Childhood Vaccines Make it Into Presidential Debate
From our friends at SafeMinds.
Childhood Vaccines Make it Into Presidential Debate — View Transcript Here
Download Release Here as PDF
SafeMinds is delighted that several candidates for president of the United States have been speaking out on national television about the epidemic of autism in our country, as well as the choice that some parents and medical professionals are making to slow down and spread out the administration of childhood vaccines. Autism prevalence rates have skyrocketed since the 1980s. Prior to that decade, autism was reported to affect 1 in 2,000 children(1). Now, the data show that 1 in 68 children has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (2).
The autism epidemic continues to escalate unchecked as indicated by the latest California prevalence numbers (3), and it must receive the priority it deserves so that we can better protect children born today. A new study from the University of California-Davis estimates that autism will cost the United States $268 million in 2015, and this number is projected to increase to $1 trillion by 2025 if prevalence trends continue(4). This is far more than Alzheimer’s is expected to cost(5).
While autism is not new, the explosion of environmentally-induced brain disorders is unprecedented. Independent scientists have confirmed what classroom teachers and parents already know—the increase in autism is not just a question of better diagnosis or more awareness. Rather, it is also the result of something environmental, or perhaps several environmental factors, causing harm to children’s brains(6). Autism is one of the major crises of our time.
“I continue to diagnose infants and toddlers with autism at an increasingly-alarming rate in my medical practice. This is, without exception, the most common serious pediatric disorder today,” said Bob Sears, M.D., a pediatrician in private practice in southern California. Dr. Sears is a graduate of Georgetown University School of Medicine, science advisor to SafeMinds, and founder of the Immunity Education Group. “After 15 years of CDC research, we have not yet been able to slow this epidemic. The families affected by autism need support, answers, and solutions.”
The early childhood vaccine schedule has dramatically expanded in America since the 1980s(7). We now give children 70 vaccine doses, which is a dramatic increase from the 24 doses given in the early 1980s; 30 of these doses are given by age one. Yet there has never been a controlled, scientific study comparing the health outcomes of children who receive the current vaccine schedule in its entirety to children who are not vaccinated. Studies that objectively examine questions about vaccine safety are routinely blocked from publication and withdrawn from scientific journals. The Institute of Medicine stated in a 2013 report that “studies designed to examine the long-term effects of the cumulative number of vaccines … have not been conducted,” and recognized that “existing research has not been designed to test the entire immunization schedule.”
The medical community overwhelmingly supports vaccines as an effective preventative medical intervention that help protect children and adults against infectious disease. At the same time, some research demonstrates concerns regarding vaccines. The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a federal program that compensates victims of vaccine injury, has paid out over $3 billion since 1988 to people who have been injured or killed by vaccines, and has compensated at least 83 cases of brain injuries involving autism or autism-related features (8,9). The American vaccine schedule has been linked to higher incidences of infant mortality(10), and aluminum-induced neurotoxicity(11). Vaccinating low-birth-weight babies has been found to lead to breathing difficulties, seizures, and death(12).
“I give vaccines in my office every day, and I consider it my ethical duty to fully inform my patients about the benefits of vaccination as well as the risks,” Dr. Sears said. “Informed consent without coercion is essential to the practice of medicine, and parents should always maintain authority over medical decisions for their children without feeling pressure or discrimination.”
SafeMinds supports a national vaccine safety agency. We are also dismayed by the caustic tone and unproductive rhetoric this issue has generated. To raise concerns about the current immunization program does not make one anti-vaccine. All parents, researchers, and elected officials want the best medical care and healthiest outcomes for American children. Addressing the concerns raised about vaccine safety, rather than ridiculing or dismissing them out of hand, may actually increase vaccine acceptance rates, and would certainly reduce the divide between those who believe vaccines should be universally-administered and those who choose not to vaccinate according to the current schedule.
The United States’ childhood vaccine schedule is given to approximately four million children a year. Vaccines are one of the few medical products given to someone who is healthy to prevent disease; most medical products are given to treat a disease or condition that already exists. As such, vaccines must be the safest products on the market. With an escalating vaccine program, more thorough and objective research is needed so that parents can continue to make the safest vaccination choices for their children in consultation with their family physicians.
