A Decade Of Questioning Harm And The Autism-Vaccine Connection

It's hard to run a marathon that pushes you harder than you have ever been pushed -- physically, emotionally and spiritually. One for which you did not train or set out to run but one that you just woke up to find yourself running one day. One that challenges your endurance with every step.

What happens when you turn your head to see how far you have come only to realize you have been jogging in place?

For over a decade, I've relentlessly searched for answers to the connections I believe exist between my son's autism and vaccines he received. Historically, autism has been considered a genetic condition so I am constantly told I just imagined things. Surely his autism was always there...always evident...from birth. Liam must not have been engaged the way that I remember prior to that summer when he received his MMR. He didn't really play peek-a-boo with me. He didn't really talk. He just disappeared at the same time he got his shots but the vaccines didn't do it.

It was coincidence. Coincidence is not the same as causation.

None of those people lived in my home. None of those people knew my child personally when he was a baby. None of those people saw my bright-eyed son disappear into the abyss of autism right before them.

Recently, I dusted off an old videotaped copy of a story that aired on CNN in October 1999 called "A Question of Harm?" - the first nationally televised piece linking a vaccine to autism. I hadn't watched it in a long time. It's painful for a number of reasons. But I took a deep breath and pressed play.

The memories came flooding back. Liam was fine before his MMR and severely affected after.

Eleven years ago, frantic to sound an alarm, I called every network, begging them to help us ask this question -- to warn parents. CDC statistics in 1998 demonstrated one in every 500 children with autism, a staggering increase from one in 10,000 in ten years. No one would listen.

Their response? "We already did a story on autism this year. Sorry."

But Julie Powell, a CNN producer, stepped up. She took a big risk. 15 months later she, and correspondent Linda Patillo, bravely let America and thirty-three other countries know there just might be a question of harm with vaccines for some children. They helped us ask what if.

What if a potential connection exists between vaccines and the development of autism?

Here is their segment.

Part One:

Part Two:

When I look back over the decade, I see enormous progress in Liam's development. He is now in a sixth grade classroom, unassisted except for a modified curriculum -- making good grades. He is sweet, gentle, thoughtful and caring. He has an enormous appetite for learning and a hope for his future. He has a social life complete with a girlfriend, a Facebook account and a cell phone. He just tried out for the basketball team. He lights up every room he enters. He is an inspiration to me, loved by anyone who knows him.

Liam is my Gatorade. He keeps me running when I get light-headed and dizzy. He is my coach. He is my cheerleader.

But when I look back over the last ten years of the autism/vaccine controversy -- or just the safety of vaccine in general, especially from the perspective of the media, I don't see the same progress. The media has not advanced the ball following this developing story in the way I had hoped.

As I replayed the tape, I thought this could have been filmed today, in October of 2009, in any other three year old's house. Today's media repeats the script Julie developed but includes new faces. Child is fine. Child gets vaccine. Child develops autism. Parents cry. Child stares into space then cut to scene of child stacking blocks with his therapist. Doctors still say we don't know what causes autism, except now they affirmatively add -- "but it's not vaccines." Parents rally. Government officials still tout the safety of all vaccines. Health agencies are still trying to figure out how many kids with autism there are out there. Doctors are better at diagnosing, or maybe not. They don't know. Congress is still holding hearings on the issue. Parents still wonder when someone will answer their questions.

Fade to black.

I wondered -- where are the brave investigative journalists we need to ask these hard questions?

There are a couple that will pick up the ball like David Kirby or Sharryl Atkisson but the majority of the reporters that cover these stories are like Amy Wallace, entertainment reporter for Wired Magazine, who, in my opinion once again does not question what she is told, she just regurgitates the propaganda she receives from the vaccine industry and industry supporters. Or Nancy Snyderman who tells us it is not our job to question the safety of shots and to "just get the damn vaccine!"

In the meantime, while we wait for mainstream media to really honestly take a look at these questions, thousands of families, a few politicians, a handful of researchers and doctors across the United States work hard to sound that alarm. These people keep this issue burning bright in the media even when the medical community tells everyone to look away from the light. Vaccines, and their risks, are touched on in a variety of news mediums.

