Vaccines, Mercury and Autism Studies

Photograph by Joanna Karpasea-Jones

A Case Control Study of Mercury Burden In Children With Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Doctors found that autistic patients had high levels of mercury in their blood, and high levels of mercury extreted in their urine after chelation therapy (the removal of heavy metals from the body).

'This study shows a strong association between increased
urinary mercury concentrations following three days of treatment
with DMSA and the presence of an autistic spectrum disorder. The
statistically significant association persists when vaccinated cases
are compared with matched vaccinated controls.'

They also concluded a direct relationship between mercury in childhood vaccines and autistic disorder.

'Moreover, our findings appear to confirm previously published
epidemiologic evidence showing a direct association between
increasing mercury from thimerosal-containing childhood
vaccines and neurodevelopment disorders in children. These
studies showed that there was a two to sixfold, statistically
significant increased incidence of neurodevelopment disorders
following an additional 75-100 mcg dosage of mercury from
thimerosal-containing childhood vaccines in comparison to thimerosal-free childhood vaccines.'

(Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons Volume 8 Number 3 Fall 2003).

To see the full study, and other studies relating to mercury and vaccines, please see the website:

http://www.mercurymadness.org

and go to the Mercury In Vaccines page.

It's an excellant website run by a dental nurse who was poisoned after working with mercury in the surgery.

PRO-VAXER'S SAY THAT AUTISM HASN'T INCREASED, ONLY AWARENESS OF IT. HOWEVER, THEIR OWN SCIENTISTS PROVE THEM WRONG.

Here is a study in the Lancet, showing that autism and ADD disorders have increased dramatically in recent years and they have admitted they don't know why:

Recent reports have suggested that the prevalence of autism and related spectrum disorders (ASDs) is substantially higher than previously recognised. We sought to quantify prevalence of ASDs in children in South Thames, UK. METHODS: Within a total population cohort of 56 946 children aged 9-10 years, we screened all those with a current clinical diagnosis of ASD (n=255) or those judged to be at risk for being an undetected case (n=1515). A stratified subsample (n=255) received a comprehensive diagnostic assessment, including standardised clinical observation, and parent interview assessments of autistic symptoms, language, and intelligence quotient (IQ). Clinical consensus diagnoses of childhood autism and other ASDs were derived. We used a sample weighting procedure to estimate prevalence. FINDINGS: The prevalence of childhood autism was 38.9 per 10,000 (95% CI 29.9-47.8) and that of other ASDs was 77.2 per 10,000 (52.1-102.3), making the total prevalence of all ASDs 116.1 per 10,000 (90.4-141.8). A narrower definition of childhood autism, which combined clinical consensus with instrument criteria for past and current presentation, provided a prevalence of 24.8 per 10,000 (17.6-32.0). The rate of previous local identification was lowest for children of less educated parents. INTERPRETATION: Prevalence of autism and related ASDs is substantially greater than previously recognised. Whether the increase is due to better ascertainment, broadening diagnostic criteria, or increased incidence is unclear. Services in health, education, and social care will need to recognise the needs of children with some form of ASD, who constitute 1% of the child population.

Source: Lancet. 2006 Jul 15;368(9531):210-5.

These startling figures amount to:

1 in 84 children is autistic
1 in 54 boys is autistic
1 in 215 girls is autistic
Every day, 19 British children develop autism.

Elevated Immune Response In The Brain Of Autistic Patients

This study determined immune activities in the brain of ASD patients and matched normal subjects by examining cytokines in the brain tissue.

Conclusion: ASD patients displayed an increased innate and adaptive immune response through the Th1 pathway, suggesting that localized brain inflammation and autoimmune disorder may be involved in the pathogenesis of ASD.

Source: J Neuroimmunol. 2009 Jan 19.

VAN UK's Comment: Autistics showing an auto-immune response points away from the genetic argument put forward by pro-vaccinator's.

Auto Anti-Bodies Found In Egyptian Autistic Children, Pointing To An Auto-Immune Malfunction As The Cause

Autism may involve an autoimmune pathogenesis in a subgroup of patients. The frequency of anti-nuclear antibodies in 80 autistic children and their relationship to a family history of autoimmunity were studied, compared with 80 healthy, matched children. Children with autism had a significantly higher percent seropositivity of anti-nuclear antibodies (20%) than healthy children (2.5%; P < 0.01). Fifty percent of anti-nuclear antibody-seropositive autistic children had an anti-nuclear antibody titer of ≥1:640 (very high positive); 25%, ≥1:160 (high positive); and the remaining 25%, 1:80. All anti-nuclear antibody-seropositive healthy children had anti-nuclear antibody titers of 1:80. A family history of autoimmunity was significantly higher in autistic children (47.5%) than healthy controls (8.8%; P < 0.001). Anti-nuclear antibody seropositivity was significantly higher in autistic children with a family history of autoimmunity than those without such history (36.8% and 5%, respectively; P < 0.001). Anti-nuclear antibody seropositivity had significant positive associations with disease severity, mental retardation and electroencephalogram abnormalities. Autoimmunity may play a role in a subgroup of children with autism. Further studies are warranted to assess anti-nuclear antibody seropositivity, other markers of autoimmunity (e.g., brain-specific autoantibodies), and the role of immunotherapy in children with autism.

