Hmmm will it let me post the rest?

<<seizure disorders>>
"Autistic subjects with comorbid epilepsy: a possible association with viral infections" (Child Psychiatry and Human Development, vo. 29, no. 3, Spring 1998, pp. 245-51): Data covering a 30-year period was examined in Israel. The annual birth pattern of 290 autistic subjects with comorbid epilepsy fit the seasonality of viral meningitis. "These findings support the role of viral C[entral] N[ervous] S[ystem] infections in the causality of this disorder."

"Neurologic complications after vaccination against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough (Cesk. Pediatr., vol. 47, no. 2, February 1992, pp. 122-4): Both in children free from neurological disease and in children with neurological disease the most frequent type of complications from DTP vaccination were "encephalopathies and febrile attacks as a consequence of metabolic and toxic changes following vaccination." Persisting neurological disorders were, in the majority, epileptic in character.



"Vaccination against whooping-cough. Efficacy versus risks," The Lancet, vol. 1, January 29, 1977, pp. 234-7: "Adverse reactions and neurotoxicity following vaccination was strongly related to pertussis vaccine in 79 of 160 cases studied. A shock reaction and cerebral disturbance was seen, in most of these cases followed by convulsions, hyperkinesis, and severe mental defect. The authors conclude, "It seems likely that most adverse reactions are unreported and that many are overlooked…existing provisions, national and international, for epidemiological surveillance and evaluation are inadequate. The claim by official bodies that the risks of whooping-cough exceed those of vaccination is questionable, at least in the U.K."



O. Tonz and S. Bajc, "Convulsions after whooping-cough vaccination" (Schweiz. Med. Wochenschr., vol. 110, no. 51, December 20, 1980, pp. 1965-71): Convulsions or status epilepticus in 11 infants after pertussis vaccination are reported. In three of 11 cases, grand mal epilepsy persisted and two children developed infantile epileptic encephalopathy (Lennox Syndrome). "The following conclusions are drawn from these observations: 1) In view of the usually benign course of whooping cough today, current vaccination is hardly satisfactory. Improvement of the available vaccines is an urgent necessity… 2) Parents whould be better informed about the risks involved in pertussis vaccination. 3) Booster inoculations should be abandoned. 4) Health authorities should decide whether the current pertussis vaccination program should be abandoned. 5) Complications following vaccination should be registered….."





<<behavior and movement disorders >>

"A controlled study of serum anti-locus ceruleus antibodies in REM sleep behavior disorder" (Sleep, vol. 20, no. 5, May 1997, pp. 349-51): "The newly identified association of human nonnarcoleptic rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) with human leukocyte antigen (HLA) DQwl class II genes raises the possibility that RBD may arise from autoimmune mechanisms."



[The following reports are not vaccine-specific; rather they serve to underline one of the possible conditions resulting from altered permeability of, or damage to the intestine, as occurs in association with measles and other viruses. Note: strep-type bacteria are among those which can translocate from the gut; strep bacteria have been implicated in cases of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Tourette Syndrome.] "Bacterial translocation from the gastrointestinal tract" (Trends in Microbiology, vol. 3, no. 4, April 1995, pp. 149-54): Viable indigenous bacteria from the gastrointestinal tract can migrate to other sites within the body, such as the mesenteric-lymph-node complex, liver, spleen, and bloodstream. Three mechanisms support bacterial translocation: intestinal bacterial overgrowth, deficiencies in host immune defenses and increased permeability or damage to the intestinal mucosal barrier.



"Case study: a new infection-triggered, autoimmune subtype of pediatric OCD and Tourette's syndrome" (Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, vol. 34, no. 3, March 1995, pp. 307-11): the authors hypothesize that infections with group A beta-hemolytic streptococci, among other bacterial agents, may trigger autoimmune responses that cause or exacerbate some cases of childhood-onset obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) or tic disorders including Tourette's Syndrome. In this study, four boys aged 10 to 14 years presented with OCD or Tourette's Syndrome in the moderate to very severe range. Two had evidence of recent group A beta-hemolytic streptococci infections, and the others had histories of recent viral illnesses.


"Speculations on antineuronal antibody-mediated neuropsychiatric disorders of childhood" (Pediatrics, vol. 93, no. 2, February 1994, pp. 323-6): "Several converging lines of evidence suggest that some behavioral and neurological abnormalities of childhood may be mediated through antineuronal antibodies. These antineuronal antibodies appear to arise in response to group A [beta]-hemolytic streptococcal (GABHS) infections and to cross-react with cells within the central nervous system (CNS). Based on clinical observations of children with Sydenham's chorea, Tourette's syndrome (TS), and/or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), we hypothesize that neuroimmunological dysfunction secondary to antineuronal antibodies may result in behavioral disturbances, such as anxiety, emotional lability, obsessive compulsive symptoms, hyperactivity, and sleep disturbances, and neurological abnormalities, such as motor and phonic tics, ballismus, chorea, and choreiform movements."



"Antineuronal antibodies: tics and obsessive-compulsive symptoms" (Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, vol. 15, no. 6, December 1994, pp. 421-5): 19 or 38 cases from an ongoing study of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders had existing or previously documented OCS [OCD] and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with or without concomitant tics. 19 controls had ADHD, but no tics or OCS. Evidence was found of basal ganglia involvement in OCS, and a generalized central nervous system response [to infection] was suggested.



"Bipolar disorders, dystonia, and compulsion after dysfunction of the cerebellum, dentatorubrothalamic tract, and substantia nigra" (Biological Psychiatry, vol. 40, no. 8, October 1996, pp. 726-30): the mechanism of the legions was not abstracted in this report; however, after focal cerebellar circuit lesions, these disorders presented in three of fifteen subjects.



"Antineuronal antibodies in movement disorders" (Pediatrics, vol. 92, no. 1, July 1993, pp. 39-43): 24 children with recent-onset movement disorders (Tourette Syndrome, motor and/or vocal tics, chorea, and choreiform movements) as well as ADHD, behavior disorders, or learning disabilities were studied. The authors concluded that their data strongly suggests an association between antecedent group A beta-streptococcal infection and serum antineuronal antibodies, which may, in turn, be linked to childhood movement disorders.



"Antibodies to human caudate nucleus neurons in Huntington's chorea" (Journal of Clinical Investigation, vol. 59, no. 5, May 1977, pp. 922-32): IgG antibodies against nervous system components were detected in patients afflicted with Huntington's and Parkinson's Diseases, as well as in asymptomatic spouses of patients. "These data may support an environmental or infectious factor somehow involved in the ultimate expression of HD."

[The following report is not vaccine-specific, but underlines a radical shift in thinking about cerebral palsy, and a variety of other neurological impairments, toward an infectious etiology.]
"Infections may underlie cerebral palsy" (Science News, vol. 154, no. 16, October 17, 1998, p. 244; available at http://www.sciencenews.org/sn_arc98/10_17_98/fob1.htm): "Most doctors have believed that cerebral palsy--a form of brain damage that impairs movements--results from a difficult birth… While asphyxia may indeed be a cause of cerbral palsy, a new study provides evidence that the brain damage might often arise from some other…assault on an unborn child. Molecular clues now lead to inflammatory infection as a possible culprit, says Karein B. Nelson, a pediatric neurologist at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke in Bethesday, MD." A study was performed by Nelson and colleagues which compared blood from normal and CP infants: the team found that all the stricken children harbored greater concentrations of substances indicating immune activation. In some of the children, indications of autoimmunity were seen as well. (Study citation: "Neonatal cytokines and coagulation factors in children with cerebral palsy," Annals of Neurology, vol. 44, October 1998, p. 665.)

"Increased prevalence of antibrain antibodies in the sera from schizophrenic patients" (Schizophrenia Research, vol. 14, no. 1, December 1994, pp. 15-22); "Antibodies to brain tissue in sera of schizophrenic patients-preliminary findings" (European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, vol. 242, no. 5, 1993, pp. 314-7): Antibrain antibodies have been found in the sera of schizophrenic patients, but not in normal controls. These seem to be directed against brain centers affected in schizophrenia. (More notes on schizophrenia are available under "Factoid Fallacies," below.)

<<cognitive disorders in systemic diseases>>
"Characteristics of antineuronal antibodies in systemic lupus erythematosus patients with and without central nervous system involvement: the role of mycobacterial cross-reacting antigens" (Israeli Journal of Medical Science, vol. 26, no. 7, July 1990, pp. 367-73): indirect immunofluorescence of human brain tissue sections revealed, in thirteen of sixteen patients, high antineuronal antibody titers. Competition assays showed that the binding of the antineuronal antibodies was blocked by mycobacterial glycolipids and bovine brain extracts. "This finding suggests an additional link between mycobacterial infection and SLE."





<<cognitive disorders of the aged>>

"Neuroautoimmunity: pathogenic implications for Alzheimer’s disease" (Gerontology, vol. 43, no.s 1-2, 1997, pp. 79-94): "Immune factors such as cellular immunity, autoimmunity, and inflammation may play a pathogenic role in Alzheimer’s disease… Antibrain antibodies may contribute through a cell-specific autoimmune assault leading to neurodegeneration of the A[lzheimer’s ] D[isease] type."

"Immunoblot detection of antibodies to myelin basic protein in Alzheimer’s disease patients" (Neuroscience Letters, vol. 147, no. 1, November 23, 1992, pp. 25-8): 16 of 18 Alzheimer’s disease patients, as opposed to 7 of 90 controls (healthy adults and elderlies, and adult and child patients with other diseases or disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Down syndrome proved positive for anti-MBP antibodies.

"An immunological approach to dementia in the elderly" (Age and Ageing, vol. 5, no. 3, August 1976, pp. 164-70): Immunofluorescence studies showed "an excess of antineuronal reactivity and a fall in antinuclear antibody in females with senile dementia."

<<cognitive developmental disorders>>
"Serum autoantibodies to brain in Landau-Kleffner variant, autism, and other neurologic disorders" (Journal of Pediatrics, vol. 134, no. 5, May 1999, pp. 607-613): "Etiologically unexplained disorders of language and social development have often been reported to improve in patients treated with immune-modulating regimens. Here we determined…children with L[andau] K[leffner] S[ydrome] V[ariant] and A[utistic] S[pectrum] D[isorder] have a greater frequency of serum antibodies to brain endothelial cells and to nuclei than children with non-neurologic illnesses or healthy children. The presence of these antibodies raises the possibility that autoimmunity plays a role in the pathogenesis of language and social developmental abnormalities in a subset of children with these disorders.
"Serological Association of Measles Virus and Human Herpesvirus-6 With Brain Autoantibodies in Autism." Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology, vol. 89, number 1, October 1998, pp. 105-8. This study is the first to report an association between virus serology and brain autoantibody in autism; it supports the hypothesis that a virus-induced autoimmune response may play a causal role in autism.

"Positive Titers of Measles and Measles-Mumps-Rubella Antibody Are Related to Myelin Basic Protein Autoantibody in Autism." Abstract of study prepared for the annual meeting of the American Association of Immunologists (AAI) / Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), San Francisco, April 1998. A significant number of autistic children exhibit positive titers of measles and MMR [measles-mumps-rubella] antibody, which in a vast majority of cases is associated with the presence of MBP [myelin basic protein, or brain] autoantibody. A measles- and/or MMR-triggered autoimmune response to myelin may play a pathogenesis role in autism.

"Association of Anti-MBP and Anti-NAFP Antibodies With HHV-6 Antibodies in a Child With Autistic Regression." Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, vol. 101.1, S122, January 1998, part 2 (in section entitled, "Program and Abstracts of Papers to Be Presented During Scientific Sessions [at the] 54th Annual Meeting, March 13-18, 1998").

"Circulating Autoantibodies to Neuronal and Glial Filament Proteins in Autism." Pediatric Neurology, vol. 17, number 1, July 1997, pp. 88-90. A significant increase in incidence of anti-NAFP [neuron-axon-filament-protein] and anti-GFAP was seen in autistic subjects, but not in mentally retarded subjects. Clinically, these autoantibodies may be related to autoimmune pathology in autism.

"Hyperserotoninemia and Serotonin Receptor Antibodies in Children With Autism but Not Mental Retardation." Biological Psychiatry, vol. 41, number 6, March 15, 1997, pp. 753-5.

"Elevated Serotonin Levels in Autism: Association With the Major Histocompatibility Complex." Neuropsychobiology, vol. 34, number 2, 1996, pp. 72-5. Two of the most consistently observed biological findings in autism are increased serotonin levels in the blood and immunological abnormalities (including autoreactivity with tissues of the central nervous system). The major histocompatibiligy complex (MHC) regulates the immune system, and is associated with autoimmune disorders. In this study, a positive relationship was observed between elevated serotonin levels and the MHC types previously associated with autism.

