CDC-sponsored MMR Study
upports Wakefield's Findings
The CDC tried again and .failed again but this time, it validated Andrew Wakefield's findings.

By F. Edward Yazbak MD, FAAP. From www.jabs.org.uk

A study sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and funded by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) was published on PLoS ONE on September 4, 2008.
PLoS ONE, an international, peer-reviewed, open-access, online publication by the Public Library of Science features reports of original science and medicine research.
The recent CDC-sponsored publication was titled "Lack of Association between Measles Virus Vaccine and Autism with Enteropathy: A Case-Control Study"
It described research conducted at Columbia and Harvard Universities and findings from three renowned laboratories.
The authors reported "strong evidence against association of autism with persistent MV RNA in the GI tract or MMR exposure". They also confirmed that the "Results were consistent across the three laboratory sites." (1) This critique should cast a cloud on the authors' selection of cases, investigations, results, conclusions and statements to the media.
At the end, the only thing left standing will be the now-undeniable fact that biopsy findings from Dr. John O'Leary's laboratory are just as reliable as those from two of the best laboratories in the United States.
Keeping that in mind, one must wonder how Dr. Ian Lipkin, apparently speaking for all the authors, could proclaim: "We are convinced there is no link between MMR vaccination and autism."
Is Dr. Lipkin truly "convinced" that just because this study of only five cases with post- MMR autistic and gastro-intestinal symptoms could not detect an association of autism with "persistent measles virus RNA in the GI tract or MMR exposure", a link between MMR vaccination and autism simply does not exist? Does he really want us to believe that? On a personal note: It has not been easy for me to criticize a publication whose lead author I respect as a person and a pioneering researcher. As it will become evident, Dr. Hornig was not responsible for the part of the study I found most problematic.

*****
Dr. Marie McCormick of the Harvard School of Public Health, the chairman of the Institute of Medicine Immunization Safety Review Committee and the scientist who was supposed to "uncover the truth" about vaccines and autism described the new CDC-sponsored study results as "definitive and significant" adding: "This is the nail in the coffin, the final bit of research we were looking for to finally discredit this link between the measles vaccine and autism." (2) By her statement, Dr. McCormick disqualified herself as a scientific referee, compromised the Institute of Medicine and confirmed two facts we all very much suspected: 1. That when she convened all the meetings, she was not really trying to find the scientific truth but only interested in discrediting any possible MMR-Autism connection 2. That she was not yet convinced that the MMR vaccine did not precipitate regression in a small percentage of children when she was preaching that message and telling the world that autism research needed to be focused elsewhere Not to be outdone by a northerner, William Schaffner, MD, chairman of the department of preventive medicine at Vanderbilt University echoed: "It's a "fabulous and terrific study. It is convincing because it takes the original concept of the profoundly flawed [earlier] study and does it the way it should have been done the first time. This really closes the scientific inquiry into whether measles or MMR vaccination causes autism." (3) May be Drs. McCormick and Schaffner should read the whole paper a second time.

*****
Internet publication I frequently publish on the Internet, not because my articles are not good enough to be published in peer-reviewed journals but because I just don't have the patience, at my age, to deal with the antics of certain editors. (4) But this "definitive and significant study", this CDC-sponsored research from two of the best U.S. universities and three of the best laboratories in the world, why was it published online? Why was it not in the September issue of PEDIATRICS, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the organization that funded the project? Why was it not in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) where even Danish research is published and protected or .the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that is always so willing to help "friends in need"? The answer to these questions is: I don't know.
I certainly tried but I was unable to find out why reputable medical journals, not only here but also in the United Kingdom, where MMR is a national obsession, refused to publish this CDC-sponsored publication by some of the best names in the business.
Why did all these fearless friendly editors suddenly get cold feet? I was personally taken back when I read the statement describing the role of the sponsors in the new study. Were the editors of those major publications also concerned enough with the following to refuse to publish the manuscript? "Members of the funding organization (AAP) and its sponsor (CDC) participated along with experts in virology and neurovirology, autism pathogenesis, and vaccine design and safety; representatives of the autism advocacy community; and study collaborators in an Oversight Committee that reviewed and agreed to all aspects of study design prior to data collection.
The final decision to submit for publication was the responsibility of all study collaborators."
In any case, the manuscript was submitted to the Public Library of Science PLoS ONE, a prestigious Internet site on June 29, accepted on August 8 and as previously mentioned, published September 4, 2008.
In spite of the heated presidential campaign and a very busy hurricane season, its fallout is guaranteed: The CDC has had a lot of experience circulating and spinning such studies! It would be interesting to know whether the PLoS ONE reviewer wondered like I did about those experts on "vaccine design and safety" who served on the study Oversight Committee, why they were needed and what did they do exactly?

