Mercury has not been used in the majority of U.S. vaccines for quite a number of years now (since 2001, I think). There are still a couple of vaccines that use thimerosal, the flu vaccine being one. The total amount of mercury exposure for the regular battery of vaccinations is currently in the range of trace amounts. Any mercury that a child is exposed to through vaccines is negligible and will be expelled by the body over a relatively short period of time.

The preservative is still used in multidose vials of vaccines outside the U.S. to prevent the growth of fungi and other contaminants. These contaminants pose a far greater health risk than any mercury that may be in the vaccines.

This is not to say that mercury is 100% safe or that thimerosal is the best possible method of vaccine preservation, but I just wanted to provide you with a little more context. You may also want to look up the difference between ethyl mercury (the type in thimerosal, and for which the EPA does not have exposure guidelines) and methyl mercury (the type most common in environmental exposures for which the EPA has exposure guidelines).

So, while we allow ourselves to get distracted from this red herring, consider the 800-pound gorilla lurking in the closet: mercury and compounds containing mercury in whatever form have absolutely no business being in the human body. Mercury is a known potent neurotoxin and has no known natural or positive biological function within the human body. It doesn’t belong there, and whenever the human body is exposed to mercury, it suffers some damage.

So when will research come up with a decent and equally-effective alternative to mercury in vaccinations and in dental-filling amalgims? (In the case of the latter, we’re talking about a “medical practice” nearly a century old now). And if that research is deemed unnecessary by sober and well-meaning researchers BECAUSE they have conducted plenty of tests that demonstrate to their satisfaction that compounds containing mercury in vaccinations or dental fillings don’t cause autism or other discernable neurological problems, I’ll rip the rest of my hair out.

Get rid of the friggin’ mercury, and my guess is that this particular controversy will have the wind knocked out of it.

A strong vaccination program is needed, not to keep kids from missing a week or two of school, but to prevent diseases that, depending on the individual’s immune system, can be devastating, even with proper medical care. It also helps to protect those who, for medical reasons, cannot receive vaccinations, such as the immune compromised.

Keep in mind, that by not vaccinating your kids, you don’t just put them at risk for getting a preventable disease. You also put everyone they come in contact with: friends, family, neighbors, strangers on the bus, at the store, at the doctor’s office.

They got the odd illness unvaccinated and are fine – no emergency there. A week or maybe two off school with proper care is all thats required for most illnesses. Here’s a radical thought – what say we look after kids properly when they get ill along with good nutrition etc. All the bad outcomes I’ve seen are due to poor general health and improper care during sickness. Then we might only need to immunize the kids who really are at risk. All that spare money could then be used for something else.

viv

Science? What science are you talking about? When my son was diagnosed with autism at the Meyer Center at Texas Children’s Hospital (which incidentally is considered the best children’s hospital in the state) I wasn’t even told about ABA, the only therapy for autism that has any scientific evidence supporting it. I had to find out about ABA by doing my own research. No doctor ever told me about it. And I know lots and lots of parents who had the same experience.

Parents can only ignore the science if they are made aware of it. You think the pro-science side has done an adequate job in this area? You’re wrong. ABA, the only scientifically based therapy for autism isn’t even covered by most medical insurance (including mine – my insurer laughed me out of the room when I filed a claim for ABA therapy) and is NOT provided by most special education programs across the country (again, including mine). I’ve never received one dime from any entity, public or private, to provide ABA therapy for my son even though it is the only thing that has made a difference in his behavior. Now, why is that? I suppose it’s the fault of the anti-vaxers, right?

Offit can write all the books he wants pointing fingers at Wakefield (and incidentally enriching his own bank account the same way Wakefield is doing), but that will do nothing to provide scientifically based therapies for children who need it.

You are generalizing. Because, as I have said we had very good and early diagnosis of the actual condition. There was, of course, the underlying seizure condition that was a reason to keep an eye out for any problems (note that Ms. McCarthy’s son also has a seizure condition, this is not the same as autism, but can cause issues like damage to certain parts of the brain).

If you kid was diagnosed as “late-talking” at age four, then you are dealing with incompetent people. Especially these days.

While my son was young, we did get lots of “wait and see, he will talk when he is ready”, but these were from friends, relatives and generally the clueless “helpful” people you meet at the playground. One thing the helped immensely was getting the book “Childhood Speech, Language and Listening Disorder” by Patricia McAleer Hamaguchi. She explained all of the sorts of communication disorders, and even better: where to get good help!

