Vaccines, autism, and the power of "Big Pharma"

[hardheadjarhead]

On John Stewart's "The Daily Show" last week, guest Robert Kennedy Jr. talked about the environmental impact of Thimerosal, a mecury based vaccine additive that has been implicated strongly in the recent epidemic of autism cases in children.

The autism rate in this country has exploded. In those states banning Thimerosal, the rate has declined. China has started receiving Thimerosal based vaccines from the U.S., and their autism rates have risen dramatically. The epidimeological link is damning...or not...depending on who you talk to.

Kennedy had done interviews on the autism/Thimerosal link with Salon and Rolling Stone, and also with ABC for its recent piece on autism. ABC mysteriously cancelled the show prior to its airing...and then rescheduled it only after vociferous complaints from parents groups around the nation.

However; the mention of Thimerosal was cut from the show, and according to Kennedy it was slanted in order to exonerate "Big Pharma," the pharmaceutical companies. Currently there is a potential class action suit--or suits--that could cost the pharmaceutical industry trillions (with a "t," note) of dollars. There is also legislation in process that will prevent any such litigation.

This issue is not a partisan one, as autism hits conservative households as well as liberal, and Republicans are stepping up to the plate to address this issue. Autism devastates families--and it does not discriminate.

The Rolling Stones article is below:

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/story/_/id/7395411?rnd=1122211517617&has-player=unknown

The link at the bottom noting the controversy is also worth mentioning.

An article in USA Today also discusses the issue:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2005-07-06-autism_x.htm


We have a number of members here with children with autism...and had one MT member who has autism. Still others of us work with children with autism. I offer this article as a topic of discussion and illumination for those not aware of the situation.


Regards,


Steve

 

[Makalakumu]

I wonder if this issue will be like hot like the Dioxin issue, but then slip back out of our political consciousness...

At the very least, as a parent, I want a list of the vaccines that contain Thimerosal so I can prevent my children from getting those.

This may be something we all want to talk to our doctors about before our children's vaccinations.

On the other hand, I don't think we need to prevent our children from getting any vaccinations. That is a pretty dangerous proposition, in my opinion.

 

[BlackCatBonz]

it seems to be one of those cases where the pharmaceutical corps know that there is a problem with it but dont want to openly admit it......kind of like cigarettes and cancer.
giving the public knowledge is the only way to effect change.

 

[Matt]

On John Stewart's "The Daily Show" last week, guest Robert Kennedy Jr. talked about the environmental impact of Thimerosal, a mecury based vaccine additive that has been implicated strongly in the recent epidemic of autism cases in children.

I disagree, and so does the CDC.

http://www.cdc.gov/nip/vacsafe/concerns/thimerosal/researchQAs.htm#findings

I work with autistic children. Some of the largest studies in the history of medicine have been done on this. They all tend to say the same thing. Like this one:

Research: NEW DANISH STUDY RULES OUT THIMEROSAL LINK TO AUTISM

http://www.autisticsociety.org/article58.html

Traditionally, autism is diagnosed at the age most kids finish their vaccines. (Coincidence)
So, parents think about the last thing that happened (vaccines) and naturally assume that because they happen about the same time, they are related.
However, in my experience, I've dealt with autistic kids that have and many who have not had their vaccinations. They were still autistic, just the ones without vaccinations were vulnerable to a lot more diseases.

Matt

 

[shesulsa]

I disagree, and so does the CDC.

http://www.cdc.gov/nip/vacsafe/concerns/thimerosal/researchQAs.htm#findings

A consistent cause and effect relationship between Thimerosal and Autism Spectrum Disorders has yet to be found, but to completely eliminate Thimerosal as a causitive in certain forms of autism is mistaken.

One could also point out that the CDC has been in bed with Big Pharma for decades.

I take everything the CDC says with a few cubic yards of salt. They have approved drug treatments for cancer (though we still don't know the cause of that and not all treatments work universally) but won't approve treatments for autism spectrum disorders unless they're controlled substances and insurance companies, though they will pay for the treatment of cancers (no cure guaranteed and no uniform treatment and no identifiable cause in 100% of cases) will not pay for treatment of autism (no cure guaranteed and no uniform treatment and no identifiable cause in 100% of cases).

