AGE OF AUTISM

AN OPEN LETTER TO AUTISM SPEAKS FROM SPEAKER O'BRIEN

July 12, 2008

Mr. Robert C. Wright
Co-Founder, Autism Speaks
2 Park Avenue
11th Floor
New York, NY 10016

Dear Bob:

We have a collective mission to create a world in which persons with autism have every opportunity to participate fully in society, to live meaningful and independent lives, to receive the respect they deserve and to have the supports necessary for them to reach the innate potential we know them to have. It's never been an easy mission, and it doesn't often permit us the luxury of a pause in the action to reflect on success.

I think last week's signing ceremony for Pennsylvania's Act 62 of 2008 compels us to pause, ever so briefly, to consider the statute and some of its history.

RECOVERY STORY: PETE

Pete’s Journey
Presented By Generation Rescue

My name is Hope, mother of Pete. My son's half sister is a nonverbal child affected by autism. Pete was a normal full term baby born in August of 2000. I was concerned about vaccines because Pete’s half sister is a nonverbal child affected by autism. I only allowed single shots even though my doctor was adamantly against this practice. I ended up spreading the vaccines out because he seemed to develop "allergies/sinus" problems for several weeks after most shots. Pete has a continuous runny nose from the time he was about eight months old until food was removed from his diet at about 2.9 months old. The damage was final after the HIB vaccine on March 28, 2003. Pete lost words he had since he was eight months old. He threw fits where he would bang his head and pass out. I sought medical advice because I thought Pete may be having seizures. My once easy going child could no longer go anywhere and neither could I. Pete also suffered from constant constipation. He no longer slept through the night. When he did sleep he was very active and would often flip out of the bed.

AUTISM MOM SHARES HER CHELATION PROGRESS

By Lisa Brown

My son Benjamin Brown is an almost 6 year old boy diagnosed with severe Autism at 20 months of age.  I wanted to share a little of his recovery story.  The healing process has been long, the behaviors almost impossible to deal with at times, the educational needs immense.  For a long time he did the two steps forward, one step back dance all the time.  Change is in the wind now, after almost a full year on oral DMPS changes are happening constantly.

I wanted to share some good news because Ben has made a huge leap forward this year with his overall development and language skills. The real reason I am posting today is because he is finally toilet trained. His recovery in the past had been slow, progress sometimes seems like it arrived at snails pace however when something as wonderful like using the toilet happens just needed to share it.

STEM CELLS: THE FINAL PIECE OF THE AUTISM PUZZLE?

By Kent Heckenlively, Esq.

It’s a discussion I’ve often had with my wife Linda over the years.

As I share with her the latest findings about how to rid our daughter’s body of heavy metals, and bacterial and viral infections my wife asks the inevitable question that her years of training as a speech therapist compels her to ask: How much damage has been done between the time of injury and the time we addressed these problems?

Because she works as a speech therapist in the rehabilitation unit of a major hospital she has seen the damage done to the brain by car accidents, strokes, and cancer.  She has seen startling recoveries, understands the value of hope, but also knows that many times the dream of complete recovery goes unfulfilled.

SURF PALS CATCHES TASTY WAVES WITH ASD KIDS!

By Kim Stagliano

On July 27, my husband Mark and I are taking our three girls to Long Beach, New York to participate in "Surf Pals." Surf Pals was launched by Jim Mulvaney, Huffington Post blogger, Puitzer prize winning journalist, husband of the fabulous writer and also a Huffington Post blogger, Barbara Fischkin. Jim and Barbara are parents to Dan, a strapping, handsome man with autism.  There is another Surf Pals session planned for September.

Check out the Surf Pals blog HERE. To register for either date, you can email Surf Pals at lbsurfpal@gmail.com. Tell them the date you prefer and provide some details about your child.

Surf Pals is having a fundraiser from 4pm to 8pm this Sunday the 13th at The Inn, on Beech Street, in Long Beach, NY (on Long Island, not far from the city.)  Read about the fundraiser HERE.

ANNE DACHEL LETTER TO THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Click HERE to read our Media Editor Anne Dachel's letter to the Chicago Tribune, about the AAP letter sent by Dr. Jenkins, in response to Julie Deardorff's blog entry.

