The List Keeps Growing: David Kirby on the Autism Vaccine Connection

Managing Editor's Note: Who thinks this list is naughty and who thinks it's nice?

By David Kirby

It’s getting harder to keep up with the list of scientists, doctors, public health officials and government leaders who now believe that a vaccine-autism connection is at the least possible, and should be researched further.

Earlier this week, Dr. Peter Fletcher, former Chief Scientific Officer at the UK Department of Health was added. Now, eight more prominent researchers have joined the group. (See list below – they are the last eight names added).

These are the authors of the new study, “Mitochondrial Disease in Autism Spectrum Disorder Patients: A Cohort Analysis,” (HERE) who did chart reviews on Hannah Poling and two dozen other young people with autism and mitochondrial dysfunction.

In my opinion, it could well prove to be one of the most significant autism studies published to date. (My Huffington Post article on this is HERE.

Mito disorders, which might affect 7-to-30 percent of all children with ASD, can predispose kids to developmental regression following a stressful trigger. Such a trigger might come from a febrile infection – or it could conceivably come from a vaccine reaction, the authors wrote.

“There might be no difference between the inflammatory or catabolic (breaking down of tissue) stress of vaccinations and that of common childhood diseases, which are known precipitants of mitochondrial regression,” they said.

And then they wrote this: “Large, population-based studies will be needed to identify a possible relationship of vaccination with autistic regression in persons with mitochondrial cytopathies (cellular disorders).”

And so, they get added to the list.

The list keeps changing in other ways. For example, late last spring it listed, “all three presidential candidates” (Obama, Clinton and McCain). Soon enough, that will be changed to US President, Secretary of State, and a pivotal and potentially filibuster-busting Senator from Arizona.

Another change: Before, the list said, “Autism researchers at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center.” Now, those people can be named, along with their colleagues: Investigators at the Cleveland Clinic and Massachusetts General Hospital. I have also listed experts from Harvard, UC Davis and Autism Speaks, who were part of the Strategic Planning Workgroup for Autism Spectrum Disorders of the federal Inter-Agency Autism Committee (IACC).

It makes you wonder how long the term “fringe” can seriously be applied to people who believe that this debate is not over.

Finally, keep your eye on the draft National Vaccine Plan at HHS, especially this January - right around the time the nation gets a new HHS Secretary and, reportedly, a new Director of the CDC – both of whom could potentially be added to the list, as well.

-----------------------------------------------

In 2008, the following groups and individuals have advocated, or at least considered, further study of a possible vaccine-autism connection:

1) Presidenti-Elect Barack Obama,
2) Sen. Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State Designee
3) Sen. John McCain, Senior Senator from Arizona and pivotal minority vote
4) Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the CDC
5) Dr. Bernadine Healy, Former Director of the NIH and President of the American Red Cross
6) Rep. Brad Miller, (D-NC), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Investigations and Oversight of the House Committee on Science and Technology
7) Members of the HHS Vaccine Safety Working Group
8) Officials at the CDC’s Immunization Safety Office who drafted the federal vaccine safety research agenda, the National Vaccine Plan
9) Medical personnel at the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program of HHS, who ordered federal compensation to Hannah Poling for her vaccine-associated autism.
10) Members of the CDC’s Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment Network (CISA)
11) America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), the national association representing nearly 1,300 companies covering more than 200 million Americans
12) Research grant making officials at Autism Speaks
13) Dr. Douglas Wallace, Professor of Molecular Medicine at the University of California, Irvine, Director of the UCI Center for Molecular and Mitochondrial Medicine in Genetics, and member of the Scientific & Medical Advisory Board of the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation
14) Dr. Peter Fletcher, former Chief Scientific Officer at the UK Department of Health
15) Dr. Jon Poling, prominent neurologist and father to Hannah Poling
16) Dr. Isaac Pessah, Professor and Chair, VM: Molecular Biosciences,
Director, Center for Children’s Environmental Health, University of California, Davis, and member of the Strategic Planning Workgroup for Autism Spectrum Disorders of the federal Inter-Agency Autism Committee (IACC).
17) Dr. Martha Herbert, Assistant Professor, Pediatric Neurology Director, Transcend Research Program, Harvard Medical School, and member of the Strategic Planning Workgroup for Autism Spectrum Disorders of the federal Inter-Agency Autism Committee (IACC).
18) Dr. Geraldine Dawson, Chief Science Officer, Autism Speaks, and member of the Strategic Planning Workgroup for Autism Spectrum Disorders of the federal Inter-Agency Autism Committee (IACC).
19) Dr. Jacqueline R. Weissman, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine
20) Dr. Richard I. Kelley, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University Medical Center and Division of Metabolism, Kennedy Krieger Institute
21) Dr. Margaret L. Bauman, Department of Pediatrics and Learning and Developmental Disabilities Evaluation and Rehabilitation Services (LADDERS), Massachusetts General Hospital
22)  Dr. Bruce H. Cohen, Neurological Institute and Pediatrics Institute, Cleveland Clinic
23)  Dr. Katherine F. Murray, Genomic Department of Pediatrics and Learning and Developmental Disabilities Evaluation and Rehabilitation Services (LADDERS), Massachusetts General Hospital
24)  Dr. Rebecca L. Mitchell, Genomic Medicine Institute, Cleveland Clinic
25)  Dr. Rebecca L. Kern, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University Medical Center and Division of Metabolism, Kennedy Krieger Institute
26) Dr. Marvin R. Natowicz, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine

“HONORARY MEMBER”:

HHS Secretary Designee Tom Daschel, who said in November of 2002: “Mercury-based vaccine preservatives actually have caused autism in children.”

David Kirby is author of Evidence of Harm, a contributor to Age of Autism and blogs for Huffington Post.

Comments

[Katherine Rose Phelps-Griffin]

I am dealing with needing to have financial support to get some help for my son, David, who is almost 20 and still is not able to speak, which stopped after he received the 15-month, required immunization shots. He has a right to access the available therapies that have some level of proven efficacy, but with 6 brothers and sisters, the cost is prohibitive. For this reason, I need to get recovery for the damages that David, in my opinion, sustained immediately after the 15-month set of shots. He has endured a whole plethora of conditions, including but not limited to, a seizure disorder, causing additional brain damage, obcessive-compulsive behviors, anxiety disorder, self-injurious behaviors, requiring that his arms be restrained on almost a constinuous basis some days, MRSA, depression, and a whole lot of sorrow and frustation.

If anybody has any information that would be helpful to give me direction about some method that I could use to access some remedy in this matter, I would be most appreciative.

Sincerely,

Katherine Phelps-Griffin

[Lesley Aabryn]

Has any research been done into finding out the percentage of autism amongst children whose parents refused to have them vaccinated? Now that would be of interest wouldn't it?

[Anabelle F. Linkous]

JENNY MCCARTHY I BELIEVE SHOULD BE HEAD
OF THE CDC...I FEEL SHE WAS ONE OF THE
MAIN PEOPLE WHO HAD ENFORCED THE ISSUE
OF VACCINES LINKED TO AUTISM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pamela]

With Regard to the Update

Well O.K. Mr. Stone.

But the mere fact that Dr. Centeno poses the question implies that the current body of evidence does not disprove the possibility that;

"Exposure to Hg in utero and children may cause mild to
severe mental retardation and mild to severe motor
coordination impairment;
- Autism?
- Dementia?"

as the presentation states.

We don't necessarily take this PDF to mean that AFIP has proven causation. It simply supports what many in the autism community have been screaming for... MORE RESEARCH, as the science has not answered the question.

David, it would be great if you could ask Dr. Centeno or Mr. Stone if we are to take the presentation to mean more research should be done. If so, his name would be a great addition to “the list” Heck, I think page #22 speaks for itself and you could just go ahead and add him to the list. They can let you know if they want to be taken off. http://www.ageofautism.com/2008/11/the-list-keeps.html

[Diana Anderson]

David....my son is 15 and a prime product of the FDA and their, *cocktail baby shot* as refered to me at the time. How sad it is that we must sit back and wait for the Government to step in and help our wonderful kids when there is so much proof that it is their sole responsibility for the damage they have done. I had a wonderfully normal baby that regressed by age four and now will suffer for the rest of his life.
I waited 40 years to be blessed with a child and how dare the drug makers expect me to be understanding about the major error that ruined my son's life as well as ours and everyone elses that they have ruined! You are great...keep up the good work......and Thank you.

