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 Two Similar Vaccine Injury Cases with Completely Different Outcomes
By Lyn Redwood, RN, MSN
SafeMinds Executive Director
For those who have followed closely the issue of vaccines and autism, this
past Friday was a confusing day. The
U.S. Court of Appeals released their decision which upheld a recent ruling in
the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) regarding the case of Michelle
Cedillo. Michelle
Cedillo, now 16, developed seizures, gastrointestinal problems and
subsequently autism in the immediate aftermath of her measles-mumps-rubella
vaccine and other mercury-containing vaccines. Her lawyers advanced
scientific and legal arguments that the combination of her mercury-containing
and live virus vaccines substantially contributed to her autism and life-threatening
medical conditions. The Special Master who heard the case denied
compensation to Michelle. Disappointingly,
the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed these lower court rulings
on August 27 and failed to question a legal process that permitted the
admission of critical evidence by the government at the last minute. This questionable admission prevented the Cedillo's
attorneys from having the opportunity to challenge that evidence or to determine
how the Department of Justice obtained the evidence in the first place. The
court's failure to investigate these concerns raises serious questions
regarding due process and fair play in the Vaccine Injury Compensation
Program.
At the same time that this decision was released in the US, a tribunal
of experts in the UK,
which included physicians, came to the opposite conclusion in the case of 18
year old Robert Fletcher. Robert, like
Michelle, was a healthy infant who was developing normally until he was given
the measles- mumps-rubella vaccine when he was 13 months old. In a six-page
judgment, the panel which examined the case said: 'Robert was a more or less
fit boy who, within the period usually considered relevant to immunisation,
developed a severe convulsion ... and he then went on to be epileptic and
severely retarded. The seizure occurred ten days after the vaccination. In our
view, this cannot be put down to coincidence." Robert and his family were
awarded £90,000.
Both Robert and Michelle were healthy and developing normally until their
vaccines. Within a short time, they regressed developmentally, and developed ongoing
seizures and gastrointestinal problems. They are unable to walk alone, feed or
care for themselves. Michelle was also
diagnosed with autism and Robert has
"minor traits" of autism. So why the difference?
Families in both countries face high hurdles;indeed, the favorable ruling in
the U.K. is after 14 years of litigation. In the US, families are at a
tremendous disadvantage due to systemic roadblocks. The VICP cases in the US are
determined by "Special Masters" who have no medical background and who serve
for terms of years, raising questions about their true independence. Petitioners' lawyers argue cases against
government attorneys using government-financed science, before government appointed
Special Masters. In addition, the VICP
has a short statute of limitations, an extremely adversarial atmosphere, no
jury, inadequate procedural rules and extremely limited discovery. The deck is
stacked against petitioners, making vaccine cases in the Court of Federal
Claims fundamentally unfair.
Is it no wonder that there is
a crisis of confidence in the U.S.
vaccine program. I'm sure that everyone
who knows these two brave families (along with the thousands of other families
in the VICP) who watched what happened to Robert and Michelle will pause when
they make vaccine decisions. A recent
study by the American Academy of Pediatrics found that half of all parents have
serious concerns over vaccine adverse effects, and one in four believe that
vaccines may cause autism. Simply put, parents
will not participate in a program that is not as safe as possible or that fails
to compensate those who are injured. The
Vaccine Injury Compensation Program should be radically reformed or abolished
altogether.
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New Thimerosal Research (Thanks to Mary Webster)
Neonatal Administration of Thimerosal Causes Persistent
Changes in Mu Opioid Receptors in the Rat Brain.
 Neurochem Res. 2010 Aug 28.
Neonatal Administration of Thimerosal Causes Persistent
Changes in Mu Opioid Receptors in the Rat Brain, Olczak M, Duszcyk M,
Mierzejewski P, Bobrowicz T, Majewska MD. Department of Pharmacology and
Physiology of the Nervous System, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology,
Sobieskiego 9 str., 02-957, Warsaw, Poland.
(Excerpts from p.7 of the article)
The persistent alterations of brain opioid systems
ensuing from early life exposure to Thimerosal is just one element of a
plethora of neurodevelopmental pathologies induced by this mercurial in animals
and humans [6-9,11]. Its harmful effects are likely to be augmented by other
vaccine adjuvants, such as aluminum, formaldehyde or antibiotics, and by
various environmental toxins [31,43,44].
Particularly aluminum compounds, added to vaccines to
augment their immunogenicity, have been shown to synergistically potentiate
Thimerosal's neurotoxicity [43]. Thus in the presence of other toxins or
substances, which per se may be rather innocuous, even small doses of THIM in
vaccines can lead to neurological injury in vulnerable children.
