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An Update: Counting on Autism Society of America to Make Touchdown on Vaccine Safety Research at IACC
Message from SafeMinds President Theresa Wranham
 The following is an update to Theresa's article on Age of Autism on September, 22.
Wednesday's IACC panel
meeting focused on question three of the IACC's strategic plan - "What Caused This to Happen and Can It Be
Prevented?". Materials used by the group for the purposes of discussion
were not furnished to the public and the meeting was at times difficult to
follow. SafeMinds had requested these materials in advance, however the Office
of Autism Coordination (OARC) turned down the request. A number of good points
were made with regard to the need for prevention by ASA CEO Lee Grossman in
using data on individuals with co-morbid medical conditions to assist in moving
forward on the development of screening/treatments as well as the possibility
of their use in prevention. Jeff Sell also stated the need to address environmental
factors in regressive autism with Dr. Craig Newschaffer agreeing that this was
indeed a gap; and, that while existing studies are underway to attempt to
gather such information, more studies are needed. Lee Grossman added that new
models and methods to assess heterogeneity of ASD were needed.
Gap three initiatives
identified by the group were all vaccine related. One initiative gap was a
vaccinated/unvaccinated study that was previously approved by the IACC in
December, removed in January and referred to the NVAC for suggestions. In June,
the NVAC reported that a comparative study of vaccinated and unvaccinated
populations was indeed a gap. In the end
it is up to the IACC to approve the initiative, which unfortunately didn't
happen on the phone call. Jeff stated that the community is very vocal on these
points and that retroactive studies would deliver clues and while Lee and Jeff were supportive of the
study, their arguments didn't resonate with others, with some panelists questioning if a vax/unvax study
was a charge to the committee at all since total health outcomes would be
broader than autism. Additionally, other members of the panel disagreed and
felt that prospective studies and reliance on studies underway that are
collecting vaccine data would be adequate in identifying susceptibilities and take advantage of
surveillance opportunities.
ASA also opened the door on
the possibility of alternative vaccine schedules where special populations were
concerned. The group felt that while that is a good idea, they don't have the
data to support this and will need to do the studies first before jumping
ahead. In terms of retrospective studies, the panel could not come to a
consensus. Jeff Sell has indicated that he will give a minority report on the
vaccine issues in the panel's presentation during the upcoming workshop. Post
vaccine investigation as it relates to immune response were consensus points
for the panel. Dr. Newschaffer also commented that there was a need for
toxicological goals, as they were not present in the strategic plan, as well as
identification of environmental risk factors and epigenetic goals to be
investigated. However, as SafeMinds
reported earlier, this type expertise was not chosen by the IACC to be present
for these meetings, though requested, and as a result the panel was unable to
do more than identify gaps in this respect.
SafeMinds encourages the
public to attend the Scientific workshop and advocate for the points outlined
in the AoA article that posted September 22nd.
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Flu Vaccines: Pregnancy and Children
What You Need to Know
 In March of 2001, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) issued a statement warning pregnant women and young children not to eat fish containing high levels of mercury
because it causes neurological problems in children.
Yet, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that these same women and young children should get seasonal influenza vaccines.
Many seasonal influenza vaccines contain mercury,from the preservative thimerosal, in amounts exceeding the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended safe levels.
SafeMinds is deeply concerned that the risks ofmercury-containing seasonal influenza vaccines outweigh the benefits for pregnant women, infants and children. Mercury is known to be highly toxic to brain tissue and can interrupt critical stages of brain development.
A large-scale scientific study in approximately 50,000
pregnant women and their infants over five flu seasons
found no difference in the risk for developing influenza
illness among those who received the influenza vaccine
during pregnancy and those who did not receive the
vaccine. Reviews in the medical journal The Lancet
found a lack of health benefit of influenza vaccine for
children under two and significantly increased rates of
vaccine related adverse events in children.
Help us spread the word about this - please download our flu brochure here or request copies mailed to you at no charge to distribute in your community.
