"ALL HANDS ON DECK!" CDC BRACES FOR LARRY KING LIVE
By J.B. Handley
Can it get any sillier? First, the AAP tries to get ABC to pull a fictional episode of Eli Stone off the air because the show addresses the vaccine-autism controversy.
Now, the CDC issues a “warning” that Larry King Live will be airing a show on autism tomorrow night (February 14th) that may not align with the CDC’s wildly biased, ill-informed, and self-protectionist point of view on autism.
The email, circulated to health care professionals far and wide, states:
“We have been informed that the Larry King Live show will be about on autism on Tuesday, February 12 [Note: date is wrong, actually airing on 2/14]. The panelists for the show will include Jenny McCarthy, Holly Robinson, Dr. Jerry Kartzinel (author of the introduction to Jenny McCarthy's book) and others [Note: List of panelists is wrong, will actually be Robinson, Dr. Jerry Kartzinel, Doug Flutie, and Jason McElwain.]
Recently, we distributed a timeline of key events related to thimerosal and vaccines. We are sending that to you again.
I have also attached the transcription of an interview conducted by 11Alive news in Atlanta with Dr. Melinda Wharton, Deputy Director of CDC's National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases.
In this interview, Dr. Wharton addresses many of the issues raised by McCarthy. Our transcription is probably not perfect but we want to share it with you nonetheless. We hope these resources, along with our websites, will be helpful to you if the Larry King show generates inquiries.
Autism Information Center
Information on Mercury and Vaccines
Kristine M. Sheedy, PhD
Associate Director for Communication Science
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road, NE, MS-E05
Atlanta GA, 30333
phone: 404-639-6482
fax: 404-639-8905
Rather than trying to find an answer to the autism epidemic, the CDC is spending your tax dollars trying to combat the point of view of people who, unlike the CDC, do the following:
1. Acknowledge that the prevalence of autism is rising
2. Offer a hypothesis for cause with independent science and many anecdotal experiences of parents to back them up, thereby also offering insight into how to prevent autism
3. Offer hope and a roadmap for treatment that may lead to recovery for our kids
Yes, it’s just the same old thing from CDC. But it still takes my breath away to see it in print.
JB Handley is co-founder of Generation Rescue and Editor at Large for Age of Autism.
JB,
Love the work you do. This blog is possibly the equivalent of Benjamin Franklin’s Pennsylvania Gazette, and hopefully will lead to a revolt against the current vaccine schedule. Want to throw a test balloon your way. How about asking all these expert MDs who make the vaccination schedule recommendations to provide the schedules their kids/grandkids have received. As an MD a good barometer of therapeutic benefit is what you would want done, if you were the patient. Since these experts have access to data we may not what are they doing, (not just saying). Case in point Dr Richard Johnston, who had a grandson while attending Simpsonwood, when did his grandson receive his vaccinations? Did he get a jab for Hep B or the MMR? I think their recommendations would be greatly undermined if what they say is different from what they do.
Nelly Huppert MD
Posted by: Nelly Huppert MD | February 14, 2008 at 09:08 AM
It's very telling that that the Associate Director for Communication Science at the CDC, Kristine M. Sheedy, PhD, couldn't get the date or
the guest list right for the Larry King Show.
And Poor Dr. Wharton. Her interview will be hauled out every time the CDC needs to counter the growing coverage of the vaccine controversy.
"Autism Controversy: The CDC Responds" http://www.11alive.com/news/health/article_health.aspx?storyid=107120
Wharton's uniform may be impressive, but there's nothing here that we haven't heard before and no one's convinced by any of it.
Anne Dachel
Posted by: Anne Dachel | February 14, 2008 at 01:26 AM
Oh, good heavens. If the CDC put a mere fraction of their energy into simple customer service, the agency would not be stuck in this defensive muddle.
If a consumer product harms the consumer, make it right for them. Or the customer will not return. Capitalism 101.
Get out in the field. Talk with parents. Look at their children's lab tests. Prescribe a treatment. Figure out what went wrong with the vaccine. Work to ensure it doesn't happen again.
Posted by: nhokkanen | February 13, 2008 at 10:13 PM
It seems like they have the lineup from the Larry King Show on 9/26/07.
Dr. Kristine writes "Our transcription is probably not perfect". She sounds like a woman with low self-esteem. "You probably wouldn't want to go out with me, right?".
Another great post JB- thanks!
Posted by: Christine Heeren | February 13, 2008 at 09:42 PM