Here's a taste:

It's difficult to understand what Dr. Renee Jenkins, head of the American Academy of Pediatrics, hopes to achieve by publicly chastising reporter Julie Deardorff for daring to voice the concerns of parents over vaccine safety and the failure of the medical community to alleviate those fears.

CADILLAC AUTISM STORY BY STEVE WILSON ON WXYZ ABC DETROIT

WXYZ ABC News 7 in Detroit, Michigan (WXYZ.com) ran a report on mercury, vaccines and vaccine safety. Read the report HERE.  The link to the video is on the right.  Dr. Renee Jenkins of the AAP is interviewed along with others. Thank you to anchorman Steve Wilson.

Anchor Lead:

It’s the controversy that won’t go away. Is the skyrocketing rate of Autism in children due in any way to the mercury long contained in childhood vaccines? It’s an issue our chief investigative reporter Steve Wilson has stayed with from the start…and Steve will science ever answer this one?

"IS ALUMINUM THE NEW MERCURY?"

By Anne Dachel

In all the news reports from around the country about Gardasil, I couldn't find a single reference to the aluminum in this vaccine.  All the pleasant sounding commentators who reassured us that it hasn't been proven that the HPV vaccine caused healthy teenage girls to suddenly develop things like paralysis never mentioned it.  They had quotes from the CDC/FDA/Merck saying things like, "Based on the facts that we've received, the information does not suggest that this event was causally associated with vaccination."

AAP's RENEE JENKINS LETTER TO JULIE DEARDORFF

Here is the letter published in the Chicago Tribune, from AAP leader Dr. Renee Jenkins, about reporter Julie Deardorff, who runs the "Julie's Healthclub" blog HERE.  JB Handley wrote about this letter HERE.

Check out Julie's latest post on chelation and autism and the encouraging quote from NIH leader Dr. Tom Insel HERE. Our kids need and deserve research into treatment!

New vaccines are preventing more diseases

July 9, 2008

The American Academy of Pediatrics is disappointed that a premier newspaper like the Chicago Tribune would publish such a one-sided, fear-mongering report as columnist Julie Deardorff's June 27 blog post, "The AAP gets tough on vaccine dissenters."

TACA's CHRISTINA BLAKEY ON FOX'S MIKE & JULIET

Our sponsor TACA’s very own Christina Blakey will be on the Morning show with Mike & Juliet – Thursday, July 10th. Mike & Juliet is a FOX NEWS channel national morning show.

The purpose is to talk about “FRINGE treatments” and a response to the AP article (dated 7/8/2008) from a parents perspective. JB Handley wrote a piece about this AP article earlier this week, click HERE.

For show times & info:http://www.mandjshow.com/

EARLIER VACCINATION CAUSES ASTHMA

By Mark F. Blaxill

Lost amidst all the furor over the role of vaccines in autism has been the role that vaccine administration plays in causing other chronic childhood diseases like asthma and juvenile diabetes. But the evidence that vaccine administration, especially early administration of DPT vaccine, increases the risk of developing asthma (for the purposes of simplicity, let’s shorten that phrase to causes asthma for what follows) is compelling. If you look at the totality of the published evidence the picture is admittedly somewhat mixed, but for anyone with an open mind and a critical eye, the argument for a strong role for vaccines as a cause of asthma is persuasive.

And for any parent trying to figure out whether or not to comply with the aggressive and crowded vaccine schedules, the message from this evidence is simple. Don’t comply. Go slower than they want you to. Take responsibility for your own child’s health. Because recent research shows not simply that vaccines cause asthma, but that the sooner you give your child some vaccines the higher the odds that your child will develop asthma. These are obviously critical and controversial points, so let’s take a some time to review some of this research.

PAUL OFFIT KNOWS AUTISM, JUST ASK THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

By J.B. Handley

Dear Carla Johnson:

I found your article "Fringe Autism Treatment Could Get Federal Study" today on a potential federal study on chelation treatment for autism to be extremely one-sided and at times quite condescending of parents of children with autism. As a reporter for the Associated Press, we look to you to give us a fair and balanced view of the medical issues we face. As the parent of a child with autism, I was dismayed to consider how your report might be received by parents new to this debate who are drowning in the range of treatment options for their disabled children.

THE CDC TO STUDY VACCINE INDUCED ENCEPHALOPATHY

Managing Editor's Note: Thank you to Ginger Taylor who runs Adventures In Autism for allowing us to run this piece from her blog.

