Paul A Offit belong to the leaders in the lobby organisation ACSH. Paul A. Offit, M.D.
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia belongs to ACSH BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

Read about ACSH on Sourcewatch:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=American_Council_on_Science_and_Health

Ben, it's called "The greater good," and is the bedrock of public health. Sacrifice some for the many. Herd immunity. Your baby calf might fall, but if the rest of the herd escapes, that's a win.

And Jenny hasn't been a centerfold in a long time - that's merely a way to denigrate her. And it's misogynistic. The science is there for those willing to look. Dr. Bernadine Healy (RIP) said it best, "the science is incomplete." The vaccine courts also concur that vaccine injury is very real. Most of us can just look at out beautiful children to see that though.

Best,

KIM

That wasn't an article. That was just a bunch of ranting about credible figures who have more experience than the author on issues related to vaccines and autism. The 'author' doesn't provide any support for their thesis. He or she doesn't even have any thing to say about Paul Offit's statement, just,"Is this guy actually insane? Denying the existence of an autism epidemic is truly the original sin." The author of this article has no prove autism is rising as opposed to new awareness and broader defintion of it. He or she also has no evidence that isn't forged or made by a reliable expert that vaccines have any connection to autism.

We do have standards, Mr. Lister. (Hey, that rhymes!) It's easy to see when folks come in to stir the pot. We allow some stirring. Where ever you are - hot cold or in between. Doesn't matter to us.

K

I ask every teacher over 50 to describe their classes - and the special ed landscape - NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER do I hear anyone say, "Oh, yes, lots of kids with diagnostic substitution." Mr. Lister is having a bit of fun here (for now) - it must be very very cold or hot or boring where he is.

Greydon Lister

I really can't understand the hypocrisy of someone who covers themselves for being offensive by saying "no offense": it really is offensively ignorant and boorish (not to mention sexist and ageist). The point is pretty obvious when you have children with these immensely intractable, disruptive and costly problems turning up in practically every class when they patently didn't in the past. Of course, this may belong with the equally offensive and ignorant comments of people who argue autism is just bad behaviour (which no doubt the aunts would have encountered).

When Offit says that there is no cure for autism, he is not saying that there will NEVER be a cure, he is saying that there is no cure NOW. He is saying that there is no evidence that the "cures" being offered at present actually work.

"People say if you took the current criteria and went back 50 years, you'd see about as many children with autism then.”

Oh reaallllly?? Just ask my two elderly aunts, both of whom taught preschool for decades...I recall one of them telling me that she MAYBE remembered one or two children, out of thousands of children over the decades, that seemed autistic...if what Offit says is true, shouldn't she have seen hundreds, if not thousands?

In my 4-year old son's preschool, there are three boys (out of nine total boys) that I would bet money are on the spectrum...two have already been tested by the state.

Keep pushing that lie, Offit...how do you sleep at night? Oh, right..on top of a huge pile of money.

Since when is Paul Offit and autism expert? He is an imposter and the media is his enabler.

Why is it that Offitt doesn't treat children with Autism? Is it A)He doesn't believe Autism exists,
B)He has no idea how to go about treating it,
C)NO sane parent with a child with Autism would step foot in his office,
D) All of the above.

He keeps telling us all of the things that Autism is NOT:
Increasing in prevalence, Caused by environmental factors, Treatable. Exactly what valuable insight does he have about this issue? For the life of me, I can't understand what anyone gleans from his commentary.

It seems as though both the interviewer and the interviewees live in another world. Make that another planet!

Offit is offit his rocker. My children didnt have any vaccines and havent had any biomedical treatments, but HAVENT 'gotten better' after age 5. My 7 year old has finally received her statement of SEN a few weeks ago to legally bind her support at school, because this ISNT GOING AWAY! My 2.5 year old is about to start nursery in a few months, and we will apply for a statement for her as well, to cement support into place.

It is reported that 1 out of 10 children in USA now has a learning Disability, or Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Diabetes, cancer, ADHD, Dyslexia, Deadly peanut Allergy (Peanut by productsadded to vaccines! Please see ,"RECOVERING AUTISM and SPECIAL NEEDS," on youtube Does Offit live in the lab? No wonder his eyes are closed. Children throwing desks outside of a classroom, vomiting, head banging would NOT have been accidentally Not diagnosed 25 years ago.

Please take a look at this video series of Dr Russell Blaylock, world renowned neurosurgeon,on vaccines and brain development. You will never look at vaccines the same again.

http://m.youtube.com/#/results?client=mv-google&gl=NZ&hl=en&q=vaccines+and+brain+development+blaylock+&submit=Search

Well I can see JB STILL ROCKS! (Been gone for a while)

"....they simply improve with time."

