[NVIC] Fomboning Autism Increases in California

[Guest guest]

http://www.vaccineawakening.blogspot.com/

READ at webpage to get the links embedded in article below

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Fomboning Autism Increases in California

by Barbara Loe Fisher

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 Institute of Medicine (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.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

“The estimated prevalence of autism for children at each year of age from 3

to 12 years increased throughout the study period. The estimated prevalence

of DDS clients aged 3 to 5 years with autism increased for each quarter

from January 1995 through March 2007. Since 2004, the absolute increase and

the rate of increase in DDS clients aged 3 to 5 years with autism were

higher than those in DDS clients of the same ages with any eligible

condition including autism….The DDS data do not show any recent decrease in

autism in California despite the exclusion of more than trace levels of

thimerosal from nearly all childhood vaccines. The DDS data do not support

the hypothesis that exposure to thimerosal during childhood is a primary

cause of autism.” – Schechter and Judith Grether, Archives of

General Psychiatry (January 2008)

“Although the mercury burden in vaccines has been reduced over the years,

we know that even very small amounts of mercury can cause serious, life

altering neurological damage. California's ban on mercury containing

vaccines for pregnant women and children under three did not take effect

until December 2006. Today, those children born after the ban took effect

are between 4 months old and one year of age. California's developmental

services reporting system DOES NOT include children under the age of three

years old.” – Rick Rollens

“Steve M. Edelson, an experimental psychologist who is director of the

Autism Research Institute, a nonprofit organization in San Diego, said the

study, along with evidence from previous research, argued against

thimerosal as the major culprit in autism. But, he added, it still does not

rule out all blame. Edelson said such large-scale analysis could overlook

smaller groups of children, who for whatever reasons have a particular

vulnerability to mercury. He said more solid evidence can only come from

laboratory studies, such as postmortem analyses of the brains of autistic

children.” - Jia-Rui Chong, Los Angeles Times (Jan. 7, 2008)

“Shih said the study methods are " robust, " adding that the authors appeared

to address limitations of earlier studies. However, he said, the research

" doesn't address the possibility that there might be a subpopulation who

might be particularly vulnerable to a vaccine with thimerosal. " If just 1

percent to 2 percent of children were especially sensitive to the effect of

thimerosal, the study wouldn't be able to pick it up, he said. Schechter

agreed, saying it was true that the research didn't address whether

thimerosal might cause problems in a small number of cases. As for a

possible link between vaccines and autism, Shih said, " the jury is still

out, " especially considering that children are exposed to a large number of

vaccines before age 2. And he added, " Some people in the community feel

that they might lead to immune problems that could either exacerbate or

lead to autism. All this is purely hypothetical, but this is an area where

we need to continue to do more research. " – Randy Dotinga, U.S. News &

World Report (Jan. 7, 2008)

http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/65/1/19

ABSTRACT

Continuing Increases in Autism Reported to California’s Developmental

Services System

Mercury in Retrograde

Schechter, M.D., Msc; Judith K. Grether, PhD

Arch Gen Psychiatry, 2008;65(1):19-24

Context Previous analyses of autism client data reported to the California

Department of Developmental Services (DDS) have been interpreted as

supporting the hypothesis that autism is caused by exposure to the

preservative thimerosal, which contains ethylmercury. The exclusion of

thimerosal from childhood vaccines in the United States was accelerated

from 1999 to 2001. The Immunization Safety Review Committee of the

Institute of Medicine has recommended surveillance of trends in autism as

exposure to thimerosal during early childhood has decreased.

Objective To determine whether trends in DDS autism client data support the

hypothesis that thimerosal exposure is a primary cause of autism.

Design, Setting, and Patients Study of time trends in the prevalence by age

and birth cohort of children with autism who were active status clients of

the DDS from January 1, 1995, through March 31, 2007.

Main Outcome Measure Prevalence of autism among children with active status

in the DDS.

Results The estimated prevalence of autism for children at each year of age

from 3 to 12 years increased throughout the study period. The estimated

prevalence of DDS clients aged 3 to 5 years with autism increased for each

quarter from January 1995 through March 2007. Since 2004, the absolute

increase and the rate of increase in DDS clients aged 3 to 5 years with

autism were higher than those in DDS clients of the same ages with any

eligible condition including autism.

