There was just no way I could listen in to the last IACC meeting. I have been keeping up with all the meetings, but yesterday it was not to be.
I knew it was going to be big, but it was way big. David Kirby tipped the hand when he blogged about how the Strategic Plan was going to include vaccine related research. Strange move–why blog about it before it was set in stone? Why not blog about it right after the December meeting when the language was discussed? A suspicious person would think that Mr. Kirby got wind that the vaccine language was in danger.
And, so it was. Here is a press release:
ALISON SINGER ANNOUNCES HER RESIGNATION AS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF AUTISM SPEAKS
Disagreement on Vaccine Research Prompts Departure
NEW YORK, NY (January 15, 2009) – Alison Tepper Singer, executive vice
president of communications and awareness for Autism Speaks, today
announced that she has resigned from her position with the advocacy
organization, effective next month.“It has been an honor and a pleasure to help to build this
organization into the preeminent autism advocacy group — the group
that has, in fact, elevated the word “autism” to the global
vocabulary,” said Singer. “I am grateful to Autism Speaks founders Bob
and Suzanne Wright for their leadership, insight, commitment and for
the tremendous support and love they have shown to my family and me.”“However, for some time I have had concerns about Autism Speaks’
policy on vaccine research. Dozens of credible scientific studies have
exonerated vaccines as a cause of autism. I believe we must devote
limited funding to more promising areas of autism research.”Singer resigned prior to the January 14th Interagency Autism
Coordinating Committee (IACC) meeting, at which the discussion of
vaccine research was to be continued from the December meeting, at the
request of one of the public members. Knowing she might cast a vote
with which Autism Speaks might disagree, she resigned from Autism
Speaks prior to the meeting. Singer serves as a public member of the
IACC and will continue to serve until 2011. She was appointed to the
IACC by outgoing HHS Secretary Michael Leavitt in 2007.The IACC, created via the Combating Autism Act of 2006, is responsible
for coordinating all efforts within the Department of Health and Human
Services (HHS) concerning autism spectrum disorder, including drafting
a Strategic Plan for autism research with budgetary requirements. At
the January meeing, the IACC voted to seek input on two proposed
studies of vaccines and autism from the National Vaccine Advisory
Committee Safey Working Group (NVAC), an HHS group specifically
charged with undertaking and coordinating scientific review of the
federal vaccine safety system, prior to including the proposals as
specific objectives in the strategic plan. Singer voted in favor of
this motion.Singer was the first professional hired by Autism Speaks when it
launched in 2005. She served as interim CEO for three months, then as
senior vice president and later as executive vice president. She also
served as a staff member of the board of directors until her
resignation. Singer has been responsible for directing the
organization’s award-winning awareness and strategic communications
programs, including its work with the Ad Council which was awarded
aprestigious “Effie” award in 2008 in recognition of the 43 percent
increase in overall autism awareness directly attributable to the
campaign. She also serves on the Executive Committee of the YaleChild
Study Center and on the board of directors of Autism Spectrum News, as
well as on numerous state and local autism advocacy committees. She
has appeared on Oprah, The Apprentice, NBC Nightly News, Good Morning
America, CBS Early Show and numerous other news programs discussing
autism issues.“My work with Autism Speaks and within the advocacy community has been
exceptionally rewarding, and I will continue to advocate on behalf of
my daughter, my brother and the millions of others affected by autism
spectrum disorder,” said Singer.
Autism Speaks has its own press release.
NEW YORK, NY (January 15, 2009) – Autism Speaks today decried a vote by the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) to reverse a previously voted-on decision to approve objectives relating to vaccine safety research as part of its deliberations for the Strategic Plan for Autism Research. The decision to debate removing these objectives was not posted on the meeting’s agenda, nor were the public members given any forewarning that this section of the plan – which was resolved at the previous IACC meeting in December — would be revisited. As a result, Autism Speaks is withdrawing its support for the Strategic Plan.
IACC met yesterday at the NIMH in Bethesda, MD, to finalize the Strategic Plan. As mandated by the Combating Autism Act of 2006, IACC must develop and annually update a strategic plan for the conduct of, and support for, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) research, including proposed budgetary requirements.
