“No link found between vaccine mercury, autism - msnbc.com” plus 2 more |
- No link found between vaccine mercury, autism - msnbc.com
- More Evidence That Vaccines Don't Cause Autism - AZCentral.com
- Polk County takes part in children's health study - AP - msnbc.com
| No link found between vaccine mercury, autism - msnbc.com Posted: 13 Sep 2010 07:43 AM PDT NEW YORK — A new government study adds to the evidence that thimerosal, a mercury-based preservative until recently found in many vaccines, does not increase children's risk of autism. It shows kids who had been exposed as babies to high levels of the preservative -- through vaccines they received or their mothers received while pregnant -- were no more likely to develop autism, including two distinct subtypes of the condition. "This study should reassure parents about following the recommended immunization schedule," said Dr. Frank Destefano, director of the Immunization Safety Office at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, and the study's senior author. Concerns about a link between vaccines and autism were first raised more than a decade ago by British physician Andrew Wakefield. His report, based on 12 children, has since been discredited and was retracted earlier this year by the journal that published it. In the meantime, it sparked a fierce worldwide debate among scientists and a health scare that caused many parents to shy away from recommended vaccines like the one against measles, mumps and rubella. Outbreaks of all three diseases followed. One widespread worry has been that thimerosal might play a role in the development of autism, a condition that affects as many as one in 110 U.S. children, according to the CDC. Most scientists consider autism a developmental disorder, likely influenced by genes.
Autism spectrum disorders range from mild Asperger's Syndrome to severe mental retardation and social disability, and there is no cure or good treatment. The CDC researchers used data for U.S. children born between 1994 and 1999, who were enrolled in one of three managed care organizations. They found 256 children with an autism spectrum disorder and compared them with 752 children who did not have the condition, but were matched for age and sex. No matter when a child had been exposed to thimerosal -- before birth when the mother had a shot, or when the child itself was vaccinated as a baby or toddler -- there was no increase in the risk of any type of autism spectrum disorder. In fact, those kids who were exposed to the preservative between birth and 20 months of age had slightly lower odds of developing the condition, although the researchers could not explain that result. "This is a very reassuring study," said Dr. Michael J. Smith, a pediatrician at the University of Louisville School of Medicine in Kentucky who was not involved in the research. "These data show that you could receive a thimerosal vaccine and not be concerned about it."
Smith, who said he has a fully vaccinated two-month-old at home, noted that autism rates have continued to rise, although thimerosal has been removed from all routine childhood vaccines, except flu shots. For parents who remain concerned about thimerosal in the flu shots, he said there are alternatives without the preservative, such as FluMist, a nasal spray that can be used in children aged two and older. Some parents have also worried that giving too many shots at once, or in children who are too young, could cause mental problems. Smith said studies had dispelled those concerns one by one. "There is no credible evidence" for a link between vaccines and autism, he told Reuters Health. SOURCE: http://link.reuters.com/gas77m Pediatrics, online September 13, 2010. Copyright 2010 Thomson Reuters. Click for restrictions. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| More Evidence That Vaccines Don't Cause Autism - AZCentral.com Posted: 13 Sep 2010 09:09 AM PDT
MONDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Infants exposed to the highest levels of thimerosal, a mercury-laden preservative that used to be found in many vaccines, were no more likely to develop autism than infants exposed to only a little thimerosal, new research finds. The study offers more reassurance to parents who worry that vaccination raises their children's risk for autism, the researchers said. "Prenatal and early life exposure to ethylmercury from thimerosal in vaccines or immunoglobulin products does not increase a child's risk of developing autism," concluded senior study author Dr. Frank DeStefano, director of the immunization safety office at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study was released online Sept. 13 in advance of publication in the October print issue of Pediatrics. Thimerosal has been used as a preservative in vaccines since the 1930s, according to background information in the article. Concerns about the chemical began to crop up in 1999, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said that because of the increased number of thimerosal-containing vaccines added to the infant vaccination schedule, infants may be exposed to too much mercury. Thimerosal used to be found in hepatitis B, Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type B) and DTP (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis) vaccines, among others. During the ensuing years, the FDA worked with manufacturers to eliminate thimerosal from vaccines, according to the agency's Web site. Today, thimerosal has been removed or reduced to trace amounts in all vaccines routinely recommended for children 6 years of age and younger, with the exception of inactivated seasonal flu vaccine, according to the FDA. Parents who are concerned about thimerosal can ask for a preservative-free version, DeStefano said. And thimerosal wasn't the only proposed autism-vaccine link. A 1998 paper in The Lancet suggested the MMR (measles-mumps-rubella) vaccine might trigger autism. The journal later retracted the paper, and numerous studies have refuted any link between the MMR vaccine and autism. In February of 2009, a U.S. federal court ruled that there was no scientific evidence linking vaccines to autism. In the new study, researchers examined medical records and conducted interviews with the mothers of 256 children with an autism spectrum disorder and 752 children matched by birth year who did not have autism. The children were all members of three health care management organizations in California and Massachusetts. Researchers also gathered information about the manufacture and lot number of the vaccines that the children received, to determine how much thimerosal they were likely exposed to. Children in the highest 10 percent of thimerosal exposure, either prenatally or between infancy and 20 months, were no more likely to have autism, an autism spectrum disorder or autism spectrum disorder with regression than children in the lowest 10 percent of exposure. "This study adds to a large body of evidence indicating that early thimerosal exposure through vaccination does not cause autism," said Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer for a leading advocacy group, Autism Speaks. Dawson was not involved with the research. She urged parents to have their children vaccinated. "We encourage parents to have their children vaccinated and to establish a trusting relationship with their child's pediatrician so they can discuss any concerns they have," Dawson said. More information The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has more on thimerosal. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
| Polk County takes part in children's health study - AP - msnbc.com Posted: 13 Sep 2010 06:03 AM PDT DES MOINES, Iowa — Polk County is taking part in a national study on the causes of children's health problems. It aims to track 100,000 children for 21 years, beginning before birth. The Des Moines Register says that organizers want to recruit 1,000 families in the next four years for the National Children's study. The goal is to determine how genetics and environmental factors play into the development of health problems, including obesity, autism, asthma and premature birth. Polk County was chosen as the Iowa site. The study, which is being financed by the federal government which will track kids in 105 locations. It's expected to cost more than $3 billion in 25 years. ___ Information from: The Des Moines Register, http://www.desmoinesregister.com Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now |
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