Vaccines and Autism: Is There a Link?

by sara star | April 13, 2009 at 10:10 am

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April is Autism Awareness Month in the USA.

Up to one and a half million are afflicted in the USA today.

Cost of health care is expected to be

up to $400 billion a year within 10 years.

Description of Autism:

Autism is a lifelong disorder that interferes with the ability to understand what is seen, heard, and touched. This can cause profound problems in personal behavior and in the ability to relate to others. A person with autism must learn how to communicate normally and how to relate to people, objects and events. However, not all patients suffer the same degree of impairment. There is a full spectrum of symptoms, which can range from mild to severe.

I watched Larry King this weekend that featured activist Jenny McCarthy talking about the connection between autism and childhood vaccination. May doctors appeared debating both sides.

Jenny and others who believed there may be a link portrayed themselves with great dignity and great humanness. They are not against vaccines, just less of them and spaced out more.

They other side didn't want to hear about it. They came across as pompous, coldblooded intellects. They often avoided the questions.

I wanted to hear them say, "We hear you, and studies need to be carried out and if the issues are valid they need to be addressed." As far as I heard, they did want to not even look at the possibility. I might have heard a whimper in there somewhere.

The courts have ruled that the mercury in vaccines does not cause autism,

Pesonally I don't think mercury should not be in vaccines and the FDA agrees.

Thimerosal is a mercury-containing organic compound (an organomercurial). Since the 1930s, it has been widely used as a preservative in a number of biological and drug products, including many vaccines, to help prevent potentially life threatening contamination with harmful microbes. Over the past several years, because of an increasing awareness of the theoretical potential for neurotoxicity of even low levels of organomercurials and because of the increased number of thimerosal containing vaccines that had been added to the infant immunization schedule, concerns about the use of thimerosal in vaccines and other products have been raised. Indeed, because of these concerns, the Food and Drug Administration has worked with, and continues to work with, vaccine manufacturers to reduce or eliminate thimerosal from vaccines.

Studies have shown a drop in autism since mercury has been dropped by most vaccines.

An article in the March 10, 2006 issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons shows that since mercury was removed from childhood vaccines, the alarming increase in reported rates of autism and other neurological disorders (NDs) in children not only stopped, but actually dropped sharply - by as much as 35%.

Why is the government giving compensation to families if there was no concern?

ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) -- The parents of a 9-year-old girl with autism said Thursday that their assertion that her illness was caused by childhood vaccines has been vindicated by the federal government's decision to compensate them.
"We are very pleased with the government's decision," Hannah Poling's father, Dr. Jon Poling, a neurologist in private practice in Athens, Georgia, told reporters Thursday. "It has been eight difficult and heartbreaking years since our daughter's injury."

A federal program intended to compensate victims of injuries caused by vaccines concluded last November that Hannah Poling's underlying illness that had predisposed her to symptoms of autism was "significantly aggravated" by the vaccinations she received as a toddler and that her family should therefore be compensated.

And why are there so many lawsuits filed?

As of May 2, 2008, over 5,300* cases alleging a causal relationship between such vaccinations and ASD have been filed in the NVICP.

The Autism of America Society has this view:

Individuals living with autism need help today. There is a clear and present need for the government, scientific, medical and autism communities to probe further into all possible environmental causes of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in a fair, unbiased and thorough way, particularly because findings may help us approach treatment and prevention more effectively.

Statistics:

1 in 150 births

1 to 1.5 million Americans

Fastest-growing developmental disability

10 - 17 % annual growth

The research and conversation must continue.

Thanks Jenny, I know your fight is a rough one, but you are doing a great job. At least we have less mercury in our vaccines. I am glad your son is doing better.

You are a great mother.

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Roy C

at 10:38 on April 13th, 2009

Believe it or not, I got into an argument with Lars Larson on the radio about this. He hung up on me.

I think that the problem is the number of vaccines that get injected into the child at the same time. This overwhelms the immune system and sets up reactions against the brain.

In the cases where Shaken Baby Syndrome has an incomplete picture, where there are no bruises on the ribs and no real shake marks, often the child has just had the complete run of vaccinations.

One forensic pathologist I heard speak is convinced that this is the problem, the number of antigens in each vaccine, not the mercury. That is what causes the sudden death and the bruise marks come from an acute case of scurvy induced by overloading the immune system.

In any case, you should not have to have your kid vaccinated, and, if the law is going to insist, then it should be much more spread out over time.

Blue Crush

at 17:46 on April 13th, 2009

Parents, these are your children, and you have every right to tell your doctor when, how and if you want your child vaccinated. Question everything, and don't take a doctor's word as law.

Contrary to popular belief, your child can start school without all their vaccines.

I know more and more parents that are now choosing to space out these vaccines over their child's first years of life.

Good post!

kuuva

at 22:07 on April 13th, 2009

a good subject, clearly there needs to be some emphasis on it. The faster we can get answers, regarding cause and treatment, benefits society.

the good news is here is the link for the California law removing the thimerasol from vaccines.

I do think there are some valid points. Why do we have a super aggressive vaccine schedule? I dont know the whole list, but 36 seems a lot. And Hep B for an infant?

Apparently the criteria for diagnosis has changed, this obviously could change the number. And according to this article in the Ottawa Citizen, that appears to be the case.

Environmental triggers. In the Ottawa Citizen they have an article which correlated rainfall to autism, the US Northwest has the highest rates for both. The UC Davis study pointed out that more money for environmental study was necessary.

After reading and watching this, I think:

We should back off on the schedule for a minimum of 5 years to the 1989 schedule, effectively immediately.

Let California continue the thimerasol free vaccines. Other states can continue to use thimerasol, since the data suggests it not to be the cause. Although, if I had a baby I might have a few planned "family vacations" to California, and just happen to get vaccinations in that state.

Reduce the genetic study of autism funding and increase the environmental impact funding. I keep thinking as we seal up our houses to improve our energy loss, we could easily be inducing problems.

If we could ever get our medical records into a central database, we could use data mining to come up with significant factors. I know that is another whole debate, but it sure would be nice right now.