Finally!  The CDC's Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment Network is currently looking for subjects to "evaluate the association between viral vaccines and encephalopathy/encephalitis through a detailed evaluation of children with encephalopathy/encephalitis as well as control children". (HERE)

Their message to doctors: 

"If you have a patient who you think might be eligible for the study, please complete the following two questions and provide your contact information. We thank you for your help in this important study."

This is a HUGELY important subject, one we have been waiting for them to examine, and we want to make sure that they have all the subjects they need for this study, so please take a moment to see if your child might be a candidate. 

Does your child have an encephalopathy?

CNN: IRAQ REFUGEE AND AUTISM

DAMASCUS, Syria (CNN) -- Like millions of others, 37-year-old Wafaa al Nuaimi fled Iraq in the hopes of giving her three children a chance at a better life. But what separates her from the sea of humanity fleeing unimaginable violence is her dedication to her 8-year-old son, Mustafa, who has autism.

Read the full article from CNN HERE.

THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE COMBATING AUTISM ACT

By Jim Moody, Esq.

An “early draft” of the strategic plan for autism research: NO epidemic and NO urgency, NO priority for treatment and environmental triggers, and NO research budget.

The requirement in the Combating Autism Act (CAA) for a Strategic Plan (SP) with a budget for autism research gives the community a unique and unprecedented opportunity to influence the conduct of federal autism research.  The future of NIH-funded autism research will be decided in the next couple months as the strategic plan nears completion and submission to Congress.  The entire autism community must again unite to fight for an effective plan.  An “early draft” of the SP has been completed and will be presented Tuesday morning 10 AM - 1 PM  EDT at a teleconference meeting of an outside “workgroup” for review (register HERE)  and listen here [888-455-2920, code 3857872], and at a public meeting on the NIH campus in Bethesda on July 15 9 AM - 4 PM of the Inter-Agency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), register HERE. 

The community must act quickly and in unity to ensure that the CAA research money is spent in a way that will be of greatest benefit to families already dealing with ASD and to the prevention of future cases.

DISPATCH FROM THE FRONT: TODAY'S DAMAGED SCHOOLKIDS

(Editor's note: This post started out as a comment on our article on Bill Gates. We found the information -- by a first-hand observer, in this case a substitute teacher -- so compelling that we asked her to turn it into this post. Because of her sensitive position, we agreed not to use her name. We hereby invite others -- whether teachers, pediatricians, secretaries, school nurses, day-care providers or car-poolers -- to tell us what you are observing, and we won't use your name without your written permission. We hope this series scares the sluggish smugness out of our public health establishment. -- Dan Olmsted)

I would be happy to share with you my observations from working as a substitute teacher this past two years in Virginia.

First, I will tell you a little bit about myself.  I got a master's degree in the early '90s, in Developmental and Child Psychology.  Up to and during that time frame, I had worked with kids in different capacities. 

First, I was a gymnastics teacher, working with kids age 4 and up.  I did this on and off for a number of years.   I worked with many children over the years.  The kids were self-selected (by their parents) and thus could not be said to represent all children.  Still, I think I saw a good cross-section of kids during that time frame.  All very manageable, generally able to stand in line, sit still, wait their turn, follow directions, etc.

AUTISM IN THE MILITARY

Managing Editor's Note: We reprinted this with permission from Angela Warner, who runs the "Autism Salutes" blog about autism in the US military.

By Angela Warner

The time has come for everyone to stop referencing the Center for Disease Control (CDC) statistic which states that 1 in every 150 children has an autism spectrum disorder. Did we really ever believe the numbers the CDC presented to the world? Do we rarely believe anything that comes out of the collective mouth of the CDC? If the CDC wanted to tell the truth, they wouldn’t have had to look far to get to that truth.

For far too long it has been we the parents and our national autism organizations who have uncovered and spoken the truth. We are speaking the truth again, and the CDC needs to be confronted.

GARDASIL IN THE NEWS: HEADED FOR THE OBITS?

Managing Editor's Note: Gardasil has been in the news frequently lately. Thank you to artist Ben Lansing for this cartoon. You can visit his site at www.benlansing.com.

From CBS News this morning:  HPV Vaccine Linked To Teen's Paralysis? Her Father Thinks Gardasil Might Be; Drug's Maker Denies It

From Market Watch: BOSTON (MarketWatch) -- Merck & Co. shares fell sharply Monday amid concerns raised in a research note by UBS about how sales of its new vaccine Gardasil are faring.