“We are angered and disappointed by this last-minute deviation in the painstaking process of approving the Strategic Plan. Members of the autism community have worked tirelessly during the last two years to develop a plan that would set the stage for significant progress and discoveries for autism research over the next five years,” said Bob Wright, co-founder of Autism Speaks. “In a matter of minutes, the Federal Members of the IACC destroyed much of the good will that had been established during the course of this process. Because of this surprise tactic, we now have a plan that is tainted and cannot be supported by the autism community.”
Five of the six public members voted against this revision. Autism Speaks Executive Vice President Alison Tepper Singer was the sole public member to cast a vote in support. The evening prior to the vote, Singer submitted her resignation to Autism Speaks – which was accepted – based on her intention to vote on certain Strategic Plan vaccine safety matters in a way that diverged from Autism Speaks’ position on this issue. Thus, in casting votes on January 14, she was acting as an individual public member of IACC and no longer as a representative of Autism Speaks.
“We are hopeful that the new administration will fulfill the intent of the Combating Autism Act and truly value and respect the input of the autism community,” added Wright. “It is imperative that we move forward and ensure that there is a Strategic Plan that meets the needs of the autism community. Autism Speaks is committed to being part of that process.”
Wow.
I have to point out something rather odd in the Autism Speaks version. Note that they claim
“The decision to debate removing these objectives was not posted on the meeting’s agenda, nor were the public members given any forewarning that this section of the plan – which was resolved at the previous IACC meeting in December — would be revisited”
This is given as the reason why they are withdrawing their support for the Plan, by the way.
Why point this out? How did Alison Singer know the night before to resign if there was no forewarning? How did Autism Speaks accept the resignation if there was no forewarning? And, in the speculation realm, why did David Kirby blog about the vaccine provisions if there was no idea that those provisions were in danger? As I noted above, the natural time to blog it was right after the December IACC meeting, but he delayed for some time. Come on, Autism Speaks. Admit it, you are pulling support because you wanted vaccine language, not because this was a surprise.
It took guts to do what Ms. Singer did. I know I can expect comments pointing back to the Autism Speaks video that Ms. Singer participated in, but I’d like to stress: it took a lot of guts to do what she did.
Oh yeah, Autism Speaks: You don’t speak for the “autism community” any more than Generation Rescue does. You certainly don’t speak for me on this issue.
Twitter Users
You can tweet your feelings about this issue at a dedicated debate site.
Left Brain Right Brain 
Yes, Autism Speaks seem to be having a small issue with timelines there. How can one be warned that a member intends to vote for something and then later claim they didn’t know there was going to be a vote?
I’m not ready to say ‘thanks’ to Tepper-Singer just yet. The memory of Autism Every Day contribution is too fresh and raw for that but I do acknowledge she stuck her neck out for the science.
Does she strike you as a scientifically-minded person?
I could only speculate as to what happened. Maybe it’s all politics. Maybe it’s a vote of protest. Perhaps she was being pressured to vote a certain way and she didn’t like that.
I find the Autism Speaks press release informative. They seem to be coming out clearly as an anti-vax organization now.
No, not much. But then, neither am I 🙂 we both changed our mind on the vaccine issue though.
Seems that Autism Speaks is not sure of what it’s speaing about? Considering the views expressed in the postings by Katie Wright on AOA, somehow these events do not seem so surprising.
In the light of recent events… can anyone explain the vitriolic Katie Wright-versus-parents wars that occurred less than a year ago? My strong impression was that Katie and her parents were at odds because Katie was anti-vax while her parents were not. In fact – unless I remember wrong – weren’t there dueling press releases in that situation as well?
So what happened? What made the Wrights suddenly switch sides to become so anti-vax that they were ready to dump Singer in the cause of a losing vote for limited funding?
Thanks for your info,
Lisa (autism.about.com)
I can’t imagine that the break between Ms. Singer and Autism Speaks is over this one incident. I could be wrong, though. The general question of vaccines probably was a big issue, and probably has been percolating for some time.