We call on every candidate for president to be publicly committed to helping meet the needs of children and adults living with autism and their families, as well as to protecting babies’ brains, identifying the causes of autism, and stopping this environmentally-induced epidemic.
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About SafeMinds:
SafeMinds was founded in 2000 by a handful of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Its mission is to end the autism epidemic by promoting environmental research and effective treatments. SafeMinds is focused on resolving the autism epidemic. We work to prevent new cases and improve the lives of those who have autism today. For more information, visit www.safeminds.org.
References
- http://archive.hhs.gov/nvpo/factsheets/fs_tableVII_doc2.htm
- http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html. The current autism prevalence rate is already out of date because it takes the CDC eight years to analyze the rate of autism in any one age group of kids. So, the latest statistic only applies to American children born in the early 2000s.
- http://www.sfautismsociety.org/uploads/1/1/7/4/11747519/autism_rising_2015.pdf
- http://ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/publish/news/newsroom/10214
- http://www.alzheimersreadingroom.com/2015/02/cost-of-alzheimers-could-soar.html
- http://www.ehjournal.net/content/pdf/1476-069X-13-73.pdf
- In 1980, the early childhood vaccine schedule only included DTP, Polio, and MMR. It now includes DTaP, Polio, MMR, Hep B, Hib, chickenpox, Hep A (in some states), rotavirus, pneumococcal, and yearly influenza vaccines—along with human papilloma virus, and Meningococcal A/C and B vaccines for adolescents.
- http://www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation/data.html
- http://digitalcommons.pace.edu/pelr/vol28/iss2/6/
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3170075/
- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23609067
- http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2300376
One important point is that any vaccine can cause encephalitis just from the reaction of the immune system to the invasion of the vaccine, and when the swelling of the brain cuts off circulation for as long as the encephalitis lasts, it can do severe brain damage. My daughter, very low-verbal and autistic, has aphasia, which is stroke-like damage to the language center of the brain. She screamed for four days and nights reacting to the hep-B vaccine from the pain of her swollen brain. She ALSO suffered symptoms of mercury toxicity, a year after Merck swore it was taking the mercury out of the hep-B vaccine, yet continued to sell existing stores until the expiration date several years later.
Live vaccines can cause encephalitis and autism, even though they don't have mercury: the MMR is the classic example, and has caused a lot of autism. Autism is a certain kind of brain damage, but it seems as though the brain damage can be caused in at least two different ways.
Posted by: cia parker | September 25, 2015 at 07:03 PM
Eindeker
No, I believe it does in more than one way but there are plenty of confounders. I particular think that if agencies think it is alright to inject people with mercury (at 250 times the level for which you need a hazmat suit), including neonates, then any sensible judgment has eluded them. If they were forced under scrutiny to remove thimerosal temporarily it does not mean that they have the competence to run the policy, it merely demonstrates that they don't. The vaccine program is like running a car without steering or brakes: full speed ahead - immune disorders, neurological impaiments and the odd death a certainty.
Posted by: John Stone | September 25, 2015 at 06:12 PM
John what exactly does this mean: The argument goes back to those who thought the problem was largely connected with mercury and those of us who thought that the mercury was a symptom of the streamlined recklessness, and the problems would continue as the schedule expanded.
Are you actually saying, in a very roundabout way, that you believe that thiomersal in vaccines has never had anything to do with autism???
Posted by: Eindeker | September 25, 2015 at 05:37 PM
Aluminum adjuvants are highly toxic and have been shown to cause brain damage in animals when they are given doses comparable to what infants get on the current US vaccine schedule.
See vaccinepapers.org for free full-text research papers. A good starting place on their site is http://vaccinepapers.org/aluminum/, but the whole site is excellent, I recommend reading it all.
Posted by: Tim Lundeen | September 25, 2015 at 05:26 PM
Although I read somewhere that mercury supposedly isn't implicated in autism because autism has continued unabated since the removal of mercury from many vaccines -- that there is no change point in this century--, is that really true? It was in the last decade that they really started vaccinating pregnant women, in their last trimester, with the flu and DPT shots. Last I checked, perhaps a decade ago, they didn't even place mercury amalgam dental fillings during pregnancy, but they inject thimerisol in the last trimester?!
