Former UK Science Chief -- Vaccines Cause Autism: "What More Evidence is Needed?"

Can vaccines contribute to the onset of autism in some children? I believe that contention is not only possible, it is plausible. More research is needed.

But anyone willing to make such a statement in public opens themselves up to the wrath of science. But the problem is, there is simply no such thing as "scientific consensus" when it comes to vaccines and autism.

Any scientist who tells you that this case is closed is either stupid, lying, or shockingly unwilling to acknowledge the facts on the ground.

Of course, many scientists want this issue to "go away," as they believe it is settled. But their "belief" is counterweighted by the beliefs of other scientific and health policy authorities, who beg to disagree.

The list is significant, and growing (see below). And to it, should be added Dr. Peter Fletcher, former Chief Scientific Officer at the Department of Health in the UK - (which, if I'm not mistaken, is roughly the same as our head of the FDA).

An editor at the Age of Autism site, Anne Dachel, wrote to Dr. Fletcher to seek his reaction to the stories about reportedly high rates of autsim among Somali children in Minneapolis.

Here was his reply:

"I have always thought since I first heard about the Somali children that this really proves the causal role of vaccines. The Amish children who have no vaccines have no autistic-like disorders and the Somali children who are newly exposed to aggressive vaccine programmes have exceptionally high levels! What more evidence is needed?"

So there you have it. A leading scientist talking about "proof" of a vaccine-autism connection -- only you won't see this statement in The New York Times or on ABC News.

This seems to be a step forward for Dr. Fletcher, who said in 2006 that the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine might be implicated in autism. According to a report in the Daily Mail:

Dr Peter Fletcher, who was Chief Scientific Officer at the Department of Health, said if it is proven that the MMR jab causes autism, "the refusal by governments to evaluate the risks properly will make this one of the greatest scandals in medical history".

He added that after agreeing to be an expert witness on drug-safety trials for parents' lawyers, he had received and studied thousands of documents relating to the case which he believed the public had a right to see.

He said he has seen a "steady accumulation of evidence" from scientists worldwide that the measles, mumps and rubella jab is causing brain damage in certain children.

But he added: "There are very powerful people in positions of great authority in Britain and elsewhere who have staked their reputations and careers on the safety of MMR and they are willing to do almost anything to protect themselves."

And to you, angry scientists out there getting ready to trash me for this post -- just remember: You are not trashing me, you are trashing one of your own. And he is hardly alone.

NOTE:

During 2008, all of the following groups and individuals have advocated or considered exploring possible links between vaccines and autism:

1) Both Presidential Candidates
2) Director of the CDC
3) Former head of the NIH and American Red Cross
4) Chair of the U.S. House Science Subcommittee on Investigations
5) Dr. Jon Poling, Pediatric Neurologist
6) HHS Vaccine Safety Working Group
7) CDC Vaccine Safety Research Agenda
8) Medical personnel at HHS Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
9) Members of the Strategic Planning Workgroup of the IAC Committee
10) Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment Network - CISA
11) Autism researchers at Johns Hopkins University Medical School
12) America's health insurance companies
13) Autism Speaks
14) The United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation
15) Dr. Peter Fletcher, former Chief Scientific Officer at the UK Department of Health

Comments

[JeffMOM]

Thank you David. A very nice Thanksgiving gift from you to many families.
Please keep up your work.

Seems like that list "all of the following groups and individuals have advocated or considered exploring possible links between vaccines and autism" is sure getting big. I wonder what number we need to hit to garner support for some more, quality, non-pharma funded research?

[sdtech]

Children have over one nanogram of mercury per milliliter of blood for up to 5 days after receiving vaccines with Thimerosal. See http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/121/2/e208 .

A simple Avagadro’s number calculation (using a conversion factor of 20 drops per milliliter) shows that one nanogram gives 150 billion atoms of mercury per drop of blood circulating in the bloodstream of a child.

Mercury kills brain cells.

And flu vaccines recommended by the CDC for pregnant women and children still contain mercury in the preservative Thimerosal (49 % mercury by weight).

The USEPA banned it as a preservative in latex paint in 1990 to protect children from mercury poisoning.

We thank you David - for your reporting and for your persistence in helping protect our children.

