Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Study Linking Vaccine, Autism Shouldn't Have Been Published ("fatal conflict of interest.")
http://www.foxnews.com/ ^ | Saturday, February 21, 2004 | http://www.foxnews.com/

Posted on 02/21/2004 3:42:24 PM PST by RickofEssex

Edited on 04/22/2004 12:39:03 AM PDT by Jim Robinson. [history]

LONDON

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Crime/Corruption; Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; Miscellaneous; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: autism; health; healthcare; mmr; study; vaccine; vaccines
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-34 next last

1 posted on 02/21/2004 3:42:24 PM PST by RickofEssex
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: RickofEssex; sistergoldenhair
Bump; ping.
2 posted on 02/21/2004 3:46:38 PM PST by facedown (Armed in the Heartland)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RickofEssex
Well, well, well.

The Trial Lawyers strike again.

So9

3 posted on 02/21/2004 3:46:52 PM PST by Servant of the 9 (Goldwater Republican)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RickofEssex
Unfortunately, this is a very difficult topic...There has been such an increase in autism (and varying 'degrees' of autism) over the years, that the 'trigger' needs to be found (whether it is vaccines, environmental, or genetic)... There has been a HUGE increase in California over recent years.

My nephew has been diagnosed with it, and several people I know are also dealing with the problem. In my nephew's case, it is severe delayed speech. He is 5 years old, can say words, but not sentences. He is very smart, can use the computer for games and things. He is very loveable, and isn't totatally 'withdrawn' as you think of an autistic person. We pray that he will be able to lead a normal life.

4 posted on 02/21/2004 3:57:54 PM PST by CharlotteVRWC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RickofEssex
The proper issue is not whether the research was paid for by an interested party, but whether the research was done correctly and the results reported truthfully. That's what peer review is supposed to sort out.
5 posted on 02/21/2004 4:29:56 PM PST by JoeFromSidney (All political power grows from the barrel of a gun. -- Mao Zedong. That's why the 2nd Amendment.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: RickofEssex
The proper issue is not whether the research was paid for by an interested party, but whether the research was done correctly and the results reported truthfully. That's what peer review is supposed to sort out.
6 posted on 02/21/2004 4:30:36 PM PST by JoeFromSidney (All political power grows from the barrel of a gun. -- Mao Zedong. That's why the 2nd Amendment.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: CharlotteVRWC
.Unfortunately, this is a very difficult topic...There has been such an increase in autism (and varying 'degrees' of autism) over the years, that the 'trigger' needs to be found (whether it is vaccines, environmental, or genetic)... There has been a HUGE increase in California over recent years.

There is still a lot of debate in the medical community as to whether there is an increase in autism itself, or whether we have just gotten better at identifying it, thus the rising rates of diagnosis.

7 posted on 02/21/2004 4:35:13 PM PST by CaptainLou
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: RickofEssex
This is a difficult topic. But frankly if I were a medical researcher and a team of lawyers came around to my office and offered to pay for research, I would have to be pretty stupid not to guess what they had in mind.
8 posted on 02/21/2004 4:54:29 PM PST by Cicero (Marcus Tullius)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: CaptainLou
"There is still a lot of debate in the medical community as to whether there is an increase in autism itself, or whether we have just gotten better at identifying it, thus the rising rates of diagnosis."

Yes, that has been part of the debate....in my case, I personally know of 3 people dealing with an autistic child. Prior to 5 years ago, I didn't know any. It sure 'seems' like there has been an increase over the last 5 years or so. Also, I think it is Congressman Dan Burton that has an autistic grandchild and has been trying to get more information on the topic brought forward. Vaccines made now have decreased levels or in some cases eliminated the thimersol (mercury derrivative), that was in previous vaccines. There has been some debate that some children were more 'genetically' susceptible to the thimersol.

Anyway, still an unfortunate condition no matter the cause, and sad to deal with when it affects your family.

9 posted on 02/21/2004 5:15:56 PM PST by CharlotteVRWC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: JoeFromSidney
Unfortunately, humans being who they are, are susceptible to finding results they hope to find, and a clear conflict of interest like this is cause for skepticism.
10 posted on 02/21/2004 6:09:27 PM PST by expatpat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: CharlotteVRWC
Anyway, still an unfortunate condition no matter the cause, and sad to deal with when it affects your family.

