Reading all the great comments on AOA makes me want to share so many of them. This by Twyla is a terrific essay on its own:  On the one hand, there are those of us who believe that vaccines are one of the major causes of autism – probably the main cause of the huge increase in autism over the past 25 or so years. The reluctance of our government and mainstream medicine to admit to this has resulted in failure to address root causes and to find effective treatments. Some children are being recovered from autism with alternative biomedical treatments, yet these treatments are ridiculed instead of studied. Among the vaccine/biomedical community there is, understandably, a lot of anger. Sometimes this anger spills over in ways that IMO are not constructive, and are alienating to some people who might possibly be willing to listen.

On the other hand, there are autism parents who don’t believe in vaccine causation or biomedical treatments. I’m not talking about villains like Dr. Offit and Orac, but about good hard working parents who love their children, advocate for the very best education and therapies and recreation, and are now becoming involved in advocating for adult services, employment, living situations. I don’t understand why these wonderful people are so close minded when it comes to vaccines and biomedical treatments.

I have total respect for someone who has tried the GFCF diet and found it did not help their child; but I can’t understand someone whose child has GI and behavioral issues and has never tried dietary intervention. I can’t understand Autism Speaks not getting involved in study and advocacy in relation to vaccine issues. Sometimes I imagine a huge wall – either a glossy smooth blank white wall as hard as stone, or a marble wall. No matter how much anyone throws themselves against that wall, there is no dent, no response. Just a hard, cold wall.

Lately I hear people say that we should focus on common ground. Someone said that the federal government wants us to get along and present a united front instead of infighting. I responded that the federal government has the responsibility and obligation to address problems in the vaccine program, to make that program as safe as possible, regardless of whether the autism community is united or fractured. Focusing on common ground is indeed a wonderful goal, except that the implication often seems to be that we simply drop the vaccine/biomedical issues so that we can focus on advocating for services.

One of the problems with that is that if we continue on the present course, with autism, ADHD, bipolar, and a host of immune system disorders constantly increasing, we won’t have enough employed taxpayers to fund all those services, no matter how much we advocate. And the vaccine issue should not be compartmentalized into some separate dimension. It is related to so much else. Recently a study claimed to have found signs of autism in babies aged 6 to 12 months. This was celebrated as a way to identify babies in need of early intervention and start early intervention even earlier. It seems to me that what should also be looked at in relation to these babies is whether they have shown signs of vaccine reactions, whether they should consider an alternative schedule or moratorium, certainly approach vaccines with great care. And, do they have medical issues which should be addressed? GI, mitochondrial, oxidative stress, inflammation…?

When you, Dadvocate, point out the parts of AutismOne that are interesting to you, and completely ignore the biomedical topics which are so central to, for example, Teresa, you think that you are being friendly and sharing, but you are actually being like that hard blank wall. That is the context of your comments. I don’t think Teresa was attacking you when she said “silly you forgot all the medical issues being discussed...” and “Turning your head and being such a good sport about kids being injured by vaccines seems to be a freaky skill that you have.”

I think she was saying in a straightforward and reasonable way that you can’t just ignore her reality (which is shared by so many others too) and expect to get a positive response. Have you read her daughter’s life story, and all the issues that Teresa deals with including seizures? You can’t expect her to react calmly when you present that wall. She has worked so hard, studied so much, to better understand her daughter's severe health issues, of which mainstream medicine has barely scratched the surface. You are to be commended for your advocacy for adult services and research. It takes all kinds to make the world go around – there are many kinds of important work to do – not everyone has to be involved in biomedical and vaccine advocacy – we all come to different conclusions and need to respect each other’s differences.

Still, you need to acknowledge that many parents have experienced their children’s vaccine injuries and ongoing physical health issues which in many cases have been treated more successfully with alternative medicine than by mainstream medicine. That may not be your reality with your child, yet it is real. ConcernedMom said, “We don't really know who is right because a cure hasn't been found yet. Once a cure has been found, then we will know who's right. Until then, the discussion must continue with different comments, contributions, ideas, and approaches because the more we have, the better the chance of finding the cure.”

I don’t think we will ever find “a” cure for autism – not one single cure that works for everyone. But there are some people with autism who have recovered with treatments. So “cure” for some people with autism has indeed been found already. I know kids who have recovered from autism. Dr. Robert Sears says in the Afterword to “The Autism Book” that among children with autism who receive comprehensive biomedical treatments and behavioral therapies, about: - 5% will lose the autism diagnosis, become neurotypical, and not require ongoing specialized treatments to maintain recovery, - 25% will reach this same level of recovery but will require ongoing treatment to maintain it, - 30% will show dramatic improvement but will still be autistic - 20% will show modest improvement, and - 20% will not seem to respond to treatment at all.

What a shame that so far we don’t know more about which treatments will work for particular children, yet amazing that some effective treatments are known. I agree that “discussion must continue with different comments, contributions, ideas, and approaches”. I feel that often the non-biomedical side of the autism community is so convinced that they are right that they don’t listen and don't even want to discuss. Cooperation involves more than finding common ground. It also involves understanding what is most important to the other side.

I don’t know whether I am being clear or whether this all seems like it is just meandering... I guess what it comes down to is that a hard blank wall is not better than anger, and vaccine injury is a terrible problem which must not be ignored.

--D.O.--

They're picking on us again, Ma! The new Mother Jones mag says "vaccine deniers create their own partisan media, such as the website Age of Autism, that instantly blast out critiques and counterarguments whenever any new development casts further doubt on anti-vaccine views." The irony here is the article says "the claim that childhood vaccines are causing an epidemic of autism" is a form of science denial that "largely occupies the political left." We wish! Except for a few bright spots like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the progressive-environmental movement is in full retreat -- witness Salon withdrawing RFK Jr.'s thimerosal piece. And liberal Mother Jones is a perfect example of backing away from the truth. We need to do something to fill this political void, eh?