Several years ago while advocating in DC, an individual (who was in charge of a House Science Sub-Committee) told me he got the "same line" from some CDC attorneys and so he asked them point-blank: "Where's the study to prove it?" (Ah, gee they didn't have one) They also were trying to feed him the line about "no increase" to which he responded, "I can't walk down my block without seeing an autistic child nowadays"....

Getta Clue Offit! The ship is sinking and you're going down, down, down...THE TRUTH WILL ALWAYS PREVAIL!

Ignorance is the greatest disability. I won't be reading the responses anymore, but I must say Jimmy is to young since he believes the "stats" to be in this conversation. Please do a little research honey, come back in a year or so. Also, Thank you JB for knowing your stuff and being passionate.

J.B. Speaks for me!!

To "Jimmy Olsen" -
Skip the stats. They've been manipulated.
Look at the kids. They are sick. They need help.

To the pediatrician with 2 ASD kids:
Look in a mirror. There's another cult member.
Again, look at the kids. They are sick. They need help.

Tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of families trapped at home with vaccine-injured children stacks of lab tests just waiting for someone with compassion, funding and a brain to make vaccine injury prevention a personal priority. With enough caring medical professionals, it becomes a national priority.

Jimmy, the "well there's some risk" argument just doesn't fly here. We have very sick kids. I saw an 8 year old girl cross the parking lot safely at Trader Joe's today - to return her Moms cart. I stood there with my jaw dragging on the ground - none of girls - so seriously impaired (and it kills me to write that) by their autism could do that at 16, 14 and 10 years of age. They need 24/7 supervision. They face rape. One has already been assaulted. Give me the chicken pox, the measles and other childhood diseases if need be - but in reality, it should NEVER be an either or crap shoot. I vaxed my older girls fully and they have paid the price with their very lives - this is no joke to us - not a "oh well, toss out this batch of kids and try again." It's life changing, heart breaking terrifying. I suggest you read my book to learn the realities we face. And thanks for the comment.

Lois Lane - aka Kim Stagliano, looking for Superman to turn the world back for my kids.

Well...

There is nothing wrong with being passionate about a very emotional subject, but emotion is the enemy of reason, and to bring those strong feelings to debate does everyone injustice. Fear and anger are powerful motivators, but terrible at rationale.

You are not incorrect; there is plenty of research that shows a statistically significant increase in cases of autism for vaccinated children. These studies, however, do not address causality in the slightest. There are a plethora of confounding factors that simply cannot be contained - certain genetic factors that may be conducive to autism may also be conducive to compliance, e.g. genetic disposition for autism may be linked to a genetic predisposition towards non-aggression. Whether this is the case or not is irrelevant; the point is that the evidence does not and cannot claim that vaccinations are the cause.

Further, while the increase is significant, statistical significance does not necessarily mean a dramatic difference, and as is the case here, often is the result of a large sample size. Most studies, in fact, show only a small increase in occurrence. This is not insignificant, but it's not damning evidence either.

Ultimately, it's not likely that vaccinations are a real threat to our children. It's a tragedy when it happens, but so are a myriad of other medical procedures when they do not work perfectly. This does not dampen their value, as the life-saving potential of a vaccine far outweighs the minimal increase in probability.

Ultimately, the choice is yours. You are not harming your child by rejecting vaccinations, but to vaccinate is to protect them, and the harm is barely present, if at all.

PS: I am not a parent, so I have no emotional investment in the issue, nor do I work for nor ever intend to work for pharmaceutics, as I find the work too necessarily cold for my tastes. I am a recent college graduate in mathematics and statistics. I may not understand fully the biology in the articles I've read, but I do understand the stats.

In my experience with pediatricians, they are no immunologist or virologist, and I take issue with the pediatricians comments there is no connection to vaccines, espeically in light of the fact they present with some kind of a problem if you will if you have an underyling immune dysfunction, viral or retroviral infection, lyme disease, or some other metabolic/mitochondrial dysfunction or deficiency which would make vaccines the ONE LAST STRAW. I take issue sir, that you can boldly state there is no connection when no studies have NOT ruled it out, nor studied the combined effects of what vaccines do to cellular immunity. And, I also take issue that you disregard the fact that thousands upon thousands of case studies of fevers with vaccines soon after, within days, doesn't cause ADEM or some kind of encephalopathy. I am sorry, for the fact you have an autistic child, and I feel sorry they don't have a father or mother who believes what autism is, an immune and metabolic assault on children. I find no USE of vaccines, they don't work, never have, and they shed to others unfavorable viruses and immune dysunfction. I for one, don't fear those diseases, AT ALL, when I have things on board that make them innocuous. They have been preached far too long as God's gift, and I for one, think they come from a different source.

