CDC To Have Open Meeting On Thimerosal

Go.

Seriously. Go to the meeting.

From NAA:

CONTROVERSIAL VACCINE PRESERVATIVE TO BE DISCUSSED AT UPCOMING CDC MEETING, SAYS NATIONAL AUTISM ASSOCIATION

Parents and Advocacy Groups request flu shots recommended for pregnant women, infants and children be mercury-free

Nixa, MO – The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) will meet in two weeks at the CDC in Atlanta. Thimerosal, a controversial mercury-based vaccine preservative still used in flu shots, is scheduled to be discussed on the morning of February 21st.

While thimerosal has been phased out of some vaccines, it is still present in flu shots recommended for pregnant women, infants and young children. Environmental Protection Agency guidelines indicate that the 25 micrograms of mercury contained in flu shots is unsafe for anyone weighing less than 550 pounds.

Earlier this week, the CDC released a report citing 1 in 150 children are now diagnosed with autism—up from 1 in 166 just two years prior. Many parents and scientists believe the increased use of mercury-containing vaccines starting in the late 1980’s has led to the rise in cases.

“Children and fetuses are still being exposed unnecessarily to this neurotoxin,” says father Christian McIlwain of Cary, North Carolina. “With the recently added recommendations that influenza vaccines be given to women during any stage of pregnancy and children from age six months and up, the amount of early-age thimerosal exposure through recommended vaccines has increased drastically in the last two years—it’s simply time for the committee to advise that only thimerosal-free vaccines be used for pregnant women and young children.”

Despite multiple requests by the research group SafeMinds and the National Autism Association, this is the first time ACIP has put thimerosal on the agenda in several years. Advocacy groups were told by the CDC that thimerosal would be discussed at the October 2006 ACIP meeting, but it was never officially assigned.

ACIP consists of 15 experts in fields associated with immunization that have been selected by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide advice on immunizations. It develops written recommendations for the routine administration of vaccines to the pediatric and adult populations, and is the only entity in the federal government that makes such recommendations.

Parents are urged to attend the ACIP meeting, or send letters to the committee via e-mail to naa@nationalautism.org

Parents can also register to attend the meeting by visiting www.cdc.gov/nip/acip/dates.htm.

To learn more about autism, visit www.nationalautism.org.

NJ autism is 1 in 94

N.J. shows high rate of autism in study
Findings stir debate among the experts
Friday, February 09, 2007
BY PEGGY O'CROWLEY
Star-Ledger Staff


One of every 94 children in New Jersey has autism, the worst rate among the states tested in the most comprehensive study of the disease. The results already have sparked a debate over whether the findings are due to environmental factors or better detection methods. The study, released yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, looked at the prevalence of the disorder in 14 states by analyzing health and education records of children but did not search for causes.

In New Jersey, the study included nearly 30,000 children in Essex, Union, Hudson and Ocean counties and found the rate to be 10.6 cases of autism per 1,000 children (or 1 in 94), compared to an average of 6.6 per 1,000 (1 in 152) children overall.

The statistics are even worse for boys where New Jersey's rate is 16.8 per 1,000 (1 in 60) compared to girls (4 in 1,000), according to the study.

"Autism is more common than we believed and is a public health concern," said Catherine Rice, a behavioral scientist who led the study.

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurological condition characterized by impairments in social, communicative and behavioral development. The severity of autism varies over a spectrum and is more than three times as common in boys. Whites are diagnosed at higher rates than African-Americans or Hispanics.

Officials suggested one reason for New Jersey's higher rates is an aggressive system of assessment and treatment for children with autism. There is also a higher concentration of autism experts, such as pediatric neurologists and developmental pediatricians, than in places like West Virginia, where rates were low. Other states studied included Arizona, Maryland and Wisconsin.

Another reason may be that the definition of autism has expanded within the last decade to include milder versions of the disorder, said Melissa Nishawala, a child psychiatrist who heads the Autism Spectrum Disorders Service at the New York University Child Study Center.

Walter Zahorodny, who heads the New Jersey Autism Study, attributed the state's autism rates to early intervention and school services for autistic children, and heightened awareness among parents. Children with perceived problems are evaluated by study teams assigned to schools. Children under 3 are evaluated by early intervention teams and given therapy under a program of the state Health and Senior Services Department.

The number of toddlers in the early intervention program has been rising steadily, said State Health Commissioner Fred M. Jacobs. The budget for the program increased from $22 million in 2000 to $79 million this year, $11 million short of the amount needed for the entire fiscal year, he said.

CDC: Autism Incidence now 1 in 150

From Unlocking Autism:

PREVALENCE OF AUTISM NOW 1 IN 150, ACCORDING TO NEW CDC REPORT

WASHINGTON, DC (February 8, 2007) -- This morning, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released, through its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), the latest revised prevalence figures for autism. The report indicates that the prevalence of autism is now 1 in 150, up from the 1 in 166 figure reported by the CDC in January, 2004.

