Dr. Bob Sears: Smart Vaccine Decisions for Families with Autism

By Dr. Bob Sears

(Excerpted from Dr. Bob Sears’ upcoming work, The Autism Book: Diagnosis, Treatment, Recovery, and Prevention coming in April 2010 from Little, Brown.)

With the alarming rise in autism over the last 15 years, parents and doctors continue to search for causes and contributing factors.  Is it genetics?  Environment?  Toxic exposures?  Infectious agents?  Prenatal factors?  A mix of various causes?  At (or near) the top of the list of suspects in the minds of many parents are vaccines.  Mainstream science and research continue to show there is probably no connection.  Yet, some vaccine research in the world of alternative medicine (but not accepted as legitimate by the mainstream medical community) shows some possible connections to autism.  So who are parents to believe?  What are parents supposed to do when the CDC, AAP and virtually every doctor and academic medical institution in the country says, “You have nothing to worry about – continue to vaccinate according to the regular schedule,” but a friend, neighbor, or alternatively-minded doctor says “Wait – my child (or patient) regressed into autism 3 weeks after the one-year shots – don’t do it!” What do you do when you hear that story over and over and over again? 

As a pediatrician and DAN! doctor, I’ve wrestled with this decision in my practice.  Much of my day is spent as a general pediatrician, doing checkups, seeing sick kids, and, yes, giving vaccinations.  Part-time I treat kids with autism using the DAN! protocol.  So I see all kinds of families with many different views on vaccines.

I’ve had several patients develop autism without ever having any vaccines at all, but of course most of my patients with autism were vaccinated.  I do believe vaccines are important, some more than others.  The diseases do pose a risk, and in my opinion vaccines do help prevent these diseases.  I know that’s a bold statement to make on an autism website.  Many anti-vaccine advocates feel that vaccines are dangerous and don’t even work.  But that hasn’t been my experience, nor is it my understanding based on all available research. However, vaccines do have side effects, and there is a small chance of serious, even life-threatening, reactions.  Such events are well documented. But most kids seem to handle vaccine very well.  Overall, the medical community feels that the disease protection benefit, both for the individual and for society as a whole, outweighs the risk of side effects. 

But here is where families already affected by autism come into play.  Does a child with autism have a greater risk of suffering a vaccine reaction (or as some parents would say, another vaccine reaction) if he continues to get more vaccines? And what about any younger siblings that come along?  Should the parents vaccinate their next baby(ies)?  That’s the bigger question.  Is there a point where, for certain families, the risk of vaccines could outweigh the benefits of disease protection for that particular family?  It would be nice if we could screen newborns for genetic and metabolic susceptibilities to severe vaccine reactions.  We could then vaccinate such babies more carefully and find ways to avoid these reactions.  But we don’t have that technology yet.  So what is a family with autism to do?  If they don’t vaccinate their subsequent children, does that put their child, and society as a whole, at risk? 

I believe that for a child already affected by autism, the risk of continuing to vaccinate isn’t worth the disease protection gained.  For any mainstream pro-vaccine person reading this, you are probably not happy to hear me make that statement.  But I feel that the chemicals and immune-modulating properties of vaccines may cause further neurological, inflammatory, or autoimmune changes within that child (who already is dealing with such issues) and possibly make the autism worse.  Now, do I have any science to back up my statement?  Not directly, no.  To my knowledge, no one has ever taken a group of a few hundred children with autism, given them their 4 to 6 year vaccines and yearly flu shots, and studied what happens to them compared to a group of kids with autism who don’t continue to vaccinate.  Until that study is done, or some mainstream research comes out that demonstrates a possible link between autism and vaccines in the first place, we can’t answer this question with certainty.  But we can take a logical and theoretical guess.  In my opinion it’s possible that a child with autism would be genetically, immunologically, and neurologically more susceptible to vaccine side effects.  Therefore I feel it is a perfectly legitimate choice for a family to decide not to continue to vaccinate their child with autism at this time until we know more. 

I will say, however, that a family who decides not to continue vaccinations should have a very clear understanding of the disease risks they are taking.  Although the risk of catching a severe case of what should be a vaccine-preventable disease is low for a child past two years of age, there is a risk nonetheless.  Parents should educate themselves about that risk, and the risk to society if too many people make the same decision not to vaccinate.  What is the risk to society by not vaccinating?  Studies have shown that we need between 90 to 95% vaccine coverage in our society to be able to keep diseases under manageable control and prevent widespread outbreaks.  Small outbreaks will occur, both in vaccinated and unvaccinated people (mostly in unvaccinated though, in my opinion), but as long as most of the surrounding population is vaccinated, these outbreaks can be contained.  Since autism affects about 1 in 150 kids, if all of those families stopped vaccinating their affected child, as well as their subsequent children, this would only increase the unvaccinated population by about 1 to 2%.  I don’t think that’s enough to tip the scales to allow widespread disease.  Yes, it increases disease risks for those individuals, but not society as a whole to a significant extent.  As long as the rest of society continues to vaccinate, that is. 