--D.O--

On Facebook -- I hear this all the time. "I have a cousin born in 1991. She told me that the kids older than her were fine, but that starting with her grade, so many of the kids are sick."

-- D.O.--

Welcome from Chicago. Cupcake correspondent Trine Tsouderos and the Trib are glorying in Geiers' troubles. Trine wrote about it a couple of years ago, won swanky awards, but basically stole the story from Kathleen Seidel. Half-baked, Trine.

--D.O.--

Thank goodness I'm not (quite) over 60. Driving cross country, every drug and grocery store wants to shoot you up with the shingles shot. Just ask your friendly local pharmacist. 

--D.O.--

Heading to Chicago (hometown) today to see family, do a book event and gear up for Autism One next week. It's going to be a big One, and we all look forward to seeing the AOA community! 

-- D.O. --

Tuesday is the Full Moon Day of May, which in some Buddhist countries is the big holiday -- Christmas and Easter rolled into one. What would the Buddha say about matters relevant to the Age of Autism? One of his famous sayings is "Harm no being in thought, word or deed." Ahimsa, non-harming, is the guiding moral principle of many Eastern religions. So, under any guise whatsoever, it is never OK to interfere with the happiness or autonomy of anyone else, or impede their ability to lead a full and independent life and develop their minds and hearts to the deepest extent possible. Not a bad guiding principle.

--D.O.--

I was in an elevator a few days ago with a young woman wearing khaki camouflage fatigues. I asked if she was in the Army. She said, "No, the Public Health Service." Kinda gave me the creeps.

--D.O.--

The sick truth: Most mainstream mediacrats are so afraid of being blamed for more measles, they're suppressing this week's Vaccine Court bombshell. We have to change that. 100 measles cases vs. 1 in 100 autism kids is no contest.

--D.O.--

Check out this nutty N. Ireland Health response in swine flu story below: “As reactions can cover a wide range of symptoms of varying severity, reporting the total number of adverse reactions in Northern Ireland, or indeed any particular sub-region of the UK, would, in itself, not be particularly useful.”

--D.O.--

Want straight talk on vaccines? Ask a vet. The Washington Post's latest "Animal Doctor" column is headlined "Beagle has adverse reaction to vaccine." The vet says to follow up "to make sure your dog's adverse reaction to this new type of distemper vaccine was reported to the manufacturers and to the FDA's Bureau of Veterinary Medicine." He goes on to say that if the dog had a distemper shot as long as three years ago, "this shot was probably not called for." And the money paragraph: "Repeated, unwarranted and potentially hazardous vaccinations primarily benefit the manufacturers and distributors. Vaccinations play an important role in preventive medicine but should not be relied upon as the only solution." Speaks for itself, doesn't it?

--D.O.--

Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox after Nixon fired him for seeking the truth about Watergate:  "Whether ours shall be a government of laws and not of men is now for Congress and ultimately the American people to decide."

--D.O.--

Clueless CDC echoes Vietnam "experts" to deny vaccine-autism link: "The overwhelming body of evidence to date from the best and brightest scientists at CDC and around the world simply does not point to association between autism and vaccines."

--D.O.--

"There's a long black train, 
Comin' down the line,/ 
Feedin' off the souls that are lost and cryin',/ 
Rails of sin, only evil remains -- /
Watch out brother for that Long Black Train"

-- Josh Turner, "Long Black Train"

-- D.O. --

Here's Reality on TV: 1 of 4 American Idol finalists has an ASD (and Tourette), 1 of 8 Amazing Race finalists has an ASD. James Durbin deserves to win Idol; America deserves an explanation of the amazingly high ASD numbers.

--D.O.--

Another measles frenzy grips the anti-vaccine-safety crowd. How con-veeenient! As 1-in-100 newborns face autism-for-life, another handful are getting a disease that wears off in two weeks and confers lifetime immunity. (I had it, and I'm here to tell the story.)

--D.O.--

Check it out: Developed nations that require the most vaccines for babies tend to have the highest infant death rates. May 4, 2011 — A new study, published in Human and Experimental Toxicology, a prestigious journal indexed by the National Library of Medicine, found that developed nations with higher (worse) infant mortality rates tend to give their infants more vaccine doses. For example, the United States requires infants to receive 26 vaccines (the most in the world) yet more than 6 U.S. infants die per every 1000 live births. In contrast, Sweden and Japan administer 12 vaccines to infants, the least amount, and report less than 3 deaths per 1000 live births.

The current study by Miller and Goldman, “Infant Mortality Rates Regressed Against Number of Vaccine Doses Routinely Given: Is There a Biochemical or Synergistic Toxicity?” (available online), found “a high statistically significant correlation between increasing number of vaccine doses and increasing infant mortality rates.” This raises an important question: Would fewer vaccines administered to infants reduce the number of infant deaths? The authors concluded that “closer inspection of correlations between vaccine doses, biochemical or synergistic toxicity, and infant mortality rates, is essential. All nations — rich and poor, advanced and developing — have an obligation to determine whether their immunization schedules are achieving their desired goals.”

Other study findings:

 The United States spends more per capita on healthcare than any other country yet 33 nations have better infant mortality rates.

 Some infant deaths attributed to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) may be vaccine-related, perhaps due to over-vaccination.

 Progress on reducing infant deaths should include monitoring immunization schedules and official causes of death (to determine if vaccine-related infant deaths are being reclassified).