In conclusion, this study documents that parenteral
administration of Thimerosal to suckling rats at doses equivalent to those used
in pediatric vaccines or higher produces lasting alterations of MORs in several
brain regions and damage to neurons.
If analogous changes occur in the brains of some
children, they are likely to have profound neurological,physiological and
behavioral consequences, which may be relevant for certain neurodevelopmental
disorders. These data argue for removal of Thimerosal from all infant vaccines.
Abstract
Thimerosal added to some pediatric vaccines is suspected
in pathogenesis of several neurodevelopmental disorders. Our previous study showed
that thimerosal administered to suckling rats causes persistent, endogenous
opioid-mediated hypoalgesia. Here we examined, using immunohistochemical
staining technique, the density of mu-opioid receptors (MORs) in the brains of
rats, which in the second postnatal week received four i.m. injections of
thimerosal at doses 12, 240, 1,440 or 3,000 mug Hg kg. The periaqueductal gray,
caudate putamen and hippocampus were examined. Thimerosal administration caused
dose-dependent statistically significant increase in MOR densities in the
periaqueductal gray and caudate putamen, but decrease in the dentate gyrus,
where it was accompanied by the presence of degenerating neurons and loss of
synaptic vesicle marker (synaptophysin).
These data document that exposure to thimerosal during
early postnatal life produces lasting alterations in the densities of brain
opioid receptors along with other neuropathological changes, which may disturb
brain development.
CLICK HERE for full article
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Read an excerpt from THE AGE OF AUTISM by Dan Olmsted and Mark Blaxill
Sign up for Action Alerts.
Order the book now.
We believe that autism was newly discovered
in the 1930s for the simple reason that it was new. The organic
chemicals industry that grew out of chemical warfare research during
World War I led to new commercial uses for mercury, including the
introduction of an extraordinarily toxic compound made from
ethylmercury.
This, our research suggests, led directly to the first
cases of autism. Among the parents of those first eleven cases described
in 1943, you will meet a plant pathologist experimenting with
ethylmercury fungicides in Mary land; a pediatrician in Boston who was
an early champion of mass vaccinations containing ethylmercury; and a
stenographer in a pathology lab in Washington, D.C., who spent her
workday exposed to mercury fumes while her future husband, a
psychiatrist, treated syphilis with mercury just as Freud had done
decades earlier.
Several other families cluster around the medical
profession, agriculture, and forestry- the three biggest risk factors
for exposure to mercury in its newest and most toxic form. Psychiatrist
Leo Kanner provided some clues to the backgrounds of these early
parents- such as their professions- but our investigation uncovered
dramatic new details about what the parents were doing when each child
was born and in the critical years before that.
By the time our research was done, we had
worked our way through newspaper clippings, professional archives, city
directories, cemetery records, ancestry searches, last- known addresses,
and libraries from Washington, D.C., to Moscow, Idaho. We found and
interviewed family members of several of the first eleven children; most
memorably, we met two of those "cases" ourselves. At the end of our
search, we talked with "Case 1: Donald T." around the kitchen table in
his lifelong home in the small lumber town of Forest, Mississippi. By
any measure, he has fared astonishingly well. President of his college
fraternity and later the Forest Kiwanis Club, a pillar of his
Presbyterian church, he had a long career at the local bank, plays a
competitive game of golf, and regularly travels the world. We learned
how "Donald T." went from being the first unmistakable case of autism to
the first unmistakable case of recovery. He also reminds us how recent
autism is- the space of one man's lifetime: "Donald T." turned seventy-
seven in September 2010.
Leo Kanner's original cases, linked only by this
overlooked association with mercury, suggest that from the very
beginning autism was an environmentally induced illness- a toxic injury
rather than something inherited or inculcated. Certainly, some children
were more susceptible to mercury exposure- and that may implicate
genetic vulnerabilities. This is very different, however, from saying
that autism is an inherited genetic disorder.
Read more.