[mogrammy]

David, these articles just keep getting better and better. They raise my commitment to our cause.
How far we have come since that cold. bleak day in DC in Jan of 2003 when we had so few speakers on our side. Bravo to you, to our autism acommuntiy, and to our wonderful children who fight along with us everyday.
maurine meleck

[KevLeitch]

David, I winced when I read my fellow countryman's quote. Amish children do vaccinate and do have autism http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/171331677 and http://autism-myths.org/2008/09/the-amish-anomaly/).

As I understand it, most of the countries in the same area of Africa are familiar with autism. Why would Somalia not be? As I also understand it, not epidemiologist has looked at the fascinating events in Minnesota. Further, I would imagine that in the war torn country of Somalia, counting any form of disability accurately would be next to impossible.

At the moment, all we have is more conjecture. For Peter Fletcher to comment in such a way is just silly.

[Dkirby]

Thanks Kevin

I think you might be reading a bit too much into these statements. Dr. Fletcher did not say that Amish children never vaccinate, he said those who don't, don't have autism (though I am not clear where he got that information, exactly). As for autism in Somalia, no one says it doesn't exist there - but there is no evidence to suggest that it is anywhere near the rate that we see among Somalis in Minneapolis (1 in 28 Somali kids, according to data from Minneapolis Public Schools). Also, I have interviewed a few dozen Somali parents, and none of them could ever recall seeing any child in Somalia with symptoms that even come close to autism - though they all knew kids with MR and Downs. Again, that doesn't mean they don't exist, just that it is not as common as in the US. For more on the prevalence of autism in Africa, I highly recommend to all readers a post by Mark Blaxill at Age of Autism. It can be found here: http://www.ageofautism.com/2008/11/out-of-africa-a.html. Finally, Dr. Judy Punyko is an official epidemiologist for the State of Minnesota, and she has certainly looked at the events in Minnesota, but still cannot tell us what the numbers mean. Hopefully, the CDC will be able to assist. Finally, Dr. Fletcher hardly strikes me as a silly person who says silly things, but I don't know him personally. Thanks for your comment - DK

[AutismNewsBeat]

"Dr. Fletcher did not say that Amish children never vaccinate, he said those who don't, don't have autism (though I am not clear where he got that information, exactly)."

Sounds like Dr. Fletcher has fallen victim to Dan Olmsted's flawed "Amish anomaly" reporting. Do us a favor, David - set the record straight. Call the cryptically-named Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg, PA.

[KevLeitch]

David,

I don't know him personally either but he's definitely saying silly things this time (and the last time) if he's claiming as truth that Amish kids who don't vaccinate don't get autism - based on what?

I think the rate you *see* existing in Minneapolis might not be the entire truth (I'm not suggesting you're not telling the truth) - no epidemiologists have looked at (in terms of producing science) this cluster so far and its an established fact that using educational data to ascertain autism rates is not accurate http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/159950122)

My own opinion is that these kids might have something to tell us about autism but I don't know what and I think we're leaping to conclusions here based on the response of a man who is quite clearly not up to date and airing his own prejudices.

[TimKasemodel]

Kev,

I SOOOO hope I am the first to catch this......­...

You finally got it right for once when you say:

"Amish children do vaccinate and do have autism"...­.......

I could not have said it better myself! As Dan Olmsted himself found out, most Amish children who have autism WERE VACCINATED.

You winced? I guess so, it must feel like a sharp stick in the eye when reputable experts (you can hardly argue Dr. Fletcher is not an expert) give an opposing opinion that has a hell of a lot more credibility than your own.

For years many like you have been usingh the worthless links you post here now - Pub Med????

Gee, next thing we know you will be posting links to the AAP to support your point.

David,

This thankgiving I am thankfull that we have been blessed with you and the twist of fate that brought you to us.

Tim

[KevLeitch]

Tim, I really think you need to read both those links. The PubMed listed article tells of a paper (written by an ex-Mennonite) that shows the majority of Amish vaccinate.

Dr Fletcher is not a public figure over here and I would imagine that only people involved in manufactoverseries like this would have heard his name. He's certainly entitled to his opinion but - like Dr Healy's over there - its not based in reality.

[AutismNewsBeat]

Autism and the Amish - A Chronology

2005 - Dan Olmsted assumes the Amish don't vaccinate, then "finds" only two children with autism in Lancaster County, PA.

A few months later - Olmsted learns about the mysteriously named Clinic for Special Children in Strasburg, PA, a clinic that treats dozens of children who show symptoms of autism. Predictably, nobody at the clinic will return Olmsted's phone calls.