Let’s take a look at the disease risk a child with autism would be taking if he didn’t get his 5-year booster shots or his yearly flu shot:

DTaP vaccine:

• Diphtheria (a severe respiratory infection) doesn’t exist in the U.S., except for the occasional case (or five) each year.  This can be a risk with international travel, however, but not really with vacation travel – you’d have to be mingling with the local population to catch it.

• Tetanus occurs from deep, dirty wounds. Fortunately it is very rare in children (partly due to vaccine coverage and partly because children just aren’t as susceptible to having tetanus grow in their wounds). Despite all the tens of thousands of unvaccinated kids running around out there, we only see about 5 cases of tetanus in kids under 12 each year.

• Pertussis is a coughing illness that tragically kills about 20 infants each year.  We don’t see fatalities beyond 6 months of age, so for an older child at five years, the shot isn’t important for him as an individual. The main reason to vaccinate an older child is to prevent spread of the disease through him to an infant sibling. 

Polio vaccine: Polio doesn’t exist in the U.S., or the entire western hemisphere. So going unvaccinated in this country doesn’t pose any risk to that individual. Of course, it’s an important shot for most people overall so we can keep polio out.

MMR vaccine:

• Measles causes several days of fever, aches, rash, and coughing, and most kids will work through the illness without any trouble.  However, there can be complications such as pneumonia (occurring in about 1 in 100 cases), or the more severe encephalitis (infection within the brain), which occurs in about 1 in 1000 cases. The fatality rate from measles is about 1 in 2000 cases.  For the past 15 years we’ve managed to keep measles to a minimum level in the U.S. – about 50 to 100 cases per year.  This year (2008) we are looking at a slight increase to about 150 cases occurring in about a dozen cities.  A five year old with autism would already have received one dose of the MMR vaccine at age 1; most of those kids will still have this immunity from measles, mumps and rubella until the teenage years, and therefore wouldn’t necessarily need a booster at 5 (this can be checked with a blood test). Those that have lost their immunity, but don’t get a booster, would have a risk of being caught up in a measles outbreak in their community and being responsible for spreading the disease if they caught it, but this risk is fairly small at this time. This could change if measles becomes more common.

• Mumps causes swollen tonsils and facial glands, fever, and rash, and most kids get through it without any trouble.  Fatalities are virtually unheard of.  We only see about 250 to 500 cases of mumps in the U.S. each year (except for an outbreak of about 5000 cases in 2006). So the chances that an unvaccinated child would catch mumps is fairly rare, but if he did catch it, virtually all childhood cases are harmless. In teens and adults, mumps can causes sterility.

• Rubella is harmless to any child or adult who catches it (mild fever, rash and body aches), but if a pregnant mom catches rubella it can cause birth defects. Because of vaccination, rubella is extremely rare – only about 10 cases are identified each year in the U.S.  So, it would be safe for an older child to go without a rubella booster, since the disease would be harmless to him (keeping in mind, the very small risk to any pregnant parents or teachers around him).

Chickenpox vaccine:

This is given at age one, and most kids will retain that immunity throughout childhood (this can be verified with a blood test). Some will lose immunity, however, so a booster is offered at 5.  Kids who don’t get a booster could be susceptible to the disease, although they’d likely catch a milder case because of their vaccine protection.  The fatality rate from this disease is very low – about 1 in 65,000 cases.  We do tragically see about 5 deaths each year in the U.S.

Flu vaccine is now recommended for every child up through age 18 at the start of every flu season (November).  The flu tragically kills about 100 children every year.  Fortunately, the vast majority of kids who catch the flu get through without any lasting harm.  Getting a flu shot doesn’t prevent a child from catching the flu 100%, but it can help lower the chances.  The main reason not to get a flu shot for a child with autism is that most brands contain mercury.  Companies do make a small supply of mercury-free flu shots every year, so if a family was to choose to have their child get a flu shot, at least make sure it’s mercury-free.  I know that most mainstream science has failed to show a link between vaccine mercury and autism, but for a child already with autism I believe that avoiding mercury is a good precaution anyway.

So, as you can see, the risk of skipping the 5-year shots for a child with autism is fairly low.  Yes, it does leave a child open to some diseases, but the complication and fatality rates of anything he’d be likely to catch is fairly low.  Skipping vaccines does pose some public health risk, however.  An unvaccinated child can be the start of, or help spread, an outbreak of a disease.  But considering the overall risk versus benefit of vaccines for a child with autism (and the neurological, auto-immune and inflammatory problems that may go along with autism), I don’t blame any parent for skipping the 5-year shots and the yearly flu shot.