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 Top 10 Reasons to Use Precaution with Mercury in Vaccines
*Because Mercury . . . . *
10. Contaminates our Air, Water and Food
9. Already Contaminates our Bodies
8. Causes Cardiovascular Disease
7. Speeds Up Puberty
6. Decreases Fertility
5. Travels Directly from Mom's Placenta into Baby
4. Accumulates in babies at higher levels than the
mother
3. Is a potent neurotoxin that causes brain
damage
2. Is associated with lower IQ and neurological
disorders like autism, ADHD, and Alzheimers
1. Has NEVER been tested for safety
Why Take The RISK? Demand
Mercury-Free Vaccines! |
Hey! New Jersey Has a Situation: the  SafeMinds Funnyraiser
Reprinted from Age of AutismAOA Managing Editor's Note: Come on! Your abs will likely hurt the next day and that means exercise, so the photo is entirely appropriate. KSAutism Funnyraiser night to benefit SafeMinds, the organization that wrote "Autism: A Novel form of Mercury Poisoning", a paper that has NOT been retracted by the Journal that published it. YET. Evening of BYOB buffet dinner, silent auction and Comedy show. Remember, what goes on at Funnyraiser, STAYS at Funnyraiser!! Board Member Heidi Roger, who wishes she had chosen Stand Up comedy instead of Accounting, will warm up the crowd with her Autism humor such as "I AM a little nervous. I'm really hoping that Kanye West does NOT suddenly appear, grab the microphone out of my hand and tell you that Paul Offit deserves to be up here more than I do." September 25, 2010 - Pinebrook, New Jersey - $50.00 per person. Sponsorship starts at $250. For more information or to purchase tickets CLICK HERE.
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NIEHS Workshop on Autism and the Environment: New Ideas for Advancing the Science - View Webcast Live
Wednesday, September 8, 2010 - 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Eastern View live webcast here. Workshop GoalThe goal of this workshop is to identify novel opportunities and mechanisms
to accelerate research on environmental factors and autism, guided by (1)
recent advances in autism research; (2) emerging tools and technologies in
environmental health sciences and (3) analogy to successful approaches in other
environmentally-mediated diseases. This workshop represents a joint effort
between the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and
Autism Speaks. Workshop ProductsThe products of this workshop will include recommendations for (1) highest
priority areas of research that address the contribution of environmental
factors for risk and phenotypic expression of autism; (2) possible solutions
for any barriers to progress identified in these areas; and (3) other resources
needed for increasing the pace of this research. The workshop products will be
shared with the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) and may be
considered in the ongoing process for evaluating and refining the IACC
Strategic Plan. CLICK HERE for more information. |
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Estimates of Death Associated with Seasonal Influenza
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevent (CDC) just
released their Estimates of Deaths
Associated with Seasonal Influenza in the U.S. from 1976 to 2007 in the
August 27th 2010 Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report (MMWR). CLICK HERE to read report.
The estimates are derived from national death certificate data and are
based on estimates of both respiratory and circulatory deaths, not documented
cases of the flu. The annual death rate
estimates for this time period ranged from 1.4 to 16.7 per 100,000
persons. The wide variation from year to
year was related to the particular influenza virus in circulation.
Ninety percent of all influenza associated
deaths are among those 65 years and older. The overall estimated death rate for individuals with underlying
pneumonia and influenza causes of death was 2.4 per 100,000. with a range of
0.4 to 5.1. Among those < 19 years of
age the rate was 0.1 per 100,000. Among
individuals >65 the estimated rate was 17 per 100,000.
This new report demonstrates the substantial variability
in mortality rates based on year, type of circulating virus and age of the
individual. The CDC's annual estimate of
36,155 influenza respiratory and circulatory associated deaths from influenza
are based on an earlier study when more severe influenza viruses were
prominent.
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In the News
*Mercury* Rising : Conservation Magazine 
Mercury is flowing with the melt. A new study
from Sweden finds that thawing permafrost in a northern peat bog is releasing
the toxic metal into a nearby lake. That pattern could become widespread as
global temperatures rise. Read more.
Cochrane
slams flu vaccines: "reliable evidence...is thin", "widespread
manipulation of conclusions & spurious notoriety of the studies" by
pharma.
Vaccines for preventing influenza in healthy adults.
Ditch
your CFLs - LED bulbs available NOW for just  $19.97! NO MERCURY. Saves
more energy than CFL. Lasts 22 yrs. EcoSmart A19 online at Home Depot. Read more.
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 Updated Vaccine Ingredient Calculator Aids Informed Consent Decisions
Reprinted from NVIC announcement and Age of Autism
NVIC is proud to announce recent updates to the Vaccine Ingredients Calculator (VIC).
Just in time for going back to school, this powerful tool has been
updated with the most current information available on vaccines
recommended by the Centers for Disease Control for 2010/2011. Features include:
- Built-in safety protections notifying the user of invalid vaccine combinations and appropriate age-based vaccine use;
- Graphs comparing vaccine ingredients to federally established safe exposure levels (when available);
- New links to ingredient information resources;
- A growing library of video tutorials on using the VIC;
- Calculates
exposures to aluminum, bovine protein, egg protein, formaldehyde,
mercury (Thimerosal), mouse protein, phenol red, phenoxyethanol,
Polysorbate 80 and yeast protein;
- Vaccination Plan printout to assist in parent/physician dialogue.
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