2008 - Tim Kasemodel declares that the Amish have autism because they vaccinate.

[Rosy]

My husband's nephew is autistic--and he was showing signs of it months before receiving his MMR shot. He never babbled, as most kids are doing by their first birthdays, and he didn't make eye contact with people. He didn't get his MMR shot until 18 months. There is no way the MMR caused autism in this kid. I don't claim to know what did (I would suspect genes), but it was present well before that shot.

[ObjectiveAutismDad]

As David has pointed out on several occasions not everyone appears to have acquired autism the same way. In fact, before the late 80s, most autistic children were autistic from birth. i.e., It's not just the MMR that is in question, but all of the vaccines, all of the heavy metal (and other toxins) that the child/fetus is exposed to that are possible sources of brain damage.

Did the mother live near a coal burning plant when you were pregnant? Did she have a large number of mercury amalgam filings when you were pregnant? Did she have any dental work or vaccines when she was pregnant? Did she eat a lot of fish when she was pregnant (I saw a woman, on Montel Williams' show I believe, who ate tuna fish every day when she was pregnant -- and had autistic twins, diagnosed shortly after birth)? Did your nephew get any other thimerosal laced vaccines before he got the MMR? Was he sick around the time of any of these other shots? These are the kinds of questions your husband's sibling should be asking themselves -- IMHO.

[CamJam]

Excellent point there. Also, regarding the Flu Vaccine... even though some vaccines may be considered Thimerosal free, they can still have trace amounts like in the Flu vaccine.

And speaking of twins. We live in Oregon. I have 5 year old twin boys (NOT identical). One was dx'd with Autism Aug 2007shortly after they turned 4 years old by their pediatrician and others at Kaiser (our son regressed). It was not determined by some public school as what some are claiming why Oregon and MN have higher rates in Autism because it does not have to be medically diagnosed. What a load of hooey!
Heck if it were not for Kaiser shoving us off onto the public school system for help, we would have never known about Early Education, IEP's etc. And although Oregon now has a mandated law as of Jan 2008, HB 2918, for Persuasive Developmental Disorders (that they MUST provide therapy etc) they still refuse, give you the run arounds, insist on Ritalin as a solution, and shove us off on to the public school system that runs on a shoe string budget for help. Hence my video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmSvDb9jotk

Bugs me how strangers ask me, why does your one twin son have Autism and not the other?

But recently I found a great news story recently that boggles my mind about IDENTICAL twin boys! One has autism, and the other does not:
http://www.whotv.com/Global/story.asp?S=9340639

[David Kirby - Huffpost Blogger]

Nothing in this post says that MMR in itself causes autism, and nothing in this post says that all autism cases are vaccine-related. Your point is well taken, but does nothing to refute what was reported here. Thanks for your comment.

[ObjectiveAutismDad]

David,

WOW! This is just another nail in the coffin. I especially love this quote: "Any scientist who tells you that this case is closed is either stupid, lying, or shockingly unwilling to acknowledge the facts on the ground." Keep on doing what you're doing.

[jayrayspicer]

Um, the case is not closed in either direction. Vaccines MAY be implicated in some autism cases. Thimerosal seems to be unlikely as a culprit, given that it's correlation with autism hasn't held up after the reduction of Thimerosal in vaccines. That doesn't mean that it doesn't have a role, just that it's looking less likely. That doesn't mean that vaccines don't have a role--they do, after all, act on the immune system, a complicated system that frequently goes haywire to devastating effect (asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, hay fever, etc). But it's also pretty clear that genes have a role. The causes of autism appear to be multiple and varying. Expecting a rapid, firm conclusion about the cause ignores the history of medical science. It takes a long time to figure things out sometimes. I haven't heard anybody (except those convinced that Thimerosal is the sole culprit, which it clearly is not) claim that the cause of autism has been found, least of all the CDC.

[davedave]

it doesn't hurt to doubt truth. leeches and bleeding were state of the art, if you washed your hands you were drummed out of medicine!

we need to check and recheck the data...mea­sure twice (thrice, etc.) and cut once.

d

[AutismNewsBeat]

It doesn't hurt to doubt things you read in the comments section of a David Kirby HuffPo post, either. So in the spirit of measuring thrice I must ask - who was drummed out of medicine for washing his hands? Is this another Semmelweis story?

[CraigWilloughby]

For once, Kenny, you are absolutely correct! Your comments, in particular, should be taken with a grain of salt.