[Another Jennifer]

My son has mito and autism. Although I was never a "mercury mom", we now know that our son was reacting to the egg and gelatin, and in all fairness, possibly the preservatives. He has severe food allergies to egg and gelatin, so he must avoid future booster shots and flu shots.

In the meantime, we run titer levels every year. So far, levels remain positive, so no vaccinations are needed. Because patients with Mitocondrial Disease are medically fragile when it comes to disease and infection, vaccines for the majority of the population are still encouraged.

Considering the dramatic improvement in his autism, he will probably be considered closer to having Asperger's Syndrome. If we ever have to vaccinate again, I will be holding my breath for at least a couple of months. If he had a neurologic or health decline at that point, the case against vaccines would be proven right there. I am SCARED to risk it, despite the potential benefits of avoiding serious disease. Can you say Catch 22?

[TJ]

Kathy,
Funny you should mention the Clinton's - all of my son's immunizations were free at the County Health Department, courtesy of the Clinton Administrations push for "All Vaccines by age 2." Of course, you can't really blame Senator Clinton. I'm sure she thought like I did - that I was doing something good for my son. How I wish I had a time machine!!!! (And trust me, I'm no fan of the Clintons!)

[Fed Up]

The Huffington Post will announce this morning that it has raised $25 million, in a single investment from Oak Investment Partners.

The large round by Oak, which was led by Palo Alto, Ca.-based venture capitalist Fred Harman, will give the popular online news and blog site a valuation of just “south of $100 million,” a source said.

[Kathy]

I wonder how Hillary feels about her healthcare reform which introduced the ridiculous increase in vaccines. She of all people should be the biggest advocate to get things moving along to at least make her feel less guilt if she in fact feels any at all ... I mean a 6000% increase since her healthcare reform? There's enough information out there to make this stop NOW. Just made me sick to see her name second on this list when she had a major role in all of this. Am I the only one who feels this way?

[Tanners Dad]

The Ultimate Tease or Campaign Sleaze? Parents Hope the "Yes We Can" Attitude Translates to Support for Families Dealing Wih Autism

Now that the list is made and 2008 was a banner year for things making it to the front page. We need action. The only thing that would be nice would be a vaccine Injury Board decision in our favor in 2008.

http://www.causecast.org/member/tanners-dad/blog_posts/441

[Carol Hoernlein]

There is actual research by SH Fatemi on the hyperglutamatergic hypothesis of autism:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18160196?ordinalpos=17&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6TBR-4R466J2-1&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=60f84f30c08b535ae7d124dc9a2310cc

And so, the idea of putting free glutamic acid as a preservative in vaccines is simply put: crazy. Especially when excess of glutamate inhibits production of glutathione which gets rid of mercury from ANY SOURCE.

So, if those researchers could add their names to your list, I think their answer would be a resounding YES!

And then we need to GREEN the vaccines - starting with removing free glutamate from them. Reduction in the incidence of heavy metal toxicity in autism would naturally follow.

[CAROL WRIGHT]

This is wonderful music to our ears after fighting to recover our 8 year old daughter. We are on the edge of almost total recovery only to discover that she now has Type 1 diabetes. If anyone has any information regarding this and vaccines and how we should approach this (besides just the usual protocol by endocrinologists), I would appreciate your comments.

[Barbara Fischkin]

thanks david

It is so valuable and powerful to have all these names in one place. I am sending this to Congressman Gary Ackerman, Democrat of New York, who was gracious enough to see me in June at the Green the Vaccines Rally,

Barbara

[Anne Dachel]

Thank you for telling it like it is. It's about time the media reports the truth: It's not just "some parents" who link vaccines to autism. For officials and reporters to claim otherwise is like telling the public that "only a few widows link smoking to lung cancer."

Anne Dachel
Media editor

[anonymous]

Encouraging - Thx David

[Richard]

Taloe and Offit are convinced they are the only ones who know the truth, they would say that anyone that supports a vaccine autism link is fringe,wacko. I think it will not be long before their greedy self serving interests are fully exposed.

[karenatlanta]

Anything that concerns the safety and well being of children should always be open for debate.
Should we stop checking imported toys for lead?
Should we stop improving baby seats?
To close the door on vaccine safety debates is opening the door to corruption and trouble.
No one should have indemnity when it comes to product safety, especially vaccine makers.

[Lin]

Another great article, David!! Thanks for your diligence!