Conclusions The DDS data do not show any recent decrease in autism in

California despite the exclusion of more than trace levels of thimerosal

from nearly all childhood vaccines. The DDS data do not support the

hypothesis that exposure to thimerosal during childhood is a primary cause

of autism.

------------------------------------------------------

STATEMENT BY RICK ROLLENS, Co-Founder, M.I.N.D. Institute – UC

“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.

Although the mercury burden in vaccines has been reduced over the years, we

know that even very small amounts of mercury can cause serious, life

altering neurological damage. California's ban on mercury containing

vaccines for pregnant women and children under three did not take effect

until December 2006.

Today, those children born after the ban took effect are between 4 months

old and one year of age. California's developmental services reporting

system DOES NOT include children under the age of three years old.

It will not be clear what impact California's law banning mercury in

vaccines has had on the rate of new cases of autism until at least

2009-2010 and later. Historically, the majority of children with autism

enter California's developmental services system between the ages of 3+ and

9 years old.

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.”

---------------------------------------------------------------

Study challenges drug's role in autism

by Jia-Rui Chong

Los Angeles Times

January 7, 2008

The prevalence of autism in California children continued to rise after

many vaccine manufacturers started to remove the mercury-based preservative

thimerosal in 1999, suggesting that the chemical was not a primary cause of

the disorder, according to a study released Monday.

The analysis found that from 2004 to 2007, when exposure to thimerosal

dropped significantly for 3- to 5-year-olds, the rate continued to increase

in that group from 3.0 to 4.1 per 1,000 children.

" If mercury exposure in vaccines was a major cause of autism, then the

number of ... affected kids should have diminished once they were no longer

exposed to thimerosal, " said Dr. Schechter, lead author of the study

and a medical officer at the state Department of Public Health. " That is

not what we found. "

The study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, is the latest

in a series that has investigated the connection between thimerosal and

autism. The majority have found no association.

But the latest findings failed to convince some parents and advocacy groups

that have long blamed mercury, a neurotoxin, for the disorder.

" This study presents a greatly over-simplified explanation of a very

complex problem, " said Bothwell, chairwoman of the board at the

National Autism Association, which works on behalf of families with autism.

" Rising numbers do not confirm that thimerosal never had a role. "

Autism is a severe developmental disorder in which children seem isolated

from the world around them. There is a broad spectrum of symptoms, marked

by poor language skills and an inability to handle social relations.

Over the past two decades, the number of cases has boomed for

still-unexplained reasons. Psychiatrists estimated that 20 years ago there

were 0.2 to 0.5 cases for every 1,000 children. In 2007, the national

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that there were 6.6

cases per 1,000 schoolchildren, based on a study of 8-year-olds.

The latest study was based on data from the California Department of

Developmental Services, which provides services to about 36,000 people with

autism and has one of the country's best reporting systems.

The researchers looked at all reported cases in the state starting with

children born in 1989. They found the number of cases per 1,000 children

has been steadily increasing from that point to March 2007, the end point

of the study.

In a commentary accompanying the study in the journal Archives of General

Psychiatry, Dr. Fombonne called the data " a clear and unambiguous test. "

" Parents of autistic children should be reassured that autism in their

child did not occur through immunizations, " wrote Fombonne, a psychiatrist

at Montreal Children's Hospital who was not involved in this study.

Fombonne has provided advice to vaccine manufacturers in the past but has

received no research funding from them, he said.

Steve M. Edelson, an experimental psychologist who is director of the

Autism Research Institute, a nonprofit organization in San Diego, said the

study, along with evidence from previous research, argued against

thimerosal as the major culprit in autism.

But, he added, it still does not rule out all blame. Edelson said such

large-scale analysis could overlook smaller groups of children, who for

whatever reasons have a particular vulnerability to mercury. He said more

solid evidence can only come from laboratory studies, such as postmortem

analyses of the brains of autistic children.

The National Autism Association criticized the study, saying that some

children still might be exposed to mercury through either flu shots or

trace amounts in other vaccines. The group also said that some vaccines

containing thimerosal had expiration dates as late as 2005 and might have

been used up to that point.

