Fwd: [CasiClubhouse] Autism theory gains support: Hannah Poling & vaccination...

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Seems to be an error in the reporting:

"The program, supported with an excise tax on each vaccine dose, has so

far awarded about $890 million to compensate 2,140 claims, but Hannah's

is the only one known to involve autism [sic?]."

Reporter's email is included herein.

"

foto: Hannah Poling , with parents Terry and

Jon. A vaccine-injury program,

citing a rare condition, linked her autism to vaccines. W.A. HAREWOOD

/ Associated Press

- - - -

Autism theory gains support

Conceding a rare vaccine tie.

By Marie McCullough

Inquirer Staff Writer

May. 29, 2008

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_stories/20080529_Autism_theory_gains_support.html

For a decade, the government, public- health experts and medical groups

have said there is no credible scientific evidence - none - that

vaccines cause autism.

Then came Hannah Poling, a 9-year-old from Athens, Ga. A federal

program created to compensate vaccine-injury victims conceded that her

autism is linked, albeit indirectly, to immunizations she received as a

toddler.

Hannah's case, made public by her parents in March, is unusual and

circumstantial, yet it is building mainstream support for a notion long

considered dangerously misguided: There may be subgroups of children

who should not be vaccinated - or at least, they should get fewer shots

over a longer period.

Bernadine Healy, former director of the National Institutes of Health,

risked "incurring the wrath of some of my dearest colleagues" to

express that opinion in U.S. News & World Report.

"Yes, vaccines are extraordinarily safe and bring huge public health

benefit," she wrote last month. "But vaccine experts tend to look at

the population as a whole. . . . And population studies are not

granular enough to detect individual metabolic, genetic, or

immunological variation that might make some children under certain

circumstances susceptible to neurological complications after

vaccination."

Geraldine Dawson, chief scientific officer of the advocacy group Autism

Speaks, declared that the Poling case "shines a spotlight" on the issue

of unusual sensitivities.

"We need to conduct research to better understand and identify

subgroups of children who may respond poorly to vaccines," said the

former University of Washington developmental-psychology professor.

Hannah's case is complex because of an abnormality involving her

mitochondria.

Called the "powerhouses of the cell," mitochondria are microscopic

structures that convert oxygen and nutrients into energy. When they

malfunction, the cell may be so starved for energy that it is damaged,

or even dies.

Defects in mitochondria - first linked to disease only 20 years ago -

are now known to cause a long list of problems, including seizures,

migraines, strokes and digestive abnormalities. Depending on the extent

of mitochondrial dysfunction, the stress of "even a simple flu or cold

virus" can worsen symptoms, says the United Mitochondrial Disease

Foundation, an advocacy group.

Mitochondrial defects occur in about one in 10,000 people, but their

role in autism is unclear. The few studies that exist suggest at least

7 percent of autistic children have these abnormalities.

Hannah is one of them.

Her father, neurologist Jon Poling, and mother, Terry, a registered

nurse and lawyer, believe a battery of nine vaccinations Hannah

received when she was 19 months old contributed to her transformation

from an alert, verbal toddler to one with autism. She stopped

communicating, wouldn't make eye contact, and fixated on lights.

The Polings spent a year seeking a medical explanation for her

developmental regression before tests of her blood and muscle samples

revealed abnormalities of mitochondrial function.

The parents turned to the federal Vaccine Injury Compensation Program,

created in 1986 to offer an efficient, "no-fault" alternative to

lawsuits that were driving vaccine companies out of the business.

Claimants need to prove only that a vaccine caused injury, without

placing blame.

Medical personnel at the compensation program reviewed Hannah's file

but did not hold a hearing. They conceded the immunizations

"significantly aggravated" her underlying cellular disorder, causing

neurological damage with features of autism.

Hannah's case is not representative of the backlog of 4,900 petitions

filed by other families. Those parents argue that the

measles-mumps-rubella shot, a mercury-containing vaccine preservative

called thimerosal, or the combination, caused their children's autism.

(Most vaccines no longer use thimerosal.)

The compensation program is now hearing nine "test" cases that

represent these three causation theories. Decisions are not expected

before next year.

The program, supported with an excise tax on each vaccine dose, has so

far awarded about $890 million to compensate 2,140 claims, but Hannah's

is the only one known to involve autism [sic?]. The fund still has $2.7

billion.

Despite the concession in Hannah's case, experts say the idea that a

cellular energy deficit could be aggravated by stimulating the immune

system with vaccines is speculative.

Columbia University neurologist Salvatore DiMauro, an expert in

disorders of cellular energy metabolism, said: "I like to say we're

dealing with three dots. Two dots have been reasonably connected -

autism and mitochondrial disease. The third dot - vaccines - has not

been connected in any evidence-based way to autism or mitochondrial

disease."

Says the mitochondrial-disease foundation: "There are no scientific

studies documenting that . . . vaccinations cause mitochondrial

diseases or worsen . . . symptoms."

Public-health officials also point out that for anyone with

mitochondrial dysfunction, the theoretical danger of vaccines is far

less than the real danger of diseases they prevent.

But that suggests, incorrectly, that the Polings are urging parents not

to vaccinate their offspring at all.

"I really don't want that to happen," Jon Poling said in a phone

interview.

What the Polings advocate is research into the possible role of

mitochondrial disease and vaccines in autism.

That, they hope, would lead to screening tests to identify children who

could benefit from customizing the standard vaccination schedule, which

has grown from 10 shots against seven diseases in 1980 to the current

28 shots against 14 diseases, not including the annual flu shot.

(Vaccine experts counter that the total number of immune-stimulating

proteins in the shots is lower than ever.)

Hannah had missed the vaccinations usually given at ages 12 months and

15 months because of recurring illnesses, so when she was 19 months

old, her pediatrician followed guidelines to catch her up: He gave five

shots against nine diseases all at once.

"If I were to do it over again," Poling said, "I'd just be extremely

cautious, space the vaccines out, make sure her nutritional status was

good and that she was very healthy."

The American Academy of Pediatrics says "it is not advisable to skip or

delay vaccines." But many doctors are becoming less dogmatic as parents

ask about the persistent vaccine-autism controversy.

Atlanta pediatrician Shu, a spokeswoman for the pediatricians'

group, said that in deference to parents, she has spread shots out over

weeks. She also ordered a blood test that showed a 5-year-old autistic

child had enough immunity to postpone the measles-mumps-rubella

booster; now 11, he is being retested to see if he needs it.

"If it's something the parents feel strongly about, I try to work with

them to find a way to protect the child," she said.

Whatever the cause of autism, federal data show it has become common.

One child in 150 is now diagnosed with some form of the disorder,

compared with one in 2,000 in the early 1980s. Recognizing that the

most severely affected need lifelong therapy and support, Gov. Rendell

announced last week that Pennsylvania is extending Medicaid-funded

autism services to a few hundred people over age 21, the first state to

do so.

Poling won't discuss how much compensation his family will receive,

because part of the award is undecided. Equally important, Poling said,

Hannah's case "has raised many intelligent discussions and questions."

"What happened to my daughter won't be in vain if it leads to a safer

vaccine program," he said.

Contact staff writer Marie McCullough at or

mmccullough@....

*

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