In 20 states, vaccines are optional.  Parents can waive them without providing a reason. But in 30 states, parents either have to have a religious reason or a medical waiver.  Most DAN! doctors would likely provide a medical exception for any child with autism.  But some parents without a DAN! doctor might find themselves in a bind.  You could try getting religious really quick, but that wouldn’t be honest.  You could also try to fight the system.  I would think that many schools would be lenient on you, since you and your child already have so much to deal with.  If you are forced into vaccinating anyway, you could first get a blood test to check the immunity levels from the infant vaccines.  If your child still has immunity, most states will accept that in place of a booster shot.  If you ultimately don’t have any choice and have to do the 5-year booster shots, I would suggest at least getting only one shot at a time and spreading it all out over a year or two. 

VACCINATING SUBSEQUENT CHILDREN

What should parents do with the next baby that comes along?  We do know that siblings have a higher risk of autism than the general population, but we really don’t know whether or not vaccines would increase that risk.  I understand that many such families will take any and all possible precautions to prevent autism in their next children, including early diet restrictions, supplementation with probiotics, fish oil, and vitamins, limiting (or avoiding completely) antibiotics, and early intervention for any developmental delays.  But what about vaccines?  There is no clear answer.  Some parents feel very strongly that vaccines played a role in their child’s autism, and would never vaccinate another baby.  Some parents don’t feel the same way.  I’m not going to say what the right decision is, because I don’t know.  Yes, vaccines are important for disease prevention, but I can totally understand that any family that believes vaccines harmed their first child would view the vaccine risks as greater than the disease risks for their next baby.  As you consider what the disease risks would be for a subsequent baby or babies, it becomes clear that some vaccines are more important than others, and parents who do decide to vaccinate their subsequent baby could pick and choose only certain vaccines.  Here are some basic ideas about the various vaccines:

Hep B vaccine: I will be right up front and say that this is a really stupid vaccine for newborns (unless mom or dad is a Hep B carrier).  There’s no realistic way for a baby or young child to catch this disease. So, this is a no-brainer – your baby doesn’t need this shot (at least in the first few years).

DTaP vaccine: Although U.S. babies don’t need tetanus or diphtheria protection, pertussis is a risk for babies in the first 6 months of life – we see about 20 babies die each year from it. 

Pc vaccine:  This vaccine protects against infant and toddler meningitis, bloodstream infections, and pneumonia.  There are approximately 1000 such cases each year in the U.S., although the exact number of actual fatalities isn’t known.

HIB vaccine: This protects against a very rare form of infant and toddler meningitis. There used to be about 20,000 cases each year in the U.S. during the 1980s and before – now we see only about 25 (due, in my opinion, to the vaccine).

Rotavirus vaccine:  This oral liquid vaccine protects against this vomiting and diarrhea intestinal illness. This infection kills about 50 babies each year, and hospitalizes about 50,000. It is very common.

Hep A: This food poisoning illness usually gets transmitted at restaurants.  It’s a very mild disease in children.  Teens and adults will suffer the worst stomach flu of their lives for a week or two.  This is not a fatal disease, however, and it doesn’t cause long-term complications.

HPV vaccine:  This is a 3-dose teenage vaccine (for girls only) to prevent the virus that causes genital warts and cervical cancer.  Parents would need to determine if their older daughter is at risk.

Meningococcal vaccine: This teenage meningitis vaccine (one-dose only) protects against the type of meningitis that goes around high schools and colleges.  There are about 3000 yearly cases with about 300 fatalities. 

Polio, MMR, Chickenpox, Flu – see above. 

This was a very basic look at each disease and vaccine.  Parents should fully educate themselves as they decide what to do.

HOW TO CAREFULLY VACCINATE

In The Vaccine Book, I detail how parents who choose to vaccinate can do so in the safest manner possible by following these suggestions:

• Limit the number of vaccines to 2 per visit (instead of as many as 6 that are offered at each baby checkup).
• Delay certain vaccines that are designed to protect against a disease that a baby has no risk of catching in the U.S.
• Begin with the most important vaccines first, to protect a baby from the riskiest diseases.
• Understand about the various chemicals that are in vaccines and don’t overlap too many chemicals all at once.
• Avoid vaccines during times of illness, intestinal problems, and severe allergic conditions.
• Watch carefully for vaccine reactions and consider not repeating a vaccine that a baby has a moderate to severe reaction to.

