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.)
Cyborg
The vaccine industry is NOT a money maker for pharm companies. It is supported by their profits from other departments. The folks who work in research in these areas make the least of their peers.
It is barely surviving in the US. The answer to AIDS lies in biologics, as does the answer to cancer.
If your looking for the big scam, look to government.
"Denmark has not had thimersol in their vaccines for over 13 years and their "autism" rates have not dropped at all! Pretty persuasive evidence that thimersol causes no problems."
Year 2003 stats:
Denmark has a rate of autism of 11 per million population vaccinated.
The US has a rate of autism of over 2000 per million population vaccinated.
Ever thought that maybe the reason the rate is so low in Denmark is simply because they haven't been using thimerosol?
Autism is way more prevalent in the US than in other 1st-world nations, and it is many times more prevalent than it used to be in the US. There is a reason for this, whether it's thimerosol or something else.
"The answer to AIDS lies in biologics"
What is "biologics"?
>"Vaccine industry is a straight up hustle."<
-Right you are. Especially the flu vaccine, and the maunfacturers are protected from being sued for any damages, as I understand it.
The latest hype is a bird flu vaccine, which would likely be ineffective at best.
Sorry, for the criptic language.
In the pharm R & D areas, there is chemistry and there is biologics.
Biologics is a very different kettle of fish, excuse the pun.
Biologics involves using living of formerly living products to develop a result. It is not like making a cake; if you use x amount of baking soda or salt in a recipe in the same amount each time you get a measured result. Using living or formerly living products in development injects the idiocyncracies of each individual "creature" itself into the process of development and manufacture.
This is why you hear about Pharm companies having to toss entire batches of vaccine. It is painfully hard to develop and just as difficult to manufacture.
By the way, researchers have kids, too and believe me, those kids are vaccinated.
Soon things will be made easier by the use of gene replication techniques in development and manufacture.
Antibiotics were developed out of the field of biologics.
Folks forget that more men died in WWI from the flu than did from war injuries. Over a million (a very high percentage of our population at the time) died of it around 1918 or so.
There was no flu vaccine.
Why do we need all this?
"it seems fairly obvious that most of the increase is in the loosening of the diagnostic criteria"
Prove it.
"The key is it did not decrease after thimersol was no longer in the vaccines!"
Prove it.
-- In God we trust. All others bring data.
I think many vaccines are far riskier then most believe.
Here's a good vaccine info site:
http://www.909shot.com/
The National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC)
http://www.909shot.com/
I don't know the truth.
Bookmark for later.
-from what I've read, mercury is a pwerful neurotoxin, and the suspected reason behind most autism.
Of course, there are other sources of mercury poisoning besides vaccines.
check out this article:
The Age of Autism: Mercury and the Amish
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20050518-065621-1970r.htm
I bang my head now ... everytime I hear Helen Thomas.
Did all three of these cause the autism, or just the vaccines?
Could be any one of them. That's a pretty bad combo. The usage of heavy pesticides and junk food diet didn't help the immune system that's for sure.
I have mercury fillings. When I come into some nice cash, I'm going to have them all removed. Hopefully, this would happen before I start having children. Until then, it's juicing therapy, cilantro and cucumber juices for heavy metal brain detox.
Don't even get me started on that vast fraud called the flu vaccine! LOL
No. He was vaccinated and now has autism.
Oh yes. I plan on asking a lot of questions. My child's health depends on it.
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.