Source: doi:10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2008.10.017.

Neurodevelopmental Disorders After Thimerosal Containing Vaccines

This study represents the first epidemiological evidence based on tens of millions of doses of vaccine administered in the US, that associates increasing thimerosal from vaccines with neurodevelopmental disorders. Specifically, an analysis of the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System database showed statistical increases in the incidence rate of autism, mental retardation and speech disorders after thimerosal containing DTaP vaccines in comparison with thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines.

The male/female ratio indicated that autism (17) and speech disorders (2.3) were reported more in males than females after thimerosal containing DTaP, whereas mental retardation (1.2) was more evenly reported among male and female recipients.

Acute control adverse reactions such as death, vasculitis, seizures, ED visits, gastroenteritis and total adverse reactions were reported similarly after thimerosal and thimerosal free DTaP vaccines. An association between neurodevelopmental disorders and thimerosal containing DTaP vaccines was found.

Source: The Genetic Centers of America, http://mercury-freedrugs.org/docs/NeurodevelopmentalDisordersAfterThimerosal-ContainingVaccines-A%20Brief%20Communication.pdf

AUTISM LISTED AS A SIDE-EFFECT IN DTAP VACCINE LEAFLET!

A Tripedia DTAP manufacturer's vaccine leaflet listed autism as a side-effect.

On page 11 of the document, it says:

'Adverse events reported during post-approval use of Tripedia vaccine include idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, SIDS, anaphalactic reaction, cellulitis, AUTISM, grand-mal convulsion, encephalopathy, hypotonia, neuropathy, somnolence and apnea.'

See: http://www.vaccineshoppe.com/image.cfm?doc_id=5966&image_type=product_pdf

Study Finds Autism Affects 157 children per 10,000 - or 1 in 66

Prevalence of autism-spectrum conditions: UK school-based population study
Simon Baron-Cohen, BA (Hons), PhD, FBPsS, MPhil (Clinical Psychology)*, Fiona J. Scott, BSc (Hons), PhD, C. Psychol* and Carrie Allison, BA (Hons)*

Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge University

Joanna Williams, BA (Hons), MPhil, PhD

Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Institute of Public Health, Cambridge University

Patrick Bolton, MA, BSc, MBBS, PhD, FRCPsych

Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, Cambridge University

Fiona E. Matthews, MRC

Biostatistics Unit, Institute of Public Health, Cambridge University

Carol Brayne, MSc, MD, FRCP, FFPHM

Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Institute of Public Health, Cambridge University, UK

Correspondence: Simon Baron–Cohen, University of Cambridge, Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, Douglas House, 18b Trumpington Road, Cambridge CB2 8AH, UK. Email: sb205@cam.ac.uk

Declaration of interest

F.J.S acted as an expert witness for the diagnosis of autism-spectrum conditions and for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine litigation, but not for children in the population covered by this study.

Funding

This study was funded by the Shirley Foundation. S.B-C., F.J.M. and J.W. were funded by the Medical Research Council during the period of this work. P.B. was supported by the UK NIHR Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.

* These authors contributed equally to the work.

Background

Recent reports estimate the prevalence of autism-spectrum conditions in the UK to be 1%.

Aims

To use different methods to estimate the prevalence of autism-spectrum conditions, including previously undiagnosed cases, in Cambridgeshire.

Method

We carried out a survey of autism-spectrum conditions using the Special Educational Needs (SEN) register. A diagnosis survey was distributed to participating schools to be handed out to parents of all children aged 5–9 years. The mainstream primary school population was screened for unknown cases.

Results

The prevalence estimates generated from the SEN register and diagnosis survey were 94 per 10 000 and 99 per 10 000 respectively. A total of 11 children received a research diagnosis of an autism-spectrum condition following screening and assessment. The ratio of known:unknown cases is about 3:2 (following statistical weighting procedures). Taken together, we estimate the prevalence to be 157 per 10 000, including previously undiagnosed cases.

Conclusions

This study has implications for planning diagnostic, social and health services.

Source:
The British Journal of Psychiatry (2009) 194: 500-509. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.108.059345

Even Tiny Injections of Thimerosal Can Cause Autism

Thimerosal, an ethyl mercury compound, is used worldwide as a vaccine preservative. We previously observed that the mercury concentration in mouse brains did not increase with the clinical dose of thimerosal injection, but the concentration increased in the brain after the injection of thimerosal with lipopolysaccharide, even if a low dose of thimerosal was administered. Thimerosal may penetrate the brain, but is undetectable when a clinical dose of thimerosal is injected;

In conclusion, MT-1 and MT-3 mRNAs but not MT-2 mRNA are easily expressed in the cerebellum rather than in the cerebrum by the injection of low-dose thimerosal. It is thought that the cerebellum is a sensitive organ against thimerosal. As a result of the present findings, in combination with the brain pathology observed in patients diagnosed with autism, the present study helps to support the possible biological plausibility for how low-dose exposure to mercury from thimerosal-containing vaccines may be associated with autism.

Source: Induction of metallothionein in mouse cerebellum and cerebrum with low-dose thimerosal injection, Cell Biology and Toxicology, 0742-2091 (Print) 1573-6822 (Online), 9 April 2009.

Another Vaccine/Autism Court Win!