The decision on whether or not to vaccinate is a difficult one for parents to make when autism runs in the family.  For parents who decide to fully vaccinate their babies, my Alternative Vaccine Schedule (see The Vaccine Book for details) offers a way to vaccinate that avoids overloading with too many vaccines at a time and spreads them out over more years.  For parents who want to be more selective in what vaccines they give their baby, and want to only provide the most important vaccines for the most serious diseases at an age when the diseases pose the most risk, I would suggest considering my Selective Vaccine Schedule:

2 months – DTaP, Rotavirus
3 months – Pc, HIB
4 months – DTaP, Rotavirus
5 months – Pc, HIB
6 months – DTaP, Rotavirus
7 months – Pc, HIB
15 months – Pc, HIB
7 years – Tetanus booster

I prefer the ActHIB brand of HIB, the Daptacel or Tripedia brand of DTaP, and any brand of Rota and Pc.  This limits some of the chemicals that are in vaccines.

Parents can also choose to delay vaccines, although this leaves an infant open to some diseases.  Once your child is 3 or 4 years of age and past the time when regressive autism would likely develop, you could then consider some vaccines.  Which ones you would then choose isn’t an easy decision.  You would take a look at each disease and decide if you feel that vaccine would be important for your child or for society around you.

Parents who decide not to vaccinate their infants should commit to prolonged breastfeeding (if possible), avoid group childcare, keep the baby out of church or health-club nurseries for the first two years of life, and promptly seek medical care if the baby develops a high fever, unusual rash, or bad cough.  You don’t have to keep your baby quarantined. You can go about town, stores, and schools – as long as you aren’t leaving the baby in anyone else’s care with other infants around.

In conclusion, I would advise parents not to give a child with autism any further vaccines, as long as you feel comfortable with the disease risk.  For subsequent babies, the decision is less clear. Parents have a choice to not vaccinate, restrict their vaccines to the Selective list in the first two years, or fully vaccinate.  For sibling infants, I would recommend against the regular full vaccine schedule that groups as many as 6 vaccines together at each infant checkup.  I think that overloads these susceptible babies with too many, too soon. 

For more complete information on vaccines, visit www.TheVaccineBook.com

Robert W. Sears, MD, FAAP, is a board-certified pediatrician, DAN! doctor, and author in the Sears Parenting Library.  He is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Medicine and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Comments

[Caro]

After Offit's scathing review of Dr. Sear's kid friendly Vaccine book, I thought that this would be an appropriate place to post Dr. Poling's reply. And it is a very good one (How can anyone not love this man?)

"Dear AAP Pediatricians,

As a physician, scientist, and father of a vaccine-injured child, I have many issues with Offit and Moser’s critique of Dr. Sears vaccine book, particularly its authoritarian tone and content. Offit is certainly entitled to his opinion, but it must be recognized as that. We must stick to the science and recognize the open questions with regards to vaccine safety.

Excerpt from Offit and Moser article: {Sears has a poor grasp of the scientific method. "Some studies have been published in recent years that have failed to show statistical proof of a relationship between vaccines and autism," he writes. "However, by the same token, it is also difficult to prove that there is not a connection." Using the scientific method, investigators form the null hypothesis. Good epidemiological studies are powered to reject or not to reject the null hypothesis. However, the scientific method does not allow investigators to accept the null hypothesis. Said another way, scientists can never prove never. The most that scientists can show is that 2 events are not associated statistically; scientists cannot prove that the events can never be associated statistically. In stating that it is "difficult to prove that there is not a connection," Sears is suggesting the impossible.} End Excerpt

In their assault on Dr. Sears, Offit and Moser confuse scientific methodology. Even more dangerous than not having an understanding of science, is the presumption that one does “grasp the scientific method.” Actually, in designing an epidemiological study, one must have a good estimate of the effect size, in order to determine the power of a study. Offit misuses the statistical term ‘power’ to suggest that this allows one to “reject or not to reject the null hypothesis.” This is incorrect.

If one mistakenly rejects the null hypothesis (usually assigned <5% probability related to the alpha probability), than one has committed a Type I error. On the other hand, if one mistakenly does not reject the null hypothesis, this is called a Type II error—the probability of a Type II error, 1-beta, is described as the ‘power’ of a study.

“Said another way, scientists can never prove never,” according to Moser and Offit. In truth, science does not “prove” negative or positive; it can only determine, in statistical terminology, the strength of conclusions derived from the data. Actually, if one has powered a study appropriately, then a negative result can be stated with a low probability of Type II error. Due to the complexities in effect size and power determination, generally negative and neutral studies do not warrant publication, particularly in high quality journals. This has not been the case in the peer reviewed neutral studies in relation to vaccination and autism, leading many to speculate that these studies are proof against causation.