 Infant mortality rates will remain high in developing nations that cannot provide clean water, proper nutrition, improved sanitation, and better access to health care.

______________________________________________________

Download the entire study here. (http://het.sagepub.com/content/early/2011/05/04/0960327111407644)

Hum Exp Toxicol published online 4 May 2011. DOI: 10.1177/0960327111407644 The study’s authors can be contacted as follows: Neil Z. Miller: [email protected] and Gary S. Goldman: [email protected]

--D.O.--

Breaking now: Maryland suspends Mark Geier's medical license effective immediately.

--D.O.--

These vaccine-injury apologists have no sense of humor. From Orac's blog: "Here's a brief one for you all. Former UPI editor and now editor of the anti-vaccine crank blog Age of Autism has a talent for incredibly un-self-aware statements. This time around, in the wake of President Obama's having released his "long form" birth certificate, ol' Danny Boy posted a quickie statement (in amongst a bunch of other almost as amusing quickie statements) that reads:

Now that the "birther" myth has been debunked, maybe we can get rid of the ridiculous but widespread notion -- pushed by people who should know better -- that vaccines don't cause autism.

Uh, no, Dan. You have it backwards. The ridiculous but widespread notion--pushed by people who should know better--is the notion that vaccines cause autism that you and your merry band of anti-vaccine activists at AoA promote."

Uh, I know, Orac -- that's the conventional wisdom. We get lumped in with the crazies all the time. I was having a little fun with it. It was a yoke, mon! Something funny to laugh or smile at or crack a sly grin. Your irony meter needs to get recharged. Lighten up, doc.

--D.O.--

It's great to see Steven Higgs back on the beat at bloomingtonalternative.com: "And so, with a bow to journalist Robert MacNeil, I begin this summer's phase of my investigation into the twin epidemics of autism and developmental disabilities. His investigative report Autism Now, which aired on the PBS NewsHour in April, reacquainted me with the issues I'm exploring in the Ohio River Valley, where the rain is toxic and data show the kids just aren't quite right, developmentally speaking. Three years' into this project, I've not found a more honest or enlightened media report."

--D.O.--

If I hear "small subset" one more time I think I shall be quite ill. What is a small subset of children who might be vulnerable to vaccine damage? One percent? That would be 100 percent of autism.

--D.O.--

One last blast of Yupidity from Yale to end Autism Awareness Month. "The convincing data are there is no such evidence, the worry people had was based on one study that has been withdrawn. You can still worry and you can't quarrel with that, the trouble is the evidence is not there and the other side is we know measles and other preventable diseases have really serious consequences for children," says Dr. Fred Volkmar of the Yale Child Study Center.

--D.O.--

Now that the "birther" myth has been debunked, maybe we can get rid of the ridiculous but widespread notion -- pushed by people who should know better -- that vaccines don't cause autism.

--D.O.--

LA Times joins effort to suppress evidence of vaccine injury.  On the MacNeil reports:  "Airing a thoroughly discounted claim, even if it's quickly refuted, lends it a currency that current science simply does not warrant." That's plain old censorship.

--D.O.--

CBS Sucks: "What's the truth about childhood vaccines? Are they an effective way to safeguard kids against a range of potentially deadly illnesses? Or do they cause autism and other medical problems? Keep clicking as Seth Mnookin, the author of "The Panic Virus: A True Story of Medicine, Science, and Fear," separates vaccine fact from fiction with his list of common misconceptions. It's information that just might save a life.

http://www.cbsnews.com/2300-204_162-10007546.html

--D.O.--

Secretary of Health and Human Censorship Kathleen Sebelius says we may soon "understand autism even better." Even better than what? We already understand it a lot better than she does. She just doesn't want to hear about it.

--D.O.--

I don't understand why anyone thinks we'll ever get a fair story out of The New York Times. Not when the editor, Bill Keller, has said this: “I don't think fairness means that you give equal time to every point of view no matter how marginal. You weigh the sides, you do some truth-testing, you apply judgment to them. We don't treat creationism as science. Likewise in the autism-vaccine debate, our reporting shows pretty clearly which side the science is on.”

So if you were a reporter for The New York Times Magazine, and your profile of Andy Wakefield says in the headline that he is the man who "linked autism to vaccines,"  you pretty much have your parameters set for you. That is, if you want to keep writing for The New York Times.

The Times is entitled to enshrine whatever institutional bias it wants. But we're entitled to point out that's what it is.

--D.O--

New studies link pesticide exposure in utero to lower IQ; other studies have suggested an autism link. Mercury in pesticides and vaccines in the 1930s triggered The Age of Autism. (see our book) For Earth Day, let's cut the chemicals.

