State epidemiologist Dr. Jose Montero understands why some parents -- including the Ryan family featured in today's Lifestyles section -- worry that there's a connection between their children's autism and childhood vaccines.
But he wants to make it clear: "There is no relationship."
"It's unfortunate that some people in their pain and in the search for a source of the illness are blaming the vaccines, which have been the most effective public health measure that we have had in the last several decades."
"Today we don't know what polio is. We don't know what diphtheria is."
Comment: If this guy doesn't know what polio and diphtheria are, maybe he shouldn't be the State epidemiologist. Or maybe he should keep up with current medical news.
From the Journal of Epidemiology:
"As the goal of wild poliovirus eradication is approached, concern has been raised about the potential for persistent transmission of oral polio vaccine (OPV) viruses, as these viruses are known to revert toward wild-type neurovirulence."
From The Journal of Clinical Microbiology:
"An unusual, highly diverged derivative of the Sabin type 2 oral poliovaccine (OPV) strain was recovered from environmental samples during routine screening for wild polioviruses."
From The Journal of General Virology:
"The prevalence of virulent type vaccine derived polioviruses (VDPV's) in river and sewage water suggested that the oral poliovaccine itself had led to wide environmental pollution in nature."
And that is just a sampling. For more, see Vaccine Awakening.
In fact, what is far more effective than vaccination is sanitation. Having access to clean water has done far more for reductions in disease than vaccinations.
The state health department continues to stress how critical childhood vaccines are to prevent disease, Montero said.
"We do believe that it's a safe and cost-effective way of preventing disease and protecting our children," he said.
Montero noted the controversy over autism and vaccines arose over thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative used in some vaccines. He noted the ingredient has since been phased out of childhood vaccines; the only vaccines used in New Hampshire that still contain thimerosal are flu vaccines used for older youngsters and adults.
Despite that change, autism rates have not decreased, Montero said. And that, he said, proves "it's not the vaccine, it's not the mercury."
Comment: Geier and Geier might take issue with that statement given their article in the March 1, 2006 issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, Early Downward Trends in Neurodevelopmental Disorders Following Removal of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines. While the article is not specifically about autism, it does indicate a clear relationship between thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders, one of which would be autism.
The Centers for Disease Control, the Institute of Medicine and the American Academy of Pediatrics are among the medical experts that have rejected a link between autism and vaccinations. But the controversy continues, and some families have filed lawsuits.
Comment: Since the article is not kind enough to give you a list of medical experts who have written against vaccines, click here to read a sampling from the other side of the debate.
The controversy flared anew after the federal government last month agreed to compensate the family of a Georgia child with a rare mitochondrial disorder who developed autism-like symptoms after being vaccinated.
Montero said what is certain is that "autism is real."
Comment: No kidding!
According to CDC, "Approximately 1 in 150 children - representing various communities in the United States - have an autism spectrum disorder." It should be noted that in 1978, only 1 in 10,000 children had autism spectrum disorders.
"Those kids are suffering, their families are suffering, and as time goes by, those kids will become adults and will require a lot of different types of services for which we are not prepared," he said.
"It's a two-fold problem. One is how we manage kids who are already autistic and the consequences they will have growing up. The other one is why is this happening.
"And the real answer is that nobody knows."
Comment: Nobody knows, or the people who stand to make a lot of money from the pharmaceutical industry don't want you to know?
The fact is, most of what you are told about disease and health is nonsense. The mainstream has ignored evidence that is contrary to its story for generations.
"Despite that change, autism rates have not decreased, Montero said. And that, he said, proves "it's not the vaccine, it's not the mercury.""
he still makes a false assumption that vaccines are not the problem. in fact he makes a case for something other than mercury in vaccines as a problem.