Lisa
the Wrights have both made anti-vaccine statements. But Autism Speaks is part of the mainstream. It employs old school scientists who work with federal agencies. The Wrights have generated a lot of money and publicity but the infrastructure is that of the old orgs it merged with – CAN and NAAR – which were committed to finding evidence based causes and cures. The tension inside AS reflects this contradiction.
The Wright’s strategy on IACC was for support for further vaccine research to get in on the coat tails of all the mainstream science in the plan. This made things dificult for Singer who resigned from AS to vote with her conscience.
Sounds like Autism Speaks is a pit of vipers and that the extremist anti-science & celebrity types are gaining favor there.
I have to wonder about the extremes that are going to have to be pushed by the lay leadership of AS for any real scientist affiliated with the organization to say “enough pseudoscience and ignorance, I’m out of here”. Apparently that point was met with Ms. Singer.
Hi
7 deaths per 1 000 in USA
2 deaths per 1 000 in Japan
I cannot see anything other than Vaccines to explain such a difference.
Japanese in USa die at three to four times their homebased comrades.
If deaths are vaccine related why not autism?
I am a scientist and however distasteful, you cannot ignore anything as a cause if you don’t know the cause.
The most surprising finding for me this century was that those who suffer most from mercury have the least mercury to be found in their hair etc.
No one has ever picked up on this apparently self evident fact in all the past years of science.
Vaccines are brilliant at getting rid of smallpox but for many the more you vaccinate the more you induce new forms of the illness.
Meningitis vaccine counters against 7 but does nothing for 83 and those include drug resistant forms.
Further there is clear evidence that vaccination causes a ten fold rise in the illness.
John Fryer said “7 deaths per 1 000 in USA
2 deaths per 1 000 in Japan”
From WHAT!? Especially since Japan has had endemic measles for a while with several deaths.
Another evidence free posting from John Fryer.
John Fryer said “I am a scientist”
No you are not. You may have been at one time, but not anymore. A real scientist would not specify a quantity without using the the units (2 out of 1000 deaths from WHAT?… what kind of statistic is that and where did it come from), nor would he/she blabber on about stuff without evidence.
Also a real scientist would change his/her opinion in light of actual evidence. You are going on about mercury when it has never even been in several vaccines, and was removed from all pediatric vaccines years ago.
Here is a request: Put up or shut up.
Or expect to be challenged each time I see one of your evidence free ramblings.
“I cannot see anything other than Vaccines to explain such a difference.”
There is your problem right there. I can think of hundreds of differences that could be used to explain the differences. Where is the US ranked in terms of health care again? Do you think that might have something to do with it? Duh.
“I am a scientist…”. Really? Where did you go to school and what degree did you get? Where do you do your research? Can you refer me to one of your publications?
“Meningitis vaccine counters against 7 but does nothing for 83 and those include drug resistant forms.”
Guess you didn’t get the memo: http://www.news-medical.net/?id=44973
“Further there is clear evidence that vaccination causes a ten fold rise in the illness.”
Citation please. It is soooo clear, let’s see the citation.
“the more you vaccinate the more you induce new forms of the illness.”
How does one “induce” a new form of illness from being vaccinated? I can suggest one…instead of dieing at 3 years old from a preventable infectious disease, the child lives for another 80 and has other non-infectious diseases during their life time. Or, do you have some insight on some special biological mechanisms the world is just waiting to hear about? Please John…tell us! You’re a genius! Tell us!
Hi HCN
A prussic reply to my post?
You are going on about mercury when it has never even been in several vaccines, and was removed from all pediatric vaccines years ago.
Mercury is in 17 of the current USA Vaccines as at 2009 January 16th
You can’t say mercury is out when it goes in thought the gates of every vaccine facility?
A ban is a ban. A gentlemans agreement is a gentlemans agreement.
You are not alone in thinking mercury is removed and this type of LIE is a form of propaganda.
Anyone who injects mercury into a new born or a foetus is guilty of attempted murder.
In Poland the new ‘flu’ vaccine killed 6 per cent of those who were injected with a mercury containing vaccine.
