Fomboning Autism Increases in California

[Guest guest]

Fomboning Autism Increases in California

By Barbara Loe Fisher, excerpted from the NVIC Vaccine E-Newsletter

(not available online.)

The Canadian child psychiatrist, who helps out drug companies and US

vaccine policymakers by testifying in civil court and in the D.C.

Court of Claims to deny vaccine injured autistic children compensation

for their injuries, got it wrong again. Endorsing the conclusions of

an ecologic analysis by California public health officials of

California DDS data from 1995 to 2007 published Jan. 7 in the Archives

of General Psychiatry which stated that " The DDS data do not support

the hypothesis that exposure to thimerosal during childhood is a

primary cause of autism, " Fombonne declares " Parents of autistic

children should be reassured that autism in their child did not occur

through immunizations. Their autistic children, and their siblings,

should be normally vaccinated.... "

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-

me-autism8jan08,0,3935663.story?coll=la- home-local

Apparently unhappy that children with vaccine associated autism have

been healed through use of alternative therapies that do not rely on

expensive prescription drugs and visits to child psychiatrists,

Fombonne goes on to add that " as there is no evidence of mercury

poisoning in autism, they [parents of autistic children] should avoid

ineffective and dangerous " treatments " such as chelation therapy for

their children. " He points an accusing finger at " powerful advocacy

groups " that have lobbied " decision makers to influence decisions

about which autism research to fund and even how to conduct it. " He

ridicules " best-selling writers, journalists and politicians " who are

" unaware of scientific studies, or worse, doubtful of their results "

and have been " drawn to embrace conspiracy theories that portrayed

vaccine manufacturers and the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention as public enemies. "

Fombonne also attacks vaccine victim lawyers for trying to help

parents of vaccine injured autistic children obtain compensation for

their vaccine injuries under the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine

Injury Act created by Congress and condemns the constitutional right

to a jury trial as " the viscous US legal process allowing for

fermentation of misconceptions. " Finally, in a pathetic attempt to

mimic an earlier attempt in 2004 by a misguided IOM Committee to shut

down all scientific investigation into vaccine-associated regressive

autism, the psychiatrist laments " How many more negative study results

are required for the belief [in vaccine induced autism] to go away,

and how much more spending of public funds on this issue could even be

justified? "

Rick Rollens, co-founder of the M.I.N.D. Institute - UC , and the

man most responsible for putting the autism epidemic on the map in the

late 1990's, said it best: " Although this study by California's

vaccine establishment clearly sustains the fact that California is in

the midst of a growing autism epidemic and that California's system of

reporting professionally diagnosed cases of full syndrome autism is

the gold standard in the country, the conclusions in the study are

flawed and premature, and does nothing to exonerate vaccines,

particularly mercury containing vaccines, as a cause of California's

autism epidemic.....If by 2009-2010 there has not been ANY change in

the rate of increase of new cases of autism entering California's

developmental services system, then we can scratch mercury in vaccines

off our list of agents contained in vaccines as a cause, and; then

begin concentrating on the numerous other poisons and toxic agents in

vaccines such as aluminum, formaldehyde, MSG, live viruses, etc., and

most importantly, the interaction of these and other toxic agents

contained in the 34 doses of vaccines children receive from birth to

two years old today. "

As usual, it is not the M.D. or Ph.D. " experts " but parents of vaccine

injured children, who understand the bigger picture involving

accumulating clinical evidence that many children are regressing and

becoming chronically ill after receiving both mercury- containing and

non-mercury containing vaccines. Parents know well that this one study

cannot negate the fact that the medical establishment has refused to

conduct the methodologically sound basic science research into the

biological effects on immune and brain function of injecting infants

and children with multiple vaccines containing many potentially toxic

ingredients, including mercury.

Over the years, many parents of vaccine injured children have reminded

public health authorities of their duty to protect the lives of all

children, including those who are at high risk of becoming vaccine

injured. The contentious debate about vaccine-associated autism and

whether or not mercury has played a major role in the development of

regressive autism in record numbers of children since 1991 will not be

over until at least 2010. Even then, it will be complicated by the

continued use of thimerosal containing vaccines, such as influenza

vaccine, that may be affecting a smaller but significant subset of

children. Whatever the truth turns out to be with regard to how big or

small a role thimerosal has had in creating an autism epidemic, the

more than doubling of the numbers of vaccines children are given

during the past quarter century, is a questionable national public

health policy that is definitely not off the hook.

Science is not a static enterprise but a dynamic one. Unlike Fombonne,

the authors of this latest study at least acknowledged that " the

hypothesis that a modifiable risk factor, such as thimerosal exposure,

is a major cause of autism offers the hope for prevention through

reduced exposure. Although our analysis of DDS data shows an increased

in autism in California despite the removal of thimerosal from most

vaccines, we support the continued quest for the timely discovery of

modifiable risk factors for autism and related conditions. Continuing

evaluation of the trends in the prevalence of autism for children born

in recent years is warranted to confirm our findings. "

Those maintaining that autism is simply a matter of genetics, rather

than a matter of genetic diversity dependent upon potentially

modifiable environmental triggers, will not be happy with that

statement. It is an acknowledgement, however small, by California

public health officials that development of regressive autism may well

be about more than DNA.

