You Can Participate Tomorrow: IACC to Consider Vaccine Research
IACC’s Wednesday, July 15 meeting (Details HERE) will again consider researching vaccines as a cause of autism. The public meeting will be held from 8:30 to 4:00 in the Polaris Room, Ronald Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC, 20004.
Registration for In Person Attendance HERE. The meeting will also be available by phone, 888-455-2920, access code 3132846. View via Live WebCast HERE (not live until tomorrow.)
There will be two opportunities for public comment at the meeting, one in the morning following the joint meeting with the National Vaccine Advisory Committee and discussion of vaccine safety and autism, and the other in the afternoon, following discussions of the NIH-funded Autism Centers of Excellence and the National Database for Autism Research. Updates will also be presented from the Services and Strategic Planning Subcommittees. The full agenda is HERE.
Those wishing to make public comment should contact Lina Perez, Office of Autism Research Coordination, 301-443 6040,
[email protected], and submit a written copy of your remarks (5 minutes or less) 24 hours prior to the meeting. Written comments may also be filed.
The first Strategic Plan for Autism Research (HERE), January 26, 2009, contained no research projects addressing vaccines as a cause of autism, in violation of both the letter and spirit of the Combating Autism Act of 2006. The CAA directed IACC to develop and annually update a strategic plan for autism research, with a sufficient budget, with the mission to find the causes (including environmental) of autism and appropriate treatments.
Vaccines were the only specific environmental cause singled out in the legislative history.
The draft of the plan included two key programs of vaccine research, on animals and humans, to compare vaccinated vs. unvaccinated and to investigate mechanisms of injury. These were included following a vaccine entailed year-long process of public comment, science meetings, and workgroups.
These were taken out at the last minute, largely due to objections by CDC and a claim by IACC Chairman Insel that IACC (and apparently all of HHS) had a conflict of interest in funding vaccine research that might cause the Government to lose in Vaccine Court. Vaccine Court (in written decisions) and the Government (in an unknown number of concessions and settlements) has been compensating vaccine-caused autism since 1991.
The question whether vaccines can cause autism has been answered “yes,” despite continued – and now increasingly embarrassing – denials by CDC. Crucial questions remain: how many children have been injured, what are the specific mechanisms, and what biomarkers or other indicia distinguish vaccine-cause autism from autism caused by other environmental triggers. More broadly beyond Vaccine Court, the Congressional mandate to prevent and treat autism demands immediate action by IACC. See related stories listed below for further history.
IACC “kicked the can” regarding the intensely controversial issue of vaccine-autism research to the National Vaccine Advisory Committee at its January meeting. Dr. Bruce Gellin, Director of the National Vaccine Policy Office, gave a briefing to IACC at its February meeting, offering collaboration, but NVAC has no funding for research and no mechanism equivalent to the autism strategic plan. NVAC ultimately unanimously approved the vax/unvax study at its June 3 meeting, and a variety of other vaccine research projects that have an impact on autism research and should be funded and accounted for in the autism research strategic plan.
SafeMinds sent the following letter (HERE body copy runs at the end of this post) to Dr. Gellin and has urged all community organizations to add their support.
Getting the necessary research funded is of the utmost urgency. Further delays, in pursuit of the Government’s policy of “deliberate ignorance,” put the nation at risk. Parents want health kids, and this means not only free of serious risks from infectious disease, but also free of vaccine-caused acute and chronic adverse affects such as autism. With chronic diseases at epic levels, and autism nearing 1%, public confidence in vaccine safety is in crisis.
Parents will vote with their feet and refuse vaccines until the Government restores confidence with an aggressive “safety first” agenda, and this must start with autism and with getting good baseline data on the health of unvaccinated (and alternatively vaccinated_ children. This is no longer a debate, as parents share a common ground in wanting healthy kids. This research is required by Congress, science, ethics, and sound public policy.
Related Stories:,
IACC Insanity, Jan. 22, Katie Wright (HERE)
TACA: IACC Rescinds Vaccine Safety Initiatives, Becky Estepp (HERE)
NAA: on IACC Removal of Vaccine Safety Initiatives, Jan. 17, Wendy Fournier (HERE)
Katie Wright on IACC aka “Team Can’t Do,” Feb. 11, Katie Wright (HERE)
IACC: Ethical Disaster Zone, March 20, Katie Wright (HERE)
ACC Meeting Friday to Finalize Federal Autism Strategic Plan, Dec. 11 (HERE)
IACC Meeting Wednesday to Finalize Autism Strategic Plan, Jan. 14, Jim Moody (HERE)
SafeMinds: Federal Members of Advisory Committee Block Vaccine-Autism Research, Jan. 16 (HERE)
Protest Federal Advisory Committee’s Deceitful Reversal on Vaccine-Autism Research, Jan. 26 (HERE)
Alison Singer No Longer Speaks for Autism Speaks, Jan. 15 (HERE)
The Strategic Plan for the Combating Autism Act, July 8, Jim Moody (HERE)
Support Research on the Health of Unvaccinated Children, May 13, Jim Moody (HERE)
David Kirby: US Health Officials Back Study of Vaccinated vs. Unvaccinated Children, March 1, David Kirby (HERE)
Below is the body copy from the SafeMinds letter send to Dr. Bruce Gellin today.
