Obama Climbs On The Vaccine Research Bandwagon

No matter who wins in Pennsylvania today, the next President of the United States will support research into the growing evidence of some link between vaccines and autism.

Senator John McCain has already expressed his belief that vaccines and the mercury containing preservative thimerosal could be implicated in what he has rightly termed an "autism epidemic."

Senator Hillary Clinton, in response to a questionnaire from the autism activist group A-CHAMP, wrote that she was "Committed to make investments to find the causes of autism, including possible environmental causes like vaccines." And when asked if she would support a study of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated children, she said: "Yes. We don't know what, if any, kind of link there is between vaccines and autism - but we should find out."

And now, yesterday, at a rally in Pennsylvania, Barack Obama had this rather surprising thing to say:

"We've seen just a skyrocketing autism rate. Some people are suspicious that it's connected to the vaccines. This person included. The science right now is inconclusive, but we have to research it."

(Note: The Washington Post reports that when Obama said "this person," he pointed to someone who had asked an autism question).

So there you have it, our next President will share the views of such radical fringe crazies as, well, me, Democrat Robert Kennedy, Jr., Republican Joe Scarborough, former NIH and Red Cross chief Bernadine Healy, and several researchers at Harvard, Johns Hopkins, the Universities of California and Washington and elsewhere.

All of us agree: Current evidence suggests the need for more reseach into whether vaccines could be a contributing factor in some cases of autism.

And yes, now the comments to this piece will come flying in, repeating the tired mantra that "this case is closed," that vaccines and thimerosal have been "completely vindicated," and that people like me are just trying to scare the public and drive them away from vaccines, leaving their children vulnerable and sick.

Of course, none of the above is true. So stay tuned.

To begin with, government researchers are currently looking into a number of factors that may trigger autism, including vaccines, their ingredients and the crowded vaccine schedule itself.

Secondly, on April 11th, I attended a top-level meeting in Washington where vaccine safety officials discussed all of the above issues, and more. Now, included on the CDC's recommended Federal Research Agenda for vaccine safety, are questions such as:

Can vaccines cause neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism?

Can vaccines in children with mitochondrial dysfunction cause significant "neurological deterioration?"

Can the combination live-virus measles, mumps and rubella vaccine cause seizures and long term damage in children?

Can vaccines cause autoimmune disease?

Can thimerosal cause tics or Tourette syndrome?

Can attenuated viruses in vaccines cause asthma in children?

So, no matter who is President next year, top government researchers will be examining the role of vaccines in autism and other childhood illnesses. Thus, the declarations of McCain, Clinton and now Obama, make good scientific sense.

But there is more.

Dozens of autism cases (and perhaps more) currently filed in so-called Vaccine Court will almost certainly be compensated this year. Why? Because a little girl named Hannah Poling with a supposedly rare mitochondrial condition was recently compensated for her own vaccine injuries, including autism and epilepsy.

But I have personally identified at least a dozen (and there are reports of many more) children with cases in the court who meet the exact same medical criteria as Hannah, and whose cases will almost surely be compensated as well -- each time with the attendant media fanfare.

My prediction is that, by Election Day, few Americans will still believe there is absolutely no evidence to link vaccines to at least some cases of regressive autism.

So the remarks by all three candidates not only reflect good science, they reflect good politics as well.

Comments

[emjay1954]

Fucking great. Instead of spending our national biomedical research dollars, not adequate to start with, on real problems, we're going to waste money looking for bogeymen. To say "more research never hurts" is false, when it means that scientists and funding are taken away on a wild goose chase. Which is what this is.

[DannysVoice]

We can only hope whoever wins this election will actually stick to their word about researching vaccines and Autism. ENOUGH children have already been permanently damaged by the CDC's vaccine quest!

[mbaty]

Yes, let's research this some more...like we've been "researching" global warming for years. And guess what, some people still want to claim that the "science isn't there," or that there is some "reasonable doubt." But this smokescreen is just an effort to stop endless lawsuits that will be coming in soon. It doesn't take a scientist to prove what is happening, but it might take a scientist to de-bunk this obvious connection--in name only, of course, added to the study later after money has exchanged hands--just not into the hands of the parents who are left with disabled children, trying everything they can to undo the toxic effects of far too many vaccines given to children who are far too young to handle it.

[linlou34]

http://www.wanttoknow.info/060215vaccinesmercurydangers
I just found this. I found it interesting to share.

[londubh]

Obama needs a science advisor ASAP. I suspect he knows better and is pandering to "bitter" voters.

[rolandcassard]

RE: "(Note: The Washington Post reports that when Obama said "this person," he pointed to someone who had asked an autism question)."

As far as I can tell, this little "note" pretty much demolishes the entire point of this post.

Nice try, though.

(You can see the video for yourself here: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/fact-checker/2008/04/dr_obama_and_dr_mccain.html )

[Heraldblog]

Exactly. There's no substantial reason to believe that Obama is buying into the vaccine conspiracy nonsense. Just more hype from Mr. Kirby.

