Rep. Weldon's Vaccine Safety Statement from July

Statement of Rep. Dave Weldon, M.D. (Fl-15)
July 26, 2006

Federal agencies charged with overseeing vaccine safety research have failed. They have failed to provide sufficient resources for vaccine safety research. They have failed to fund extramural research. And, they have failed to free themselves from conflicts of interest that serve to undermine public confidence in the safety of vaccines.

The American public deserves better and increasingly parents and the public at large are demanding better.

I'm a physician. I understand the importance of immunizations in protection children and the public at large from infectious disease. As a society we benefit from vaccines and as such it is important that we guard carefully vaccine safety research to ensure its objectivity.

When I first began working on this issue about seven years ago, I was shocked at the dearth of resources dedicated to vaccine safety research. The federal government dedicates far more resources to promoting the immunizations than in safety evaluations. Most vaccine safety resources are dedicated to considering short-term, or acute adverse reactions, while very few resources are dedicated to considering potential longer-term or chronic adverse reactions.

When I first tasked my staff with investigating this issue we got a lot of confused responses from federal agencies. The FDA told us to check in with the CDC, saying CDC did most of the vaccine safety research. The CDC referred us over to the NIH. Then, the NIH referred us back to the CDC. It was apparent to me that there is little coordination and very few resources dedicated to vaccine safety research.

Ironically, 20 years ago Congress established The National Vaccine Program Office (NVPO) and charged NVPO with coordinating vaccine safety research. Along with safety, however, NVPO was charged with coordinating vaccine development, vaccine promotion and vaccine supply - the very conflicts that plague the CDC, and to some extent the NIH. It is no wonder that vaccine safety has been on the back burner at
NVPO for all of these years - NVPO has conflicting missions and higher priorities. NVPO is now swamped with Avian Flu preparedness and is not an appropriate place for this.

I agree with the prestigious journal Nature when in January of this year stated: "there is a strong case for a well-resourced independent agency that commends the trust of both the government and the public." That is why we are here today.

Several issues relating to vaccine safety have persisted for years. The response from public health agencies has been largely defensive from the outset and the studies plagued by conflicts of interest. Legitimate questions persist regarding the possible association between the mercury-based preservative, thimerosal, and the childhood epidemic of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including autism. There are unresolved questions about the MMR vaccine that arose in 1998 that should be fully investigated. Gardasil, the HPV vaccine was just recommended by the CDC. Vaccine manufactures have dozens of new vaccines in the pipeline. The failure of public health officials to make this a priority and to free this research from conflicts of interest will only serve to further erode public confidence at a time
when we should be working to build public confidence. It is incumbent upon us to fully investigate these issues in an independent manner.

The Senate is turning its attention to FDA reform. Unfortunately, the legislation moving through the Senate HELP Committee is deafeningly silent when it comes to improving vaccine safety research. This is particularly ironic given that federal and state governments do not mandate drugs in order to enter schools or obtain employment, yet, as a society we do impose such mandates with regard to vaccination. This is all the more reason to be particularly mindful of issues related to vaccine safety.

In his book on the subject of immunizations, Dr. Graham Wilson, the former Director of the Public Health and Laboratory Service for England and Wales, warned the public health community of the need to remain ever vigilant when it comes to vaccine safety. In 1967 he warned:

"Over confidence must at all costs be avoided… It is for us, and for those who come after us, to see that the sword which vaccines and antisera have put into our hands is never allowed to tarnish through over-confidence, negligence, carelessness, or want of foresight on our part."

Federal agencies in the U.S. charged with carrying out vaccine safety have failed to adequately heed this warning. If we continue down the current path, confidence in vaccines will continue to erode and this "sword" against disease will be tarnished.

Today, we rarely come face to face with vaccine preventable disease, but we are at risk of seeing vaccine preventable diseases rear their ugly head. Why? Because, we are confronted with the side effects of vaccines, adverse reactions and perceived adverse reactions - many of them mild, but some of them severe. This is the new and increasing challenge that we face in fighting disease.

There are two approaches we can take in the face of this new challenge.

First we can downplay the existence of adverse reactions or otherwise pretend they do not exist all-the-while such questions persists unanswered and continue to fester. Such approaches have failed to work in the past and over the long-run they can do irreparable harm to public confidence in vaccines, breaking the trust with the public and leading to the rise of infectious disease.

Conversely, we can take such hypotheses and evaluate them in an independent and objective manner. That is what we are proposing here today. Our bill corrects past mistakes. Presently, vaccine safety research is an in-house function conducted predominantly by the CDC - the very agency that makes vaccine recommendations and promotes their uptake. This should not be.

We have seen fit to eliminate such conflicts across federal agencies.

o At the National Institutes of Health we recognized the inherent conflicts of interest and created the Office of Human Subjects Protection as a separate office within HHS.

o When we established the Superfund program, Congress established the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) - Superfund's science evaluation office - as a separate agency in another department. Safety evaluation is independent of all other decisions.

o After the Space Shuttle Columbia accident, the Gehman Commission recommended that decisions about shuttle safety and launching the shuttle should be completely separate - we adopted this recommendation.

What does our bill do? It:
o Creates a new agency of vaccine safety that reports directly to the Secretary of HHS.
o Vaccine safety research is conducted in a manner that is
completely independent of any and all other vaccine-related decisions.
o Establishes a scientific review panel, similar to NIH's study sections, to evaluate the scientific merits of investigator-initiated research as the Institute of Medicine has recommended.
o Establishes a balanced 18 Member Advisory Committee to formulate a safety research agenda and to prioritize research approve by the scientific study group. Committee Includes:
o 2 vaccine industry reps
o A pediatrician
o An immunologist
o A toxicologist
o An infectious disease expert
o A geneticist
o Not less than 1/3rd of the members of the Committee have a vaccine-related injury or injured child.

Finally, as you may know the CDC has acknowledged this internal conflict. Last year, Dr. Gerberding moved the CDC's Immunization Safety Office out from under the National Immunization Program (NIP), however vaccines safety remains within the CDC. While I appreciate this initiative, and I understand her limitations in not being able to move vaccine safety outside of her agency, vaccine safety research remains woefully short of the degree of independence and funding commitment that is needed to garner wide public support and acceptance.