"Plasma Increase of Interleukin-12 and Interferon-gamma. Pathological Significance in Autism." Journal of Neuroimmunology, vol. 66, numbers 1-2, May 1996, pp. 143-5. Immune factors such as autoimmunity have been implicated in the genesis of autism, a neurodevelopmental disorder. Since autoimmune response involves immune activation, the plasma levels of interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha), IFN-gamma, interleukin-12 (IL-12), and IL-6 were measured, along with tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha) and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1). The levels of IL-12 and IFN-gamma were significantly higher in autistic patients than in controls (the remaining measures were not significantly different). It is suggested that IL-12 and IFN-gamma increases may indicate antigenic stimulation of Th-1 cells pathogenetically linked to autoimmunity in autism.

"Immunogenetic Studies in Autism and Related Disorders." Molecular Chemistry and Neuropathology, vol. 28, numbers 1-3, May-August 1996, pp. 77-81. The major histocompatibiligy complex comprises a number of genes that control the function and regulation of the immune system. One of these, the C4B gene, encodes a product that is involved in eliminating pathogens such as viruses and bacteria from the body. A deficient form of the C4B gene, termed the C4B null allele (no C4B protein produced) was previously seen to have an increased frequency in autism. In this study, this finding was confirmed, and this same condition was detected in related [neurodevelopmental] disorders as well. In addition, two alleles of the DR beta 1 gene also had significantly increased representation in autistic subjects.

"Antibodies to Myelin Basic Protein in Children With Autistic Behavior." Brain, Behavior and Immunity, vol. 7, number 1, March 1993, pp. 97-103. Approximately 58% of the sera of autistic children were found to be positive for anti-MBP [anti-brain antibodies]. This result was significantly different from that of the controls, among whom were children with normal health, idiopathic mental retardation, and Down syndrome. It is possible that anti-MBP antibodies are associated with the development of autistic behavior.

"Possible Association of the Extended MHC Haplotype B44-SC30-DR4 With Autism." Immunogenetics, vol. 36, number 4, 1992, pp. 203-7. The complement C4B null allele appears to be associated with infantile autism. In this study, the incidence of B44-SC30-DR4 was increased by almost six-fold in the autistic subjects as compared with healthy controls. Moreover, the total number of extended haplotypes expressed on chromosomes of autistic subjects was significantly increased as compared with those expressed on chromosomes of healthy subjects. Conclusion: a gene related to, or included in, the extended major histocompatibility complex may be associated with autism.

"Increased Frequency of the Null Allele at the Complement C4b Locus in Autism." Clinical Experiments in Immunology, vol. 83, number 3, March 1991, pp. 438-40. Associations between C4 deficiency and autoimmune disorders have been found over the past several years. In this study, autistic subjects and their mothers had significantly increased phenotypic frequencies of the C4B null allele, compared with controls. The siblings of the autistic subjects also had an increased frequency of the C4B null allele, but this was not significant. The fathers did not display this allele. All family members had normal frequencies of the C4A null allele, all normal C4A and C4B alleles and all BF and C2 alleles.

"Changes of Soluble Interleukin-2, Interleukin-2 Receptor, T8 Antigen, and Interleukin-1 in the Serum of Autistic Children." Clinical Immunology and Immunopathology, vol. 61, number 3, December 1991, pp. 448-455. Findings indirectly indicated that the activation of a subpopulation of T cells occurs in some children with autism, as opposed to healthy children or children with mental retardation (non-Down's syndrome).

"Deficiency of Suppressor-inducer (CD4+CD45RA+) T Cells in Autism." Immunological Investigations, vol. 19, number 3, June 1990, pp. 245-51. Autistic subjects as compared to a group of 35 healthy age-matched subjects had a significantly reduced number of lymphocytes, a decreased number of CD2+ T cells and reduced numbers of CD4+ and CD4+CD45RA+ lymphocytes. Results suggest that an alteration in the suppressor-inducer T-cell subset is associated with autism.

"CD4+ Helper T Cell Depression in Autism." Immunology Letters, vol. 25, number 4, September 1990, pp. 341-5. Autistic subjects had a significantly lower percentage and number of CD4+ cells, a lower number of T cells (CD2+ cells) and B cells (CD20+ cells), and a lower percentage and number of total lymphocytes than siblings and normal subjects. The level of blood values for female subjects appeared lower than those for males as compared to normal subjects of the same sex. Results suggest that a decrease in CD4+ cells is associated with autism.



--for cognitive disorders see also "Vaccination against whooping-cough. Efficacy versus risks," The Lancet, vol. 1, January 29, 1977, pp. 234-7, above, in <<seizure disorders>>.


"Survival of the fittest"—‘morphing’ of eradicated viral diseases into new diseases
Dr. Bruce P. Squires remarked, "it is ironic that as smallpox was finally being eradicated in the late 1970s, another virus [HIV] was being transmitted to unsuspecting hosts" (Canadian Medical Association Journal, vol. 149, 1993, p. 919). Dr. James H. Battershill comments on this in the January 15, 1994 issue of the Journal (vol. 150, no. 2, p. 128): "…I have often wondered whether there was a relation between the cessation of small-pox vaccination and the appearance of AIDS. A shared antigen, perhaps?" Whatever the case, viruses are extremely clever survivors, able to mutate into new disease forms when their original presentations are defeated by vaccines. In Factoid Fallacies, below, the section on "Disease eradication" deals with this theme in part.

"Is RA27/3 rubella immunization a cause of chronic fatigue?" (Medical Hypotheses, vol. 27, no. 3, November 1988, pp. 217-20): "Patients with chronic fatigue syndromes (primary fibrositis syndrome, major affective disorder, etc.) have elevated IgG serum antibodies to multiple common viruses. Only IgG rubella antibodies are positively correlated with the intensity of symptoms and have a height that is clearly significant compared to healthy controls…A new more potent strain of live rubella vaccine (strain RA27/3) was introduced in 1979. Within three years reports of patients with chronic fatigue began surfacing in the literature. Considering all this, the possible role of rubella immunization in the etiology of chronic fatigue syndromes deserves further study."
"Second generation" -- layered -- antibodies
A problem unforeseen in the development of vaccines for common diseases is the advent of high antibody counts in fully-vaccinated parents who, in time, have children who are also vaccinated. Similarly, the effects of repeated vaccination or vaccination of persons with high antibody levels warrants careful observation and study. In "Combination vaccines for childhood immunization: Recommendations" (American Academy of Pediatrics/American Academy of Family Physicians), the safety and efficacy of administering combination (multivalent) vaccines to patients who already have immunity to one or more vaccine component (natural or via monovalent vaccine) is listed as a future research priority, indicating that the safety of this practice has not been proven. Even for persons not already immune to vaccine components, "the effects on immunogenicity and safety of simultaneous or repeated exposures to the same proteins used as antigens…and/or as carrier components" is at issue (pp. 10-12, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 48, RR05, May 14, 1999, pp. 1-15; text available http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr4805a1.htm).



"Associations of prevaccination antibody levels with adverse reactions to pneumococcal and influenza vaccines" (Vaccine, vol. 15, no. 10, July 1997, pp. 1133-7): The authors studied 85 elderly subjects vaccinated simultaneously with pneumococcal and influenza vaccines. Those subjects higher prevaccination antibody levels experienced a greater rise in body temperature post-vaccination. Injection site pain was more common with patients with higher pre-existing antibody counts in the case of the pneumococcal vaccine.
Death
SIDS (Sudden Infant Death Syndrome) has been associated with the diphtheria-pertussis-tetanus (DPT) vaccine. The new hepatitis B vaccine seems to present similar risks in use with infants. Cancer is an end result more and more frequently linked with viral contaminates of vaccines cultured in animal tissues. Other vaccine-precipitated diseases (featured above) can also result in death.47

"Association says numbers show mandatory vaccinations not best for children" (New York Times Syndicate news release, April 28, 1999): the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons found that children younger than 14 are three times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by the hepatitis B vaccines than they were to catch the disease, which is not spread by casual contact, but rather by injection, sex, or an infected mother.
Alteration of human genetic code
Viruses are able to infiltrate cells, inserting their genetic material into them. Indications have been found of changes to human genetic characteristics as a result of viral invasion.



"Role of Immunogenetics in the Diagnosis of Postvaccinal CNS Pathology," Department of Pediatric Surgery, University of Bari, Italy, presented May 9, 1996 (text available http://www.healthy.net/library/articles/coulter/biochem.htm):7 initially, thirty young children were tested and followed who showed the first symptoms of CNS pathology with or immediately after vaccination with polio, DT, measles, DPT, anti-tuberculosis, or Hepatitis-B vaccines. Immediate reactions to the vaccines included convulsions, high fever, or diarrhea with or immediately after vaccination. Among the post-vaccinal symptoms were encephalopathies, food allergies, constipation, diarrhea, and other central nervous system pathology. Diagnoses applied to subjects after vaccination and before this study were epilepsy of various types; epileptigenic encephalopathy, autism, West Syndrome, and Angelman's Syndrome.


There were no genetic or metabolic anomalies revealed during testing which might have explained the CNS symptoms. The viral encephalopathies which presented with or following vaccination were not due to transplacental viral infection. EEGs after initial symptoms were negative in 92 percent. Following vaccination and CNS symptoms, serologic investigations for herpes viruses were positive in all cases for IgG. IgG for Epstein-Barr virus and cytomegalovirus were estimated to be positive in 73.8/71.4 percent respectively, herpes simplex in 47.6 percent, and varicella zoster in 21.4 percent of patients. 73.3 percent of subjects showed an increase in the HLA-A3 and HLA-DR7 antigens as compared with the Italian population at large.



The authors found and describe, in this paper, biochemical markers of vaccine damage (e.g., changes in inherited HLA type). They also point out that most vaccines contain thimerosal, a toxic substance associated with neurologic and gastrointestinal symptoms. The fact that post-vaccinal pathologies of the central nervous system are often not thoroughly investigated occasioned this study. Additional cases are under study to better define the possible association of HLA A3 and/or HLA DR7 with this CNS pathology following vaccination.

"New Genetic Study Points Way for Vaccine Reaction Research/Novel Genetic Clinical Marker Found in Blood of Gulfwar Vets" (Press release, National Vaccine Information Center/PR Newswire, Washington, D.C., May 3, 1999, 5:48 p.m.; original source is Clinical and Diagnostic Laboratory Immunology, May 1999): A three year study funded and conducted by the Chronic Illness Research Foundation in collaboration with the University of Michigan School of Medicine found abnormal RNA in the blood of 50 percent of sick Gulf War veterans, indicating that chromosomal damage had occurred. This genetic material was not found in any of the healthy controls. Damage to chromosome 22q11.2 has been linked in other published studies to autoimmune diseases such as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and other illnesses like multiple myeloma cancer. The discovery of RNA in the cell-free fractions of blood is an anomaly, as it is not normally present in serum. RNA can exist outside the cell only if it is protected, as RNA viruses can. Gulf War soldiers were given 17 different viral and bacterial vaccines, including experimental anthrax and botulinum toxoid vaccines. Experimental drugs were also given and [in veterans actually deployed to the Gulf] there were exposures to pesticides, low-level chemical warfare agents, low-level radiation, toxic combustion products, etc. The resultant symptoms are similar to those of vaccine-damaged children. Dr. Howard B. Urnovitz, microbiologist and Science Director of the Chronic Illness Research Foundation, interpreted findings to indicate that certain genotypes may be particularly at risk for sustaining chromosomal damage after exposure to toxic events; ways to identify and prescreen for individuals who may be at high risk for chromosomal damage should be found.