From The American Academy of Pediatric$, their own concern$ (those S's are not typos) about the vaccine (insert eye roll here): 2008 American Academy of Pediatrics This template letter to patients/families regarding the physician's inability to provide Gardasil to their child due to the high vaccine costs.

More from the AAP:Since Gardasil prevents HPV, a sexually transmitted disease, it is important that it be given before people become sexually active. In fact, the the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) all recommend that Gardasil be routinely given to girls when they are 11 or 12 years of age.

July 3, 2008
From the Desk of Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton:
Judicial Watch Uncovers Shocking New FDA Documents Related to Gardasil

AGE OF AUTISM READERS: TELL PEREZ HILTON "THANK YOU!"

Perez Hilton has a terrific post about NAA HERE!

Please go over to his site and leave a comment thanking him for recognizing The National Autism Association!  Thank you again, Jenny McCarthy and Jim Carrey for putting autism in the national spotlight. (Someone get Dr. Jenkins a Bromo, won't you?)

DR. RENEE JENKINS: CHANNELING PAUL OFFIT'S BULLSHIT

By J.B. Handley

Renee Jenkins, the President of the American Academy of Pediatrics, is helping her organization rocket ahead of the CDC in becoming parent enemy number one for our community. In a month when Julie Gerberding conceded that the entire foundation of the CDC's position that vaccines do not cause autism—the Verstraeten Study—had major weaknesses, the AAP seems hell-bent on defending the CDC's Recommended Vaccine Schedule at all costs.

Moreover, we are seeing the AAP's new media strategy, forged through the formation of the "Immunization Alliance"--a front group for parties with a vested interest in promoting vaccines—which is likely to not only backfire, but also put the AAP in the middle of the line of fire for parent activism.

For those of you who have been enjoying your summer, here's a little background:

COMBATING AUTISM ACT: STRATEGIC PLAN CONFERENCE CALL ON 7/8

The Combating Autism Act has required the NIH to prepare a Strategic Plan for autism research. There will be a public teleconference meeting this Tuesday, details are below. We urge you all to register and listen in to see how your tax dollars are being spent for autism research. Click HERE to see full invitation.

Date:  July 8, 2008

Time:  10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. EDT

Agenda:  Review and comment on the draft IACC Strategic Plan for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Research

Place:  Online conference call with web-based presentation. Audio of this workgroup meeting will be accessible to the public via a teleconference phone link, and web-based access to information will be displayed at the meeting via computer/projector.

REGISTER FOR THE CALL HERE.
Dial in number (888) 455-2920
PASSCODE: 3857872

NATIONAL AUTISM ASSOCIATION: "BAYOU BOY NEEDS HOME"

Boy, we really do need a new category called, "Miracles." Wendy Fournier, of NAA, was contacted by Jay Neu, an adoption manager from the state of Louisiana about a boy with autism named Joseph, who needs a home. Mr. Neu read the NAA mission statement and assumed that "our people" could help. This child needs a loving home. Mr. Neu knew exactly where to ask for help. At the National Autism Association.  Read his letter to Wendy and learn how you can help, here:

AAP: BONE WEARY OF PARENTS AND NOW THE MEDIA

By Anne Dachel

The American Academy of Pediatrics is angry with Chicago Tribune reporter Julie Deardorff.  They're upset because of her recent article, The AAP gets tough on vaccine dissenters., (HERE) published on the Tribune blog.

The AAP wrote to the Chicago Tribune to complain because of what Julie said about parents and their fears over vaccines.  The AAP letter will be published Wed., July 9 in the Tribune.

You might ask what a reporter from a top U.S. paper could have written to incur the wrath of the AAP.  First of all, Julie's piece was "one-sided" and it was "fear-mongering," according to the AAP.  Reading the original article, I have to wonder what they consider "fear-mongering."  Is it because Julie pointed out that there's been a dramatic increase in the vaccine schedule since 1982 and it's got parents worried?  Maybe they don't like the fact that Julie reported about a letter that the AAP leadership sent out to their doctors addressing the controversy over vaccine safety.  Their letter gave suggestions on how to deal with non-complying parents, which included telling them they're "self-centered" and that they should find a new doctor if they objected to the mandated schedule.