Yikes, that comment from "pediatrician with autistic children" is frightning. Is this really the best shills can do? Come on people, step up the game. Way too obvious.

As a pediatrician who promotes vaccines, understanding than nothing in medicine is "100% safe" (yet also understanding the overwhelming evidence concerning vaccines means there is no doubt the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks), and having two children with autism, I feel particularly suited to debate this issue. However, I don't. I have great passion in defending vaccines and as it regards my children and my patients.

Science, by its very nature, continues to solidify the theory that vaccines do not cause autism. Thimerosol/mercury, MMR, etc. as potential targets years ago have been chipped away with science and have fallen to the wayside. The anti-vaccination cult will continue to change targets.

Scientists will continue to provide evidence, and the anti-vaccination cult will continue to change targets. I am fortunate that the power of cult belief did not damn my children with Fragile X syndrome (http://fragilex.org) to institutions and shackles, believing evil spirits or such was causing their behavior. Science progresses undeterred and for my children, provided EVIDENCE that not vaccines, not mercury, not other potential incorrect etiologies causes their autism. I fully understand that millions of children have autism without a clear etiology. However, the anti-vaccination cult does nothing with regard to promoting the movement of science toward finding those etiologies except diversion and deflection of the true focus.

That part about getting an autism diagnosis to qualify for insurance is a knee-slapper! Most plans don't cover it and plenty of parents spend large amounts of out-of-pocket money to get treatments for their children (we sure have).

If only most physicians would read something like this...and you all have read it, the same man that says your increase of alzheiemrs with every flu shot. World famous immunologist.

Typical Course of an Autistic patient

Hepatitis B immunization at 12 hours after birth. DPT immunization at 4 and 8 weeks*; oral polio immunization also at 4 and 8 weeks, again at 3 months. Schedule now being changed; children will receive 2 doses of live attenuated oral polio and 2 doses killed polio; oral polio can cause disease; only killed polio is used in Europe.

Because of great decrease in cell-mediated immunity (CMI) in infants, the vaccines lower CMI further; one decreases CMI by 50%; two together by 70%. Longest safety trial of of the triple vaccine (MMR, all live attenuated viruses) was three weeks.

Repeated immunizations with 3 vaccines simultaneously, e.g., pneumococcus, hemophilus, etc. from 4 weeks to 12 or 18 months. Repeat DPT is given at 12 months.* All these triple vaccines markedly impair CMI.

Resultant decrease in CMI predisoposes to recurrent viral infections, especially otitis media, since CMI controls response to viruses (also fungi [e.g., Candida], parasites [e.g., leishmaniasis], mycobacteria [e.g., tuberculosis, even if drug resistant, and leprosy].

When infections occur, bacterial cultures rarely performed, yet infants repeatedly given antibiotics. Antibiotics are of asbsolutely no help in viral infections; in some countries, antibiotic administration without a prior cultutre is considered malpractice.

Antibiotics wipe out helpful bacteria in the gut (e.g., lactobacilli, bifidobacteria) which have important protective functions, including prevention of infection by yeast, pathogenic bacteria, and/or parasites. The protection is provided in part by the helpful bacteria clinging to the intestinal cell wall, thus preventing pathogenic microorganisms from getting to it. The pathogenic bacteria compete with the body for vitamin B-12 and perhaps other vitamins and minerals.

After helpful bacteria wiped out, Candida usually develops. Candida produces toxin. However its main deleterious effect is avid binding of coenzyme q10, usually at barely adequate levels in the diet of normals to begin with, to a far greater extent than by normal tissues. Candida is not the cause of increased intestinal permeability, except in rare instances, since substances passing into the body enter via the small intestine (jejeunum) whereas Candida is almost always confined to the large intestine ( but if present in jejeunum, can be life-threatening).

The Candida infection is usually treated with ketoconazole or similar anti-yeast antibiotic.

Ketoconazole and similar compounds impair patient's liver function as shown by liver detoxification profile. This could also be a factor in increased intestinal permeability, because the liver also synthesizes the J piece (joining piece) that binds two molecules of IgA antibodies together to form secretory IgA, which protects the intestinal tract from a variety of damaging agents; severe diminution of secretory IgA predisposes to increased intestinal permeability. Furthermore, since the blood vessels from the colon go directly to the liver via the enterohepatic circulation, the various toxins from microorganisms and undigested food in the colon go directly to the liver and impairs the latter's detoxification mechanisms and its production of enzymes. (The liver produces the vast majority of the hundreds of different body enzymes necessary for normal metabolism.).

