National Autism Day Public Service Announcement

A strong circumstantial case can be made that there is a link between vaccines and Autism.

Exhibit A:

From 1960 to 2007 there was a 100x rise in the incidences of Autism. This timeframe was coincident with a dramatic increase in the amount of infant vaccinations. Compare this 1983 CDC vaccination schedule (8 vaccinations) with the 2008 equivalent (29 vaccinations).

http://www.generationrescue.org/pdf/cdc1983.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/downloads/child/2008/08_0-6yrs_schedule_pr.pdf

*note – some of the increase in incidences is attributable to the way Autism diagnosis has evolved.

Exhibit B:

Prior to 1970, Autism was primarily a white middle class disease (again, the population that was getting vaccinations). Today Autism affects all races and classes equally. Again this is coincident with CDC efforts to vaccinate %100 of the population.

Exhibit C:

Non-scientific studies between non vaccinated and vaccinated populations show marked differences
http://www.generationrescue.org/olmstead.html
http://www.nomercury.org/science/documents/Articles/UPI-The_Age_of_Autism-Amish_ways_6-6-05.pdf
http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Health/2005/06/28/the_age_of_autism_homeschooled/9829/

To date, no scientific study has been done by the CDC.


It should be understood that there is no scientific evidence to support a direct vaccine-Autism link. What has been recently proven is that vaccines can potentially exacerbate a genetic weakness in the mitochondria in the brain which can then result in Autism (the CDC argues that this is “Autism-like symptoms”). The Govt. just settled a highly publicized lawsuit of exactly this scenario.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/the-vaccineautism-court-_b_88558.html

It is not well understood exactly how many Autism cases are caused by this condition. Initial studies show that it’s anywhere from near zero to 40%.

Vaccine proponents argue the benefits to public health, and that they outweigh the risks. However, one in every 15 children is affected by Autism Spectral Disorders and Autism. This is a potentially huge risk that vaccine proponents typically discount. In fact when compared to the worst case risk of the diseases the vaccines are designed to prevent, Autism is typically on par and Autism + ASD is an order of magnitude greater risk.

So what should we do about this if we have infants? Obviously there is a risk tradeoff here. I highly recommend that an alternative to the CDC’s vaccination schedule be at least considered. I came across this link and it seems like a reasonable approach to mitigating the risks of being vaccinated and not being vaccinated:

http://www.generationrescue.org/pdf/user_friendly.pdf

Admittedly, I don’t know much about the risks of live viruses so I can’t vouch for that part. But the rest of the advice seems to be pretty prudent.

Other things about Autism to consider:

Very few health care plans currently cover Autism, although a number of States are considering bills requiring coverage.
http://www.autismspeaks.org/government_affairs/index.php

80-90 percent of parents with an Autistic child eventually divorce.
http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/htmlpages/divorce.htm