Conner Hall, the son of Dana Emmitt-Hall, is a child with autism. His case is one of approximately 4,800 in the waiting for the Federal Vaccine Court. Photo Courtesy of the Emmitt-Hall family.

FOX Television asks: “Autism Correlation Coverup? Vaccine claims rarely compensated by government,” during the Fox News’ Fox & Friends Saturday. The news segment begins with the story the family of Hannah Poling. Hannah is a young child who, after receiving vaccines against nine diseases in one doctor’s visit, at the age of 18 months, reportedly developed autism. The family of Hannah Poling was later awarded $1.5 million, in September 2010.

According to www.Lawyersandsettlements.com, Hannah was vaccinated in July 2000, against measles, mumps, rubella, polio, varicella, diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus, and Haemophilus influenzae. Her health reportedly declined rapidly following the vaccines, she stopped eating, developed high fevers, didn’t respond when spoken to, started having screaming fits, and began to show signs of autism. In 2002 her family filed an autism claim in federal vaccine court.

This settlement is the first award of its kind. And, according to www.Lawyersandsettlements.com, there are approximately 4,800 further autism cases awaiting disposition in federal vaccine court.

Dana Emmitt-Hall, a mother of a child with autism, appears on the FOX television segment. Dana has one of the autism cases in the waiting. The case was filed for her young son and, on the segment, she speaks about how she received a letter from the Federal Vaccine Court that requested she provide a “theory of why we believe the vaccines cause the autism.” The letter continues on to ask that they provide a “medical expert’s opinion” to the Federal Vaccine Court.

“We have our theories” said Dana. However, she hasn’t been able to find “medical experts willing to risk losing their medical license in the United States.”

Mary Holland, a professor at New York University’s Law School, also appeared on the segment. The professor didn’t have any hope to offer Dana or the other 4,800 families with cases waiting. In fact, the professor says that this is letter from the Federal Vaccine Court is “probably the end of the line” but the parents could preserve their cases for a later date if they step out of the cases in a particular way.

Holland is among the founders of the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy (EBCALA).  Holland told, ICare4Autism, that the non-profit organization “seeks to educate lawyers and the public about the legal needs of the autism community.”

A supreme court case on this matter will be held in October.

Connor Hall is a child with autism. Photo Courtesy of the Emmitt-Hall family

Sources:

Lawyers and Settlements website

VIDEO Courtesy of MEDIA Matters for America

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The vaccine schedule that most pediatricians follow, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, takes a one-size-fits-all approach since that’s what’s best for protecting the population at large. Many parents, though, are searching for a schedule that allays their safety concerns, says pediatrician Robert Sears, author of The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child. The CDC recommendations aren’t set in stone; the agency advises doctors to “explore acceptable options,” if that’s what parents prefer, such as immunizing on an “alternative schedule” or delaying vaccinations until a child is closer to school age.

Federal law requires doctors to discuss the benefits and risks of any immunization before administering it, so your doctor should be willing to address your questions. After all, says Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania, “the doctor-patient relationship isn’t a dictatorship; it’s a negotiation.”

Here are some options to consider:

Space out shots. Parents can choose to add office visits so their child doesn’t get vaccines against eight different diseases at once, say, as is now the case at the two-month visit.

Sears says he’s particularly concerned about giving two vaccines with live viruses at once—like the MMR and chicken pox vaccines—since these tend to cause stronger immune responses. “In nature,” he says, “kids don’t catch all these diseases at the same time.”

Sears also delays the shots for polio until a child is 9 months old and sexually transmitted hepatitis B until just before grade school, since neither disease poses any immediate threat to babies in the United States. These vaccines are normally given in early infancy to guard against the risk of kids missing vaccinations as they get older. (See chart for Sears’s alternate vaccine schedule.)

Choose flu vaccines without thimerosal. Although this mercury preservative was removed from childhood vaccines several years ago, the flu vaccine, now recommended for kids, usually contains it. The amount of mercury in one shot is very small, but scientists don’t know how long it stays in a child’s brain or whether it can accumulate over time, according to thimerosal researcher Tom Burbacher, a professor at the University of Washington-Seattle. No one’s worried that one flu shot will cause toxic brain effects, but thimerosal-free flu vaccines are made by several manufacturers. Parents may need to press their pediatricians to stock these vaccines, since many currently don’t.

