Regarding your Fallout piece titled "Moms push mercury-autism link" (July 6), the evidence against a causal link between vaccinations (thimerosal containing MMR vaccines in particular) and autism is incontrovertible. Several large retrospective epidemiological studies have shown that when autistic children's immunization records are compared to normal children's, they have equal rates of having been vaccinated. One would expect at least a slightly higher exposure rate in the autistic sample if vaccines caused autism.
Additionally, looking at twin studies in which one sibling is affected with autism, when you compare identical twin sets (having identical genes) with fraternal twin sets (sharing a minority of genes) the rates of autism drop from 92 percent to 10 percent. At the Emory University Autism Center, and other such facilities, there is now a battery of genetic tests that affected children are given to elucidate possible causes in individual cases. The list of known genetic variants leading to autism has grown and has highlighted that the disorder is characterized by a spectrum of different developmental anomalies in the brain and nervous system.
So if autism spectrum disorders are genetically determined, as the above studies would suggest, why is there a dramatic increase in affected children? The answer is that the disorder has become better recognized and diagnosed. As rates of autism have increased, rates of various forms of mental retardation and learning disabilities have decreased proportionally. In other words, a kid that in the past would have been labeled mentally retarded and perhaps even institutionalized, is now properly diagnosed and offered effective treatments early on to limit the social and behavior manifestations of the disorder.
I can sympathize with the frustration of parents dealing with children affected by this condition. The need to blame people, corporations or organizations such as the CDC is understandable. But groups like Moms Against Mercury, sadly, are not going to save future children from developing autism. Instead, they are likely to drive parents away from providing life-saving vaccinations for kids, perhaps leading to future epidemics of measles, mumps, rubella and other infectious diseases that have been largely eradicated in this country since immunization programs began.
I would encourage young parents considering the risks of vaccinating their children to talk with their pediatricians and educate themselves about this question. Hysteria about corporate greed and government cover-ups will not benefit children.
-- Clifford J. Ehmke, M.D., Atlanta
Emory University Department of Psychiatry
MD
Dr Ehmke's comments about parents concerned with vaccine safety is an insult to anyone with any knowledge of the science surrounding this debate. His letter was filled with misinformation, errors and just plain foolish dribble.
First, the MMR vaccine never contained thimerosal. This blunder set the tone for the rest of his letter.
Second, there has never been a genetic epidemic. The rates of autism in many states has increased over 1,000% since 1990. I have no idea what his comment of "92%" rate increases is even based upon. He discards autistic illness in siblings but these children still exist in reality, so parring the rise to 10% when excluding siblings is absurd and comical.
The epidemiological studies refuting the claim of a link to vaccine mercury have all been refuted as flawed studies, co-authored by researchers with strong ties to the drug industry. A major paper claiming the rise was due to 'diagnostic substitution" has been retracted....the theory is false. The promotion of his own institution's autism center for genetic testing is a waste of money and time. All environmental toxins, including thimerosal affect individuals differently based in part upon genetic and biological susceptibilities.
There are at least 4 published papers that demonstrated autistic children have a lower, genetically determined ability to eliminate mercury due to lower levels of glutathione, a protein necessary to bind mercury before elimination by the liver. This is one major reason why some vaccinated children get autism and others do not.
Thirdly, it is not just moms anymore claiming that mercury has caused autism. There are hundreds of physicians breaking rank with their own organizations such as the AMA and AAP and admitting that mercury in vaccines was indeed a major cause of a variety of developmental disorders. Congress agreed. In 2003 the Subcommittee on Health and Wellness, Committee on Government Reform concluded a 3 year investigation with the following statement: "Thimerosal used as a preservative in vaccines in likely related to the autism epidemic. This epidemic in all probability may have been prevented or curtailed had the FDA not been asleep at the switch regarding the lack of safety data regarding injected thimerosal and the sharp rise of infant exposure to this known neurotoxin. Our public health agencies' failure to act is indicative of institutional malfeasance for self-protection and misplaced protectionism of the pharmaceutical industry." (Mercury in Medicine Report, May 2003).
Fourth, Dr Ehmke makes the absurd assumption that by not wanting mercury injected into their children, this somehow poses a threat to vaccination rates. I didn't see a collapse of the vaccine programs in countries that have eliminated thimerosal. Public confidence would logically improve, not decline. This is a tired argument.
Finally, I would discourage parents from having too much trust in what their pediatrician will tell them. Their own organization receives millions of dollars from pharmaceutical companies and would be jeopardizing this relationship and threatening their reputation of an organization that was responsible for an oversight catastrophe if they told their member pediatricians the truth...that they had played a role in creating this terrible American tragedy. Organizations like the Autism Research Institute support parent education and physician training in treating autism by addressing the underlying cause-not through genetics or antipsychotic drugs but through biological means of treating vaccine injury.
david ayoub 07.12.06