is fueling the explosion of autistic numbers.
We fought to not have our babies immunized in the hospital. They didn't get anything until they were a month old. It doesn't seem like much, but it does make a difference. We also refused Prevnar. Of course, we had to sign some paperwork saying it was offered and we declined. Fortunately, our pediatrician doesn't force.
I saw the basketball boy, and I do not believe that he has autism in the true diagnosis, and my understanding of it.
Does anyone know which vaccines had the mercury preservative removed and when? I would like to see the timetable on that...
Thimerosal preservative-free influenza vaccines are available, in limited quantities. Ask your pediatrician to provide these. For the 2005-06 flu season, Sanofi pasteur will produce 6-8 million doses of thimerosal-free vaccine, Chiron may also make a limited amount of preservative-free vaccine late in the influenza season. The nasal-spray (FluMist) influenza vaccine does not contain any thimerosal and can be given to healthy people 5 to 49 years of age who are not pregnant.
Keep this in mind for the next flu season.
Diptheria?
Usually it's the government that is doing that. Or enviro groups.
bttt
Just because there is a flu vaccine, is it really necessary for people who are otherwise healthy? What is wrong with getting the flu?
It could kill you, or you could give it to someone and it would kill them. Do you really want the nurses at the ICU or grandma's nursing home skipping her flu shot because she's "otherwise healthy?"
Last year when I went in the nurse asked if I had the flu shot because if I had they would not accept my blood.
I have never had a flu shot.
Had the flu once and it was really awful. My kids never had the flu shot and each had one bout of flu.
When my son went into the Army he got every shot known to man.
Daughter has not had flu shots or any hepatitus shots either.
I guess it's true....figures don't lie but liars figure.
There are exceptions to vaccinating your child. I believe the Quakers are exempt and egg allergies, and migraines.
I used the migraine excuse to get my daughter out of the hepatitus vaccine when she was in college.
At that time they were only forcing freshmen to have the innoculation and my daughter was a junior.
The bad part of the hep vaccines is that they are dangerous if you already have hepatitus....a disease that can be undiagnosed and have no symptons. There is a pre test but it is not used unless the parent insists.
Most people are uninformed about the vaccines, their side affects, and their rights of the parents.
The child study team threatened to remove her child from her custody.
I don't know about other states but New Jersey is not a place anyone should choose to live.
Personal choice, I guess. Even healthy individuals can be “laid up” for 7-10days with a severe case of the flu. Most deaths actually occur from subsequent pneumonia infection, due to your body’s weakened immune state during a flu infection. Vaccination is important if you don’t want to risk missing time from work, infecting others in your family-should you catch the flu, if you already have respiratory problems (asthma, chronic bronchitis, re-occurring pneumonia infections, etc) and especially if you are over the age of 60.
OCD is a more accurate diagnosis
"Agenda driven research"
Everyone has a dog in this fight -- including the vaccine drug companies.
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