Regarding the epidemiological studies that have not shown a link between vaccines and autism, one must take a step back. What is the probability that by saying “vaccines don’t cause autism,” you have committed a Type II error. Offit and others frequently cite 15 well positioned studies in the literature as proving that the vaccine-autism connection is a myth. Unfortunately, one cannot derive from these studies any estimate of effect size or power, so the probability of Type II error is completely unknown.

The Institute of Medicine’s final 2004 report on vaccines and autism recognized this major shortfall, and clearly stated that without biological markers of autism subpopulations at risk, further epidemiology would not be helpful. In other words, they did not say that vaccines don’t cause autism—-since without knowing what autism is, science cannot determine what it is not. Etiological determination is greatly encumbered by behavioral rather than medical characterization the disorder. It is highly probably that there are multiple autism(s) with multiple genetic and environmental triggers (Depakote being recently added to the list). This simple truth about autism greatly reduces the stastical power of even the largest epidemiological studies.

As a Neurologist that saw his normally developing daughter regress into autism before turning 2 years old, co-incident with immunization, I obviously have an inherently different bias than Offit, the wealthy vaccine inventor and patent holder. One in my situation must ask—What is post-vaccination encephalopathy? What are the mechanisms? Is there any treatment? Can it look like “autism?” There are many unknowns here, as no concerted effort has been made to understand the scope of post- vaccination encephalopathy. This leads to the next logical conclusion which is, since science does not understand post-vaccination encephalopathy, then we don’t know what factors could increase or decrease its incidence (thimerosal, aluminum, live virus combinations, diet/metabolic factors, multiplicity of vaccines). We can now perform genetic screening to determine who may react poorly to smallpox vaccine—this strategy might also benefit children with genetic susceptibilities similar to my child, thus preventing injuries like hers in the future.

Autism studies aside, there are several recent studies linking vaccination practices to autoimmune disorders-- like the recent Manitoba study demonstrating that a short delay in DTP administration reduces the rate of asthma by 50% and the AAN Neurology publication showing that one brand of HepB vaccine increases the risk of childhood MS by almost 3 times.

As physicians we took an oath to ‘first do no harm’ to our individual patients. Dr. Sears offers a pro-vaccine individualized approach to childhood immunization that acknowledges the risks, benefits, and uncertainties of this medical intervention. Dr. Sears should be applauded for his efforts to provide safe vaccination alternatives to his patients, given the void of randomized controlled trials to support continued growth of the current CDC/AAP schedule.

Rather than personal attacks, let’s turn to science to provide the answers. The enormous public benefit of vaccination cannot be used to stifle open discourse on critical vaccine safety issues. One size does not fit all.

Sincerely,

Jon S. Poling MD/PhD

Conflict of Interest:
Dr. Poling is a practicing neurologist also holding a PhD in biophysics with focus on neuroscience. He is the father of a vaccine-injured child."

[Aster]

Thank you Dr. Sears, for giving parents an alternative schedule.
However, after researching vaccines for over two years after my third child had a bad reaction (I filed with VAERS) it led me to realize vaccines caused my two older children to have Autism, seizures and a host of other problems.
I will not be vaccinating any future children, especially after seeing how healthy my third has been after stopping and doing some detox therapy.
I believe there is a genetic predisposition to Autism and vaccine reactions in my family history. Vaccines should not be a one size fits all.
We have adapted a healthy lifestyle free of as many toxins in the food and environment as possible.
Any future children will be breast fed and not exposed to others, especially sick children, for the first few years of life.
I do worry about the diseases and illness vaccines can prevent but for us, the risk of vaccine damage outweighs the benefit.

[HTRTC(Handthatrocksthecradele)]

OOOUUUCCCHHH, Kathy Blanco!!

That post made me want to stand up and cheer, BTW!

If I may, I'd like to add one more thing. When the vaccine for HIV was developed, it worked just grand with primates, but failed miserably in trials using humans. The vitamin D receptors (VDR) is very sigificant in the regulation of the innate immune system (TH1). What was learned from the HIV vax disaster was that there is a significant difference in the VDR mechanism between humans and primates. What this means is that the safety and efficacy of vaccines can not be established using primate subjects!!!!! Vaccines may very well be contaminated with slow acting, stealth, cell wall bacteria that can block the VDR, setting the stage for immune dysregulation, and eventually, microgliosis and excitoxin damage. Add into the mix the adjuvants, metals, pesticides, excess glutamates like MSG, casein and gluten, viral particles, and the GLUFOSINATE IN THE GMOS WHICH ARE STRUCTURALLY SIMILAR TO GLUTAMIC ACID, and you have the perfect recipe for "autism" or one of the other neurodegeneraive diseases. Not scary enough? The outcome of what the doctor is advocating, a less aggressive vax schedule, will only result in a decrease in the 1:150 ratio, nothing more. Surely, even "THEY" have come to realize the madness of disabling that many children per generation, aware that at such a high rate, society has got to collapse eventually. Dr. Sears is not on our "side", as he states. Simply put, his suggestions just seem to be helping the other side(AAP/Pharma et al) put on the breaks a bit with his "Can't we all just get along?" stance.