USA 7 deaths per 1 000
And
Japan 2 deaths per 1 000
These relate to the first years of life and come from Government statistics using Interntaionally defined meanings for DEATH.
What did they die of? They died from hearts that stopped beating.
Doctors are normally 20 per cent accurate when giving the cause of death so who knows the real reasons for the loss of a heartbeat but neurotoxic agents can do this quite easily.
They are both advanced countries and a difference of this order must have a reason.
One reason I mentioned is that USA has increasing vaccinations often ten at one go whereas Japan did stop their vaccines in the first year of life.
This isn’t about who the best or worst scientist but about how we stop 0 autism in most children a 100 years ago being 1 000 000 today, with differences from those you would argue are normal to those at the other end dead from SIDS. What kind of disease or illness is so continuously variable in severity?
John Fryer said “blah blah blah blah”
Without any evidence. Just because you make up a bunch of stuff does not mean it is true.
Especially with this bold faced lie: “One reason I mentioned is that USA has increasing vaccinations often ten at one go whereas Japan did stop their vaccines in the first year of life.”
Liar, liar, liar!!!!
That is patently untrue, and I have the evidence: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15889991?
“An antivaccine movement developed in Japan as a consequence of increasing numbers of adverse reactions to whole-cell pertussis vaccines in the mid-1970s. After two infants died within 24 h of the vaccination from 1974 to 1975, the Japanese government temporarily suspended vaccinations. Subsequently, the public and the government witnessed the re-emergence of whooping cough, with 41 deaths in 1979. This series of unfortunate events revealed to the public that the vaccine had, in fact, been beneficial. Furthermore, researchers and the Japanese government proceeded to develop safer pertussis vaccines. Japan now has the most experience worldwide with acellular pertussis vaccines, being the first country to have approved their use. This review describes the major events associated with the Japanese vaccination program. The Japanese experience should be valuable to other countries that are considering the development and use of such vaccines.”
And http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18939481?
“An outbreak of adult measles in 2007 in Japan revealed the poor immunization strategy that active implementation has not been conducted for fear of prosecution in vaccine adverse events. After 2000, many amendments in immunization law were promulgated but did not always provide a favorable circumstance for immunization schedule. Especially, the discontinuation of recommendation of Japanese encephalitis vaccine was decided soon after the occurrence of serious neurological adverse event and seemed a big fault for the prevention of illness in a long run. These are liable to cause misunderstanding for shirking the responsibilities. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) was organized to discuss and consider the future immunization strategy in many countries besides USA. In Japan, we should organize the steering committee to manage the immunization law with flexibility in order to cope with the infectious diseases.”
There is the problem with making up stuff, you get caught.
“Mercury is in 17 of the current USA Vaccines as at 2009 January 16th”
Not in California. No vaccine given to a child or pregnant woman contains thimerosal. Are you going to tell us that California health stats can demonstrate that the complete absence of the preservative grants lower levels of autism and improved pediatric outcomes, including death?
Can you cite that for us John? No, of course not. You’ll skip that one too.
Just so you understand…another remedial concept…that just because alternative formulations of a vaccine are made, doesn’t mean they are used with the same frequency. Marketing data clearly demonstrates this. The vast majority of children adhering to the recommended schedule in the US do not receive any vaccines with thimerosal in them. Sorry to point out that major gaping hole in your delusion. Hey, but keep trying.
“Japan did stop their vaccines in the first year of life.”
Uh huh. http://idsc.nih.go.jp/yosoku/vacpdf/EN_05-1.pdf
Hi RJ
We are talking apples and pears here. I said that mercury is still in 17 USA vaccines and this is true.
I did not say that there was mercury in California vaccines so I am ion 100 per cent agreement with you here but that wasn’t the topic. Some States do show immense common sense and compassion for children.
So take California then:
The rates of increase in autism in California look like this:
2000-2002 42 per cent rise in rate of autism
2002-2004 18 per cent rise in rate of autism
2004-2006 7 per cent rise in rate of autism
So yes, the autism is going up but something has slowed it down in stronger and stronger ways.