Posted by: Lorilyn | September 25, 2015 at 02:57 PM
Where are the voices of those Congressmen and Senators that presently sit in Congress and the Senate? Why hasn't the media asked THEM to challenge Donald Trump, Dr. Carson and Rand Paul .. for their comments on vaccines during recently national televised Presidential debates .. watched by 20 MILLION people?
Hell .. why haven't these CAREER POLITICIANS .. who can't wait to get their face in front of a television camera to take a position on just about ANYTHING .. ANYTIME .. such as .. how the Redskins should change their name .. raised their OWN voices in support of the candidates who have clearly stated there are "too many, too soon" vaccines for children in the US?
Instead of asking our elected representatives in Washington if they agree or disagree with Trump, Carson and Paul .. our media is quite happy to ignore those already occupying seats in the HOUSE and SENATE .. the media trots out old reliable "resident (ABC,CS,NBC,Foxnews, etc) sock-puppets" .. who have spewed the same, tired, deceptive .. "talking points" .. over and over again ... as Hillary so eloquently put it .."The earth is round, the sky is blue .. and vaccines work. Grandma knows best".
These resident sock-puppets are .. predictably .. NEVER CHALLENGED as their "fear mongering" tactics smear the candidates for promoting "anti-vax" message that is falsely labeled "uninformed".
AND THE BAND PLAYS ON .. AND .. ON .....
Posted by: Bob Moffitt | September 25, 2015 at 02:45 PM
Meanwhile...Orange Cty, CA already has plans to force special ed kids to vaccinate, despite the language added to SB277 specifying that the law “does not prohibit” a student who qualifies for a special education from “accessing any special education and related services.”
http://edsource.org/2015/orange-county-says-special-ed-students-must-comply-with-vaccination-law/87506
Posted by: PANDAS Mom | September 25, 2015 at 01:54 PM
Here is the comment I posted to this SafeMinds article yesterday (easier to read here since it is broken up into paragraphs...all 1 huge paragraph on the SM site):
Hi Lisa,
I have appreciated your two most recent articles for SafeMinds, thank you :)
Recently, I have been taking note of how those bringing the truth to light about the dangers and inefficacies of vaccines, and the vast corruption behind them, are using some new phrases, seemingly to appeal to those who don't yet know and understand the truth...or to those who are working day and night to keep the truth hidden for their own personal benefit. I noticed this in your article when you wrote:
"All parents, researchers, and elected officials want the best medical care and healthiest outcomes for American children. Addressing the concerns raised about vaccine safety, rather than ridiculing or dismissing them out of hand, may actually increase vaccine acceptance rates, ..."
What I am noticing is the tactic to put forth that we ALL want the healthiest outcomes for American children, no doubt in an effort to somehow unite all of us. Tragically, though, that is not true, as the actions of many clearly show that they don't care about the healthiest outcomes for American children. Researchers (often at the behest of, and in cahoots with, pharmaceutical company executives, government regulators, and trade industry representatives) continue to manipulate data, omit data, throw data in the garbage, hide ugly and inconvenient truths, report fraudulent data as truthful, tell blatant lies, then put forth elaborate cover-ups and create distractions when outed (there is a decades-long history of such actions). Such illegal and immoral actions do not reflect wanting the healthiest outcomes for American children, quite the opposite.
Judging by past history, recent votes, and emerging legislation, many, if not most, elected officials also do not want the healthiest outcomes for American children. If they did, they would have listened to and heeded the reports from the parents of vaccine-injured children, going back decades, and continuing at a fever pitch today. They would never have passed the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (they would have halted the vaccine program instead). They would have demanded answers and not tolerated inaction with regards to the Autism epidemic and the myriad other health and development epidemics which are now the norm for America's children. They would have acted immediately on recent Merck and CDC Whistleblowers' allegations, not to mention the allegations of other whistleblowers and truth tellers who have come before them. They would have ousted, and taken legal action against, many head officials of the FDA, CDC, HHS, among other government agencies, many times over as one industry shill after another has headed government regulatory agencies, who by their immoral actions and inactions have decimated the health and well-being of all Americans, either directly or indirectly. Both elected officials and government regulators bear huge responsibility for the incalculable vaccine harm and deaths they have not only allowed to occur, but that they have helped to instigate, and mandate.