[Kathy Blanco]

Dr Sears
I am sorry if I came off harsh in my posting, so as you are viewing this, may I recommend that you at least ask pertinent questions and up to date science, beyond what you have written in your book, that would widely contraindicate vaccines in total?

Number one, do not ask the parents to NOT give their kids tylenol if they vaccinate...seek this web paqe at www.rollingdigital.com/autism please read the entire theory.

Two, ask the parents if ther are any familial autoimmune conditions, but beyond that, ASK THE MOTHERS what was the recent evaluation of her thyroid function? Why I ask? Because, even THREE DAYS of transient malfunction of the thyroid can damage the brain in utero. This brain, or that child, is already assaulted, don't vaccinate

Number three, have you tested the FAMILY, yes the FAMILY, for C4B anulle? This complement deficiency is necessary to BIND MEASLES VIRUSES. If you have the deficiency, you can't deal with vaccine measles.

Four, Have you tested the ENTIRE family for LYME DISEASE or MYCOPLASMA (even outside of so called endemic areas because now it is endemic in our population-only test IGENEX www.igenex.com not CDC STANDARDS?) This is the precurosr bacteria that causes reduction of glutahione and high oxidative stress, damaaged blood brain barrier function, and even gut problems. NO VACCINES in such families.

FIVE, ask the mother, how did your siblings do with vaccines. GIANT CLUE. My brothers did horrible with measles monavalent vaccines...did I know this? NO. Previous reations of swelling or fever, NO VACCINES EVER AGAIN.

SIX, have you tested the family for HLA-DR4? HLA-DR4 are susceptible populations who can't handle vaccines, PERIOD. (based on Lymerix trials). HLA DR4 people have neurological complications from vaccines.

SEVEN, does the family have other autoimune problems, such as LUPUS, MS, DIABETES, ALZ, PARKINSONS, SEIZURES, DOWNS, SPINA BIFIDA, MYELOMA/LYMPHOMA, KAWASAKI, ARTHRITIS, CFS/FIBRO, NIGHT BLINDNESS, CELIAC (even if given a false negative, but have symptoms), THYROID DISEASES, PSORIASIS/EXCEMA, VITILIGO, Rhumatic Fevers, ongoing infections? These are giant clues, don't vaccinate....ask any parent of an autistic child, wher they fit in that scenario, answer, one hundred percent of them....!!!

EIGHT, is the child sick, on antibiotics, has CVID, PANDAS, Not developing well, WAS C SECTIONED, IMMEDIATE CORD CLAMPLED? Answer, most parenst don't know these are preconditions of autism.

NINE, ARE THEY ALREADY MERCURY TOXIC, take a look at mothers mouths...one amalgam, not bad, more than that, she is a toxic wasteland. Baby has chelated her, now the baby is a toxic dump.

TEN, Test both parents for SV-40 and immune panels including CD57, which indicates they have lyme, a marker of LOW NK cell function. LOW ANTI MSH antibodies? BAD NERVE HEALTH ALREADY. LABCORP.

ELEVEN, WHERE DO THEY LIVE? If in the inner city, do they know the levls of contaminants in their body already? BY THE FARM? Levels of pollution and pesticides, etc? THIS MAKES A difference with cell mediated immunity. So your saying, we all have clean slates? NOT.

TWELVE, are the parents or have the parents done cigarette smoking, alcoholism and drug use, and or did chemo? This makes mutations on genes big time...no vaccinating...

THIRTEEN, Do they live near coal plants, crematoria? If close to one, NO VACCINES

Fourteen, have YOU examined if mycoplasma, bacterial contaminations ARE NOT in the VIAL? Tell me how you can guarantee it is not contaminated?

FIFTEEN, do you know for a FACT, that this child is free of mitochondrial problems? OXPHOS, CITRATE SYNTHASE? HIGH IN LACTATE AND PYRUVATE? NO VACCINES.

Are they exposing their children to municiple waters such as FLUORIDE? Aluminum? Flurodie already damages the BBB, weak and leaky. Big time contraindication.

What about levels of toxins such as PCB's? Again, no vaccines if high.

