Waxman Sends Out Dear Colleague Letter on Autism Six Days after Maloney Briefing

[Guest guest]

Resources Regarding Vaccines and

Autism

October 1, 2008

Dear Colleague,

Since 1998 some people have been raising concerns that

there may be an

association between childhood immunizations and autism spectrum

disorder. I am writing to let you and your staff know that there are a

number of resources available to understand what the science says

about whether vaccines could contribute to autism.

Institute of Medicine report on vaccines and autism

In 1999 the Department of Health and Human Services

contracted with

the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to review a number of different

vaccine safety issues and to make recommendations about future

research needs. IOM convened a committee of experts

that was carefully

vetted for conflicts of interest. The committee issued nine reports,

all of which are available on line at: http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3793/4705.aspx.

In 2004, the committee issued its final report, which

analyzed the

studies, published and unpublished, that looked at two theories:

whether the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine could cause autism;

and whether the mercury-containing vaccine preservative thimerosal

could cause autism. The committee concluded that the “evidence favors

rejection of a causal relationship between thimerosal-containing

vaccines and autism” and the committee also concluded that the

“evidence favors rejection of a causal relationship between MMR

vaccine and autism.” This report is available at:

http://www.iom.edu/CMS/3793/4705/20155.aspx.

Other resources on vaccines and vaccine safety

Since the IOM report was

published there have been additional studies

that looked at a possible link between vaccines and autism. Below are

several other links to government or private organizations with

helpful information about the latest research into vaccines, vaccine

safety, and autism and vaccines:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/vaccines.htm

National Network for Immunization Information

http://www.immunizationinfo.org

Institute for Vaccine Safety at s Hopkins University

http://www.vaccinesafety.edu

American Academy of Pediatrics

http://www.aap.org/healthtopics/Immunizations.cfm

Information regarding mitochondrial disorders and

vaccines

Another concern that has received some attention is

whether people

with mitochondrial disorders are more susceptible to vaccine injury.

This issue was in the media after it became public that in 2007, the

Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP), the no-fault compensation

program for people who have been injured by immunizations, compensated

nine-year-old Hannah Poling for injuries she sustained from her

immunizations. Hannah Poling suffered from a mitochondrial disorder,

which is a genetic or acquired defect in the part of each cell that

helps produce energy. People with these disorders are susceptible to a

number of stressors, including fever, illness, dehydration and certain

kinds of medication. In Hannah Poling’s case, after her immunizations

she developed a fever, lethargy, irritability, and other symptoms of

encephalopathy. These symptoms worsened over a period of months to

includ! e muscle weakness and features of autism. Instead of taking

this case to the vaccine court, the VICP conceded the

case and agreed

to compensate Hannah Poling.

This case raised concerns that there may be an

association between

mitochondrial disorders and autism. Mitochondrial disorders are poorly

understood and there is much research that needs to be done. However,

according to the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation: “There are

no scientific studies documenting that childhood vaccinations cause

mitochondrial diseases or worsen mitochondrial disease symptoms. In

the absence of scientific evidence, the UMDF cannot

confirm any

association between mitochondrial diseases and vaccines.” This

statement is available at:

http://www.umdf.org/site/c.dnJEKLNqFoG/b.3616911/apps/s/content.asp?ct=5087517.

Following this case, NIH, HHS,

and CDC organized a workshop entitled

“Mitochondrial Encephalopathies: Potential Relationships to

Autism.”

The workshop was held on June 29, 2008 in order to explore this

complicated topic and panelists included experts from around the

country. The proceedings from this workshop state that because

acquired infections and the associated inflammatory responses are a

known trigger for mitochondrial disease, “the workshop panelists

strongly encourage vaccinations in the hundreds of children they treat

for mitochondrial disease.” A summary of this workshop is available

at:

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/news_and_events/proceedings/20090629_mitochondrial.htm

CDC has additional information on its website at:

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/mitochondrial.htm

I hope you find these links useful. If you are interested

in other

resources, please do not hesitate to call Despres or Dr.

Cha on my staff at 5-5056.

Sincerely,

/s

HENRY A. WAXMAN

Member of Congress