Apparently, many parents also do not want the healthiest outcomes for American children, either. For if they did, they would not ignore, malign, ostracize, and condemn those who are desperately shouting out warnings to all about the dangers, inefficacies, and lack of need for vaccines, and who are sharing the painful and tragic stories of what happened to their children post-vaccination. They would stop delegating their healthcare decisions to others (such as doctors and the CDC); they would make the effort and take the time to do their own research, including listening to those whose children's lives have been devastated, and ended, by allowing that which was approved as safe and effective by the FDA, recommended in a 70-dose/one-size-fits-all schedule by the CDC, claimed as basically benign by their in-denial-to-the-truth-before-me doctor, and mandated by their bought-and-paid for, willfully-ignorant-and-corrupt state legislators; and they would join the fight to ban vaccine mandates, repeal the 1986 Act, and recall any and all elected officials who would dare to remove our parental rights and medical choice freedom.
"Parents" are also many of those who work at vaccine-making pharmaceutical companies and those who work in the media. Where are all the parent whistleblowers working in these two industries? Many doing the fraudulent vaccine research, creating the neurotoxic, poisonous batches of vaccines, and writing/reporting the media's blatant lies about vaccine safety and efficacy are parents themselves. These parents are not showing that they want the healthiest outcomes for America's children, not at all.
The second tactic I am noticing is to make a statement such as this: "Addressing the concerns raised about vaccine safety...may actually increase vaccine acceptance rates." I am wondering if you really thought through writing that. Is "an increase in vaccine acceptance rates" what you would want, or a notion you would want to help promote, knowing what you know? Furthermore, it is not accurate. If vaccine safety concerns were truthfully addressed (exposed would be the better word), we would see vaccine acceptance rates plummet, as well they should...most especially if we care about the health and development outcomes of American children. (Lisa, please know that I am quite confident that you indeed care deeply about achieving the healthiest outcomes for all children everywhere.)
My hope is that those trying to raise the warning flag and sound the alarm bell regarding the undeniable dangers and inefficacies of vaccines would not capitulate to writing things that are written only in an attempt to placate those who have yet to learn about and understand the ugly truth, those who know the ugly truth but are spending their lives trying to hide it, and/or those who want to continue to profit from vaccines either directly or indirectly, no matter how ugly the truth, and no matter the harm done.
Posted by: Laura Hayes | September 25, 2015 at 12:39 PM
tics
Posted by: Benedetta | September 25, 2015 at 12:34 PM
Eindeker
That is because Mercury is not the only thing that is the problem with vaccines.
Maybe though - there will be less ticks and tourettes?
IT is hardly the only questionable additive to what is just suppose to be a weakened or dead pathogenic microbe, though isn't it? There is the big aluminium and then extra viruses, and extra human DNA and then recombiant DNA of the microbes - -formhyd -- I will stop here cause there is a very very - long list and you know it surely since you are always blogging on here - which shows you are interested. Why you are interested though? HMMMM?
Just concern for your fellow human beings?
But even if it was just weakened or dead microbes in the vaccines I think there would still be a problem
Because I have to ask what role does heating up the immune system hot, hot, hot -- again and again in a short period of time does?
In the book
"Trail of Tears" Chief Joseph who was half Scottish and half Cherokee -but his wife was full Cherokee; They only had two children - the youngest a daughter was mentally retarded. His son was very smart but had some health problems and was crippled. Chief Joesph observed and stated often that the white man could breed fast and had lots of healthy children while the Cherokee struggled to have just a few healthy children.
The Europeans had had centuries for their immune system to hone in on the best way to control so many diseases; They had more diseases because unlike the Native Americans they had domesticated very - very many animals. Where as the Native American at that time had only in a couple of generations to do the same thing - develop an immune system and live with domesticated animals.
Just when we had cleaned up our environment with septic systems, clean water, less domesticated animals - (form of a car instead of horses and fewer making a living on the farm, and antibiotics to help stop the spread bacteria diseases: Utopia had finally arrived and we were was getting ready to see how wonderful it could be -- but instead we get a vaccine happy medical system to make sure children's immune system stayed on fire, just like Chief Joseph's children.
And who knows what aluminium is going to do -- I suppose Alzheimer later on and cancer of the lymph nodes.