As for your list of “therapies”, You are right about all the crooks and cranks… RUN, do not walk to your nearest library and get the book “The Science and Fiction of Autism” by Laura Schreibman … and Berneen Bratt’s book “No Time for Jello”

You end with “So it’s important for the pro-science side to look themselves in the mirror and repeat after me:

WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND THEY ARE US”

I disagree… it is those of you who are ignoring the science and letting yourselves get swayed with useless anecdotes, sales pitches and the conspiracy theories (hey, you are the one who posted a link to the whale.to site!). You need to learn more about the neurology, the history and the other stuff. Read the books I suggested, add some others like those written by Oliver Sacks. Definitely read all three of Paul Offit’s books, and real factual books by people who know what they are writing about!

Of course this just begs the question: Why are the parents misguided and why are they attracted to pseudoscience in their quest to help their children? I think I can speak to that question from personal experience.

IMHO it is primarily the result of the shoddy way in which the medical community handles the diagnosis. In the first place, your front-line pediatrician who is likely to be the first one you consult when you suspect there might be a problem with your child, knows relatively little about autism, what symptoms to look for, etc. I was told my boy was a late talker and he would grow out of it by my pediatrician. This went on for about two years until Zack was almost 4 years old and still not talking.

Next, they will attempt to shuffle you off to an “expert” usually a developmental pediatrician or a neurologist. The experience you have with this second line of doctors varies tremendously from doctor to doctor. There is really no standard diagnostic technique. Assuming they give you a diagnosis of autism the prognosis is usually bleak – there really isn’t much you can do about it, there’s not much of a future for your child, etc., etc. I was told all of these things. Of course, these are the same clowns who were routinely institutionalizing autistic kids only a generation ago.

So it’s no surprise to me that many, perhaps a majority of parents react to this depressing news by seeking something, anything that allows them to feel in control and like they are doing something. This might involve audio therapy, music therapy, gluten-free cassein-free diets, chelation, hyperbaric treatment, weighted vests, horseback riding, etc., etc. There is no shortage of crooks who are willing to provide any of these therapies to your child for a not-so-small fee. There are conferences and seminars set up for each of these therapies. This leads many parents to conclude the therapy must be scientific, right? After all, ASA (Autism Society of America) is recommending it and there are several folks with letters after their name who are providing it.

So the parents feel they are at least doing something to address the situation and it fulfills an emotional void which the scientific/medical/educational establishment isn’t filling. And we all know, nature abhors a vacuum. If science/medicine/education isn’t willing to provide therapies that actually work then by golly we’re going to make our own, whether they work or not.

So it’s important for the pro-science side to look themselves in the mirror and repeat after me:

WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND THEY ARE US

“I thought that public school systems required vaccinations before a child starts school. And if they don’t, then shouldn’t they?”

Every state has some form of exemption law allowing parents to refuse vaccination. The reasons allowed can range from medical issues involved with getting vaccinated to philosophical reasons to religious taboos.

Not being a “bio” person, I didn’t realize anything about this until I saw the NOVA show “Ghost in your genes”, at:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/genes/

It is now becoming clear that environmental effects from a couple generations ago can actually turn on or turn off genes that will affect offspring generations later. The program brings up the case of a famine that affected males and females differently; a grandfather affected by a famine during puberty had grandsons who lived much longer lives than average. On the other hand, a grandmother affected by a famine while she was still in the womb had granddaughters who lived much shorter lifetimes.

I’m assuming that vaccines are safe today, but what if there was a problem with vaccines (or some other as-yet-unidentified environmental factor) years ago? It might be difficult to sort out the genetic effect now.

Disgusted? Really? I’m not seeing that. The dialog looks pretty restrained to me.

Please everybody please remember that you are dealing with very emotional issues, sick children and misguided parents who love their children and need a culprit for their illness.

I think most people are attacking an irresponsible, out of control celebrity and the con artist who are leading this movement.

Please DO NOT heap abuse on them, lash out with angry sarcasm or behave discourteously, even if they sometimes do.

They’re not just behaving discourteously; they’re threatening the livelihood of someone who’s only guilty of speaking the truth in an effort to save lives.

Please remember that if you have facts by your side you don’t need aggressive rhetoric.

If the truth was all that was needed, the anti-vaccine movement wouldn’t exist.

I thought that public school systems required vaccinations before a child starts school. And if they don’t, then shouldn’t they? I mean, that should be plenty of reason for parents to vaccinate, since homeschooling isn’t for the weak of heart and private schools (if the don’t require complete vaccine records) aren’t exactly cheap. I don’t have children, so I don’t know the technicalities, but I do remember my step mother having a fit because she couldn’t find my younger brother’s vaccination record when he started kindergarten. Apparently he couldn’t start school without it.

Hard times call for hard measures.

I agree with mk. My older brother had an allergic reaction to an ingredient in the Polio vaccine (they used the Salk kind in those days), so my younger brother and I got a different mix. Since my Uncle suffered from Polio, there was no way that my Mother would allow us to go unvaccinated.