[bernarda]

HuffPost's Pick

You describe yourself accurately "the views of such radical fringe crazies as, well, me,"

Yes you are crazy. There is no "growing evidence" of a connection between vaccines and autism. In fact there is no evidence at all. Go to medical blogsites like Aetiology or Respectful Insolence to get your well-needed debunking.

[foe2Hg]

" Go to medical blogsites like Aetiology or Respectful Insolence"

medical...? You are very mistaken. Grandiose bullshitting with hints of narcissism....yes.

[LindsE]

I won't argue the narcissism, but these are typically based on legit scientific research and usually include references. And do note that the OP said "medical blogsites".

[dadelp]

You know David, I would love to believe that "the next President of the United States will support research into the growing evidence of some link between vaccines and autism." After the lie told to us by the current idiot residing in the White House, you know the one, he made during the 04 re-election campaign when he said he would remove thimerasol from vaccines. When he had the opportunity in November of 07 he vetoed the bill because of the ban on thimerasol.

So.....trusting politicos and their promises especially while running for office is not the smart move. IF we want investigation then sadly we will have to fund it ourselves. Politicians can NOT be trusted and will say ANYTHING to get elected. That fact, has been proven over and over and over again.

Only Ron Paul knows how to address this issue. Quoting here: "government should never have the power to require immunizations or vaccinations."


I hope I am wrong but after dealing with this for almost 8 years I suspect I am right and it's a sad thing. If I am wrong I will gladly scream it from the roof tops.

[CraigWilloughby]

"After the lie told to us by the current idiot residing in the White House"

You mean Dubya only told us one lie?!?!

:P

WMD's, Al Quaida in Iraq. No, this isn't a war for oil!!!

[andreamk]

Thank you Senator Obama. The first step in solving a problem is recognizing there is one.

Thank you for taking that first important step.

[erinsull]

Fantastic news. Research is great. Candidate awareness is great.
Right here right now though the conversation needs to trickle down to into these candidates health care proposals.
Any health care proposal that covers the "whole package" of vaccines with well baby visits before age 2 must include the provision to seperate out vaccines from the combos like "MMR" and cover spreading out the individual vaccines so that cost is not the consideration for either the doctor or the patient.

[nhokkanen]

HuffPost's Pick

Just think of how many more children would have been sexually abused by pedophile priests if the church and the media had not finally dealt with that unpleasant subject.

Think of how many children continue to be injured daily by vaccines while government and media grapple with the paradox that a product intended to improve health is having the opposite effect in countless children.

Thanks to open, ongoing investigations into clergy sexual abuse, church membership is still strong.

People must adjust their mental filters and stop denying the existence of vaccine-induced autism. Physicians and parents must start looking at children's lab tests, and start finding biomedical treatments. Public health administrators must prioritize studies to determine which genetic subsets are susceptible to vaccine injury.

No child should ever be written off as collateral damage in the war on the disease.

[linlou34]

This is promising news. I just hope that this is not just for votes. I am hesitant to believe until I see something really happening. Don't get me wrong, I am hopeful. I just know I could not possibly be alone, when it comes to having a child with autism and believing the vaccines caused it and having no real money to help my child. It is time for real change and real help for our kids and the kids of the future. I do believe we will find out the truth and something big will have to be done of it.
Thanks again David, for getting it out there. Thanks so much for your devotion to autism.
Peace and take care. Lin

[CraigWilloughby]

HuffPost's Pick

This is wonderful news! We now have all 3 candidates claiming that they will look into a link. Sadly, though, I wonder how much lip service they are playing so that they can get votes. I know, call me cynical, but I can't help it.

Interestingly, I wonder what our resident nay-sayers will say when they see that Obama is suspicious that there is a link. Do you think they'll start calling him a crazy conspiracy nut?

[bluevalentine]

Lip service is where I believe we are heading.
PLEASE LET ME BE WRONG lol.

[CraigWilloughby]

I know. It's difficult to NOT be cynical when it comes to today's polutitians (I know it's spelled wrong. It was deliberate :P).

I hope I'm wrong, too. I truly hope that his current batch of ne'er-do-wells are actually concerned for this epidemic and that they will follow through with their promises. Again, though, my cynicism (that's my religion, btw :P) tells me not to hold my breath.

[foe2Hg]

Well, this is good news on many levels! I love it!! Buzz it up everyone.

Teresa Conrick

[Heraldblog]

Will do!

[erykah]

I have a child that is deaf and autistic so I am glad the subject of autism has come up in this election. When I had my son in 1994 the statistics for autism was 1 in every 10,000 births. It is now 1 in every 100. Criticize if you want, but this is a national crisis which needs to be addressed. More research is always good and I do not think vaccines should be altogether ruled out.

[Heraldblog]

Wasn't the DSM-IV adopted in 1994?