Julia a three year old US citizen has just won substantial compensation in the US Federal Court for autism caused by MMR vaccine – says her mother.

What is different about this case? They kept the “autism” word out of the case. Many parents in other US cases have been advised to do this:-

CBS News has found that since 1988, the vaccine court has awarded money judgments, often in the millions of dollars, to thirteen hundred and twenty two families whose children suffered brain damage from vaccines. In many … cases, the government paid out awards following a judicial finding that vaccine injury lead to the child’s autism spectrum disorder. In each of these cases, the plaintiffs’ attorneys made the same tactical decision made by Bailey Bank’s lawyer, electing to opt out of the highly charged Omnibus Autism Proceedings and argue their autism cases in the regular vaccine court. In many other successful cases, attorneys elected to steer clear of the hot button autism issue altogether and seek recovery instead for the underlying brain damage that caused their client’s autism.”: [Vaccine Court: Autism Debate Continues - Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and David Kirby Huffington Post 24 Feb 2009]

Julia’s Mom emphasises Julia has no formal diagnosis of autism and says:-

after Julia’s last neuro appointment when her dr said she had signs of autism. I didn’t want that “word” in her records until Julia’s case was decided.

Julia’s diagnosis was “Encephalitis (inflammation of her brain) most likely attributed to the MMR-V (measles, mumps, reubella, chicken pox) vaccine she had received nine days previously.

I do not want this to be misunderstood. She was never formally diagnosed. Do I think that there is a link between vaccines and Autism, absolutely. Is Julia Autistic? I’m not sure.“

Data from formal peer refereed medical papers show vaccines caused autism in Japanese children: Japanese Data Show Vaccines Cause Autism. The number developing autism rose and fell in direct proportion to the number of children vaccinated each year. HERE is research showing Autistic Spectrum Conditions can result from brain injury caused by encephalopathy (a degenerative disease of the brain). Encephalopathies are normally caused by an infection (90% of the time), and most often we will expect a viral infection. MMR contains three live viruses. [See also Explaining Vaccines Autism & Mitochondrial Dysfunction/Disorder]

Julia’s Mom says she was:

accepting the loss of the world as i knew it before she got sick, before my divorce, before i lost my house.

This is such a huge, huge, huge help for Julia and my family”

If this is what compensation means for Julia’s Mom think of all the families and children who should never have got sick in the first place and will never get compensation just because they used the “autism” word.

Does it help to think your child is “just a little bit” autistic but still injured and in need of financial help with medical care for life? Autism Spectrum Conditions are a spectrum from very mild to incapacitating.

Not only does it not end like this for other families – some children die as this 2005 Federal Court decision in a case very similar to Julia’s shows [and which took 9 years to achieve a decision]:-

Eric Fernandez Cusati v Secretary for Health and Human Services

How many cases are like these ones? Who knows the exact number – the majority of decisions are never published – kept in secret. And then there are all the cases the US Secretary of Health and Human Services settles – also kept in secret. And how many cases are just not filed? No one publicly knows for sure.

Before drug companies came up with the triple MMR vaccine rubella vaccine was of no benefit to a child especially boys and especially compared to the risks. Mumps vaccine was expressly not recommended for children.

So why are we giving them? It is time all parents started asking the simple questions – like that one.

And who said so?

The British Medical Association, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and the UK’s Ministry of Defence:

“Since mumps and its complications are very rarely serious there is little indication for the routine use of mumps vaccine”: British National Formulary (’BNF’) 1985 and 1986

The BNF is a joint publication of the BMA and RPSGB.

Freedom of Information documents show the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and Ministry of Defence agreed as early as 1974 that:-

“there was no need to introduce routine vaccination against mumps” because “complications from the disease were rare” JCVI minutes 11 Dec 1974.

It is unethical to give a child unnecessary medical treatment and can be a criminal offence: Appleton v Garrett (1995) 34 BMLR 23.

And with 1 in 38 British boys with an autistic condition [and the problem is not just autism] the question must be asked – how many children who would otherwise have grown up healthy are going to continue to be sacrificed and claimed to be for the very few but in reality for drug company profits in their move to a new business model based on “vaccines for all”. [Autism Rates Rocket – 1 in 38 British Boys – Cambridge Study See also: Government Risks Male Sterility As Mumps Vaccine Fails]

Today it is your kid. Tomorrow it is you.

New Report Forecasts More Than Doubling of Vaccine Sales by 2013 – MarketWatch Jun 11, 2009 – Kalorama News Release

Kids’ vaccine market set to quadruple – Drug Researcher – By Anna Lewcock 20-Nov-2007

Julia’s Story
[by her Mom]

Julia was born a healthy baby on 12-28-05. She was a delight to her family and friends.

On January 5th, 2007, one week after her 1st birthday, our family’s lives changed forever. Julia (unknowingly to her family) had been seizing in her crib most of the night, was transported to the nearest ER for stabilization, and then airlifted to Miami Children’s hospital, where she stayed in PICU and the neurology ward for close to one month.

Her diagnosis? Encephalitis (inflammation of her brain) most likely attributed to the MMR-V (measles, mumps, reubella, chicken pox) vaccine she had received nine days previously. When Julia left the hospital, she was functioning at a two month level. She was (and in some respects still is) globally delayed and with significant left sided hemiplegia.