--D.O.--

A must-read comment on the Deer debate from Mary W. Maxwell: I am an alumna of Johns Hopkins, and the widow of a professor of pediatrics. To any doctors reading this, I just want to say: “Please get a grip.” Three excellent doctors were struck off the register by the British Medical Council for wholly political reasons -- it could happen to you! Do not be afraid to say what you really think. Today you may be afraid to ‘stick out’ by defending Andrew Wakefield, but tomorrow you’ll be very embarrassed about having supported this outrage. One of those three doctors is John Walker-Smith, who graduated in 1954 from Sydney. He asks, in his autobiography “What do I think now of the quality of the education we received? It was remarkably broad and comprehensive, with a very strong scientific base. Much time was spent studying physiology, biochemistry, and so on. But all this made me realize so clearly that medicine is rooted in science.” Having witnessed the scientific strictness of my spouse, George Maxwell (who also got his MD in 1954), I can assure you that a man like that would never -- could never -- lose his disciplined habits of careful research. And what did the 'infamous' Lancet article of Feb 28. 1998 (p 637) actually say, as opposed to what reporters think it said? I quote: If there is a causal link between measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and this [bowel] syndrome, a rising incidence might be anticipated after the introduction of this vaccine in the UK in 1988. Published evidence is inadequate to show whether there is a change in incidence[ 22] or a link with measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine.[ 23] A genetic predisposition to autistic-spectrum disorders is suggested by over-representation in boys and a greater concordance rate in monozygotic than in dizygotic twins.[ 15]….Urinary methylmalonic-acid concentrations were raised in most of the children, a finding indicative of a functional vitamin B12 deficiency.. B12 deficiency may, therefore, be a contributory factor in the developmental regression.[ 26] [Concluding paragraph:] We have identified a chronic enterocolitis in children that may be related to neuropsychiatric dysfunction. In most cases, onset of symptoms was after measles, mumps, and rubella immunisation. Further investigations are needed to examine this syndrome and its possible relation to this vaccine. [end of quote] I ask you, O men of Hopkins, to note that a decade later a brainwashed editor “retracted it” -- and Blackwell followed with a ‘retraction’ of “Enterocolitis in Children with Developmental Disorders,” a 2000 piece from Am.J. Gastoenterology. This is very serious business. Please jump on the case a.s.a.p.. -- Mary W Maxwell, PhD (Politics), author of Prosecution for Treason.

--D.O. --

Brian Deer speaks at Johns Hopkins Tuesday night: Fitting, since in 1943 Hopkins' Leo Kanner missed the clues to environmental causation, including the mercury in vaccines. But have fun!

--D.O.--

England, Day 6: Being over here in Orwell Land and reading the ongoing U.S. coverage of regressive autism and bowel disease shows Wakefield is right -- America is where this revolution will be won.

--D.O.--

England, Day 5. Britain is beautiful, but too deferential to authority. That's why the autism rate is 1 in 60. Will America revolt against the orthodoxy before it's too late?

-D.O.-

United Kingdom, Day 4: Stood on the world's most famous wormhole today and got back to London before midnight. E-mail me if you know what I mean! ([email protected])

--D.O.--

London, Day 3: The Guardian reports U.S. ranks 17th in stillbirths, Britain is 33. Can't the world's two great advanced democracies do better than that?

-- D.O. --

London, Day 2: Britain is strange -- they drive on the wrong side of the road and don't give Hep B and chickenpox shots to babies. Shouldn't there be lots of car crashes and deadly disease?

--D.O.--

Greetings from London, where I've come to collect all 274 commemorative Royal Wedding mugs. Actually, I'll be having dinner with U.K. Editor John Stone and talking about the BMJ and such.

--D.O.--

Freedom's just another word that means nothing to the Enforced Vaccine Intake Lobby (EVIL) -- In March, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS) adopted a position statement titled "A Statement Regarding Personal Belief Exemption from Immunization Mandates." In the statement, PIDS outlines its rationale for its position, which is that PIDS "opposes any legislation or regulation that would allow children to be exempted from mandatory immunizations based simply on their parents', or, in the case of adolescents, their own, secular personal beliefs."

To access the complete position statement, go to:

 http://www.pids.org/images/stories/pdf/pids-pbe-statement.pdf

--D. O. --

Check out our friend Michael Belkin's great new Web site, therefusers.com. Music, news and more from one of the smartest, savviest advocates around,

-- D.O. --

Ready for an April laugh? A translation program came up with this discussion of autism and mercury: Thought a number of inquiries disown with the intention of autism bottle elasticity commencing the manipulate of vaccines, doctors belonging to the American private school of Pediatrics boast bring into being as much as necessary affect with the intention of they issues a account a propos nine living past with the intention of goes in opposition to with the intention of research. The account of affect was not far off from thimerosal, a stabilizer with the intention of is worn popular vaccines and, have faith in it before not, contains mercury. inquiries has proved with the intention of mercury is self-same venomous along with bottle basis neurological in addition to motor functions to miscarry creating a number of nice-looking dramatic disorders popular brood then adults.

-- D.O. --

A great letter from a parent in The Youngstown Vindicator: Taking time to raise awareness -- April is autism awareness month. Autism is a disorder that now affects 1 in 91 children across a spectrum that ranges from very high functioning people to lower functioning. Some autistic individuals go to college and some never graduate from wearing diapers. Some have multiple health issues like gut problems, allergies, immune system deficiencies, mitochondrial dysfunction, and seizure disorders that are interrelated to their “autism”, and some people don’t have any of these problems. Everything is just bundled under the psychiatric label of “autism” — a label that really serves no one very well and makes it difficult to understand “autism” from one person to the next.

My son seemed “normal” as a baby. He was hitting his developmental milestones, engaging with us, happy, and seemingly healthy until after receiving a set of vaccines at his 12 month check up. After that he lost skills he had already acquired, and started doing odd things that eventually got him diagnosed with autism. A nagging problem that surfaced for him at this time was he started getting sick all the time. And he has struggled with many health problems his entire life. People like myself are labeled “anti-vaccine” simply because we talk about what happened to our kids. We had our kids vaccinated and they got sick and became autistic. Today children are expected to get 48 doses of various vaccines by the time they are 6 years old. Are all these vaccines really necessary? And can every child handle all these vaccines in the time frame and way in which they are administered? In 1989 the pediatric vaccine schedule started to expand and it hasn’t stopped. Since that time autism diagnoses have exploded. Other childhood chronic diseases have also skyrocketed such as diabetes, asthma, life-threatening allergies and many psychiatric and behavioral maladies.What is happening to our children? Why are they so sick?