The Wakefield study---and others




Work at the Royal Free Hospital, London

The February 28, 1998 issue of the prestigious journal The Lancet contained the study which occasioned London’s "ABCs" venture: "Ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children," by Andrew Wakefield and a team of British scientists.8 Dr. Wakefield, an internationally-known gastroenterologist, and colleagues had been searching for nearly a decade for the origins of Crohn’s disease, a debilitating, increasingly common inflammatory bowel disorder. In "Ileal-lymphoid-nodular-hyperplasia," the British scientists investigated, initially, a group of twelve children ages three to ten; by January 1998 Wakefield’s team totalled fifty-one investigations of children with regressive autistic spectrum disorders and inflammatory bowel disease and, as of July 1998, had at least one year’s worth of additional examinations scheduled as parents of similarly autistic children queued up.9



The measles virus had long been a part of Wakefield, et al.’s investigations of Crohn’s disease because of the virus’ vascular effects.10 The children in Wakefield et al.’s study met developmental milestones normally until the administration of the MMR or MR vaccine or until experiencing wild measles. At varying intervals following these events, the patients regressed noticeably, as susceptible people have been known to do in cases of complicated wild measles, and even with vaccines; eventually they were diagnosed with autism, PDD, disintegrative psychosis, or vaccinal encephalitis.11 Known causes of childhood neurodegenerative disease were excluded through testing. There were no focal neurological abnormalities. MRI and EEG testing in these young sufferers of autistic enterocolitis"12 was normal.13 Ultimately, each was found to have classic signs of inflammatory bowel disease, with immune activation markers.14 Measles virus proteins were discovered in the germinal centers of inflamed lymphoid tissue in the guts. Tissue samples proved negative for other viruses, parasites or other organisms.15



Wakefield, et al.’s conclusions in perspective

Before the Wakefield "early report" of February 1998, the measles virus and measles vaccination had been identified as a risk factor for Crohn’s disease, and persistent (chronic) measles vaccine-strain virus infection had been found in children with autoimmune hepatitis.16 That the intestinal and ‘autistic’ behavioral pathologies occurred together in these children might have happened by chance, but for the uniformity of the intestinal signs and the findings of intestinal dysfunction in previous studies of autistic children. Extensive metabolic dysfunction in autism had also been described previously, and in great detail. Disintegrative disorders had long been linked to measles and rubella infection ("Ileal-lymphoid-nodular-hyperplasia," February 1998; conference, Tulane University, July 1998). Researchers such as Fudenberg and Gupta and others had previously commented on similar developments in children in relation to vaccination.17 Billed as an "Early Report" in the Lancet’s terminology, "Ileal-lymphoid-nodular-hyperplasia" did not demonstrate a link between the MMR vaccine and "autistic enterocolitis," but underlined clearly the need for further research into this intestinal/developmental syndrome and its possible relation to the MMR vaccine. Wakefield, et al. offer a possible explanation for the syndrome’s prevalence in certain children:



Published evidence is inadequate to show whether there is a change in incidence [of this syndrome] or a link with measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine… In the context of susceptibility to infection, a genetic association with autism, linked to a null allele of the complement C4B-gene located in the class III region of the major-histocompatibility complex, has been recorded by Warren and colleagues. C4B-gene products are crucial for the activation of the complement pathway and protection against infection: individuals inheriting one or two C4B null alleles may not handle certain viruses appropriately, possibly including attenuated strains.18

Investigative work continues in this area, as the British team of scientists look for molecular evidence of persistent measles virus infection in the intestinal tissues (conference). A first effort to accomplish this failed as chosen methods proved insufficiently sensitive.19


Vaccine-theory reactions and support

A firestorm of criticism met the Wakefield study. Though scrutinized pre-publication by four peer-reviewers, rather than the usual two, for inclusion in The Lancet, public health officials, their medical associates, and others denigrated the study and its author. Normally, commentaries on such Lancet publications are brief and are placed in subsequent issues of The Lancet, in the "letters" section, using the title of the article commented upon. In the case of "Ileal-lymphoid-nodular-hyperplasia," however, a rebuttal article by Robert Chen of the Centers for Disease Control was placed in the same issue, and given equal presence in the table of contents.20 In the NARRATIVE article, "The ABCs of MMRs and DTPs," London begins his discussion of the Wakefield study ‘on the wrong foot,’ misquoting the name of its principal author. London cites a selectively few studies or opinions critical of Wakefield’s work, ignoring several which are compellingly supportive, both from previous publications and publications which followed the February 28th Early Report—most notably, the replication of Wakefield’s work with a group of children with ADD and ADHD and food allergy symptoms, at the International Center for Interdisciplinary Studies of Immunology and Department of Pediatrics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, D.C. A reactionary study by a Finnish group is used by London in "ABCs," and has been used by others, as proof of no association between autism, inflammatory bowel disease and measles, though its methodology was in actuality poor, and its conclusions not applicable to the Wakefield findings. The Georgetown University study is reported in The Lancet as follows:



A J Wakefield and co-workers have identified a new relation between gastrointestinal disease and developmental disorders in children; it opens a new avenue for the study of the gastrointestinal tract and other diseases that may be immunologically mediated. Their findings of ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia and non-specific colitis gastrointestinal manifestations in connection with autistic-spectrum disorders is the first description of this relation, with strong data suggesting the anatomical and histological alteration of the gut in such disorders. Although these workers suggest possible mechanism(s) of increased permeability for exogenous molecules they do not offer any explanation for these gastrointestinal alterations. The endoscopic and histopathological findings of ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia and non-specific colitis have so far escaped explanation and have evaded pathogenetic definition.


In support of the findings of Wakefield et al are several behavioural and clinical features known to be related to the central nervous system (CNS), such as migraine, infantile colic, abdominal epilepsy, allergic-tension-fatigue syndrome, and attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder, which have been related to food allergy, although the precise relation is still unclear. IgE-mediated food allergy is plainly not the only mechanism of tissue injury, and these specific disorders could involve other mechanisms.



A major investigative effort of our laboratories has been directed to the study of food allergy and the immunological involvement of the gut as a central focus for injury of other target organs (skin, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract). We have noted a striking appearance of ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia in patients with non-IgE-mediated food allergy who present with asthma, atopic dermatitis, and attention-deficit-hyperactivity disorder. We have also studied two patients with this hyperactive disorder who were allergic to various foods, and our findings obtained by colonoscopy of their terminal ileum, shown in the figure, match with those reported by Wakefield and co-workers.



In our study, ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia is the hallmark lesion of the gastrointestinal tract, which allows entry of antigens across the inflamed mucosa of the bowel as a result of the reactive inflammatory response in the adjacent lymphoid tissue of Peyer's patches in patients with non-IgE-mediated food allergy. We propose that similar mechanism(s) may be involved in the pathogenesis of the CNS dysfunction in the patients described by Wakefield and co-workers.



Although Wakefield's study, which suggests a connection between the CNS and the gut in patients previously immunised with measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, did not prove an association [Wakefield did call for further research which would be required to accomplish this], it has stimulated further discussion and opened unanticipated lines of investigation concerning the role of ileal-lymphoid-nodular hyperplasia as a predictive marker of gastrointestinal inflammation responsible for immunologically mediated tissue injury in other target organs sites.21



Wakefield's recommendations
London asserts, on page 15 of "ABCs," that Wakefield, et al. advocated use of existing vaccination schedules and products in the absence of further information about possible relationships between vaccine viruses and conditions such as autism. In "Ileal-lymphoid-nodular-hyperplasia," however, Andrew Wakefield, et al. actually suggest that, until research can be done to further clarify possible MMR problems in some children, that measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines be given monovalently (separately, during separate office visits, spaced widely), to avoid interactions that may encourage pathogenesis.



There is precedent for this line of thought. In 1989, a physician responds to reports of mumps encephalitis following MMR administration with a report of a case of mumps encephalitis after simultaneous mumps and adenovirus infections, noting "the possibility that children are more vulnerable to complications if they are exposed to more than one virus simultaneously" (The Lancet, vol. 2, August 12, 1989, pp. 394-5). In "Adverse reactions associated with simultaneous administration of multiple vaccines to travelers" (Journal of General Internal Medicine, vol. 9, no. 5, May 1994, pp. 255-60), the authors conclude, "Increasing the number of vaccines [and thus the number of viruses contacted simultaneously] is associated with increasing the rates of [both] local and systemic reactions." "Mumps and Measles in [the] same year [is] linked to Later Inflammatory Bowel Disease," stated a Reuters Medical News release dated April 6, 1999, and "mumps infection in the same year as monovalent measles vaccination appeared to increase the risk of later Crohn's disease."22 The tender age at which children are vaccinated for—at present count—some 22 diseases may also contribute to the number of pathogenic reactions. In "Age-dependent susceptibility in mumps-associated hydrocephalus: neuropathologic features and brain barriers," Acta Neuropathologica, vol. 94, no. 3, September 1997, pp. 207-15, the authors state, "central nervous system susceptibility to viral infection is often age dependent for unclear reasons… Our results suggest that tight junctions in the early postnatal period are more immature and fragile than in the adult. We concluded that brain susceptibility in mumps virus-induced hydrocephalus is intimately related to the maturity of brain barriers." In "Evaluation of humoral responsiveness in children," Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, vol. 11, no. 4, April 1992, pp. 304-10, the authors relate, "the wide age-dependent variation in antibody responses makes careful interpretation necessary in concluding that a pateitn falls outside the ‘normal’ pattern… Interpretation of antibody responses in children younger than 2 years of age is probably hazardous since manyu patients may have relative retardation in their normal development of polysaccharide antibody responsiveness."

Repeated challenges may also be a problem. In "Over-immunization--an ever present problem" (Australian Family Physician, vol. 5, no. 6, July 1976, pp. 734-55) the authors warn against a sense of false security [about immunization] and notes a tendency among the medical community to over-immunize. "Repeated antigenic challenge may cause hypersensitivity reactions which could harm the individual… The need to appreciate the dangers inherent in all immunization procedures in general, and in certain vaccines in particular, is emphasized [in the full-text article]." In "Combination vaccines for childhood immunization: Recommendations" (American Academy of Pediatrics/American Academy of Family Physicians), the Academies list as future research priorities the safety of administering combination vaccines to patients who might already have immunity (natural or vaccine-conveyed) to one or more component, as well as the safety of repeated exposures to the same proteins used as antigens and/or carrier components in existing and future conjugated vaccines is listed as a research priority--implying that the safety of this prevailing practice has not been satisfactorily proven. "Chemical incompatibility or immunologic interference when different antigens are combined into one vaccine could be difficult to overcome" (p. 8; pp. 10-12, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 48, RR05, May 14, 1999, pp. 1-15; text available http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr4805a1.htm).



Broader implications

Their association with a variety of diseases and conditions such as learning disabilities, hyperactivity, and conduct disorders seems to implicate viral activity, as discussed in Harris Coulter’s Vaccination, Social Violence, and Criminality (Center for Empirical Medicine, 1990).

The "Thalidomide Connection"



Prior to birth, thalidomide embryopathy has been associated with autism ("Etiology of infantile autism," Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience, vol. 24, no. 2, March 1999, pp. 103-15). Environmental insults are thought to play a role in the etiology of autism after birth as well. Unknown to most consumers, toxic substances like thimerosal (mercury) and formalin (a formaldehyde derivative) are commonly used in vaccines.


"Reactions to thimerosal in hepatitis B vaccines" (Dermatologic Clinics, vol. 8, no. 1, January 1990, pp. 161-4): "Hypersensitivity to thimerosal in vaccines had been reported to induce persistent local reactions, urticarial and generalized exanthematic eruptions, and, in the case of the hepatitis B vaccine, urticaria with asthma. The authors describe two cases of extensive reactions…Although not all thimerosal-sensitive patients develop adverse reactions to vaccines containing this material, there is a potential risk, and the reactions can be very long lasting."

Vaccine necessity: manufactured epidemics

Historically the medical profession, and even more frequently the United States and foreign agencies responsible for disease prevention and control, have forecast epidemics or exaggerated the prevalence and threat of vaccine-preventable diseases many times, urging immediate, mandated vaccination of all persons, without actual epidemics or other evidence manifesting to justify these efforts. Invoking the memory of the worldwide influenza pandemic of 1918-19, government scientists and bureaucrats spread fear of a new pandemic of this "Swine flu," predicted for the late 1970s, in spite of the fact that "virologic science had no way to predict in advance the severity of a pandemic" (pp. 23 and 30, Pure Politics and Impure Science: The Swine Flu Affair, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1981). A vaccine was concocted, hastily, and a national immunization program was legislated into action. Not only did the pandemic fail to arrive, but many Swine Flu vaccinees contracted Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a body-wide, paralyzing autoimmune disorder. Some died from the Guillain-Barre, or died from the vaccine itself.

Investigative journalist Janine Roberts documents an urgent warning issued in the United Kingdom in November 1994, forecasting a measles epidemic which would infect between 100 and 200,000 children, of which some 50 would die--if children ages 5 to 15 were not immediately revaccinated for measles, mumps and rubella ("The Fraudulent Measles Epidemic;" posted as part of The Web Inquirer, September 29, 1995, http://www.gn.apc.org/inquirer/fraud.html; posted April 8, 1999, 12:13 a.m. on Vaccine Information and Awareness discussion list, via@access1.net). Roberts quotes Dr. Richard Nicholson, editor of the Bulletin of Medical Ethics, who studied government reports and declared that there was no proof that such an epidemic was about to begin. The government's estimate of the number to be infected and killed, Nicholson stated, was based on "improper use of statistics and out of date death rates."