It has been over two years since her MMR-V induced encephalitis, and Julia has come a long way, but has a very long way to go. Julia lives with her brother, Jack who is six and so understanding of her. She also lives with her mom, Susan. Her father recently moved out of state following her parent’s divorce. Julia and her family are hanging in there and hope you enjoy her blog! Go Julia!

AMAZING DAY! A MIRACLE HAS HAPPENED!

[Posted by Julia's Mom - 12 June 2009]

JULIA WON HER LAWSUIT WITH THE VACCINE INJURY COMPENSATION PROGRAM! THE GOVERNMENT CONCEDED!

This means that they agreed that the MMR vaccine caused her encephalitis and resultant brain damage (I mean Marvelous Mind – right Howard!!).

This is such a huge, huge, huge help for Julia and my family. The government will reimburse all of her past medical expenses (to her, not to us, which I find a little odd, but OK!) and will pay for all future medical expenses that she incurs from her vaccine injury. I will update as I find out more.

Her attorney (Ron Homer and/or Kevin Conway) will be flying out here this summer to evaluate her and her needs with a “life planner” to try to determine what her needs will be. This is HUGE! HUGE! The VICP rarely concedes…..almost never……but they did for her! AMAZING!

Another funny thing to go along with this…..I had just the day before changed my ringtone on my phone to “Its the end of the world as we know it….and I feel fine” trying to find a positive ringtone – accepting the loss of the world as i knew it before she got sick, before my divorce, before i lost my house, and moving forward – and being fine with it….AND NOW – ITS THE END OF THE WORLD AS I KNOW IT – AND I REALLY FEEL FINE! SHE has HELP!!!!! Our struggle is going to be lessened!!!!

Source: Child Health Safety, 14th June 2009.

1976 Study Showing Smallpox Vaccine Causes Autism!

[Autistic syndrome (Kanner) and vaccination against smallpox (author's
transl)]

[Article in German]

Eggers C.

3-4 weeks following an otherwise uncomplicated first vaccination against
smallpox a boy, then aged 15 months and last seen at the age of 5 1/2 years,
gradually developed a complete Kanner syndrome. The question whether
vaccination and early infantile autism might be connected is being
discussed. A causal relationship is considered extremely unlikely. But
vaccination is recognized as having a starter function for the onset of
autism.
PMID: 944354

Source: Klin Padiatr. 1976 Mar;188(2):172- 80

Mitochondrial dysfunction, impaired oxidative-reduction activity, degeneration, and death in human neuronal and fetal cells induced by low-level exposure to thimerosal and other metal compounds

Thimerosal (ethylmercurithiosalicylic acid), an ethylmercury (EtHg)-releasing compound (49.55% mercury (Hg)), was used in a range of medical products for more than 70 years. Of particular recent concern, routine administering of Thimerosal-containing biologics/childhood vaccines have become significant sources of Hg exposure for some fetuses/infants. This study was undertaken to investigate cellular damage among in vitro human neuronal (SH-SY-5Y neuroblastoma and 1321N1 astrocytoma) and fetal (nontransformed) model systems using cell vitality assays and microscope-based digital image capture techniques to assess potential damage induced by Thimerosal and other metal compounds (aluminum (Al) sulfate, lead (Pb)(II) acetate, methylmercury (MeHg) hydroxide, and mercury (Hg)(II) chloride) where the cation was reported to exert adverse effects on developing cells. Thimerosal-associated cellular damage was also evaluated for similarity to pathophysiological findings observed in patients diagnosed with autistic disorders (ADs). Thimerosal-induced cellular damage as evidenced by concentration- and time-dependent mitochondrial damage, reduced oxidative-reduction activity, cellular degeneration, and cell death in the in vitro human neuronal and fetal model systems studied. Thimerosal at low nanomolar (nM) concentrations induced significant cellular toxicity in human neuronal and fetal cells. Thimerosal-induced cytoxicity is similar to that observed in AD pathophysiologic studies. Thimerosal was found to be significantly more toxic than the other metal compounds examined. Future studies need to be conducted to evaluate additional mechanisms underlying Thimerosal-induced cellular damage and assess potential co-exposures to other compounds that may increase or decrease Thimerosal-mediated toxicity.

Source: Toxicological & Environmental Chemistry, Volume 91, Issue 4 June 2009 , pages 735 - 749

State legislations that limit the use of thimerosal in vaccines for pregnant women and their infants

Thimerosal is a mercurial preservative that was widely used in vaccines in the United States and Europe until 2001. By 1999, expanding recommendations for infant vaccinations indicated that United States children who received a complete series of vaccines that contained thimerosal received up to 187.5 μg of ethyl mercury during the first six months of life. This cumulative exposure could exceed the United States Environmental Protection Agency's recommended safe intake level, estimated in 1997, to be no more than 0.1 μg of mercury per kilogram of body weight per day. This observation lead to a recommendation by the American Academy of Pediatrics that thimerosal is removed to all vaccines that are administered to infants in the United States. Realizing the potential dangers of thimerosal in vaccines, six states have enacted legislations that have limited the amount of thimerosal that can be used in vaccines in their States (Iowa, California, New York, Missouri, Delaware and Washington). In 1987, Congress established the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program to provide compensation to family of individuals who suffer injuries from vaccines. Until recently, these judgments have been paid only to families of non-autistic children who received complications due to the vaccines. In 2008, the Government conceded its first vaccine-autism case in Federal Court. Scientific studies of this autistic child suggested that the autism was related to a mitochondrial disorder. The Federal Government should enact legislation that prohibits the use of thimerosal in vaccines given to pregnant women and their infants.