I work with autistic children. Some of the largest studies in the history of medicine have been done on this. They all tend to say the same thing. Like this one:

Research: NEW DANISH STUDY RULES OUT THIMEROSAL LINK TO AUTISM

http://www.autisticsociety.org/article58.html

... and UC Davis says this study was flawed. In fact, all studies are flawed, if you look at their abstracts carefully.

Traditionally, autism is diagnosed at the age most kids finish their vaccines. (Coincidence)

Listen, when you have a beautiful child looking at you in the eyes and giggling and cuddly at 8 weeks until they go into seizures immediately after receiving vaccinations never to be the same again, you will question universal multi-jab vaccination without prior testing. And when you're turned away from the ER with a baby in your arms who is delirious in a 106 degree fever following vaccination and are told to just give him Tylenol and put him in an ice bath and that the reaction is normal ... you start to wake up a lttle from the fog the CDC has helped perpetuate about our mass pharma.

So, parents think about the last thing that happened (vaccines) and naturally assume that because they happen about the same time, they are related.

See my above comment.

However, in my experience, I've dealt with autistic kids that have and many who have not had their vaccinations. They were still autistic, just the ones without vaccinations were vulnerable to a lot more diseases.

Interesting to note that you did not address the problems many of these children have with processing all metals. Some have extremely high levels of copper in their livers (one of my son's classmates almost died from this). Some of these children who have never been exposed to lead will have lead toxicity.

Honestly, I don't know what causes autism and other neuroimmune / neurodevelopmental disorders - I personally think it's a soup that comes about with several catalysts in line and a different series perhaps for everyone - or several causes.

Some autistic children have health issues, some have none. Some have the measles virus in CSF, others don't. I think we're a long way off from being able to say that anything in particular does or does not cause autism - and, again, it could be not necessarily the cause but the catalyst in a chain of factors that all add up to cause disaster.

 

[hardheadjarhead]

Dr. Robert Byrd, UC Davis, pointed out the Danish study was flawed by the fact it used hospitalized autism patients until 1995, and then outpatients after that...muddling the results.

As for the CDC's assessment it isn't linked...that's been their stance for some time. Note that they set the national immunization schedule for children. Further, in spite of saying there isn't a link, they called for Thimerosal's removal, as did the National Institute of Medicine.

Understand too that Kennedy, through the Freedom of Information Act allegedly managed to get information showing that a CDC medical database of 100,000 children showed Thimerosal was directly linked to the increased autism rates.

I think its important to understand the weight that "Big Pharma" carries with these institutions. If Thimerosal is in fact responsible for the increase, they're going to use that clout in whatever way possible to ameliorate the damage done to them economically.

Don Imus, who interviewed Kennedy, said "I have had the most powerful people in the media tell me that its hopeless to go up against the pharmaceutical lobby.” They indeed are extraordinarily powerful, and undeniably so. This would cost them dearly.

Further, our vaccination programs have, admittedly, wiped out childhood diseases. Thus they've become a "sacred cow" of sorts that nobody is willing to touch.

The Homeland Security Act has in it a proviso that prevents pharmaceutical companies from being subpoenaed in connection to vaccine lawsuits. Later another bill was attached preventing children with neurological damage from suing the pharmaceutical companies for damages related to vaccines.

The office of the senator sponsoring this legislation says that such lawsuites "are of such magnitude that they could put vaccine producers out of business and limit our capacity to deal with a biological attack by terrorists."

There has been research implicating Thimerosal. One study in mice that replicated the immunization schedule for children showed that Thimerosal caused neurological damage in mice similar to that noted in children with autism.*

I cite that as one...there are others...but this is far too long a post as is.


Regards,



Steve


*"Neurotoxic effects of postnatal thimerosal are mouse strain-dependent"

M Hornig, D Chian, W. I. Lipkin

Greene Infectious Disease Laboratory, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, 722 W 168th St, New York, New York 10032