Of course, all of this is all chalked up as “coincidence” by mainstream medicine, or it’s blamed on faulty genetics. Despite being the most vaccinated country in the world we are certainly not the healthiest.

Experts have no idea what causes autism. All they tell us is it’s not the vaccines. They ignore and dismiss parents who have anecdotal stories as well as medical records that tell and show the stories of happy healthy babies who regressed and became ill following vaccination.

Having a baby and don’t know what to do? Research the topic extensively for yourself. Base your vaccination decisions on what you feel comfortable with after fully informing yourself.

Andrea Keller, Canfield

-- D.O. --

I'll be speaking Thursday night at the TACA chapter in Bethesda, Md. See TACA's Website under Local Chapters for details. Hope to see you there!

-D.O.-

Parade Magazine's unvarnished look at the future we have NOT prepared for many autistic kids was a breath of fresh air amid the treacly "paint it blue" approach that too many still take. Our friend Michelle Guppy has a blog post that makes harrowing reading, http://michellemguppy.blogspot.com/2011/04/what-autism-awareness-month-means-to-me.html

-D.O.-

Here's Obama's Autism Day proclamation. Says Anne Dachel: "It is clear that Obama doesn't want to admit what autism is, what it is doing to our children, or what it's going to do to this country."

--

A PROCLAMATION:

With autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) affecting nearly one percent of children in the United States, autism is an urgent public health issue with a profound impact on millions of Americans.  World Autism Awareness Day is an opportunity to recognize the contributions of individuals with ASDs and rededicate ourselves to the cause of understanding and responding to autism.

     Men and women on the autism spectrum have thrived and excelled in communities across America and around the world.  Yet, despite great progress in understanding ASDs, challenges remain for these individuals and their loved ones.  For too long, the needs of people living with autism and their families have gone without adequate support and understanding.  While we continue to encourage the development of resources for children on the autism spectrum and provide necessary resources for their families, we must also remember that young people with ASDs become adults with ASDs who deserve our support, our respect, and the opportunity to realize their highest aspirations.

     As our understanding of the autism spectrum grows, my Administration remains dedicated to supporting children and adults impacted by autism.  Led by the Department of Health and Human Services, we have expanded investments in autism research, public health tracking, early detection, and services -- from early intervention for children to improved long-term services and support programs for adults.  My Administration maintains a firm commitment to advance autism research and treatment, as well as promote education, employment, and equality for all individuals with autism, from early childhood through employment and community life.  We will continue to work with the Congress, experts, and families to improve Federal and State programs that assist individuals with ASDs and their families and to bolster the impact and reach of community support and services.  I encourage all Americans to visit www.HHS.gov/autism for more information and resources on ASDs.

     With each breakthrough in research and each innovative treatment, we open endless possibilities for the many American families who have been touched by autism.  As we mark World Autism Awareness Day, let us recommit to improving the lives of individuals and families impacted by ASDs and creating a world free from discrimination where all can achieve their fullest potential.

     NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2 of each year as World Autism Awareness Day.  I call upon the people of the United States to learn more about autism and what they can do to support individuals on the autism spectrum and their families.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this first day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.

BARACK OBAMA

-- D.O. --

"We are in the midst of an international epidemic. Those responsible for investigating and dealing with this epidemic have failed. Among the reasons for this failure is the fact that they are faced with the prospect that they themselves may be responsible for the epidemic. Therefore, in their efforts to exonerate themselves they are an impediment to progress. I believe that public health officials know there is a problem; they are, however, willing to deny the problem and accept the loss of an unknown number of children on the basis that the success of public health policy - mandatory vaccination - by necessity involves sacrifice. Neither I, nor my colleagues subscribe to the belief that any child is expendable. History has encountered and dealt with such beliefs. You, the parent's and children, are the source of the inspiration and strength for our endeavours; our quest for truth through science - a science that is compassionate, uncompromising and uncompromised. I do not mean to stir you to mutiny, but be assured that armed with this science it is in your power to force this issue, in your pediatricians office, in Congress, in the Law Courts. Keep faith with your instincts - they have served you well." - Andy Wakefield, April 22, 2002

-D.O.-

An urgent action alert from a North Carolina reader about a bill intended to restrict medical freedom: Something that some people call a "sleeper bill" slipped under the radar.  It came to the judiciary subcommitte yesterday morning and despite having a packed house, even after the meeting place was relocated, public comment wasn't even allowed.  It was supposed to come to full floor vote Thursday, but somehow got delayed until Monday.  It's expected to pass, but then Our Governor Bev Perdue will have 10 days to Yea it or veto it.  We hoping against hope for a NO vote, but would settle for a veto.
 
What it is:

SB31

It will make unlicensed alternative medical practicioners subject to felony prosecution, if someone decides to prosecute them.  It will not affect chiropractors, acupuncturists, or doctors of chinese medicine who are already licensed in our state.  It will affect all other alternatives, like homeopathy, naturopaths, ayurvedic, etc. (North Carolina's medical board has refused to set up licensing for these others despite repeated attempts.)   Now they want to make it a felony.  This will directly affect families here trying to heal their children who have been let down by the allopathic/western medicine doctors who offer next to no help re: autism.  It will also affect midwives, so that then women everywhere in our state will no longer be able to choose HOW to have a baby, because what midwife will want to risk having a felony conviction just for helping another woman.  Those women will be forced into hospitals, with all the accompanying chemicals and approaches and newborn shots. 
 
Any family trying to find healing outside of mainstream medicine is going to be affected!   
 