If government-funded vaccine safety research is to be broadly accepted, we must eliminate all real and perceived conflicts of interest. Otherwise, we will fail to achieve the level of acceptance that is necessary to restore, build, and secure public confidence over the long-run. A vaccine safety program housed anywhere within the CDC fails to achieve this independence.

We will create a separate and wholly independent office for vaccine safety research. The question that we face at present is:

'Will we create this office now in a proactive manner before public confidence further erodes, or will we do it later in reaction to growing loss of public confidence in the hope of restoring lost trust.

Mercury Triggers Premature Birth

Both my boys came into the world early.

Hankooki.com > The Korea Times > Nation

Mercury Triggers Premature Birth
By Kim Rahn
Staff Reporter
The more mercury pregnant women are exposed to, the greater chance they have of giving premature birth to babies, according to a study.

Research on 85 pregnant women conducted by Ha Eun-hee, a professor of Ewha Womans University's preventive medicine department, showed that women with high levels of mercury in cord blood are three to five times more likely to give premature birth, which is to deliver a child in less than 37 weeks of pregnancy.

Ha announced the study results on Friday during a meeting of the Korean Society for
Preventive Medicine.

According to the study, the 50 percent of the 85 people with the highest levels of mercury had a 3.1 times greater chance of having a premature delivery than the lower 50 percent. The upper 25 percent had a 5.3 times more of a chance than the lower 75 percent.

"Mercury in cord blood, which connects the mother and the fetus, is critical to the child, as it directly flows to the fetus," Ha said.

The study disclosed two main reasons for the mercury concentration _ dental treatment
with amalgam and fish consumption.

Pregnant women who had treatments with amalgam during the pregnancy had an average of 5.15 micrograms of mercury per 1 liter of blood, 1.3 times more than the 3.98 micrograms in women who hadn't had the treatment.

The mercury level increased in proportion to the frequency of treatment. Women undergoing the amalgam treatment fewer than three times had an average 4.8 micrograms of mercury in their blood, while those having undergone the treatment hree to six times had 5.04 micrograms, and seven times or more 5.2 micrograms.

Also, a woman who never had fish during pregnancy had 4.6 micrograms of mercury per 1 liter of blood, while the mercury level of women who consumed fish more than four times per week had an average mercury level of 8.3 micrograms.

"The nation should prepare education programs for pregnant women, advising them not to undergo dental treatments with amalgam," Ha said.

Professor Yi Seung-muk at Seoul National University's graduate school of public health said a great deal of mercury in the air above the Korean Peninsula is from China's industrial areas.

Yi's team measured mercury levels in the air and followed the path of wind to China. "We obtained Chinese institutes' data about the industrial locations emitting mercury and compared them with our data, which correlated with the Chinese data," Yi said.

It was the first South Korean research about mercury pollution from China, although international academic circles have presented studies about the issue. It is said hat half of the world's mercury pollutants in the air come from the country with the largest populace.

"Mercury is contained not only in the air, but also in fish. Korea and Japan, which are near China and consume large amounts of fish, have a greater chance of being exposed to mercury than other countries," Yi said.

The research was announced at a meeting of the Korean Society for Atmospheric
Environment on Friday. Yi will soon present the amount and ratio of pollutants carried to Korea.

rahnita@koreatimes.co.kr

__._,_.___

Hg in Flu Vaccines - Print This Helpful Guide Out And Take To The Doc

List of flu shots that contain mercury:

Autism, mercury poisoning, thimerosal and the flu vaccine
public_health@8:22 am PST email to the editor
by Michael Dorausch, DC
planetc1.com news staff

About two weeks ago, news reports began showing up online suggesting that the flu vaccine was found safe to be used in children under the age of two.

The study looked at immunization records for more than 45,000 children and researchers determined that the intramuscular flu vaccine was safe to be used in children under the age of two.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "the single best way to protect against the flu is to get vaccinated each year" and the CDC now recommends children under the age of two receive the flu vaccine.

Hundreds of news articles began appearing on major web sites such as Google News, MSN, and Yahoo, touting the recently reported study and suggesting the vaccine was now safe for babies. The message was clear... get the shot, get the shot, get the shot. However, there was something missing that was not appearing in any of the news articles... flu shots contain thimerosal.

That may come as no big deal to some, but to a parent that has been fighting with vaccine manufacturers and/or government officials to get mercury compounds out of vaccines, it's a very big deal.

Thimerosal
After increased pressure from consumers, parents of autistic children groups, and government elected officials, vaccine manufacturers and the FDA have collectively agreed to begin removing thimerosal from childhood vaccines. Problem is, up until these recent recommendations, the flu vaccine was not considered a childhood vaccine.

Here is a list of FDA links with PDF document information on various intramuscular flu vaccines being used in 2006. Fluzone "No Preservative" pediatric dose by Aventis Pasteur, reports not to use thimerosal in the manufacturing process. Below that are some links to get more information about Thimerosal.

Fluvirin™ (Chiron Vaccines Ltd.)
Thimerosal (mercury derivative, =0.98 mcg mercury per 0.5 mL dose) is used in manufacture of the unit dose preservative free presentation but is reduced by the purification process to trace amounts.
http://www.fda.gov/cber/label/inflchi091405LB2.pdf

Fluarix™ (Influenza Virus Vaccine for intramuscular use)
Thimerosal is used at the early stages of manufacture and is removed by subsequent purification steps to <1.25 mcg mercury per dose.
http://www.fda.gov/CbER/label/inflgla083105LB.pdf

FLULAVAL™ (Influenza Virus Vaccine) ID Biomedical Corporation of Quebec (IDB)
FLULAVAL is an influenza virus vaccine indicated for active immunization of adults 18 years of age and older. Thimerosal, a mercury derivative, is added as a preservative. Each 0.5 mL dose contains 25 mcg mercury.
http://www.fda.gov/Cber/label/inflidb100506LB.pdf

Fluzone (Aventis Pasteur, Inc.)
Fluzone vaccine is supplied in four different presentations: a 5 mL vial of vaccine which contains the preservative thimerosal [(mercury derivative), (25 µg mercury/dose)]; a 0.25 mL prefilled syringe (No Preservative: Pediatric Dose, for 6 – 35 months of age) distinguished by a pink syringe plunger rod; a 0.5 mL prefilled syringe (No Preservative, for 36 months of age and older); and a 0.5 mL vial (No Preservative, for 36 months of age and older). There is no thimerosal used in the manufacturing process of the No Preservative unit dose presentations of Fluzone vaccine.
http://www.fda.gov/CbER/products/inflave071405.htm