*****
Transparency When one is examining the findings of a CDC-sponsored study based on biopsies from specific sites in a very particular cohort, findings that could prove that the MMR vaccine does NOT cause autism in a small percentage of children, a priority at the CDC, one must be fully assured that the sponsor's role is most transparent.
In this important study, the role of the CDC at every level and every stage should have been clearly stated beforehand and clearly adhered to.
The statement about the role of the sponsors (above) is strange to say the least. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would have never accepted such a statement from the sponsor of a study investigating an arthritis medication, an antihistamine or a vaccine.
One of the best articulations of "Study Transparency" I have ever heard was by Professor Walter O. Spitzer M.D., M.P.H., F.R.C.P.C, Emeritus Professor of Epidemiology at McGill University in sworn testimony at the December 10, 2002 Hearing of the Government Reform Committee of the House of Representatives. The scientific world lost Dr. Spitzer before he could start working on one of his dreams: An international study of autism rates in developing countries. I can only imagine how interested he would have been in the exploding prevalence of autism among Somalis in Michigan. and its causes.

Autism Needs A Hero Now!

From Autism Salutes. tiny.pl/8kmj

Last week a bipartisan Senate Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2009 was introduced by Senators Feinstein (D-CA), Martinez (R-FL), Schumer (D-NY), and Durbin (D-IL). The Senate Amendment introduced was comparable to that introduced in the House last spring by Congressman Sestak (D-PA), and which passed overwhelmingly.
Unfortunately, Senate Amendment (5541-25-3001) comparable to Congressman Sestak’s did not go to vote. Out of hundreds of amendments, only 3 were voted upon, and the Senate version of the NDAA ’09 was passed this past Wednesday night. The Senate and House versions of the NDAA ’09 are currently in conference with committee staff.
We must act NOW on behalf of our children with autism. When this legislation is included in the NDAA ’09 and signed into law, it will set a federal precedent for treatment for all of our children with autism.
I ask you to please call and/or fax the below listed members of The Armed Services Committee. I have listed them by sub-committee and the ranking members first. At the end I have included a sample letter. Please feel free to use this. Any way that you can personalize it with your own family’s story makes it that much more effective.
As I said, the Senate and House versions of the NDAA ’09 are in conference, and the committee staff is working late.
Autism is impacting 1 in every 67 children and families. Autism impacts more and more children and families everyday. We can not wait for promises made during a campaign to be realized so that our children can receive treatment. Autism is not a bargaining chip. Autism Needs A Hero NOW!
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Video Modeling: The Discrete Trail Trainer, and The Activity Trainer

The Real World of Autism on Autism One Radio Host : Chantal Sicile-Kira

Tuesday September 23 1:30 pm EST, 10:30 PST
www.autismone.org/radio/

Guest: Karl Smith, founder of Accelerations Educational Software (AES), father of a child with autism.

Join Chantal and Karl as they discuss how and why he developed The Discrete Trail Trainer, and The Activity Trainer (based on video modeling), as well as how they are used. Karl Smith is an engineer, father of a child with autism, and founder of Accelerations Educational Software (AES). Mr. Smith has worked as a drug & alcohol counselor in the army; pursued studies in computer engineering, and psychology in graduate school. He has also has studied and researched topics in artificial intelligence.
In the late 90’s, Mr. Smith recognized that effective methods for teaching individuals with autism were not incorporated into educational software. AES was founded to create, distribute, and support effective and affordable educational software, especially for individuals with autism.
(Shows archived for 6 months so you can listen at your convenience)

Radio: Remarkably Able Teens and
Young Adults with ASD and DD

With Jackie M. Marquette PH.D.

