AAP AND ASA WEIGH IN ON AUTISM AND VACCINES

From Mary Jo Belasco of The Herald, a newspaper in Rock Hill, SC, "Two Experts on the Pros and Cons of Vaccinating."  The AAP spokesperson continues to argue that "there is no research" that proves vaccines cause autism. According to Dr. Healy, she's right on that one. Scientists have avoided the research like the plague. But don't worry, they're working on a plague vaccine, then they can do the research. 

The ASA takes a somewhat stronger position than usual, which is encouraging. Perhaps ASA will now consider joining the dozens of autism organizations who support the Green the Vaccines rally, including many of their local chapters? Then only the world's largest and self-proclaimed "leading" autism organization will be left saying that safer vaccines are not necessary.

The Herald asked two experts about the pros and cons of vaccinating children against common diseases and what is known about the causes of autism.

They are Dr. Jennifer Shu, spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics, and Marguerite Colston, spokeswoman for the Autism Society of America

Dr. Jennifer Shu American Academy of Pediatrics

What is the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation on vaccines?

The recommendation is to keep with the current schedule from the Centers for Disease Control.

Do vaccines cause autism?

There is no research that proves autism spectrum disorder is caused by vaccinating children. There have always been theories, but no scientific proof. No studies show that the delay or omission of vaccines affect autism.

Despite the research, why do some people believe vaccines cause autism spectrum disorder?

ASD is diagnosed at a time when children are receiving vaccines. Parents of autistic children are often looking for what caused autism, and relate it to vaccines because they are happening at the same time. Much media attention is given to adverse effects of vaccines and little attention is given to success stories of vaccines, such as no one gets measles anymore.

Can vaccines cause adverse reactions in children?

Common reactions are mild fever, redness and swelling at the injection site. These reactions are not serious. One in a million children will have a severe reaction, resulting in a high fever and lasting neurological damage. This type of reaction is extremely rare.

Is thimerosal in vaccines a concern?

Research has shown that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative once used in several vaccines and still used in some flu vaccines, is not related to ASD. The American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association, the CDC, and the Institute of Medicine agree that science does not support a link between thimerosal in vaccines and autism.

Are combination shots dangerous?

Combination vaccines protect against more than one disease with a single shot. For example, the MMR vaccine protects against measles, mumps and rubella. These vaccines have been studied carefully and found to be safe. All vaccines contain antigens, which cause the immune system to do its work to fight and protect the body from infections. Children are exposed to many antigens during normal activities, such as playing outside or eating food, or when sick with an infection. Healthy children's immune systems are equipped to handle these multiple exposures.

--Mary Jo Balasco

Marguerite Colston Autism Society of America

What is the Autism Society of America's recommendation on vaccinations?

We do know that vaccines have significantly reduced life-threatening diseases in children around the globe. The Autism Society of America strongly supports research to determine if, in fact, there is a correlation between vaccines and ASD. Until that research is performed and replicated, vaccines continue to be indicated.

Do vaccines cause autism spectrum disorder in children?

What we don't know is if there is an issue regarding the amount, the timing or the medium used to deliver the vaccines that would result in a child developing ASD or other developmental disorders. More research also needs to be done on the health condition of a child receiving the vaccine.

What are possible causes of autism spectrum disorder?

There are no known single causes of ASD, but it is generally accepted that it is caused by abnormalities in brain structure or function. Researchers are investigating many theories, such as genetics, underlying medical problems and environmental toxins as causes for ASD.

What is causing the rapidly rising rates of autism spectrum disorders?

Research indicates that other factors besides genetic components are contributing to the rise in increasing occurrences of ASD, such as environmental toxins, which are more prevalent in our current environment than in the past. Those with ASD may be especially vulnerable, as their ability to metabolize and detoxify toxins can be compromised.
Can children with autism spectrum disorder recover?

There are reported cases that some children with ASD have substantially or completely recovered.

-- Mary Jo Balasco

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Comments

[Dana C. Sturdivant]

Yes, my child also her one in a million, who struck a 105 fever within twenty-four hour's from his last set of vaccination's which have permanently changed his little life. She just admitted to Autism...that severe side affect is Regressive Autism...Unbelieveable...

[Shannon Young]

There HAS been much peer reviewed science done on the connection between vaccines and autism. Go to generationrescue.org and click on the science link, and there you'll have it.

[Elizabeth]

So Anne, as I read this, my obvious thought was Autism Society of America is a big organization, so if Marguerite Colston is saying there's no link, why don't they get their act together and do a study? Where is the "no link" study, that's what I'm wondering. To me, these people are worth their weight in peanut shells.

