by David Kirby and published by Age of Autism - Here
It is not accurate for members of the media to report that the link between vaccines has been “disproven.” This is especially true in light of recent news from the National Vaccine Advisory Committee, and a series of news items from the Federal Court of Claims, Federal health agencies, leading universities and top autism researchers around the country. There are now many reasons why the media should continue its coverage of this serious and ongoing debate:
THE NATIONAL VACCINE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (NVAC)
On Friday, February 27, a special group convened by The Keystone Center on behalf of the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Vaccine Advisory Committee Vaccine Safety Working Group (NVAC VSWG) recommended appointing a panel of experts to explore the strengths and weaknesses of conducting studies on health outcomes in vaccinated vs. unvaccinated populations. The group, known as the “Salt Lake City Writing Group,” said it was “desirable” to include autism as one such health outcome.
As they stated in a draft “consensus statement”:
“(There is) a strong desire to study the health impact of the immunization schedule, potentially through a ‘vaccinated vs. unvaccinated study’. Outcomes to assess include biomarkers of immunity and metabolism, and outcomes including but not limited to neurodevelopmental outcomes, allergies, asthma, immune-mediated diseases, and learning disabilities. The inclusion of autism as an outcome is desired”
The Writing Group supported a recommendation to “charge an expert panel with evaluating study designs for research on the impact of the standard schedule of vaccination on an array of health outcomes of significant public interest. This draft charge is responsive to issues raised at community meetings in Alabama, Oregon, and Indiana as well as the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee request for collaboration with the National Vaccine Program Office.”
Writing Group members who drafted the statement included Federal and State health officials, Federal vaccine officials, CDC officials, and leaders of autism and vaccine safety advocacy groups. They included the following individuals:
Federal Health Agencies and Panels
CDC:
Roger Bernier, Ph.D., MPH, Senior Advisor, CDC
Elizabeth Skillen, PhD, MS, Policy Analyst, Immunization Safety Office, CDC
HHS:
Bruce Gellin, M.D., MPH, Director, HHS National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO) and Executive Secretary of NVAC
Dan Salmon, Ph.D., Vaccine Safety Specialist, HHS - NVPO
Ben Schwartz, M.D., former Associate Director for Science, HHS and Medical Director for CARE
NVAC:
Guthrie Birkhead, M.D., MPH Chair, HHS National Vaccine Advisory Committee (NVAC) and member of NVAC Vaccine Safety Working Group, also Deputy Commissioner, Office of Public Health, NY State Dept. of Health
Andrew Pavia, M.D., NVAC Member & Chair, NVAC Vaccine Safety Working Group and with Dept. of Pediatrics, Utah School of Medicine
Chris Carlson, Ph.D., NVAC Vaccine Safety Working Group Member, and with Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center, Seattle
Lance Gordon, Ph.D., NVAC and member of NVAC Vaccine Safety Working Group
James Mason, M.D., DrPH, NVAC Member and member of NVAC Vaccine Safety Working Group, former CDC Director and former Assistant Secretary of Health
Tawny Buck, member of NVAC Vaccine Safety Working Group, parent of DPT brain injured daughter
State & Local Public Health Agencies and Organizations
Anna Buchannan, MPH, Senior Director, Immunization & Infectious Disease, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO)
Jim Shames, M.D., Medical Director, Jackson County Health Department, OR
David Sundwall, M.D., Executive Director, Utah Department of Health
Collette Young; Ph.D., MS, Surveillance & Training Manager, Oregon Public Health Division, Immunization Program, OR Public Health Division
Robert Bednarczyk, NVAC Research Analyst, NY Department of Health
University/Academic
Joseph A. Bocchini, Jr., M.D., Professor & Chairman, Department of Pediatrics, Louisiana State University
Margaret Dunkle, Senior Fellow, Center for Health Policy Research, George Washington University and Director, Early Identification and Intervention Collaborative, LA County
Alan Greene, M.D., Clinical Profession, Division of General Pediatrics, Packard Children's Hospital, Stanford University School of Medicine;
Heather Zwickey, Ph.D., Dean of Research and Associate Professor of Immunology, National College of Natural Medicine, Oregon
Autism or Vaccine Organizations
Peter Bell, Executive Vice President, Programs and Services, Autism Speaks
Sallie Bernard, Executive Director, Safe Minds
Vicky Debold, PhD, RN, Director of Patient Safety, National Vaccine Information Center;
Barbara Loe Fisher, Co-founder & President, National Vaccine Information Center
Members of Public or Other Child Health Groups
Tracy Cron, RN and mother who attended the Birmingham public engagement workshop
Dennis Johnson, MS, Executive VP, Policy & Advocacy, Children's Health Fund, NYC
Debbie McCune Davis, Program Director, Arizona Partnership for Immunization, Arizona State Senator
(*PLEASE SEE THE DRAFT CONSENSUS STATEMENT at Age of Autism, link above)
Showing posts with label vaccine safety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vaccine safety. Show all posts
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Sunday, February 15, 2009
SafeMinds' Response to Autism Omnibus Court Decision
From the SafeMinds statement,
Washington, D.C. - February 12, 2009 - Autism advocacy organization SafeMinds regrets today's ruling by the U.S Court of Federal Claims against three families who argued that vaccination contributed to their child's autism. The denial of reasonable compensation to families was based on inadequate vaccine safety science available to the court. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the defendant in vaccine injury cases and is also responsible for carrying out the very vaccine safety research that should be integral to court decisions. This conflict of interest means the deck is stacked against families when they enter "vaccine court" and is yet one more reason for parents to doubt the integrity of the National Immunization Program.
Read the full statement here.
Washington, D.C. - February 12, 2009 - Autism advocacy organization SafeMinds regrets today's ruling by the U.S Court of Federal Claims against three families who argued that vaccination contributed to their child's autism. The denial of reasonable compensation to families was based on inadequate vaccine safety science available to the court. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the defendant in vaccine injury cases and is also responsible for carrying out the very vaccine safety research that should be integral to court decisions. This conflict of interest means the deck is stacked against families when they enter "vaccine court" and is yet one more reason for parents to doubt the integrity of the National Immunization Program.
Read the full statement here.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Gardisil Safety
The CDC recommends the Gardisil Vaccine for girls as young as nine (CDC Schedule ) There have been numerous media reports about adverse event related to this vaccine.
In my own social and family network, I know of three girls who became very ill after receiving the Gardisil Vaccine.