Guest on September 22 9 PM - Remarkably Able Radio Talk Show

Listen to a couple’s perspective on autism. They have two sons in the 20s age group. One has autism and the other has Aspergers. They will share how they guided their two sons with autism to live a full productive life with employed on two jobs for over 7 years, friendships, and full community membership.
Listeners invited to call: Local (Phoenix AX) – 602-277-5369 or Toll Free 1-866-536-1100
Where To Listen: 1100 KFNX-- News-Talk Radio AM on the dial, Phoenix, AZ or Listen via Internet Streaming 1100KFNX.com

Medical Debt, Autism Parents on CNN

tiny.pl/8kg7

Michele & Ralph Ilionardi and others on a round table discussion with CNN's Roland Martin about healthcare. It is a financial show, and our segment will be focusing on how insurance does not always pay for necessary treatments, which in turn can put a family in to serious debt.

A-CHAMP Advocates Nationally for
Autism Issues

From Age of Autism. tiny.pl/8kmf

We rarely ask our community for help, but we need your help now. ACHAMP has launched a fundraising effort in conjunction with Autism United to support our highly effective online advocacy efforts. Your donation to the ACHAMP team participating in Autism United's Hope Walk '08 will go directly to defray the cost of our online advocacy efforts, and it will be 100% tax-deductible.
We are all volunteers and we have a tiny budget, none-the-less this is just some of what we accomplished and worked on in the last year alone:
1) We were the only Autism group able to get autism and vaccine safety questionnaires answered by most of the presidential candidates. We are working to get more in depth commitments from the remaining two major party candidates.
2) We are fighting to pass the `Kid-Safe Chemical Act" in Washington DC.
3) We fought threaten mass arrests in Maryland of parents of children who did not have mandated vaccines.
4) We fought threatened mass expulsions of school children in New York who did not have all mandated vaccines.
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Governor Calls For Better Autism Care
Illinois General Assembly Recently Vetoed Law Calling For Insurance Coverage

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Springfield, Ill. (CBS) ― Gov. Rod Blagojevich is calling for improvements to health care for children with autism.
Blagojevich plans Monday to call on the state House of Representatives to act for the 11,000 Illinois children who have been diagnosed with the developmental disorder.
The house recently vetoed a law that would have required insurers to pay for diagnosis and treatment, up to $36,000 a year.
Legislators vetoed the proposal because they said Blagojevich used an amendatory veto to add it to an unrelated bill, which they say would violate the Illinois State Constitution.
There are two other autism-related proposals pending in front of the General Assembly now. State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) said that as early as this November, both chambers could send them to Gov. Blagojevich's desk for his signature.

Autistic Man Charged In Fla. Stab Case

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UPI -- The Florida courts are facing a challenge in dealing with a rare instance of an autistic man being accused of a violent crime, observers say.
The man, Kevin Brinegar, 20, is facing aggravated battery charges for allegedly stabbing his mother twice in the back. But his defense will be complicated because instances of violent behavior among autistics are rare and not much is known about the condition, The Miami Herald reported Monday.
"Just like the medical industry knows little about autism, we know little," said Broward Public Defender Howard Finkelstein, whose office has been assigned Brinegar's case. "The courts are almost always 10 years behind the medical field. If the medical field is perplexed about this … (the courts) are in the dark."
Brinegar was jailed Sunday, the Herald said, held at a minimum-security facility for the mentally ill. Police said he chased his 50-year-old mother out of their home, held her down and stabbed her twice. She was released Sunday from a hospital.
"It's quite unusual that (Brinegar) actually used a weapon," Dr. Stephen Edelson, director of the Florida Autism Research Institute, told the newspaper. "I've been in the field 30 years, and I've never heard of it."