Here is our governor to contact:
 
[email protected]
 
Here is the link for NC Reps for people to know their rep down here and also read the bill, if they want to. 
 
 http://www.ncga.state.nc.us/GIS/RandR07/Representation.html 

-D.O.-

Here's some Awareness -- the Hep B shot at birth is  a national disgrace. And note the date, just before the thimerosal issue surfaced. June 6, 1999: From: Patti White, RN, Missouri Central District School Nurse Association

Statement to the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, Drug Policy, and Human Resources of the Committee on Government Reform, U.S. House of Representatives

Subject: Hepatitis B Vaccine: School Nurse Perspective.  This is a school nursing perspective for the congressional hearings on May 18, 1999 regarding the safety of the hepatitis B vaccine that is being mandated for newborns and now older children in America.

Our Central District School Nurse Association asks you to please consider the following information and submit it into the congressional testimony. We continually see more and more damaged children entering our schools, and are very concerned that a major portion of that damage may be due to the hepatitis B vaccine’s assault on the newborn neurological and immune system.

My name is Patti White, RN. I am a registered professional nurse and the district health services coordinator for a multi-school district. I am writing on behalf of the school nurses in our district. We have very grave concerns about the hepatitis B vaccine.

For the past three or four years our school districts have noted a significant increase in the number of children entering school with developmental disorders, learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders and/or serious chronic illness such as diabetes, asthma and seizure disorders. Each of the past four years has been worse than the year before. There is only one common thread we have been able to identify in these children: they are the children who received the first trial hepatitis B injections as newborns in the early 1990s.

As the hepatitis B compliance rate in newborns has gone up in our community, so has the percentage of damaged children. This is very alarming. Because of having so many damaged children we have tried to find the long term clinical trials that ruled this vaccine “safe and effective”. We discovered through an exhaustive Medline search that the FDA based its decision to approve hepatitis B vaccine for administration in the first hours of a newborn baby’s life upon clinical trials and upon post-marketing surveillance studies in which patients and their doctors were asked to report any adverse effects they noticed within 4-5 days after each injection [4 days for SmithKline and 5 days for Merck].

The problems being reported in increasing numbers as occurring after hepatitis B vaccination appear to be autoimmune and neurological in origin. Such problems take weeks to months to produce noticeable symptoms, and cannot be spotted in a 4-5 day observation period. These are the only clinical studies that have been done by Merck or SmithKline. There is not one long-term study that we could find.

The CDC and FDA have no idea what the long term effects will be on the newly developing neurological and immune systems of the infants who are injected with this vaccine. They seem to only be concerned with denying the connection between these damaged children and the hepatitis B shot they received within a few hours of birth. The CDC even admits the lack of study and states they do not even know how long the vaccine will be effective. We found this amazing since the vaccine was developed for a population at risk for hepatitis B: IV drug users, high risk medical professionals and those who are involved in high risk sexual practices.

In 1950 (before mass immunizations began), the USA had the third lowest infant mortality rate in the world. By 1986, the USA dropped to 17th place. In 1995 the USA dropped to 23rd and now the USA has dropped to the appalling position of 24th in the health of its children (but the USA is now first in vaccine compliance through government mandates). Does this make you nervous too?

The elementary grades are overwhelmed with children who have symptoms of neurological and/or immune system damage: epilepsy, seizure disorders, various kinds of palsies, autism, mental retardation, learning disabilities, juvenile-onset diabetes, asthma, vision /hearing loss, and a multitude of new conduct/behavior disorders.

We have come to believe the hepatitis B vaccine is an assault on a newborn's developing neurological and immune system. Vaccines are supposed to be making us healthier; however, in twenty-five years of nursing I have never seen so many damaged, sick kids. Something very, very wrong is happening to our children. The census of ill children seen in our health rooms each day has increased by 300% in only four years. It had remained relatively constant in all the years before.

In our last regional school nurse meeting we discussed whether the combination of so many viruses at one time (hepatitis B vaccine at the same time of the DPT, OPV or MMR) is causing the infant's immune system to be overwhelmed and unable to mount a sufficient defense response. We are advocating clinical studies to determine: Is the combination of all these viruses at one time an assault on an infant’s immune and neurological system that increases the chances for adverse reaction AND what are the long-term neurological and immune system responses to these vaccines. We are all continuing to research this issue and will be happy to share the many resources we have found with you. I hope you will do the same as you open up this issue.

We (nurses, principals and teachers) have talked many times about the possible cause(s) of the continuing increase in pervasive developmental disorders (PDD), such as autism. From the literature we have found, we should expect a rate for PDD of about 2-5 in 10,000. In our community the rate in Kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade is more like 1 in 150. The teaching staff is overwhelmed.
As school nurses, we have had many parents calling and asking how they can exempt their children from the hepatitis B vaccination (HPB). Many of them have spent long hours in study and research perplexed over this issue. For the past six months we have been studying documents, books and research articles published by internationally respected doctors and scientists that cause us grave concern. You must understand that we began this study to reassure our parents and show them the truth about how safe vaccines are.

Unfortunately, our sincere, honest, dedicated study has caused a complete reversal of our once strongly held beliefs. Instead of being able to reassure the parents, we have found ourselves being drawn deeper and deeper into this unbelievable controversy over vaccines that is raging among physicians, scientists, researchers, parents, and the government. We pray you will have the courage to shine the light on this controversy through these hepatitis B hearings.

My daughter’s own experience with the hepatitis B vaccine made me much more open-minded to the information we have been receiving from parents, teachers and other nurses in our community. I personally have had to research this on my own to determine if I have been enforcing a policy that is actually harming more children than it will ever help. I have spent countless hours reading books, vaccine-hearing testimony, research papers, medical journal articles and Internet web-sites from around the world. I did not come to my decision easily or lightly, I assure you. Twenty-five years of total belief in something does not shake that easily.