Interestingly, a British law firm investigating vaccine deaths and injuries notes a change in the way the diseases measles, mumpsand rubella are regarded in medical reference texts, before and after vaccinesfor these became available--i.e., the diseases are first described as mild and transient, with low incidence of complications, thenpotentially serious, with considerable risk of complications, after the vaccine came into existence (Richard Barr and Kirsten Limb, "Vaccines. Fact Sheet," section three, "Background: Setting the illnesses in context;" text available from the Society for the Autistically Handicapped, http://www.rmplc.co.uk/eduweb/sites/autism/index.html).

--see also Factoid Fallacies: …the severity of vaccine-preventable diseases…"all of these illnesses are killers," below--

Popular statistics (Vaccine efficacy, safety, and other figures)



The purvey of statistics is an art—and a science—which is fascinating and useful but highly manipulable. Statistics are easily concocted and are literally bought and sold in support of a wide variety of enterprises. Statistics on vaccine safety and efficacy have been published by the Centers for Disease Control which are favorable to the pharmaceutical industry and the government's efforts to promote immunization, but these have been widely challenged. As important as the statistics themselves are the methods, sources, and motives by which they are assembled. Government statistics which describe the number of incidents of death or serious injury by vaccines as "rare" are based on a set of criteria which exclude almost every case on record with VAERS, the government-established vaccine injury reporting facility--most often because the vaccine-caused death, injury, illness or disability occurred beyond a very narrow time period, such as seventy-two hours. Because of the lack of conclusive, long-term studies, many disabilities and diseases thought to be connected with viral activity are not included in the government's vaccine injuries compensation table, and as a result are not included in published statistics. Increasing the unreliability of these statistics is the unfortunate reality that most vaccine reactions are not reported; VAERS is a passive reporting system heavily dependent on physicians' and citizens' abilities to recognize, and willingness to report, vaccine reactions. Government statistics on vaccine efficacy and safety are listed and analyzed in Neil Z. Miller’s Vaccines: Are They Really Safe and Effective? (Santa Fe: New Atlantean Press, 1992/1998).
To date, there has been no concerted national effort to determine the actual incidence of autism--one of the many disabilities/diseases that can be caused by immunization--since it was described by Kanner in the 1940s. The most frequently quoted incidence figure, based on large-scale surveys in the United States in England, is 4.5 in 10,000--not including other autism spectrum disorders.23 Presently the CDC admits to an estimated autism incidence of 1 in 500 (contrasted with an earlier estimate of 1 in 10,000). The actual incidence is suspected by the autism community to be at least this high, perhaps higher than 1 in 200, and to be increasing exponentially [coincidentally or not, the number of mandated or recommended immunizations is also rapidly expanding].24 In response to a recent inquiry, the Assessment, Evaluation and Support Unit of the California Department of Education's Special Education Division gave the following statement about increases in the numbers of special education students with autism:



"…the only info I can provide on Autism is the number of students, ages 0-22, with IEPs receiving special education services in California. We first started collecting enrollments count on Autism in the 1992-93 school year. On April 1, 1993, there were 2,157 students (out of 540,472) reported [to have autism]. Five years later, on April 1, 1998, there were 8,084 students (out of 632,238) reported."25
The California Department of Developmental Services recently produced A Report to the Legislature: Changes in the Population of Persons with Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders in California's Developmental Services System: 1987 through 1998 (text available at http://www.dds.ca.gov/autismreport.cfm). In 1987 there were 3,864 autistic children enrolled in the department's twenty-one regional programs; in 1998, 11,995 autistic children were counted--a 210% increase. Children with other disorders such as cerebral palsy and epilepsy increased at a rate consistent with the state's population growth (from 30-48%). The Illinois State Board of Education lists figures for the incidence of both autism and learning disabilities: autism cases on hand were 317 in 1991, and 2,305 in 1997. The number of children with learning disabilities was, in 1991, 111,326, and in 1997, 126, 065.26
While reviewing published statistics on vaccine safety and efficacy, a wide variety of statistics need to be compiled and considered in the same context--e.g., the overall number of children presently in special education, against the number in special schools or institutions, or at home due to disability, thirty to forty years ago, prior to widespread immunization; the number of children on public assistance (disability) rolls, and the present number of juvenile criminals and the types of crimes committed, presently and pre-immunization. Also highly relevant to this study are the incidences of pediatric illnesses such as asthma, leukemia, Crohn's Disease, disorders of the ear, autoimmune diabetes, etc., before and after the advent of vaccination. These should, of course, be weighed against population increases and other factors. These considerations are targeted in Harris Coulter’s Vaccination, Social Violence, and Criminality (Center for Empirical Medicine, 1990).



Factoid fallacies



A number of short statements or rhetorical questions in the Eric London's "ABCs of MMRs and DTPs" should be reconsidered in the light of existing information:



(Page 14, London) "…Schizophrenia may work the same way [as autism]: researchers have now found a great deal of evidence that schizophrenia happens in the womb..… [no citations]"
In adjacent passages, London strongly implies that schizophrenia and autism are not only similar, but are purely genetic—not immunological or viral.



Autism was at one time called "childhood schizophrenia." It is now known to be a very different phenomenon. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, 1994, says, on page 66, "there is considerable evidence to suggest that the Pervasive Developmental Disorders are distinct from Schizophrena…" Michael Rutter and Eric Schopler observe, in Diagnosis and Assessment in Autism (1988), pages 16 and 17, "The likely discontinuity between autism and schizophrenia is strongly indicated by the bimodal distribution of age of onset…[it is] improbable that autism and schizophrenia constitute subvarieties of the same basic condition…in addition, autism and schizophrenia differ sharply in family history (a familial loading of schizophrenia is rare with autism), in phenomenology (delusions and hallucinations are rare in autism), in course (often episodic with periods of normality or near-normality in schizophrenia, but persistent in autism), and in the association with epileptic seizures (rare in schizophrenia but present in about a quarter of cases of autism)."On page 84, Volkmar and Cohen, also in Diagnosis and Assessment, 1988, elaborate on the differences between "childhood schizophrenia" and autism, referring to research. Gary Mesibov and colleagues reflect this same viewpoint in Autism: Understanding the Disorder, 1997: "today, with the accumulation of much evidence distinguishing them, autism and schizophrenia are viewed as completely separate disorders," giving a history of thought concerning these two illnesses and contrasting them further (pp. 42-3).



It is worth noting, however, certain similarities between schizophrenia and autism which go unremarked in London’s article: Dr. Kalle Reichelt of the Pediatric Research Institute, Oslo, Norway, describes a body of research linking both schizophrenia and autism to faulty metabolism of gluten and casein-containing foods, permeable gut, and raised antibody levels against gluten and other food proteins.32 Knight, et al., ask the riveting question, "Can autoimmune mechanisms account for the genetic predisposition to schizophrenia?"33 Spivak, et al. note a diminished total haemolytic activity in schizophrenia not attributable to drug treatment, which might be related to the involvement of an autoimmune process in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.34 A study performed by Sirota, et al., found that anti-nuclear antibodies and anti-DNA autoantibodies were significantly more frequent in both schizophrenic patients and healthy relatives than in normal subjects, concluding, "The data indicate that an autoimmune process may be involved in the etiology of a subset of patients with schizophrenia."35 A. E. Henneberg, working with various colleagues, found significant increases in the numbers of certain T-lymphocyte subpopulations in schizophrenic patients compared to controls. Antibodies to brain tissue were found in schizophrenic patients, but not in controls; the action of these was mainly directed against neurons in the frontal cortex and septal areas, which are regarded as important in the development of schizophrenia.46

In Immunologic Mechanisms in Neurologic and Psychiatric Disease, 1990, the authors examine psychiatric disorders from an neuroimmunological perspective—especially schizophrenia. On page 162 of Immunologic Mechanisms it appears that, though the role of viral infection in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia has been studied, the findings did not (as of 1990) show substantial evidence linking a specific virus to schizophrenia [unlike in autism]—although "schizophreniform disturbances" have been noted in HIV infection (pp. 302-3). "Recently, it has been suggested that retroviruses may be involved in the etiology of schizophrenia; however, this notion also lacks support [i.e., sufficient research]." Instead, "numerous studies have considered the possibility that schizophrenia is owing to an autoimmune disorder that involves the brain (page 162)."36 However, a slightly earlier Russian study found statistically significant elevation in the anti-smallpox antibody titers of 77 schizophrenics, compared with 44 normal controls. There was also "a certain increase" in antibody levels to measles virus. There was no difference between the schizophrenics and controls concerning two other viruses. A relationship between antibody production and the severity and course of the disease, as well as the age of the subjects, was noted ("Antibodies to measles, smallpox, influenza and arenaviruses in schizophrenic patients," Zh Nevropatol. Psikhiatr., vol. 86, no. 1, 1986, pp. 106-8).

Since Immunologic Mechanisms was published, the hypothesis that viruses or other infectious agents may cause schizophrenia or bipolar disorder has been revived. The Stanley Laboratory of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine devotes itself, as its overall goal, to the development of a training and research program devoted to the "elucidation of the role of infection and immunity in the etiology of schizophrenia and biopolar disorders http://www.med.jhu.edu/stanleylab/labinfo.html). "The scientific goals of the Stanley Laboratory are based on the premise that human neuropsychiatric diseases arise from the interaction of infectious agents, the immune response, and the genetic susceptibility of an individual. This approach assumes that complex human diseases represent multiple interactions between environmental and genetic constituents…Working Hypothesis: Environmental factors include infection and the immune response occurring during the prenatal or postnatal periods or later in life; genetic factors may include the determinants of the response to infection and the regulation of cytokines and other immune mediators" (http://www.med.jhu.edu/stanleylab/research/intro.html). The theoretical bases for this approach is outlined in "Viruses as Etiologic Agents of Schizophrenia" (Advances in Biological Psychiatry, vol. 18, nos. 1-12, 1997; http://www.med.jhu.edu/stanleylab/etiologi.html).

(Pages 1, 13-14, London) "Margaret Bauman’s and Anthony Bailey’s brain autopsies both show many brain changes that must occur before birth; Joseph Piven’s MRI studies indicate a prenatal defect in brain development…" The foregoing passages are a part of London’s argument that autism is genetic—occurring before birth—not immunological, and is not caused or triggered by immunization. But it is difficult to come to London’s conclusion—that MRI studies indicate a prenatal defect in brain development in autistic children which is responsible for their autism—on actually reading Piven’s work. In the Discussion section of Piven’s study, the following passages appear (p. 738):



"In our study, cortical malformations were not confined to any particular lobe and were detected at the same rate in both hemispheres. The failure of these lesions to coincide topographically suggests that it is unlikely that they have a direct role in the pathogenesis of autism, but, rather, that in a subgroup of autistic individuals, they are linked to the underlying mechanism in the disorder…Both extrinsic and instrinsic factors, including fetal anoxia, maternal cytomegalovirus infection…have been implicated in the pathogenesis of cerebral cortical malformations. Rakic, in addition, has hypothesized that cell-cell interactions resulting from viral infection, cell-mediated immune reactions, or defects in the recognition of specific proteins essential for cell movement may be responsible for abnormal neuronal migration. Immunologic abnormalities have been demonstrated in autism…these studies suggest that the relationship between cortical malformations and prenatal immunologic, neurochemical, and genetic abnormalities in autistic subjects warrants further exploration. Our findings raise several questions regarding the validity of MRI in detecting cerebral cortical malformations….."37

That structural defects of the brain are implicated in autism seems to be true only of a small segment of the autistic population (recall the normal MRIs in Wakefield’s study). As regards brain studies via autopsy, few autistic children—particularly regressively autistic children—have been autopsied, to date—far too few to come to any firm conclusions, as London does in "ABCs." Children with regressive autism almost always have normal MRIs, or MRIs that are normal except for the kind of demyelination seen in diseases like multiple sclerosis, which is autoimmune in nature. EEGs, however, often show abnormalities. DSM-IV says, describing features of Autistic Disorder (page 68), "Imaging studies may be abnormal in some cases, but no specific pattern has been clearly identified [in autistic disorder]. EEG abnormalities are common….." In "Autism and the Immune System," Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, vol. 38 no. 3, 1997, the authors conclude their study and review of the literature by suggesting that the brain abnormalities that have been found in autism may be "but one consequence of abnormal brain development, which in turn may be linked with disordered immune function in a yet unknown way" (page 346). They stress the importance of further research on the immunological abnormalities in autism, and suggest some specific avenues for study.