Neighbors Try To Help Family
After Autistic Girl, 5, Found Drowned

By Sonja Isger and Charles Elmore, Palm Beach Post. tiny.pl/8kmn

The family of a missing Florida 5-year-old girl was "absolutely devastated" when her body was found a block away in a pond Sunday morning, relatives said.
Kaitlin Bacile's family was in the throes of a move, packing boxes, loading up cars, when she slipped their notice and went wandering from her Wellington home.
An all-out overnight neighborhood search failed to find her until it was too late. The girl, who had autism, wandered from her home about 5 p.m. Saturday and her body was found at 7:45 a.m. Sunday morning.
"They're absolutely devastated right now," said Michael Bacile, Kaitlin's uncle, standing outside the family's home. "They want to express their gratitude to the Palm Beach County sheriff's office, the mayor, and people in the community."
The death is under routine investigation and at this point there is no foul play suspected, Palm Beach County Sheriff's spokesman Pete Palenzuela said.
Dozens of neighbors helped search the area with flashlights. Many reappeared on the street Sunday holding signs and selling lemonade to raise money for the family, to help with expenses and show support.
"We prayed for her, and when they found her, I felt sad," said Dylan Spahl, 9. "That's when we came up with the idea to raise money for the family."
Neighbors, including members of Cub Scout Pack 165, raised more than $3,300 Sunday.
Michael Bacile said his brother and sister-in-law adopted two special-needs children, Kaitlin and her biological brother, who is 7. The family is moving to Idaho and expects to bury Kaitlin there, he said.
A friend, who is also the parent of an austistic child, suspected she might be attracted to water and spotted the body early Sunday morning.
Kaitlin's blanket was discovered on the ground a couple of houses away, Michael Bacile said. At one point search dogs led deputies to the pond in the 1500 block of Goodwood Terrace where she was eventually found, about a block south of the girl's home at 1565 Farmington Ave., but searchers were unable to see anything in the pond and soon the sun went down.
"They were moving boxes out of the garage and in and out of the house," Palenzuela said. "The garage door was open. At one time they spotted Kaitlin in the garage. They turned around, she was gone. They checked the house. Didn't see her."
After another few quick checks, the family called police.

Book Supports Parents
Who Want to Opt Out of Vaccinations

Written by VaccineRX Staff. tiny.pl/8n1l


August was National Vaccine Awareness Month. While government agencies and health officials take this opportunity to urge parents to be sure their children receive all the required early childhood immunizations, a growing group of opponents now question the safety of vaccines and challenge their mandatory status. Many parents are choosing to opt out or finding additional means for resisting the practice of vaccinating their children.
While opt-out options may not always be available, exemptions for immunizations do exist. In Your Personal Guide to Immunization Exemptions (paperback, 40 pages, $10.95), by Grace Girdwain, published by Dorrance Publishing, Pittsburgh, the author provides concrete advice and options for the growing number of parents who oppose having their children vaccinated for religious, medical, philosophical, or personal reasons. Girdwain explains an individual's health rights and the importance of freedom of choice, exercising informed consent as it relates to these rights. She provides sample exemption forms, listing the most commonly asked questions and their answers.
Recent headlines have fueled the debate and caused even the most traditionally compliant parents to wonder about how well the safety of vaccines is being monitored. About one month after having been vaccinated with Gardasil, the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine produced by pharmaceutical giant Merck, a 13-year-old California girl noticed the first symptoms of muscle weakness that led to her eventual paralysis.
The public watchdog group, Judicial Watch, has been keeping an eye on the adverse effects, pertaining to the drug, reported to the Food and Drug Administration. They have stated there have been 10 deaths since September 2007 and 140 reports of serious health effects.
More and more vaccines are added to the list parents must consider. In February of 2007 Governor Rick Perry of Texas issued an order making HPV vaccination of preteen girls in his state mandatory. Now 21 states and the District of Columbia are considering similar laws. And the CDC has issued a Universal Recommendation that the vaccine be given to all 11-12 year-old girls in the United States.
In Your Personal Guide to Immunization Exemptions, author Girdwain advises parents about communicating with school officials and discusses ever-changing state laws. Recent developments illustrate just how difficult and painful challenging government officials can be.
Last November Maryland's State's Attorney General issued a statement that public health officials would use whatever means necessary, including threats of jail to parents, in order to get young children vaccinated against childhood and other diseases. According to the National Vaccine Information Center, children in Maryland who have not been vaccinated are expelled from school, and parents, facing truancy laws, can then be forced to have their children comply with vaccination policies or face fines and jail time. Currently children in most states are required to have 38 immunization shots by the time they enter public school. Worries about increases in the rates of autism that some think could be linked to immunizations and stated apprehensions about the rapidly increasing numbers of immunizations required continue to appear in articles, interviews, and blogs, making it difficult for parents to decide what to do.
Girdwain's book, which answers the toughest questions faced by parents who desire to meet proper compliance with the least amount of resistance, will discover a great deal of support and invaluable information in this volume.
For more information, please contact the book's publisher, Dorrance Publishing Co., Inc. at 800-788-7654