I have repeated the well-rehearsed refrain “Be Wise; Immunize” thousands of times during those years and reassured countless parents that they were doing the right thing by vaccinating their precious children . . . even the ones who came to me with serious doubts and reservations. I will now have to live with that.

We are all now faced with a moral dilemma: will we protect the “sacred cow of conventional vaccine philosophy” or will we stand up and speak out for the “health and well being of innocent children”? We choose children. We wonder, which will our government choose?

Because the hepatitis B vaccine was developed for those at risk of disease, including IV drug users and sexually promiscuous individuals, efforts to require administration of the vaccine to most, if not all of the U.S. population is very controversial. The increasing number of adverse reaction reports connected with this vaccine exacerbates the controversy. The controversy stems to a great extent from our lack of understanding of the mechanisms of the immune response to the hepatitis B surface antigen and lack of long term follow-up of individuals who have received the vaccine. In a January 27, 1999 press release, the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) released figures which show that the number of hepatitis B vaccine-associated serious adverse event and death reports in American children under the age of 14 outnumber the reported cases of hepatitis B disease.

During our research we discovered a copy of the grant proposal submitted recently to the National Institute of Health by Dr. B. S. Dunbar, who has worked in autoimmunity and vaccine development for over twenty years and was honored two years ago by the National Institute of Health. Dr. Dunbar is working with a team of veteran vaccine researchers from all over the world. Their grant is requested for the purpose of studying the hypothesis that: hepatitis B recombinant vaccine does cause adverse autoimmune reactions in genetically susceptible individuals. This study will also provide new insights into the predictability of determining adverse side effects of the hepatitis B vaccine in individuals at risk as related to their histocompatability subtypes. Their study of auto-immune diseases/symptoms causedby the hepatitis B vaccine include: lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, vascular disorders, Guillain Barre syndrome, demyelinating disorders such as optic neuritis (blindness), Bell’s palsy, demyelinating neuropathy (multiple developmental disorders), multiple sclerosis, diabetes mellitus and chronic fatigue syndrome to mention the most common.

This group of internationally respected vaccine researchers headed up by Dr. Dunbar also point out that, “The studies (for the approval of HPB) were not designed to assess serious, rare adverse events; the total number of recipients were too small; and the follow-up was too short to detect rare or delayed, serious, adverse reactions.” Finally they point out that “overall the number of examples of adverse neurologic outcomes following receipt of hepatitis B vaccine are of concern, particularly those resulting in demyelinating neurologic disease.”

They continue, “In view of these observations. . . it is medically crucial to evaluate the nature of the autoimmune reactions (i.e. risks) associated with the hepatitis B vaccine and to determine if individuals who will have these adverse reactions can be identified in advance of receiving the vaccine”. There are critical questions that must be addressed to establish the risk/benefit of the current hepatitis B vaccines in the United States. These questions are particularly important in view of recent mandates to vaccinate all children including newborn infants.”

You may read this grant proposal at: http://webpages.netlink.co.nz/~ias/dunbar.htm
Many groups have called for a moratorium on hepatitis B vaccination until some of these questions can be answered adequately. The NVIC reported “Newborn babies are dying shortly after their shots and their deaths are being written off as sudden infant death syndrome. Parents should have the right to give their informed consent to vaccination and Congress should give emergency, priority funding to independent scientists, who can take an unbiased look at this vaccine, instead of leaving the search for truth in the hands of government officials who have already decided to force every child to get the vaccine”. We agree completely. The NVIC can be contacted at http://www.nvic.org for further information.

In Dr. Coulter’s book, “Vaccination, Social Violence, and Criminality” the thesis is developed that the “sociopathic personality” which has emerged on a mass scale in recent decades, and which is responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime and violence, is causally linked to the childhood vaccination program. Vaccination frequently causes encephalitis and neuropathy that in turn leads to these post-encephalitic states and conditions. In his book, Dr. Coulter presents a time line of increase in developmental disability related to vaccine introduction that is indeed frightening. Dr. Coulter believes about 20% of our children are suffering from this neurological vaccine damage.

Our own school district’s confidential health statistics show at least 20% of our children (K-3) have significant neurological damage and/or chronic illness. The last three years have shown an acceleration in the numbers of children who are entering our schools with these “developmental disorders”. (Could these be the same infants who received the first trial doses of hepatitis B as only a few hour-old newborns?) As school nurses, working with these damaged children on a daily basis, we pray this is not true. If it is, the ramification to this generation of children is unthinkable!

Should we not pause, call for a moratorium on these poorly tested, rapidly approved vaccines, and allow independent American physicians and researchers to study them before blindly injecting an experimental vaccine into an entire generation? (We have found the only ones declaring the vaccine’s safety are the ones who are making millions of dollars from its sales, whose employment depends on it or the ones being supported by the drug companies' vast number of grants and fundings. The independent researchers seem to be coming up with an entirely different report.)

Vaccine producers have nothing to lose since our U.S. Congress has made them immune from responsibility or liability for injuries caused from their vaccines. The push is on for them to create more and more vaccines. There are huge amounts of money being made by these people who no longer worry about the consequences of their inadequate clinical trials. The United States government has had to pay out nearly a billion dollars in damages to families who can prove their children have been damaged or killed by vaccines, and there are thousands more cases pending.
We believe, as medical professionals, that we are doing a great disservice to our country by forcing government mandated vaccines on all children. Please research this and we pray you have the courage to speak out and tell the nation what you find.

