A Government Call for Vaccine Research

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C. Sirica - I know this answer come slate - but your theory is extremely strange - but perhaps on the right track (at least the part about being camped out indoors). For certain there is thought to be a potential connection between babies born in winter, but they also know that babies born at lower elevations & in colder climates are known to higher levels of autism. This might be in part due to low Vit D levels in moms during pregnancy as well as in babies following delivery. Vit D is a key component for so much more than bones - it is needed for EVERY function of the body & that includes cognitive development. In previous years people spent more time outdoors even in winters. Children often walked to school ,even long distances in the cold, they played outdoors more, had more outdoor chores, etc, etc. I am not convinced Vit D is a sole component in autism but it makes sense that it is potentially one factor. It cannot be the only factor as children in warm climates also do develop it, but at much lower rates. I do nto for one minute though think that you need to make a bunch of eye contact with a baby or even any eye contact in order to deter autism. In some cultures babies get almost no eye contact whatsoever as they spend the majority of their time on moms back & when she nurses she is often multitasking & looking in all sorts of directions rather than starting into her babies eyes. being able to spend lots of time gazing at a baby s pretty new - being as before now women actually planted, weeded, harvested foods, made fabric & then made that into clothing, washed things by hand, cooked from scratch. They had farrr less free time that we do today just 60 yrs ago. The first commercial washing machine didn't even come into existence until the 1950's & then it took quite a while before the average home could afford it - so there was even just hand washing & cloth diaper to more than fill up your day. You also might want to think about what you are saying. I do not have a child with any neurological issue ( to be clear my kiddos are thankfully to this point incredibly healthy in all regards), but you are in effect hypothesizing, with no real basis for it, that parents whose children have autism caused it through neglect. That is incredibly rude, condescending & insensitive & I can't believe no one has pointed out how offensive it is before now. And honestly - my kids have never shown great interest in staring at my face as small babies while nursing - they were mostly in lala land while nursing. My husband always called it "booby drunk" - but they would roll their eyes up in their heads & generally act drunk or dreamy. As they got bigger they showed more interest & would grab at my chin or start at me, but as small babies they were in a world of their own while nursing.

Ophelia of MI 8:00AM August 26, 2011

Recently we madea blood test to check the immune system of my son, who becase autistic I suspect after administration of MMR+Hepatitus B at the same time. MBL, low level of which is a frequent case (40% of population predisposed genetically, 8% does not have enough) plays a key role in body protection against infections. People with lack of MBL (normally, kids) are more sick frequently with ORL, respiratory sicknesses, but also with Candidas, SIDA? herpes (or enteroviruses) - and some researches shows simply any infection.
Why do not check the immune system BEFORE administrating any vacination if on any vaccination it's written - do not administrate in acse of immune system problems?
I suggest if parents who suspects vaccinations plays role in their children's ADHD or autism - please ask your doctor to do a blood test for MBL, CH50, AP50, IgG1, IgG2, IgG3, IgG4 - and othre spossible. Probably, the case of your child's problem is here.

Nika 2:24PM January 14, 2009

Look at when the autism spike started...it was after aspirin was linked to Reye's Syndrome. In addition, there was a lot of media publicity surrounding serious adverse events following the DPT shot in the 80's, including very high fevers, seizures and possibly SIDS. As a result, pediatricians started recommending Tylenol use BEFORE vaccination. Since Tylenol is known to deplete glutathione, and many autistic children are found to be deficient in glutathione, a critically important antioxidant that the body needs to filter toxins (including mercury) from the body, it makes sense that the autism explosion follows the increase in Tylenol use by pregnant women and babies. Preliminary studies already are showing increased rates of asthma among children whose mothers used Tylenol during pregnancy.
I have two autistic children. After the first one was diagnosed, I refused vaccinations for my second son. However, he started showing signs of autism as well,(although to a much milder degree than my first child) so I knew that there had to be something else going on besides vaccines. In addition, he also had wheezing episodes as an infant and toddler that he outgrew as he got older. The only medications that I took during my pregnancy and while I was nursing were the prenatal vitamins and Tylenol for headaches and Tylox (which contains acetaminophen) after my cesarean.
I do believe that acetaminophen is the "environmental trigger" that everyone is searching for, and hopefully, very soon the research will prove it.

Jen of TX 8:19AM January 14, 2009

How come the CDC and the Institute on Health both condone the direct injection of a chemical that is known to be a carcinogen? The common preservative in vaccines from the flu shot people receive to tetanus shots is a chemical called Thymerosol. It is mercury based chemical. It has now been banned in the immunizing of babies but is still in most every shot people get for their ailments. It is criminal that this goes on. I am sure most people dont read the label that warns people about the swallowing of flouride in toothpaste which by the way is a by-product of the aluminum smelting process. Its first use was as rat poison back in the forties.

Jeff of WI 5:30AM January 07, 2009

This message is to addresses concerns about vaccines as a cause of autism. New studies suggest that babies born in the winter are more likely to go on to develop autism. I trust our instincts as mothers to tell us that something is intervening in the lives of our children very early to cause this terrible epidemic. What if cold winter weather leads us to sit and watch TV while we nurse or bottle-feed our babies, rather than looking into their eyes. We know that autism develops very early--much too early to be blamed on the child's viewing habits. What if the power of that gaze between parent and child is key to developing an affinity for the human face, particularly in children with a genetic vulnerability?

C. Sirica of NY 5:41AM January 06, 2009

If they would chart when autism first started to show up they would have there answers .Here is what I came up with, from 1992 on dowm from our generation to our grandparents so on. There was never a flood of autism it started in 1992 when they decided to start doubling and thripeling the shots on a graph it would start then and each year got worse.I feel shots are yes important we need to go back too single doses.And yes its just that simple.This would prove the facts.My Hope Is everyone would read this and turn this all around to go back to single doses. PLEASE READ THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND WHY WE HAVE AUTISM AND WHERE IT STARTED. SINGLE DOSES, SINGLE DOSES, SINGLE DOSES.

Shelly Morganflash of NE 9:44AM January 05, 2009

Dear Dr. Healy,
As a family physician, serving families with skeptical views towards vaccination, I can't tell you how much your words of clarity and open-mindedness mean to me. Knowing that folks who make the policies about vaccines have heard the concerns of my patients and many others gives me a new confidence that the recommendations coming out of the CDC and other expert panels will be helpful to my practice.

Elizabeth Allemann of MO 11:35AM December 26, 2008

Clearly, this article and subsequent comments do nothing but indicate a dire need of increased effort in science education. The masses are so very ignorant.

k of AL 8:48PM December 20, 2008

We have nothing more to go by than theories with vaccinations. There is absolutely no conclusive evidence that they work in the fist place. CDC records that have been revealed indicate disease drop off rate is a natural process after an epidemic and that vaccinations were introduced during the disease drop off rate. It was concidence in the measles and polio cases and in fact, have been known to create new disease.
When are people going to wake up to this scam? When you stop your propoganda for greed, that's probably when. Or maybe, the Internet will prevail with freedom of speech.

Shannon Dagherty of TX 12:35PM December 15, 2008

The epidemiological studies that don't support a link between thimerosal and autism have been conducted by those who have an interest in proving there is no connection between mercury (thimerosal) and autism. Thimerosal has not been removed from influenza vaccines. A small percentage of flu vaccines are made without thimerosal, but are only given if requested by the patient.
So perhaps the real question is, if some flu vaccine can be made without mercury why not make all vaccines without it.
THAT would be responsible medicine.

Rick of NJ 2:14AM December 14, 2008