Bauman and Kemper's belief that cerebellar abnormalities in autism are the result of an in-utero process is subject to a number of criticisms. T. C. Binstock's research paper, "Changing the autism paradigm: a critique of Kemper & Bauman's speculations regarding in-utero timing" observes that B/K's conclusions are contrary to other recent findings in many crucial respects. Part of the authors' rationale is based on work that is extremely dated (e.g., 1908). Binstock's critique offers three particular conclusions regarding the work of Bauman and Kemper: 1) not all autistic persons have cerebellar features identical to those described by B/K--thus, B/K's findings can only be taken to represent a subset of autistics, rather than all cases of autism (there may even have been an induced selection bias affecting B/K's observations, due to narrow criteria for selection of subjects); 2) neither lack of gliosis nor lack of retrograde cell loss in the interior olivary nucleus necessarily implies in-utero timing of altered cerebellar morphology. Binstock's final conclusion is that 3) some cases of autism are in-utero with regard to timing of causality--not all.38



(Page 1, London) "…there has been little if any scientific evidence to substantiate an association between vaccination and autism."



The terminology used in discussing causation issues—such as "scientific;" "evidence;" "cases"—should be closely defined within the context of any such discussion; otherwise statements such as London's, above, are apt to seriously mislead the public. London offers the above passages as proof that there is no causal relationship between the vaccination and autism, but his statements actually underline a critical problem: in spite of the fact that most vaccine reactions are never reported, there are in fact many case reports, research articles, and even books spanning thirty years or more, written by highly-esteemed scientists, which report the numerous deaths, illnesses, and disablements associated with vaccine viruses but, paradoxically, these are not considered by the government or by much of the scientific community to be evidential.27 Surveying the literature, the matter of "evidence" of relationships between disease conditions and microbes must be evaluated very carefully to determine the reliability of information presented, and the objectivity of its presenters.

At least three working definitions of the term "evidence" can be discerned in literature. In Clinical Aspects of Hearing (Springer Handbook of Auditory Research, vol. 7, Springer-Verlag, 1996; chapter 6, "The Role of Viral Infection in the Development of Otopathology," pp. 157-8), chapter author Nigel Woolf discusses the difficulty of proving viral causation for various otopathologies. The conditions to be satisfied in order to attribute a viral etiology to an auditory or vestibular pathology may include Koch's postulates, "as modified for infectious agents." These requirements include identification (isolation) of the virus from the location in question; a close association of the virus with a specific clinical syndrome; the ability to transfer the viral infection to an experimental animal model; and the capacity to recreate a homologous disease in the animal model following viral transfer. The latter are often impossible, as human viruses frequently will not transfer to experimental animal models (for many viruses, the different viral isotypes have been shown to be species-specific both in vivo and in vitro). However, the authors of Psychoneuroimmunology (Academic Press, 1991) point out that, while it is difficult to prove that a virus causes an illness, it is also "difficult to rule out viral causality because ‘absence of proof is not absence of absence (pp.750-1).’" Working with bacteria, G. J. Domingue and H. B. Woody of Tulane University Medical School state, "A considerable body of experimental and clinical evidence supports the concept that difficult-to-culture and dormant bacteria are involved in latency of infection and that these persistent bacteria may be pathogenic…A series of cases illustrating idiopathic conditions in which cryptic bacteria have been implicated in the expression of disease is presented." The authors suggest that Koch's postulates, one mechanism for determining causation, may have to be redefined in terms of molecular data when dormant and nonculturable organisms involved in latent or persistent infection are implicated as causative agents of "mysterious" diseases.28


There is little reliable "scientific" evidence in terms of formal, controlled studies chiefly because thorough, independent (non-industry or government-connected) studies examining the long-term influence of vaccinations on children have rarely been funded or conducted--particularly in the United States. Similarly, research has rarely been conducted in examination of the neurologically impaired, to ascertain the impact of vaccination. A recent post to an electronic mail newsgroup describes the problem in a nutshell:



The central defect in the numerous, recent mandatory vaccination requirements is that the same people who are profiting from these vaccines are also in control of the research on[,] and publication of[,] the dangers of the vaccines. The fox is pretending to guard the henhouse. …foreign research has found problems with the Hepatitis B vaccine for children. Note that I said "foreign," because there is no independent US medical research on this.29

Incredibly, even industry safety studies on the MMR vaccine have not extended beyond three weeks following vaccination.


Oddly, viruses like rubella have long been considered causal for autism if encountered congenitally, or if encountered naturally in the environment after birth, but not if acquired through vaccination--even though scientific literature confirms that attenuated viruses CAN cause disease. Using case reports, research articles, and uncontrolled studies as platforms, medical scientists like Montinari, et al. (University of Bari, Italy, "Role of Immunogenetics…"), Wakefield, et al., and many others have, and continue to, urge further study on the impact of vaccines on a variety of medical conditions. Few have emerged, and reporting in the few published accounts of vaccine injury and death is frequently hindered by several factors. A study concerning bias, originating at the Institute of Vaccinology and Virology, Hamburg, Germany, was published in Acta Paediatrica Japonica in August 1991, volume 33, number 4, pages 421-7, titled, "Bias in evaluating CNS complications following pertussis immunization." An abstract of this paper briefly states that, in the evaluation of central nervous system complications following pertussis immunization, bias contributed to all of the following:



the infrequency of notifications of postimmunization adverse events



The author notes that the reporting and claims processes in Germany are simpler than in the United States, resulting in far more reported instances of adverse reactions in Germany than in the USA.

variable accuracy of publications by vaccine producers on the frequency of adverse



reactions

Vaccine manufacturers in Germany do not hesitate, says the author, to publish statistics and narratives concerning complications from vaccination. German manufacturers reported far more reactions and deaths than comparable firms in the United Kingdom.

the lack of reporting or skewed reporting of comparison[s] of permanent brain damage after DPT AND DT immunization



Reactions to the DPT vaccine were significantly more numerous than those to the DT vaccine, pointing to problems with tolerance of the pertussis component in the DPT, but the evaluators of these cases put this down to bias, even though their case findings did not support this conclusion. When cross-examined in a court of law later, one of the evaluators, a former member of the Wellcome [pharmaceutical] Foundation, revealed that he had sent a draft of this evaluation to Wellcome [presumably for approval of its content]. Similarly, a judge dismissed many cases of "Reye-like syndromes" following DPT immunization, though they were well-founded.

the prevalence of pro-immunization sentiments



The author alludes to a "conspiracy of silence" among doctors reluctant to report serious events for which they were partially responsible; others may be so caught up in the prevention movement that they fail to realize that adverse events really occur. Still others may not report lest the reports fuel anti-vaccination debate. At the Fifth International Congress of Infectious Diseases, circa 1980, the author states, a clinic head from West Germany claimed never to have seen a neurological complication following pertussis immunization; later, after his retirement, his clinical staff recovered records of complications and stated that cases had usually been ignored with a "what must not be therefore cannot be" attitude (p. 424).

the background rate of convulsions and pertussis vaccine-associated seizures



The incidence of convulsions following vaccination are weighed against a calculated rate of "chance occurrences" of convulsions. The differences in the number of convulsions or serious disabilities following DPT as compared to DT vaccination in the Federal Republic of Germany were significant, though the judge in a key vaccine trial refused to acknowledge this, and ruled accordingly.

the reporting of, and the number of cases of immunization associated viral encephalitis



DPT vaccination may provoke encephalitis indirectly via a previously-existing herpes or coxsackie virus infection, either through over-stimulation or suppression of immune system components, or directly through a hyperacute allergic reaction; this connection, however, has been missed by many practitioners and insufficiently considered by others.

the inaccuracy of vaccine-injury statistics



"Normally one expects scientific statistics to be reliable," this paragraph begins. The most relied-upon expert in a particular trial presented statistical evidence to a judge which was skewed by incorrect grouping of data, and assessment of 50 patients as "normal" who had abnormal EEGs. This scientist claimed to have taken care to ensure…overestimation rather than under estimation of the risks of pertussis vaccine.

misdesign of the NCES guidelines for notification of adverse events following vaccination



Reporting of severe vaccine-related complications is hampered by an arbitrary temporal limit on seizure activity: if post-vaccination seizures, or seizures followed by coma, paralysis or other neurological signs occur within the first 3 days and last two hours or more, they are considered complications of vaccination. Seizures lasting less than two hours were discounted (many cases handled by the author lasted less than half an hour.

practitioners’ personal opinions and concerns regarding vaccination and the arbitration process
The author notes that of 85 cases claiming postimmunization pertussis damage, he had dismissed 22 cases out of concern that he might be biased toward the plaintiffs. The authorities dismissed another 20 cases. That total of dismissals was equivalent to the number of cases the author felt were wrongly dismissed by others in this study.
The abstract of "Bias in evaluating…" tersely concludes, "A review of these points indicates an underestimation of CNS complications after pertussis immunization."


Dr. Harris Coulter, President of the Center for Empirical Medicine, Washington D. C., testified before the House of Representatives, United States Congress, in April 1997 saying, "The fact that the federal medical establishment - which would be the major source of funds for such an epidemiologic investigation - is itself highly committed to the childhood vaccination program, goes far to explain the absence of any official interest in this connection. This is a major disadvantage of all research on damage from the childhood vaccination program" ("Childhood Vaccinations and Juvenile-Onset (Type-1) Diabetes," April 16, 1997, page 2; text available at http://www.909shot.com/hcdiabetes.htm). In the United States, the federal government and the pharmaceutical industry have been united for years in the task of developing and mandating immunizations (witness the Childhood Vaccine Industry Act). The combined influence of this government/drug industry alliance has thus far curtailed most efforts to probe the matter more fully. Put simply, the modus operandi of both drug industry and government, regarding vaccines, has been ‘no studies, no evidence.’ Such conflicts of interest in medicine and scientific research heavily contributes to the "no evidence" problem, as regards vaccine-related injury and illness. It is a serious and much-addressed concern within the medical community regarding many other concerns as well (for further discussion, see "Caveats").



Strongly affecting the lack of "evidence" is the fact that funding for independent immunological studies of autism, particularly those targeting the viral aspects of autism, is rarely forthcoming. Independent researchers in this area are aggressively discredited, combated through the use of flawed, concocted 'studies' such as the Finnish work mentioned above—or attention is directed away from studies and literature on the subject. Simultaneously massive "PR" campaigns for vaccines—more and more vaccines—accelerate, together with efforts to make immunization mandatory in all cases, and track via computer networks the medical records of children. (The mechanism of such dis-information campaigns, with their intermingling of government and special interests, can easily be understood in the context of tobacco industry events, or in the carefully-maneuvered relaxing of environmental restrictions to include the use of toxic "biosolids" in food production.30) In view of all the circumstances, statements such as "there is no scientific evidence" should not be taken to mean that there is no reason for considerable caution or change in methodology.



(Page 14, London) "Vaccinations Save Lives" (section subtitle) "…Before we had immunization, many, many thousands of children died of now-preventable disease. Others suffered permanent injury and/or brain damage…



"Vaccines save lives" is a frequently-heard claim which makes no reference to the number of lives lost or drastically changed by vaccines, and offers no concrete evidence. Proof of this statement is largely by prognostication--prediction of 'what would have happened if---.' Interestingly, the Pharmaceutical Advertising Advisory Board, Toronto, Canada, recently ordered Merck-Frosst Canada to withdraw advertising that claims that its new chickenpox vaccine saves lives. Said the Board, "There's no proof the claim made by Merck-Frosst Canada about the drug, Varivax, is true" (CBC News Canada news release, web-posted Friday, April 2, 1999; posted to the Australian Vaccination Network e-mail discussion list May 4, 1999, 09:41:51 +1000).



The import of numberless--and even 'numbered'--"statistics" such as London's passage above is markedly reduced by lack of specificity. Unanswered are questions arising, for example, from the above passage: "Over what time period did 'many, many thousands of children' die (three hundred years, or thirty)? Are these thousands drawn from worldwide scrutiny, or from a limited geographic area? What disease or diseases are being discussed, and what were the hygienic (and other) circumstances in the countries where this occurred? The dramatic quality of this paragraph and its lack of specifics are more akin to propaganda than to scientific reporting.

(Page 15 and 16, London) The myth of disease eradication is perpetuated in London's piece: "a…known cause of autism…[rubella] has been virtually wiped out…if new parents faithfully vaccinate their young children against measles, measles…could go the way of smallpox and, soon, of polio. Why do so many people fear vaccines when they are one of the greatest success stories in medical history?"