Thimerosal in Vaccines (from the FDA)
http://www.fda.gov/Cber/vaccine/thimerosal.htm

Thimerosal (from Wikipedia) -- Thiomersal is a very toxic compound which is harmful by inhalation and ingestion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thimerosal

National Vaccine Information Center - Mercury Calculator
http://www.nvic.org/Issues/HgCalculator.htm

A-CHAMP: Vaccine makers and Pediatricians to Evade Anti-Mercury Vaccine Law

Vaccine makers and Pediatricians Team Up to Evade Anti-Mercury Vaccine Law

Vaccine makers and Pediatricians have employed crass manipulation of vaccine supply and demand to force California infants and toddlers into taking mercury-containing flu shots. On October 26 the California District of the American Academy of Pediatricians, the California Academy of Family Physicians, the California Medical Association and Kaiser Permanente requested an exemption from the California law banning mercury in vaccines, that went into effect on July 1, 2006. To see the request for an exemption click HERE.
www.a-champ.org/californiathimerosalexemption/AAP_Cal_exemptionLtr_FINAL.pdf

Write Governor Arnold Schwarzenneger and Bill Lockyer the California Attorney General and demand an investigation of this blatant disregard for the law and the welfare of children.

To easily send an email to Governor Schwarzenegger click Take Action! if you are reading this message in an email or use the email form right on this page if you are reading this on our web site.

Or write, fax and call Governor Schwarzenegger or Attorney General Bill Lockyer to urge them to enforce the California law banning mercury in vaccines.

Contact information and a suggested letter appear at the bottom of this page.

Despite assurances by vaccine manufacturers that there was plenty of mercury free flu vaccines to go around Sanofi-Pasteur announced that they are unable to produce enough due to production problems. At the same time, only two weeks ago, the American Academy of Pediatrics decided that children need twice as much of the flu vaccine as last year – doubling the demand.


Presto-Chango: instant public health crises served up to subvert California's new no-mercury vaccine law.

Both the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the vaccine manufacturers who still use Thimerosal preservatives have had active campaigns across the US to opposed state legislative efforts like the one that passed in California to remove mercury from vaccines. Although their stated concern is that such laws could create shortages for the vaccine programs, their true interest is to avoid legal liability for the production and distribution of poorly tested, unsafe vaccines. Such vaccines are at the heart of a number of public health epidemics like diabetes, asthma, immune disorders and expecially the explosion in autism.

This is not the first effort to subvert the will of the people and state laws. Last year, Pharma lobbyists and the Pediatrician partners sucessfully engineered a shortage of Thimerosal-free vaccine shortage to circumvent a similar law in Illinois.

The Pediatricians and vaccine manufacturers think they can say what ever they want, whenever they want to manipulate public health policy that favors their enterprises. This cynical manipulation is performed at the expense of vulnerable children. Their action is immoral and cannot be allowed to continue.

Write, call or fax California Governor Arnold Schwartzenneger now and demand an investigation into the real reasons there is surprise vaccine shortage.

Mercury is a known neurotoxin and has no business being in medicine. "I think it's absolutely criminal to give mercury to an infant," said Boyd Haley, an expert on mercury toxicity and a vocal critic of the CDC. We do, too. Call California Swartzeneggar today and demand that vaccine makers and pediatricians stop using children for self-serving political stunts. Legal exemptions to mercury-free vaccines are for real, not made-up emergencies.
Click here to contact the Governor and demand that he investigate this fraud.


Links to pertinent documents:


CALIFORNIA PEDIATRICIANS REQUEST EXEMPTION FROM LAW BANNING MERCURY IN VACCINES
"Children under three in California are being denied access to influenza vaccination because of inadequate supplies of thimerosal-free vaccine."
www.a-champ.org/californiathimerosalexemption/AAP_Cal_exemptionLtr_FINAL.pdf


SANOFI-PASTURE ASSURES NO SHORTAGES OF MERCURY-FREE VACCINES FEB. 2006
"Our no preservative formulation will be available until it is fully committed."
www.a-champ.org/californiathimerosalexemption/LaVenda_Email_Sanofi_tfree_supply_2-06.pdf


Kansas City Star: SANOFI SAYS PLENTY OF MERCURY-FREE VACCINES
"While we have on several occasions sold out all of our
preservative-containing (mercury) vaccine in the last several years, we have
never sold out all of our preservative-free vaccine."
www.a-champ.org/californiathimerosalexemption/Health_agencies_want mercury_vaccines_KC Star_10_06.pdf

California Dept. of Health Statement to Pediatricians Directing Compliance with Law Requiring Mercury-free vaccines for infants and pregnant women
www.a-champ.org/californiathimerosalexemption/Cal_health_dept_directive_on_thimerosal_law.pdf

Sacramento Bee Article Reporting that Mercury-free Vaccine law Took Effect 7/1/06
www.a-champ.org/californiathimerosalexemption/Cal_Bans_T_Vaccines_SacBee_7_06.pdf


ILLINOIS VACCINE EXEMPTION OUTRAGES MERCURY FOES
Illinois Department of Public Health to delay state lawmakers'
attempts to reduce mercury exposure for those receiving flu shots.
http://tinyurl.com/v9wyn



Contact Information for Gov. Schwarzenegger and A.G. Lockyer:

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger:
Telephone: (916) 445-2841
Fax: (916) 445-4633
Address:State Capitol Bldg., Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: governor@governor.ca.gov



Attorney General Bill Lockyer:
Telephone: (916) 322-3360 or toll-free in California - 1-800-952-5225
Fax: (916) 323-5341
Email: Go to web form at http://ag.ca.gov/contact/complaint_form.php?cmplt=PL
Address: Attorney General's OfficeCalifornia Department of JusticeAttn: Public Inquiry UnitP.O. Box 944255Sacramento, CA 94244-2550


Suggested Letter (to Gov. or AG - click Take Action! to use our automated system to send an email to the Governor.



I respectfully request that you act to enforce California's Safety Code Section 12472 that prohibits the use of mercury-containing vaccines in children younger than three and pregnant women. Despite having more than two years notice a group of medical trade associations and Kaiser Permanente recently petitioned California for a temporary exemption from this law that took effect on July 1, 2006.