[Emergency emergency]

"While I stood there, a construction worker came over from across the street and said his 9 year old son had a reaction to a vaccine when he was little too."

If you can find another with autism on the street - in minutes - I would say we have an emergency!!

I wonder if you can over-diagnose a vaccine reaction?

[Elizabeth]

Hey, Jeanne, mine's one in a million too...hows about that? In fact, I'm pretty sure both my kids had reactions that their doctors considered "common" such as high pitched screaming, arching their backs, big welt at MMR injection site, high fevers... of course occasionally followed by ER and doctor visits for so-called "viral infections", "fever of unknown origin", and "inner ear infections". Judging from the fact that most parents are told these are "normal" or "unrelated" chains of events following vaccination, I would say the number is more like 1 in 150 rather than one in a million.

Oh and all these new charities, businesses catering to autistic needs, and parents joining support groups and online groups are all just a figment of my imagination right? It's just because they have a wider criteria for autism diagnosis...Yeah all these people who fit the "new" wider criteria for autism just have nothing better to do than get autism diagnoses and pump up the numbers to 1 in 150...give me a break.

Just the other day I did something I never did before. I stood on the street with a sign that said "Support Safer Vaccines: Green Our Vaccines Rally - My son is 1 in 150 with Autism". While I stood there, a construction worker came over from across the street and said his 9 year old son had a reaction to a vaccine when he was little too. He told me after the shot, he kept banging and hitting his head and he was never the same since then. He also mentioned the doctor didn't notice, but his family did. "Now he's a little slow, you know? We don't have this problem in Mexico".

[Twyla]

Well, there you go -- an AAP spokesperson states that vaccines can cause "a severe reaction, resulting in a high fever and lasting neurological damage". So why so much debate over whether vaccines can cause autism?

Where did she get the "one in a million" figure? It sounds as if she just pulled it out of a hat. Or perhaps that was the figure a few decades ago. Back when kids only received a handful of vaccines, far fewer kids had adverse reactions. Increase the schedule to two dozen in the course of infancy, with a half dozen or more sometimes received at one doctor's visit, and the number of severe reactions increases.

[Anne Dachel]

Two stories in the same paper on the same day by the same reporter both saying the same thing: Vaccines save lives, they don't cause autism, and only parents link the two.

A risk to vaccinate?
http://www.heraldonline.com/front/story/594142.html

The experts weigh in ...
http://www.heraldonline.com/109/story/594143.html

Marguerite Colston of the Autism Society of America can't give us any answers about vaccines and autism either, so if doctors and scientists and a major organization like the ASA all say there's no proven link, it must just be a fringe element of desperate, uninformed parents who do.

Why couldn't reporter Mary Jo Balasco find even one expert on our side?
Why couldn't she contact any of the national organizations who do link vaccines to autism?
Why is she seemingly unaware of the Poling case, the upcoming rally in Washington, the latest vaccine research from the U. of Pittsburgh, or the comments made by former NIH head Bernadine Healy on CBS News?

Advocates for children with autism have long endured this sloppy journalism, but it won't make the issue go away.

Anne Dachel
Media editor

[Do you really give a rat's ass about autism?]

Expected answers. The reporter asked some good pertinent questions but did not follow up with counter questions to disprove the lies that were told to her. I guess you can't do a good interview if you have not done your homework.

It would have been simple to state that some ASD kids lose their diagnosis on chelation of mercury and there are test results to prove the pulls thereby implicating thimerosal. But I guess you need to have a burning desire to save lives in order to dedicate yourself to the autism cause the way David Kirby and Dan Olmsted have done. Other than that, its the same old crappy soulless existence - wake up, do a crappy job, get a crappy pay, eat a crappy meal, and go to sleep on a crappy bed. Oh yes, and crap somewhere in between. Who gives a damn (am I allowed to say damn?). We can change it to a rat's ass if that is preferred.

You need to live and breathe autism in order to do it justice.

[Jeanne]

"Common reactions are mild fever, redness and swelling at the injection site. These reactions are not serious. One in a million children will have a severe reaction, resulting in a high fever and lasting neurological damage. This type of reaction is extremely rare."

Umm... I'm pretty sure if we had all known about VAERS when our children were vaccine damaged, this statistic would be reversed! But then, I'm fairly certain this is exactly why we did not know of VAERS. There I go again with those conspiracy theories!

My son had the "common reactions" each time he was vaccinated. As far as the "one in a million children will have a severe reaction," gee, I always thought my son was one in a million, now I know he truly is!