Decrease in production of the liver enzymes (phosphosulfotransferase and cytochrome p450 family) causes failure to break food proteins (including gluten and casein) into peptides. The intact proteins cross into circulation, and antibodies** are formed against them. The antibodies complex with the antigen to form antigen-antibody complexes, that in turn can enter various organs and seek out cells with receptors for antigen-antibody complexes, e.g., cells of the joints (causing arthritis), muscles (causing myalgia), or brain (causing cognitive dysfunction).

*DPT immunization in inbred mice has been shown to result in decrease synthesis of cytochrome p450 and of phosphosulfotransferase and of the messenger RNA's necessary for their production.

**If antibodies are not detectable, this may be due to immune complex in antigen access.

Prevention

The law states that infants with immune defects should not receive immunizations. But no pediatricians test for immune deficiency before giving immunizations. They are always given out of convenience for pediatricians at well-baby follow-ups at 4 and 8 weeks in this country.

Defer Rubella vaccine in males completely, in females defer until age when menses begins. Rubella is only a mild disease in the developed countries, with mild fever and "spots" for three days. Reason for females taking it a menses is because if Rubella occurs in the first trimester of pregnancy the child will develop severe congenital defects starts to prevent congenital defects. If administered during first or second trimester do not give to women for at least 2½ years following delivery of last child, as the vaccine virus is present in respiratory secretions for seven days and can cause disease.

Defer other immunizations until age 4 (except for tetanus and diphtheria toxoid which should be given at 2½ years).

Obtain IgG antibody titers from cord blood to all vaccines currently in use and store away a sample of serum so they can be tested for vaccines which will be introduced later (we are introducing 1-2 new immunizations each year). If any of the IgG antibody to DPT, MMR, polio (and in the British Commonwealth countries 16 Coxsackie viruses), get IgM on infant from the stored serum (divided into 2 parts), and the mother, father and the sib of closest age should be tested for IgG and IgM antibodies to the relevant virus.

Do not take influenza vaccines or other new vaccines. Ask the physician if the vaccine bottle contains mercury (thiomerol or alum [which boosts the response to various immunizing agents]). Also ask physician to obtain vaccines free of these. Repeat injections of these agents can cause all kinds of immunologic aberrations.

Nurses in newborn nurseries should not receive rubella vaccine. Rubella immunization of nurses in Philadelphia 12 years ago, because of several cases of rubella in newborn infants, resulted in a micro-epidemic of CFIDS.

It is just unbelievable that he would say there is no epidemic. Get real. It is an insult to tell me that a non-verbal child with regressive autism (like my son) would have improved with no intervention. There is no way my son would have gotten better without ABA, OT, PT, ST, biomed....the list could go on and on.

I know more and more kids with autism, and there is no way anyone is going to convince me it is just because of better diagnosing. There is a reason my son has several friends with autism, and it isn't because someone expanded a definition. These kids and their parents work hard every day to make progress, and it is anything but easy or fast.

Interesting coincidence - watching a bit of the 2003 film "Seabiscuit" on the weekend. In the film version of this story, Charles Howard (Seabiscuit's owner) consistently challenges the owner of War Admiral (Samuel Riddle) to a race, but Riddle won't bite. Howard finally decides he has to "take the race to them". He calls them out. Put up or shut up. The rest is history.

This is where Offit really deflates. He's been publicly challenged by perhaps his greatest detractor (Wakefield) to meet face to face on multiple occasions - yet to date he's still a no-show. The media has been in a feeding frenzy over Wakefield lately - Offit now more than ever has the opportunity to publicly dress down the "False Prophet" himself. Go for the jugular. Finish him off. What's he waiting for? Now - NOW - is the golden opportunity to destroy his arch nemesis once and for all. Wakefield is a data-falsifying liar, right? Everything Brian Deer says about him is true, right? There he is now - all bloody and "discredited" - FINISH HIM!

Or, uhmmm, just sit with Colbert where you can get off a few (more) shots from behind cover, unchallenged, and America can have a few laughs at my kid's expense.

This isn't about the science, as good or bad as various bits of it may be. Watching all this transpire for over a decade, it all boils down to this - somebody is completely full of sh$t. One (Offit) is afraid. The other (Wakefield) isn't. This is significant. In spite of my "mistrust of government and manufacturers, conspiratorial thinking, denialism, low cognitive complexity in thinking patterns, reasoning flaws, and a habit of substituting emotional anecdotes for data", I wanna know why.