Did they test their child's cord blood for Hyper IgE (see my study at www.voicesofsafety.com ) go to health section. This indicates improper immune syswtem function

Do the parents have HIGH CRP, Sed Rate, Thrombaphilia? NO VACCINES, (clue, family has grandparents with heart attacks).

What infection is NOW present in that child-extensive studies of bacteria, fungi, stool samples, and the like MUST be performed. IF positive for ANYTHING, klebsieall, candida, NO VACCINES.

SO, you see, we have now whiped out, pretty much the whole autism community, if not a chunk of the neurotypicals. They will be totally contraindicated from the current vaccine program, or any vaccines.

Safe vaccines? Monovalents are known to cause risky encephalitis.

Green vaccines? How do you green the toxic soup, and all of the ingredients are in their to stop contaminations? Do we propose we can make vaccines safe at any level, answer, it can't be done.

Slower schedule, myelin is not formed compleately until puberty. NOT GOOD.

Your book has and will continue the autism epidemic sir. And until you get the entire scenic damage, your recommendations will recommend autism in another family.

Bottom line, learn more of the science. LEarn more what is wrong with FAMILIAL patterns, and genetic underpinnings, and you wil come with the giant aha moment...we are not meant to have thes vaccines, our immune sytem is capable.

Oh, and to press it more..most of us have undiagnosed GLUTEN problems...causes immune malfunction....giant giant precursor for autism, and vaccine damage..

Now you see why I HATE vaccinations, because they represent a giant experiement on the masses. The one size fits all, it incredulously stupid, and unscientific.

To suggest you can alter that pattern in suscpetible populations, is almost silly.

Sorry for my candor, but gotta say it

MOM OF TWO with AUTISM, TWO other NT
GRANDCHIDREN, ALL BOYS, NO AUTISM, NOT VACCINATED...yeah right, autism is genetic...

[Twyla]

Dr. Sears -
As MinorityView said, "I really appreciate Dr. Sears sticking his neck out over vaccines. He is really going out on a limb." He went on to disagree with some of what you said. And I disagree with some of it, too. For example, I have never ever known anyone in the U.S. to have a serious problem with rotavirus. I am aware that such problems do occur, but to me (as a layperson) the risks of the vaccine (based on adverse reactions reported) seems worse than the risks of the virus. To add this vaccine onto the already crowded schedule seems to me to be a mistake.

However, like some of the other posters (e.g. Jill), I really really appreciate your willingness to go out on a limb and provide information about vaccines. Whatever you say, you are going to get grief -- from the doctors who want you just to defend the vaccine program as is, and from the parents of vaccine-injured children who believe that you don't go far enough in your criticisms. Thank you so much for continuing to address and discuss this topic in spite of all the mud flung at you from various directions.

I recommend your book to new parents. And your article about aluminum in Mothering magazine was excellent.

[Dr. Bob Sears]

Thanks everyone for contributing your comments. Whenever I write vaccine information on any website, I find that people either hate me or love me. Of course, on a website devoted to autism education and support, I'll get more negative than positive feedback.
I would ask, however, that everyone look at the overall message of my article. YOU DON'T HAVE TO VACCINATE IF YOU DON'T FEEL VACCINES ARE SAFE. And for families already affected by autism, your subsequent infants may be at a higher risk of being negatively affected by vaccines, so don't just automatically vaccinate like your pediatrician will probably tell you to. Stop and think about it.
So, I'm not sure why some of you would take issue with that advice. As a physician, I have to listen to both mainstream science and anecdotal reports, and take into account my own experience. If there was any mainstream peer reviewed science that clearly showed a link between autism and vaccines (something other than Andy's original Lancet paper, since the mainstream medical community has thrown that out), you can bet I would be the first one to change my recommendation to a very strong "Don't vaccinate your next babies." Yes, there is a ton of science that shows a possible link between vaccines and autism - but that science isn't published in mainstream journals. If there is one or two that I've missed, please show them to me.
As a doctor, do I consider such research? Yes, of course I do. I read it and evaluate it. And I completely agree that there are thousands of reports from parents about vaccine reactions and regressive autism.
I know there are conflicts of interest among researchers and some medical journals, and any good research that shows a problem with vaccines would have a hard time getting published in such journals, but at the same time I also have to abide by accepted scientific methods and what is considered mainstream science by the medical community. It's not an ideal situation to be in.
So, bottom line, I'm not here to say vaccines are good or bad. In fact, you may notice that MOST DAN! doctors that speak at DAN! conferences speak very carefully about vaccines - most say something like, "I'm not saying vaccines are bad - there is a place for them, and they can help. I just want them to be safer." Very few DAN! doctors openly speak out against vaccines at conferences (at least, that's been my experience). Some, however, do speak out very openly against them. But the DAN! organization does NOT have an anti-vaccine policy. So if DAN! won't even speak out against vaccines, why are you angry at me for not doing so?
Back to the bottom line. Right now, it's all about choice - I'm offering parents education and choice. I'm on your side. I'm trying to influence vaccine policy in our country, and it isn't easy. If you are anti-vaccine, I understand that. And I just don't 'tolerate' it. Ask anyone who is a patient of mine - I welcome such decisions with open arms. That's a parent's choice.
As for specific vaccine recommendations, re-read the article - I don't actually recommend anyone do anything in particular at all. I'm just laying out the choices. If you choose to shoot the messenger that's trying to spread the "good news," that's your loss. I look forward to ongoing interaction with all of you.