Sources: Journal of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, Volume 4, Number 3 / 2009.

VAN UK'S Comment: Why are they discussing legislation to protect babies when they introduced a flu shot for infants at that time and the new swine flu jab has thimerosal in it?

Hepatitis B Vaccination of Male Newborns Causes Autism! Boys Vaccinated At Birth With Hep B Have 3 Times Greater Risk of Being Autistic!

Universal newborn immunization with hepatitis
B vaccine was recommended in 1991; however, safety
findings are mixed. The Vaccine Safety Datalink Workgroup reported no association between hepatitis B vaccination at birth and febrile episodes or neurological adverse
events. Other studies found positive hepatitis B vaccination and ear infection, pharyngitis, and
chronic arthritis; as well as receipt of early intervention/special education services (EIS); in probability samples of U.S. children. Children with autistic spectrum disorder(ASD) comprise a growing caseload for EIS. We evaluated
the association between hepatitis B vaccination of male neonates and parental report of ASD.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study used U.S. probability samples obtained from National Health Interview Survey 1997–2002 datasets. Logistic regression modeling was used to estimate the effect of neonatal hepatitis B vaccination on
ASDrisk amongboys age 3–17 years with shot records, adjusted for race, maternal education, and two-parent household.

RESULTS:Boys who received the hepatitis B vaccine during the first month of life had 2.94 greater odds for ASD (nZ31 of 7,486; OR Z 2.94; p Z 0.03; 95% CI Z 1.10, 7.90)compared to later- or unvaccinated boys.Non-Hispanic white
boys were 61% less likely to have ASD(ORZ0.39; pZ0.04;95% CIZ0.16, 0.94) relative to non-white boys.

CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that U.S. male neonates vaccinated with hepatitis B vaccine had a 3-fold greater risk of ASD; risk was greatest for non-white boys.

Source: Annals of Epidemiology, vol.19, no. 9, September 2009: 651-680.

Rise in Autism is REAL!

For the 2006 surveillance year, 2,757 (0.9%) of 307,790 children aged 8 years residing in the 11 ADDM sites were identified as having an ASD, indicating an overall average prevalence of 9.0 per 1,000 population (95% confidence interval [CI] = 8.6--9.3). ASD prevalence per 1,000 children aged 8 years ranged from 4.2 in Florida to 12.1 in Arizona and Missouri, with prevalence for the majority of sites ranging between 7.6 and 10.4. For 2006, ASD prevalence was significantly lower in Florida (p<0.001) and Alabama (p<0.05) and higher in Arizona and Missouri (p<0.05) than in all other sites. The ratio of males to females ranged from 3.2:1 in Alabama to 7.6:1 in Florida. ASD prevalence varied by type of ascertainment source, with higher average prevalence in sites with access to health and education records (10.0) compared with sites with health records only (7.5). Although parental or professional concerns regarding development before age 36 months were noted in the evaluation records of the majority of children who were identified as having an ASD, the median age of earliest documented ASD diagnosis was much later (range: 41 months [Florida]--60 months [Colorado]). Of 10 sites that collected data for both the 2002 and 2006 surveillance years, nine observed an increase in ASD prevalence (range: 27%--95% increase; p<0.01), with increases among males in all sites and among females in four of 11 sites, and variation among other subgroups.

Interpretation: In 2006, on average, approximately 1% or one child in every 110 in the 11 ADDM sites was classified as having an ASD (approximate range: 1:80--1:240 children [males: 1:70; females: 1:315]). The average prevalence of ASDs identified among children aged 8 years increased 57% in 10 sites from the 2002 to the 2006 ADDM surveillance year. Although improved ascertainment accounts for some of the prevalence increases documented in the ADDM sites, a true increase in the risk for children to develop ASD symptoms cannot be ruled out. On average, although delays in identification persisted, ASDs were being diagnosed by community professionals at earlier ages in 2006 than in 2002.

Public Health Actions: These results indicate an increased prevalence of identified ASDs among U.S. children aged 8 years and underscore the need to regard ASDs as an urgent public health concern. Continued monitoring is needed to document and understand changes over time, including the multiple ascertainment and potential risk factors likely to be contributing. Research is needed to ascertain the factors that put certain persons at risk, and concerted efforts are essential to provide support for persons with ASDs, their families, and communities to improve long-term outcome.

Source: MMWR, December 18, 2009 / 58(SS10);1-20

Clinical Presentation and Histologic Findings at Ileocolonoscopy in Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and Chronic Gastrointestinal Symptoms - Replica Andrew Wakefield Study

This study doesn't mention if MMR was given but it does replicate Andrew Wakefield's findings that children with autism have gastrointestinal disease

Background: Children with developmental disorders experience chronic gastrointestinal symptoms.

Aims: To examine the nature of these gastrointestinal symptoms and histologic findings in children with autism spectrum/developmental disorders and ileocolonic disease.