What has stopped in California to help this slow down?
Looking at the time when they put mercury first into vaccines and gave them at one day of age
We see:
1992-1994 rise in rate of autism 80 per cent.
As for Japan, I take it that they did stop vaccines for a while I will check back on that. If you have a problem its often good to halt and consider.
But USA has the greatest number of vaccines given and at an earlier age and in more numbers at one go than in all European countries where autism runs at a ten fold less rate and is a completely different scale of problem.
Interestingly many of these countries have abandoned mercury a long time ago also helping to get levels of autism insignificant in comparison with the USA.
“The rates of increase in autism in California look like this:
2000-2002 42 per cent rise in rate of autism
2002-2004 18 per cent rise in rate of autism
2004-2006 7 per cent rise in rate of autism”
Can you please, please, please provide the source of this data.
Hi RJ
Thanks for that Japan vaccine link
If you look at it, it shows a window of opportunity for getting the vaccines on schedule.
Your chart shows exactly what I am saying.
You can delay your first Japan vaccine until exactly 1 year of age and still be in 100 per cent accord with Japanese 2005 practice.
What I actually meant was the time a bit earlier when it was not acceptable to get a vaccine before you were more than a year old in Japan.
At any event, one year or before is not the same as a mercury vaccine at age one day to a possibly three week premature infant which was the USA case from 1991 to 2000 and after when autism rates were rising at 80 per cent per year back then. Today the rise is down to a mere 7 per cent but still 7 per cent to high.
USA 7 deaths per 1 000
And
Japan 2 deaths per 1 000
These relate to the first years of life and come from Government statistics using Interntaionally defined meanings for DEATH.
Ah, but did they use the same definition of BIRTH???
The worst statistics in the world are those that compare longevity across cultures. This is because different countries and cultures use different definitions of when you are born. Some countries (including Asian ones) don’t count you as being born until you are 24-72 hours old (or even longer in some rural areas).
Let’s say for the sake of argument that 2/500 babies in each of three countries is born prematurely with meconium aspiration. Thus, take 6 babies, all born prematurely and who have meconium aspiration. 2 are in Japan (modern medical system, but late reporting of birth) 2 are in a rural are of a different Asian country without significant medical resources (no resources in area, late reporting birth) and 2 are in the US (modern medical system and early reporting of birth). Now let’s say that in the Japanese cohort, 1 baby dies in 24 hours, and the other lives for a month before dying. In the rural area of a different Asian country, both babies die within 72 hours. In the US, like Japan, one baby dies in 24 hours, and one dies in a month. What are the “death rates” for each country?
Japan- 2/1000
Other country- 0/1000
US- 4/1000
So, whereas more kids survive with the modern medical care in the US and Japan, the “other country” scores highest (for least baby deaths), while Japan outscores the US because of late reporting of birth.
These skewed birth statistics also lower average age expectancy in countries (like the US) where early birth is recorded.
Joe
“If you look at it, it shows a window of opportunity for getting the vaccines on schedule”
Are we looking at the same figure? Window of opportunity? No. On the side it clearly states ‘Immunization law’, as opposed to the block below that states ‘voluntary vaccination’. It shows that ALL Japanese children must receive the polio, DaTP/DT, measles, rubella, encephalitis, and BCG tuberculosis vaccines (which American children do not get), with polio, DaTP, BCG all given multiple times before 1 year.
Like Club 166 (Joe) said, comparing infant mortality rates between the USA and Japan is like comparing apples with oranges. Even the Vaccines=Autism Goddess says so:
http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/articles/060924/2healy.htm
Actually, the issues are more complex and have to do with access to health care, if very low weight births are counted, poverty levels, etc. These are noted in this paper (which actually discounts the difference in counting methods):
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db09.htm , which says “In 2005, 36.5% of infant deaths in the United States were due to preterm-related causes of death, a 5% increase since 2000. The impact of preterm-related causes of death was even higher for non-Hispanic black and Puerto Rican women.”