Today's report states, "Findings from this first U.S. multi-site collaborative study to monitor ASD prevalence demonstrated consistency across the majority of sites, with prevalence statistically significantly (p<0.001) higher in New Jersey. Average ASD prevalence across all six sites was 6.7 per 1,000 children aged 8 years. These results indicate that ASDs are more common than was believed previously."

Speaking at a Capitol Hill briefing about the new data, Dr. Gary Goldstein, Autism Speaks' Scientific Advisory Committee Chair and President of the Kennedy Krieger Institute said, "These new numbers provide a much more accurate picture of a disorder that has undoubtedly become a major national health crisis. Our dedication to finding critical answers about autism -- potential causes, better treatments and, hopefully, a cure -- must become that much more urgent today."

These new prevalence estimates are the first to come from multiple sites utilizing the same methodology for the same points in time. (Previous prevalence estimates have been from single sites and have relied on differing methodologies). According to the CDC, these data represent the most comprehensive effort to obtain accurate prevalence figures for Autism Spectrum Disorders to date, and offer important information about the prevalence of these conditions in multiple parts of the U.S.

As part of this study, six ADDM sites evaluated the prevalence of ASDs for children who were eight years old in 2000 (born in 1992): Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey, South Carolina and West Virginia.

An additional eight sites determined ASD prevalence for children who were eight in 2002 (born in 1994): Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Missouri, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Utah and Wisconsin.

Pringle on Ayoub on Thimerosal

David Ayoub MD - Thimerosal Definite Cause Of Autism
By Evelyn Pringle

To what degree of scientific certainty can we prove that current
epidemic of autism was caused by the mercury-based preservative,
thimerosal, in childhood vaccines?

In response to this question, David Ayoub, MD, told Independent
Media TV, ''I can state that the certainty of the science
supporting mercury as a major cause of autism is probably more
overpowering than the science behind any other disease process that
I studied dating back to medical school.''

"I think a disease that effects more individuals than AIDS or
cancer, in previously normal infants and children," he states, "has
created a sense of urgency amongst researchers."

According to Ayoub, "A growing number of experimental,
epidemiological and biochemical research, has unequivocally shown
that mercury is directly linked to the development of autism
spectrum disorders and is significantly toxic to the
gastrointestinal, immunological, metabolic and neurobiological
systems in children."

"The science of causality is known and understood down to the
manner in which mercury impairs the neural pathways of attention,"
he adds, "I really don't see the need for more research to prove
causality." He believes the focus should be "directed towards
methods to remove mercury from the body and repairing those
biochemical systems that are injured by mercury."

Ayoub is the Director of the Prairie Collaborative for
Immunization, an organization that is self-funded, which aids
organizations, journalists, and legislators obtain accurate
information to assist their work. He is also the author of the
report, "Pregnancy and the Myth of Influenza Vaccination-Is it
safe, is it effective, is it necessary? What the CDC documents
reveal."

Vaccines With Thimerosal

When asked what vaccines still contain the mercury-based,
thimerosal, Ayoub said, "The major culprit today is the influenza
vaccine." About 80% of flu vaccines contain as much as 25
micrograms of mercury per dose. Since the EPA has set a limit of
0.1 mcg/kg (1 kg =2.2 lbs), Ayoub warns, everyone who receives the
vaccine will be overdosed.

He explained that in 1999, "the Public Health Service (including
the CDC and FDA), the American Academy of Pediatrics, and vaccine
manufacturers agreed that thimerosal levels in vaccines should be
reduced or eliminated."

However, he adds, "Contradicting its own policy, the CDC then
increased mercury exposure to the fetus and infant by allowing the
inoculation of pregnant women and young infants with the
mercury-containing influenza vaccine."

On May 28, 2004, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice of
the CDC released its annual report with recommendations for the
prevention of influenza. The report included pregnant women amongst
those who should receive the flu vaccine, even though the report
noted only a minimal benefit from the vaccine in pregnant women:

"Researchers estimate that an average of 1-2 hospitalizations can
be prevented for every 1,000 pregnant women vaccinated" (1, page 10)

In fact, for the 2003-04 flu season, the CDC reported "only 3 to
14% of those who got vaccinated were protected against the flu." It
seems overly aggressive, Ayoub maintains, for the CDC to recommend
that all pregnant women be vaccinated when, in fact, scientific
data to date shows only marginal benefits and the only documented
benefit seems to be fewer hospitalizations, not fewer morbidities
or mortalities.

The benefit of influenza vaccination during pregnancy becomes even
more questionable when considering the resulting risks to unborn
infants. According to the ACIP, the safety of influenza vaccination
is established by the following research:

One study of influenza vaccination of 2,000 pregnant women
demonstrated no adverse fetal effects associated with influenza
vaccine."