CBS News - New Worries About Gardisil Safety, here
view the segment here,
New York Times - Blaming the Media for the Gardisil Hype - Here
News Inferno- Gardisil Researcher Criticizes Moves to Make HPV Vaccine Mandatory - Here
Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, VAERS (the governments official tracking system for reporting vaccine injuries)
1,016 adverse events have been reported since June '06, here, Select HPV4 from the "vaccine" field and then select "find"
VAERS Report by type of event - as of October 6, 2008, Here
What is Gardisil and HPV infection
CDC - HPV Infection Here
NVIC- Gardisil and HPV Infection - Get the Facts - Here
In my own social and family network, I know of three girls who became very ill after receiving the Gardisil Vaccine.
CBS News - New Worries About Gardisil Safety, here
view the segment here,
New York Times - Blaming the Media for the Gardisil Hype - Here
News Inferno- Gardisil Researcher Criticizes Moves to Make HPV Vaccine Mandatory - Here
Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System, VAERS (the governments official tracking system for reporting vaccine injuries)
1,016 adverse events have been reported since June '06, here, Select HPV4 from the "vaccine" field and then select "find"
VAERS Report by type of event - as of October 6, 2008, Here
What is Gardisil and HPV infection
CDC - HPV Infection Here
NVIC- Gardisil and HPV Infection - Get the Facts - Here
Should I Vaccinate My Baby? - Vaccine Safety - Why The Controversy?
Following are a series of articles and other information that I have found through my own personal research and reading regarding the vaccine safety controversy.
Most of these articles are posted individually on this blog but I compiled this list because the most common search criteria leading people to my blog is,"Should I vaccinate my baby?" This tells me people are concerned about the controversy therefore I felt the need to create a single source to help parents get started.
1. This is the most important thing anyone needs to hear about vaccine safety, in my opinion. This is a CBS News interview of the former Director of the National Institute of Health and Former Director of the American Red Cross. She is currently Health Editor for US News & World Report. Dr. Bernadine Healy. Watch the video here.
2. Also from CBS News, How Independent are Vaccine Defenders? A follow the money story, here.
3) CNN - Should I Vaccinate My Baby? (see the video link in red) here
4) Article regarding new study by UC Davis that finds the increase rate of autism is not due to better diagnosis and environmental factors should be researched. The actual study summary,here The article from Huffington Post, here
5)Artlicle by Dr. Robert Sears regarding aluminum in vaccines, here
6) Goalposts - An excellent overview of history regarding Thimerosal and other concerns regarding studies by JB Handley, founder of Generation Rescue, here
7)Feeding A Hungry Lie - Also by JB Handley, more on the questionable studies that are marketed as disproving a link between autism and vaccines, here
8) FDA e-mails that explain that mercury(thimerosal)is removed from vaccines via a purification process but still used in the manufacture of vaccines here follow-up here
9) A series of Recent articles by David Kirby regarding info coming out of the Department of Defense concerning questions surrounding vaccine safety
- Aug 14 David Kirby on an American Troop Threat here
- Sept. 22 NY Rep Carolyn Maloney Questions Vaccine Safety in the Military, here
- Dec 02 DoD and CDC:Studies Suggest a Possible Link Between Multiple Vaccines and Injury, here
- Dec 11 The Pentagon: A Voice of Reason on Vaccines and Autism? here
10) This is an amazing panel discussion from both sides. It is very long...but excellent, here (scroll to bottom for webcast link) The Q&A at the end is a very good representation that defenders of the current vaccine schedule seem completely in the dark regarding what the true concerns might be.
11) For more information on Vaccine Safety visit the National Vaccine Information Csnter
12) The Other Side
The National Network for Immunization Information
The CDC
Update: I have received many hits on this post. Please comment and let me know if this information was helpful in your research.
Most of these articles are posted individually on this blog but I compiled this list because the most common search criteria leading people to my blog is,"Should I vaccinate my baby?" This tells me people are concerned about the controversy therefore I felt the need to create a single source to help parents get started.
1. This is the most important thing anyone needs to hear about vaccine safety, in my opinion. This is a CBS News interview of the former Director of the National Institute of Health and Former Director of the American Red Cross. She is currently Health Editor for US News & World Report. Dr. Bernadine Healy. Watch the video here.
2. Also from CBS News, How Independent are Vaccine Defenders? A follow the money story, here.
3) CNN - Should I Vaccinate My Baby? (see the video link in red) here
4) Article regarding new study by UC Davis that finds the increase rate of autism is not due to better diagnosis and environmental factors should be researched. The actual study summary,here The article from Huffington Post, here
5)Artlicle by Dr. Robert Sears regarding aluminum in vaccines, here
6) Goalposts - An excellent overview of history regarding Thimerosal and other concerns regarding studies by JB Handley, founder of Generation Rescue, here
7)Feeding A Hungry Lie - Also by JB Handley, more on the questionable studies that are marketed as disproving a link between autism and vaccines, here
8) FDA e-mails that explain that mercury(thimerosal)is removed from vaccines via a purification process but still used in the manufacture of vaccines here follow-up here
9) A series of Recent articles by David Kirby regarding info coming out of the Department of Defense concerning questions surrounding vaccine safety
- Aug 14 David Kirby on an American Troop Threat here
- Sept. 22 NY Rep Carolyn Maloney Questions Vaccine Safety in the Military, here
- Dec 02 DoD and CDC:Studies Suggest a Possible Link Between Multiple Vaccines and Injury, here
- Dec 11 The Pentagon: A Voice of Reason on Vaccines and Autism? here
10) This is an amazing panel discussion from both sides. It is very long...but excellent, here (scroll to bottom for webcast link) The Q&A at the end is a very good representation that defenders of the current vaccine schedule seem completely in the dark regarding what the true concerns might be.
11) For more information on Vaccine Safety visit the National Vaccine Information Csnter
12) The Other Side
The National Network for Immunization Information
The CDC
Update: I have received many hits on this post. Please comment and let me know if this information was helpful in your research.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Regarding the IACC actions - Autism, Vaccines and the CDC: The Wrong Side of History
by; R.F.K. Jr and David Kirby
Read the full article here
Even as the evidence connecting America's autism epidemic to vaccines mounts, dead-enders at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) -- many of whom promoted the current vaccine schedule and others with strong ties to the vaccine industry -- are trying to delay the day of reckoning by creating questionable studies designed to discredit any potential vaccine-autism link and by derailing authentic studies.