Time marches on and the mainstream media continues to follow that recipe handed down 10 years ago.

Where CNN delivered fresh journalism in 1999, stories today are stale, even moldy. Generally speaking, the media doesn't dig. They do not do their job and ask the questions that make government officials, PhRMA spokespeople or the American Academy of Pediatrics squirm. Now that's entertainment, Amy.

Here are some questions for the White House Press Corps the next time they attend a briefing regarding Swine Flu.

"President Obama, can you please explain why HHS, along with the local and federal law enforcement agencies would not allow a person to pour Thimerosal (an ingredient in some vaccines which contains ethyl-mercury) onto the stone plaza outside the HHS building in protest because it is classified as hazardous waste?"

"Did you know if the amount of ethyl-mercury in one dose of a Thimerosal containing H1N1 vaccine were spilled on the ground HazMat would be required to clean it up?"

"Do you find it logically inconsistent that something is toxic and hazardous to humans when on pavement but not when injected into babies?"

"Why is your administration recommending children and pregnant women receive flu vaccines containing 25 micrograms of ethylmercury each, dismissing any harm to humans when 25 micrograms of ethylmercury is well in excess of what the EPA considers hazardous and the manufacturer of Thimerosal says it should not be injected into humans period, rather than mandating Thimerosal free vaccines for this population?"

"Ok, regardless of whatever study might be cited, do you think injecting a baby with something that bears a skull and crossbone symbol on the label is prudent?"

The basic question of harm asked all those years ago, "Can a vaccine, multiple vaccines, or the ingredients within those vaccines, serve as an environmental trigger for autism in a certain cohort of children?" has not been answered...completely.

From time to time, answers do roll in.

Just last month, researchers from Stony Brook University published a research abstract for an epidemiological study in the September 2009 issue of Annals of Epidemiology which revealed findings suggesting that U.S. male newborns vaccinated with Hepatitis B vaccine had a three-fold greater risk of autism spectrum disorders. Additionally, an upcoming collaborative study conducted by the University of Pittsburgh - School of Medicine, the University of Kentucky and Thoughtful House Center for Children in Austin, Texas reveals evidence of substantial functional brain damage in infant primates who received the birth dose of Hepatitis B Vaccine.

Why isn't this information scrolling across the news networks so parents can make informed decisions?

I don't believe I was truly afforded a fully, informed choice for Liam with regard to vaccination. The risk of this medical procedure that altered a significant system within his body, the immune system, was completely downplayed and presented as a simple baby milestone, a rite of passage. If I had taken the time to just read a package insert for the vaccine, I might have thought about researching it more. I scrutinized the package insert that came with his antibiotics, it just never occurred to me to question the harm a vaccine could potentially cause.

I am tired. I am out of breath. Some days I can only see a couple sips left in the bottom of my Gatorade bottle. But I won't quit running for that yellow tape at the end. I cannot quit this race.

I will not stop fighting for the answers to the truth about what happened to Liam.

I will not quit pressing government officials or medical professionals because those questions make them feel uncomfortable.

I will not quit demanding the media to ask the hard questions.

I will feel sick every time the CDC releases new numbers reflecting the prevalence of autism which has moved from 1:500 to 1:250 to 1:166 to 1:150 to 1:91 since Liam was diagnosed.

I will scream every time they tell me the one in 58 boys today with autism does not reflect a true increase but is primarily due to better diagnosis.

I will grit my teeth every time the same medical community that is now apparently so good at diagnosing can't find those same autism diagnoses in one of every 58 adult men.

I will hit my couch every time I hear some doctor on a news program say that this question has been asked and answered.

I will cringe when I hear a pregnant woman say "I got my flu shot today."

I will hold the United States Government accountable for fiddling while Rome burns all around them with our future generations.

I will wince every time I hear someone say "We don't know what causes autism. But we do know it is not the vaccines." When I know in my heart, it really is just not truthfully scratched off their list.

And I will still maintain that giving children mercury, on purpose, for no other reason than to preserve profit margin, is stupid.

A question of harm? Yes.