Mercury was not the whole problem just one of the many extra things added into vaccine besides just that weakened or dead pathogenic microbe. . Which you have to know and understand, if you are one bit interested which you are.
So if you are interested that means three things; You have been injured, your child has been injured or family member -- orrrrrrr you are receiving information, gifts and money from a pharma/government agency that is in bonanza of selling vaccines.
Posted by: Benedetta | September 25, 2015 at 12:31 PM
Listen Carefully TinyURL.com/CNNDEBATERocks #2Many2Soon
Posted by: TannersDad Tim | September 25, 2015 at 11:26 AM
Tony Bateson, yes thiomersal was removed from UK vaccines in 2004, so autism in children born after that date has nothing to do with thiomersal because it wasn't in vaccines.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1468838/Mercury-free-vaccines-for-babies-welcomed.html
5 minutes at the University of Google gave me this: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr065.pdf Changes in Prevalence of Parent-reported Autism Spectrum Disorder in School-aged U.S. Children: 2007 to 2011–2012 Suggest that you try harder to find the data Tony, one conclusion of the US report is much of the prevalence increase from 2007 to 2011–2012 for school-aged children was the result of diagnoses of children with previously unrecognized ASD
Posted by: Eindeker | September 25, 2015 at 10:56 AM
Hi Tony
There are Department of Education figures England and the upward trend is very similar although perhaps at a two-thirds the rate (I wonder if the data is simply less complete). The argument goes back to those who thought the problem was largely connected with mercury and those of us who thought that the mercury was a symptom of the streamlined recklessness, and the problems would continue as the schedule expanded. Of course, mercury has sneaked back in various ways, as well - particularly in the US.
Posted by: John Stone | September 25, 2015 at 10:41 AM
Eindecker
These are the number of children with autism in Scottish schools in 2013. If it is true that the youngest children, particularly those born after September 2004 display this very high rate of autism, things are far worse surely there are many children who are in residential centres rather than in schools. Did Scotland withdraw Thimerosal in September 2004?
Where are the equivalent US and England data?
Tony Bateson, Oxford UK.
Posted by: tony bateson | September 25, 2015 at 10:03 AM
@ Tony Bateson
John Stone published the incidence of autism in Scottish schools year by year from 1998-2013, there has been no decline in autism whatsoever since the removal of thiomersal: here's the link to his stats:
http://www.ageofautism.com/2015/05/the-message-from-scotland-autism-up-in-schools-136-times-in-16-years-and-accelerating.html
Posted by: Eindeker | September 25, 2015 at 09:06 AM
I don't know about uptake but some years ago it was revealed in the UK that doctors are the largest group of single vaccine users (ie their kids) and it was never challenged.
Sophie Scholl mentions 'more vigilant surveillance' this clearly doesn't stretch to prevalence so here is the conundrum; if its vigilance how come we know the numbers are greatly increased but we don't know how many?
Tony Bateson, Oxford UK
Posted by: Tony Bateson | September 25, 2015 at 08:16 AM
Thank you for publishing prevalence figures - these relate to year of birth data up to 2002 from which the 1 in 68 figure comes. We need to know birth year 2006 and on data. I believe this will show a significant fall off. What other reason might there be why both the USA and the UK seem unable to find prevalence data for coming up to ten years ago?
Tony Bateson, Oxford UK
Posted by: Tony Bateson | September 25, 2015 at 06:56 AM
Do you think the rate in MMR-uptake might actually in truth be unchanged ? And its been that way for centuries .
And in fact Elimann & Ramsey the change you are seeing is due to more vigilant surveillance
Posted by: Sophie Scholl | September 25, 2015 at 06:29 AM
Angus what is your source for this please :
"Drs are the lowest profession for non-uptake of vaccines"
Posted by: Sophie Scholl | September 25, 2015 at 06:27 AM
I pray you get someone in who hates vaccines.
Meanwhile here in the UK it`s business as usual,need to get the MMR figures up,best of it is Drs are the lowest profession for non-uptake of vaccines,charity starts at home,or so you would thing it shouldn't be to hard for the Drs to get the figures up..
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/sep/23/children-receiving-mmr-jab-vaccination-falls-7-years
MMR RIP
Posted by: Angus Files | September 25, 2015 at 06:10 AM