John Fryer, you do not know what you are talking about. There is no such drop in the rise, unless you are looking at prevalence by birth year, and fail to left censor it (because recent years have lots of undiagnosed kids). You have to look at prevalence by age – more accurate for trend determination.
In fact, I suspect you got that from blog post that made the mistaken claim.
Notice the fact that he has not, will not, and cannot substantiate any of his claims.
J.F. is worse than Cliff Clavin.
The expression here is ‘talking out of ones’ ass’.
What should be emphasized, actually, is the more general conceptual mistake. If in fact the autism rates were leveling off, why would this be unusual? Should we expect the rate to continue to increase indefinitely until everyone in California is labeled autistic? That’s not reasonable. Obviously the rate needs to level off at some point and it doesn’t need an environmental change in order to level off.
In fact, when you remove an environmental insult that supposedly caused the rise in the first place, the rise should be reversed; no leveling off; you should see a clear drop.
Hi Missed some posts here
I do not hold that mercury is the sole cause of autism.
But neither do I hold it is reasonable to say that mercury is out of California vaccines while it is still in USA vaccines in general. The COCK UP is a real event.
There is no argument from any scientific, government or regulatory body that mercury has NO place in our vaccines.
Yes of course the numbers of autism must level off to a maximum but if the government is serious it would have banned mercury ten years ago and in reality 20 years ago. Thank god some people can resist any SHIT thrown at them. So stop INSULTING me.
We then have the problem that the definition of autism includes those who are nearly normal and this skews figures.
Also the removal of mercury IF it is true and in this game you trust nothing then there will be huge increases say in other toxic metals and nickel is turning up in metal assays for autism now.
We have studies of vaccinated and non vaccinated populations that indicate the rate of autism is much lower and now we even have found a vaccinated group with autism which shows genetic factors are minor.
The figures for California were my own analysis from government or California autism figures which as said give NO clue to severity.
Finally Bernadine Healy and even Mrs Singer believe in other neurotoxins as involved in some multicompartment way.
Nothing can ever be ruled out until we have a DEFINITE cause or causes for autism.
It is my belief that we need to come together as it serves nothing to allow autism to rise and just argue amongst those GENUINELY wanting solutions.
The levelling off in California should be good news.
If we look at other toxins like aspartame we begin to see again that powerful interests are very ready to kill or maim our people if those who realise the danger just sit and watch idly.
I would repeat – where is the evidence that it is SAFE to inject thimerosal into ANY HUMAN?
Mercury currently in 17 of our 2009 USA vaccines and shipped to CHina where autism has risen a 1 000 fold in ten years.
There are currently more than 1 million autism cases in CHINA.
Let’s work together and solve autism
UNLESS we are part of the PROBLEM that has let it run out of control now for 20 years.
John Fryer said – “It is my belief that we need to come together as it serves nothing to allow autism to rise and just argue amongst those GENUINELY wanting solutions.”
That is exactly what the IACC did. They found so much that needed to be done in education, identification, and delivery of services for quality of life issues, that they took the one issue that prevents people from working together off of the table.
Dear John Fryer, I mean this kindly, but my heart always sinks when I read posts like yours. Do you by any chance know how to fly an aircraft, perform brain surgery, write a new operating system for MacBooks?
I think it’s quite legitimate for anyone to offer their views and try to understand complex subjects, but I really do think you need to get a grip.
The epidemiology of autism is an immensely complex subject. Epidemiologists are not all crooks, or part of some giant conspiracy to injure children. The drug industry hardly employs any epidemiologists, and does next to nothing to support this area of medicine. A young epidemiologist could make a career-changing name for themself if they could show that the incidence or prevalence of autism had anything at all to do with vaccines. None has, and some small number have tried.
Why don’t you just quit your nonsensical pontifications? You do nobody a favor, but promote misinformation, misunderstanding and confusion.
John Fryer was repeating the same Japanese vaccine schedule lie on Bad Astronomy.
Anyway, I was listening to the 13th Skeptic Zone podcast, http://www.skepticzone.tv/, and was reminded of this wonderful and very well titled webpage:
http://www.ratbags.com/rsoles/vaxliars/vaccines.htm
Want to feel the real pain of this topic..