[Twyla]

To see Dr. Offit's review of Dr. Sears' book, Dr. Sears' response, and best of all a letter from Dr. Jon S. Poling, go to http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/eletters/123/1/e164#39891

Dr. Poling's excellent letter is about two thirds of the way down.

[Kathy Blanco]

Bottom line? My grandchildren are not vaccinated, and have no signs of autism, whatsoever (in fact, they are super smart, communicative and way above schedule on developmental milestones)...and this, from a family with multiplex autism (boy and girl, very unusual). My NT girls had enough of autism...and my preach ran over and over in their brains forever, never vaccinate, or you will have my life. Thank GOD they listened, stuck to a great diet, detoxed, and worked on any viruses in them, bore them without immediate cord clamping...etc etc

Go put your vaccines, DR SEARS, where they need to be stuck, in the very phsyicians/companies that promote them as safe, or safer at any schedule, or able to be greened. IMHO, all vaccines are worthless pieces of crap. So far, no takers on the bid to take dose and weight of childhood vaccines in any of these officials...what? 80 K is not enough?

I would LOVE to take back time, and get the measles in my kids, and all the things that excercise their immune system and purge out toxins (this is the purpose of childhood diseases).

I would have LOVED to see my kids go to "regular classes", have friends, birthday parties, drivers liscences (I think?), dating, college, and marriage, and yes, even have children of their own...but that was robbed from me, because I trusted that "vaccines are safe", and or, that "vaccines can be safer", and or, that "vaccines can be greened"...

Tell that to the people who saw mycoplasma contaminations, viruses mimick brain tissues, mercury that diminishes brain neurons, MSG that shortens the life of neurons and makes them glutamate rich and excitotoxic, etc etc etc...point being, there is no safe schedule, safe vaccine, less toxic vaccines. Any autism organization that says or voices "we are not anti vaccine" are on my bad list, and are obviously taking money from some people who want to hold vaccines back from the light of day.

I would not try to WORK WITH THE DEVILS, that make them, and the philosophy of vaccines, is one of warning in our own bible, do not mix animal blood with human blood.

And of religion, my religion says, to not harm innocent children (especially my own), and my heart and my philosophy says the same. That's good enough for me...

So Dr Sears, seems as though you are more subject to the rulers of pharmacopia, than you are to the children, who suffer at the hands of physicians, who think vaccines are important, vital, and safe. They are not, and have been proven to be dangerous, even in children with no predispositions. Imagine a child with predispositions? A child with congenital lyme disease, a child with an unknown mitochondrial disorder that physicians never test for, a child who had disordered metabolic problems, lack of thyroid T3, or incubated in a soup of toxins and viruses and bacteria in utero, without knowledge by mom, were sick or battling a cold or virus at time of vaccination, and or was provided anti fever meds before vaccines which prolong the virus, sometimes forever in the body? What of familial autoimmune histories, are the pediatricians asking that one? GIVE ME A BREAK!!!

I think it high time, that the entire autism community not stand on this fence anymore...vaccines, are not safe, or can be made safer, by taking out one or two ingredients. In so doing, you are only opening up MORE contaminations, which, may have MORE deliterious results.

Ask anyone in the BIZ of vaccinating....especially loved the recording of a parent who called a vaccine manufacturer, who asked point blank of the answer customer service person HAVE YOU HAD THEIR ADULT VACCINES...the answer was "that's none of your business"....well, there you go....

[Theresa]

On HiB... Even if the 20,000 cases per year figure is accurate, let's put that into context: there are roughly 40,000 DEATHS per year from automobile accidents. Does it make sense to vaccinate all children against HiB (considering all of the shot's health risks and expenses) to prevent 20,000 cases of HiB (only a fraction of which would lead to fatalities) when we don't forbid people to get into cars (even though doing so would prevent 40,000 deaths per year)? People have an irrational desire to completely eliminate disease, even when the costs of doing so are greater than the costs of the disease itself. (Citation for the car accidents: http://www.car-accidents.com/pages/fatal-accident-statistics.html)

[htbenz]

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