Difference between revisions of "Autism"
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The medical community in general, however, seems strongly resistant to the idea that vaccines might be causing the problem, and even resistant to the idea of looking more closely at the Amish population for clues as to what might actually be behind the autism epidemic. | The medical community in general, however, seems strongly resistant to the idea that vaccines might be causing the problem, and even resistant to the idea of looking more closely at the Amish population for clues as to what might actually be behind the autism epidemic. | ||
==Links== | ==Links== | ||
| + | * '''2007-07-15''' [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/health/article2076295.ece Memo warned MMR doctor of research flaw]: "The memo was sent to Dr Andrew Wakefield, a researcher at the Royal Free hospital, London. It warned him that the parents of most of the children in his study, investigating alleged links between the vaccine and autism, were litigants seeking compensation from drug companies. The memo said this gave the parents 'a vested interest' in finding a link between MMR and their children’s autism." | ||
* '''2007-06-30''' [[Science on Trial (Grinker)|Science on Trial]] by Roy Richard Grinker | * '''2007-06-30''' [[Science on Trial (Grinker)|Science on Trial]] by Roy Richard Grinker | ||
* '''2007-06-29''' [http://www.thudfactor.com/wordpress/2007/06/29/autism-and-vaccination/ Autism and vaccination] by Thudfactor | * '''2007-06-29''' [http://www.thudfactor.com/wordpress/2007/06/29/autism-and-vaccination/ Autism and vaccination] by Thudfactor | ||
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** [http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20050509-09315700-bc-us-ageofautism-absence.xml Absence of Evidence]: more specifics about the Amish data | ** [http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20050509-09315700-bc-us-ageofautism-absence.xml Absence of Evidence]: more specifics about the Amish data | ||
** [http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20051030-10222300-bc-ageofautism.xml The Amish Elephant]: how some medical professionals respond | ** [http://www.sciencedaily.com/upi/index.php?feed=Science&article=UPI-1-20051030-10222300-bc-ageofautism.xml The Amish Elephant]: how some medical professionals respond | ||
| − | * The | + | * The Wikipedia article on [[Wikipedia:thimerosal|thimerosal]] has some more details about the controversy |
==Notes== | ==Notes== | ||
An oft-cited study is [[wikipedia:Thomas Verstraeten|Thomas Verstraeten]]'s 2000 study which "found a significant risk for neurological developmental disorders at age 3 months, as babies received increased amounts of thimerosal, and the risk of autism rose 2.48 times greater for infants getting higher amounts of the product, compared to infants who received thimerosal-free vaccines." However, Verstraeten issued another report in 2003 contradicting this conclusion. | An oft-cited study is [[wikipedia:Thomas Verstraeten|Thomas Verstraeten]]'s 2000 study which "found a significant risk for neurological developmental disorders at age 3 months, as babies received increased amounts of thimerosal, and the risk of autism rose 2.48 times greater for infants getting higher amounts of the product, compared to infants who received thimerosal-free vaccines." However, Verstraeten issued another report in 2003 contradicting this conclusion. | ||
Revision as of 14:39, 15 July 2007
Autism is mainly an issue in that it has recently taken on epidemic proportions. One source quotes the U.S. Federal Government as saying the autism rate is now one in 166.
Many parents and a minority of medical professionals believe there is a strong link between autism and vaccinations, possibly due to thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used in the manufacture of vaccines during the 1990s and possibly earlier (it appears that its use began to be phased out in 1999, though it will be at least 2006 before existing thimerosal-bearing stocks are used up or reach their expiration date).
There is now some strong circumstantial evidence to indicate that there may be something to this theory, or at the very least to suggest possible avenues of inquiry, in that autism among the Amish (who generally do not use vaccines) is reportedly 1 in 15,000.
The medical community in general, however, seems strongly resistant to the idea that vaccines might be causing the problem, and even resistant to the idea of looking more closely at the Amish population for clues as to what might actually be behind the autism epidemic.
Links
- 2007-07-15 Memo warned MMR doctor of research flaw: "The memo was sent to Dr Andrew Wakefield, a researcher at the Royal Free hospital, London. It warned him that the parents of most of the children in his study, investigating alleged links between the vaccine and autism, were litigants seeking compensation from drug companies. The memo said this gave the parents 'a vested interest' in finding a link between MMR and their children’s autism."
- 2007-06-30 Science on Trial by Roy Richard Grinker
- 2007-06-29 Autism and vaccination by Thudfactor
- 2005-06-20 Deadly Immunity by Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
- ScienceDaily articles by Dan Olmsted:
- One in 15,000 Amish: source of the figure used above
- Absence of Evidence: more specifics about the Amish data
- The Amish Elephant: how some medical professionals respond
- The Wikipedia article on thimerosal has some more details about the controversy
Notes
An oft-cited study is Thomas Verstraeten's 2000 study which "found a significant risk for neurological developmental disorders at age 3 months, as babies received increased amounts of thimerosal, and the risk of autism rose 2.48 times greater for infants getting higher amounts of the product, compared to infants who received thimerosal-free vaccines." However, Verstraeten issued another report in 2003 contradicting this conclusion.