Students Without Vaccinations
Could Get Suspended

tiny.pl/8n1r

Sanford, N.C. — Sixth graders face suspension from school if they do not have required immunizations by next Tuesday, according to a new state law.
All 12-year-old students must have a booster of the Tdap vaccine, which protects against Tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis, or whooping cough.
A state law, which went into effect Jan. 1, requires that principals suspend students whose guardians do not provide updated immunization records within 30 days of the start of school. The suspension is not a disciplinary measure.
"They'll be turned back home, and we're going to be calling parents, saying, 'I'm sorry, but you're child is suspended," said Mary Owens, supervisor of nursing for Lee County Public School system.
In Lee County, 150 students could be suspended. Those numbers rise to 3,300 in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school system, 1,200 in Winston-Salem and Forsyth County, and 1,000 in Alamance County
"It's critical that they be in school, but we have to follow the law," Oates said.
The deadline falls on Tuesday, Sept. 23 for Wake, Durham, Johnston and Cumberland counties and on Wednesday, Sept. 24 for Lee County.
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Humanity At Risk: Are The Males Going First?

Something is happening to today's boys and men: Fewer are being born compared with girls, they're having more trouble in school, virility and fertility are down and testicular cancer rates are up. Now, scientists say these 'fragile males' may be more vulnerable than females to pollutants, affecting their development as early as the womb. If so, writes Martin Mittelstaedt, it could be a bigger threat to our future than global warming.

By Martin Mittelstaedt, Toronto Globe and Mail. tiny.pl/8n1c

The first clue was how difficult it was becoming to find enough young boys to cobble together a baseball team.
Then, women in prenatal groups started remarking on how everyone in their groups was having girls.
Jim Brophy remembers those casual observations with vivid clarity, and how they eventually led to one of the most puzzling scientific findings in Canada - the lopsided tally of girls compared with boys being born in the Aamjiwnaang First Nation, a community nearly surrounded by a complex of petrochemical plants.
Mr. Brophy, who runs the occupational-health centre of nearby Sarnia, Ont., was holding discussions five years ago with residents worried over the discovery of elevated levels of mercury and lead in soil on the reserve. Out of the blue, someone asked if anyone else had noticed anything odd going on - like more girls being born than boys.
"It was almost like somebody had told the family secret," Mr. Brophy recalls.
The impression was quickly backed up by a check of band records: In some years, nearly two girls were being born for every boy - a major anomaly given that the normal boy-girl sex ratio is 106 to 100.
The Sarnia area has been prone to many pollution-related woes, but the implications here seem to be arising all over the world: Males may be the more fragile sex when it comes to exposure to modern chemicals, from the embryonic stage on.
The recent sci-fi thriller Children of Men imagined a world population doomed to extinction when, over the coming years, every last human being on Earth becomes infertile. Now, some scientists are painting a similarly frightening picture of a widespread threat to male birth rates and later virility and fertility; what's more, they believe serious damage to men and boys is already occurring.
Researchers tracking childhood behavioural disorders, sperm counts, testicular cancer and even the shrinking size of male gonads are convinced that something is amiss.
The University of Pittsburgh's Devra Davis, in a study issued last year, found that the U.S. and Japan combined had a staggering tally of 262,000 "missing boys" from 1970 to about 2000 because of a decline in the sex ratio at birth. Although it could be a statistical anomaly, she says the figure is "very worrisome."
Dr. Davis, director of the Centre for Environmental Oncology at the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, points out another disturbing trend - the rise in what scientists have dubbed testicular dysgenesis syndrome, a catch-all phrase for a raft of male reproductive-system ailments.
Among them is hypospadias, a disfiguring penis abnormality in babies where the urinary opening is on the underside rather than its normal position on the tip. The condition is not new, but boys today are far more likely than their fathers to be born with it. The incidence, adjusted for population size, is up about 60 per cent since the mid-1970s in Canada. Other countries have also experienced increases.
The incidence rate of testicular cancer in young Canadian men aged 20 to 44, for reasons unknown, has risen 54 per cent from 1983 to 2005, according to figures compiled by Cancer Care Ontario.
And levels of testosterone - the hormone that choreographs male development from libido to muscle mass - have inexplicably declined in U.S. men over the past two decades by nearly 20 per cent.
A recent study found that women in the San Francisco area during the 1960s who had higher levels of PCBs gave birth to a third fewer boys than women with low amounts of the chemical, suggesting in utero exposures to the now-banned toxin were able to cull males.
Oddities among males are also occurring in the animal kingdom. Studies in the laboratory and in the wild show that man-made contaminants often attack males of different species with greater ferocity.
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