I urge you to refuse the exemption request. I further urge that your office conduct an investigation to determine the reasons why the petitioners cannot comply with the law. The State of California must determine the actual availability of mercury-free vaccines by developing information from sources other than the medical authorities that have requested the exemption. The State should also determine whether petitioners have taken good faith measures to comply with the law.

Why can’t United States vaccine makers supply mercury-free vaccine when the same vaccine producers have no problem supplying Britain, the Scandinavian nations and other countries with mercury-free formulations of their vaccines? Why has the California affiliate of the American Academy of Pediatrics requested an exemption when its national organization in 1999 adopted a policy favoring removal of mercury from vaccines?

Scientific studies have shown that there is little evidence that the flu shot provides consistent protective value for young children. Studies have also shown that the flu vaccine has no protective effect at all for children under two. A highly significant study just published in the British Medical Journal seriously questions the benefits and efficacy of a policy to implement mass flu vaccination.

The health risks of influenza to the young are exaggerated. The risk to the health of California’s children from exposure to mercury, a highly toxic neurotoxin, is far greater than from influenza.

I urge you to reject the petitioners’ request for an exemption and hold hearings into petitioners’ complete disregard for the laws of the State of California.


Message Brought To You By A-CHAMP
Advocates for Children's Health Affected by Mercury Poisoning

Rep. Barton's Money

From a Mom who is paying attention:

Dear Ginger,
Have been following the Rep. Barton story closely. Did a quick scan of the campaign contributions to his Congressman Joe Barton Committee via the FEC filings.

Thought you'd be interested in the following:
Alcon PAC (contact lens solution/used to have thimerosal): $16,000
Allergan PAC (ditto): $30,000
Merck: $26,000
Novartis: $8000
Pfizer: $24,000
GlaxoSmithKline PAC: $19,000

That's just a quick scan and doesn't include many other medical sounding contributors, including health insurance companies, etc. It doesn't include individual contributions, either.

So, that goes a long way toward explaining who controls Joe Barton's opinion of Autism legislation.

Best,
Angelique

UPDATE: Anne Dachel has been digging too:

Texas Congressionman Joe Barton's motives for holding up the Combating Autism Act are understandable by examining his list of campaign contributers. Rep. Barton is pharma's friend and money is not given out like this without expecting something in return.

That return seems to be to stall the CAA, a bill which would provide for research into the possible environmental causes of autism. That would of course include the unchecked use of thimerosal (mercury) in vaccines.

Does Joe Barton represent the people of his district or the drug industry? What do his actions say?

Anne

Donations to Re-election committee Joseph Barton R-Tx 6
http://query. nictusa.com/ cgi-bin/can_ give/H4TX06117

http://query.nictusa.com/cgi-bin/can_give/H4TX06117



Combating Autism Act of 2005
5/18/2005:
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Donations to Re-election committee Joseph Barton R-Tx 6
http://query. nictusa.com/ cgi-bin/can_ give/H4TX06117

ABBOTT LABORATORIES EMPLOYEE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 09/26/2006
4000.00
AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF BIOANALYSTS POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
05/05/2006 4000.00
AMERICAN CHEMISTRY COUNCIL PAC
09/26/2006 2000.00
AMERICAN DENTAL POLITICAL ACTION CMTE.
06/21/2006 5000.00
AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION PAC
08/08/2006 2000.00
AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 09/14/2006
2500.00
AMERICAN OSTEOPATHIC INFORMATION ASSOCIATION - OSTEOPATHIC PAC
06/23/2006 5000.00
AMERICAN PHARMACISTS ASSOCIATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
09/07/2006 2000.00
AMGEN INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
06/13/2006 3000.00
ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY INC
09/12/2006 2000.00
BAYER CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
05/19/2006 1000.00
BAYER CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
07/31/2006 2000.00
CONSUMER HEALTHCARE PRODUCTS ASSOC PAC 09/19/2006
3000.00
ELI LILLY AND COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 08/24/2006
1500.00
GENESIS HEALTHCARE CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
08/01/2006 3500.00
GENTIVA HEALTH SERVICES INC PAC GENTIVAPAC
08/25/2006 2000.00
GENZYME CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (GENZ-PAC)
07/16/2006 1000.00
KINDRED HEALTHCARE INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
07/31/2006 5000.00
MEDIMMUNE INC. EMPLOYEE POLITICAL AWARENESS COMMITTEE 05/16/2006
1500.00
MERCK & CO. INC. EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 03/17/2006
5000.00
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHAIN DRUG STORES, INC. PAC
09/07/2006 2000.00
PFIZER INC. PAC 06/07/2006
1000.00
QUEST DIAGNOSTICS INCORPORATED POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 09/13/2006
2000.00
SANOFI PASTEUR POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
05/02/2006 1000.00
ZENECA INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
09/20/2006 1000.00

Donations to the Texas Freedom Fund (Joe Barton's Political Action
committee
http://herndon1. sdrdc.com/ cgi-bin/com_ rcvd/C00340661