These days, however, Polio is so rare that I imagine that a doctor might recommend against the vaccine in a particularly sensitive person. That’s an *informed* medical decision that *can* be made.

As for Ms McCarthy, here is my “snap” moment. She can discuss vaccines with my family after someone in her family suffers from Polio and she has “walked in our shoes.”

http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/pa/pa_immunrxn_hhg.htm

If I’m not mistaken the conversation here is about people refusing vaccines due to an incorrect notion that they causes autism. It is not about allergic reactions.

You say you have bad allergic reactions. There are different vaccines out there. To which vaccine, specifically, are you reacting? What kind of reaction? Do your kids have the same reactions?

Yes, Jenny. I imagine being stalked by an irrational conspiracy theorist is a tad scary for the man who just may end up in the White House.

Please everybody please remember that you are dealing with very emotional issues, sick children and misguided parents who love their children and need a culprit for their illness.

Please DO NOT heap abuse on them, lash out with angry sarcasm or behave discourteously, even if they sometimes do.

Please remember that if you have facts by your side you don’t need aggressive rhetoric.

You wield a very big stick indeed, so you can afford to speak quietly, and let the shrill barking to the other side.

I hate this sentiment. Just because something is not your field of expertise doesn’t mean you can’t have an objective, informed opinion of it. My field of expertise has nothing to do with the aerospace industry. Does that make me unqualified to be a moon landing hoax debunker?

Scare mongering on either side seems to me a waste of time and misses some of what might well be relevant. It also labels me bad when I’m not.

viv

Here’s the logical fallacy you should be addressing: correlation does not equal causation. All autistic children also stop using diapers about that age. Is a lack of diapers to blame? They also start on solid food. Is it solid food?

The fixation on this event is partly because it is beyond the parents’ control, partly because of the human taboo on introducing things into your body in unusual ways, partly because of superstition about how disease works. All three involve ignorance.

Disease like progressive typical disease isn’t capable of causing autism. It is a fundamental disorganization of the brain. Read that again. It occurs before birth, and extrapolates in the years of rapid growth of the brain during those early years before the skull gets solid. It isn’t noticed because the fundamental disorganization isn’t in eating (sometimes it is) or basic motor movement, or in many of the other areas at which very young children excel. It’s in the social interaction, in the imitative instincts, in the mental flexibility and ability to filter stimuli and respond appropriately.

How can I say the above? Well, even severely autistic individuals retain the ape distress behavior of tearing up vegetation and throwing it in the air. Many of the instincts and such are there at a base level. It is noticed at a particular stage when some of the later vaccinations are introduced. A child gets early vaccinations: why aren’t these specified as possible causes? Why not the anti-ghonnoreal eye smear they give newborns to prevent blindness?

It’s comforting to think you’ve found an explanation. But that doesn’t make it right or true.

Full disclosure: my son and nephew are both autistic. It doesn’t actually matter, but it might serve to head off at least one common reply of “you can’t understand blah blah blah.”

It seems the Bad Astronomer likes to jump on a lot of bandwagons. But when it is not really his field of expertise, people will just jump in along with him. And this is a bad thing. Wouldn’t you agree?

Labeling people so you can throw them away easily is what the Extreme Wacko Right Fringe does. Ever hear of the term “Anti-Mormon”. The Bad Astronomer is no better.

There is a term when you label and throw away people. It is a logical fallacy. Anyone know what that is called?

Anyway, I see the Bad Astronomer throw around the term “anti-science” a lot. I do not think this is a good thing.

There is a term when you label and throw away people. It is a logical fallacy. Anyone know what that is called?

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/mccarthy%20upset%20about%20mccain%20snub_1082294

And you needed a better doctor. We were very fortunate to get a referral to a good child neurologist (who apologized for the IQ tests being so language dependent). We just had to wait four months to get an appointment. Plus the initial diagnosis was from a speech language pathologist at the Children’s Hospital, and he got his initial speech therapy there. (received initial diagnosis at age 2 years 3 months, and saw child neurologist at age 3 years 2 months… earlier than most because of his history of seizures).

One thing that has happened is as diagnoses for autism have gone up, diagnoses for mental retardation have gone down.

Some recommended reading for you:
Unstrange Minds by Roy Richard Grinker
Not Even Wrong by Paul Collins
No Time for Jello by Berneen Bratt
Autism’s False Prophets by Paul Offit (check out the Scienceblogs book discussion)

Also, please remember to stay away from that whale.to website. It is a very silly place. Though I do have a tribute website there because I irritated John Scudamore, the man behind that silly place, lots on Usenet (it has to do with me reminding everyone that he claimed to have burned his bum on satanic black lines!).