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Autism probably is genetic. But there are also probably environmental triggers. Several different triggers.

I don't normally watch Oprah, but I knew recently that Jenny McCarthy would be on discussing treating her sons autism. The CDC released a statement about vaccines and autism on the show (they declined to attend):

"CDC places a high priority on vaccine safety and the integrity and credibility of its vaccine safety research. This commitment not only stems from our scientific and medical dedication, it is also personal—for most of us who work at CDC are also parents and grandparents. And as such, we too, have high levels of personal interest and concern in the health and safety of children, families and communities. We simply don't know what causes most cases of autism, but we're doing everything we can to find out. The vast majority of science to date does not support an association between thimerosal in vaccines and autism. But we are currently conducting additional studies to further determine what role, if any, thimerosal in vaccines may play in the development of autism. It is important to remember, vaccines protect and save lives. Vaccines protect infants, children and adults from the unnecessary harm and premature death caused by vaccine-preventable diseases."

This is actually a pretty big departure from anything I've ever heard from the CDC about the link between the two. In the past, it's always been "there's no link." Now they are saying they are looking into it more. That initself tells me something.