That rubella, smallpox, and even polio have been wiped out is a widely-cultivated myth. Global measles eradication has so far failed. Outbreaks of rubella, measles, and polio continue to occur because of the frequent failure of vaccines to establish and maintain complete immunity--in part due to viral mutation (material on this theme is explored below, in 'Vaccines are very effective…'). Often, outbreaks of these diseases occur but are renamed by health officials under pressure to achieve disease-free status. In addition, when impeded by vaccination, natural viruses can mutate so far from their original form as to become recognized as different diseases. Vaccine viruses can cause the diseases they are created to prevent, possibly in a modified form, as earlier discussed; polio is the most flagrant offender in this regard (see The attenuated virus, infectious or not? above). Also, vaccine viruses can establish persistent infections and diseases seemingly unrelated to the original. Viral contaminants in vaccines, acquired through culturing in animal tissues, can cause diseases also unrelated to the diseases the vaccines are formulated to prevent--the most fearsome of which are AIDS and Ebola. At best, vaccination appears to be a substitution process in the many who are immunologically susceptible, involving the exchange of one disease for another—frequently the substitution of a chronic, lifelong (perhaps eventually life-threatening) autoimmune disease for an acute but transitory viral infection.





smallpox

"Is smallpox history?" (The Lancet, vol. 353, no. 9164, May 8, 1999): "A pilgrim returned home to Yugoslavia from Mecca in February, 1972, with a fever… In the 4 weeks since the pilgrim first had his fever, 150 people were infected across the country. It took 4 weeks before doctors, nurses, and health authorities knew they were dealing with smallpox… 175 people contracted smallpox [thereafter] and 35 died… these events occurred in a well-vaccinated population."
"Poxvirus dilemmas -- monkeypox, smallpox, and biologic terrorism" (New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 339, no. 8, August 20, 1998): "More than 20 years have passed since the last case of smallpox was confirmed… Now, new dilemmas confront the world. Could recent outbreaks of human monkeypox in the Democratic Republic of the Congo [Zaire] represent the return of another form of smallpox?… The first case of human monkeypox was identified in 1970… The clinical picture of monkeypox resembles that of smallpox in Central Africa."

"Is an old virus up to new tricks?" (Science, vol. 277, July 18, 1997, pp. 312-3): "…an exotic infection …is alarming some public health experts: the largest outbreak ever seen in humans of a well-known virus called monkeypox. A first cousin of the once-dreaded smallpox, monkeypox causes nearly identical symptoms… '…for practical purposes, smallpox is back,' says virologist Peter Jahrling of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Disease in Fort Detrick, Maryland… 'This could be worse than smallpox if it adapts to humans,' acknowledges virologist Bernard Moss of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)…" Researchers were reluctant to recommend a new vaccination program--which would use smallpox vaccine--for the local population, because the vaccine can cause disease and death in persons with inadequate immune systems.

"Lethal animal pox virus infection in an atopic patient simulating variola vera [smallpox]" (Hautarzt., vol. 42, no. 5, May 1991, pp. 293-7): An 18-year-old patient acquired a cowpox-like virus infection clinically similar to smallpox from a domestic cat as carrier. In spite of intensive care, with…the last available vaccinia hyperimmunoglobulin, the patient died of pulmonary embolism…"



"Variola [smallpox] or a severe case of varicella? A case of human variola due to monkeypox virus in a child from the Cameroon"(Ann. Soc. Belg. Med. Trop., vol. 71, no. 2, June 1991, pp. 123-8): Human monkeypox was suspected on clinical grounds in a seven year old child in Cameroon. (A selected Medline [National Library of Medicine] "MESH" subject heading is "Smallpox--diagnosis.")



"Human monkey pox: its clinico-epidemiological characteristics" (Zh. Mikrobiol. Epidemiol. Immunobiol. vol. 6, June 1988, pp. 23-30): During the course of the smallpox eradication programme, a new eruptive disease clinically resembling smallpox was discovered in Zaire…the virus can be transmitted from man to man."

polio
(see especially the final case report in this section)
"Health alert as virus paralyses six children" (The Australian, June 29, 1999): A "rare" gastrointestinal virus referred to as enterovirus 71 paralyzed six young children in west Australia. Of these children, aged six to eighteen months, three are expected to be permanently disabled; for the others the outcome is uncertain. 14 cases of meningitis, also caused by enterovirus 71, were seen in addition. The virus is spread by fecal-oral transmission or by respiratory droplets, and can be contracted by parents changing their children’s diapers. Steroid treatment appeared to reduce the extent of paralysis.

"Global eradication of poliomyelitis and co-emergence of novel poliovirus strains" (Epidemiology, vol. 7, no. 6, November 1996, p. 653 [Letters to the Editor]): Recent experience has vindicated an old theory that polioviruses, harmless around 1900, mutated to strains of enhanced virulence. During the recent extensive usage of live polio-vaccines in endemic areas of Asia and Latin America, mass immunizations resulted in "phenotypic mixing or genetic reassortment" of different poliovirus strains. "Similar eventualities would be common in currently polio-free countries offering live poliovaccines. Such vaccines would also enhance the selection of virus mutants with increased virulence. National immunization days in endemic areas and live vaccination in disease-free areas could thus stimulate the emergence and selection for virulent strains by the end of this century."

"Outbreak of pokomyelitis-like paralysis associated with enterovirus 71" (Pediatric Infectious Diseases, vol. 8, no. 9, September 1989, pp. 611-6): In summer of 1987 five Philadelphian children experienced acute onset of flaccid paralysis of arms or legs. There were documented exposures to oral poliovirus vaccine and coxsackievirus B3 in some cases. Two children had residual paralysis with weakness and muscle wasting.

"Enterovirus type 71 infections: a varied clinical pattern sometimes mimicking paralytic poliomyelitis" (Review of Infectious Diseases, vol. 6, Supplement 2, May-June 1984, pp. S387-90): From 1969-1973 California suffered outbreaks of enterovirus 71 with meningitis/encephalitis emphasis; in 1975 Bulgaria suffered more than 705 cases, with 149 developing paralysis, and 44 deaths. Hungary experienced an epidemic in 1978. Infants and young children of polio vaccination age were the chief victims.

"Epidemiological, clinical, and pathomorphological characteristics of epidemic poliomyelitis-like disease caused by enterovirus 71" (Journal of Hygiene, Epidemiology, Microbiology, and Immunology, vol. 23, no. 3, 1979, pp. 284-95): In May through September 1975 an outbreak of epidemic disease "clinically and pathomorphologically simulating nearly all known forms of poliomyelitis" occurred predominantly among young infants in Bulgaria. Though the title of this piece lists enterovirus 71 as the culprit, the abstract describes the virus in these cases as "antigenically related to enterovirus 71." "The similarity to poliomyelitis and precariously rapid increase in the incidence led to the decision to urgently vaccinate the entire population with Sabin's live poliovirus vaccine." Soon afterward, the number of new cases began to decrese.The authors note that similar enterovirus epidemics were also suffered by Sweden in 1973 and Australia from 1972-1973, and Japan, from 1972-3.

haemophilus influenza type b
"The emergence of Haemophilus influenzae types e and f as significant pathogens" (Clinical Infectious Disease, vol. 21 no. 5, November 1995, pp. 1322-4): Before vaccination for Haemophilus influenzae type b, the other encapsulated serotypes of H. influenzae rarely caused invasive disease. [Now] the clinical features of non-type b H. influenzae meningitis are the same as those of type b. "We report these four cases to document an increase in infection due to non-type b serotypes of H. influenzae, and we postulate that this change may result from the well-documented decrease in H. influenzae type b...that has occurred because of universal vaccination for H. influenzae type b."

"Meningitis due to Haemophilus influenzae type f" (Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, vol. 34, no. 1, February 1998, pp. 95-6): "Despite the great success of Hib vaccines in reducing H. influenzae, cases of H. influenzae meningitis continue to occur, caused by less common encapsulated serotypes...infection due to non-b serotypes requires close monitoring."

"Invasive disease due to Haemophilus influenzae serotype f: clinical and epidemiologic characteristics in the H. influenzae serotype b vaccine era" (Clinical Infectious Disease, vol. 22, no. 6, June 1996, pp. 1069-76): "With the decline in the rate of infections caused by Haemophilus influenzae serotype b, H. influenzae serotype f (Hif) is becoming a relatively important cause of invasive disease. .the proportion of all invasive H. influenzae disease caused by Hif rose from 1% in 1989 to 17% in 1994…Continued surveillance is warranted to evaluate the trend toward the increasing incidence of Hif disease that was noted in this study."

measles-mumps-rubella
"Epidemiology of encephalitis in children. A prospective multicentre study," European Journal of Pediatrics, vol. 156, number 7, July 1997, pp. 541-5: Investigators found that, while mumps, measles, and rubella virus associated encephalitis had been almost eliminated due to vaccination programs, encephalitis from other viruses had increased in frequency and occurred in younger age groups. "Conclusions: The spectrum of encephalitis in children has changed due to vaccination programs. The incidence, however, appears to be about the same due to increasing frequency of other associated old and new microbes"—i.e., the number of MMR-encephalitis cases eliminated have been replaced by an equal number of encephalitis cases from other microbes, previously not seen.

hepatitis
"A hepatitis B virus variant found in the sera of immunised children induces a conformational change in the HBsAg "a" determinant," Journal of Medical Virology, vol. 58, no. 4, August 1999, pp. 346-52: "The emergence of variants in the outer envelope proteins of hepatitis B virus (HBV) are found among individuals vaccinated against HBV and asymptomatic carriers of the infection… The implications of this work are that serodiagnosis of HBV infections may be unreliable in populations where there is a possibility of variant HBV infections emerging in the face of increasing herd immunity to HBV as a result of vaccination… Such variants may play a role in the maintenance of HBV infections in endemic regions."



(London) That ‘vaccines are very effective and almost always safe’ is a pervasive theme in London's "ABCs" piece.
The efficacy of common vaccines may be greatly exaggerated. In a 1998 study, it was stated that "investigator bias probably has overestimated the efficacy of most vaccines." Clinicians' compliance levels in monitoring illness in vaccine recipients varied widely in trial protocols. "Less compliant investigators were far more likely to report data making vaccines appear more effective against mild or moderate disease. Our data suggest that observer compliance (observer bias) can significantly inflate calculated vaccine efficacy…it is likely that all recently completed efficacy trials have been affected by this type of observer bias and all vaccines have considerably less efficacy against mild disease than published data suggest" (Pediatrics, vol. 102, no. 4, part 1, October 1998, pp. 909-912, reported as news release, "Clinical Trials; Vaccine Efficacy Overestimated…," posted December 2 to Vaccine Information and Awareness electronic mail discussion list [via@access1.net], 9:42 a.m.).

In reality, outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases occur in spite of vaccination. This is in part due to the fact that the immunity afforded by vaccines is typically not permanent, unlike that gained through disease, but may be due to other factors as well, such as poor bioengineering; unfavorable storage conditions; improper use, viral mutation, and the ability of the vaccine viruses themselves to cause infection in recipients or close contacts. The safety of vaccinations is challenged by case reports and studies such as the above, and by numerous research articles and books written by eminent scientists and medical researchers, as well as the common belief that most vaccine reactions are not reported. In "Vaccination against whooping-cough. Efficacy versus risks"The Lancet, vol. 1, January 29, 1977, pp. 234-7, for example, the authors conclude: "It seems likely that most adverse reactions are unreported and that many are overlooked…existing provisions, national and international, for epidemiological surveillance and evaluation are inadequate." Author H. U. Albonico expresses both doubt and concern about routine vaccination in "Arguments against routine mumps vaccination" (Soz Praventivmed, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 116-23), "An unnecessary vaccination proves to be of insufficient efficacy, yet [is] associated with an unexpected high complication rate and bears thus the risk of discrediting also other immunizations in the general public… The [MMR mass-immunization] project remains epidemiologically highly vulnerable and thus hazardous…there are concerns about the longterm effects of manipulations of the natural balance between man and microorganisms." In "The Immunization Campaign Against Measles, Mumps and Rubella…Medical Objections to a Continued MMR Immunization Campaign in Switzerland" (Journal of Anthroposophic Medicine, spring 1992; text available at http://www.trufax.org/vaccine/mmr4.html): After three years of study, a medical working group representing 180 Swiss medical doctors specializing in general medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics pointed out that not only will a high vaccination rate in the U.S. fail to stop measles outbreaks, deaths, and complications completely, but that "mandatory, mass vaccination with MMR vaccine is ineffective and dangerous." Further, the group stated that natural recovery from childhood diseases such as measles plays a role in the maturation of the human immune system and helps the individual develop resistance to disease, including chronic diseases such as asthma and cancer." Continued mass vaccination of infants could destroy the natural resistence of populations to childhood diseases and create virgin populations at risk for future epidemics.