AMERICAN SPEECH-LANGUAGE- HEARING ASSOCIATION PAC 09/27/2006
1500.00
PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH & MANUFACTURERS OF AMERICA 09/22/2006
2500.00
BLUEPAC - BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD ASSOCIATION PAC 08/31/2006
5000.00
GENESIS HEALTHCARE CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
08/26/2006 4000.00
ZENECA INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
08/17/2006 2500.00
CAREMARK RX INC. EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
08/3/2006 2000.00
SUN HEALTHCARE GROUP INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
07/24/2006 2500.00
CAREMARK RX INC. EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
07/19/2006 2000.00
MEDCO HEALTH SOLUTIONS INC POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
07/17/2006 1500.00
AMGEN INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
07/13/2006 2500.00
ALLERGAN INC POLITICAL ACTION COMM FOR EMPLOYEES (APACE) 05/22/2006
2500.00
COMMUNITY ONCOLOGY ALLIANCE PAC 05/22/2006
3000.00
LYONDELL CHEMICAL COMPANY PAC
05/22/2006 -1500.00
LYONDELL CHEMICAL COMPANY PAC
05/22/2006 4000.00
SMITHKLINE BEECHAM CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
05/4/2006 2500.00
NOVARTIS CORPORATION POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 03/28/2006
2500.00
ABBOTT LABORATORIES EMPLOYEE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 03/27/2006
5000.00
LYONDELL CHEMICAL COMPANY PAC
03/23/2006 1500.00
PFIZER INC. PAC 03/23/2006
2500.00
JOHNSON & JOHNSON POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
03/22/2006 2500.00
ELI LILLY AND COMPANY POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE 03/17/2006
2500.00
MERCK & CO. INC. EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
03/17/2006 5000.00
PHARMACEUTICAL RESEARCH & MANUFACTURERS OF AMERICA
03/16/2006 2500.00
WYETH GOOD GOVERNMENT FUND
03/13/2006 2500.00
AMGEN INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
03/7/2006 2500.00
SCHERING-PLOUGH CORPORATION BETTER GOVERNMENT FUND
03/2/2006 5000.00
ZENECA INC. POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
02/20/2006 2500.00
CAREMARK RX INC. EMPLOYEES POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE
02/10/2006 1000.00
UNITEDHEALTH GROUP INCORPORATED PAC (UNITED FOR HEALTH) 02/9/2006
5000.00

CoMeD Sues FDA to Force Mercury Out of Medicine

CoMeD Sues FDA to Force Mercury Out of Medicine
For Immediate Release
October 30, 2006
CoMeD Attorney [Cliff Shoemaker, Esq. (Vienna, VA) 703-281-6395]
CoMeD Head [Rev. Lisa K. Sykes (Richmond, VA) 804-364-8426]
CoMeD Sci. Advisor [Dr. King (Lake Hiawatha, NJ) 973-997-1321]
A-CHAMP [Robert Krakow, Esq. (New York, NY) 516-354-3300]

Washington, DC - On Friday, October 27, 2006, the Coalition for Mercury-free Drugs (CoMeD) filed an amended complaint in U.S. Federal Court, disputing the FDA response it received on September 26, 2006, defending the use of mercury in medicine.

CoMeD is asking the court to compel the FDA to: comply with the law, follow existing regulations, and provide proof of the safety and efficacy of mercury in drugs.

This lawsuit was originally filed in August 2006 because the FDA had failed to answer the issues raised in a CoMeD citizen petition (FDA Docket: 2004P-0349), filed on Wednesday, August 4, 2004, by representatives from CoMeD.

Of concern is that mercury, which is second only to plutonium in toxicity, remains in at least 45 different prescribed and over-the-counter drugs (according to the FDA), including various eye ointments, ear solutions, nasal sprays, vaccines, biologics, and perhaps most importantly, in flu vaccines currently being administered to millions of pregnant women, children, and the elderly.

Mercury is toxic to all human systems. Infants and children are especially susceptible to mercury poisoning. Mercury has been implicated in a long list of human chronic disorders including Alzheimer's disease, asthma, attention-deficit disorder, autism, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis, among many others.

In a letter sent to the CoMeD and made public on September 27th, Dr. Jeffrey Shuren, the FDA Acting Assistant Commissioner for Policy, denied the CoMeD petition, but his admission that the FDA had no substantive evidence confirming the safety of mercury in medicine was stunning.

FDA also acknowledged that mercury in drugs could easily be eliminated.

Plaintiffs lead attorney, Clifford Shoemaker stated, "In its response, the FDA refused to address the merits of the complaint. It is not the responsibility of consumers to prove drugs 'unsafe'; it is the FDA's duty to prove drugs are safe. The FDA has ignored a mountain of scientific evidence and its responsibility to the public, specifically to protect our children. It has failed to follow its own statutes and regulations. Just as we witnessed with Vioxx, the FDA has turned a blind eye to the danger of mercury in medicine. To the detriment of multiple generations, industry influence over the FDA has again compromised drug safety.â€

In a 1999 internal email, obtained under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request, an FDA official admitted that the agency's failure to evaluate the cumulative amount of mercury in medicine, "...will raise questions about FDA being 'asleep at the switch' for decades by allowing a potentially hazardous compound to remain and not forcing manufacturers to exclude it from new products"

(See: http://www.putchildrenfirst.org/media/1.6.pdf.)

In a second email, the same FDA official wrote, the greatest point of vulnerability on this issue is that the systematic review by the FDA could have been done years ago and on an ongoing basis.

(See: http://www.putchildrenfirst.org/media/1.7.pdf.)

In May of 2003, the U.S. House of Representatives, Government Reform Committee released a report, "Mercury in Medicine - Taking Unnecessary Risks" following a three-year investigation into mercury. The report found, "Mercury is hazardous to humans. Its use in medicinal products is undesirable, unnecessary and should be minimized or eliminated entirely...The FDA has never required manufacturers to conduct adequate safety testing on thimerosal and ethylmercury compounds". Studies and papers documenting the hyperallergenicity and toxicity of thimerosal (ethylmercury) have existed for decades. Furthermore, it concluded, "the Committee did find evidence that thimerosal did pose a risk". Thimerosal used as a preservative in vaccines in [sic; is] likely related to the autism epidemic...Our public health agencies' failure to act is indicative of institutional malfeasance for self-protection and misplaced protectionism of the pharmaceutical industry." (For the published Congressional report, See: http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/multidb.cgi?WAIStemplate=multidb_results.html&WAISqueryRule=%24WAISqueryString&WAISdbName=2003_record+Congressional+Record%2C+Volume+149+%282003%29&WAISqueryString=%22Mercury+In+Medicine+Report%22&Submit.=Submit&WAISmaxHits=200&WrapperTemplate=crecord_wrapper.html

In February, 2004 the California Environmental Protection Agency Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment found "the scientific evidence that PMA (phenylmercuric acetate) and thimerosal cause reproductive toxicity is clear and voluminous". The evidence for its reproductive toxicity includes severe mental retardation or malformations in human offspring who were poisoned when their mothers were exposed to ethyl mercury or thimerosal while pregnant, studies in animals demonstrating developmental toxicity after exposure to either ethyl mercury or thimerosal, and data showing interconversion to other forms of mercury that also clearly cause reproductive toxicity".

(See page 3 of: http://www.oehha.ca.gov/prop65/CRNR_notices/pdf_zip/hgbayer1.pdf.)

