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
Monday, January 26, 2009
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".
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
From NPR - The Human Gut is a Real Melting Pot - How antibiotics can harm the gut
You've probably heard a lot over the past couple years about taking Probiotics following a round of antibiotics to restore a healthy balance in your digestive tract. This NPR interview, of Dr. David Relman of Stamford University, discusses fascinating new research regarding the role healthy bacteria plays in supporting our overall health (to include digestion and our immune system)and how antibiotics can negatively impact the balance of good and bad flora in the gut.
Listen here
Two of the most well researched Probiotics include:
1) Read about Culturelle (available at WalGreens and WalMart)
2) Read about Saccaromyces boulardi(available at many health food stores and online)
Read what The Mayo Clinic says regarding Probiotics
David Relman, M.D., is associate professor of medicine, and of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University. He is also chief, infectious diseases section, at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in Palo Alto, California.
Listen here
Two of the most well researched Probiotics include:
1) Read about Culturelle (available at WalGreens and WalMart)
2) Read about Saccaromyces boulardi(available at many health food stores and online)
Read what The Mayo Clinic says regarding Probiotics
David Relman, M.D., is associate professor of medicine, and of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University. He is also chief, infectious diseases section, at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in Palo Alto, California.
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