Vaccines and Autism

[Guest guest]

I though some might be interested in the following editorial from today's NYT/

Ron

March 11, 2008

Editorial

A Puzzling Autism Case

The federal government's concession that vaccines may have triggered brain

deterioration

with symptoms like autism in a young girl is sure to exacerbate concerns among

parents

worried about immunizations. It is imperative that the court for vaccine

compensation

unseal documents involved in this unusual case so that experts, families and

their doctors

can better understand exactly how Hannah Poling, now 9 years old, came to be

harmed

after receiving a battery of shots when she was a toddler.

For years medical authorities have been assuring us that sound epidemiological

studies

showed that vaccines and a mercury preservative once widely used in them were

not

implicated in causing autism, a condition characterized by lack of social

skills, problems

with communication and repetitive behaviors. That almost certainly remains true

for the

vast majority of youngsters.

Hannah's case was complicated by a rare disorder that can deprive the brain of

needed

energy and cause neurological deterioration. When Hannah's case was submitted to

a

federal vaccine compensation program, the government settled before the evidence

was

argued in a hearing. Government medical personnel apparently found that the

vaccinations aggravated the underlying disorder. An alternative theory — that

the vaccines

may have caused the disorder — is viewed skeptically by government experts.

Top health officials are still urging parents to get their children vaccinated,

and with good

reason. All children deserve protection against infectious diseases, and even

youngsters

with these rare disorders may be at risk of neurological deterioration if they

contract one

of the diseases that vaccines protect them against.

It will be important to develop the best possible medical guidance for

youngsters with rare

defects. That effort would be enhanced if the government makes public all

relevant

documents in this puzzling case.

Copyright 2008 The New York Times Company