Autism and Vaccines [WSJ Editorial]

Wall Street Journal ^ | Feb 9, 2004 | editorial

[George W. Bush]

Food coloring also came into wide use at the same time.

We had food coloring in the Sixties. Same old FD&C colors.

I think they started with those in the Fifties actually.

[js1138]

This is on be of the few areas where I have some credential. People in special ed knew decades ago that autism and schizoprhrenia are largely hereditary. Autism is much more frequent among parents who have asperger's syndrom.

[Herodotus]

I like it being described as geek-inbreeding :-)

I'd make a distinction between doctors seeing autism [or anything along the autism spectrum] and public health officials recording it for official notice. Doctors certainly have been noticing it for a long long time; having official notice in statistics is relatively new, as is recording the number of people killed by gunshot and people dying as a result of traffic accidents.

As for eliminating thimerosol, if the doctors could come up with a good reason for messing with the formula, then sure, okay, so long as it doesn't affect the power of the vaccine or its cost to produce. But if reliable medical studies have shown that it isn't the thimerosol, then we're wasting money and resources on altering the vaccine that ought to be spent on identifying the real cause.

I still see no evidence that the pharmaceutical companies are acting strangely, particularly since they are covered from liability by the federal government. I worry more about parents who are not vaccinating their children at all than I do about the odds of having a bad reaction. The vaccine is not permanent protection; it's only temporary protection, on the hopes that collective temporary protection will dry up the sources of contaigon. Witness the terrible problems in Colorado where one school insists on not vaccinating against Whooping Cough, and permanently reinfects the entire Denver area periodically because of it.

[Herodotus]

A valuable point. Thnkx

[js1138]

Their behavior is like a guilty party for no good reason.

The 4 billion dollar hit against Corning on the basis of junk science will keep the medical supplies industry twitchy for decades.

[Incorrigible]

I don't have my Autism ping list with me but I'll be back later tonight.

[kegler4]

"MY kids are not vaccinated."

Then I hope my kids do not now and never do live near yours.

[Politicalmom]

Oh, I agree. Your kids would pass along the diseases through
their vaccinations.

[TaxRelief]

I also left out my baby cousin who died when my siblings and I gave him measles. And I left out the fact that my aunt never forgave the 4 of us, even though we had no idea we were going to develop measles while we were visiting them and we were just little kids, too.

[Feiny]

Since you be a quasi-expert on this one.....

[TaxRelief]

Diseases can be passed on through vaccinations to immunocompromised individuals from patients who have very recently been vaccinated with live vaccine.

[Ditto]

Food coloring? No.

I say it is Dihydrogen Monoxide Nasty stuff.

[TaxRelief]

You know, dihydrogen monoxide can kill you within 60 seconds if inhaled.
Thank G*d the kids consume it instead of breathing it.

[PhilipFreneau]

We felt someone ought to point out that nothing currently exists in the medical world to justify this furor -- that thimerosal has never been credibly linked to autism, and that recent studies in leading medical journals have also failed to find a link. That research is one of many reasons the medical community remains solid in its belief that vaccines are safe.

The American Chiropractic Association has also got into the act, recommending congressional repeal of the provision which shields the vaccine from lawsuits. No offense to any Chiropractors out there, but for the ACA to pretend it knows anything about the science in this matter is ridiculous, and amounts to quackery.

[The Raven]

>>This is a pro-pharmaceuticals hit-piece,

No - it's anti-junk science - there's a difference

[Cincinatus' Wife]

The lawsuits go on.

Emotional issue. Deep pockets.

More and More Autism Cases, Yet Causes Are Much Debated

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Very interesting article. Thank you for the LINK.

[neverdem]

BTTT, the WSJ reposted this article yesterday. That's how I found this thread. Very few pharmaceutical companies make vaccines because of limited profits and the potential liability to lawsuits.

The measles epidemics in Ireland and England are definitely interesting. I had measles when I was 10 years old. I was out of school for 3 weeks losing 10 lbs, 20% of my weight. The morning of the first day I started having symptoms was the same day I received the worst beating I ever had in school by a nun. She was dribbling my head on the desk like a basketball for being late.

It will be interesting to see if removing the thimerisol has any effect.