Efficacy is challenged additionally by the plentitude of reports on vaccine failure, exemplified below. Deaths, injuries, and vaccine-related disease in other countries, as well as in the United States, plus existing information on prevailing disease trends, the mechanics of viral activity and of the human immune system, need to be considered carefully (and less selectively) in evaluating the safety and efficacy of vaccines. [Readers should also see the section titled "Wakefield's recommendations," above.]


"Reemergence of invasive haemophilus influenzae type b disease in a well-vaccinated population on remote Alaska" (Journal of Infectious Diseases, vol. 179, no. 1, January 1999, pp. 101-106, reported via Vaccine Weekly, NewsEdge Corporation news release, February 12, 1999): In 1996, after administration of Hib conjugate vaccine (DTP whole-cell vaccine + Hib), cases of invasive Hib disease, as well as "silent" Hib infections, increased.
"The incidence of rubella virus infections in Switzerland after the introduction of the MMR mass vaccination programme" (European Journal of Epidemiology, vol. 11, no. 3, June 1995, pp. 305-10): In evaluating the impact of the MMR mass vaccination program begun in Switzerland in 1985, "we conclude that MMR mass vaccination has not interrupted the circulation of rubella virus in Switzerland, and that improvements in the implementation and surveillance of the MMR vaccination campaign are necessary in order to avoid [the] untoward effects of it."

"Temporal trends in the population structure of bordetella pertussis during 1949-1996 in a highly vaccinated population (Journal of Infectious Diseases, vol. 179, April 1999; 915-923. "Despite the introduction of large-scale pertussis vaccination in 1953 and high vaccination coverage, pertussis is still an endemic disease in The Netherlands, with epidemic outbreaks occurring every 3-5 years." One factor that might contribute to this is the ability of pertussis strains to adapt to vaccine-induced immunity, causing new strains of pertussis to re-emerge in this well-vaccinated population.



"High incidence of breakthrough varicella observed in healthy Japanese children immunized with live attenuated varicella vaccine (Oka strain)," Acta Paediatrica Japonica, vol. 39, no. 6, December 1997, pp. 663-8: the rate of varicella [chicken pox] occurrence among vaccinees was found to be much higher than rates reported previously by other authors. "Varicella vaccine seems to be effective in modifying the symptoms of varicella, but not potent enough in protecting from VZV infection."



"The characteristics of poliovirus strains circulating in Ukraine in 1982-1994" (Mikrobiol[ogie] Z. vol. 60, no. 2, March-April 1998, pp. 44-49 [article in Russian]): "The long-term use of the live poliomyelitis vaccine has not stopped circulation of virulent polioviruses."



"Effect of subclinical infection on maintaining immunity against measles in vaccinated children in West Africa" (The Lancet, vol. 353, January 9, 1999, pp. 98-102): Subclinical measles occurred in 45 percent of vaccinated children exposed to natural measles. "new epidemics, albeit milder in form, may occur in vaccinated areas[, a fact] which should be recognised in campaigns to eradicate measles." [Note: if sustained as chronic infections, subclinical measles infections can result in numerous other diseases.]



"Is smallpox history?" (The Lancet, vol. 353, no. 9164, May 8, 1999): "A pilgrim returned home to Yugoslavia from Mecca in February, 1972, with a fever… In the 4 weeks since the pilgrim first had his fever, 150 people were infected across the country. It took 4 weeks before doctors, nurses, and health authorities knew they were dealing with smallpox… 175 people contracted smallpox [thereafter] and 35 died… these events occurred in a well-vaccinated population."

"Five cases of measles secondary vaccine failure with confirmed seroconversion after live measles vaccination" (Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Disease vol. 29, no. 2, 1997, pp. 187-90): Two, five, seven and twelve years after vaccination with further attenuated live measles vaccine, three of five patients experienced modified measles infection, and the remaining two had typical measles. "This may be the first SVF case report that confirms the existence of completely waning immunity in recipients of the further attenuated live measles vaccines."



"Clinical and epidemiological findings during a measles outbreak occurring in a population with a high vaccination coverage" (Rev. Soc. Bras. Med. Trop., vol. 28, no. 4, Oct-Dec 1995, pp. 339-43): "The history of previous vaccination [in very early childhood] did not diminish the number of complications of the cases studied. The results of this work show changes in age distribution of measles leading to sizeable outbreaks among teenagers and young adults."



"Measles serodiagnosis during an outbreak in a vaccinated community" (Clin. Invest. Med., vol. 11, no. 4, August 1988, pp. 304-9): from a group of 30 measles-sufferers displaying IgM antibodies during the acute phase of illness, 17 had been vaccinated for measles. All 17 experienced measles again, showing IgM antibodies indicating acute infection. "A history of prior vaccination is not always associated with immunity nor with the presence of specific antibodies."



"H[epatitis] B V[irus] prevalence is unchanged by hepatitis B [vaccine]," report by Michael Belkin, statistician, based on nationwide sampling of the prevalence of hepatitis B by the Centers for Disease Control, 1988, to 1994, for comparison with figures from 1976 to 1980 [American Journal of Public Health, vol. 89, no. 14, 1999]: "There was an age-adjusted prevalence of 5.5% in the first study and 4.9% in the second; these differences are not statistically significant. The authors concluded that the widespread use of HBV vaccine in the 1980s has not had a major impact on the overall prevalence of this infection (communication posted on the Vaccine Information and Awareness (VIA) listserv [via@access1.net], March 11, 1999, 12:22 p.m.).



(London, p. 14) Addressing the severity of vaccine-preventable diseases, London asserts, "These diseases from which we can now protect our children are no small thing…all of these illnesses are killers."


In the main, diseases like varicella zoster (chicken pox), measles, pertussis, rotavirus diarrhea, etc., for which vaccines exist, are almost always temporary and/or mild in their duration and effects. Interestingly, a British law firm investigating vaccine deaths and injuries notes a change in the way measles, mumps and rubella are regarded in medical reference texts, before and after vaccines for these became available--i.e., the diseases are first described as mild and transient, with low incidence of complications, before MMR immunization was available, then as potentially serious, with considerable risk of complications, after the vaccine came into existence.31 In numerous other texts, the often beneficial—even protective—effects of natural infection have been noted.



"The epidemiology of pertussis in the Republic of Ireland" (Communicable Disease Report[:] CDR Review, vol. 2, no. 3, February 28, 1992, pp. R31-3): Following adverse publicity in 1973, uptake of the vaccine fell to 30% in 1976. In recent years, it has leveled out at only 40-45%. Yet when large epidemics of pertussis occurred in 1985 and 1989, mortality from pertussis fell to almost negligible levels.


"Severity of whooping cough in England before and after the decline in pertussis immunisation" (Archives of Disease in Childhood, vol. 59, no. 2, February 1984, pp. 162-5): "Since the decline of pertussis immunisation, hospital admission and death rates from whooping cough have fallen unexpectedly… The severity of attacks and the complication rates in children [who were] admitted to hospital were virtually unchanged."



O. Tonz and S. Bajc, "Convulsions after whooping-cough vaccination" (Schweiz. Med. Wochenschr., vol. 110, no. 51, December 20, 1980, pp. 1965-71): Convulsions or status epilepticus in 11 infants after pertussis vaccination are reported. In three of 11 cases, grand mal epilepsy persisted and two children developed infantile epileptic encephalopathy (Lennox Syndrome). "The following conclusions are drawn from these observations: 1) In view of the usually benign course of whooping cough today, current vaccination is hardly satisfactory. Improvement of the available vaccines is an urgent necessity… 2) Parents should be better informed about the risks involved in pertussis vaccination. 3) Booster inoculations should be abandoned. 4) Health authorities should decide whether the current pertussis vaccination program should be abandoned. 5) Complications following vaccination should be registered….."



"Whooping cough and pertussis vaccine: a comparison of risks and benefits in Britain during the period 1968-83" (Development of Biological Standards, vol. 61, 1985, pp. 395-405): "Since 1975, acceptance of pertussis vaccine has fallen from over 70% to 50% or less in most parts of Britain. This permits evaluation of a continuing natural experiment in which the frequency and severity of whooping cough can be compared [with] those of adverse events following injections of pertussis vaccine… There is a significant correlation between vaccine-acceptance and hospital admission by district of residence… It is concluded that, in children living in non-deprived circumstances in Britain, the risk of pertussis vaccine during the period 1970-83 exceeded those of whooping cough. In some deprived sectors, the risks from whooping cough might have been marginally higher but there was no evidence that this was associated with any increase in deaths or permanent disabilities."



"Vaccination against whooping-cough. Efficacy versus risks" (The Lancet, vol. 1, January 29, 1977, pp. 234-7): Calculations based on the mortality of whooping-cough before 1957 predict accurately the subsequent decline and the present low mortality… Incidence [is] unaffected either by small-scale vaccination beginning about 1948 or by nationwide vaccination beginning in 1957… No protection is demonstrable in infants."





advantages of natural infection

"Arguments Against routine mumps vaccination" (Soz Praventivmed, vol. 40, no. 2, 1995, pp. 116-23): "As the maturation of the immune system follows learning principles, the question arises whether childhood diseases are not essential for the normal development of immuno-competence….."

"The Immunization Campaign Against Measles, Mumps and Rubella…Medical Objections to a Continued MMR Immunization Campaign in Switzerland" (Journal of Anthroposophic Medicine, spring 1992; text available at http://www.trufax.org/vaccine/mmr4.html): After three years of study, a medical working group representing 180 Swiss medical doctors specializing in general medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics stated that "natural recovery from childhood diseases such as measles plays a role in the maturation of the human immune system and helps the individual develop resistance to disease, including chronic diseases such as asthma and cancer." Continued mass vaccination of infants could destroy the natural resistence of populations to childhood diseases and create virgin populations at risk for future epidemics.

"A case of myasthenia gravis with transient remission after influenza A virus infection" (No To Hattatsu, vol. 31, no. 1, January 1999, pp. 70-4): researchers from the Department of Pediatrics, Nagaoka Central Hospital, Niigata, Japan found that a boy's intractable myasthenia gravis symptoms disappeared rapidly after an influenza A virus infection. "These results suggested that influenza A may improve the clinical signs of myasthenia gravis, as is the improved case with measles."



M. Lovik, "Do infections reduce the development of allergy? Do measles reduce the risk of allergic disease?" (Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen, vol. 117, no. 5, February 20, 1997, pp. 688-90): "Immunological theory indicates that [natural] infections can prevent allergy by directing the immune reaction against an antigen towards a Th1-type response, thus inhibiting an allergy-associated Th2-type response." A recent study from Guinea-Bissau demonstrates an apparently strong protective effect of [natural] measles infection on incidence of positive skin tests for reactions to common allergens. The author asks these medical and ethical questions: "do we have to choose between measles [infection] and an increase in allergic ciseases? And if so, who should decide--the individual or society?"



"Relation between psoriasis and measles" (Z. Hautkr., vol. 57, no. 6, March 15, 1982, pp. 439-40 [article in German]): Psoriatics with measles in the history had a light type of psoriasis and low titers of measles antibodies; psoriatics without measles in the history, however, had severe types of psoriasis, and the titers of measles antibodies were high."

(Page 18) "The Autoimmune Question: Although no one has found evidence that autism can be caused by an autoimmune disorder, researchers have not ruled it out…Could the MMR vaccine so overheat an already disordered immune system that it attacks…the brain? So far, given the vast amount of data…the answer is no" [emphasis mine].


Unfortunately, the "vast amount of data" is unspecified in the London piece, making it difficult to assess this claim. In medical literature there is compelling evidence, irregardless, of the involvement of autoimmunity in autism—possibly as a causal factor (see The attenuated virus: infectious or not? above, as well as passages discussing the work of Van Gent, et al., in Causes).



(Pages 16/15, London) "…the entire point of vaccination programs is to end the need for vaccinations! "

"The moral: we vaccinate children against disease in order to keep them alive and well."