SRI LANKA SUSPENDS FIVE IN ONE VACCINE USE

Sri Lanka has suspended use of the new 5 in 1 vaccine that covers Diptheria, Pertussis, Tetanus, Hib and Hepatitis B due to the number of reactions in children. Is your pediatrician "in network" in Sri Lanka, by chance?

The pentavalent vaccine for children, introduced on January 1 this year under the National Immunisation Programme, has been suspended after it was found that children who had received the vaccination had developed side effects.

Read the full article HERE.

LISA ACKERMAN OF TALK ABOUT CURING AUTISM

By Kim Stagliano

This article, by Sam Millier of the Orange County Register, California is about TACA's Lisa Ackerman, and the unending work she does on behalf of our kids. Here's a chance to thank Lisa personally, in the comments section. We're proud that TACA has chosen to sponsor Age of Autism. Thank you, Lisa, for all that you do.

It was a sweltering June morning in Washington, D.C., and Lisa Ackerman was at the front of a protest march from the Washington Monument to the Capitol building.

HOW GREAT IS JIM CARREY?

By Kim Stagliano

Jim Carrey and Jenny McCarthy are the best.  Jim recently channeled an old character from, "In Living Color." This has nothing to do with autism.

Trust me, just click here.

KS

PENNSYLVANIA AUTISM BILL

Here's another news report on the Pennsylvania autism insurance bill.

HARRISBURG, Pa. (Map, News) - Parents of autistic children would be able to pay for behavioral therapy and related services with private health insurance starting next year, under legislation that strikes a compromise between the insurance industry and advocates for the disabled.

The House of Representatives on Tuesday unanimously passed the measure, which also would give the state Insurance Department power to approve the proposed merger of Pennsylvania's two largest insurance companies. The Senate on Wednesday night approved the bill 49-1 to send it to Gov. Ed Rendell, who said he would sign it.

"It is a national model, a gold standard" for the coverage of autism-related treatments, Sen. Jane Orie, R-Allegheny, said in a speech on the Senate floor.

Read the full article HERE.

SPRECHEN ZEE DEUTSCH? WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Editor's Note: Yes, I know it should be "ZIE," but I thought that "typo" might get the attention of someone fluent in German. If that's you, read on.

Mark Blaxill and I are writing a book on the natural history of autism that goes wide and deep in terms of the environmental causes of autism and other neurological conditions, including the long legacy of damage from medicinal and industrial exposure to mercury in many different countries.

We've got some documents in German that we need to understand. We think we're on to some really important new information; we believe that your assistance to our project, by translating key passages, would be time well spent. And of course we'd acknowledge your help in the book. To volunteer, e-mail olmsted.dan@gmail.com.

RECOVERY STORY: MacKENZIE

MacKenzie’s Journey
Presented By Generation Rescue

I don't have to tell another parent the story. We all know the happy baby who begins to suffer recurrent ear infections, horrific diarrhea, and a variety of non-stop illnesses and rashes. "He'll out grow it", we heard the doctors say. Sleep disorder? No, just bad parenting. What about the screaming and fever after vaccinations? "Normal reaction", we're told. And then we watch our children spiral downward, losing skills, losing language, screaming over minor changes in routines.

Like you, I knew something was medically wrong with my child, but traditional doctors wouldn't listen. I finally turned to a naturopath who helped my son's immune system. Health and behaviours improved to the point that at age 8 he was labelled with aspergers rather than autism. But many health problems remained, and daily life teetered on the brink of hell. Rejection by school, family, friends and neighbors? Let's not even go there.

DAVID KIRBY: FEDERAL COURT CANCELS VACCINE AUTISM PANEL

Read David Kirby's latest on the cancellation of the Federal Court Vaccine Autism Panel, at Huffington Post, HERE.

DID GARDINER HARRIS GET IT "ENTIRELY WRONG?"

Managing Editor's Note: You can send an email to Clark Hoyt, who is the New York Times' Reader's Representative at public@nytimes.com, after reading David's piece here at A of A.

By David Kirby

Gardiner Harris of the New York Times is perhaps the most important journalist covering the debate over autism and vaccines in America today, given the way that paper drives the news cycle in this country. As such, it is surprising that he seems to have decided that the vaccine debate is, for all practical purposes, over.