To view CoMeD's petition to remove mercury from medicine, and all the subsequent documents, including the FDA responses: http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/dockets/04p0349/04p0349.htm

To view CBS News Report on CoMeD's delivery of the petition to the FDA:
http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/videoplayer/newVid/small_player/cbsnews_videoplayer.shtml?clip=/media/2004/08/21/video637597.wmv&sec=undefined&vidId=undefined&hitboxMLC=undefined&CMP=ILC-SearchVideos

Dateline NBC: Jim Adams, Autism & Chelation

iAbida Individual Communication Management

I found this site about a week ago and it looks REALLY helpful. We may end up using it for Chandler's care.

Press Release:
iAbida Individual Communication Management™ Proves Valuable to the VP of the Autism Society of Iowa

Sonya Wills, the mother of three autistic children, and the Vice President of the Autism Society of Iowa, has found success with an online application for centralizing communication with her team of professionals.

HARPSWELL, ME (PRWEB via PRWeb) October 30, 2006 -- iAbida Inc. today announced that Sonya Wills has cut communication time in half by using iAbida with educators that work with her three autistic children. iAbida's Individual Communication Management™ system enables schools and parents to drive communication through a password protected web application.

Sonya says "we use this website to REPLACE daily communication journals between home and school. We also have our HHA, SCL, and Respite providers post their experiences here. Speech Therapists and Occupational Therapists can post here also. Instead of keeping a spiral notebook with only correspondence between the teacher/associate and home, you have everybody's input all in one place and you can create reports and print off everything from one specified date to another (we currently do this monthly). Since my kids see a psychiatrist, he is able to review what has happened with the children both at home and at school BEFORE we arrive at our regularly scheduled appointments and advise us based on this information."

"The needs of schools, therapists and parents to communicate about special needs individuals is intense," said Steve Johnson, founder of iAbida and also the father of an 11 year old son with autism. "Parents and professionals see the need for improved communication and have been turning to iAbida as a centralized location for communication. We are really happy to see users such as Sonya and the Iowa autism community benefit from the use of iAbida. It is provided at no charge for individual users and at nominal rates for organizational accounts."

About iAbida, Inc.
iAbida, Inc. provides an online solution to help schools, parents and others communicate about special needs children - including daily journals, behavior tracking, medication, calendar, diet, photo albums, questions and answers, photo, emergency contact information, etc... The person who opens the account has control over who gets to participate in which areas and each person that posts can make their posting available to everybody or individuals only.

Hundreds of users are now getting the benefit from iAbida's communication platform from public schools, parents to private ABA schools.

For more information about iAbida's software and services, visit www.iabida.com

Parents Hold Press Confrence on Barton's Hold Up of CAA

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2006

CONTACTS:
Mara LaViola (214) 387-0889, (972)-358-8230
Kristi Hammer (972) 335-5460

******* MEDIA ADVISORY *******

PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM TO HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE

PARENTS CALL ON HASTERT, BARTON TO LET CONGRESS PASS AUTISM BILL.

Barton Holds Children with Autism Hostage By Refusing to Release the Combating Autism Act for a Vote in the House. Political Gain Outweighs Helping Hundreds of Thousands of Children with Autism.

Frisco, TX – Parents of children with autism will hold a press conference in Richardson on Monday, October 30, 2006 at 11:00 a.m. regarding the status of the Combating Autism Act (Senate Bill 843).

WHO: Families of children with autism

WHAT: Press Conference

WHERE: The Renaissance Hotel at 900 E. Lookout Drive in Richardson

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is increasing in America’s children at epidemic levels. According to the CDC, 1 in 166 children will succumb to an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Recent research indicates that autism is being triggered by an environmental insult. National leaders are calling for our best and brightest researchers to find out what would make ordinarily normal, healthy children regress into autism. There are now more children with autism than several of the leading childhood diseases combined.

This life long, severely debilitating disorder currently affects millions of children across the country; yet legislation that would provide critical help to those children and their families is being held up by several congressional leaders despite the fact that a majority of the House has co-sponsored the bill. Is this politics as usual in Washington? The Combating Autism Act (Senate Bill 843), which has unanimously passed the United States Senate would, among other things, wage a nearly 1 billion dollar war on Autism over the next five years. The Act would attack Autism on a multiple of fronts: much needed public awareness and early identification, funding research to identify the best medical practices and treatment of Autism, and basic biomedical research. Yet, despite unanimous support in the Senate and over 220 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives, Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis, are refusing to let the House vote on this critical legislation. Their refusal to act is essentially robbing children with Autism of their voice in the political process.

Come hear parents explain how the Combating Autism Act is essential if we are to rescue an entire generation of children already at risk of being lost forever to this devastating disorder.

Listen as families explain how this legislation will help them meet the tremendous challenges they face by caring for children with Autism. These parents and their children will be gathered in front of the Renaissance Hotel in Richardson, where Speaker Hastert is scheduled to present a key note address at a fundraising event at noon. Families will call on Speaker Hastert and Congressman Barton to stop holding their children hostage to politics and let the House vote on the Combating Autism Act.

CAN!

First go get a box of tissues. I am not kidding.

World's Strongest Dad.
Sports Illustrated
By Rick Reilly

I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right? And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his
life.

This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick Was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. ``Put him in an Institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's nothing going on in his brain.''

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked
out, ``Dad, I want To do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described ``porker'' who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore For two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!'' And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-
belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

``No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon?

Still, Dick Tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? ``No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for ``the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with A cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man
in a wheelchair at the Time.

``No question about it,'' Rick types. ``My dad is the Father of the Century.''

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. ``If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, ``you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

``The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, ``is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''

And the video is below....

Barton's Meeting with "Parents"

From Kristi Hammer:

Okay guys…Here is a summary of the town hall meeting. I hope it
makes sense…I am pooped, but really wanted to get this in your hands
tonight.

Town Hall Meeting – 6 invited, 6 guests in his office last night.

Barton continues to stick to his position that NIH Reform, if
passed, will cover the same thing as S.843 CAA. This is entirely
untrue. He admitted that NIH Reform has zero provisions for autism
specifically, and no timelines for impacting change. If passed NIH
Reform would keep present levels of funding for diseases "whole" for
3 years" VERY BAD news for us since we aren't getting much now.
There will be $1.4 billion dollars in the first year that will
be "up for grabs" to any disease who can prove their research
worthy. In other words, we continue to compete with the other
diseases…a battle which we have consistently lost. Nothing changes
for us.