Few would argue that the immunization practices first arose out of concern for widespread suffering and death from disease. Once vaccines became a commodity, however, focus inevitably shifted to include other matters. The precedence of profit and reputation over health was amply enough demonstrated when, as a Swine influenza pandemic supposedly loomed in the late 1970s, U.S. government personnel initially resisted industry pressures for federal government protection against liability for the pending Swine Flu vaccine. Political concerns surfaced during this period as key bureaucrats and scientists strove to appear concerned, decisive, swift, and justified in their actions:

"A public official might not only feel an obligation to protect the health of the people but might also suspect that a wrong decision on such an important issue might cost him his job. If he failed to act and an influenza pandemic did appear, might he not be indicted for negligence or stupidity? Far better to act positively, and run the lesser risk that if a pandemic failed to come, he could only be accused of wasting taxpayers' money…the influenza virologist, normally confined to his narrow circle of fellow specialists…must have felt a secret thrill of anticipation at seeing his subject in the forefront...the specialist in preventive medicine and public health would have been less than human not to feel a certain elation at the prospect of showing, in so significant a fashion, what disease control and epidemiology were capable of doing…(p. 33, Pure Politics, cited below)."
The different pressures converging, industry and government pushed through a national immunization program allotting financial protection to the pharmaceutical industry, and legislative backing to government scientists and bureaucrats. Though one school of thought had held that the hastily-concocted Swine Flu vaccine should not automatically be given, but should be stockpiled in case of a serious flu epidemic, the winning side pushed for immediate, country-wide vaccination. The result has been infamous ever since, as not only did the pandemic not appear, but many vaccinees contracted Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a body-wide autoimmune paralysis. Some of the vaccinees died from Guillain-Barre, and some from the vaccine itself (Arthur M. Silverstein, Pure Politics and Impure Science: The Swine Flu Affair, Johns Hopkins University Press, 1981).
In 1986 the federal government responded to further pressure from the pharmaceutical industry, which threatened to cease production of vaccines if it was not granted federal protection against liability suits. Responsibility for vaccine-related deaths and injuries was therewith globally assumed by the U.S. government through the Childhood Vaccine Injury Act. The pharmaceutical industry had already demonstrated a preoccupation with its financial well-being in the Swine Flu affair of the 1970s; through the 1986 Act, the government created for itself a flagrant conflict of interest wherein public monies are used to refute citizens' claims of damage by government-mandated vaccines.

According to investigative journalist Janine Roberts, [ethical] questions are now being raised about an urgent warning issued in the United Kingdom in November 1994, forecasting an epidemic which would infect between 100 and 200,000 children, of which some 50 would die--if children ages 5 to 15 were not immediately revaccinated for measles, mumps and rubella ("The Fraudulent Measles Epidemic;" posted as part of The Web Inquirer, September 29, 1995, http://www.gn.apc.org/inquirer/fraud.html; posted April 8, 1999, 12:13 a.m. on Vaccine Information and Awareness discussion list, via@access1.net). Roberts quotes Dr. Richard Nicholson, editor of the Bulletin of Medical Ethics, who studied government reports and declared that there was no proof that such an epidemic was about to begin--and even if this had happened, there had been no justification for the concomitant rubella immunization proposed. Faulty statistics were used in compiling the government's reasons for sudden mass immunization; further impropriety--and motivation--was discovered when the British government did not collect bids from a variety of vaccine vendors, as required by law. Instead, claiming extreme urgency, the government immediately contracted with SmithKline Beecham and Merieux UK, pharmaceutical firms which had earlier been forced to withdraw their MMR vaccines when the mumps element of the vaccine was shown to cause meningitis. This new contract reopened the market for their vaccines.

Caution regarding the lives of prospective vaccinees is a means by which good intent might be demonstrated; caution is not, however, built into the present immunization regimen in the United States and elsewhere. Prescreening appears to be avoided due to expense or loss or profit: a genetic weakness in autistic children and other persons, resulting in the inability to mount a complete immune response against viral and bacterial threats, has been identified (see "Causes" and Wakefield's recommendations, above)--yet there are no pre-screening procedures in place for distinguishing children with such a predisposition prior to immunization. An existing high antibody count can also be a risk factor for vaccine reactions and injury; as a recent British Medical Journal stated (cited September 29, 1995, "The Reckless Vaccination Campaign"). Antibody status should be checked before immunization, the authors stated, so that children do not incur risks through unnecessary vaccination. Currently, prior immune status is not checked in the United States or United Kingdom ("The Fraudulent Measles Epidemic"). In Britain, the Department of Health was shown to have saved on the costs of inoculation during its November 1994 measles and rubella vaccination campaign by eliminating such evaluations prior to immunization ("The Gamble," or "The Reckless Vaccination Campaign," The Web Inquirer, http://www.gn.apc.org/inquirer/gamble.html). In addition, a family history of autoimmune disease is not considered a contraindication to vaccination, though links between microbes and autoimmune disorders have been established--including those represented in vaccines. As neither the genetic nor the immune screenings are difficult to obtain, a further motive such as financial and legal considerations must be considered part of the motive for continuing to vaccinate along present lines.

In "Combination vaccines for childhood immunization: Recommendations" (American Academy of Pediatrics/American Academy of Family Physicians), combination vaccines are preferred in order to fit the large number of available vaccines into a relatively few well-patient visits between ages 0-6--this helps to insure children will miss few if any shots, and reduce the cost for extra health-care visits. It also will facilitate adding more vaccines into the program (pp. 7-8). However, the Academies list as a future research priorities the safety of administering combination vaccines to patients who might already have natural or vaccine-conveyed immunity, as well as the safety, in any patient, of repeated exposures to the same proteins used as antigens and/or carrier components in existing and future conjugated vaccines --implying that the safety of this practice has not been satisfactorily proven (pp. 10-12, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 48, RR05, May 14, 1999, pp. 1-15; text available http://www.cdc.gov/epo/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr4805a1.htm).



Since much of our current immunization program is geared to prevent diseases that are described as mild in medical texts predating the corresponding vaccines, and for which complications are extremely rare, and from the many vaccine-efficacy articles that emphasize loss of work time and dollars from the economy due to caring for the unvaccinated sick, as well as the above considerations, it can be inferred that the aims of vaccination programs are not as single-faceted as implied by London. The ever-increasing number of vaccines in various stages of conception, development and implementation, together with the non-essential nature and/or possible dangers of many of those vaccines, further demonstrates the existence of motives other than concern for public health. Ironically, many of those vaccines in various stages of conception and development at the present time are geared to combat illnesses or conditions which may be vaccine-related.

--see also Caveats: Conflicts of Interest, below--



(Page 16, London) "If you’re not afraid of measles (and most parents are not) then there is no reason to be afraid of the measles vaccine."



Abstract: putting aside the emotional, rather than scientific, character of this argument, the statement itself is ill-founded: vaccine viruses are injected directly into the bloodstream, bypassing important mucosal immune system barriers in the digestive and respiratory tracts, giving the virus direct access to the body's systems, and robbing the body of the signals necessary to produce a fully developed immune response. Wild measles caught ‘naturally’ is filtered through these barriers. Further, "There is good evidence that mucosal immunity may be required for optimal protection against viruses that infect via such a route…" (Molecular Virology, 1994, p. 89). "Combination vaccines for childhood immunization: Recommendations" (American Academy of Pediatrics/American Academy of Family Physicians), mentioned above, notes that "research to develop and evaluate alternative means of antigen delivery by the mucosal, parenteral, and cutaneous routes" would allow new and existing vaccines to be administered more safely than with needles and syringes (p. 12).

Measles immunosuppression is an additional, serious consideration in weighing the benefits and risks of MMR vaccination, as vaccine recipients are rendered vulnerable to opportunistic infection. Existing vaccine safety studies are, moreover, inadequate to evaluate the long-term safety of the MMR in any context and, as well, most other vaccines. Safety testing of the MMR vaccine included only three weeks' surveillance.

(Page 18, London) "I am often asked…if I have vaccinated my own children. The answer is yes…and if we were to have another child, we would vaccinate him or her as well."

Many doctors do not share this view. Medical surveys have repeatedly found that doctors and their families are the least vaccinated group in their communities (JAMA [Journal of the American Medical Association],1981 (vol. 245, no. 7, pp. 711-713; British Medical Journal, January 27, 1990). Reasons given for their own lack of consent to vaccination include "I do not trust the vaccine" and "Vaccination is of no proven benefit." Similarly, Practical Parenting magazine, December 1998, found that parents who did not vaccinate were those who had done the most research before making that decision.



Caveats


Consider the source



This work is designed to be a compilation of quoted and paraphrased material from studies, articles, and books dealing with immunology and autism, plus other topics, in an effort to bring together the expertise of the original writers on the issue of autism and vaccination. In contrast, "ABCs" is written by NAAR co-founder Eric London—not an immunologist, virologist, or a geneticist; not a pediatric gastroenterologist, nor indeed a specialist in any area which would seem to present minimal qualifications for an authoritative, virtually unreferenced expression of facts and opinions on this issue. He is, in fact, a psychiatrist, and the father of a child with autism. London, interestingly, hails from the same institution—the University of Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey—where work a group of excellent scientists with expertise relevant to London's article—including Dr. James Oleske and Dr. Tina Zecca, of that institution’s Pediatric Allergy and Immunology division. Recently a cluster of children with autism in Brick County, New Jersey made national news.


The editor of London’s "ABCs" article, Catherine Johnson, wrote a glowing review of Shirley Cohen’s recent book, Targeting Autism, on page 9 of this same issue of NAARATIVE. Cohen points out the ever-increasing evidence of immune system abnormalities in autism (pages 139-140; actual passage quoted above, in "Causes"). NAARRATIVE is the house organ of the National Alliance for Autism Research; NAAR’s website and newsletter issues refer not infrequently to grants from the National Institutes of Health for NAAR projects, and workshops co-sponsored by NAAR and government agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control.



Conflicts of interest



Another possible criticism of the London/NAARRATIVE article is that, typical of most research projects and articles nowadays, there is no financial disclosure regarding either Dr. London or NAAR. Carolyn Morelli, co-founder of Pennsylvania Parents for Vaccine Awareness, asserts that authors of medical literature should make full financial disclosure concerning all sources of income—including that from consulting, and income in the form of gifts or other favors from pharmaceutical companies such as Merck, Sharpe and Dohme, makers of the MMR vaccine. "The results of medical studies," Morelli says, in a Reuters news release dated this past July, "are likely to be tainted or flawed if they are funded by industry," for (in the words of Hurst Hannum in the British Medical Journal), "at a minimum, the recipient must be accountable for how grants are spent. At a maximum, the recipient must deliver a particular product that is acceptable to the donor." Morelli refers, most notably, to recent ethics articles from the Journal of the American Medical Association which note an alarming tendency toward conflict of interest in medical studies and treatises, citing in particular those associated with the tobacco and infant formula industries.39


Conflict of interest in the practice of medicine and in the research arena is now such a serious and widespread problem that numerous attempts to study and construct guidelines for physicians’ acceptance of gifts from industry have been made. Congress recently put pressure on the American Medical Association to begin enforcing these. Drug manufacturers are aggressive marketers with top-dollar public relations machines, who are extremely active "educators" of medical school students and providers of funding and incentives to practicing physicians and scientists. As a matter of course these firms commonly promote the use of their products through liberal gifts of product samples, together with other gifts and incentives, to physicians. Some conflict of interest studies cited by the New England Journal of Medicine and other publications are summarized in "Headlines: Follow the Money," Environment and Health Weekly, January 15, 1998.40 In moving against mandatory hepatitis B vaccination of young children, the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons noted that children younger than 14 are three times more likely to be killed or seriously injured by the hepatitis B vaccines than they were to catch the disease, which is not spread by casual contact, but rather by injection, sex, or an infected mother. Kristine M. Severyn, a Ph.D. pharmacist and director of Ohio Parents for Vaccine Safety, collected letters from twenty-four individual physicians opposing the vaccine, together with a copy of a thank-you letter from the The American Academy of Pediatrics to Merck & Co., manufacturer of the hepatitis vaccine, for a $100,000 donation to the Academy, which had endorsed the vaccine ("Association says numbers show mandatory vaccinations not best for children" (New York Times Syndicate news release, April 28, 1999).



There is no disclosure of financial and business interests in London’s article, "The ABCs of MMRs and DPTs," but one might reasonably assume that, as a psychiatrist, Dr. London dispenses the psychoactive drugs that have become mainstays in the treatment of mental disorders—antidepressants; anti-psychotics; substances like lithium for management of bipolar disorders; beta blockers and OCD inhibitors—in treating his patients, made by drug/vaccine manufacturers such as Merck, Sharpe and Dohme. There is no direct disclosure of the interrelationships between NAAR and the Centers for Disease Control or the National Institutes for Health, who work closely with the drug industry, but in NAAR literature one observes references to NIH funding of NAAR projects and a workshop sponsored jointly by NAAR and CDC (http://www.naar.org). The relationship between NAAR and the drug industry is evidenced in the Winter 1998 issue of NAARRATIVE, which displays front-page coverage of the awarding of a "NAAR/Bristol-Myers Squibb Research Fellowship in Autism and Neuropharmacology."



Scientific propaganda



Abstract: London’s "ABCs" article is similar to other literature written and broadcast on medical topics, in that the use of communicative (rhetorical) devices designed not to inform, but to persuade are used. "Trade science" institutions affiliated with drug and other ind