On January 12, a cadre of mid-level health bureaucrats left over from the Bush administration ignored Federal requirements for advance notice in order to vote to quietly strip vaccine research studies from funding allocated by Congress in the Combating Autism Act (CAA) of 2006. Members of Congress had said that this money should be used to study the vaccine-autism connection.
These rogue bureaucrats -- members of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee -- held an unannounced vote to remove previously approved vaccine studies from funding under the CAA. Nearly all of the "Federal" members of the panel voted to remove the two studies, whose estimated cost was $16 million - or 1.6% of the billion dollars authorized by Congress for autism. The panel's civilian members, in contrast, voted nearly unanimously to retain the funding.
IACC's action to halt vaccine-autism research flies in the face of congressional intent. The bill's authors clearly stated that vaccine research should be funded. Even the esteemed Institute of Medicine has condemned CDC's methods. In 2005, an IOM panel condemned CDC for its "lack of transparency" in vaccine-autism research.
Read the full article here
Even as the evidence connecting America's autism epidemic to vaccines mounts, dead-enders at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) -- many of whom promoted the current vaccine schedule and others with strong ties to the vaccine industry -- are trying to delay the day of reckoning by creating questionable studies designed to discredit any potential vaccine-autism link and by derailing authentic studies.
On January 12, a cadre of mid-level health bureaucrats left over from the Bush administration ignored Federal requirements for advance notice in order to vote to quietly strip vaccine research studies from funding allocated by Congress in the Combating Autism Act (CAA) of 2006. Members of Congress had said that this money should be used to study the vaccine-autism connection.
These rogue bureaucrats -- members of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee -- held an unannounced vote to remove previously approved vaccine studies from funding under the CAA. Nearly all of the "Federal" members of the panel voted to remove the two studies, whose estimated cost was $16 million - or 1.6% of the billion dollars authorized by Congress for autism. The panel's civilian members, in contrast, voted nearly unanimously to retain the funding.
IACC's action to halt vaccine-autism research flies in the face of congressional intent. The bill's authors clearly stated that vaccine research should be funded. Even the esteemed Institute of Medicine has condemned CDC's methods. In 2005, an IOM panel condemned CDC for its "lack of transparency" in vaccine-autism research.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Autism Action Alert: Protest Federal Autism Committee’s Deceitful Reversal on Vaccine-Autism Research
Autism Action Alert:
Protest Federal Autism Committee’s Deceitful Reversal on Vaccine-Autism Research
Click HERE to participate in the Autism Action Network, Action Alert
The inexcusable actions of the Federal members of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) in retracting vaccine-autism studies must be stopped. Sound science must move forward, not thwarted by Federal agencies with vested interests in on-going vaccine-autism injury litigation.
The autism advocacy organizations listed below implore parents of children with autism - and all those who care about the burgeoning rate of autism and its toll on the health of our children - to take immediate action.
We are asking you to write a letter of disapproval to key government decision-makers on autism. Click here to go to our web site. Once on our web site or, if you are reading this on our site, scroll down the web site page for a sample letter and instructions on sending messages to our Federal officials responsible for autism research. Your letter will be sent to President Obama, your Senators and Representatives, HHS Secretary Tom Daschle, the Senate HELP Committee, Senators Christopher Dodd, Joe Lieberman, and Edward Kennedy, and Congressmen Chris Smith and Joe Barton.
Your letters are needed NOW. The next IACC meeting is Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - less than two weeks away!
Here is what happened. Click here (http://www.safeminds.org/pressroom/iacc-blocks-vaccine-au...) here (http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/01/iacc-rescinds-vaccine-...) for more details.
In a highly unusual departure from procedure, government representatives to the IACC voted on January 14th against conducting studies on vaccine-autism research despite approval of the same studies at their prior meeting on December 12, 2008. The research was supported by numerous autism organizations and requested by IACC’s scientific work groups and Congress. The maneuver to re-vote was initiated by the IACC’s representative from the CDC and pushed through by the IACC Chair, Dr. Tom Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health of NIH. Review of the studies was not listed on the committee’s official agenda, in violation of normal committee practice.
Unlike most Federal advisory committees, the IACC is dominated by government representatives occupying 12 of the 18 seats. Dr. Insel admitted at the meeting that HHS agencies (which includes NIH and CDC) have a conflict of interest in conducting vaccine-autism research due to “Vaccine Court” litigation in which HHS is the defendant. Of the 6 non-government (public) members, 5 voted to retain the vaccine research at the January meeting. The lone dissenting public member resigned from her organization, Autism Speaks, the night before the meeting. Autism Speaks has issued a statement denouncing her vote.
The Federal members of the IACC must know that the autism community objects to their manipulation of committee procedures to block unbiased research on the possible link between vaccines and autism.
They must hear that parents demand reinstatement by the IACC of the vaccine studies that were already part of the IACC’s Autism Research Strategic Plan, and to restore the funding already allocated to this research.
They must acknowledge the inherent conflict of interest of the NIH/CDC in conducting research on vaccine safety. Research initiatives MUST be coordinated by an independent committee that includes equal numbers of representatives from the autism-vaccine injured community and conducted by independent and non-biased entities.
We also urge parents to attend the February 4th IACC meeting in Washington DC if they are able to. Click here for the IACC website http://iacc.hhs.gov/events/ to register. We encourage you to sign up to make a public comment at the meeting.
Autism Action Network (AAN)
Autism One
Autism Research Institute
Generation Rescue
National Autism Association (NAA)
SafeMinds
Schafer Report
Talk About Curing Autism (TACA)
U.S. Autism & Asperger Association
Unlocking Autism
Protest Federal Autism Committee’s Deceitful Reversal on Vaccine-Autism Research
Click HERE to participate in the Autism Action Network, Action Alert
The inexcusable actions of the Federal members of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) in retracting vaccine-autism studies must be stopped. Sound science must move forward, not thwarted by Federal agencies with vested interests in on-going vaccine-autism injury litigation.
The autism advocacy organizations listed below implore parents of children with autism - and all those who care about the burgeoning rate of autism and its toll on the health of our children - to take immediate action.
We are asking you to write a letter of disapproval to key government decision-makers on autism. Click here to go to our web site. Once on our web site or, if you are reading this on our site, scroll down the web site page for a sample letter and instructions on sending messages to our Federal officials responsible for autism research. Your letter will be sent to President Obama, your Senators and Representatives, HHS Secretary Tom Daschle, the Senate HELP Committee, Senators Christopher Dodd, Joe Lieberman, and Edward Kennedy, and Congressmen Chris Smith and Joe Barton.