[Guest guest]

What else would you expect from Fombonne, who does "ecological" studies himself without even looking at his subjects' actual vaccination records? It's no wonder he couldn't find a connection between vaccines and autism, because it is highly likely that his subjects had had a variety of vaccines (some even thimerosal-containing, if his subjects had had infant hepatitis b vaccines here in Canada prior to 2002) that were not "required" on the official Quebec immunization/vaccination schedule that he was basing his erroneous assumptions on. I can easily see that happening, because I know that in the province next door (Ontario), certain groups of children have been receiving vaccines which are not listed on Ontario's vaccination schedule. Any who received infant hepatitis b shots (which are not on Ontario's schedule) would have received thimerosal-containing shots, because prior to 2000/2001, nonthimerosal-containing infant hepatitis b vaccines

were not yet licensed in Canada. Aasaschaferatsprynet <schafer@...> wrote: Fomboning Autism Increases in California By Barbara Loe Fisher, excerpted from the NVIC Vaccine E-Newsletter(not available online.)The Canadian child psychiatrist, who helps out drug companies and USvaccine policymakers by testifying in civil court and in the D.C.Court of Claims to deny vaccine injured autistic children compensationfor their injuries, got it wrong again. Endorsing the conclusions

ofan ecologic analysis by California public health officials ofCalifornia DDS data from 1995 to 2007 published Jan. 7 in the Archivesof General Psychiatry which stated that "The DDS data do not supportthe hypothesis that exposure to thimerosal during childhood is aprimary cause of autism," Fombonne declares "Parents of autisticchildren should be reassured that autism in their child did not occurthrough immunizations. Their autistic children, and their siblings,should be normally vaccinated...."http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-autism8jan08,0,3935663.story?coll=la- home-local Apparently unhappy that children with vaccine associated autism havebeen healed through use of alternative therapies that do not rely onexpensive prescription drugs and visits to child psychiatrists,Fombonne goes on to add that "as there is no evidence of

mercurypoisoning in autism, they [parents of autistic children] should avoidineffective and dangerous "treatments" such as chelation therapy fortheir children." He points an accusing finger at "powerful advocacygroups" that have lobbied "decision makers to influence decisionsabout which autism research to fund and even how to conduct it." Heridicules "best-selling writers, journalists and politicians" who are"unaware of scientific studies, or worse, doubtful of their results"and have been "drawn to embrace conspiracy theories that portrayedvaccine manufacturers and the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention as public enemies."Fombonne also attacks vaccine victim lawyers for trying to helpparents of vaccine injured autistic children obtain compensation fortheir vaccine injuries under the 1986 National Childhood VaccineInjury Act created by Congress and condemns the constitutional rightto a jury trial as "the

viscous US legal process allowing forfermentation of misconceptions." Finally, in a pathetic attempt tomimic an earlier attempt in 2004 by a misguided IOM Committee to shutdown all scientific investigation into vaccine-associated regressiveautism, the psychiatrist laments "How many more negative study resultsare required for the belief [in vaccine induced autism] to go away,and how much more spending of public funds on this issue could even bejustified?" Rick Rollens, co-founder of the M.I.N.D. Institute - UC , and theman most responsible for putting the autism epidemic on the map in thelate 1990's, said it best: "Although this study by California'svaccine establishment clearly sustains the fact that California is inthe midst of a growing autism epidemic and that California's system ofreporting professionally diagnosed cases of full syndrome autism isthe gold standard in the country, the conclusions in

the study areflawed and premature, and does nothing to exonerate vaccines,particularly mercury containing vaccines, as a cause of California'sautism epidemic.....If by 2009-2010 there has not been ANY change inthe rate of increase of new cases of autism entering California'sdevelopmental services system, then we can scratch mercury in vaccinesoff our list of agents contained in vaccines as a cause, and; thenbegin concentrating on the numerous other poisons and toxic agents invaccines such as aluminum, formaldehyde, MSG, live viruses, etc., andmost importantly, the interaction of these and other toxic agentscontained in the 34 doses of vaccines children receive from birth totwo years old today." As usual, it is not the M.D. or Ph.D. "experts" but parents of vaccineinjured children, who understand the bigger picture involvingaccumulating clinical evidence that many children are regressing andbecoming

chronically ill after receiving both mercury- containing andnon-mercury containing vaccines. Parents know well that this one studycannot negate the fact that the medical establishment has refused toconduct the methodologically sound basic science research into thebiological effects on immune and brain function of injecting infantsand children with multiple vaccines containing many potentially toxicingredients, including mercury.Over the years, many parents of vaccine injured children have remindedpublic health authorities of their duty to protect the lives of allchildren, including those who are at high risk of becoming vaccineinjured. The contentious debate about vaccine-associated autism andwhether or not mercury has played a major role in the development ofregressive autism in record numbers of children since 1991 will not beover until at least 2010. Even then, it will be complicated by thecontinued use of

thimerosal containing vaccines, such as influenzavaccine, that may be affecting a smaller but significant subset ofchildren. Whatever the truth turns out to be with regard to how big orsmall a role thimerosal has had in creating an autism epidemic, themore than doubling of the numbers of vaccines children are givenduring the past quarter century, is a questionable national publichealth policy that is definitely not off the hook.Science is not a static enterprise but a dynamic one. Unlike Fombonne,the authors of this latest study at least acknowledged that "thehypothesis that a modifiable risk factor, such as thimerosal exposure,is a major cause of autism offers the hope for prevention throughreduced exposure. Although our analysis of DDS data shows an increasedin autism in California despite the removal of thimerosal from mostvaccines, we support the continued quest for the timely discovery ofmodifiable risk

factors for autism and related conditions. Continuingevaluation of the trends in the prevalence of autism for children bornin recent years is warranted to confirm our findings."Those maintaining that autism is simply a matter of genetics, ratherthan a matter of genetic diversity dependent upon potentiallymodifiable environmental triggers, will not be happy with thatstatement. It is an acknowledgement, however small, by Californiapublic health officials that development of regressive autism may wellbe about more than DNA.