Harm exists in refusing to continue to dig down into hardcore science. Harm exists in refusing to look at the science at a cellular and biological level. Harm exists in continuing to wave the banner of epidemiological statistics as unrefuted proof of safety and to demonstrate that what we saw happen before our eyes with our children could not have happened. Harm exists in the arrogance of the government, the scientific and the medical community who refuse to listen to parents accounts.

Where harm does not exist is in continuing to look under the vaccine rock to find out why parents believe this is happening. That's what good scientists do -- they continue to ask questions, peeling back all the layers until there is an answer.

Genetics alone has not caused autism to increase from an incidence of 1:10,000 to 1:91 in a twenty year period. I asked the CDC earlier this month to let us know of one other genetic condition that had ever demonstrated that exponential growth rate. They were stumped. Something environmental is causing this. Something universally environmental even though we all eat different food, drink different water and breathe different air.

We are far from having an answer. But if the media will ask new hard questions, those questions may provide a base to a solution. Maybe if the media attacks autism with the same sense of urgency that they have the Swine Flu now that 1:58 boys are being diagnosed with it, one day soon we will have the answers we seek as to what happened to our children.

On that day, I will say "I fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I kept the faith."

In the meantime, thank God for blogs.

This column is dedicated to Liz Birt. She was a relentless advocate searching for answers to the question of harm when it comes to vaccines and autism. I didn't know her personally yet at the time this was filmed. I met her the weekend that this aired in Cherryhill, New Jersey at the Defeat Autism Now Conference . Her letter is the email I read during this piece. Her sweet son Matthew is the boy in the picture. We lost Liz too soon. I miss her dearly. Her legacy lives on. A donation she made to Thoughtful House helped make the aforementioned primate study possible.

 

Comments

[LindaPattillo]

Shelley: I would report that story all over again today exactly as I did before. I just thought about you this week when asked if I was going to get the swine flu vaccine for my son. I think of you and Liam often. I am glad he is doing well. Linda

[Keys2UA]

LINDA! I am so excited that you read this post. We think of you often too and would love to reconnect somehow. You wouldn't believe how big both of the kids have gotten. Liam is doing incredibly well. Mairin is a spitfire and is ready to set the world on fire. You can reach me through Unlocking Autism (www.unlockingautism.org). :)

[dugmaze]

This is why we speak out against vaccine damage:
God bless their souls.
http://www.vaccineriskawareness.com/Baby-Dies-After-DPT-Vaccine
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/children_shealth/3543692/Healthy-toddler-died-10-days-after-being-given-MMR-vaccination.html
http://www.ahrp.org/infomail/03/08/09.php
http://www.theoneclickgroup.co.uk/news.php?start=2680&end=2700&view=yes&id=3474#newspost
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/july2007/040707HPV.htm
http://avn.org.au/library/index.php/children-s-gallery/lyla-rose.html
http://avn.org.au/library/index.php/children-s-gallery/stephani.html
http://www.ouralexander.org/
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B8CY1-4MVXFFS-8&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&_docanchor=&view=c&_searchStrId=937968955&_rerunOrigin=google&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=39295abaf1dae244b75b3781dbdfa4fc
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=32460

Let's give clean vaccines when needed to help prevent disease but not over vaccinate our children in the name of profits.

[dugmaze]

Out of all of these states that tested for flu cases:

Florida 17% swine flu, 83% negative for flu
California 2% swine flu, 12% other flu, 86% negative for flu
Alaska 1% swine flu, 5% other flu, 93% negative for flu
Georgia 2% swiner flu, 98% negative for flu

Now we know why the CDC tried to order doctors to stop testing:

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/10/21/cbsnews_investigates/main5404829.shtml

[wealthandriches]

I only have one question. Why hasn't a class action lawsuit started yet? Seriously!

[pdxskeptic]

Actually, there is one: the current Omnibus Autism Proceeding , background information here:
http://www.uscfc.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/Background_on_the_autism_proceedings.pdf
and
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnibus_Autism_Proceeding
quote from article:
"Currently, nearly 5,000 families are attempting to demonstrate that vaccines can cause autism, despite the medical and scientific consensus that there is no evidence that autism is caused by vaccines or any preservative or additive ever used in vaccines"

[dugmaze]

What is the reasoning behind class action lawsuits? Is it to save money by allowing everyone to join forces? Or to gain power by joining everyone together?