However, according to Ayoub, "In the April 12, 2002 MMWR, this same
statement was followed by the caveat "additional data are needed to
confirm the safety of vaccination during pregnancy." The comment
was then dropped from the CDC's 2004 version of the report, but no
new safety data was cited.

This solitary reference cited to establish influenza vaccine safety
was co-authored by researchers at Boston University in 1973, but
Ayoub advises that, "Upon closer inspection ... the study appears
to have very little to do with influenza vaccine safety, but rather
that of polio vaccination safety during pregnancy."

It is inexplicable, Ayoub says, that the ACIP would cite a paper in
support of its conclusion of influenza vaccine safety while the
Institute of Medicine rejected the same paper on the basis of the
flawed analysis of polio vaccine safety.

Few doctors realize that most flu vaccines contain 25 micrograms of
mercury per dose. Both the EPA and FDA's allowable daily exposure
limits are 0.1 microgram per kg, meaning that recipients of a flu
vaccine must weigh at least 550 pounds to meet federal exposure
guidelines.

Therefore, by injecting the mother, the fetus would receive a dose
of mercury that exceeds the federal limits by several hundred-fold.
Furthermore, Ayoub adds, all federal guidelines are based upon
studies of exposure tolerances in adults, not a fetus.

He questions why the CDC is so certain that ethylmercury can be
safely injected into children or pregnant women, when the FDA and
EPA have stated that ingestion of methylmercury can have harmful
effects on the fetus, with warnings such as:

"some fish and shellfish contain higher levels of mercury that may
harm an unborn baby or young child's developing nervous system. . .
. Therefore, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are advising women who may
become pregnant, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and young
children to avoid some types of fish and eat fish and shellfish
that are lower in mercury. . . While it is true that the primary
danger from methylmercury in fish is to the developing nervous
system of the unborn child, it is prudent for nursing mothers and
young children not to eat these fish as well."

More recent studies have detailed the life-long damage of mercury
to the brains of unborn children. For instance, on Feb 28, 2005,
the Associated Press reported, "Lower IQ levels linked to mercury
exposure in the womb costs the United States $8.7 billion a year in
lost earnings potential, according to a study released Monday by
researchers at a New York hospital."

The Mount Sinai Center for Children's Health and the Environment
combined a number of previous studies to determine hundreds of
thousands of babies are born every year with lower IQ associated
with mercury exposure, according to AP.

Lead researcher and pediatician, Leonard Trasande, reports that
annually, between 316,588 and 637,233 infants are born with
umbilical cord blood mecury levels linked to IQ loss.

As an example, Trasande said each year, about 4% of babies are with
blood mercury levels between 7.13 and 15 micrograms per liter. That
level of mercury causes an IQ loss of 1.6 points, the researchers
concluded.

A 1.6 point drop in IQ could cost a person more than $31,000
over a lifetime, the study calculated, due to missed educational
opportunities or jobs.

Manufacturers of the flu vaccine themselves, include package
inserts that admit adequate studies have not been conducted on this
vaccine. For example, the Fluzone insert stated:

"Animal reproduction studies have not been conducted with Influenza
Virus Vaccine. It is not known whether Influenza Virus Vaccine can
cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman or can
affect reproduction capacity."

Considering the rapid growth of autism, and other related
neurodevelopmental disorders, and the number of reports documenting
the causal relationship to mercury-based preservatives, Ayoub
advises, "influenza vaccines should not be administered to pregnant
women, and perhaps other high-risk groups, especially young
children."

Why Would FDA & CDC Approve Mercury-Based Vaccines?

Ayoub believes that the CDC and FDA embrace marginal research and
unsupported policies because of conflicts of interests. It may come
as a surprise to most physicians, he explains, "that the CDC has a
built-in conflict of interest with regards to its dual role in
vaccine policy." One limb of the CDC that oversees vaccine safety
has a budget of approximately $30 million, while the limb that
promotes vaccine usage (ACIP and NIP) has a $1 billion budget, he
says.

The CDC and FDA policy decisions are made through physician
advisory panels whose members often have financial relationships
with the very same pharmaceutical companies that they are supposed
to regulate.

For example, during a congressional hearing on potential conflicts
of interests at the FDA, it was revealed that 60% of the advisory
members who voted to approve the poisonous rotavirus vaccine had
financial ties to the drug companies manufacturing the vaccine. The
committee also found that 50% of the CDC members were tied to the
rotavirus makers.