Agreed, one of my close friends has a severely autistic child, it is a very trying situation for all.

11 posted on 02/21/2004 6:11:52 PM PST by CaptainLou
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: CharlotteVRWC; CaptainLou
Just curious.

Has anyone ever done a study about the average age of autistic children (at birth) ? I know it affects a lot of other risk factors, and I know a lot of mothers that are having their first child in their late 30's or even early 40's.

I personally only know 2 autistic people (1 cousin, now in late 50's, and one son of a friend.) Both were first born of early 20's mothers, but that qualifies as anecdotal evidence, not scientific.
12 posted on 02/21/2004 6:44:29 PM PST by Farnham (In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 9 | View Replies]

To: expatpat
Skepticism, yes. Outright rejection without examining the data, no.
13 posted on 02/21/2004 7:25:47 PM PST by JoeFromSidney (All political power grows from the barrel of a gun. -- Mao Zedong. That's why the 2nd Amendment.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 10 | View Replies]

To: Farnham
"Has anyone ever done a study about the average age of autistic children (at birth) ? I know it affects a lot of other risk factors, and I know a lot of mothers that are having their first child in their late 30's or even early 40's."

I don't know....my sister was in her 20's when her son (later diagnosed autistic) was born.

14 posted on 02/21/2004 9:08:10 PM PST by CharlotteVRWC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: RickofEssex
I can see how junk science like this gets into newspapers -- scientifically speaking, the average reporter has a second-grade education -- but how in the hell does it get into a mainstream, peer-reviewed medical journal?

Anyone got the answer?

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F
15 posted on 02/21/2004 9:10:00 PM PST by Criminal Number 18F
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: FormerLurker; Alpha One; longshadow; TomGuy; discostu; hellinahandcart; dighton; woofie





Flashback!


16 posted on 02/21/2004 9:20:03 PM PST by Sabertooth (Malcontent for Bush - 2004!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Farnham
Has anyone ever done a study about the average age of autistic children (at birth) ? I know it affects a lot of other risk factors, and I know a lot of mothers that are having their first child in their late 30's or even early 40's.

My nine year old is autistic. I was 20 when he was born.

17 posted on 02/21/2004 9:29:22 PM PST by conservative cat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: JoeFromSidney
Joe, you make good points -- scientists' fiscal arrangements should be separable from the quality of their science. However, the article says:

The paper has since been discredited on scientific grounds, but some parents have clung to the findings and health officials say that vaccinations have fallen dangerously low since its publication.

Sounds like their science also was deficient. Although I'd like to see what grounds... just checked a couple of science sites hastily and didn't see it.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

18 posted on 02/21/2004 11:43:40 PM PST by Criminal Number 18F
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: CharlotteVRWC
My granddaughter is high functiong autistic, my 19 year old grand nephew is severely autistic, non verbal, and we have a 25 year old severely autistic/deaf son.(adopted). We have MANY friends with autistic children. It is running rampant.
19 posted on 02/21/2004 11:55:59 PM PST by pollywog (Psalm 121;1 I Lift mine eyes to the hills from whence cometh my help.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: Sabertooth
Even if MMR does not cause autism, there are other well-established side effects: convulsions (1 in 1,000), Meningitis / encephalitis (1 in 1 million), conditions affecting clotting of the blood (1 in 24,000), and severe allergic response (1 in 100,000). These estimates are from a pro-vaccination UK web site: http://www.medinfo.co.uk/immunisations/mmr.html.

There is also a risk that the vaccine will be improperly stored or improperly administered. There are cases of infants being given the adult dose or being given the wrong vaccine. As long as humans are fallible, these risks will never be eliminated.

The benefits of the MMR vaccine to an individual in the U.S. are lower than the risks because mumps, measles and rubella are extremely uncommon (only a few hundred cases per year). Moreover, although these can be serious diseases they are rarely fatal. Yes, I know, the reason the incidence rates are so low is because of the vaccine. But that doesn't change the bottom line reality: an unvaccinated child in the U.S. is extremely unlikely to get any of these three diseases.

The same agument applies for the Hepatitis B vaccine.
20 posted on 02/22/2004 6:07:25 AM PST by Clinton Is Scum
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 16 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-34 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson