The Vaccine Debate

Do vaccines cause autism ?

By Hope Fine

According to the Center for Disease control, in 2009, 1 - 1.5 million adults and children in the United States have received the Autism diagnoses. In the Early 90’s the statistics were 1 in 10,000 children exhibited symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Several years ago the CDC reported 1 out of every 150 children born in the U.S. will be diagnosed with Autism. Today that number has been revised to 1 out of every 90 children. The ratio is 4 to 1 times greater in males or 1 in every 58 boys.

The connection between the cause of Autism and the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella-vaccine) and the mercury additive Thimerosal (used to preserve the vaccine), has been vigorously debated, especially over the past decade.

In February 2009 the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, attempted to settle the dispute ruling that the Thimerosal additive does not cause Autism Spectrum Disorders.

How trustworthy can a vaccine study conducted by the U.S. government be? How long did it take for the U.S. Government to acknowledge the connection between cancer and cigarette smoking or more recently the side effects of Gardasil, a so called cervical cancer preventative? The Center for Disease Control issued a report connecting Gardasil to Guilliane-Barre syndrome, lupus, seizures, paralysis, blood clots and brain inflammation. The CDC acknowledged 44 reported deaths.

Yet the drug is still being advertised on television and physicians are still encouraging patients to get the vaccine.

IT GETS MORE CONFUSING

The Department of Health and Human Resources issued a public health statement listing the dangers from exposure to mercury. These warnings include:

• Mercury released from dental amalgam fillings.
• The amount of fish consumed, especially indigenous fish which contains higher doses of mercury due to concentrated levels of toxins in local waters.
• The use of metallic mercury in a home or an apartment threatens the health of the people who live there that unknowingly, may be exposed. Metallic mercury is used in a variety of household products and industrial items, including thermostats, fluorescent light bulbs, barometers, glass thermometers, and some blood pressure devices. The mercury in these devices is contained in glass or metal, and generally does not pose a risk unless the item is damaged or broken, and mercury vapors are released. Spills of metallic mercury from broken thermometers or damaged electrical switches in the home may result in exposure to mercury vapors in indoor air.
You must be careful when you handle and dispose of all items in the home that contain metallic mercury.

In the 1990’s the FDA banned over the counter sale and use of Thimerosal based products such as tincture of methiolate, tincture of iodine and tincture of mercurochrome.
Several studies led the Environmental Protection Agency to conclude that up to 630,000.00 newborns in the United States have mercury blood levels at or above the agency's safety limits, almost double the EPA's previous estimate.

It takes only a teaspoon of mercury to contaminate a 20-acre lake. Infants and children are particularly vulnerable to methyl mercury because their nervous systems are still developing.

Similarly, toxic runoff into local ocean water produces levels of mercury that contaminate fish.
Methyl mercury is a potent form of the toxin that becomes more concentrated as it moves up the food chain.

If certain types of fish are a large part of a mother's diet, mercury passed to her baby in the womb can irreversibly damage parts of the brain, according to a study published by the Journal of Pediatrics. High mercury exposures in the womb and in a child's early years also can damage the nervous system's control of the heart, thereby reducing the amount of oxygen provided to the rest of the body.

Thimerosal is used in vaccines to prevent bacterial or fungal growth in the event that the vaccine is accidentally contaminated, as might occur with repeated punctures of multi-dose vials. Vaccines, both in the United States and throughout other parts of the world, are commonly packaged in multi-dose vials.

Under pressure from groups opposing the use of Thimerosal, the FDA required manufacturers to reduce the amount of Thimerosal in vaccines. However it has not been completely removed, leaving traces of the preservative in the vaccines.

Furthermore, most children receive approximately 30 vaccines by the time they reach the age of 5 years old, Some States require newborns to receive a hepatitis vaccine by the second day of birth no matter if the mother has been exposed to or has the hepatitis virus.
Even though some vaccines have trace amounts, considering the amount of vaccinations children receive from birth to 5 years old, those trace amounts can become cumulative in the child’s body.

Over the years, I have treated thousands of autistic children and one common factor in these children is high levels of heavy metals including mercury.
How can anyone expect an infant’s undeveloped immune system to absorb the onslaught or ambush of so many vaccines?

THE BIG QUESTION IS:

When is it appropriate to vaccinate your child? In my opinion, I would suggest parents wait as long as possible, at least until the child is 18 months old. In any event, vaccines should be administered one at a time, not on the same day and be sure to inspect the label on the ampoule making sure it does not contain thimerisol. Considering all the warnings about mercury, how can anyone deny the danger of its harmful effects? I do not think there is any question about the adverse neurological effects of mercury.

Hope Fine is the Founder and Clinical Director of the South Florida Center for H.O.P.E., Inc., a premier Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Center in Deerfield Beach, Florida. If you have any questions email hbotx@bellsouth.net
www.sfcenterforhope.com

Autism Health and Wellness encourages submission of all views on this issue for publication.