Methods: Chart review. 143 autism spectrum/developmental disorder patients, with chronic gastrointestinal symptoms, undergoing diagnostic ileocolonoscopy.

Results: Diarrhea was present in 78%, abdominal pain in 59% and constipation in 36%. Ileal and/or colonic lymphonodular hyperplasia (LNH), defined as the presence of an increased number of enlarged lymphoid follicles, often with hyperactive germinal centers, was present in 73.2%. Terminal ileum LNH presented visually in 67% and histologically in 73%. Colonic LNH was multifocal and presented histologically in 32%. Ileal and/or colonic inflammation presented in 74%, consisting primarily of active or chronic colitis (69%). Ileal inflammation presented in 35%. Presence of LNH significantly predicted mucosal inflammation. Patients with ileal and/or colonic LNH had lower mean/median age than those without; patients with ileal and/or colonic inflammation had lower mean/median age than those without. There was a significant association between ileo and/or colonic inflammation or LNH, and onset of developmental disorder; plateaued or regressive onset conferred greater risk than early onset.

Conclusions: Patients with autism or related disorders exhibiting chronic gastrointestinal symptoms demonstrate ileal or colonic inflammation upon light microscopic examination of biopsy tissue. Further work is needed to determine whether resolution of histopathology with appropriate therapy is accompanied by GI symptomatic and cognitive/behavioral improvement.

Source: http://www.la-press.com/clinical-presentation-and-histologic-findings-at-ileocolonoscopy-in-ch-a1816

Retracting Wakefield's Article From the Lancet Does Not Make the Vaccine and Autism Issue Go Away

Dr. Andrew Wakefield is one of the most vilified medical practitioners of recent times, and now he carries the extremely rare dishonor of a retraction in The Lancet, on the paper he coauthored in 1998 suggesting a potential link between autism, bowel disease and Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine.

I believe that the public lynching and shaming of Dr. Wakefield is unwarranted and overwrought, and that history will ultimately judge who was right and who was wrong about proposing a possible association between vaccination and regressive autistic spectrum disorder (ASD).

Wakefield's critics can condemn, retract, decry and de-license all they want, but that does nothing to stop or alter the march of science, which has come a long way over the past 12 years, and especially in the last year or two. The evidence that autism is increasing at alarming rates, and that some thing (or things) in our environment is wreaking havoc on a vulnerable one-percent of all US children is now so irrefutable that, finally, the federal government is climbing aboard the environmental research bandwagon - way late, but better than never.

This long-overdue paradigm shift will leave many in the scientific community with some proverbial but nonetheless uncomfortable egg on their increasingly irrelevant faces: Those who have protested with shrill certainty that autism is almost purely genetic, and not environmental in nature, and therefore not really increasing at all, will hopefully recede from the debate.

And that begs a nagging question: If those people were dead wrong about environmental factors in autism, could they also be mistaken in their equally heated denials about a possible vaccine-autism link? More bluntly, why should we heed them any longer?

We need to examine a host of environmental factors (air, water, food, medicine, household products and social factors) and how they might interact with vulnerable genes to create the varying collection of symptoms we call "autism." But these triggers almost have to be found in every town of every county of every state in the land - from Maine to Maui.

Are vaccines the only contributing factors to autism? Of course not. Other pharmaceutical products like thalidomide and valporic acid, as well as live mumps virus, have been associated with increased autism risk in prenatal exposures, so we already know that a variety of drugs and bugs can likely make a child autistic.

But, there are now at least six published legal or scientific cases of children regressing into ASD following vaccination - and many more will be revealed in due time.

There was the case of Hannah Poling, in federal vaccine court, in which the government conceded that Hannah's autism was caused by vaccine-induced fever and overstimulation of the immune system that aggravated an asymptomatic and previously undetected dysfunction of her mitochondria. Hannah received nine vaccines in one day, including MMR.

Then there was the Bailey Banks case, in which the court ruled that Petitioners had proven that MMR had directly caused a brain inflammation illness called "acute disseminated encephalomyelitis" (ADEM) which, in turn, had caused PDD-NOS, an autism spectrum disorder, in Bailey.

And last September, a chart review of children with autism and mitochondrial disease, published in the Journal of Child Neurology, looked at 28 children with ASD and mitochondrial disease and found that 17 of them (60.7%) had gone through autistic regression, and 12 of the regressive cases had followed a fever. Among the 12 children who regressed after fever, a third (4) had fever associated with vaccination, just like Hannah Poling.

The authors reported that "recommended vaccination schedules are appropriate in mitochondrial disease," although "fever management appears important for decreasing regression risk."

That conclusion, however, is not supported by some of the world's leading experts on mitochondrial disease, including Dr. Douglas Wallace, a professor of pediatrics and biological chemistry at UC Irvine, and director of its Center for Molecular & Mitochondrial Medicine and Genetics. "We have always advocated spreading the immunizations out as much as possible because every time you vaccinate, you are creating a challenge for the system" in people with mito disorders, Dr. Wallace, who was recently named to the National Academies of Science, testified at a federal vaccine safety meeting.

The possibility that vaccines and mitochondrial disease might be related to autism was also supported in another chart review published in PLoS Online. The authors wrote that mitochondrial autism is not at all rare, and said that, "there might be no difference between the inflammatory or catabolic stress of vaccinations and that of common childhood diseases, which are known precipitants of mitochondrial regression."

In fact, they added, "Large population-based studies will be needed to identify a possible relationship of vaccination with autistic regression in persons with mitochondrial cytopathies."

Another fact that gets little attention in this never-ending debate is that more than 1,300 cases of vaccine injuries have been paid out in vaccine court, in which the court ruled that childhood immunizations caused encephalopathy (brain disease), encephalitis (brain swelling) and/or seizure disorders. Encephalopathy/encephalitis is found in most if not all ASD cases, and seizure disorders in about a third of them.

If we know that vaccines can cause these injuries, is it not reasonable to ask if they can cause similar injuries that lead to autism? (Stay tuned as those 1,300 cases come under closer scrutiny).

Fortunately, the federal government seems to be getting serious about identifying ALL potnetial environmental factors that could contribute to autism, including a few studies that take in vaccines and the mercury-containing preservative thimerosal. And President Obama's brand-new budget includes increased spending for autism research at NIH, including money to help identify environmental factors that contribute to ASD.

Meanwhile, the National Vaccine Advisory Committee has unanimously endorsed a CDC proposal to study autism as a possible "clinical outcome" of vaccination, and has recommended several more studies pertaining to vaccines and autism, including a feasability study on analyzing vaccinated vs. unvaccinated populations.

And over at the government's leading autism research panel, the Inter-Agency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), the Chairman, National Institute of Mental Health Director Dr. Thomas Insel, recently told me that that better diagnosis and reporting could not "explain away this huge increase" in ASD cases.

"There is no question that there has got to be an environmental component here," Insel said.
I asked him if the IACC would ever support direct research into vaccines and autism, now that CDC has rasied the estimated ASD rate from 1-in-150 to 1-in-110, in just two years. "I think what you are going to see with this update is that there is a recognition that we need to look at subgroups who might be particularly responsive to environmental factors," he answered.

So what might those factors include? Well, it turns out that the IACC has unanimously recommend research to determine if certain sub-populations are more susceptible to environmental exposures such as "immune challenges related to naturally occurring infections, vaccines or underlying immune problems."

Nobody seriously thinks that the retraction of The Lancet article, and the international flogging of Dr. Andrew Wakefield, will do anything to make this debate go away. And they are right.

Source: by David Kirby, The Huffington Post, 3 February 2010.

Mitochondrial Disease in Autism Spectrum Disorder Patients: A Cohort Analysis

Recently, there has been increased concern regarding a possible causative role of vaccinations in autistic children with an underlying mitochondrial cytopathy [35], [36]. For one of our 25 patients, the child's autism/neurodevelopmental deterioration appeared to follow vaccination [12], [36]. Although there may have been a temporal relationship of the events in this case, such timing does not prove causation. That said, there might be no difference between the inflammatory or catabolic stress of vaccinations and that of common childhood diseases, which are known precipitants of mitochondrial regression [37]. Large, population-based studies will be needed to identify a possible relationship of vaccination with autistic regression in persons with mitochondrial cytopathies.

Source: http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0003815

Mercury Increases Susceptibility to Infectious Diseases and Makes Auto-Immune Conditions Worse

Mercury has often been implicated as the culprit for a variety of health issues, from being a possible source of developmental disorders like autism, due to the mercury preservative in vaccines, to being potentially toxic for tuna-ingesting sushi-lovers.

And though mercury poisoning often receives much of the publicity, it is a little known fact that mercury, in the form found in marine wildlife and in many workplaces, can cause severe autoimmune responses and even increase the body's susceptibility to infectious diseases.

"Research on mercury as an immunotoxic agent is relatively new, and these are the first studies to demonstrate effects on immune modulation in humans," said Ellen Silbergeld, the senior author of the study and a professor of Environmental Health Studies at Hopkins' Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Mercury exposure can occur in a variety of settings, and the researchers first started considering the relationship between the immune system and mercury after studying Amazonian gold miners who use the metal.

According to Silbergeld, one of the red flags that triggered their hypothesis was the increased incidence of malaria in the miners and others living in this region. "We've shown associations between mercury exposures and increased susceptibility to malarial infections in both experimental models and human populations."

When mice were exposed to inorganic mercury, the researchers found that it changed the pattern of cytokine release, which are compounds that function as signaling molecules in the immune system. Mercury exposure caused more pro-inflammatory cytokines and fewer anti-inflammatory cytokines to be released.

"There is evidence that mercury can increase risks of both autoimmune disease and certain infectious diseases," Silbergeld said. "These consequences may involve a set of fundamental mechanisms in which the proinflammatory response is not counterbalanced."

This imbalance could increase inflammation when the organism is exposed to infectious disease agents. Increased inflammatory responses could in turn raise the risk of susceptibility to infectious diseases. Additionally, for people with autoimmune disorders, mercury exposure could further worsen their conditions.

Other research suggests a correlation between mercury exposure, inflammation and cardiovascular disease. This is only one of many possible instances in which mercury may play a role in the development of chronic diseases.

Genetic factors may also play a role in an individual's immune response to mercury exposure. When genetically susceptible mice were exposed to mercury, they developed an autoimmune disease similar to lupus. "Given the importance of genetics in immunobiology, this may be an important area of research in understanding differences in population responses to mercury," Silbergeld said.

Although much more research needs to be done to investigate the mechanism behind this phenomenon, Silbergeld hypothesizes that mercury acts on a certain type of receptor, known as the TL4 receptor, to alter the release of cytokines.

Even low levels of mercury were enough to generate this immune response, and the amounts used in the experiment were well within the range of mercury exposure in the United States.

"Mercury is a highly toxic agent, in all its forms - not just methyl mercury, which is the major form to which we are exposed," Silbergeld said. She also stresses that stricter regulations should be put into place to reduce our exposure, which frequently occurs in the form of fish consumption.

"There is certainly an important need for individuals to evaluate their own exposure risks and to consume fish prudently, but even more importantly, national and international actions are long overdue to reduce inputs of mercury into the environment that result in contamination of fish," she said.

This study puts the notion of mercury toxicity in a very different light, by suggesting that it may specifically target the immune system in order to inflict damage. "The concept that environmental toxicants could modify human immune response opens up new areas for research on these types of complex . . . interactions," Silbergeld said.

Source: The John Hopkins Newsletter, by Tiffany NG, 4 February 2010.

DELAYED ACQUISITION OF NEONATAL REFLEXES IN NEWBORN PRIMATES RECEIVING A THIMEROSAL-CONTAINING HEPATITIS B VACCINE INFLUENCE OF GESTATIONAL AGE AND BIRTH WEIGHT

This study examined whether acquisition of neonatal reflexes and sensorimotor skills in newborn
3 rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) is influenced by receipt of the single neonatal dose of Hepatitis B
4 (HB) vaccine containing the preservative thimerosal (Th). HB vaccine containing a standardized
5 weight-adjusted Th dose was administered to male macaques within 24 hours of birth (n=13).
6 Unexposed animals received saline placebo (n=4) or no injection (n=3). Infants were raised identically
7 and tested daily for acquisition of 9 survival, motor, and sensorimotor reflexes by a blinded observer.
8 In exposed animals there was a significant delay in the acquisition of three survival reflexes: root, snout
9 and suck, compared with unexposed animals.

Our findings provide an important rationale for determining what factors in the HB vaccine may be
16 responsible for these clinical observations. This should also include aluminum hydroxide which is
17 used as an adjuvant in many vaccines, including the HB vaccine formulation used for this study.
18 Studies are underway to examine this, and the consequences of repeated and/or additional vaccine
19 exposures on the natural course of neurodevelopment.

Source: Hewitson L, Houser LA, Stott C, Sackett G, Tomko JL,Atwood D, Blue L, White ER, Wakefield AJ, Delayed Acquisition of Neonatal
Reflexes in newborn Primates receiving A Thimerosal-containing HepatitiS B
Vaccine: influence of gestational age and Birth weight, Neurotoxicology (2008),
doi:10.1016/j.neuro.2009.09.008

http://www.rescuepost.com/files/hewitson-et-al-09-primate-hbv-study.pdf

Mercury May Contribute to ASD

Background

Mercury is known to be neurotoxic, but its effects on the immune system are less well known. Mast cells are involved in allergic reactions, but also in innate and acquired immunity, as well as in inflammation. Many patients with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have "allergic" symptoms; moreover, the prevalence of ASD in patients with mastocytosis, characterized by numerous hyperactive mast cells in most tissues, is 10-fold higher than the general population suggesting mast cell involvement. We, therefore, investigated the effect of mercuric chloride (HgCl2) on human mast cell activation.
Methods

Human leukemic cultured LAD2 mast cells and normal human umbilical cord blood-derived cultured mast cells (hCBMCs) were stimulated by HgCl2 (0.1-10 microM) for either 10 min for beta-hexosaminidase release or 24 h for measuring vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and IL-6 release by ELISA.
Results

HgCl2 induced a 2-fold increase in beta-hexosaminidase release, and also significant VEGF release at 0.1 and 1 microM (311+/-32 pg/10*6 cells and 443+/-143 pg/10*6 cells, respectively) from LAD2 mast cells compared to control cells (227+/-17 pg/10*6 cells, n=5, p<0.05). Addition of HgCl2 (0.1 microM) to the proinflammatory neuropeptide substance P (SP, 0.1 microM) had synergestic action in inducing VEGF from LAD2 mast cells. HgCl2 also stimulated significant VEGF release (360 +/- 100 pg/10*6 cells at 1 microM, n=5, p<0.05) from hCBMCs compared to control cells (182 +/-57 pg/10*6 cells), and IL-6 release (466+/-57 pg/10*6 cells at 0.1 microM) compared to untreated cells (13+/-25 pg/10*6 cells, n=5, p<0.05). Addition of HgCl2 (0.1 microM) to SP (5 microM) further increased IL-6 release.
Conclusions

HgCl2 stimulates VEGF and IL-6 release from human mast cells. This phenomenon could disrupt the blood-brain-barrier and permit brain inflammation. As a result, the findings of the present study provide a biological mechanism for how low levels of mercury may contribute to ASD pathogenesis.

Source: Journal of Neuroinflammation 2010, 7:20doi:10.1186/1742-2094-7-20