However, according to Ayoub, the CDC and FDA do not have exclusive
rights in coddling the industry. An investigation of doctors
involved in co-authoring forty-four different Clinical Practice
Guidelines for drug companies found:

85% of guideline authors have some sort of relationships with drug
companies, and they are often not disclosed

38% of respondents said they had served as employees or consultants
for drug companies; 58% received research money

59% had links with drug companies whose medications were considered
in the particular guidelines they authored, almost all cases
predating the guideline creation process

These numbers may be even greater, as only 52% of authors responded

"Most clinicians would be surprised by these revelations which
challenge the blanket trust of a healthcare governance with
uncomfortably close ties to the pharmaceutical industry," Ayoub
says.

Available Treatment For Autism

When asked what treatments are available for autism, Ayoub said
"The buzz these days is chelation," but there is no short answer to
this. Suffice it to say, there are 2 ways to get mercury out of the
body - one is pull it out directly by chelation agents."

The 2 top chelation people in the world are Gary Gordon, MD, and
Rashid Buttar, MD, he adds.

Chelation agents such as DMPS and DTPA, are given orally, by IV,
and recently with transdermal as a cream. According to Ayoub, the
agents essentially bind free blood or loosely bound heavy metal
agents, and eliminate them through stool and urine. They lower the
total body burden and allow for natural redistribution from brain
to blood for further removal. Ayoub claims side effects are
uncommon, and the process is far safer than a vaccine.

The other method of removing mercury from the body is through a
variety of biomedical therapies, all dietary or supplemental, "most
of which act to jumps start the bodies own internal mercury
detoxification pathways," Ayoub explains, but "the science here is
very sophisticated," he added.

However, unfortunately, "many parents read about a diet or
supplement, try one or two therapies on their own and fail," he
says, and that "treatment is very dependent upon the experience of
the health care provider, critically so," he advises.

Why The Constant Denial?

Ayoub was asked why government agencies and the pharmaceutical
industry, are working so hard to keep the truth about the
mercury-autism link hidden. He says it is a long story, but the
main reason is because if they admitted guilt, it would mean the
government agencies, drug companies and medical organizations,
"have taken part in the largest iatrogenic epidemic known to man."

The fallout over admission of causality would be unprecedented,
Ayoub adds. The lost confidence in American medicine would likely
cause people to turn to alternative methods of medicine, and a rise
in deeper investigation might reveal the truth about other
suppressions related to cancer therapy, hypertension Rx, or
Atherosclerosis.

Ayoub told Independent Media, "This is really the tip of the
iceberg and I see a waterfall effect."

A-CHAMP needs You

From A-CHAMP:

A-CHAMP needs YOU!!!

Passion and Drive alone will not get the work done!

A-CHAMP is a national, non-partisan political action committee formed by parents in support of children with neurodevelopmental and communication disorders. We are dedicated to advancing public policy issues affecting our children, protecting their human and civil rights, educating the public and media, supporting candidates sharing our goals in state and federal elections, and holding accountable those in government who do not act in the best interest of our children.

In our short history, we have successfully:

• Initiated and coordinated state legislative efforts aimed at banning thimerosal from vaccines, achieving success in California, Delaware, Iowa, Missouri, New York and Washington

• Took the lead and forged a collaboration with 50 organizations leading to the passage of an autism insurance reform law that stops discrimination against treatment for autism spectrum disorder. Effective 1/1/07

• Contributed significant background documentation to the Columbia Journalism Review that resulted in an impressive critique of the NY Times and other media coverage regarding the thimerosal/autism controversy.

• Provided information for Robert Kennedy, Jr., contributing to his article “Deadly Immunity” which appeared in Rolling Stone and Salon.com. and Huffington Post op-eds.

• Coordinated The Power of Parents Rally in Washington, DC, October, 2005, gaining support from over 70 other organizations.

• Coordinated The Mercury Generation March and Lobbying Day in Washington, DC in coordination with the DAN! Conference in April, 2006

...and much more.


NOW for us to take on the tough issues for the years to come, we need your help. Our plan includes:

• Acceptance of the biomedical treatments our children need
• Insurance reform to pay for those treatments (state and federal)
• Legislation aimed at respite services and supportive home care
• Environmental research that focuses on vaccines
• Safer mercury-free vaccines and drugs
• Obtaining access to the Vaccine Safety Datalink
• Access to justice and reform of the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

How can you help? We need donations to keep working for the children. Whether the donation is for $5 or $5,000, any donation is appreciated.

We have established a donations page on our website through Pay Pal, available at http://www.a-champ.org/donate.html .
If you would prefer to send a check to help continue the work of A-CHAMP, please make check payable to "A-CHAMP" mail it to:
A-CHAMP
c/o R. Krakow
2001 Marcus Avenue
Suite N125
Lake Success
New York 11042.

Your donations are appreciated will make a difference no matter how much or how little you contribute.
Sincerely,

A-CHAMP


A-Champ is a 501 (c)4 Political Action Organization, all donations are not tax deductible.
http://www.a-champ.org/donate.html

On behalf of all of kids thank you!