Be cautious about new vaccines. Since manufacturer trials include thousands rather than millions of children, it may take a few years for rare side effects to come to light. That’s one reason that many parents object to mandatory Gardasil vaccination, which some states are now considering. In the absence of a dangerous epidemic, Sears says, parents may want to wait until a vaccine has been used for three or four years before giving it to their child.

Avoid shots if your child is sick. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against vaccinating a child with moderate to severe illness; the definition of “moderate to severe” depends on the doctor but usually includes a fever, hacking cough, diarrhea, or other acute symptoms. It may be wise, though, to also delay if your child has a minor cold or stomach bug, says Robert Naviaux, an associate professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine. Rashes and other allergic reactions can be the result when an immune system already primed to fight an infection kicks into overdrive after a shot.

(Photo by: UNICEF Sverige/Flickr)

The controversy regarding the link between the Measles-Mumps-Rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism hit a major turning point.  A special U.S vaccine court ruled against the possibility of a link between the vaccine and its ability to cause autism in children in three separate cases.

Over time, many families have criticized the vaccine, and more specifically, the preservative thimerosol that it contains. However, no criticism is unfounded but rather unproven. Therefore, many parents, professionals and friends of autism have united for against the preservative, due to its mercury content.

Special Master Denise Vowell, from the Dwyer case, stated the following in her ruling:

“Petitioners propose effects from mercury … that do not resemble mercury’s known effects on the brain, either behaviorally or at the cellular level. To prevail, they must show that the exquisitely small amounts of mercury in TCVs [thimerosal-containing vaccines] that reach the brain can produce devastating effects that far larger amounts experienced prenatally or postnatally from other sources do not.”

Vowell continued on to say, “In an effort to render irrelevant the numerous epidemiological studies of ASD [Autism Spectrum Disorder] and TCVs that show no connection between the two, they contend that their children have a form of ASD involving regression that differs from all other forms biologically and behaviorally. World-class experts in the field testified that the distinctions they drew between forms of ASD were artificial, and that they had never heard of the “clearly regressive” form of autism about which petitioners’ epidemiologist testified.”

Vowell also explained, what she believes to be, the real potential of thimerosol on the brain,

“Finally, the causal mechanism petitioners proposed would produce, not ASD, but neuronal death, and eventually patient death as well. The witnesses setting forth this improbable sequence of cause and effect were outclassed in every respect by the impressive assembly of true experts in their respective fields who testified on behalf of respondent.”

The case Bruesewitz v. Wyeth, 09-152 will argue whether companies will be held responsible for causing autism (Photo by Flickr/ProgressOhio)

As the search for the primary cause of autism continues, mounting scientific evidence is showing consistency in study results which continue to shift the reoccurring blame from the mother’s age and genetics to  medications and vaccines.

This pointed finger comes from studies such as the one held by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in 2007.

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Now, The Supreme Court may decide to empower women by allowing them to sue vaccine makers for their possible role in causing autism.

One of the 5,000 autism cases that have led to this enormous debate include a Pennsylvania trial that involved a child who developed seizures after a third dose of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccine. As a result, the parents sued Wyeth, a pharmaceutical company, which is now owned by Pfizer.

…the ruling will decide whether women will finally be able to assume power over the pharmaceutical industry.

On an interesting side note, a now 92-year-old, Wyeth investor, Violet Patton, just donated a whopping 28 million dollars to Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. This is the largest single gift that the University has ever received.

As more legal issues arise such as the aforementioned, steps taken to approve suing pharmaceutical companies may take place quickly. With the overwhelming amount of claims waiting to sue and hold pharmaceutical companies responsible, the ruling will decide whether women will finally be able to assume power over the pharmaceutical industry.

For this reason, Pfizer issued in a statement that they are “hopeful that the Supreme Court will affirm” the…ruling in Wyeth’s favor.

The case Bruesewitz v. Wyeth, 09-152 will argue whether companies who deliver vaccines containing Thimerosal will be held responsible for the children with autism as opposed to the mother’s genetics.

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According to an 11 o’clock report on Brooklyn News 12, health official’s worry that there could be three separate flu seasons. This worry comes as the Federal Drug Administration pushes to calm the nerves of Americans who are concerned about the lack of testing held on the vaccine.