------------------------------------------------------

Study Casts Doubt on Vaccine-Autism Link

Research adds to growing body of evidence that finds no connection between

the two

by Randy Dotinga

U.S. News & World Report

January 7, 2008

(HealthDay News) -- Adding to a growing body of evidence that rejects the

idea that immunizations boost autism rates, a new study finds no proof that

incidences of the disorder dropped after makers of most childhood vaccines

stopped using a mercury-based preservative in their products.

Researchers found that autism rates in California continued to rise over

the past several years, even though the preservative -- known as thimerosal

-- had vanished from almost all vaccines by 2001.

The study makes clear that " thimerosal cannot be the major cause of autism

in California, " said its lead author, Dr. Schechter, medical officer

with the Immunization Branch of the California Department of Public Health.

Another expert called the study limited and said it did not prove that

vaccines have no connection to autism.

Still, the new research " adds to the body of existing evidence in which

there is no causal connection that demonstrates thimerosal is a primary

cause " of autism, said Andy Shih, vice president of scientific affairs for

Autism Speaks, an advocacy organization.

Thimerosal, a preservative once used in contact lens solutions, was

frequently a component of childhood vaccines until around 2000. Today, it's

still used in flu vaccines recommended for infants, but researchers think

children are still exposed to much less thimerosal than in the past.

In recent years, some parents have blamed their children's autism on the

preservative, which is derived from mercury; others have accused the

parents of creating public panic and threatening the health of children by

casting a bad light on routine immunizations.

One government study released in 2007 claimed that thimerosal exposure in

the first seven months of life didn't appear to affect the brain function

of children aged 7 to 10, although there was some evidence -- perhaps the

result of chance -- that connected thimerosal to later development of

physical tics. Even earlier, an Institute of Medicine report released in

2004 found no evidence supporting a link between thimerosal and autism.

In the new study, published in the January issue of the Archives of General

Psychiatry, researchers from the California Department of Public Health

examined statistics about children in the state from 1995 through March 2007.

The prevalence of autism among kids aged 3 to 12 grew each year, the

researchers discovered after looking at numbers compiled by a state agency

that provides services to children with the disorder.

For example, the prevalence among kids born in 1993 was three in 10,000

when they were checked in 1996, compared to 13 per 10,000 among those born

in 2003 and checked in 2006.

The highest rate -- 4.5 cases per 1,000 births -- came among 6-year-olds in

2006 who were born in 2000.

The study authors pointed out that autism rates among kids aged 3 to 5

continued to grow for each birth year after 1999, even though thimerosal

use dropped.

Shih said the study methods are " robust, " adding that the authors appeared

to address limitations of earlier studies. However, he said, the research

" doesn't address the possibility that there might be a subpopulation who

might be particularly vulnerable to a vaccine with thimerosal. "

If just 1 percent to 2 percent of children were especially sensitive to the

effect of thimerosal, the study wouldn't be able to pick it up, he said.

Schechter agreed, saying it was true that the research didn't address

whether thimerosal might cause problems in a small number of cases.

As for a possible link between vaccines and autism, Shih said, " the jury is

still out, " especially considering that children are exposed to a large

number of vaccines before age 2.

And he added, " Some people in the community feel that they might lead to

immune problems that could either exacerbate or lead to autism. All this is

purely hypothetical, but this is an area where we need to continue to do

more research. "

posted by Barbara Loe Fisher @ 1:15 PM

--------------------------------------------------------

Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath

Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UK

Vaccines - http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccine.htm Email classes start in

January

[Guest guest]

I recall reading somewhere (a few days ago), that the Schechter and Grether study was an "ecological" study. Fombonne, in his own "ecological" study did not look at any of his subjects' vaccination records, but instead assumed that children were getting only what was on the "recommended" childhood schedule. I know for a fact, that here in Ontario, some children have received many more vaccines than appear on the recommended schedule. I wonder if Schechter and Grether examined any of the California children's vaccination records. Somehow, I doubt it! They do mention some of the limitations of their study in the Comment section. Aasa http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/65/1/19Sheri Nakken <snakken@...> wrote: http://www.vaccineawakening.blogspot.com/READ at webpage to get the links embedded in article belowTuesday, January 08, 2008Fomboning Autism Increases in California by Barbara Loe FisherThe Canadian child psychiatrist, who helps out drug companies and USvaccine policymakers by testifying in civil court and in the D.C. Court ofClaims to deny vaccine injured autistic children compensation for theirinjuries, got it wrong again. Endorsing the conclusions of an ecologicanalysis by California public health officials of California DDS