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New Jersey "Funnyraiser" to Benefit SafeMinds
Waddaya mean you won't laugh on their behalf?
Join
us for a night of friends, food and laughs to raise funds for important
autism research. October 17, 2009 in Pine Brook, NJ. Tickets only $75. Click here to buy tickets or find out more.
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The
Wise Monkeys - What Federal Agencies Share with Ancient Proverb
By SafeMinds President Theresa Wrangham
 As I
shared earlier on Age of Autism the
results of the CDC's stakeholder meeting for the novel H1N1 "swine" flu vaccine
and Monday's media advisory meeting, I am reminded of the Three Wise
Monkeys.
While
the origins of the proverb may be lost in time, there are some interesting
perspectives that apply to vaccine concerns held by our community and how those
concerns are addressed by our government...at least from my perspective. The expectation of the community with respect to this proverb could
easily be summed up as the application of a noble scientific and moral code to
follow, and avoidance of evil in all forms - or first, do no harm. However, its current application by
government officials charged with safety and oversight of immunizations has
been perverted to Hear,
see, be silent, if you want to live in peace. Read more.
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10 Sources of Mercury You Can Do Something About - Part 3 Vaccines
By SafeMinds Environmental Committee Member Katie Weisman
Part 1: "I thought they took the mercury out
of vaccines."
Unfortunately, too many people are unaware that many
vaccines, including some for children, still contain significant amount of
thimerosal. Thimerosal is the
ethyl-mercury preservative that has been used in vaccines since the 1930's;
thimerosal has been used so long that it predates the FDA and, in fact, has
never been properly safety tested as a result.
The FDA in 1999 made a recommendation to manufacturers to
remove the mercury from vaccines on the CDC's recommended schedule for ages
birth to three when they realized that children were receiving a cumulative
dose of mercury that was potentially harmful. They did not recall the
mercury-containing vaccines, nor were they banned. Instead, they allowed
existing stocks to be used up, which took several years. Note that the FDA's directive never applied
to vaccines not on the CDC's recommended childhood schedule (for example,
Diphtheria/Tetanus).
In 2002, the CDC added flu shots to the childhood schedule
for ages 6 months to 5 years without making a recommendation that those
vaccines be mercury-free. The majority
of flu shots administered still contain a full dose of thimerosal though
thimerosal-free formulas are available in ample supply. Iowa, California, Delaware, Illinois, New
York, Missouri and Washington currently have enacted state laws that protect
vulnerable populations from receiving thimerosal-containing vaccines but
enforcement is inconsistent. Additionally, in 2007, the CDC extended the
recommended ages for flu shots from 5 to 18 years of age. Potentially, a child today can receive an
annual dose of mercury with the FDA and CDC's blessing. Read more.
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Hazardous Injections Rally
 Tired of all the lies
about how safe the Flu Shot is? Tired of the lies of its
toxicity? Like to play dress up?
Then we have just
the rally for you!
Moms Against Mercury, National Autism Association, and SafeMinds,
invite you to:
Join us on Wednesday,
October 21st, in Atlanta,
GA, at the
CDC.
We will all be dressed
in mock Haz-Mat suits to show the world just how toxic the flu shot is and how
it needs to be handled as bio-hazardous waste.
Mock Haz-Mat Suits
will be provided to you at no cost.**
You must register for
the rally to receive your complimentary Haz-Mat attire.
To register for
the rally and obtain more information, please visit
Momsagainstmercury.org.
**Haz-Mats suits
provided are the only attire of Haz-Mat
approved by Homeland Security for this rally. No other Haz-Mat attire is
allowed. Suits will be handed out the morning of the
rally.
**While we always
welcome children, because of the rally attire and the location is on a very busy
highway, please consider the safety of your child first before you decide to bring
them.**
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No Quick Solutions for Quick Silver
 More than a century of mercury mining in California and other
western states has left a toxic nightmare. The contamination of soil
and water will require enormous amounts of time and money to clean up -
but first the government must make a commitment to solving the
problem. Read more.
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