Autism and Vaccines: Welfare Disaster, Sick babies prompt fears
over 'new' TB vaccine safety
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www.opednews.com/articles/genera_evelyn_p_060418_autism___worst_welfa.htm
Opednews.com
April 18, 2006
Autism - Worst Welfare Disaster In History
by Evelyn Pringle
www.opednews.com
Scientist and medical experts say that unless the government forces the
pharmaceutical industry to pay for the damage caused by mercury-laced
vaccines, in the not too distant future, Americans will experience the worst
welfare disaster in the history of this country.
No doubt with that in mind, eight members of Congress are calling for a new
investigation into the link between the autism epidemic and the
mercury-based preservative, thimerosal, that children received in vaccines
during the 1990s, and that some children received as late as 2003.
After six years of hearings, and testimony from medical experts, scientists,
special education teachers, school nurses, and parents of autistic children,
several lawmakers say they are convinced that a review of the vaccine
database will show a causal link between autism and thimerosal.
Throughout the 1990s, when thimerosal was most heavily used, the number of
children diagnosed with autism reached epidemic proportions. During this
period, the levels of mercury that children received were 120 times greater
than safety standards set for oral ingestion of mercury in food, according
to the lawmakers.
In 1999, public health officials began asking vaccine-makers to eliminate
the preservative from childhood vaccines. But seven years later, word got
out that the preservative is still in the flu vaccine recently added to the
childhood immunization schedule, and parents, medical experts, and
scientists are outraged.
In seeking an independent review, the lawmakers basically told the Centers
for Disease Control to butt out. They maintain that previous research
conducted by the agency is flawed because it "was based on data collected
prior to the removal of thimerosal and failed to explicitly compare the
outcome of children who received thimerosal-containing vaccines with those
who did not," they said.
The group has also criticized the Institute of Medicine for its 2004 public
announcement that there is no link between vaccines and autism, because the
conclusion for the most part, was based on European studies, when American
children had been injected with 75% higher levels of mercury than the
European children in the studies were exposed to.
In March 2006, the lawmakers sent a letter to the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences, asking their agency to conduct a study of the
CDC's Vaccine Safety Datalink, which contains records on 7 million children
vaccinated since 1990.
"If the federal government is going to have a study whose results will be
broadly accepted, such a study cannot be led by the CDC," the lawmakers
wrote in the letter.
Although the debate over the cause of autism may rage on indefinitely, the
rising costs to society of caring for and educating the children afflicted
with the disorder can not be ignored.
On January 4, 2005, the Government Accountability Office advised the
Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness Committee on Government Reform,
that the average per pupil cost for educating a child with autism was
estimated to be over $18,000 during the 1999-2000 school year, the most
recent year in which data were available at the time of the report.
That means that six years ago, the GAO's estimate for educating autistic
children was nearly 3 times the cost of educating a normal student. The
amount of money needed to educate autistic children is the highest per pupil
cost for children receiving special ed services.
The epidemic does not discriminate, its happening in every state in the
nation, due to the fact that under the mandatory vaccine schedule, children
in every state received the same mercury-laced vaccines.
From December 1998 to December 2002, the autism population in California's
Developmental Services System nearly doubled and the 97% increase in 4 years
did not include children less than 3, persons classified with less common
forms of autism, or persons who are suspected of having autism but are not
yet diagnosed.
The total number of autistic students served statewide increased from
10,360 in December 1998 to 20,377 in December 2002.
Over the last 6 years, the state of Ohio experienced more than a 1,000%
increase in students with autism, with 5,406 reported cases for the
2003-2004 school year, according to the Ohio Legislative Office Of Education
Oversight.
This year, the Pennridge School District in Pennsylvania, expects to only
receive about $1 million in federal funding, and only $2.8 million from the
state, to cover its $11 million special ed budget. This means about 60% of
the total cost will have to be paid by local taxpayers.
In recent years, the average age of autistic children entering the school
system has shifted to much younger children. Under federal law, public
schools must provide appropriate education for all children with
disabilities, starting at age 3, and many autistic children remain in the
system until age 21.
For very young children, the recommendation for early intervention has
created an increased demand for more intensive behavioral therapy and
educational services in general. However, the federal government only
partially reimburses the states for the cost of educating autistic children,
even though early intervention means that the services required for each
child must now be provided for a much longer period of time.