Children under 6-months cannot receive the H1N1 vaccine

Within a few days, New York State will launch the first H1N1 vaccine shots. “Health Care Workers are required to get the shot,” said Commissioner Richard Gaines.

According to the same report, people who get priority include caretakers for children that under six months, Children six years to 21, Children with Asthma and others. It is important to note that children under 6 months cannot get the vaccine.

As far as dosage administration of the vaccine goes, children who are nine years of age and younger will get two doses, four weeks apart. People who are older than nine years old will receive one shot.

Americans are still waiting for a public release of vaccine ingredients. Earlier this week, the United Kingdom announced its H1N1 vaccine contains mercury-based ingredient, Thimersol.

Behind Closed Doors: President Barack Obama and Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton

Just before 3  o’clock, on the afternoon of September 1st, President Barack Obama began to address America’s preparation for the expected return of the past season’s H1N1 virus, formerly known as the Swine Flu.

Prior to his address, he we was briefed by senior officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. He spoke afterward from the Rose Garden.

According to an official White House press release, pertaining specifically to this matter, the administration has outlined the following three steps to prevent a massive outbreak.

1. Implementing a National Framework for 2009-H1N1 preparedness and response, including the four pillars of surveillance, mitigation, vaccine, and communications
2. Partnering with Congress, governors, mayors, territorial and tribal officials, state and local health departments and emergency managers, the medical community, private-sector entities, and community-based groups for an effective response
3. Issuing medical, science-derived public guidance for K-12 schools, institutions of higher education, businesses and employers, and families across the country available 24/7 on www.flu.gov

Fine, however, lets dive deeper into the vaccine testing. Two weeks ago, researchers began testing the vaccine expected to prevent the spread of the H1N1 virus. However, the initial press conference issued a statement which marked October as the expected public release date of the vaccine.

Within the press release, the White House referred to the vaccine study as “Preparing for a voluntary, but strongly recommended, H1N1 flu shot program to be available to all Americans that wish to participate over a period of time.”

Here’s a bit of recent history on how that is going so far. H1N1 vaccine testing began two weeks ago at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City. The official press conference that morning outlined a vaccine study schedule to include five administered locations. Each location would test the vaccine on a total 600 volunteers. The quota was quickly filled.

The vaccine study originally began at in Kansas City in Childrens Mercy Hospital

However, a fear of the vaccine possibly bringing out and/or creating the neurological disorder of autism hit the mainstream. The attention was first initiated by families touched by autism speaking out, online.

Following this, the opening day numbers for phase two of vaccine testing declined greatly. The was test, administered at St. Louis Medical Center, and lead many political onlookers, and others, to see that the general public is under great hesitation to jump on board with the soon to be released vaccine that is still in the making.

Regardless, the president also urges individuals and families to “plan for the fall flu season and to take steps to prevent the spread of the H1N1 flu.”  He continued on to say, “I don’t want anybody to be alarmed, but I do want everyone to be prepared.”

Now, we all know that this statement could mean many things to many people. ICare4Autism knows that it is up to each person to make well informed decisions and will be providing continuous updates on the subject.

For the latest updates on this issue please continue to check the icare4autism website, www.icare4autism.org.

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Battle Autism with Bentonite Clay

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Government may take closer look at potential link between vaccines … – Examiner.com

Vaccines

From US News & World Report, by Deborah Kotz
The vaccine schedule that most pediatricians follow, recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, takes a one-size-fits-all approach since that’s what’s best for protecting the population at large. Many parents, though, are searching for a schedule that allays their safety concerns, says pediatrician Robert Sears, author of The Vaccine Book: Making the Right Decision for Your Child. The CDC recommendations aren’t set in stone; the agency advises doctors to “explore acceptable options,” if that’s what parents prefer, such as immunizing on an “alternative schedule” or delaying vaccinations until a child is closer to school age. Federal law requires doctors to discuss the benefits and risks of any immunization before administering it, so your doctor should be willing to address your questions. After all, says Arthur Caplan, director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania, “the doctor-patient relationship isn’t a dictatorship; it’s a negotiation.” Here are some options to consider.

Continue reading “A Parent’s Guide to Managing Vaccinations”>>