Your letters are needed NOW. The next IACC meeting is Wednesday, February 4, 2009 - less than two weeks away!
Here is what happened. Click here (http://www.safeminds.org/pressroom/iacc-blocks-vaccine-au...) here (http://www.ageofautism.com/2009/01/iacc-rescinds-vaccine-...) for more details.
In a highly unusual departure from procedure, government representatives to the IACC voted on January 14th against conducting studies on vaccine-autism research despite approval of the same studies at their prior meeting on December 12, 2008. The research was supported by numerous autism organizations and requested by IACC’s scientific work groups and Congress. The maneuver to re-vote was initiated by the IACC’s representative from the CDC and pushed through by the IACC Chair, Dr. Tom Insel, Director of the National Institute of Mental Health of NIH. Review of the studies was not listed on the committee’s official agenda, in violation of normal committee practice.
Unlike most Federal advisory committees, the IACC is dominated by government representatives occupying 12 of the 18 seats. Dr. Insel admitted at the meeting that HHS agencies (which includes NIH and CDC) have a conflict of interest in conducting vaccine-autism research due to “Vaccine Court” litigation in which HHS is the defendant. Of the 6 non-government (public) members, 5 voted to retain the vaccine research at the January meeting. The lone dissenting public member resigned from her organization, Autism Speaks, the night before the meeting. Autism Speaks has issued a statement denouncing her vote.
The Federal members of the IACC must know that the autism community objects to their manipulation of committee procedures to block unbiased research on the possible link between vaccines and autism.
They must hear that parents demand reinstatement by the IACC of the vaccine studies that were already part of the IACC’s Autism Research Strategic Plan, and to restore the funding already allocated to this research.
They must acknowledge the inherent conflict of interest of the NIH/CDC in conducting research on vaccine safety. Research initiatives MUST be coordinated by an independent committee that includes equal numbers of representatives from the autism-vaccine injured community and conducted by independent and non-biased entities.
We also urge parents to attend the February 4th IACC meeting in Washington DC if they are able to. Click here for the IACC website http://iacc.hhs.gov/events/ to register. We encourage you to sign up to make a public comment at the meeting.
Autism Action Network (AAN)
Autism One
Autism Research Institute
Generation Rescue
National Autism Association (NAA)
SafeMinds
Schafer Report
Talk About Curing Autism (TACA)
U.S. Autism & Asperger Association
Unlocking Autism
TACA: IACC Rescinds Vaccine Research Initiatives
The Inter-Agency Autism Coordinating Committee Meeting Rescinds Vaccine Research Initiatives from the Strategic Plan of Combating Autism Act
Statement prepared by TACA's Rebecca Estepp
January 16, 2009
What happened Wednesday January 14, 2009 in Bethesda, Maryland?
In a dramatic turn of events, the National Institute of Mental Health Director Thomas Insel, MD Chairman of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) called for a vote on a previously voted-on and approved decision to the Strategic Plan of the Combating Autism Act of 2006. December 2008, IACC approved two studies to address vaccine safety as it pertains to autism. The vote to reverse this previous decision was a surprise to the public members of IACC. It was not listed on the meeting’s agenda.
Who is IACC and what do they do?
IACC is made up of eighteen seats. Twelve members are government representatives and six members are from the general public. IACC is responsible for developing and updating the Strategic Plan for Autism Research under the mandate of the Combating Autism Act. They decide which studies get funding from the $940 million that was allocated to autism research under the Act. The two vaccine research studies in question totaled $16 million, less than two percent of the available funds.
What is the reason for the re-vote?
Ed Trevathan from the Centers of Disease Control (the government agency who promote the vaccine program) brought up the idea of removing the vaccine studies from the Strategic Plan. Dr. Insel agreed under the auspices of conflicts of interest since the Department of Health and Human Services is the defendant in Vaccine Court. Dr. Insel also felt that the National Institute of Health was poorly equipped to do vaccine research.
How did the vote go?
It was decided to reject the previously approved vaccine research studies by a vote of 11 to 7. Five out of six public committee members voted against rejecting the approved studies. The one lone public voice that voted with most of the government representatives was Alison Singer, former Executive Vice President of Autism Speaks.
What has been the fall out?
There has been plenty of fall out and this situation is only hours old. Autism Speaks has withdrawn its support of the Strategic Plan. They have issued a very good press release detailing the events of the meeting. Read it HERE.
Alison Singer no longer works for Autism Speaks. It gets even more interesting. The Autism Speaks’ Press Release was issued early in the afternoon on January 15th. A few hours later a new press release came out by Every Child by Two about Alison Singer’s departure from Autism Speaks. Read about it HERE.
Does this mean that Alison Singer will be working at Every Child by Two? That is not clear.
The Strategic Plan has lost support from Safe Minds (Sensible Action For Ending Mercury-Induced Neurological Disorders). Safe Minds is also asking incoming Health and Human Services Secretary Daschle to remove the National Institute of Mental Health as the lead agency for autism research. They have another request to Congress to get the repealed studies reinstated.
TACA supports both Safe Minds & Autism Speaks press release and response to the recent IACC actions. In light of the recent Mind Institute Study (Reference HERE) environmental research including vaccines must be completed as part of the Combating Autism Act funding.
Silver Lining?
There may be a silver lining to these actions. Dr. Insel brought up a good point, although, it may not have been his intent. Our country does need truly independent vaccine research. The department of Health and Human Services is the defendant of Autism Omnibus Cases; it is a conflict of interest in having them research vaccine safety. Independent studies are something the autism community must demand.
Alison Singer left her position at Autism Speaks. Alison was not friendly to the bio-med and environmental research community. With her departure, there could be an easing of the relationships between Autism Speaks and the bio-med / environmental research community.
There is also a feeling that the repeal of this IACC vote is tantamount to the 2002 Homeland Security Rider which briefly gave exoneration (it was later repealed) to the drug companies for injuries that occur because of vaccination. That rider was so egregious that it got the attention of a journalist named David Kirby. Look how that turned out. Hopefully we have the same situation here.
What to do?
The response plan is still being hammered out by many of the Autism Organizations. In the next weeks, we may have call to actions for parents, friends and family to take part in as this situation evolves. Please check the TACA website and E-news for more information.
See original press release here
Statement prepared by TACA's Rebecca Estepp
January 16, 2009
What happened Wednesday January 14, 2009 in Bethesda, Maryland?
In a dramatic turn of events, the National Institute of Mental Health Director Thomas Insel, MD Chairman of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) called for a vote on a previously voted-on and approved decision to the Strategic Plan of the Combating Autism Act of 2006. December 2008, IACC approved two studies to address vaccine safety as it pertains to autism. The vote to reverse this previous decision was a surprise to the public members of IACC. It was not listed on the meeting’s agenda.
Who is IACC and what do they do?
IACC is made up of eighteen seats. Twelve members are government representatives and six members are from the general public. IACC is responsible for developing and updating the Strategic Plan for Autism Research under the mandate of the Combating Autism Act. They decide which studies get funding from the $940 million that was allocated to autism research under the Act. The two vaccine research studies in question totaled $16 million, less than two percent of the available funds.
What is the reason for the re-vote?
Ed Trevathan from the Centers of Disease Control (the government agency who promote the vaccine program) brought up the idea of removing the vaccine studies from the Strategic Plan. Dr. Insel agreed under the auspices of conflicts of interest since the Department of Health and Human Services is the defendant in Vaccine Court. Dr. Insel also felt that the National Institute of Health was poorly equipped to do vaccine research.
How did the vote go?
It was decided to reject the previously approved vaccine research studies by a vote of 11 to 7. Five out of six public committee members voted against rejecting the approved studies. The one lone public voice that voted with most of the government representatives was Alison Singer, former Executive Vice President of Autism Speaks.
What has been the fall out?
There has been plenty of fall out and this situation is only hours old. Autism Speaks has withdrawn its support of the Strategic Plan. They have issued a very good press release detailing the events of the meeting. Read it HERE.
Alison Singer no longer works for Autism Speaks. It gets even more interesting. The Autism Speaks’ Press Release was issued early in the afternoon on January 15th. A few hours later a new press release came out by Every Child by Two about Alison Singer’s departure from Autism Speaks. Read about it HERE.
Does this mean that Alison Singer will be working at Every Child by Two? That is not clear.
The Strategic Plan has lost support from Safe Minds (Sensible Action For Ending Mercury-Induced Neurological Disorders). Safe Minds is also asking incoming Health and Human Services Secretary Daschle to remove the National Institute of Mental Health as the lead agency for autism research. They have another request to Congress to get the repealed studies reinstated.
TACA supports both Safe Minds & Autism Speaks press release and response to the recent IACC actions. In light of the recent Mind Institute Study (Reference HERE) environmental research including vaccines must be completed as part of the Combating Autism Act funding.
Silver Lining?
There may be a silver lining to these actions. Dr. Insel brought up a good point, although, it may not have been his intent. Our country does need truly independent vaccine research. The department of Health and Human Services is the defendant of Autism Omnibus Cases; it is a conflict of interest in having them research vaccine safety. Independent studies are something the autism community must demand.
Alison Singer left her position at Autism Speaks. Alison was not friendly to the bio-med and environmental research community. With her departure, there could be an easing of the relationships between Autism Speaks and the bio-med / environmental research community.
There is also a feeling that the repeal of this IACC vote is tantamount to the 2002 Homeland Security Rider which briefly gave exoneration (it was later repealed) to the drug companies for injuries that occur because of vaccination. That rider was so egregious that it got the attention of a journalist named David Kirby. Look how that turned out. Hopefully we have the same situation here.
What to do?
The response plan is still being hammered out by many of the Autism Organizations. In the next weeks, we may have call to actions for parents, friends and family to take part in as this situation evolves. Please check the TACA website and E-news for more information.
See original press release here
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
U.S. News & World Report - Flexible Approach to Vaccinations Comes Under Fire
The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued it's new immunization schedule published in The journal Pediatrics. The journal also includes a series of articles, one of which that criticizes vaccination through an alternative schedule.
Journalist, Deborah Kotz says the following in yesterday's US News and World Report article, Along with this policy statement and numerous research papers, the journal contains a "special article" that quite frankly shocked me for its one-sided treatment of a very important issue with regard to vaccinations. The article is an attack on doctors who take a flexible approach to vaccinations, working with parents who, say, don't want their 2-month-old to get vaccinated against eight different diseases at once, which is what's recommended on the AAP schedule.
It targets one particular pediatrician, Robert Sears, who described several alternative approaches to vaccination in a popular consumer book called The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Y our Child. Sears calls for spacing out some vaccinations by adding office visits and delaying some shots until a child is older. More controversially, he also has a plan for those who may want to skip some immunizations, such as the chickenpox vaccine. I spoke with Sears for this parents' guide to managing vaccinations.
Unfortunately, instead of allowing a pro-and-con debate about the benefits and drawbacks of pediatricians working with parents who wish to have some flexibility, the Pediatrics journal editors chose to feature just one side of this debate. The authors of the special article take a firm stand against allowing any deviation from the current vaccine schedule, arguing that in offering a middle ground, Sears is sending "antivaccine messages."
What's worse, the lead author, Paul Offit, who heads the vaccine education center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, clearly has a conflict of interest. He's one of the patent holders of RotaTeq, a vaccine against rotavirus that's on the AAP's vaccine schedule. That means he stands to lose money if parents shun RotaTeq.
Read the full text here
Dr. Bernadine Healy, former Dir. of the NIH and American Red Cross is currently the Health Editor for US News & World Report. Here's what she said earlier this year about the research that supposedly disproves any link between vaccines and autism. Click to see the interview
Journalist, Deborah Kotz says the following in yesterday's US News and World Report article, Along with this policy statement and numerous research papers, the journal contains a "special article" that quite frankly shocked me for its one-sided treatment of a very important issue with regard to vaccinations. The article is an attack on doctors who take a flexible approach to vaccinations, working with parents who, say, don't want their 2-month-old to get vaccinated against eight different diseases at once, which is what's recommended on the AAP schedule.
It targets one particular pediatrician, Robert Sears, who described several alternative approaches to vaccination in a popular consumer book called The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Y our Child. Sears calls for spacing out some vaccinations by adding office visits and delaying some shots until a child is older. More controversially, he also has a plan for those who may want to skip some immunizations, such as the chickenpox vaccine. I spoke with Sears for this parents' guide to managing vaccinations.
Unfortunately, instead of allowing a pro-and-con debate about the benefits and drawbacks of pediatricians working with parents who wish to have some flexibility, the Pediatrics journal editors chose to feature just one side of this debate. The authors of the special article take a firm stand against allowing any deviation from the current vaccine schedule, arguing that in offering a middle ground, Sears is sending "antivaccine messages."
What's worse, the lead author, Paul Offit, who heads the vaccine education center at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, clearly has a conflict of interest. He's one of the patent holders of RotaTeq, a vaccine against rotavirus that's on the AAP's vaccine schedule. That means he stands to lose money if parents shun RotaTeq.
Read the full text here
Dr. Bernadine Healy, former Dir. of the NIH and American Red Cross is currently the Health Editor for US News & World Report. Here's what she said earlier this year about the research that supposedly disproves any link between vaccines and autism. Click to see the interview
Monday, December 8, 2008
The DoD/CDC Saga Continues...Autism “Under Revision”:
DTaP = Autism “Under Revision”: Something is Rotten at the DoD and CDC
by: Angela Warner
Read the full story HERE at Autism Salutes
Angela Warner is an Air Force spouse, and mom to four beautiful children (two with autism), and an advocate for children with autism to help our children and stop the autism epidemic.
by: Angela Warner
The Vaccine Healthcare Center’s Network (VHCN), a collaboration of the Department of Defense (DoD) and Center’s for Disease Control (CDC), decided on December 5, 2008 between 5:35pm and 6:21pm (EST), that the original VHCN webpage (now a cached version) HERE listing autism as an adverse event associated with the DTaP vaccine needed some revision (HERE). Following is the continuation of “Evidence of Harm”.
Read the full story HERE at Autism Salutes
Angela Warner is an Air Force spouse, and mom to four beautiful children (two with autism), and an advocate for children with autism to help our children and stop the autism epidemic.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
The Pentagon -- A Voice of Reason on Vaccines and Autism? by: David Kirby
David writes, "Meanwhile, regardless of the Pentagon's positions on the above questions, we know for certain that DOD is concerned about the risk of injury from multiple vaccines."
Read the full story HERE.
Read the full story HERE.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
DOD and CDC: Studies Suggest a Possible Link Between Multiple Vaccines and Injury - by:David Kirby
Dr. J.M. Engler, Director of the Vaccine Healthcare Centers Network (VHCN), a collaboration between the Department of Defense and the CDC, says “We have preliminary findings from one of our many on-going research studies that suggest a relationship between adverse events and multiple vaccinations exist. These findings will require validation, but heighten our concern for the current clinical practice of multiple vaccinations.”
Read the story HERE.
The VHCN, again a collaboration between the DOD and the CDC, lists autism as an adverse event of the DTaP vaccine. This vaccine is given at 2, 4 and 6 months, between 15 & 18 months and again between 4 and 6 years. HERE's the link to the table. Scroll down the list of events and you will see "autism".
Read the story HERE.
The VHCN, again a collaboration between the DOD and the CDC, lists autism as an adverse event of the DTaP vaccine. This vaccine is given at 2, 4 and 6 months, between 15 & 18 months and again between 4 and 6 years. HERE's the link to the table. Scroll down the list of events and you will see "autism".
Friday, October 24, 2008
Deidra Imus - A Forum on Vaccines - View the Webcast
View the Webcast by scrolling down to "Replay Webcast"
This webcast took place on October 23, 2008. It was the first time that two representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics appeared to debate concerns regarding our current vaccination program.
My overview: The AAP representatives came to the table showing very little sign that they understand the basis for the concern shared by so many parents and at very minimum they certainly had no real answers addressing the concerns that were so very well defined by author David Kirby, Dr.Lawrence Rosen and Environmental Activist Deidra Imus.
I was particularly disappointed with the Dr. Margaret Fisher, chair, Section of Infectious Diseases, American Academy of Pediatrics, and medical director, The Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center. It seemed that she truly believed that we didn't understand that all vaccines go through a standard protocol of research and trial before licensing and that we don't understand the need for public health policy concerning infectious disease.
I look forward to a day when most pediatric physicians do understand that we want true studies in causation, not just for autism and increased chronic disease, but also for the widely accepted injuries that vaccines can cause some children, like encephalitis and seizures. Also, to a day when physicians understand the concerns we have regarding the ingredients in vaccines and the lack of safety studies around those ingredients. Even if physicians don't agree with us it would be nice to see them come to the table understanding what the actual concerns are and able to have a discussion based on those specific concerns.
Dr. Fisher is obviously a physician who is very passionate about her desire to protect children from dangerous and occasionally deadly disease. It would be nice if she, and the medical community, were as passionate about learning how to identify children who might be susceptible to injury for the sake of protecting them from that injury and vaccinating them in an individually appropriate way.
I wish that we could understand what mechanism's caused Amelia's injury and that we knew how to test Joseph for the same. If I had that answer, I could probably vaccinate Joseph in some modified way to protect him from harm and protect him from infectious disease at the same time...but unfortunately that is not possible right now. I've certainly read too many stories exactly like ours for there to be any convincing me that vaccines do not play a role in the increase rate of autism and chronic immune related disease that we see in today's children.
This webcast took place on October 23, 2008. It was the first time that two representatives from the American Academy of Pediatrics appeared to debate concerns regarding our current vaccination program.
My overview: The AAP representatives came to the table showing very little sign that they understand the basis for the concern shared by so many parents and at very minimum they certainly had no real answers addressing the concerns that were so very well defined by author David Kirby, Dr.Lawrence Rosen and Environmental Activist Deidra Imus.
I was particularly disappointed with the Dr. Margaret Fisher, chair, Section of Infectious Diseases, American Academy of Pediatrics, and medical director, The Children’s Hospital at Monmouth Medical Center. It seemed that she truly believed that we didn't understand that all vaccines go through a standard protocol of research and trial before licensing and that we don't understand the need for public health policy concerning infectious disease.
I look forward to a day when most pediatric physicians do understand that we want true studies in causation, not just for autism and increased chronic disease, but also for the widely accepted injuries that vaccines can cause some children, like encephalitis and seizures. Also, to a day when physicians understand the concerns we have regarding the ingredients in vaccines and the lack of safety studies around those ingredients. Even if physicians don't agree with us it would be nice to see them come to the table understanding what the actual concerns are and able to have a discussion based on those specific concerns.
Dr. Fisher is obviously a physician who is very passionate about her desire to protect children from dangerous and occasionally deadly disease. It would be nice if she, and the medical community, were as passionate about learning how to identify children who might be susceptible to injury for the sake of protecting them from that injury and vaccinating them in an individually appropriate way.