I personally don't care for the Omnibus Autism Proceeding . I think judging all vaccine damage by only three cases is asking for corruption and I can pretty much tell you what the outcome is going to be.

[pdxskeptic]

Lets be honest here concerning mercury.

Thiomersal is not mercury and it is not a mercury mixture like the ingredients of a cake.
Thiomersal is a chemically bonded mercury compound: C9H9HgNaO2S. Part of this compound will either degrade or metabolize to ethylmercury (C2H5Hg+). At no point in this process is the body ever exposed to elemental mercury or methyl mercury.

Either because of dishonesty or a lack of understanding, people continue to say that thiomersal "contains" mercury and then go on to discuss the toxicity of mercury. The only thing relevant to the discussion is the toxic and chemical properties of thimersal and ethylmercury. This is like saying water "contains" hydrogen or that salt "contains" sodium and then go on disingenuously to discuss the toxic properties of sodium, like it reacts violently with water and can even explode when coming into contact with it even though salt (sodium chloride) has extremely different and unrelated chemical properties.

[pdxskeptic]

Secondly, I'd just like to add that the metric of parts per million is a very poor metric in reference of toxic load on the human body and should be looked at in perspective of other metrics. Blood serum concentration is a much better metric. A tuna fish sandwich with 2 oz of fish will contain roughly 38.4 micrograms of methylmercury whereas a flu vaccine contains anywhere from 12.5 to 25 mg of thiomersal. The methylmercury in tuna fish is vastly more toxic, by an order of magnitude, than either thiomersal or ethylmercury and there is more of it in the sandwich than the shot. In other words, by every metric other than parts per million, a tuna fish sandwich puts a much higher toxic load on the body than a flu shot

[sdtech]

Pdxskeptic, you said “At no point in this process is the body ever exposed to elemental mercury…”

That is incorrect.
Burbacher et al gave infant monkeys shots with Thimerosal--with the same mercury weight per body weight, on average, as received by human infants. This study reported that “The inorganic form of Hg was readily measurable in the brain of the thimerosal-exposed infants. The average concentration of inorganic Hg did not change across the 28 days of washout and was approximately 16 nanograms per milliliter.” See http://www.ehponline.org/members/2005/7712/7712.pdf

And Maya et al. states “Thimerosal … separates in the organism in ethylmercury and thiosalicylate, being a highly unstable chemical composition. Due to its great liposolubility, it can easily cross the blood-brain and placental barriers, exhibiting a short time of half-life in the blood. It can deposit itself in the central nervous system, where subsequently it is transformed into inorganic Hg, which accumulates in the human and animal brain, showing a half-life between 227 and 540 days.” See Maya et al, “Thimerosal and Children’s Neurodevelopmental Disorders” page 10 at http://www.safeminds.org/research/AnFacMedLima2006-67(3).pdf

[sdtech]

And Burbacher et al also states that the percentage of elemental mercury that winds up in the brain is about five times higher from ethylmercury than from methymercury exposure “A higher percentage of the total Hg in the brain was in the form of inorganic Hg for the thimerosal-exposed monkeys (34% vs. 7%).” See http://www.ehponline.org/members/2005/7712/7712.pdf

[sdtech]

Pdxskeptic, you said “Secondly, I'd just like to add that the metric of parts per million is a very poor metric in reference of toxic load on the human body…”


To the contrary, it makes absolutely no sense to inject this known neurotoxin into children and pregnant women.

The USEPA limits are 0.1 microgram per kg body weight per day. This means that a child receiving a flu shot would have to weigh 550 pounds not to exceed the EPA guideline for that day.

Mercury kills brain cells. See http://www.mindfully.org/Health/Mercurcy-Exposure-Nerves.htm and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCzT1yuau_4

[Sheldon101]

While tempted, at real risk to myself, I wait. Revised
----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­----------­-

Since ijois asked: I've all my vaccinations including Td booster. Flu vaccine for at least last 15 years.

Question from isjois:
Sheldon - What a gentleman - "waiting your turn" and all!