And on the other hand, as more autistic children reach late adolescence, the
need for out-of-home residential services is beginning to have a heavy
impact on state budgets.
There is also an increase in public health care costs associated with the
growing number of autistic children. For instance, according to state
government records, South Carolina has an estimated 2000 children under the
age of 18 with autism, and the great majority of these children are eligible
for at least some services covered by Medicaid.
During the fiscal year 2005, according to the Department of Health and Human
Services, South Carolina paid out more than $20 million for autism care, in
large part, because most insurance companies do not cover the high cost of
the specific therapies that have been found to be the most successful in
treating children with autism.
A group of South Carolina lawmakers are trying to pass a bill that would
require private insurers to cover services for all autism patients
regardless of age. Industry lobbyist, Larry Marchant says that if passed,
the bill would cause the health insurance premiums that individuals or
families pay to increase 25%, and would average out to an extra $200 a month
for those enrolled in family plans, according to State.com on March 26,
2006.
In addition, the financial burden that a disorder like autism takes on
families is absolutely devastating. Upon becoming autistic after receiving
vaccines at 16 months, Laura Bono says her son, "Jackson's medical and
therapy needs began taking every bit of money we had saved or ever would
have saved."
"The total we have paid for Jackson's medical, nutritional and private
therapy expenses so far," Laura says, "is roughly $685,000 since August
1990."
That amount averages out to well over $50,000 a year.
There is no escaping the fact that the epidemic is having a profound impact
on society; not only on autistic children and their families, but on our
public health care programs and school systems as well. And, until
vaccine-makers are held accountable, taxpayers will continue to carry the
full burden.
Evelyn Pringle
[email protected]
www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2091-2136412,00.html
The Sunday Times April 16, 2006
Sick babies prompt fears over 'new' TB vaccine safety
Jan Battles
A NEW version of the BCG vaccine administered to newborns has led to
complications in dozens of Irish babies, prompting doctors to question its
suitability.
Some of the infants needed surgery after severe reactions to the new strain
of the inoculation designed to combat tuberculosis (TB).
The vaccine was introduced in 2002 when the previous strain became less
effective at building immunity. Under the national immunisation programme,
the BCG - which contains live TB organisms - is usually given on the day a
baby is born. A booster is administered in the early teens if necessary.
While it is normal for babies to have mild reactions at the injection site,
these should clear up within 12 weeks. But doctors at Crumlin and Temple
Street, Dublin's two children's hospitals, undertook a study after three
infants were admitted in quick succession with complications soon after the
new strain was introduced.
One was an otherwise healthy seven-week-old baby girl who had "severe
protracted complications" that required several operations.
As well as developing abscesses at the inoculation site, the infants
suffered secondary infections in their lymph nodes, mainly in their armpits.
The glands were becoming filled with pus. When drainage and antibiotics
proved to be ineffective, these had to be operated on.
The doctors notified the health department and the Irish Medicines Board
(IMB) of potential problems with the vaccine and began monitoring all cases
of BCG-related complications referred to either hospital. They found that
between August 2002, when the new vaccine was introduced, and July 2004, a
total of 58 babies were treated for severe reactions to the inoculation. Of
these, 26 required surgery, with three babies requiring more than one
procedure. The others were given antibiotics.
The authors of the study, published in Archives of Disease in Childhood,
said the severity of the reactions - with 45% requiring surgical
intervention - was of concern. Turlough Bolger, paediatric registrar in the
infectious diseases service at Our Lady's hospital for Sick Children,
Crumlin, said: "While we would expect a certain amount of reaction, and in
fact reactions are a good thing because it means that you're responding to
the vaccine, these were excessive."
"This new vaccine was much more potent so you have to be very precise about
where you put the needle," said Bolger. "That may have been part of the
problem."
As a result of the cases, an advisory notice was issued reiterating the
dosage size and correct way to administer the vaccine. A national meeting of
public health staff was convened urgently to demonstrate the correct
procedure for inoculating newborns and an intense education programme has
been put in place.
Bolger said re-educating healthcare workers had led to a marked reduction in
the number of severe reactions. "There is increased awareness among the
people giving the vaccines that there is a problem with this vaccine and you
have to be very careful giving it. The reaction numbers have gone down
since."
TB in children is still a significant problem, Bolger said. Most cases arise
in children who have been exposed to elderly relatives who had reactivated
TB from their childhood and passed on the disease through coughing.
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