Mark, Dan and Andy would do better to make Bill Maher a goal. He would appreciate them and their new books.
Maurine

For an alleged autism expert, Offit has a very vague definition of autism. That, together with his embrace of neurodiversity serves his purpose of minimizing the extent of the epidemic - both in the number of children with autism and the severity with which they are affected. The lie about insurance coverage fits right in as well. I have a question for him: If autism is covered by insurance, then why are some of the state legislatures passing or even considering autism insurance mandate bills? If it is covered, surely the legislators know this and would not waste taxpayer funds. Parents of children with autism must have unbelievable persuasive powers in order to influence state government in this manner. Funny, I haven't noticed such an ability myself at my daughter's IEP meetings.

I would be honored to shake Dr. Wakefield's hand if the opportunity ever arose. If I were to be compelled to shake Offit's hand (or that of Brian Deer), I would need to put on a hazmat suit first.

The Colbert interview will probably be very softball. Considering they have a link to both his website and book, it will be Paul Offit, unchallenged and spewing his crap:

http://www.colbertnation.com/home

...see link on upcoming guests halfway down on the right hand side of the page...

..although this opens up the door to a potential guest being Andy Wakefield, David Kirby, RFK Jr, etc for 'equal time'

Oh, Andrea, I was thinking the same thing about Colbert! I am hoping he says something like, "now, you see hundreds of kids in your practice with Autism, right?" I am hoping for the jaw dropping sound of crickets. I will not hold my breath, but will have my fingers crossed.

I concur with the above as to a challenge, J.B. Challenge him! Start a media campaign to challenge this guy. Dare him to come up front and mouth the words he so often does, to the rest of those of whom we 'know' he is frightened to stand next to. Dare to ask him the questions which need addressed, openly and to his face. Challenge the news media to a debate with him. Write open letters to him, asking him to sit down for a debate with you, J.B., with Dr. Wakefield, with Dr. Tenpenny, or with anyone who would willingly confront him regarding the Truth. Do not back down -- continue the momentum until the tide turns.

About Colbert ...... i don't think we should count him out just yet. He, Carell, and Stewart support Autism due mainly to a friend of theirs whose son is dx'd AND that same friend follows biomed protocol. Maybe he has some tricks up his sleeve for Offit? Here's to hoping!

Did anyone else catch the CBS Sunday Morning segment "The Truth About Lies" yestereday? Turns out, it's a pharma advertising "hit piece" and focuses (almost entirely) on the Lie of Vaccine/Autism connection and vaccine/injury "misconception." They would have you believe that folks who see a connection are tantamount to those who believe the sun revolves around the earth.
And yet, not a single word about the actual Hungry Lie or about Andrew Wakefield's clarification on the BMJ/Brian Deer lie.
(looks like they're capitalizing on virtually ANY way to disseminate their misinformation. That's good, though, right? Desparate people eventually make the wrong mistake, allowing the truth to surface.

Join you? Hah......... Join me ;-)

J.B., I strongly suggest that any time you or anyone else gets a hold of a microphone and a camera, and the topic of vaccines causing autism comes up, you challenge this guy.

Simply state that the loudest vaccine advocate out there, Paul Offit, REFUSES to do interviews with those who might ask him the challenging questions. Call him out. Dare the man to sit with you, or anyone else in the vaccine safety community. Dare him to discuss the facts, address the questions. Dare him to have an honest discussion.

We all know that Offit has only made it this far because he has been careful to avoid situations where his statements might be questioned. Call him out. Don't let him get away with it forever. Sooner or later after enough people in the vaccine safety community call this man out by name, he will have to agree to it. If he doesn't, then keep talking about the fact that he refuses to. I also suggest that you send him a letter to call him out as well. CC the news media. Write open letters. Whatever you have to do. No matter what though, this man needs to be called on the carpet for his statements. Because in many cases, they are patently untrue.

Right now, due to this media blitz that Offit is conducting, the fight is against him, and no longer the vaccines themselves. So, take it to him.

That's just my 2 cents.

'UK "faked" national autism data to declare MMR "safe"':

http://childhealthsafety.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/uksurveyautismlink/

In future TV interviews -- say, on the Colbert Report -- Paul Off-it should be played by Darth Vader. Now that would be comedy!

'The theory has just one problem: It is stupid. In fact, it is the most ridiculously stupid theory I have ever heard.' - Peter Sellers