I am. I haven't had the flu in years so I'm scared of this --- even if it is no worse than regular flu. I can go to a vaccine clinic, tell a lie about my medical history and get vaccinated.

Yesterday, I thought of doing that. Why should I delay protecting myself for another week? If I wait, there's a real chance I'll get the flu and at best, be sick for days. If I tell a lie no one will ever discover, I can protect myself.

Remembrance (Veteran's) day, where the sacrifices of other is remembered , made it easy to decide to wait. Not that I'm happy decidiing to wait.

I and millions of others know we can tell a lie and get vaccinated now . Yet we're waiting at a real risk to ourselves. Some of those who wait will be hospitalized and ... Yet we're waiting.

So when it's your turn, get vaccinated. Vaccination, unlike waiting, is essentially risk free. It protects kids with foolish parents, those whom the vaccine hasn't protected and those who need more time for the vaccination to build up antibodies. These days, my country, your country ask so very little of us. Certainly we can do this.

[isjois]

Interesting.

"I've all my vaccinations including Td booster."

But - did you have your Tdap? and the other vaccines that I listed? and you didn't give dates?

You're vague...and I would guess it's because you know enough NOT to get all the shots yourself. Same goes for the H1N1.

Many wise parents and individuals don't want the shots - I can't imagine you not being able to find a place to honestly get the shot without waiting.

Vaccination: If Sheldon won't get his shot - why would you?

[Sheldon101]

You asked. I checked the chart., http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/im/is-cv/index-eng.php#b. I comply with the chart. I'm succinct because I the space to talk ethics.

I assume that ethics and morality come into your vaccination decision. There must be some risk to you versus benefit to others comparison that would result in your getting vaccinated.

I'll value my risk at one and the benefits to others of 50,000. Assuming, for the sake of argument, that those numbers are correct, will you get vaccinated? Or must the risk to you be absolutely zero before you'll help another.

[dugmaze]

We never share success stories.

I've had an impact on several lives already. The other day at work, my friend said his doctor tried to give his daughter four vaccines in one sitting. He refused. He aso went on to tell one of his friends who was having twin daughters about the dangers of too many vaccines too soon.

Word is getting out.

We are being herd.

[isjois]

Thanks for sharing a success story! It's so challenging for people to question what they've been taught about vaccines. When they finally do decide to research the topic for themselves - we should definitely celebrate!

[isjois]

Sheldon - Why is Canada changing its flu vaccine policy?

"...it is interesting to note that one country is taking a different approach.

The Canadian government, and more specifically the provinces of Quebec, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Nova Scotia, have suspended the 'normal' seasonal flu shots for anyone under 65 in response to a recent study there.

The lead researcher, Danuta Skowronski, of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, and Gaston De Serres, of Laval University, have confounded infectious-disease experts by suggesting that people vaccinated against seasonal flu are twice as likely to catch swine flu."

http://www.independent.ie/health/vitamin-d-might-lessen-your-flu-risk-1924363.html

[Sheldon101]

This is the Canadian data issue. The guys at Science Based Medicine have trashed Canada over it. The Canadian data seem solid but other countries have looked for it in their data and haven't found it.

Here's the practical matter. When you go for your H1N1 flu shot, do they give you the garden variety Trivalent 2009-2010 vaccine as well? Some say yes, some say no.

Right now it doesn't matter as H1N1 is trouncing the seasonal flu strains with 99% of infections being H1N1.

Flu vaccination: Safe, really effective and the only morally correct thing to do.

[Sheldon101]

THERE'S NO AS03, NO ADJUVANT IN US VACCINE.

WAITING MY TURN
Question from isjois: Sheldon - When exactly did YOU get vaccinated for H1N1? Up in Canada - did you get the shot or the intranasal vaccine?

Answer: We don't want no stinking nasal spray. Canada's vaccine use the wonder ingredient AS03. We get 4 times more doses from viral material, better protection against antigen drift, and higher seroprotection. And 1 shot of half-dose should be sufficient for 6 months to 10 years,

I'm waiting my turn as those with higher priority get vaccinated first.

