[SSRI-Research] CDC Knew of Potential Link between Vaccines, Autism

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Sun, 18 Apr 2004 23:39:32 -0400

[sSRI-Research] CDC Knew of Potential Link between Vaccines, Autism

 

Firstcoastnews.com

 

CDC Knew of Potential Link between Vaccines, Autism

 

http://www.firstcoastnews.com/printfullstory.aspx?storyid=14764

 

 

By Melissa Ross

First Coast News

 

Five-year-old Ryan Anderson of Jacksonville Beach is an animated, happy

child.

 

But that wasn't always the case.

 

" His course of deterioration from a happy, developmentally appropriate

child to the problems he began to develop, started right after he received the

measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, " says Ryan's father, Bruce Anderson.

 

Now, several therapies are underway to restore Ryan's cognitive and

behavioral development, which began to show significant impairment at age 18

months. Ryan also presents evidence of a persistent, active measles virus.

 

Ryan's doctor, Jeff Bradstreet of Melbourne, is a specialist in

autism-related disorders. Using clinical diagnostic testing, he has documented a

genetic defect in children that Ryan carries. That defect, says Bradstreet, made

him vulnerable to a preservative in his vaccinations.

 

The preservative is called thimerosal, and it contains mercury, a known

neuro-toxin. Until just a few years ago, children who received a full schedule

of vaccinations were injected with mercury in amounts far exceeding EPA

guidelines. Bradstreet says some children's bodies just can't handle the

onslaught of the toxin.

 

" There are children who don't detox heavy metals well.. the more mercury

we expose them to the more problems they're going to have, " Bradstreet says.

 

The growing controversy over thimerosal has contributed to its removal

from many childhood vaccines, beginning in the late 1990's. But it is still

present in some vaccinations, including virtually all flu shots.

 

The Centers for Disease Control published a study last fall repudiating

any possible link between thimerosal and developmental problems like autism in

children. However, First Coast News has obtained non-published documents that

show the CDC DID have data supporting such a link-- but kept it from the public.

 

Documents released through the Freedom of Information Act, detail the

transcript of a meeting held in June of 2000 between members of the CDC, the

FDA, and representatives from the vaccine industry.

 

The group discusses the results of a February 2000 study that finds a

significant association between exposure to thimerosal-containing vaccines, and

developmental issues like autism in children.

 

Some of the comments--

 

" There are just a host of neurodevelopmental data that would suggest we've

got a serious problem. "

 

" My gut feeling? It worries me. I don't want my grandson to get a

thimerosal-containing vaccine until we know better what's going on. "

 

" We are in a bad position from the standpoint of defending any lawsuits. "

 

Finally--

 

" We have asked you to keep this information confidential. "

 

And that's what happened. Three years later, the CDC published a study in

the November 2003 issue of " Pediatrics " contradicting the earlier results, and

clearing thimerosal of any link to neurological problems in children.

 

" I just feel pretty strongly they haven't been honest in analyzing the

problem. "

 

So says Florida Congressman David Weldon, a physician. Weldon sent a

letter to the head of the CDC in October of 2003, charging that data was

selectively used in the " Pediatrics " study to make the earlier evidence of a

mercury-autism connection disappear. He also asked for another review of the

data. The CDC has not yet officially responded to Weldon's request.

 

" Where there's smoke there's fire.. and when you see people reluctant to

investigate things properly, it makes you think they really don't want to

investigate things properly, " he says.

 

Meantime, parents like Bruce Anderson say, while they are not

anti-vaccine, they do want doctors to screen children more carefully before

administering shots, taking into account the specialized health concerns of each

individual child. Anderson also says it's imperative the government recall any

vaccines still containing thimerosal.

 

" I have to live with the memory of my child's cries as I held him down

while he was being vaccinated, never knowing that I was injuring him. "

 

Bradstreet adds, " This is a very potent neurotoxin. Let's do everything we

can to reduce exposure, not justify why it's OK to give just a little. "

 

Bradstreet, along with Congressman Weldon and other experts on the issue,

reiterated their statements on thimerosal in Washington on February 9th. The

occasion was an Institute of Medicine panel hearing information both supporting

and rejecting the theory that thimerosal is linked to rising autism rates in

children.

 

A spokesman for the CDC tells First Coast News that the agency plans to

undertake an objective review of the data presented at the IOM panel.

 

Weldon has already expressed strong skepticism with the CDC's position

however, telling First Coast News, " I don't believe the CDC can really take an

objective position on the issue. They are concerned the fears about thimerosal

might lead to parents being afraid to vaccinate their children. But the problem

isn't vaccines, it's the thimerosal in vaccines. So parents who are concerned

about this need to talk with their pediatrician, and carefully check the product

insert in each vaccination to make sure the shot is thimerosal-free. "

 

 

First Coast News