He also confirmed that under no circumstances will he release CAA
for vote (neither the Senate or House bills). Period.

After much debate, he told the participants (12, and maybe ½
parents), that if they would "bring him some language that would be
suitable to us" he would "work with us to get something done on
it" Here are the caveats to this. I can pretty much guaranty that
whatever local parents drafted, and he agreed upon (if that ever
happened) would be insufficient to the Autism community and they
would kill the bill themselves, and start over. Then the autism
community could look like the "unreasonable ones", and he would be
off the hook. Also, this proposed language, if used, would be part
of his NIH Reform bill. There is ZERO possibility that NIH Reform
could pass in the lame duck session. Not because no one wants it,
but there is simply not enough time, and there is no companion
Senate Bill.

So….no matter what, left in Barton's hands, the Autism provisions
will die in December. He won't release CAA, and although he claims
he might put a few autism provisions in NIH Reform (if the
participants in the town hall write it), it doesn't matter because
NIH Reform won't have a chance to pass, and the autism community
wouldn't accept it.. Either way we lose, and I think that is the
intention.

The bottom line is, at this point, only Hastert, or the Discharge
Rule could move this forward this year. We will get this done next
year, if the Dems take the house, but it will be at least another
52 weeks, at a cost of 36,000 children being newly diagnosed, and
the rest of us put off for yet another year over one man's
politics/ego. We explained to him what this delay meant in terms of
the human impact, and he was unmoved.

There were a number of people there last night who thought Barton
was "very sincere" in his desire to work with us. If you are on
this list and reading this, please don't buy into that.. I can't
say it enough. The autism community will not accept anything but
S.843, and he would be using you to get some language that he could
take to the autism community, so that they would be forced to turn
it down, and they would be the bad guys…not him. Don't let that
happen to us.

Autism Mom Discusses TV Researcher

Defending the Indefensible

Dr. Mike Waldman is responding as defensively as a child caught in a huge lie or stealing from his local drug store. He would rather defend his indefensible lunacy and junk science than admit to his huge error in judgment and reason. He is now caught up in a huge firestorm that even he probably had no idea he was getting into, by proposing his ignorant hypothesis. He now seems incapable of the wherewithal or common sense to simply extricate himself.

But Waldman may have made the most damaging statement to date when he said, "PARENTS SHOULDN'T BE DECIDING THE DIRECTION OF RESEARCH". Again Waldman demonstrates his ignorance of an issue that he came in on too late, too uninformed, too naive to even be a participant in the debate.

He is unaware that many of the most active parents in this debate ARE doctors and scientists. He also seems unaware as he jumps in at the 11th hour and decides to dictate what and how this epidemic isstudied, that if it wasn't for parents no research at all would have been done, besides the easily flawed epidemiological studies released and paid for by the CDC, clearing themselves as the poisoners of an entire generation of children. How dare Waldman come along after nearly two decades of our children being written off, neglected, denied they even existed, dropped by insurance companies or refused payments for autism treatments, miss-handled by ill-prepared school systems and early intervention and neglected by their own governments at every level. Parents are the only ones that have given a damn about these kids for more than 20 years. Parents have mortgaged their lives to try to afford the most promising treatments and therapies that might make a difference in their child's outcome because no one else is offering a thing. They have single-handedly raised the public awareness to a national crisis and epidemic. Parents alone have driven the train of research, political action, support groups, legislative action,insurance reform, biomedical treatment organizations nationwide that are recovering children from this devastating disease.

So all you parents that have dedicated your life to Autism, your own child as well as all others and those children yet to come, just back off now because Mr. TV Man is here, and all the answers will be forthcoming. Stop your fundraising efforts, stop your boards that are distributing research funds for real scientific studies, stop your political action committees, stop your parent support groups, stop your biomedical conventions, stop your dialogue with real doctors and scientists and sit back in your easy chair at home because, Mr. TV Man is here, Economics professor extraordinaire, newly professed expert on Autism is now going to dictate to parents,
doctors, scientists, the nation, on how the Autism research and debate should be conducted. He alone will tell us what is valid research and who has a right to participate? He will decide who should be taken seriously and who should not. "Never Fear, Mr. TV Man is Here".

Mr. Waldman, you are not going to dictate to parents. Parents are Autism. Parents are the only support these children have. Parents are the funders of research, they are the soldiers of Autism legislation and insurance reform, they are the educators of their own children, the legal experts on IDEA and FAPE, they are their children's nutritionists, doctors, nurses, educators, and most of all they are their children's advocates in a world that is more and more hostile to not only our children but to us too. You, Mr. TV Man have crossed a line that is unforgivable. You dare to dictate
to and exclude parents from a process that they have carried alone. We will dictate research because we are the only ones funding it and soliciting the research. You come along with your bizarre precipitation/cable TV/Autism theory and suddenly feel you have the right to exclude the only people who have given a damn about our kids from day one.

Parents are deciding the direction of research because few listen to the only people that know these children inside and out. We witnessed our children's decline and we had to take it into our own hands to have our concerns taken seriously. All the experts have told too many of us to institutionalize our children, that they would never talk, that they are severely mentally retarded, there are no treatments, there is no hope. Yet on our own, with the help of sympathetic and compassionate researchers, doctors, and professional that truly listen to parents, many of us across the nation have fixed our children's problems. Experts ignored our children's' serious medical problems as if because they had Autism it was ok that they suffer from severe intestinal, immune system, and gut disorders. We fixed those problems too. We have attacked Autism from multiple levels and approaches and our children are recovering. We can thank ourselves for that gift. What are you offering Mr. TV Man? I never owned a TV, it didn't cause my child's autism.

That is the problem. Mr. TV Man may be published in medical journals eager to highlight anything that takes the focus off of vaccines. But he will never ever gain the support of dedicated and educated parents who are the driving force behind all things Autism. And we have that right, because medicine, government, insurance, educational institutions, old-style non-profits, all told us long ago that we don't matter, our children don't matter, they are expendable, to be institutionalized and forgotten. Out of love for our children we have changed all that and continue to burst open-wide the doors that hold the mysteries to our children's problems.

Mr. TV Man seems unaware of how savvy these parents are and educated on the complex and intricate issues of Autism, far more educated on this very issue than him. The whole issue seems too simple to him, he does not even realize the level of scientific sophistication that parents have had to reach to treat and cure their own children. It is Mr. TV Man who has no right to jump in and start dictating the Autism research agenda in a blathering attempt to defend the indefensible. The research and studies have gone so far beyond his simplistic thinking that he seems incapable of even comprehending the complexity of it. The most brazen part of this man's ego is how he came to the conclusion that as an Economist and professor, he is in a position to hold himself above parents. But we too are researchers, doctors, lawyers, statistical experts, psychologists, teachers, professor, politicians, etc.

Mr. Waldman still refuses to address the medical issues of Autistic children and how TV might bring about changes in the immune system and biochemistry of these kids. It's better to ignore what could not possibly fit into his simplistic and unproveable theory.

As he digs his grave of ignorance deeper and deeper I suspect his attacks on parents will only grow more vitriolic, more desperate, as he tries to hang on to his newfound fame and the attention that it is bringing him. In the mean time the real research will continue, funded by parents, and the organizations founded and run by
parents. And we will continue to be the only ones that are serious about getting to the root of this epidemic and the cause of our own precious children's decline into this devastating disease as well as their recovery from it. Mr. TV Man is not adding anything substantive or beneficial to the debate or to real science and he should step out gracefully now before causing further embarrassment to himself and the once prestigious institution of Cornell University, however neither of these seem to be of great concern to him.

Kendra Pettengill

J.B. Handley: Hey CDC, You Forgot to Count Our Son

Hey CDC, You Forgot to Count Our Son
By J.B. Handley
www.generationrescue.org

I'll never forget the late fall of 2003. It felt like every day on the news I was reading another story about the flu outbreak that was killing children in Colorado and other places, I can't quite remember where.

We were panicked. With two young small boys, death from flu was horrifying, and the news also explained how limited the supply of flu vaccines was around the country. I still remember the day I came to work with the sole focus of finding flu vaccine somewhere, anywhere to help my babies. After dozens of calls, I felt lucky enough to
happen upon a doctor with some extra vaccines who was ready to see our boys immediately. Whew, bullet dodged, I figured.

Our youngest son, Jamison, was the highest priority. Fourteen months old, he was sick a lot more than his four year old older brother. Jamison was on antibiotics all the time, and he had a lot of eczema. Could he handle the flu? It seemed like it would really be tough on him – he was at risk, he needed this shot.

I couldn't make the shot appointment, I was busy. As usual, my wife soldiered on without me and endured the cries from her two warriors who got vaccinated. Jamison had been particularly brave about the whole thing. How great, we thought! He's safe now!

Our Christmas video from the fall of 2003, just a couple weeks after the first flu shot, shows a happy and engaged Jamison, very excited about all the presents in our living room, and responding and watching his older brother celebrating. A happy kid, in our world, engaged. A part of the family.

January came. Flu deaths were still in the news, although not quite as often. The flu shot was actually a two-part shot that year. Get the flu shot, come back in 4 weeks later for a booster. That's what they told us. We decided to skip the booster for our oldest son, but we knew Jamison really needed it. Dutifully again, we made sure Jamison got that second shot.

**

A study came out this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. It's called: "Safety of Trivalent Inactivated Influenza Vaccine in Children 6 to 23 months old."

It basically says the flu shot is perfectly safe for kids. It also says a couple of interesting things.

One. "Financial support for this study was provided in full by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

Two. "Our primary outcome measure was any medically attended event associated with trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine in a 14-day risk window after vaccination."

Oh, and there's a third thing it says, too. It's at the end of the study. It says of the nineteen authors, nine have financial ties to vaccine manufacturers. And, four more of the authors work at CDC. Here's one of nine examples of the financial disclosure:

"Dr. Marcy reports working as a consultant for Sanofi Pasteur, Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, MedImmune, and Abbott, and serving on the speakers' bureau for Sanofi Pasteur and GlaxoSmithKline." (Note: Sanofi Pasteur is the leading manufacturer of flu vaccine.)

I don't know, Dr. Marcy, I just don't know, can I trust you to tell me the truth if the vaccine hurt our kid?

Oh, and they also wrote this, towards the end of the study:

"It is also important to note that there is scant data on the efficacy and effectiveness of influenza vaccine in young children."

**

Like many parents trying to understand what happened to their child, we re-traced Jamison's steps back to that fall and Christmas of 2003. The decline seems to have begun sometime in January, soon after the second flu shot. He began to play alone. His words stopped. He started running back and forth along walls and fences. For hours.

Like many parents, it took us a while to figure out what was happening to our son. By March, we thought something was wrong. By April, we began to panic a little as his behaviors got worse and he seemed to always be sick. By May, we happened upon this test called the M-CHAT, and we realized our son met the criteria for autism.

Jamison didn't make the JAMA study. He didn't go to the doctor or hospital in the 2 weeks after he got the flu shot. His medical condition today, autism, is not one of the outcomes the study authors looked for.

In 2003, when Jamison got his flu shot, I didn't know that the CDC had released a 1999 statement saying:

"Because any potential risk is of concern, the Public Health Service, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and vaccine manufacturers agree that thimerosal-containing vaccines should be removed as soon as possible. Similar conclusions were reached this year in a meeting attended by European regulatory agencies, the European vaccine
manufacturers, and the US FDA which examined the use of thimerosal-containing vaccines produced or sold in European countries."

I also didn't know the American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement in 2001 saying:

"Mercury in all of its forms is toxic to the fetus and children and efforts should be made to reduce exposure to the extent possible to pregnant women and children as well as the general population."

Jamison's 2 flu shots contained mercury. 25 micrograms each. I didn't know that. I do know that every time I hear the word "flu vaccine" I get sick to my stomach. How come CDC or AAP didn't make a point of telling me flu vaccine in 2003 still contained mercury? It would have impacted our decision.

I wish the thirteen study authors with clear conflicts could come to my house, watch my son's videotape, and review his medical tests. I wish all of them would have spent their time differently. Four years passed between the CDC's press release and Jamison's vaccine. Did the mercury really need to be there? And, why is it still there today, seven years later?

CDC, our son is not part of the data in your study. But he should be.

Oct 26, 2006