THE CAT & MORALITY
----------­----------­----------­----
"Flu vaccination: If not for yourself, for your cat."
Concern for cats and H1N1 is mostly theoretical since only one cat has lab confirmed H1N1 from humans. It's a parody of those who think vaccination is only about them. It isn't. It's a moral issue.

1. Flu vaccination is almost risk free.
2. If you're not vaccinated then you can spread infection to others who at a minimum will get sick and theres's a chance of serious complications.
3. You should help others if you can do so with very little risk to others.
Conclusion: The morally correct thing is to be vaccinated against H1N1, even if not for your self interest.

There's no vaccine for cats. If you won't get vaccinated to protect yourself, and can't see the morality of doing it for other humans, then maybe you'll do it to protect your cat.

[JuniperSunshine]

"1. Flu vaccination is almost risk free"

Fair enough. That means that I have the right to judge whether or not to take those risks. And I choose not to.

[isjois]

Sheldon - What a gentleman - "waiting your turn" and all!

Fine - just to ensure you are "setting a good example for everyone else":

When did you get your flu shot?
When did you get your last tetanus booster?
What about the Tdap? ("Td every 10 years; 1 dose should be given as Tdap if not previously given in adulthood")
What about the - MMR, Chicken Pox, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis A, Pneumococcal polysaccharide, Bacille Calmette- Guérin (BCG), Cholera, Japanese encephalitis, Poliomyelitis, Meningococcal polysaccharide, Rabies (pre-exposure use), Typhoid, Yellow Fever, Smallpox - vaccines?

This list is from the Public Health Agency of Canada website. This is the comprehensive list for adult citizens in your country. (http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/im/is-cv/index-eng.php#b)

Just curious - are you in compliance? And - please don't give us any "I'm not in that risk group" stuff. You should be proactive and set a good example for everyone else. If you're not willing to get all of these shots - why should you tell anyone else what to do with their body - or their child's?

Vaccines: If Sheldon doesn't get every available shot - why should you?!?

[isjois]

If you have pets and are considering vaccinating them, you may want to check out one of the following links:

www.stoptheshots.com
www.dogs4dogs.com
www.shirleys-wellness-cafe.com/petvacc.htm

You can also go to the Amazon website and do a book search for "pet vaccines". There are numerous vets who question the mass vaccination of animals. Some of the disorders linked to pet vaccination - autoimmune, allegic diseases, CANCER, etc.

Vaccines: Not proven safe for Sheldon...­you...your child...or, your pet.

[AndTheDataIs]

So perhaps we can make this simple:

1) can any of the posters provide objective scientific data supportting the danger of thimerosal?

2) how about objectvie scientific data supporting a relationship between thimerosal and autism?

3) how about data supporting the apparent perceived high level of risk of the H1N1 vaccine?

[AndTheDataIs]

I am a bit perplexed at the various comments most specifically about H1N1 vaccine. Breathing for example can be dangerous, yet in general we all do it.

The package insert for H1N1 vaccine appears to be available at:

http://www.fda.gov/downloads/BiologicsBloodVaccines/Vaccines/ApprovedProducts/UCM182401.pdf

Indications are that this vaccine is no more dangerous than any other flu vaccine and is much less dangerous than getting H1N1 flu.

Thimerosal is a more interesting question. As I understand the research, there is no objective data linking thimerosal to any health issues and the mercury level increase due to a vaccine with thimerosal appears to be minimal:

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/121/2/e208

However, it is also worth noting that for the flu vaccine, the single dose vials do not contain thimerosal, so that if you request a single use vial, the question is moot. Indeed, independent of the data, it appears that manufacturers are removing thimerosal from most childhood vaccines:

http://www.fda.gov/BiologicsBloodVaccines/SafetyAvailability/VaccineSafety/ucm096228.htm

In short, thimerosal worries should not impact the choice to take H1N1 vaccines and increasingly are not any issues for the majority of childhood vaccines.

[abitcrunchy]

I don't know which of the un-researched posters said that the H1N1 flu vaccine is safe. Even the manufacturer's state differently in the package inserts. These vaccines have not been tested for safety, society is serving as the guinea pigs...

http://www.cdispatch.com/news/article.asp?aid=3646

[pdxskeptic]

Please stop spreading lies. H1N1 vaccine has been thoroughly tested for efficacy and safety.