You have a 6 year old boy diagnosed at 4 with autistic symptoms, you stop giving him vaccinations and go gluten free with plenty of vitamins. Almost all of those symptoms go away in two years. Doctors admit he is on track and seemed to defeat the odds. You live in NJ, its the law in order to go to school you need to shoot him up with 50 more vaccinations. Will this set him back, could he become autistic again overnight, over time – answer today is Maybe- what do you do…you hold the gun up to his head, do you do it or not.
Stay out of this conversation until you have to hold the gun up to your own kid or you don’t understand it.
dad – 90% of the people in this conversation do. I suggest you stay out of this conversation and in particular throwing orders around until you know slightly more than jack shit.
Dad,
you seem to have even the “facts” of the biomed/vaccine argument a bit mixed. And, yes, the majority of the people who write and comment on this site are well acquainted with the realities of autism.
Ok I’m out, stupid me. BTW, I didn’t mention any facts on the issue, just a kid (Trent not Jack S) who is no longer in these stats.
The issue (stupid me believes if you go back to the top of the page) is about further looking into the connection- more vacs-more autism, not ignoring or dismissing it like the IACC continues to do.
In the meantime vacs issue needs to be pro-choice, parents decide the fate of their kids well being not some group of Parma execs or docs silenced by their MD oath. BTW, if you are over 40 you had the measles and chicken pox and your ok.
So, 90% of you have kids with Autism and you continue to vaccinate your kids with heavy metals??? Your not interested if there is a connection. You think Tepper is a hero??? Really??? Really???
Your right, I don’t get it. I’ll stay out of it.
If you’re not interested in the opinions of actual parents and actual autistic people, then yes, you should stay out of it.
” BTW, if you are over 40 you had the measles and chicken pox and your ok.”
Unless the measles or chicken pox killed you, or blinded you or deafened you. But dead is better than being autistic, right?
Way too much infighting;
If I understand correctly the IACC voted to fund vaccine/autism studies at one point in time, then reversed that vote.
Of course this requires much explanation. A prominent member of an Autism Advocacy Group resigning the night before a vote where it was expected she vote for the vaccine/autism link research.. this smacks of political or financial gain, not a mere “vote of conscience”… Her personal opinion should not matter but the will of the people she represented at Autism Speaks. but there’s bound to be more that I am not aware of.
I’m sure many of you are better informed about autism and thimerosal than I am but I do have some information I haven’t seen brought up relating to vaccines and autism.
In addition to the mercury issue there are other substances in vaccines I haven’t seen raised as a potential problem.
You should start looking into how the target antigens are produced for vaccines and the contaminants they bring along with them.
Most antigens nowadays are produced by genetically engineered bacteria or yeasts in large vats. To get at the antigens the cell walls have to be destroyed releasing the antigens and substantial cellular debris into the bacterial/yeast toxic soup.
The purification process is never pure and the antigens will be contaminated with endotoxins, DNA fragments and other debris.
Why does this matter? In 1989 cellular debris in an over-the-counter dietary supplement, L-Tryptophan, caused hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries to Canadians and Americans.
The toxins were ingested, yet what survived digestion and was absorbed remained potent enough to cause a condition now known as Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome.
This is an auto-immune disorder characterized by intense pain as the immune system attacks the nervous system. The CDC/FDA/Mayo Clinic determined quickly that a single manufacturer’s tryptophan caused the poisoning, but the FDA instigated a recall of ALL tryptophan products. It is thought this was done to protect Genetic Engineering from scrutiny/criticism as the company, Showa Denko, was the only tryptophan manufacturer to use gene altered bacteria at the time.
In the case of vaccines, this debris is being injected directly into children, rather than absorbed through the adult digestive tract. The toxins are coming from different organisms, which could be more or less toxic than the tryptophan debris. But a possible link of this debris to problems in vaccinated children should definitely be studied.
It is contrary to good scientific method not to do so.
You need to search the archives of this site. Most, if not all of what you raise has been discussed.