I wish that we could understand what mechanism's caused Amelia's injury and that we knew how to test Joseph for the same. If I had that answer, I could probably vaccinate Joseph in some modified way to protect him from harm and protect him from infectious disease at the same time...but unfortunately that is not possible right now. I've certainly read too many stories exactly like ours for there to be any convincing me that vaccines do not play a role in the increase rate of autism and chronic immune related disease that we see in today's children.
Monday, June 23, 2008
CNN - Should I Vaccinate My Baby
Update: After watching this CNN segment, you may want to visit my newer post "Should I Vaccinate My Baby - Vaccine Safety - Why the Controversy?" This new post includes a list of articles and research references, including a link to the CNN segment below. To see the updated post go here.
Yesterday, CNN ran two Segments called "Should I Vaccinate My Baby" and "The Empowered Parent."
Great job CNN! They got a couple points wrong about Hannah Polling but great job none the less. Hannah Neurologist father says the vaccines caused/triggered her mitochondrial disorder which led to her autism and the genetics support this.
Watch - Should I Vaccinate My Baby.
Read - For more information, from CNN, about how to work with your Pediatrician to take precaution's.
As CNN recommends in their report, you may follow Dr. Robert Sears modified vaccine schedule to keep your child up to date yet "be on the safe side". His book is called The Vaccine Book.
Keep in mind that even Dr. Sears recommendations can not grantee that your baby will not suffer a vaccine reaction.
A - Reactions to individual vaccines, for a small subset of kids, are well know and documented. Thus the government compensation program called the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System.
B - Because the government followed the recommendation of the 2004 IOM Vaccine Safety Report, no research has been conducted to look for a link between autism and vaccines. Therefore, if there is a link we do not know what it is about the vaccines that might be causing it. As the former head of the NIH, Dr. Bernadine Healy has said, "The question simply has not been answer." (Watch her interview)So until the question has been answered the recommendations of Dr.s like Robert Sears are the best we can do to, hopeful, diminish any possible risk of adverse reaction.
Yesterday, CNN ran two Segments called "Should I Vaccinate My Baby" and "The Empowered Parent."
Great job CNN! They got a couple points wrong about Hannah Polling but great job none the less. Hannah Neurologist father says the vaccines caused/triggered her mitochondrial disorder which led to her autism and the genetics support this.
Watch - Should I Vaccinate My Baby.
Read - For more information, from CNN, about how to work with your Pediatrician to take precaution's.
As CNN recommends in their report, you may follow Dr. Robert Sears modified vaccine schedule to keep your child up to date yet "be on the safe side". His book is called The Vaccine Book.
Keep in mind that even Dr. Sears recommendations can not grantee that your baby will not suffer a vaccine reaction.
A - Reactions to individual vaccines, for a small subset of kids, are well know and documented. Thus the government compensation program called the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System.
B - Because the government followed the recommendation of the 2004 IOM Vaccine Safety Report, no research has been conducted to look for a link between autism and vaccines. Therefore, if there is a link we do not know what it is about the vaccines that might be causing it. As the former head of the NIH, Dr. Bernadine Healy has said, "The question simply has not been answer." (Watch her interview)So until the question has been answered the recommendations of Dr.s like Robert Sears are the best we can do to, hopeful, diminish any possible risk of adverse reaction.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
The Center Will Not Hold As Parents & Doctors Question Vaccine Policy, by Barbara Lowe Fisher
The Center Will Not Hold As Parents & Docs Question Vaccine Policy
by Barbara Loe Fisher
It was only a matter of time. For 26 years parents of vaccine injured children and a few brave doctors have challenged the one-size-fits-all approach to mandated use of multiple vaccines in the absence of sound scientific evidence that policy is safe for all children. Now, when 1 in 6 child in America is learning disabled and 1 in 150 develops autism, more rank and file pediatricians are speaking out about the need to provide pediatric care for unvaccinated children and respect parental choices to use fewer vaccines.
Last week in a CBS-TV interview, HPV vaccine researcher Dr. Diane Harper supported more scientific research as well as the ethical principle of informed consent to vaccination when asked whether HPV vaccine should be mandated. She said "We don't know yet what's going to happen when millions of doses of the vaccine have been given and to put in process a place that says you must have this vaccine, it means you must be part of a big public experiment....... There isn't enough information to have a mandate that you can't go to school until you have this vaccine. It does not make any sense."
This week in another CBS-TV interview, former NIH Director Bernadine Healy, M.D., stood up and spoke out about the need to scientifically investigate the causal association between vaccines and autism, especially the potential for certain individuals to be genetically susceptible to being harmed by vaccines. She said "I think that the public health officials have been too quick to dismiss the hypothesis as irrational.... there may be this susceptible group. The fact that there is concern, that you don't want to know that susceptible group is a real disappointment to me. If you know that susceptible group, you can save those children. If you turn your back on the notion that there is a susceptible group.....what can I say?"
At the same time that enlightened pediatricians, researchers, and former health officials are calling for a re-examination of scientifically questionable vaccine policies that have failed to identify and screen out high risk children and respect parental rights to make informed, voluntary vaccine choices, some British health authorities and politicians are calling for MMR vaccine mandates for British children. The leading proponent for mandates in Britain said "The MMR vaccination rate is at 85% and the target figure is 95%, so it's about catching children who may have moved or lost contact with their health visitor but also saying to parents your child has a right to live free from vaccine preventable diseases." The head of Britain's Medical Association called the proposal "morally and ethically dubious" and added "A Stalinist approach like this would be likely to backfire on an unprecedented scale and increase opposition to vaccinations."
After 26 years, U.S. health officials are also wrestling with how to prove to parents and doctors that current vaccine policies have adequately addressed evidence that more and more children are regressing after vaccination and suffering brain and immune dysfunction. A transcript of the April 11, 2008 National Vaccine Advisory Committee workshop at which parents and doctors expressed their concerns about vaccine safety is now available at http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/nvac/transcript_apr08.ht ml
In the meantime, 19 parent organizations are endorsing a call for Presidential candidates to pledge to issue two executive orders within 100 days of taking office which would (1) remove mercury from all vaccines by Jan 1. 2010 and (2) require a moratorium on the addition of new vaccines to the recommended list for children until the current vaccine schedule can be proven safe. Supporting organizations include A- CHAMP, Autism One, Autism Research Institute, Autism United, Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology, Environment of Harm Yahoo Group, Generation Rescue, HEAL Foundation, Moms Against Mercury, National Autism Association, National Vaccine Information Center, No Mercury, Safeminds, Schafer Autism Report, Spectrum Magazine, TACA -- Talk About Curing Autism, Treating Autism (UK), Unlocking Autism, and World Mercury Project.