[Sheldon101]

I live in Canada. Our superior vaccine isn't available in single doses, does use an adjuvant and has 80-90% less thimerosal even thought thimerosal concern is a bad joke.

My point is that Cdn H1N1 flu vaccine is different from the seasonal flu vaccine.

In the US, that isn't the case. There's nothing new about the vaccine supplied from 4 companies. It has had more testing than ususal because of the need to determine the proper dose. It passed the tests. But for those in the US, the best thing to say is that 2009 H1N1 vaccine is the same as for the last two years.

It's we up in the arctic who need to worry about fish oil.

Flu Vaccination: If not for yourself, for your cat.

[isjois]

Sheldon - When exactly did YOU get vaccinated for H1N1? Up in Canada - did you get the shot or the intranasal vaccine? What about your cat? Just curious - you're so passionate about the topic...it seems you would want to set a good example for everyone else on this site.

And - I'm glad you mentioned the "cat" thing. I recently got into a debate about allergies and was reminded that those children who have pets in their homes have less allergies. Could it be that our cats and dogs are transmitting viruses (that we haven't yet created vaccines for) to our children and effectively (naturally) challenging their immune systems? Don't healthy immune systems need regular natural challenges? It seems that some of our vaccines even require periodic exposure to natural viruses to maintain robust antibody levels (measles, chickenpox, etc.).

Flu Vaccination: For Sheldon. Not you...your child(ren)...or pet.

[pdxskeptic]

NPR did a great piece "Refusing the flu shot? Maybe you're a denialist"
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=120139776#120140281

The article is on Michael Specters new book "Denailsm: How Irrational Thinking Hinders Scientific Progress, Harms the Planet, and Threatens Our Lives"

Their is clear and certain scientific consensus that vaccines do not correlate to ASD just like there is a clear scientific consensus on global warming. Sure, you will always be able to find denialists in the field just like with anything, but all the reputable scientific based organizations have made a clear statement and this avenue has been studied exhaustively.

The national academy of sciences also has a great book on this topic, an overview of all the peer reviewed literature on the topic and a very firm conclusion that vaccinations are not linked to ASD.

Since thimerosal has been removed from all the scheduled vaccines, ASD has INCREASED. If we were to use post hoc ergo propter hoc reasoning, we'd mistakenly conclude that thimerosal protects against Autism.

[JohnDanStone]

pdxskeptic

Of course, they couldn't have a vested interest. I would just like to post what the Cochrane Review of MMR 2005 said underneath the spin about the six autism studies it reviewed - it should be said that none was rated to of low risk of bias (I will have to split it up):

“The study demonstrates the difficulties of drawing inferences in the absence of a non-exposed population or a clearly defined causal hypothesis”. (Re: Taylor 1999)

“The number and possible impact of biases in this study was so high that interpretation of the results is impossible”. (Re: Fombonne 2001)

“The retrospective person-time cohort study by Makela assessed the association between exposure to MMR and encephalitis (EN),aseptic meningitis (AM) and autism (AU) in a cohort of 535,544 Finnish children (95% of the surveillance cohort); the children were aged one to seven years at the time of vaccination.The authors compared the incidence of outcomes in the first three months after vaccination with the incidence in the following months and years.They concluded that there was no evidence of association. The study was weakened by the loss of 14% of the original birth cohort and the effects of the rather long time frame of follow up. What the impact of either of these factors was in terms of confounder is open to debate, however the long follow up for autism was due to the lack of a properly constructed causal hypothesis …” (Re: Makela 2002)

to be continued

[JohnDanStone]

I missed off Cochrane on the the important Danish study:

"The follow up of diagnostic records ends one year (31 Dec 1999) after the last day of admission to the cohort. Because of the length of time from birth to diagnosis, it becomes increasingly unlikely that those born later in the cohort could have a diagnosis" i.e. there was extensive under-counting of autism cases in the MMR group (Re: Madsen 2002)

[pdxskeptic]

I'm curious of what the "vested interest" is of the National Academy of Sciences? Are they corrupted by big pharma somehow? Can we trust what they have to say about other subjects such as global warming or can we dismiss their stance on such matters and look for truths elsewhere?