data from1995 to 2007 published Jan. 7 in the Archives of General Psychiatry whichstated that “The DDS data do not support the hypothesis that exposure tothimerosal during childhood is a primary cause of autism,” Fombonnedeclares “Parents of autistic children should be reassured that autism intheir 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-localApparently unhappy that children with vaccine associated autism have beenhealed through use of alternative therapies that do not rely on expensiveprescription drugs and visits to child psychiatrists, Fombonne goes on toadd 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 anaccusing finger at “powerful advocacy groups” that have lobbied “decisionmakers to influence decisions about which autism research to fund and evenhow to conduct it.” He ridicules “best-selling writers, journalists andpoliticians” who are “unaware of scientific studies, or worse, doubtful oftheir results” and have been “drawn to embrace conspiracy theories thatportrayed vaccine manufacturers and the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention as public enemies.”Fombonne also attacks vaccine victim lawyers for trying to help parents ofvaccine injured autistic children obtain compensation for their vaccineinjuries under the 1986 National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act created byCongress and condemns the constitutional right to a jury trial as “theviscous US legal process allowing for fermentation

of misconceptions.”Finally, in a pathetic attempt to mimic an earlier attempt in 2004 by amisguided Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee to shut down all scientificinvestigation into vaccine-associated regressive autism, the psychiatristlaments “How many more negative study results are required for the belief[in vaccine induced autism] to go away, and how much more spending ofpublic funds on this issue could even be justified?”Rick Rollens, co-founder of the M.I.N.D. Institute – UC , and the manmost responsible for putting the autism epidemic on the map in the late1990’s, said it best: “Although this study by California's vaccineestablishment clearly sustains the fact that California is in the midst ofa growing autism epidemic and that California's system of reportingprofessionally diagnosed cases of full syndrome autism is the gold standardin the country, the conclusions in the study are flawed and premature,

anddoes nothing to exonerate vaccines, particularly mercury containingvaccines, as a cause of California's autism epidemic….. If by 2009-2010there has not been ANY change in the rate of increase of new cases ofautism entering California's developmental services system, then we canscratch mercury in vaccines off our list of agents contained in vaccines asa cause, and; then begin concentrating on the numerous other poisons andtoxic agents in vaccines such as aluminum, formaldehyde, MSG, live viruses,etc., and most importantly, the interaction of these and other toxic agentscontained in the 34 doses of vaccines children receive from birth to twoyears old today.” As usual, it is not the M.D. or Ph.D. “experts” but parents of vaccineinjured children, who understand the bigger picture involving accumulatingclinical evidence that many children are regressing and becomingchronically ill after receiving both

mercury-containing and non-mercurycontaining vaccines. Parents know well that this one study cannot negatethe fact that the medical establishment has refused to conduct themethodologically sound basic science research into the biological effectson immune and brain function of injecting infants and children withmultiple vaccines containing many potentially toxic ingredients, includingmercury.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 vaccine injured.The contentious debate about vaccine-associated autism and whether or notmercury has played a major role in the development of regressive autism inrecord numbers of children since 1991 will not be over until at least 2010.Even then, it will be complicated by the continued use of thimerosalcontaining vaccines, such as

influenza vaccine, that may be affecting asmaller but significant subset of children. Whatever the truth turns out tobe with regard to how big or small a role thimerosal has had in creating anautism epidemic, the more than doubling of the numbers of vaccines childrenare given during the past quarter century, is a questionable nationalpublic health policy that is definitely not off the hook.Science is not a static enterprise but a dynamic one. Unlike Fombonne, theauthors of this latest study at least acknowledged that “the hypothesisthat a modifiable risk factor, such as thimerosal exposure, is a majorcause of autism offers the hope for prevention through reduced exposure.Although our analysis of DDS data shows an increased in autism inCalifornia despite the removal of thimerosal from most vaccines, we supportthe continued quest for the timely discovery of modifiable risk factors forautism and related conditions.