On Wednesday, June 4, 2008 a "Green Our Vaccines" rally will be held in Washington, D.C. questioning the safety of vaccine components and the government's current vaccine schedule.
by Barbara Loe Fisher
It was only a matter of time. For 26 years parents of vaccine injured children and a few brave doctors have challenged the one-size-fits-all approach to mandated use of multiple vaccines in the absence of sound scientific evidence that policy is safe for all children. Now, when 1 in 6 child in America is learning disabled and 1 in 150 develops autism, more rank and file pediatricians are speaking out about the need to provide pediatric care for unvaccinated children and respect parental choices to use fewer vaccines.
Last week in a CBS-TV interview, HPV vaccine researcher Dr. Diane Harper supported more scientific research as well as the ethical principle of informed consent to vaccination when asked whether HPV vaccine should be mandated. She said "We don't know yet what's going to happen when millions of doses of the vaccine have been given and to put in process a place that says you must have this vaccine, it means you must be part of a big public experiment....... There isn't enough information to have a mandate that you can't go to school until you have this vaccine. It does not make any sense."
This week in another CBS-TV interview, former NIH Director Bernadine Healy, M.D., stood up and spoke out about the need to scientifically investigate the causal association between vaccines and autism, especially the potential for certain individuals to be genetically susceptible to being harmed by vaccines. She said "I think that the public health officials have been too quick to dismiss the hypothesis as irrational.... there may be this susceptible group. The fact that there is concern, that you don't want to know that susceptible group is a real disappointment to me. If you know that susceptible group, you can save those children. If you turn your back on the notion that there is a susceptible group.....what can I say?"
At the same time that enlightened pediatricians, researchers, and former health officials are calling for a re-examination of scientifically questionable vaccine policies that have failed to identify and screen out high risk children and respect parental rights to make informed, voluntary vaccine choices, some British health authorities and politicians are calling for MMR vaccine mandates for British children. The leading proponent for mandates in Britain said "The MMR vaccination rate is at 85% and the target figure is 95%, so it's about catching children who may have moved or lost contact with their health visitor but also saying to parents your child has a right to live free from vaccine preventable diseases." The head of Britain's Medical Association called the proposal "morally and ethically dubious" and added "A Stalinist approach like this would be likely to backfire on an unprecedented scale and increase opposition to vaccinations."
After 26 years, U.S. health officials are also wrestling with how to prove to parents and doctors that current vaccine policies have adequately addressed evidence that more and more children are regressing after vaccination and suffering brain and immune dysfunction. A transcript of the April 11, 2008 National Vaccine Advisory Committee workshop at which parents and doctors expressed their concerns about vaccine safety is now available at http://www.hhs.gov/nvpo/nvac/transcript_apr08.ht ml
In the meantime, 19 parent organizations are endorsing a call for Presidential candidates to pledge to issue two executive orders within 100 days of taking office which would (1) remove mercury from all vaccines by Jan 1. 2010 and (2) require a moratorium on the addition of new vaccines to the recommended list for children until the current vaccine schedule can be proven safe. Supporting organizations include A- CHAMP, Autism One, Autism Research Institute, Autism United, Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology, Environment of Harm Yahoo Group, Generation Rescue, HEAL Foundation, Moms Against Mercury, National Autism Association, National Vaccine Information Center, No Mercury, Safeminds, Schafer Autism Report, Spectrum Magazine, TACA -- Talk About Curing Autism, Treating Autism (UK), Unlocking Autism, and World Mercury Project.
On Wednesday, June 4, 2008 a "Green Our Vaccines" rally will be held in Washington, D.C. questioning the safety of vaccine components and the government's current vaccine schedule.
Also by Dr. Bernadine Healy, Fighting the Autism Vaccine War
Dr. Bernadine Healy is the former head of the National Institutes of Health, an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the current Health Editor for U.S. News and World Report. Read Fighting the Autism Vaccine War here.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Former Head of the NIH Explains Why the Government is Acitvely Avoiding Research that Might Prove a Link Between Vaccines and Autism
Dr. Bernadine Healy, the former head of the National Institutes of Health and a member of the Institute of Medicine breaks with her colleagues in this exclusive CBS News interview: Dr. Healy says the government has been too quick to dismiss the possibility of a vaccine-autism link, and that it should be explored with renewed vigor.
Here is the CBS video of the interview.
The NIH is an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC reports to the NIIH. Dr. Healy gives some interesting insight as to why the government has actively avoided research that might prove a link between vaccines and autism
Here is an excellent article written by David Kirby, author of Evidence of Harm.
Here is the CBS video of the interview.
The NIH is an arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the CDC reports to the NIIH. Dr. Healy gives some interesting insight as to why the government has actively avoided research that might prove a link between vaccines and autism
Here is an excellent article written by David Kirby, author of Evidence of Harm.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Is Aluminum the New Thimerosal? How can the FDA be so inconsistent in their guidelines?
In recognition of Autism Awareness Month, I want to share an article written by Dr. Robert Sears that I found very well referenced and concerning. The Drs. Sears are the Spock of our generation and are very well respected.
The article is titled Is Aluminum the New Thimerosal? and was published in the Jan/Feb '08 issue of Mothering Magazine. http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/vaccines/aluminum-new-thimerosal.html
He discusses the inconsistency in FDA regulation as it pertains to the amount of aluminum allowed in all injectable drugs with the exception of vaccines, where there are no guidelines in place and the amounts present far exceed the limits set on other drugs.
If you have children please read this. This article exemplifies the many unanswered questions surrounding the safety of ingredients in vaccines and the effect they may have on immaturely developed infants. We all deserve informed consent with regard to the vaccines that are administered to our children and they should at least be held to the same standard as other drugs.
If you find this article the least bit concerning please forward the article to every parent you know.
The article is titled Is Aluminum the New Thimerosal? and was published in the Jan/Feb '08 issue of Mothering Magazine. http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/vaccines/aluminum-new-thimerosal.html
He discusses the inconsistency in FDA regulation as it pertains to the amount of aluminum allowed in all injectable drugs with the exception of vaccines, where there are no guidelines in place and the amounts present far exceed the limits set on other drugs.
If you have children please read this. This article exemplifies the many unanswered questions surrounding the safety of ingredients in vaccines and the effect they may have on immaturely developed infants. We all deserve informed consent with regard to the vaccines that are administered to our children and they should at least be held to the same standard as other drugs.
If you find this article the least bit concerning please forward the article to every parent you know.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
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