Even more surprising is his lack of curiosity in exploring why some studies show that mitochondrial dysfunction among ASD kids is far more common than anyone ever suspected - including officials at the CDC.

PA INSURANCE BILL FOR AUTISM CAUSES OUTCRY

PITTSBURGH, July 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Yesterday in a historical and unprecedented move, the Pennsylvania legislature voted nearly unanimously in the affirmative for House Bill 1150 to mandate commercial insurance companies to cover some services for children with autism. The bill, introduced by House Speaker Dennis M. O'Brien, requires insurance companies to cover up to $36,000 of autism-related treatment for individuals less than 21 years old.

Autism Speaks, a national organization that conducts fundraising for research, and their paid lobbyists from Ikon, Inc., made several back-door concessions on the bill without the consent of Speaker O'Brien.

In nearly one full week of roller-coaster negotiations with the House Banking and Insurance Committee, headed by Senator Don White, the bill was stripped of all useful language, leaving Pennsylvania children with autism vulnerable to denials of coverage. House Speaker O'Brien, along with Pennsylvania Governor Edward G. Rendell and Secretary Estelle Richman of the Department of Public Welfare joined in condemning the gutting of the bill.

Read the full Yahoo news article HERE.

GENESIS HEALTHCARE HALTS VACCINATIONS

A four month old boy has died following routine, AAP recommended vaccinations, at the Genesis Pediatric practice in Silvis, Illinois.  The AAP schedule at four months calls for five jabs, dispensing seven vaccinations which include vaccinophile Dr. Paul Offit's RotaTeq Rotavirus vaccine, Diptheria, Tetanus, Pertussis, Haemophilus Influenzae Type B (Hib), Pneumococcal and Inactivated Poliovirus. Additionally, a second Hepatitis B may follow the birth or two month shot.

The Genesis Healthcare pediatric offices (in the Quad Cities area which is in Iowa and Illinois, in the American midwest) have HALTED their vaccination program.

QUAD CITIES -- Wednesday all Genesis Medical Center Pediatric Clinics suspended their use of childhood vaccines. The decision comes after a baby received routine vaccinations on Tuesday, then died several hours later at home.  Genesis Health Group says its suspending pediatric vaccinations merely as a precaution until the cause of the baby's death can be determined.

We commend Genesis for this bold move that puts their young patients' health first. Our sympathies to the family who lost their precious son.

Read about this story at KWQC HERE and WQAD HERE.

WHAT'S IN YOUR CABINET?

By Kim Stagliano

We moved into our new house on Monday. I'd say we're half unpacked. The kids' rooms are complete, to help ease their transition. And their supplements are in the cabinet (and fridge.) That's the edge of one of our supplement shelves.

Do you have a system to dispense your supplements to your child? Do you use a weekly pill box? I'm like a crazy chemist each morning, mixing drops and opening capsules into juice.

Oh! See that jar of Moxie powder? Minerals that actually mix in liquid! From our friends at Our Kids ASD, in Cleveland. Check them out!

Finally, can you find MY supplement on that shelf?

Pray for cable today, won't you?

KS

MOVING AND AUTISM

Have you moved recently? We've moved three times since August 2005. Practice does not make perfect. Someday (when I'm finished with therapy) I'll write about why we've moved so often.

The cable company has blown it again today, so we're still not online. We'll get back on track here at Age of Autism later tomorrow, I hope.

Please, share a moving tip or two in the comments. My advice? Stay put! Moving is so hard on our kids. On Mom and Dad too.

KS

OLMSTED ON AUTISM: BILL GATES AND THE MORAL IMPERATIVE

By Dan Olmsted

You’ve probably seen that Bill Gates is leaving Microsoft to devote full time to the charity he and his wife, Melinda, has created. The foundation has done indisputably good works and – now that Gates pal Warren Buffett has chipped in his entire $50 billion fortune – intends to literally redouble its efforts.

One of those efforts is to create and promulgate vaccinations. This post is not about whether vaccinations are a good idea, the best way to fight diseases like malaria, the practicality of continuing to pour millions into the search for an AIDS vaccine – it’s not about any of that. The issue is: Given that the foundation sees mass vaccination as a direct route to better health outcomes for the world’s poor, the foundation (which now means Bill Gates himself) has an affirmative duty – a moral imperative – to make sure those vaccines are as safe as humanly possible.