Continuing evaluation of the trends in theprevalence of autism for children born in recent years is warranted toconfirm our findings.”Those maintaining that autism is simply a matter of genetics rather than amatter of genetic diversity dependent upon potentially modifiableenvironmental triggers will not be happy with that statement. It is anacknowledgement, however small, by California public health officials thatdevelopment of regressive autism may well be about more than DNA.----------------------------------------------------------“The estimated prevalence of autism for children at each year of age from 3to 12 years increased throughout the study period. The estimated prevalenceof DDS clients aged 3 to 5 years with autism increased for each quarterfrom January 1995 through March 2007. Since 2004, the absolute increase andthe rate of increase in DDS clients aged 3 to 5 years

with autism werehigher than those in DDS clients of the same ages with any eligiblecondition including autism….The DDS data do not show any recent decrease inautism in California despite the exclusion of more than trace levels ofthimerosal from nearly all childhood vaccines. The DDS data do not supportthe hypothesis that exposure to thimerosal during childhood is a primarycause of autism.” – Schechter and Judith Grether, Archives ofGeneral Psychiatry (January 2008)“Although the mercury burden in vaccines has been reduced over the years,we know that even very small amounts of mercury can cause serious, lifealtering neurological damage. California's ban on mercury containingvaccines for pregnant women and children under three did not take effectuntil December 2006. Today, those children born after the ban took effectare between 4 months old and one year of age. California's developmentalservices reporting

system DOES NOT include children under the age of threeyears old.” – Rick Rollens“Steve M. Edelson, an experimental psychologist who is director of theAutism Research Institute, a nonprofit organization in San Diego, said thestudy, along with evidence from previous research, argued againstthimerosal as the major culprit in autism. But, he added, it still does notrule out all blame. Edelson said such large-scale analysis could overlooksmaller groups of children, who for whatever reasons have a particularvulnerability to mercury. He said more solid evidence can only come fromlaboratory studies, such as postmortem analyses of the brains of autisticchildren.” - Jia-Rui Chong, Los Angeles Times (Jan. 7, 2008)“Shih said the study methods are "robust," adding that the authors appearedto address limitations of earlier studies. However, he said, the research"doesn't address the possibility that there might be a

subpopulation whomight be particularly vulnerable to a vaccine with thimerosal." If just 1percent to 2 percent of children were especially sensitive to the effect ofthimerosal, the study wouldn't be able to pick it up, he said. Schechteragreed, saying it was true that the research didn't address whetherthimerosal might cause problems in a small number of cases. As for apossible link between vaccines and autism, Shih said, "the jury is stillout," especially considering that children are exposed to a large number ofvaccines before age 2. And he added, "Some people in the community feelthat they might lead to immune problems that could either exacerbate orlead to autism. All this is purely hypothetical, but this is an area wherewe need to continue to do more research." – Randy Dotinga, U.S. News & World Report (Jan. 7, 2008)http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/65/1/19ABSTRACTContinuing Increases in Autism Reported to California’s DevelopmentalServices SystemMercury in Retrograde Schechter, M.D., Msc; Judith K. Grether, PhDArch Gen Psychiatry, 2008;65(1):19-24Context Previous analyses of autism client data reported to the CaliforniaDepartment of Developmental Services (DDS) have been interpreted assupporting the hypothesis that autism is caused by exposure to thepreservative thimerosal, which contains ethylmercury. The exclusion ofthimerosal from childhood vaccines in the United States was acceleratedfrom 1999 to 2001. The Immunization Safety Review Committee of theInstitute of Medicine has recommended surveillance of trends in autism asexposure to thimerosal during early childhood has

decreased.Objective To determine whether trends in DDS autism client data support thehypothesis that thimerosal exposure is a primary cause of autism.Design, Setting, and Patients Study of time trends in the prevalence by ageand birth cohort of children with autism who were active status clients ofthe DDS from January 1, 1995, through March 31, 2007.Main Outcome Measure Prevalence of autism among children with active statusin the DDS.Results The estimated prevalence of autism for children at each year of agefrom 3 to 12 years increased throughout the study period. The estimatedprevalence of DDS clients aged 3 to 5 years with autism increased for eachquarter from January 1995 through March 2007. Since 2004, the absoluteincrease and the rate of increase in DDS clients aged 3 to 5 years withautism were higher than those in DDS clients of the same ages with anyeligible condition including