Even though you disagree with the scientific consensus, do you recognize there is a scientific consensus in regards to the vaccine/autism link?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thimerosal_controversy#Scientific_consensus_on_controversy

And has been already pointed out, as the use of thimerosal has dropped sharply(it has been removed from all childhood vaccines since 1999), the rate of diagnosis for Autism Spectrum Disorder has increased over the same time period suggesting a non causal relationship.

[JohnDanStone]

reply to pdxskeptik continued:-

“The conclusion, however, implied bias in the enrollment of cases which may not be representative of the rest of the autistic population of the city of Atlanta, USA where the study was set.” (Re: DeStefano 2004)

“In the GPRD - based studies (Black 2003; Smeeth 2004) the precise nature of controlled unexposed to MMR and their generalisability was impossible to determine…The study (Smeeth 2004) appeared carefully conducted and well reported, however, GPRD-based MMR studies had no unexposed (to MMR)representative controls. In this study the approximately 4% to 13% seemed to be unexposed controls regarded by the authors as representative. Such a small number may indicate some bias in the selection of controls.” (Re: Smeeth 2004)

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/339/sep09_1/b3658#220537

About the much publicised Honda study which was too late to bee included in Cochrane I recommend:

http://childhealthsafety.wordpress.com/2009/06/03/japvaxautism/

About other later studies see:

http://adc.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/adc.2007.122937v1

http://adc.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/94/7/497

[JohnDanStone]

And this is excellent about a 2006 epidemiological study by Fombonne in Pediatrics. Dr F Edward Yazbak spotted that Fombonne had compared the autism rate in a district of Montreal not with MMR vaccination rates for the Province of Quebec in which Montreal is situated (which you might infer) but with with vaccination rates in Quebec City!

Dr Fombonne had noted that autism rates were rising in Montreal while MMR rates were falling off in Quebec (City). However, Yazbak was able to find vaccine surveys of the period which showed that uptake was still rising in Montreal ant the period the autism rate was rising:

"There are several published vaccine uptake surveys of Montreal . MMR vaccination rates of children 24 to 30 month-old in the Montreal area increased from 85.1% in 1983 (Baumgarten) (2) to 88.8% in 1996-97 (Valiquette) (3) to 96% in 2003-04 (Health Department Survey)"

http://www.jabs.org.uk/pages/yazbak-2cities.asp

[sdtech]

PCFree:

Today, one estimate of the Autism rate for the 4 million children born each year in the United States is one in one hundred. That is 40 thousand children each year!

Many of the characteristics of Autism are given on Table 1 on page 463 of Bernard S, Enayati A, Redwood L, Roger H, and Binstock T. Med. Hypotheses 2001, 56: 462-471.

The web site is http://www.generationrescue.org/pdf/bernard.pdf .

[PCFree]

Has anyone ever noticed that parents of Autistic children are usually very intelligent, imaginative, creative people? You never hear of an "average" or "below average" couple having an Autistic child? There is a reason for this. When a child with Autism "retreats" from the outside world, where do they go? Into their own head. They retreat into their imagination. Imaginative people's reality is based on both the outside world and the inside world. It is when the inside world is "louder" in the mind than the outside world that their reality is based on imagination rather than the physical outside world. These are the "dreamers", the artists, the thinkers who live in the world of "what could be" rather than "what is." Most people lack a strong sense of imagination. Their reality is based on outside stimulation and that imaginative voice in their head is mostly quiet. When a child genetically prone to a louder "voice" in their head is born, all the outside world input is new and loud enough to keep their attention upon it. As they get older (around 18 months) the outside world becomes "old hat" and the stronger inside world draws their reality to it. Only by increasing the intensity of the outside world can we keep them connected and once that connection solidifies, they will remain outside but still with a strong connection to their imaginative mind.

[JohnDanStone]

This is pure whimsy - nothing to with autism and it diagnostic criteria.

[PCFree]

Who is to say the diagnostic criteria is spot on when theystill don't have a clue how to nail this down? I am an Autistic along with my daughter, my father and his father. My wife is also Autistic along with her father. I think I have some insight to Autism. I think I get it better than most here.