Posted on 06/11/2007 12:06:11 PM PDT by Froufrou
The parents of 12-year-old Michelle Cedillo asked a federal court Monday to find that their child's autism was caused by common childhood vaccines.
Her parents, Theresa and Michael Cedillo, allege a preservative called thimerosal that had been used in vaccines weakened their daughter's immune system and prevented her body from clearing the measles virus after she was immunized for the disease at age 15 months.
Today, Michelle suffers from a litany of health problems, including severe autism, inflammatory bowel disease, glaucoma and epilepsy.
The burden of proof is easier than in a traditional court. Plaintiffs only have to prove that a link between autism and the shots is more likely than not, based on a preponderance of evidence.
Large scientific studies have found no association between autism and vaccines containing thimerosal.
But many parents say their children's symptoms did not show up until after their children received the vaccines, required by many states for admission to school.
"These are families who followed the rules. These are families who brought children in for vaccines. These are families who immunized their children," said the Cedillos' attorney, Thomas Powers.
Powers said that the science regarding a possible vaccine-autism link is in dispute.
Since 1999, more than 4,800 families have filed claims with the government alleging their children developed autism as a result of routine vaccinations. Most contend that a preservative called thimerosal is to blame for the impaired social interaction typical of the disorder.
The court is being asked to decide whether there is a link between autism and childhood vaccines. If it finds one exists, the families could be eligible for compensation under the Vaccine Injury Compensation Fund, a program established by Congress to ensure an adequate supply of vaccines by safeguarding manufacturers from lawsuits.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Is the thimerisal used as a perservative? If so, why not use silver instead?
Mumps can make a man sterile. You can go blind and or deaf from measles. Rubella can damage a pre-born baby severely.
These childhood diseases can be more dangerous than people realize.
Its similar to strep throat, people take it very lightly but it can lead to more dangerous disorders, like scarlet fever, which can damage the heart.
Make that preservative**
I just don’t think the courts are the place to determine causality when scientists are very badly divided on this issue.
Actually, they don’t know what causes autism.
Just because they haven’t found a link to vaccines doesn’t mean that vaccines don’t cause it. It also doesn’t mean that they do cause autism.
“I wonder if there is nothing they won’t stoop to!”
Thanks to Globalization, I doubt our Gov even knows what is in the drugs and vaccines.
Great. China already contaminates pet food and toothpaste. This will be an upgrade for them.
I would agree.
Autism has been around before vaccines and the definition charges nearly daily to include all kinds of “stuff” not previously included.
I'm getting ahead of myself however. Thimerosal, which contains mercury, has been used as a suspension agent for all types of vaccinations since the 1930's. Given it's widespread use, you would expect the prevalence of Autism spectrum conditions to be even more widespread than they are.
I'm not onboard with thimerosal as the root cause of Autism. I wouldn't say I'm in the minority of parents in the groups I belong to but I can say that those that believe thimerosal is responsible are quite vocal. I would suggest continued scientific examination of the issue but thus far, the science is unconvincing. If I were a cynic, I would say that people (and school districts) are looking for a payday from Eli Lilly, the company that produced the compound (Though the Republican Congress gave the company "immunity" thanks to a bill sponsored by Dr. Frist). I should point out that thimerosal has been removed from childhood vaccines since 1999 yet the incidence of Autism has continued to increase.
My suggestion... Do not follow the immunization schedule to the day. Depending on your baby's care situation (at home or at a day care center) put more space between vaccinations and if you want, request separate injections in place of the MMR at separate times. If the baby is at home and not in continuous contact with other babies, go for 6 months before starting the process in earnest. And even then, get fewer vaccinations at each meeting. Parents and accommodating doctors, tend to load up on the vaccinations during each visit. This way the number of visits if fewer resulting in fewer days off from work for the parent and less hassle from the insurance for the doctor. I think this situation is more detrimental to the health of the baby. Parents should take their time with vaccinations and spread them out over a longer period of time. I do not, in anyway, advocate not getting vaccinated!
Personally, I can look back at videos of my son when he was 18 months old and see the hand flapping and other typical Autistic behaviors. This preceded his MMR injection by 6 months.
For any enterprising researcher on FR reading this, find the root cause for the increasing amount of Auto-immune disease among women and you will find the root cause of Autism.
The trick in studying this is the difficulty in finding a population of never-vaccinated children. Certainly it’s not possible to do a double-blind study because you can’t placebo people who are expecting to be vaccinated.
But there’s some interesting findings out of the Amish:
http://www.upi.com/ConsumerHealthDaily/view.php?StoryID=20060728-111605-3532r
“In our anecdotal and unscientific reporting, the rate of autism seemed strikingly lower in never-vaccinated children, although those findings cannot be considered conclusive or convincing. For that, a scientific study would be needed, as proposed in the new legislation.”
Mind you, there a sample biases of gene pool, diet and other environmental factors at play here, but it’s interesting.
How many people are autistic in the US?
How many people have been vaccinated?
How many autistic people have eaten beef?
“China already contaminates pet food and toothpaste.”
Read my post #19 (Don’t have a link yet)
China produces about 90% of all supplemental vitamins. (anything that is vitamin fortified or reg vitamins)
Something is causing a drastic rise in Autism. Some think it is environmental, some think it is preservatives in foods, some blame mercury in vacines. But there is no doubt that there has been a huge increase in cases.
It’s an anti-fungal/anti-bacterial.....mainly for multiple-dose vials to prevent growth of funky-stuff after the vial’s been tapped into. That’s about the limit of my knowledge on it.
I know the increase in the incidence of diagnosed autism is partly blamed on changing the definition of “autism” to bolster the #s diagnosed to garner more attention to autism...and thusly garner more federal funding for autism research.
Exactly. The Amish have very low vaccination rates. Last I heard, the prevalence of autism was the same as in the general population.
There isn’t a big enough fund in the world that could compensate the families. Even if it’s true it would be impossible to determine if it was the vaccines or some other factor for each individual case. These companies will never admit guilt nor will they be held responsible. It makes me angry to think that vaccines we are legally required to have may play a role. But this is going to drag on for eternity before anything comes of it. The truth will never be told even if they discover that the vaccines are at least responsible in some cases. I’d like to know why, but there are probably a number of reasons for autism. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, that’s for sure.
My answer to the original question is NOPE, but it is easier to go after big drug companies than the dairy industry.
http://news.ufl.edu/1999/03/15/autism/
Bet the Amish don't see the levels of ADD and ADHD we have either.
I think it’s drugs in the mans system that causes autism. It seems that all the guy athletes have autistic kids.
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