autism.Conclusions The DDS data do not show any recent decrease in autism inCalifornia despite the exclusion of more than trace levels of thimerosalfrom nearly all childhood vaccines. The DDS data do not support thehypothesis that exposure to thimerosal during childhood is a primary causeof autism.------------------------------------------------------STATEMENT BY RICK ROLLENS, Co-Founder, M.I.N.D. Institute – UC “Although this study by California's vaccine establishment clearly sustainsthe fact that California is in the midst of a growing autism epidemic andthat California's system of reporting professionally diagnosed cases offull syndrome autism is the gold standard in the country, the conclusionsin the study are flawed and premature, and does nothing to exoneratevaccines, particularly mercury containing vaccines, as a cause ofCalifornia's autism

epidemic.Although the mercury burden in vaccines has been reduced over the years, weknow that even very small amounts of mercury can cause serious, lifealtering neurological damage. California's ban on mercury containingvaccines for pregnant women and children under three did not take effectuntil December 2006. Today, those children born after the ban took effect are between 4 monthsold and one year of age. California's developmental services reportingsystem DOES NOT include children under the age of three years old.It will not be clear what impact California's law banning mercury invaccines has had on the rate of new cases of autism until at least2009-2010 and later. Historically, the majority of children with autismenter California's developmental services system between the ages of 3+ and9 years old.If by 2009-2010 there has not been ANY change in the rate of increase ofnew cases of autism

entering California's developmental services system,then we can scratch mercury in vaccines off our list of agents contained invaccines as a cause, and; then begin concentrating on the numerous otherpoisons and toxic agents in vaccines such as aluminum, formaldehyde, MSG,live viruses, etc., and most importantly, the interaction of these andother toxic agents contained in the 34 doses of vaccines children receivefrom birth to two years old today.” ----------------------------------------------------------Study challenges drug's role in autismby Jia-Rui ChongLos Angeles TimesJanuary 7, 2008The prevalence of autism in California children continued to rise aftermany vaccine manufacturers started to remove the mercury-based preservativethimerosal in 1999, suggesting that the chemical was not a primary cause ofthe disorder, according to a study released Monday.The

analysis found that from 2004 to 2007, when exposure to thimerosaldropped significantly for 3- to 5-year-olds, the rate continued to increasein that group from 3.0 to 4.1 per 1,000 children."If mercury exposure in vaccines was a major cause of autism, then thenumber of ... affected kids should have diminished once they were no longerexposed to thimerosal," said Dr. Schechter, lead author of the studyand a medical officer at the state Department of Public Health. "That isnot what we found."The study, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry, is the latestin a series that has investigated the connection between thimerosal andautism. The majority have found no association.But the latest findings failed to convince some parents and advocacy groupsthat have long blamed mercury, a neurotoxin, for the disorder."This study presents a greatly over-simplified explanation of a verycomplex problem,"

said Bothwell, chairwoman of the board at theNational Autism Association, which works on behalf of families with autism."Rising numbers do not confirm that thimerosal never had a role."Autism is a severe developmental disorder in which children seem isolatedfrom the world around them. There is a broad spectrum of symptoms, markedby poor language skills and an inability to handle social relations.Over the past two decades, the number of cases has boomed forstill-unexplained reasons. Psychiatrists estimated that 20 years ago therewere 0.2 to 0.5 cases for every 1,000 children. In 2007, the nationalCenters for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that there were 6.6cases per 1,000 schoolchildren, based on a study of 8-year-olds.The latest study was based on data from the California Department ofDevelopmental Services, which provides services to about 36,000 people withautism and has one of the

country's best reporting systems.The researchers looked at all reported cases in the state starting withchildren born in 1989. They found the number of cases per 1,000 childrenhas been steadily increasing from that point to March 2007, the end pointof the study.In a commentary accompanying the study in the journal Archives of GeneralPsychiatry, Dr. Fombonne called the data "a clear and unambiguous test.""Parents of autistic children should be reassured that autism in theirchild did not occur through immunizations," wrote Fombonne, a psychiatristat Montreal Children's Hospital who was not involved in this study.Fombonne has provided advice to vaccine manufacturers in the past but hasreceived no research funding from them, he said.Steve M. Edelson, an experimental psychologist who is director of theAutism Research Institute, a nonprofit organization in San Diego, said thestudy, along with