July 13, 2009 ******VIA EMAIL******
Dr. Bruce Gellin, Director
National Vaccine Program Office
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
200 Independence Avenue, SW., Room 715-H
Washington, DC 20201
Re: Recommendations to the IACC at July 15th Joint Meeting of NVAC and IACC
Dear Dr. Gellin,
IACC Chairman Dr. Insel wrote to you in January proposing a "mutually informative dialogue" to address "public concerns regarding a possible vaccine/ASD link." We recognize and appreciate the efforts of NVAC’s Vaccine Safety Working Group and its recent report which was approved unanimously by NVAC on June 2nd. We note that many of the critical gaps in vaccine safety science identified in the report and many of the report’s recommendations have implications for IACC's autism research agenda. The most important of these recommendations in our opinion is number seven, comparing health outcomes of vaccinated vs. unvaccinated (and alternatively vaccinated) children. We note that this recommendation is essentially the same as the research objective approved in December by the IACC for inclusion in their Strategic Plan for Autism Research, along with a similar objective for studies in animals. Unfortunately, these objectives were deleted from the Strategic Plan at IACC's meeting in January over the objection of the majority of the IACC’s public members. For your reference, the deleted IACC objectives (Question 3, Objectives 4 and 5) are contained in the footnote below.1 Accordingly, we seek your assistance at the upcoming joint NVAC/IACC meeting on July 15th to ensure that the IACC, pursuant to its statutory responsibility under the Combating Autism Act, and in alignment with the VSWG’s recommendations, include the vaccine-related research objectives approved in December 2008 in the autism research strategic plan as soon as possible. As you are aware, vaccine-associated ASD remains a matter of intense controversy since it was first suggested in a 1994 paper by Sir Michael Rutter, and which must be resolved through sound science. Numerous public figures, including Dr. Bernadine Healey and Dr. Louis Cooper have called for additional research. IACC Chairman Dr. Insel conceded during a 2007 Senate Appropriations hearing that vaccine-autism question has not been resolved. Additionally, the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) has been compensating children who reported suffering vaccine-related injuries which were also temporally associated with ASD. Some of these cases were simply conceded by Department of Justice lawyers. Thus, the question is not whether vaccines "can" cause autism, instead, the question is how many children are affected and how can new cases be prevented and/or existing cases treated? In addition to these questions is the primary question of when will our Government pursue a “Safety First” agenda and invest the research dollars needed to answer these and other vaccine related questions? Obtaining baseline data on the health of unvaccinated (and alternately vaccinated) children is the most obvious first step in filling crucial vaccine safety research gaps. These data are needed not just to address the autism issue but for all other conditions potentially associated with vaccination. Just as important is the dire need for research required to identify the fundamental mechanism by which vaccination is associated with neuroinflammation and auto-immune reactions. Congress tasked IACC with finding the causes of and treatments for autism. Vaccines were the only cause specifically singled out in the legislative history. The IACC is required to develop an annual strategic research plan and budget to accomplish the mission set by Congress. Thus, Congress did not task NVAC with this specific responsibility. Moreover, we understand that NVAC does not fund or supervise research, nor does it directly establish the research activities of NIH, CDC, or other federal agencies. We greatly appreciate NVAC’s work to identify vaccine safety research gaps. We believe that at this point, IACC should be responsible and accountable for seeing that the appropriate studies investigate the role of vaccination in ASD are funded and conducted as soon as possible. Far too much time has been wasted The health and safety of children and the future of the vaccine program must not be Thank you in advance for your prompt consideration and response to our request. Sincerely, Theresa K. Wrangham, President 1 Question 3, Short-Term Objective 4: Study the effect of vaccines, vaccine components, and multiple vaccine administration through a variety of approaches, including cell and animal studies, and understand whether and how certain subpopulations in humans may be more susceptible to adverse effects of vaccines by 2011. Duration 2 years, budget $6 million.
Given the recommendations contained in the NVAC report, we believe that the IACC should restore the deleted research objectives to the Strategic Plan in order for the plan to contain a comprehensive research agenda regarding the potential role of vaccination in triggering, or exacerbating, conditions associated with the diagnosis of autism.
already.
held hostage in a game of "kick the can" between NVAC and IACC. As such, we respectfully
request that the recommendation(s) made to the IACC at the upcoming meeting on the 15th be:
1) that IACC reinstate the vaccine-autism objectives that were approved in December 2008; and
2) that the IACC review the NVAC report in its entirety and include in their research agenda
those items specific to autism.
Question 3, Short-Term Objective 5: Determine the feasibility and design an epidemiological study to determine if the health outcomes, including ASD, among various populations with vaccinated, unvaccinated and alternatively vaccinated groups by 2011. Duration 2 years, budget $10 million.
is anyone having problems opening webcast?
Thanks
Posted by: Lisa in Texas | July 15, 2009 at 09:03 AM
Brain systems affected by vaccine components need to be discussed. The auditory system is most vulnerable to any factor that disrupts aerobic metabolism, and the auditory system is essential for learning to speak. I have submitted the following for the IACC and NVAC meeting today on a strategy for research on how vaccines may affect the brain:
Dear Ms. Perez,
Please ask members of IACC and NVAC to consider that vaccinations may only be harmful in combination with a second environmental factor. Hep B should not be given in the newborn nursery, because the blood-brain-barrier (BBB) may have been impaired if the infant has suffered anoxia during birth. Vaccine ingredients may then cross the impaired BBB just as bilirubin has been shown to do. I have posted my submission for the Feb4 IACC meeting on a vaccine research strategy at:
http://www.conradsimon.org/files/IACC4feb2009strategy.pdf
I have attached it again here - it is just one page plus two pages of references on toxic substances, bilirubin, the blood-brain-barrier, and factors like synthetic vitamin K and antibiotics. I hope members of both IACC and NVAC can take time to read and comment on it. Thanks.
Eileen Nicole Simon, PhD, RN
--
Conrad Simon Memorial Research Initiative
To seek understanding of brain system impairments in autism.
http://conradsimon.org/
Posted by: Eileen Nicole Simon | July 15, 2009 at 03:50 AM