Sincerely,
Patti White, RN
Missouri Central District School Nurse Association

-D.O.-

MSNBC headline: "FDA: Is food dye making kids see red?" Environmental toxins brain-damaging our kids -- just begs for a witty headline, don't you think?

-D.O.-

NY Times -- Official Newspaper Partner of the Autism Epidemic -- reviews "The Panic Virus" in print on Tuesday. They like it. They really like it.

-D.O.-

New Jersey Parents and Autism Advocates Demand Parental Right to Choose Vaccinations for Public School -- Local parents, and vaccination choice and autism advocates are organizing meetings across the state. At issue is the parental right to make decisions regarding their children's health and education, including whether or not they are vaccinated as a condition of public school admission. 
Government says it knows best. A bill is moving in the legislature that will allow the state to challenge whether exemptions from mandatory immunizations for students are based on valid or genuine religious beliefs. Parents are outraged and say this is unconstitutional. 
While Governor Christie has openly supported parental vaccination choice, former Governor Corzine enacted the first flu vaccine mandate in the nation, causing large numbers of New Jerseyans to protest.

The press is invited to the following meetings:

Monday, March 28 at 6:30 pm at 9th and Coles Tavern, 174 Coles Street, Jersey City

Thursday, March 31 at 7:00 pm at St. Teresa’s of Avila Memorial Hall, 306 Morris Ave, Summit

Friday, April 8 at 7:00 pm at Camp Jefferson, 81 Weldon Road, Lake Hopatcong

Sunday, May 15 at 1:00 pm at Hampton Inn, 370 Route 9 North, Woodbridge

Saturday, May 21 at 7:00 pm at ACS Education Culture Center, 146 US Hwy 1, Edison

Vaccination Choice and Autism Advocacy Organizations

Contact: Louise Kuo Habakus 917-553-4634 (national, New Jersey)

Stacy Senior Allan 908-305-3548 (Summit)

Nina Martins 201-936-4207 (Jersey City)

Dr. Bret Hartman 862-377-1190 (Lake Hopatcong)

Melody Benbow 908-227-5464 (Woodbridge)

Angela Chiu 848-565-4544 (Edison)

-D.O.-

Just thinking: Maybe the federal employee who fell asleep on duty at the airport control tower was on loan from the FDA, or the CDC, or the NIMH. Where WAS Tom Insel Wednesday night? -D.O.- Media Editor Anne Dachel reports: "ADD SEATTLE to NJ and Minneapolis newspapers calling for an end to exemptions.  Scary trend..."

-D.O.-

Supreme Court rules 9-0 investors "can sue companies for failing to reveal adverse information about their products." Case in point was Zicam, linked to loss of smell. Hmmm.

-D.O.-

Reading an article on a chess prodigy in The New Yorker and came across the term Zugzwang, "a bind in which any move a player makes worsens his position." This is where autism orthodoxy is right now.

-D.O.-

A letter from Josh Mazer published in The Annapolis Capital: In his cartoon strip, Gary Trudeau suggests Jenny McCarthy is responsible for concern over the vaccine-autism link and vaccine preventable deaths. Numerous brain damaged children are the real cause for concern.

Herd immunity against diseases results in collateral damage. Documented vaccine side effects include fever, brain swelling, death and acute disseminated encephalomelitis. The link to autism is established by the Department of Health and Human Services in the 2008 Hannah Poling case. Vaccines "resulted in but did not cause" Hannah's "autistic like symptoms." Banks vs. HHS declared pervasive developmental delay not otherwise specified diagnosis resulted from acute disseminated encephalomyelitis following vaccination.

PBS Frontline 2010 documentary vaccine also presented McCarthy as the leading exponent of the vaccine autism link. During her interview, Dr. Bob Sears was sitting next to her. Yet not one camera angle in the aired documentary showed Sears giving his support to McCarthy's views.

Bernadine Healy, former director of National Institute of Health, stated in 2008 that the Institute of Medicine is scared to study autistic children because of where the science might lead. Dr. Zimmerman, professor of pediatric neurology at Johns Hopkins, was the expert witness for the Poling family. Dr. Needleman, Journal Pediatrics, offers valuable insights. Why doesn't Trudeau mock them?

Safety assurances by federal offices are without exception based on epidemiology and marred by conflicts of interest. Julie Gerberding while head of NIH approved Rotateq. She now works for the manufacturer. Studies comparing health outcomes in large populations of vaccinated versus unvaccinated subjects don't exist. I wonder why not. A Supreme Court decision completely indemnifies vaccine manufacturers against lawsuits. Parents must now weigh the risk of having to provide lifetime care for a brain damaged child against the benefits of vaccination. Not a good situation for public health.

JOSH MAZER

Annapolis

-0-

A great note from autism dad Victor Pavlovic to Seth Mnookin: Seth, why do you write and talk about vaccines when it is quite obvious that you are uneducated in this field? What's the passion? My child along with millions of others was injured by a vaccine and it then resulted in autism, and now he has to live with this mental destruction for the rest of his life, and it's not a good life by far with no signs of improvement. As for the parents like myself, we have to look at this child and try to help him cope through his daily misery, and all along parents like myself have to listen to ignorance of the mainstream media about how vaccines are safe, and not associated with autism, yet there are many studies that are done unbiased, that show a correlation between vaccines and autism. One recent study in the Journal of Immunotoxicology provides further evidence.  It takes a lot of work and understanding of the subject, and deciphering good research from not so good.  This research above was done properly. I am up to date on all the research, and the attacks on Dr. Wakefield are really just a distraction from the real problem, but in spite of all this the truth is out, now we just need clarity.

Mnookin's response:

 Hi, Victor, Thanks for your note.