evidence from previous research, argued againstthimerosal as the major culprit in autism.But, he added, it still does not rule out all blame. Edelson said suchlarge-scale analysis could overlook smaller groups of children, who forwhatever reasons have a particular vulnerability to mercury. He said moresolid evidence can only come from laboratory studies, such as postmortemanalyses of the brains of autistic children.The National Autism Association criticized the study, saying that somechildren still might be exposed to mercury through either flu shots ortrace amounts in other vaccines. The group also said that some vaccinescontaining thimerosal had expiration dates as late as 2005 and might havebeen used up to that point.------------------------------------------------------Study Casts Doubt on Vaccine-Autism LinkResearch adds to growing body of evidence that finds no

connection betweenthe twoby Randy DotingaU.S. News & World ReportJanuary 7, 2008(HealthDay News) -- Adding to a growing body of evidence that rejects theidea that immunizations boost autism rates, a new study finds no proof thatincidences of the disorder dropped after makers of most childhood vaccinesstopped using a mercury-based preservative in their products.Researchers found that autism rates in California continued to rise overthe past several years, even though the preservative -- known as thimerosal-- had vanished from almost all vaccines by 2001.The study makes clear that "thimerosal cannot be the major cause of autismin California," said its lead author, Dr. Schechter, medical officerwith the Immunization Branch of the California Department of Public Health.Another expert called the study limited and said it did not prove thatvaccines have no connection to

autism.Still, the new research "adds to the body of existing evidence in whichthere is no causal connection that demonstrates thimerosal is a primarycause" of autism, said Andy Shih, vice president of scientific affairs forAutism Speaks, an advocacy organization.Thimerosal, a preservative once used in contact lens solutions, wasfrequently a component of childhood vaccines until around 2000. Today, it'sstill used in flu vaccines recommended for infants, but researchers thinkchildren are still exposed to much less thimerosal than in the past.In recent years, some parents have blamed their children's autism on thepreservative, which is derived from mercury; others have accused theparents of creating public panic and threatening the health of children bycasting a bad light on routine immunizations.One government study released in 2007 claimed that thimerosal exposure inthe first seven months of life didn't

appear to affect the brain functionof children aged 7 to 10, although there was some evidence -- perhaps theresult of chance -- that connected thimerosal to later development ofphysical tics. Even earlier, an Institute of Medicine report released in2004 found no evidence supporting a link between thimerosal and autism.In the new study, published in the January issue of the Archives of GeneralPsychiatry, researchers from the California Department of Public Healthexamined statistics about children in the state from 1995 through March 2007.The prevalence of autism among kids aged 3 to 12 grew each year, theresearchers discovered after looking at numbers compiled by a state agencythat provides services to children with the disorder.For example, the prevalence among kids born in 1993 was three in 10,000when they were checked in 1996, compared to 13 per 10,000 among those bornin 2003 and checked in 2006.The

highest rate -- 4.5 cases per 1,000 births -- came among 6-year-olds in2006 who were born in 2000.The study authors pointed out that autism rates among kids aged 3 to 5continued to grow for each birth year after 1999, even though thimerosaluse dropped.Shih said the study methods are "robust," adding that the authors appearedto address limitations of earlier studies. However, he said, the research"doesn't address the possibility that there might be a subpopulation whomight be particularly vulnerable to a vaccine with thimerosal."If just 1 percent to 2 percent of children were especially sensitive to theeffect of thimerosal, the study wouldn't be able to pick it up, he said.Schechter agreed, saying it was true that the research didn't addresswhether thimerosal might cause problems in a small number of cases.As for a possible link between vaccines and autism, Shih said, "the jury isstill out,"

especially considering that children are exposed to a largenumber of vaccines before age 2.And he added, "Some people in the community feel that they might lead toimmune problems that could either exacerbate or lead to autism. All this ispurely hypothetical, but this is an area where we need to continue to domore research."posted by Barbara Loe Fisher @ 1:15 PM --------------------------------------------------------Sheri Nakken, former R.N., MA, Hahnemannian Homeopath Vaccination Information & Choice Network, Nevada City CA & Wales UKVaccines - http://www.wellwithin1.com/vaccine.htm Email classes start inJanuary